Many businesspersons are greatly challenged with their entrepreneurial needs during this COVID-19 pandemic. Some have lost the will to grow their businesses, while others use the situation to their advantage. In this episode, Juliet Clark talks to Mike Zeller, a business architect who strategizes with entrepreneurs and helps high achievers uncover and pursue their life’s work. Mike has a mastermind called The Best Life Mastermind, and today he brings inspiration for you to find great things out of adverse circumstances. Listen to his advice and learn how you can serve your clients and have continuous income during this pandemic.

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Serving Your Audiences’ Entrepreneurial Needs During The COVID-19 Pandemic With Mike Zeller

We have another extraordinary guest. I know I always say that but I do choose the most extraordinary people to be on here. You have to admit that. Before we get started and I introduce him, I want to remind you guys to go over to YouTube and like us, follow us over at Super Brand Publishing. Also, leave us a review. We’d love to hear your thoughts about it, what you like, what you don’t like. Either way, leave us five stars even if you don’t like it. Our guest is Mike Zeller. Mike has a mastermind called The Best Life Mastermind. What he’s great at is helping you find your zone of genius where you can kick ass and avoid the areas where you suck. We all have those.

He’s good at allowing you to develop a pathway to monetization and build a sustainable business around your zone of genius and help you design the life around your zone of genius and the pathway that helps you become your best self. He helps high achievers uncover and pursue their life’s work. He’s an NLP Master Guru, which means he’s going to do some voodoo on us. He uses the core methodology of Tony Robbins. This has been helpful for bringing out the power in entrepreneurs and creatives to get them unstuck from their emotional roadblocks, become more fully integrated and powerful to create and build unstoppable momentum.

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Welcome, Mike.

I’m excited to be here. Thanks for having me on, Juliet. You’re always a joy and I always love connecting with you. I can’t wait to dive in.

Thank you. I met Mike by accident over on LinkedIn. I was looking for pod swaps and we did some business swaps in the whole sequence of it and it’s worked out well. You have a unique business. You had businesses that have done over $300 million in sales in so many different areas. Can you talk a little bit about that? What got you into this and how you achieve that?

I got into the entrepreneur game by accident. I moved to Nashville to help start a church targeted towards artists and creatives, but I knew my place was supposed to be in the marketplace. I was supposed to build and create businesses that did well in the world. That was part of the vision. I had a socially minded car dealership. It was a combination of CarMax meets Toms shoes. Our goal was twofold, create the best car buying experience in the city. We’re fair, high integrity, quality, pre-owned cars like CarMax, except better prices. Secondly, every car we sold helped us give away another car to a single mother in need. During my time there, we gave away 33 cars, and the value is roughly $250,000 to $300,000, to people in need in the community. I love that thing.

I’m a creator at heart so I see opportunity. This marketplace with the pandemic, marketplace disruption equals marketplace opportunity when we don’t put the blinders on of fear, trauma, and panic. I know people that have lost almost all their income and different things. Also, it’s a chance to remake yourself. I see people growing their business, creating massive pivots, and new partnerships that are going to be worth millions of dollars or hundreds of thousands to them too. I’ve tried and failed a lot. My mentality has been fail forward faster since I read a book in my early twenties called Failing Forward by John Maxwell. I said, “If I stumble forward and learn a lot faster, then where am I going to be at in my 40s, 50s, and 60s?” That’s what I’ve embraced.

You broke the oxymoron of the car salesman. Nobody thinks of them as compassionate people.

My two business partners and I, our whole goal was we wanted to be able to walk into a restaurant, see a customer and be proud that we saw the customer not wanting to duck, like, “We screwed those guys. They got a bad car.” We did that. The business went for about 7 or 8 years. We did good with it so I was happy.

I mentioned the NLP at the beginning. I mentioned to you before that when I was in real estate, I used NLP a lot, the matching and the mirroring to be able to put clients at ease because real estate can be tense when you meet with new people you don’t know. Tell us how you use that to rewire the belief system. Where does that belief system start for a lot of people?

All of us have internal glass ceilings for what our health is capable of being, relationships, romance, and finances can be. For example, I’ve had two clients sign up. One has been at the exact same income like almost to the dollar for the last several years.  Another one, same exact income for nine years. They needed a massive rewiring. Our subconscious act according to our identity. Our identity only has a certain capacity. It’s like a glass that holds about 7 or 8 ounces of water. If I pour more water in, then it’s capable of holding it and overflows because its identity can’t hold any more water. If I put a 5-gallon bucket, it can hold more. It doesn’t mean there are 5 gallons of water in it, same thing for our identities. I used to give people lots of great strategies at the beginning. I’d be like, “Let’s do it.” I anchor a little bit to the why, what, and how-to.

