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The Bigger Life Podcast
Mindset Mastery & Brand Brilliance: Unlocking Success with Blake Erickson
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- [00:00]
A
That whole principle of mediocrity is, is not a virtue. That's not just in money, right? That's in fitness. That was where it hit me was in my fitness. I was like, yeah, I only spend an hour down my fitness and it's because I'm focusing on my family, right? It's because I'm doing this and that. It's like, no, if you have your reality check, it's like you're only spending an hour on your fitness because you've been telling yourself a story that needs to change, right? And same thing was like, I think a lot of people that aren't, aren't going to church, that aren't spiritual, they do the same thing where they say, well, I don't want, I've, I don't want to be judgy, I don't want to be holier than thou, so I'm not going to work on my spiritual life. And they stay mediocre anyways. It just, it applies to everything. I just wanted to say that before you picked up.
- [00:48]
B
Oh, I love it, bro. I love, I love the concept of writing stories because it's the thing that the brain's best at. Our brain is so freaking good at just creating these stories that help us feel better, justify our mediocrity. And once someone can realize that that's how they go, go from here to here. But most people don't ever realize it.
- [01:27]
A
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- [01:59]
B
Living the dream, my friend. Heading out to TA today for some little company retreat. So life's good, man. Just got back from Maui, hanging with Brody for a sec and yeah, tell.
- [02:11]
A
Me about that play. You just wanted your team to kind of get surrounded by that vibe and by Brody and kind of get a piece of that.
- [02:21]
B
Yeah, dude. I mean after experiencing it was so groundbreaking for me last year being there that I just was like, man, it was kind of like the tree of life, bro. I just wanted other people to experience the fruit, dude. So yeah, man, he, he, we worked out a deal and he helped me out, dude. And was willing to help my guys. So. Super fun, man.
- [02:44]
A
What feedback did they give you, dude?
- [02:47]
B
I think it was life changing for a lot of them because a lot of them, you know, don't have yet 15, 20 grand to spend on a mastermind. And so, yeah, they just, you know, got access to him, got access to what it looks like to have a bigger vision, Real estate, branding, why it's all important. And so they just hear from me day after day after day. And so to hear from somebody else is just powerful always, you know?
- [03:16]
A
Yeah. Was it just your top guys, like, how many dicks you bring?
- [03:21]
B
Yeah, so I brought my top 15 guys.
- [03:24]
A
That's awesome.
- [03:25]
B
That's great.
- [03:27]
A
Good for you. Well, thanks for coming, dude. We're great. Yeah, I've been working hard. It was great to get on the DBF call. I got. I got the new guy in Scott, which was a power team. So, yeah, they're really good. They're really sharp, and I feel like it was really productive. Like, re. Got me fired up again, you know? Like I said. Callan. Callan's out today. He had his baby, so congrats, baby, Emmy. But I'm excited to go solo. I couldn't. I couldn't postpone this one, man. We've been trying to get you on for a while, so happy to have you. For the audience listening, Blake Erickson, he's an animal. He's in. I mean, he got his. His cash cow was sales. Right. That's kind of how you got your momentum started. But now he's in real estate, and he's been, honestly, on fire ever since. Like, one of the biggest thing that stands out that I really want you to go in on, Blake, is you made a decision to play big. And I think, to me, that's something that a lot of people, they. They get their money. They get. They get something, and. And they just maybe. Maybe start to play small once they get a little bit of money. But I just respect the way that you've reinvested your time, energy, money back into yourself. And what I want to do is maybe tell us. I want to hear your story, but I want to hear, like, I want you to zoom in for me a little bit on when you had success with the sales to now. Like, what have you been doing? Because I don't even know everything.
- [05:12]
B
Yeah.
- [05:13]
A
No.
- [05:13]
B
Great. First off, pumped to be with you. I honor you and respect you, man. And what a just blast to be here. So I'm fired up.
- [05:20]
A
Let's have fun.
- [05:22]
B
Would you like me to start from like the origin, from the beginning or from, hey, experience some success, how it went from there?
- [05:29]
A
Well, I think if there's anything pertinent with the origin, I want to hear it, like, if it, if it's applicable. But I think what, what the audience is going to want to hear is like, I want to go deeper, I want to spend our time going deeper on some of the most recent moves that you've been making. So tell us both.
