How inexperience, advice, coaching and persistence is a recipe to sweet success by EntrepreneursRadioShow

THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

Episode 118: Andrea Gold In this episode, Travis speaks with Andrea Gold. Andrea is the co-founder of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau. She and her company have helped countless businesses and organizations connect with speakers and deliver quality service that they are known for. Travis and Andrea shared valuable lessons that would help entrepreneurs grow and improve in their business. She encourages entrepreneurs to have the clear intent, focus, and the right action plan to improve their business. She also shared the four things to be an entrepreneur, which is having a good idea, the finances, the guts to do it, and the persistence and determination to keep going regardless of the challenges and down times. Her quote "the power of your purpose is greater than your fear" will also inspire entrepreneurs to keep going despite the fears that usually old them back. These and so much more are what are in store for this episode of the Entrepreneur's Radio Show.

How Inexperience, Advice, Coaching and Persistence Is A Recipe To Sweet Success TRAVIS: Hey, it's Travis Lane Jenkins, welcome to episode 114 of the Entrepreneur's Radio Show, a production of rockstarentrepreneurnetwork.com, where each and every week I'm going to connect you with rock star entrepreneurs that explain their journey to success and what's been the key principles to finding that high level of success as an entrepreneur. Now my goal beyond sharing new tactics to grow your business is to show you that these are just ordinary people that have achieved extraordinary results through persistence and being focused. And so, I really want you to gather that as the underlying message when people share their stories, okay? So today, I'm going to introduce you to the wonderful Andrea Gold. Andrea has founded and operated in International Speaker Bureau for over 25 years now. Now, Andrea used to putting other people on the spotlight. However, I thought it would be really valuable to have her come on the show and share her experience as she built out her international business and her thought process in business. So, it's going to be a great interview as always. However, before we get started remember that there's three ways you can take interviews with you on the go if you don't want to sit at your computer and listen to it from the website, assuming that's what you do. You can go through iTunes, Android, or Stitcher. Just go to rockstarentrepreneurnetwork.com, click on the iTunes button, Android, or Stitcher, whichever one matches the phone or how you like to listen, and it'll take you directly to the podcast where you can subscribe to the show there if that's something that you want to do. So, without further ado let's get down to business, Andrea welcome to the show. ANDREA: I am delighted to be here Travis.

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

TRAVIS: Super excited to hang out with you for a little while. ANDREA: I love it. TRAVIS: So give us the back-story, tell me what got you to where you're at today and set you up for the success that you've had. ANDREA: Well, first one I've seen that I feel I was totally guided as I look back, I didn't feel that way in the beginning. I started with a lot of wandering in my life and I lived in a lot of states and a few countries like New Mexico, Colorado, or California, Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, India and Israel for starters. And I worked in all those places. So I was searching, I was looking. I didn't realize that I was looking for meaning, I was looking for purpose, I didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up. And this was after I graduated. And it did happen. I am ended up meeting somebody. And I was booking this person and one other locally, and for speaking engagements. And I really didn't understand the whole business. And then the TV anchor that I was booking said, "Would you please do me a favor and take this woman around, Donnie Walters Speak and Grow Rich author and give her some engagements." So I did. And I just stayed with her the whole day as she did her news media stuff. And at the end of the day she said, "You should start a speaker's bureau." And I said, "What is it?" And then I started one. So that was the setting for 2 years of not knowing what I was doing too well. So, if you look at my social security earnings it's zero for those few years. So I was like, I never tell people I'm making minus zero and I wasn't very proud of it. You might say I was a slow learner. And I say that because not everybody's going to go out of the gate and immediately make money and it's important that they be very clear about what they're trying to do. So, anything I share here is to help other people to have greater success and maybe avoid some of the delays that I've created. But I've come to a great place and I don't regret any of the learning that I did. But it was a wonderful experience. I learned on my own how to sell, how to grow the business, had very little mentoring so I pretty much did it on my own. And my husband, hey let's give him credit. We have actually worked together for over 25 years. And we still love each other and we still hold hands. TRAVIS: That's rare these days. ANDREA: So, I've heard. TRAVIS: How long was this journey? So are you saying that the journey in this business has been 20-25 years? ANDREA: Yes. We've actually run Gold Stars Speaker's Bureau which is a division of Dynamic Pathways for-- we're on our 25th going on 26th year.