I was talking to a friend of mine, we’re going to do a JV and partnership on, and he has a massive big platform that many of you guys would know. He bought into this seven-figure business but he grew up in a trailer park. His identity of his value, what he’s worth, and what he can charge through this company still got some trailer park residue. The first thing we’re going to have to do is rewire his subconscious of what he’s worth and what he’s capable of. It’s what creates a new container. If I transform this glass into a bucket, it doesn’t mean there are 5 gallons of water in there but now it has the capacity to hold a lot more. It’s a matter of figuring out the why, the what and the how. You start putting more water and building that up.

Entrepreneurial Needs: In this pandemic, disruption can mean a marketplace opportunity.

I took another client. She’s a famous fitness entrepreneur, Instagram celebrity type of deal. I took her through a process. When we started on our one-day VIP strategy session, she broke down in tears in the first twenty minutes. She felt stuck and paralyzed. At first, I was like, “This sucks. I’m going to have to give her money back because I don’t know what I’m going to do here.” I remembered that in NLP technique where I could unstuck her with a simple process of helping her visualize and anchor into emotionally, physically, and spiritually as the type of person she wanted to be. She’s like, “My message is all clunky. I don’t feel clear about my new message and platform. I felt incongruent with my old business.”

Within 1.5 to 2 hours, she was in ecstatic joy. We had rewired and re-created a whole new neuropathway like a new container. It’s getting past that conscious mind and deeper into that subconscious mind. I helped her imagine being a person that she admired for the clarity of their message, their ability to speak in public and all that. She stepped into that person and then I could visualize herself because I had stretched her into a new place. The next 30 to 60 days, she was on fire and momentum was downhill. She was on roll after that and she tripled her business.

That is cool because neuroscientists are finding all of this new information about being able to build new neuropathways all the time. That’s great that you know all of that and can build into that for people. There’s so much of marketing these days that is subconscious neuromarketing. I came out of advertising where we did everything subliminal. We’re sending you messages and you don’t know it type of thing. We’re doing this during the Coronavirus. We talked a little bit about the fear that people are feeling and almost that paralyzation. You told me this great story about the cow that I would love for you to share. Let’s talk about how people can pivot a little bit during this time as well.

As an example, we have so much fear and uncertainty in the marketplace. The dominant word in our world is probably uncertainty in terms of the feeling and emotions, but that also creates massive opportunity. It’s which identity do I want to embrace? Do I want to be the one who runs and tucks his tail between his legs and waits for the world to happen to them? Do I want to be the one who creates the world? What does Warren Buffett do during times like this? Some of the world’s wealthiest people, they’re sitting on the silence waiting for these moments and they run into them. They buy businesses. Warren Buffett acquires businesses. This is like shopping for him. It’s like Black Friday. He’s having a little fun on those types of guys.

One of my favorite metaphors is, a cow is on the great plain. That’s some of the greatest cow land and you have these grassy fields. Cows have massive thunderstorms out in the great plain. One of my most favorite experiences was driving through Kansas and keep liking the whole sky at 2:00 AM. It was lit up with all this lightning. When a big thunderstorm comes, cows see the thunderstorm coming. They run away from the thunderstorm, which means that the thunderstorm is raining on their backs longer because they’re running with it. They’re prolonging the suffering. The bison that grew up on the Great Plains, that’s their natural habitat, and they have a different mentality. They see the thunderstorm coming and they wait. They charge through the eye of the storm, which means they cut the time in half of the suffering of the rain pouring down on them. The downpour is cut in half and then they’re on the other side sooner than you know it.

As I’ve been coaching a lot of my mastermind clients and my VIP clients and stuff, now is the time to be a bison. Charge through the eye of the storm and run into it. I’m seeing massive opportunities open up in JV partnerships in collaborations. You and I connected because we both had openings or opportunity there. We looked and explored it. What are the massive opportunities that are opening up? Where is the disruption creating an opportunity in your world even if you have to let go of old paradigms, old business models, and old things that suddenly don’t work?

That is great. What do you recommend for people in our industry? I saw people coming out and saying, “You need a summit and I’m the person to help you create that summit and pay me money.” They were creating this massive fear, at least that’s what I felt like that your business isn’t going to make it unless you do this summit thing. You and I have a different attitude about that, letting it go and serving.