- [05:50]
B
Cool dude. Certification between the ages of 18 to 20, and it was the greatest ROI that I'll ever receive. Learning, growth, skill development, people. Just miraculous, just unreal. So hard to put in the word. Truthfully. Yeah. The reason I start with that is because that's where it all began. That's where the origin of who, who I am and some of the things that I've been able to do. And I had a specific man. His name's Daniel Motto. He was my mission president and he retired at the age of 35. He was a serial tech entrepreneur and we were able to get really close. And just by having that relationship and hearing that someone else has lived and played such a massive game and had so much success early on, just like change something inside of me, in my brain. Like, I'd never heard that before. Like growing up a lot of affluent, a lot of rich, a lot of successful people. But the way he played was just so big. And I was like, that'd be fun. Why don't, why don't I do that? You know? So the reason I start with that is because when I was 20, I got super clear with his advice on what I wanted to create. And the ultimate goal was always, hey, I want to build God's kingdom. And I recognized that if that's the end goal, if I reverse engineered what it took to get there and get there as soon as possible, I recognized that I had to create a lot of wealth, provide a lot of value, and I need to do it early on. I can't, like, I can't do a 30, 40 year career. It's like I don't have time. So create a lot of urgency for me. And we.
- [07:41]
A
I want to zoom in here, though. I know I asked you to pick up, but that was a big mistake because this is, this is a big thing that I think is unique about you. I think a lot of guys that are religious maybe keep it separate from their business, but that's something that you highlight all the time, is God. And so just a couple clarifying questions. So this guy, President Motto, he was how old when he was your mission president?
- [08:10]
B
39.
- [08:11]
A
39. What a guy. And so he obviously gave. He gave you permission to not only succeed in business at a young age, but also to keep God, like, really, really at the front of your brand throughout the whole process. Right. Speak to that a little bit more.
- [08:36]
B
Yeah. I think a man once told me, if you approach an opportunity with the thought, how can I help? How can this opportunity help God's children? God will always help you succeed. And so I wanted to succeed. I wanted success. And I knew if I made them partner, my chances of success were much higher. So that's one side of it. The other side of it is just in the grand scheme of things, this life, in my opinion, is just such a short, small amount of time, and I want to bring the most value to him as possible in my short time here. And if I keep it separate, I don't get to do that. And so you were there. Actually, Casey Boss said money to him is just a scorecard of value. And that lights me up. And so one of the questions you asked was like, dude, like, most people go get money and then they get complacent. It's like, not if you want your scorecard of value to keep going up. It's like, why would you. Why would you stop? Why would you not lean in? And so those things have. Have motivated me to lean in.
- [09:48]
A
The other thing Casey said was, money is super spiritual, which I feel like that is very controversial.
- [09:58]
B
Right.
- [09:58]
A
And I was talking with my. My buddies Ernest and Seth this morning at the gym, and we were talking about this concept that a lot of time people think there's a lot of virtue and mediocrity, Right? And so a lot of times with. With money, a lot of times people think, yeah, being middle class, just having just enough for my needs, like, there's a lot of virtue in that. And I think that when you really held the truth as kind of an excuse, right, we should. We should want to create. We should want wealth. Like, and I think there's something freeing about just admitting, like, I would. I would benefit myself and others from having untold wealth. There, all of a sudden, that weights off your shoulder. You don't have any excuses anymore. Yeah, you're also in the spotlight, but I think that's a really. That's a really big thing that we. We might need to untangle that as.
- [10:56]
B
A culture a little bit more on that same vein. All of us. All of us at some point have experienced what it's life. What it's like to live in scarcity and what it's like to live in abundance. And I promise you, an abundant man is a happy man. And I've experienced, like, dude, there's times in my career that even when I've had a lot of success, my bank account is incredibly slim. Therefore, I act and don't give and am as. Not as abundant, and I'm just not as happy. And so part of wealth also is, hey, I want to be as abundant as possible and have the least amount of scarcity as possible, because that makes me happy, but also gives me the greatest opportunity to go give and make it that.