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

TRAVIS: Right. And it's not uncommon for all kinds of incredible success stories to start just like what you're talking about. Someone say, "Hey, you should do this." And you start out knowing absolutely nothing. And I think that there's a benefit to being naive to a certain point, right? ANDREA: Absolutely. You need to use your discrimination and you need to do your due diligence about what it is that you want to sell, whether it's a product or service. And make sure it's viable. But there's one more part to my story that I forgot to tell and it's actually the most fun part. TRAVIS: Yeah, share it. ANDREA: And it brings in that higher concept or you might say called faith, or trust, or anger at the universe, whatever. So we were doing well for a few years, as I've said. And I was ready to give up. But I felt if I was supposed to do this then it's going to have to work now. We were down to our last $3,000. And we had started this business I would say just under $100,000. Gary and I had pooled our funds. So, we went to a consultant and we actually gave this man five to six thousand dollars, it was very worthwhile, had no idea if it would help but it was our last ditch effort. And we needed some outside help. And he gave us some suggestions but it was implementable within a few months. Meanwhile, we were down to our last 3,000. So it was New Year's Eve and I had a little talk with God. And I said, "You know god if you really want us to do this then you have to make it work now." And it was very intense. Long story short, the next day when the workday started, the consultant's suggestions that we had implemented came in. We start pouring in, we started getting business. We started getting calls. It was before emails, but calls, and messages, "Please help me I need a speaker", etc. So it was very dramatic, and I feel that I was guided to do this, and I was supposed to stay in this and do this. And I've learned from it. I've grown and hopefully I've helped a lot of other people and companies along the way. TRAVIS: I love that story. I think there's another element to that. And I don't want to take away anything from your conversation with God because I've had those conversations too. So don't get me wrong, I'm not diminishing that. ANDREA: Oh, not at all. TRAVIS: I want to add a dimension or perspective to that, okay? ANDREA: Sure. TRAVIS: And so, what I've seen in my own life, and I've seen it in several other people's lives is when they're down to the very last knot in the rope, there's no room for nonsense. And they cut all of the BS out. And when I say „they‟ I'm including myself, me too.

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

ANDREA: Uhm hmm TRAVIS: When I had an extra $15,000 and I was still working it out. I was young and I'm going to do this, and this, and this, I was still allowing distractions and nonsensical ideas and all that other stuff. But when I got down to that last bit, this is it, or we're homeless. There is a laser tight focus that has to come into play that helps God help you. ANDREA: I truly believe in-- it's good to have faith and wisdom, but it also is important to take the practical steps to make it happen, and not sit back and wait for the universe to go, "Okay, we're going to give this to you on a silver platter." TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: I don't believe that that's the case. You have to take the effort. And I truly believe that within that action you learn and grow from it. So, I think it's a great thing that you take those steps and move forward. And I think there's an element of creativity and innovation along with trust. And feeling good about yourself. There's so many elements about drawing upon your own inner resources in order to follow through and really experience that success that you desire so much. And I've been in all phases of this. TRAVIS: Right. I have too. And what you're describing is a synergy for me. It's a synergy of things that come together at once. Is that a fair statement, you think? ANDREA: Yeah, I do think so. I think when you're guided and you go with the flow, whatever, you want to interpret that as you make things happen. I think having the clear intent, and the focus, and the action items that go with it will give you the results you want. Maybe not in your timeframe but you start taking those steps, maybe it's baby steps, maybe it's dramatic, it just depends on what your situation is. But I do think there's a synergy and people come in to your life at the right time. I would add one more thing to that. We could keep adding to each other, and that is that you have to have the eyes and the ears to see the opportunity, to hear the opportunity, and then to act on it. Because there's some things that have been given to me in the past that I just kind of passed me by. It's like, Oh, I didn't do that. This is not business but a quick example would be I was in Israel and I was there. It was really fun, I was actually working. I was doing some interesting stuff. And the people that I met there were going to the Sinai Desert for a week and they asked me to go with them, which was really an honor. And they were going camping. It was not your everyday thing. And I was a little nervous because they didn't speak much English and I thought this is going to be very difficult and I wasn't sure I'd physically could keep up. So I said no. And I always look back and go, "What an incredible experience that would've been." So, whatever.