There is a lot of opportunity in the virtual summits. In nowadays marketplace, it’s finding a need in every single level of business and every single economic climate. Businesses thrive when they find a need and they meet that need or they find a want and they meet that want. You were telling me the great story of the wine company, that slight little pivot. Finding ways to serve your ideal audience because they have new needs or they have new wants, many of them, not all of them. Step into that. It’s a time to also remake yourself like, “I’m having fun. I’m thrilled with the partnerships, collaborations, and chance to get my systems and my business dialed in that I’ve neglected because I’ve been running too hard.” Step in and serve. You don’t have to charge money, but you also should not be ashamed to charge money either.

I had a client that had a record week. He closed $40,000 in coaching business and got more than half of it paid up front. It was his biggest week ever. He had a $40,000 week. He’s new in his business. He’s not a guy that’s used to making $1 million a year. He’s used to making a couple hundred thousand. Also, we need to be unashamed with asking for money in certain periods if we can help. It’s out of integrity if we don’t ask to get paid what we’re worth in certain moments, but we might adapt the payment plan. We might adjust it. You can be flexible. At the end of the day, having one client and also keeping a client. I’ve talked with a lot of my mastermind members and said, “Some of your clients want to drop off because they lost their job. They lost their income source. Keep them on for a fraction of what they were paying so that when this turns around in 30, 60 days, they’re still clients.” It costs way more to acquire a customer than to keep a customer. It’s a chance to serve with compassion and leadership.

That is true. I’m even finding that I’m going above and beyond and doing extra sessions. Sometimes it’s not as much for them as it is for me because I don’t want to sit around the house watching TV or doing things. I didn’t have clients and I watched that whole Tiger King. Who even knew there were people like that in the world? I’m motivated. Even when you think about it, there are times when you should charge. Keeping yourself busy is important too. If you’re not, you’re probably getting down into the dregs of the bad part of this instead of the positive part of it. What do you think the lesson is for people who are not going into this positively? I want to share, I’m a control freak and I’m manifesting more because I’m like, “I can’t control it. I’m going to do what I do. Whatever shows up is going to show up. It’s uncertain and it’s weird but I think it’s a good lesson.”

We’re in this together. I see people much more open and that’s why there’s such massive collaboration opportunity. Look at who’s your ideal audience. Who else serves them in a different way? How could you guys collaborate creating virtual happy hours, program together, and new offering? I talked with an entrepreneur that moved to Nashville. She and her husband have no friends here.They’re online influencers and entrepreneurs. I’m like, “I’m creating a virtual happy hour for Nashville based online entrepreneurs with audiences. Where can I impact and take deeper listening?” Most of us don’t listen enough. That’s why it’s also hyper important that you control the influences.

My wife and I made a decision that we’re only reading about ten minutes a day each on the Coronavirus. Not allowing a limit because I had a client and she canceled. She paused because she was afraid. She was spending over an hour a day reading about the virus and the economy. Dave Ramsey had this saying during the great recession, “I know there’s a recession happening but I’m choosing not to participate in it.” We have a choice. We can participate or we can grow. We can swim with the tide or we can be like the bison or be like Warren Buffett. Another favorite metaphor of mine is the airplanes. Do you know how airplanes lift off?

Entrepreneurial Needs; It costs more to acquire and keep a customer.

No.

If you think about an airplane, it’s massive. One of those Boeing jumbo jets, they weigh massive tons. How do they lift off? Air feels like it doesn’t weigh anything. They use air to lift off but it’s the resistance of the air. They have to get fast enough. They have to create enough resistance to lift them into the sky. It’s the same thing. If you go against it, the resistance of the tide of negativity can lift you to whole new heights. We were talking about the Kennedy’s in the depression was worth $3.4 million, which is a great sum back then. They left the great depression worth $117 million and that’s what paved the pathway for them to be our royal family for at least several decades with John and Jack and all the other Kennedys. Let the resistance be your friend and step into it if you want to lead, create, and innovate. Also, we should not advocate serving and using our gifts because of fear. Another thing that pisses me off is we’re advocating what good we can do in the world because of fear.

You and your wife did the right thing. The fear is coming from the media. They’re not serving us well. Cutting down that media presence is helping people. I don’t know that going to the Tiger King was a good move to get away from it. There are other things that I could have done instead. Does turning off the TV mean you’re not informed? No. Inform yourself a couple of minutes a day but don’t get lost in the negativity of it all. I’ve noticed on social media, one thing that’s come to my attention is the blamers. It has to be so-and-so fault. What if it’s the universe repositioning us and we have to get rid of those negative people? I see a blamer on social media and I’ve been deleting. I don’t care. I want those people around me that feed the universe with positivity, not those that are negative.