- [11:49]
A
Yeah, thanks for highlighting that, man. I feel like that that is a really big deal and it's something that we need to. To hit hard on. Right. And. And last thing, and I'll let you pick back up with your story, but that whole principle of mediocrity is. Is not a virtue. That's not just in money, Right? That's in fitness. That was where it hit me, was in my fitness. I was like, yeah, I only spend an hour a day on my fitness. And it's because I'm focusing on my family, right? It's because I'm doing this and that. It's like, no, if you have your reality check, it's like, you're only spending an hour on your fitness because you've been telling yourself a story that needs to change. Right? And same thing with, like, I think a lot of people that aren't. Aren't going to church, that aren't spiritual, they do the same thing, or they say, well, I don't want. I've. I don't want to be judgy. I don't want to be holier than now. So I'm not going to work on my spiritual life. And they stay mediocre anyways. It just. It applies to everything. I just wanted to say that before you picked up.
- [12:49]
B
Oh, I love it, bro. I love. I love the concept of writing stories because it's the thing that the brain's best at. Our brain is so freaking good at just creating these stories that help us feel better, justify our mediocrity. And once someone can realize that that's how they go, go from here to here, but most people don't ever realize it.
- [13:14]
A
Yeah, Boom. Okay, so you have the foundation, you have a hero. You have someone that. That proved it's possible.
- [13:23]
B
And then.
- [13:24]
A
And then what?
- [13:28]
B
It took me two years later, I got into sales, tried different entrepreneurial things, and my first summer, I Was able to be a. One of the top reps of door to door company and made my first six figures. And six figures, like back then was like, that was the goal. Super pumped. Gave me some credibility. And once I hit that, I was like, cool. How do I go from six to seven figures? Two years later I hit that. And you know, it's been, it's been four years since that first summer to, to this day. And your question was is what have you done from. From that, that time to now? Yeah, and I've tried to be intentional about a couple things. One of the things I've been intentional about and purposeful about is I want to be the person that invests more in themselves than anybody else. And so people have more real estate than me. People have a lot more investment, a lot more in a lot of different categories than myself. And I am committed to make sure that I am investing more in myself than anybody else. So that's benefited me greatly. Second is making people based decisions. And so who you work with, who you do business with is who you do life with. And if you get, if you get in bed per se, or in the opportunity with the right people, you're going to be, you're going to be taken care of and in a really good spot. And so I've tried to be intentional about being around the right people. And then lastly, I've. I've realized that the only limit that we have to what we accomplish, what we create, is the limits that we set on ourselves. Limits were. Limits had never been created. So God never said, hey, in the eighth day we're going to create limits. It was not involved in the creation. And so the only limits that we create are the ones that we put on ourselves. And so recognizing that, I just always realized that if I want to go play big and I want to do it faster than most, I have to have bigger goals. Therefore, I have to have bigger action. And so the thought of, hey, my limits are going to be much higher than people, but also that means my input has to be much greater than others. There's no, there's nothing can really substitute for hard work. And I would just say because of my vision and desire, my input was always massive, I guess you could say.
- [16:13]
A
So, okay, first of all, like, let's go through those three things because I feel like there's a lot to unpack and to the audience listening, like, Blake really backs it up when he says that he's gonna invest in himself more than anyone else. It's absolutely true. Like we're in a mastermind with 15 guys and no one invests in themselves as much as Blake. Right. And so I kind of come from a different perspective. So I, I like to learn about this because I've probably had enough money to invest in coaches and masterminds for maybe five years, but I've, I've only started doing it last year. Right. Five years after I actually had the, the budget to do it. And so obviously I'm, I'm a little slower. I slow play those decisions to invest in things like that. But you have done so well at it. Tell me, like, how do you, how do you justify it as someone who has so many other opportunities?
- [17:16]
B
Yeah.
- [17:17]
A
Is there a certain percentage you're looking at, like, is there a percentage of your discretionary income you're looking at putting in or you're just like as much as left over? It's going into myself.
- [17:28]
B
It goes back to abundance, I think, and sometimes it, sometimes it's not good. So that's my, that's my preface. Yeah. But part of my abundance is like, I don't want to look at price tags. I don't want to have to worry about money. Like, I don't like budgeting, for example. And so I don't do like, hey, this percent of my income is going here or anything like that. And I'm not saying that's wrong. It's probably right. But when I see something that I feel like would help me get somewhere quicker, I spend the money. Yeah. Or if it's something I want to learn about, I spend the money. I'm not, you know, it's like I realized that by doing that, that money, I now don't get to go buy real estate property with it. Right. And so there's a cost there. And I just have to recognize is the reward or the advantage of this investment greater than if I go get a cash flow and property. Right. And so that's how my decision making process goes as far as investing myself.