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

TRAVIS: Before we went on air, we were talking about overcoming fears and the specific situation. Tell me about that. ANDREA: Well, I could tell you a lot of fear situations. I think that's been a great lesson, theme for my particular life, is facing fear and doing it anyway. I would say if anybody has-- go for it. When I was in South Philadelphia as a teenager, I was on a little tour. And we were on a very steep rock, what do you call it, scree slope, where the rocks just were very slidy and the path was very narrow. And I had never experienced it, I felt very unsteady on my feet. And there were teenagers ahead of me and teenagers behind me. I was about 15 at the time. And I froze. And just imagine you are on this steep slope, you've never experienced this, you're from New Jersey, this is the steepest thing you've ever experienced ever besides a bridge. And I didn't want to move. I was afraid if I took a step forward I would fall. And then I realized I didn't have a choice. Either I stay there and die there, or I take a step forward, take a risk. And I may fall and I would fall badly just because it was a very, very steep drop in the badlands. Or I could go forward and maybe I wouldn't fall. And the teenagers behind me kind of decided for me. So I took that step, and another, and another, and I didn't fall. And it was an incredible lesson, I still think of it today, it was like take that risk, it was a calculated risk. I did my best and I did not fall, and I got the benefit of experiencing the whole rest of the trail. It was an incredible experience. TRAVIS: Yeah, facing fear is kind of like a muscle. Or at least it is for me. Once I get a handle on how I deal with fear, it becomes much easier for me to deal with that fear. Is the same true for you? ANDREA: Yeah, absolutely. I was talking to my husband about this today because I'm used to booking people-- just so you understand the nature of what I do. I book speakers, trainers, celebrities, sports figures for meetings and conventions worldwide. So that was a big learning curve in itself because you're dealing with high levels of finances, and international finance, and international customers. I have an Indian client today. I forgot what I was saying. Where was I going with that, what were we talking about? My mind works a mile a minute. Oh fear, we're talking about fear. TRAVIS: Yeah, fear. ANDREA: So when I first started this business I had no coaching on how to sell. I've learned I could do a whole session on selling just because it's not what people think. It's so different. But anyway, what I did, and I say this for all you new people out there. If you're starting a business, or thinking of it, or in a job, you're putting your ego on the line. So you got to feel really good about yourself. And you will get so who knows. But when I first started I was terrified, and I cried. And I'm not a crybaby type, but after I would talk to these people, it was such a release of tension I would cry. And I say that so you know I'm human, I've actually come through it, I've faced it, now I actually love to talk to strangers believe it or not. You know the expression cold