We are the gatekeepers of our minds and emotions especially in times like these, we’ve got to be even more selective. Our filter has to be stronger. It’s out of selflessness that it has to be stronger. If I am going to show up and bring all the good that I can in the world, grow, stretch, and make an impact, I can’t allow myself to be wallowing in the cesspool of negativity, fear, and anxiety. I’ve got to move forward and find stable ground. I’ve got to press into the uncertainty.

For those of you who know me, one of my true strengths is that I have a wicked sense of humor. My prep during this has been finding those funny memes on Facebook and posting. I’ve been surprised people are reaching out and saying, “I’m scared and you’re making my day.” I’m like, “Really?” There are many little things that you can be doing that are positive and that are uplifting that you don’t even realize. Laughter is the best medicine. There’s no doubt about it. Anytime you can smile or make people laugh. I don’t know if you’re noticing this in Nashville, do you and your wife get out and walk or run or anything like that? I’m noticing here in Utah, it flashed into my mind that we’re making people nice again. When I’m out running or walking, people are waving from across the street, chatty, and gardening. I see all this happiness going because we’re disconnecting from a lot of the negativity out there. Do you see that as well?

Neighbors are bringing their lawn chairs over 6 feet apart but connecting, talking, and open. It reminded us to be more human. For American culture, we’re dominated by human doings and not human beings. We’re forced to breath and eat a meal at home instead of going out for a restaurant. We’re forced to slow down. We’re never going to have this again. We don’t know what will happen, when we’ll have a cure. We might have a cure this month, we might not. I’m not expecting a vaccine. There are a lot of treatments being experimented with that are showing positive signs. This is a gift even though it sucks on our pocketbooks for a little bit.

It’s funny because I’m about twenty years older than you and that lawn chair thing. That’s in my generation what our parents made us do. We didn’t grow up with the helicopter parenting and the iPad. They shoved us out of the door at 8:00 AM and said, “Don’t come back unless somebody’s dead, bleeding, or hungry.” We had a lot of that already. We know how to do this. It is a gift. I know some of the younger generation are like, “What are we doing? Are phone booths coming back next?” Mike, where can we find you if we want to connect? You’re having some happy hours too, right?

I’m doing virtual NLP session to help rewire. If anyone’s interested in some of those, I’m doing a couple of those a month. I’d love to dive in and do one with you as well. We can do one-on-one to help rewire. You’ve got a great mindset. It’s helping high performers go to the next level.

I got some stuff.

Good and we’ve got something to work with. I’ve got a Facebook group called The Resistance for leaders, achievers and entrepreneurs that want to stand firm, resist tide of negativity, and step into being a force for good. MikeZeller.com is my main website and Michael R Zeller in Facebook. @MichaelRZeller on Instagram. Michael Zeller on LinkedIn. By the way, now is a time for massive legion. People are growing their audiences. I’m seeing a lot of massive headway in that. Your followers, they need that with you or need to ramp up ad spend to build audiences cheaper than it’s ever been. This is a customer acquisition season that shifts in the customer monetization for the next season.

It definitely is. In fact, I’m giving a talk on prequalification serves everybody. It cuts down the lack of communication so it’s a good thing. Thank you so much for being on here. I appreciate it. We finally got it done. We had the toughest time. There was no internet, bad internet, no recording. Thank you so much.

It’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me on. It’s always great connecting.

Important Links

• Super Brand Publishing – YouTube channel
• The Best Life Mastermind
• Failing Forward
• MikeZeller.com
• Michael R Zeller – Facebook
• MichaelRZeller – Instagram
• Michael Zeller – LinkedIn

About Mike Zeller

Find your zone of genius of where you kickass and avoid the areas you suck. Develop a pathway to monetize and build a sustainable business around your zone of genius. Design your life around your zone of genius and your pathway to monetization.
Mike Zeller helps high achievers uncover and pursue their life’s work. Instead of living with the soul ache of missing out on their deepest work and wondering what could I have done? Where did I mess up? Or why do I not feel more fulfilled?Mike has three steps for doing that: Collectively Mike’s businesses have done more than$300 million in sales in the last 10 years. He’s invested in or started more than 15 different businesses in a variety of industries, from real estate, fashion, automotive, to digital marketing, and high level entrepreneur masterminds.He’s also a master NLP practitioner, which is the core methodology of Tony Robbin’s. This has been very powerful for helping entrepreneurs and creatives get unstuck from emotional roadblocks, become more fully integrated and powerful in order to create and build unstoppable momentum.

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