- [18:25]
A
I think that's really interesting because I, we have this in common. I'm not a budget guy either. I'm an ROI guy. So, like, I'm not going to spend. I don't have a budget. But I also, I'm going to look at an ROI of something and compare. Right. And I look at that. I can compare an experience with my family, like a trip. I can compare that with an ROI to a real estate investment even. But I guess the tricky thing is measuring the ROI on masterminds, coaching, things like that. I Think there is. Like, I. I think you've done it right, because I think you've identified some really good places. But I feel like there's also a lot of danger. Like, I have friends that they've invested in the wrong masterminds with the wrong people. Which kind of ties into your second point. Right? Which is like discerning the right types of people to get in bed with. And how do you do that? Because it's a dangerous world out there. There's people that will screw you over. I was talking to a buddy this morning. His two most recent investments have wound up in lawsuits because he got, you know, got in bed with someone that he probably shouldn't have. So how do you discern that type of. That type of decision?
- [19:46]
B
Yeah, I'm. I'm picky about it, and I'm selective about it. And I always want to invest with someone that's doing the thing that they're proclaiming or teaching. Right. And so, like Pace Mor, an example, Pace, unlike most people on Instagram, is actually doing the deals, not just selling the course and the coaching. Right. And so that's attractive to me because it's like, cool. I know he's relevant. I know he's still in the game, and it's like, present now, and he's coaching. Right. And so that's, like, one filter process I go through. So, for example, Brody's. Brody's mastermind. The one thing I look at is cool. Outside of business. What's his life like? Cool. I love. I love that he's a family man. I love that he's. He's spiritual and loves God and still is aligned there. Because most people, when they make money, all of a sudden God's not important in their life. And so those are two things that called to me outside of cool. Create a great coaching program. Cool is really great at real estate and really good at branding. And so the second thing I look for is results. Cool. I've seen that he's established a brand. I've seen that he's invested in real estate and is actually making money from it. I've seen you scale this business. And so most people invest in things with someone they don't know and they're just getting sold on, you know, a video or whatever it may be or some deal. But look at behind the scenes. Look at the back end. What have they accomplished? What are they currently doing, and who are they? And is that someone you want to be?
- [21:17]
A
Like, that's big, right? And I think that that's that's also instructive for us. I think we're both, like, in the same boat as peers of someone who. I think we'd like to sell a course or have a mastermind or, you know, create something like that. But I think it is a good thing to remember that you do have to pay your dues. Like, you do have to break through Sheehan's wall, which, you know, that we talked about that in the Mastermind, basically, for the audience, she hands wall is just. You have to hit something, you know, a mile deep and an inch wide instead of going a mile wide and an inch deep before you can really have that authority. And I think Pace is a great example because it's like his mastermind and his courses are such a small percentage of, like, his total income.
- [22:09]
B
Right.
- [22:09]
A
He's making way more money off all the deals he's closing, and he's actually doing it. And it's almost like he wanted to chase that success first, and then he has his. Whatever he's selling, I'm not a part of it, but, like an afterthought.
- [22:25]
B
I love that. Yeah.
- [22:27]
A
And the third point. The third point was the limits, right. And that not putting a cap on what you can do is really important. We had this conversation with my moving company. We're setting. We're setting up goals and roles. Like, that was one of my big things I needed to do at the beginning of this year was like, okay, every single person has to have a role and a goal. But when we got to defining roles, we. We determined pretty early that there would be, like, a minimum pay for each role. But we had some hard time, like, setting, like, a cap for each role, because I feel like if you cap someone, someone's paid, doesn't matter what, like, what life cycle they are in, in their career or in your business, all of a sudden, they. They have a fixed mindset what they're gonna give as far as output. So I'm glad you brought up that as well.
- [23:22]
B
Thanks, man. Have you ever read the book Think and Grow Rich?
- [23:28]
A
Not all the way through, but it's on my list.