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calling. I like it because it's all about meeting people I don't know and helping them. So, there's an element there. So, talking about facing fear and taking it to the other end. When I was talking to my husband today about fear he said-- I'm was telling you that I'm used to booking other speakers so I'm not used to being the speaker as much. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: So this is a big deal for me. Seriously, I'm very honored to be here. And what propels me is to take that energy of fear, the little bit that I had and say, "Hey, I'm here to help people." So it's about looking forward to the experience of making a difference for other people instead of focusing on yourself. Fear is really an energy that your mind can manipulate. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: You actually have control over that. It may take some practice. This just came to me actually a few months ago. I want to share this with you for everybody listening who's either in a tough situation. It could be in life, it could be in work, or you're thinking of starting a business and you're hesitating. The power of your purpose is greater than your fear. This is so powerful, and again, this just came to me so it's not like I created this. The power of your purpose is greater than your fear. If you put that up on your mirror, when you feel afraid I want you to look at that and go, "Yeah." Make sure that you really have that passion, that direction, that sense of wanting to do something great. Greater than just making some money. There's nothing wrong with money, I already say that too. But what will sustain you in a business after you've earned millions of dollars is that passion of making a difference. TRAVIS: Yeah. What it does Andrea is it makes it not about you, right? ANDREA: Yeah, we're all in this together. TRAVIS: Yeah. And so, a lot of times people are worried at do I look silly, is my hair messed up, am I saying this exactly right. I err, almost every episode I misspeak, but that's okay. What people are more interested about is good, honest content that teaches. And as long as I don't get in the way of it, or you don't get in the way of it, we just share it, then it's very easy to digest, right? ANDREA: Correct. TRAVIS: And I think that's kind of the inverse of what you're explaining there is get over yourself and make it much bigger than yourself. That's why drives for charities work so well is because you're trying to help somebody, right?

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ANDREA: Right. And you're in a shared vision with other people that is a higher concept. So it's exactly what my passion is, it's about taking those intangible, the soft skills you might say, but the intangible values and qualities that are out there, be it intuition, or love, or creativity which is very hot in the business world today, and bringing it into everyday life instead of it being like a Sunday thing at church, or at home when you're away from work. Just bring it into your everyday life. Absolutely apply it. And we were talking about this just before the show started. And that is that you have knowledge but when you apply it, it becomes wisdom. TRAVIS: Right. Applied knowledge equals wisdom. ANDREA: Yeah. TRAVIS: I completely agree with you. Now you were talking about sales or something for people new starting a business. I think there's a lot of businesses that have been around for a long time and they're stagnant due to the lack of sales. And so, I think it's a topic that is relevant for practically anyone in any stage of business. So why don't you go down that path, why don't you talk about sales from your perspective what you've learned and how you've become effective at it. ANDREA: That's funny that you bring that up and for anybody listening I want you to know, I had no idea he's going to ask me this question. So, we're coming from an authentic and clear place. I said when I started I didn't know what I was doing. But I knew what I was trying to achieve and I've always been very other oriented. I think you can teach this. I have a few ideas to share here. First of all, you either have it. You could go through the steps and you can be hired as the sales person and follow the script. But if you're heart isn't in it, are you really going to be effective. Do you really care about the person on the other end of the phone? And I'm going to tell you, here's an intangible story. Get a load of this. We had a person work for us who just absolutely couldn't qualify the person. It's a very practical story. Beautiful person, beautiful man, wonderful heart, very service-oriented, could not qualify the people. In my business that meant that they had a meeting with a date. They had a budget and they needed a speaker, okay? So you need to know what that is for your business. So, it's very simple, right? So we narrowed it down to five questions and fill-in the blanks. So we decided to do this human test and we said you can get on the phone, you'll have the sheet in front of you, you're not permitted to hang up the pole until you get these questions answered. He could not do it. And it wasn't because of a bad attitude, he's bringing this work differently, he's very, very service oriented, he came from a hospitality background but he couldn't get the information. Asking the questions wasn't comfortable so we realized not everybody's good at this kind of sales. Now, our kind of sales is a very sophisticated type. We need to hear between the lines so I'm going to bring in another element to sales that I've learned through the years. And that is it's not just a root thing, it's asking the right questions. Listening and I'm sure that a lot of sales trainers out there would say, “Yeah, it's all about listening.” But it's also about intuity. It's about developing that sense of