- [23:32]
B
I got. I got a lot of books on my list. So I learned this concept on my mission. And the formula is as follows. It is get super, super clear about one thing and make that one thing into a desire. In the book, his definition of a desire is a consuming obsession. And so it's like. I don't know if anyone that's listening has ever, like, truly experienced this, but when I played football in high school, it legit consumed me. Like, woke up all day thinking about it, went to bed thinking about it, worked out multiple times a day, would throw at any point, like I didn't care about anything else. And it just consumed me. And I've experienced that in other. Other times in my life where I had a goal and consumed me. And when you get clear on one thing, when it starts consuming you and you start leveraging your conscious and subconscious mind and like believing that you can do it, that you can go do the thing, and naturally God will start attracting opportunities, people, the right input, the things in place. I'm not sure how it happens, but it has and it does. And so when I talk about not creating limits, that's. That's kind of what that means to me is, hey, I can. If. If Ben can go make a million bucks in a year, how come. How come that'd be any different than myself doing it or if someone can do 10 million? You know what I mean? So the reality is I just think that the person that does just thinks a little bit differently than the person that doesn't. And so I believe in just the power of the mind and. And leveraging it for your benefit.
- [25:18]
A
Yeah. What do you think it is about your personality or where you tell yourself that's different? Right. Because I'm just going to go out on a limb and guess that every person that. What was your mission? President. President. What?
- [25:33]
B
Mata? Yeah.
- [25:35]
A
Okay. Every person that served with him isn't investing tens of thousands into coaching. Right. So what is it about your personality or your, you know, maybe your mindset that's different? You feel like that makes you latch on to things like that?
- [25:56]
B
I would. I truthfully believe it goes back to the lifestyle design and vision and what the vision is. And so my vision is different than everybody else's, which is I want to be retired by 29. And most people's vision is I want to do that by 65. Right. And so we're talking about a 36 year difference. 36 year gap. So because the vision is so much different and bigger and quicker, the input just has to be so much different. And so I think that's what it goes back to.
- [26:33]
A
Yeah, it's big, man. So, okay, tell. Tell everybody. Besides. So Brody's mastermind were both a part of. That's how we met. What are some of the other. Can you give us specifics of specific programs or tools that you're buying into?
- [26:48]
B
Yeah, just in the last four months. So I did, bro. I'm doing Brody's Mastermind. This year there's a guy named Dan Martel. He wrote a book called buy back your time. And I'm in love with that concept. Really good entrepreneur. I'm in his group coaching program. There's a life coach in Arizona. His name's Steve Hardison. And he is, he's like Tony Robbins on steroids in my opinion. He doesn't market himself and he only takes like word of mouth clients. Funny story about that. I met him back in 2019 when I was 20, and he's 10,000 bucks for a session. And so I told him, hey, I obviously don't have money yet, but put me on your wait list and in 2024 I want to be one of your clients. And so January 2, 2024, five years ago, we wrote down at 10am that I'd be in his office. And flash forward, flash forward. Two months ago I was in his office January 2, 10am and you know, wrote the check and have been doing some coaching with him. And yeah, it's been life altering. And he's amazing. And so those are three things I've done last couple months.
- [28:06]
A
Wait, hold on, hold on a sec. Gloss over that. August is laughing because he's like, what? Okay, so I mean, tell us. Like, obviously some of this has to be top secret sauce if he's selling it for 10,000 a session, but what has he done for you and what is what attracted you to. To want to buy into that. That's amazing.
- [28:30]
B
Yeah. So a concept he teaches is who you're being is way more important about what you're doing. And what attracts me to him is who he is, who he's being, not. Not necessarily what he's, what he's done or what he's doing. And so who he is, he's just the most loving person in the world with a ton of boldness and really, really committed to providing a ton of value and making as much of an impact with people as possible. And you feel that when you're with him. Being with him is unlike an experience you'll ever experience. Like his boldness and audacity mixed with love. I. Dude, there's been meetings where I've. He's yelled at me for. He's gotten in my face and yelled at me so much, dude, I'm holding back tears, bro. And somehow I walk out of that meeting just feeling so much love for the guy, you know what I mean? And so he just has this, these gifts that are incredible that help you see inwardly what you need to Let go of what you need to stop doing. And. And he teaches you principles that if you can add to your arsenal, that would be a game changer for you. So, for example, we've spent. We spent a lot of time, but we've spent a lot of time on the power of being your word. And when I. When I. When I necess. Well, when we first brought this topic up, I think that I'm someone that is pretty good, not perfect at being their word. And so if I commit to something, I do it generally. And as we've broken it down, I've realized that I say yes to a lot of things that I do not want to do, and I'll even do them out of obligation or sometimes I will make an excuse or write a story that justifies why I can no longer fulfill that commitment, if that makes sense. So, for example, he invited me to an event in Arizona, and I told him that I'd be there. Little did I know that in the background, one of my reps was getting baptized that next week, same day of. The same day of the thing. So when I found that out, I text him and said, hey, I got to be at this baptism. Sorry, I won't be able to fall through on what I committed to, and I'm going to the baptism. And so he ripped me apart for that dude. And he said, I. I get the. I get Baptism is important and everything like that. Is there a version of you that could still make both work? Could you still go to the event and the baptism? Or could you still go to the event and then attend the baptism over zoom? Or is there a way that you could come back to me and renegotiate instead of rather, hey, this is what I'm doing. Could I go back to him and say, hey, here's the predicament. I'm in the balls in your court. I've. I've committed to you first. What options or ideas do you have that I can make both work and how do you feel about it? And so something I've been working on because oftentimes, like, like, hey, I'm not going to be able to make it anymore, versus the. The right version is, hey, the. The truth is, is this, this, and this has happened. I'm committed to still making my commitment. Is there a version that we can make? I can make both work or what do you want to do? I'm committed to first. Right. And so it's just. It's altered a lot of the ways that I communicate and what I commit to and what I don't commit to and being better about saying no, for example.
- [32:03]
A
Absolutely. How, how did that play out? Did you do both?
- [32:07]
B
No, he told me this after the fact. So after the baptism.
- [32:13]
A
Is this, this is not super pertinent, but I'm just curious, is he a man of faith or is he purely logical?
- [32:20]
B
Yeah, he's, yeah, he's my faith. He's a member of the same church that I go to and. Yeah, man. And he's incredibly religious and at the same time he's incredibly loving and without judgment. So it's really unique balance.
- [32:37]
A
Wow. Okay. So, so this is life changing stuff, man. And I just, I just think it's impressive that you're like investing that deep going and changing who you are in that way. So was there, was there more I had to pause on him? I mean that's, that's amaz, dude.
- [33:00]
B
I appreciate that. One thought that comes to mind when you say that is my organization, my results, my future can only be as good as I am and what my identity is. And so if I want to change my results, my future, what I can create financially, relationship wise, whatever it is, the, the, the true way to do it is by elevating my identity and upgrading who I am. And so I need a lot of work and I'm under construction and I truly do like so many things that I need to work on. And that's why I probably invest on it, because I want to work on it real quick and it should, it.
- [33:44]
A
Should be important for people that are maybe listening to this or, or people that aren't that know you. But like I think the mindset should be to rub shoulders with, with someone like this, to work on the same team as someone who is young is trying to create something big. Right? Because I think a lot, a lot of people can't go straight from nine to five to full out entrepreneur. And so the way that they get there is they hitch, they hitch their wagon to the right person that can create a vehicle for them that's limitless. Right. And so I think when people are comparing like who they want to work with, it would be really hard for them to choose a company that has like people that are older, who have fixed mindsets, who are going to make them, you know, do certain things and they're going to grow to a certain ceiling versus working with someone like you who's like, I'm already trying to build something that's limitless and that means that anyone that's going to be on my team is going to have something limitless, too. And I think it just is a good lesson because I think sometimes entrepreneurs with a fixed mindset try to guard maybe what they're up to or how big they're living. And I think what you're doing, showing everybody, okay, here's how I'm living. Here's how big I'm going. Here's what kind of, like, I think some people might say, like, I'm not going to say that I've spent $10,000 on a session, on a podcast because of my. If my team ever hears that, they'll be like, oh, they have so much money they could have given to me. But if you, if they realize that you're doing it for the right reasons, they're going to say, okay, like, I can, I can hitch my wagon to that guy. I can follow him and I can get some. I can get to the same place.
- [35:28]
B
So that was what I, I think you were here. But what was the quote? I think it's along the lines of, your vision has to be large enough where you're. The people that you work with. Visions have to fit within that. And I see it all the time. Like, people's visions are just too small. Therefore, the people they work with don't continue working with them because their vision doesn't fit in theirs. So never want that to be the case. And I never want to be passed up. I don't want the people that I lead and inspire and impact to pass me up. And so I, I owe it to them to. To make sure I keep learning and keep growing and progressing so I can.
- [36:03]
A
That. That building something big enough for other people's dreams to fit inside your dream. That's what, that's all it is right there. And you gotta start now, because if you don't start now, your dream won't be on the right trajectory to match up with everybody you come in contact with. Yeah, tell me about saying no and, and guarding your time, but still being approachable. Like, you just brought that up so hard. Like, I'm going through that right now. But how do you, how do you cope? How do you do that?
- [36:35]
B
It's. It's the hardest thing I'm currently undergoing, truthfully. And it's because it's hard for guys like you is because you don't want to say no. Like, I love pleasing people. Yeah. And I recognize that you gotta. In order to go the next level, you have to start saying no. So that's the phase I'm currently in. And I Don't have any good advice for it because I'm. I'm literally in the middle of learning it. And get. It's so. I, I, it's so uncomfortable for me to do it. I'll be in conversations, I'd be like, I need to say no. I need, I need to say no. And it's just, like, it's so difficult for me. And I think. And my advice is, for those that are trying to learn, that is, your vision has to be so clear in your, in your desire to achieve. It has to be so clear and your desire has to be so high in order to accomplish that thing. You know, you need to say no. Therefore, it makes. Say no you easier so. Because if you know what I mean.
- [37:51]
A
I think you can apply a little bit about what your, what your coach taught you, too, of, like, how he asked, he told you, I need you to come back and negotiate with me. You know, if so, I think you can almost do that up front too. Like, some things you should just say no to, flat out. But I think some, some things you could say, well, I can do this in a month and a half, which sometimes that stings because it's like, yeah, I am really focused on what I'm doing right now, and if you could wait a month and a half, like, that would really benefit me and help with my goals, and I'll be able to give you my full attention. And sometimes that sucks because I know that people reach out to hang out with me and my wife, and I'll. And I know it's supposed to be like, our night where it's just the two of us. Like, that's a goal we've set up, and I'm a big FOMO guy, so I'll let it creep in. But I've started saying, like, yeah, I could do that. Like, what about in two months? Like, let's get together and it's kind of uncomfortable, you know?
- [38:55]
B
Well, and then the other thing to consider is, how often are you saying yes to things you, like, truthfully don't want to do? Yeah, like, hey, let's go to lunch. I want to chat to you about this. My mission is to leave inspire and impact so it aligns with my mission, and I can't do that for everybody.
- [39:14]
A
It's tough. And then, and then when is it, like, you know, should you ever do things you don't want to do? Right. And I think that's a, That's a good question.
- [39:26]
B
Right?
- [39:27]
A
I think sometimes you need to commit to do things you don't want to do for what you're going to get out of it. Right. Like a big goal of ours is to spend a lot of time serving. Like truthfully, we don't really always want to do that, but we know that that's what we. Yeah, that's what our conscience tells us is the right place to be and all. It never feels wrong. Right.
- [39:50]
B
Yeah.
- [39:51]
A
Double edged sword there.
- [39:53]
B
We could probably spend the whole hour on this one. Dude.
- [39:57]
A
How about, how about branding then? So I think a lot of us and Brody's mastermind, like a big thing that we're working on is our brand.
- [40:07]
B
Yep.
- [40:08]
A
A lot of us have reached like this level of success where we're comfortable, we're good, but we, we haven't quite burst through this she hands wall or whatever you want to call it, where we know what our niche is. We know if we're going to go narrow or broad. So where are you on your journey of figuring out the direction you're headed with your brand?
- [40:34]
B
So the backpedal slightly. I was always the most anti brand guy. I did not like social media and I did not like putting my life out there and I didn't want to. I just, I didn't see a way that I could do it authentic, like with authenticity.
- [40:52]
A
Yeah.
- [40:55]
B
Until, yeah, I, and I think a lot of people can. And the question is, was that a story I was writing to myself, you know, or is there truth in that? But what, what changed it for me is when I was sitting in Brody's mastermind, I look around and 90% of the people there that all paid 15 to 20 grand to be there were there strictly because they met Brody or saw Brody through Instagram and that made him two hundred and. Two hundred and fifty grand. And when I realized that there is leverage out there that I'm not currently utilizing to open doors that could help me lead, inspire, impact, teach other people and help me with my financial goals and give value and play a bigger game and just apply leverage all around. I just said I have to do it. And so my vision with branding is to lead Inspire and Impact through my content and be a missionary and allow it to open up as many doors as possible for speaking, selling products, selling courses, coaching, however I can, whatever that financial business moves might end up being, I want to have that in place. And I actually believe that if you have a, if you have, everyone has a brand, to be clear, just most people don't advertise it. And so I realized I have a brand I need to start Advertising it. And I think it's actually one of the most valuable financial assets that I've seen is when people market their brand and get a really good following going. Like, dude, if the world, if you know, the depression goes tomorrow and you still have a falling and you have a product to sell, I think you're still going to sell it and you're still going to be able to provide. You know what I mean? So that's the direction I'm going.
- [42:52]
A
Well, like, I think that epiphany of it almost goes back to the same. We, we, we brought up the, at the beginning, like, mediocrity is not a virtue.
- [43:03]
B
Right.
- [43:04]
A
We brought that up with money, we brought that up with fitness, we brought that up with spiritual things. But it totally applies to social media, right?
- [43:13]
B
Yeah.
- [43:13]
A
Mediocrity in your brand or your social media is not a virtue either. And I, I know I've had that realization that look like it doesn't matter if someone else rubs you wrong with their social media, you're failing at your reach and the potential people you could impact or connect with because of it. So I think that epiphany is, is good for everybody to have. And if you've already have it, great. If not, now's a good day. What about honing in on, like, not only the need for a brand, but what brand should be? What do your coaches tell you? And because I know that you're going to them saying, hey, this is what one thing that is a huge goal of mine because you know, the importance. How does your coaches help you to hone in?
- [44:04]
B
Yeah, it's tough because we're all passionate about a lot of things. You know, it's not like Ben doesn't just do one thing. You know, we have a wife, we have kids, we have church, we like, we have hobbies. And as I've realized that more and more typically, it's like, hey, really, really niche down. Like, find your finite market and like, settle in there. What I've also realized is by having multiple things that you're niched in, and I call them pillars, by having multiple pillars, not too many, but multiple, that you're passionate about and niching into and displaying that on Instagram, you're actually going to attract more people and more of the people that you want to attract. And so for me, my pillars are family, God, business, and real estate. And a lot of those are vague, right?
- [45:00]
A
Yeah.
- [45:00]
B
But I don't, I didn't want to put myself in a corner where it's like this is my niche. So I can't post about God or family or anything like that. It's like, no, this is who I am. I'm authentic, I'm genuine. I'm gonna stay within these four categories. I'm gonna post about all of them and I hope to attract people in every category.
- [45:17]
A
It's awesome, man. I think it's, I think it says a lot about your leadership. People want to follow a well rounded person.
- [45:24]
B
Right.
- [45:25]
A
What's, what's next for not only for you, but also your business because tell us a little about your business and where you're headed with it.
- [45:34]
B
Yeah. So been in door to door for the last four years. Like I shared and I just work with some of the most incredible people. Just super blessed from the top down. And it provides me a ton of fulfillment. So my vision is to keep growing that and keep growing my leaders where they can be more independent.
- [45:58]
A
Yeah.
- [45:58]
B
And while. And while doing so begin to build out my brand and some more future long term things that I want to do do such as speaking, writing a book, selling a course, doing some coaching. And so that's, that's my current plan to continue to grow, get it more systemized and automated and then start watering these plants so in the future I can have more opportunity there.
- [46:23]
A
Love it, man. Where's the best place for people to find you? Like just follow you on Instagram or.
- [46:28]
B
Do you have a. Yeah, please follow me on Instagram. It's the Blake Erickson and you can message me, message me at any time and I'd love to help in any way.
- [46:37]
A
So. Good, man. Well, I want to respect your time. I think we had like 10 topics that we could have gone an hour deep. But this is, this is what I'm going through. Like, I love, I love interviewing people that maybe are ahead of me in life and, and like maybe in years, but I also like talking about things that I'm going through, the exact same thing. So I think I got more out of the day than anyone that's listening. Will. Because it's so important to, when you're in the, when you're in the thick of it to just pause and talk about some of these really important topics. So thanks for coming, creating value, man.
- [47:17]
B
Oh, thank you for having me on. I love you and I love what you're doing.
- [47:21]
A
Okay. That, that's a great place to cap it. Another great episode of Beyond Net Worth podcast. Thanks, Blake.
- [47:28]
B
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A
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