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

what they really are trying to articulate. Because customers aren't very good at always saying what they want. And sometimes they don't even say, in my case the right topic. Or maybe they're not even telling the truth frankly about what their budget really is. So, it's my job to help them extract what it is that they're really trying to achieve in buying in this case a speaker, or a service, or a book, whatever it is. So I say that for anybody in sales. You really have to have a sense of do you really, clearly understand what it is they're saying and do they know what they're really asking for, knowing that there's different types of sales out there. Now, it's funny that you ask me about this topic because I'm actually working on a little eBook that's related to connecting with somebody in sales in less than 3 minutes when you've never meet them. Because my sales is all virtual. So I'm a people person but I never meet face-to-face. So I don't get to see your eyeballs. TRAVIS: The irony. ANDREA: Yeah, I know. The other day I'm stuck here in the computer. Well, I don't know what people say, you're going to get out there and be with people. But we'll see, for 25 years I've actually done all my business transactions pretty much by phone, and now email, and occasionally by Skype. So whatever it is, I like to connect. I'm getting a sense about you Travis, I get a sense that you're very earthy but you've got a very heartfelt passion and a real drive to do exactly what I'm passionate about. And that's joining the intangibles with the business and making it real. TRAVIS: Right, thank you. ANDREA: Getting the greatest success that you can. TRAVIS: Yeah. ANDREA: So this is something I've developed through the years is the sense about people as much as I can. It's not just intuitive, it's listening to their words, it's listening to their pace. It's getting a sense of their background; it's getting a sense of their hesitation, what they're willing to say and what they're willing not to say. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: Are they hesitant and reluctant to share. Or maybe they got forced to buying something and they don't know what they're doing. TRAVIS: Yeah. You're talking about tonality, inflection, all of those things. That's why they say that many other cultures have such a hard time understanding us because we have so many esoteric meanings within the tonality and the inflection that the way we say things. And I used to

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

run my salesman through an exercise because they couldn't quite grasp-- now I understand what you're talking about. I was a naturally good at sales and so I thought when I was very young that everybody was really good at sales. ANDREA: Right. TRAVIS: And so, when they didn't go out and get the results that I did I thought they were slacking off. And I was not pleasant about it either, regretfully. And I grew to become wiser fortunately over time. ANDREA: Gentler. TRAVIS: Yeah, right. And so, I learned to teach. So this is a horrible sentence but it really drove the message home that I could say the same sentence three different ways and it means three different things. And so, let me say them and you help me translate what they mean, okay? ANDREA: Well, from my perspective I tell you what I hear. TRAVIS: Right. So, "I didn't steal your car." ANDREA: You're trying to defend yourself? TRAVIS: Yeah. But I'm also in my tonality I'm inferring that I didn't steal it but I do know who did. ANDREA: Possibly. TRAVIS: Alright, another one is, "I didn't steal your car." ANDREA: But you stole somebody else's. TRAVIS: That's right. And another one, let's see if I can remember what the other one was because it's been so long. "I didn't steal your car" that means-ANDREA: "I didn't steal your car" in other words you accused me. TRAVIS: Right. I didn't, and I don't know who did. So, it's a completely neutral statement. So, I said the same thing 3 times in a row but I put different tonality and inflection to that. Well, that is a vital part of sales. ANDREA: It is, and you know it's interesting you bring that up because I've had people that work for me that didn't hear very well. And we'll do everything we can officially, technologically

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THE ENTREPRENEUR’S RADIO SHOW Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs that Grow Your Business

to jack up the sound and the resonance, or whatever it is. And we have headsets. So, a hearing-impaired person could hear well. But what you just said would be critical, and a hearingimpaired person might miss those cues, and it's something they have to really work hard at-they might do better in person so they have the physical cues as well. TRAVIS: Even a lot of non-hearing impaired people don't completely pick up on those tonalities and inflections. ANDREA: Wait, do you know what that gets into? TRAVIS: What's that? ANDREA: Now we're getting into awareness. Getting into the awareness of what's really being said between the lines. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: And this is what my passion is about, it's about the whole personal development so that you could have greater professional success and also in your personal life as well. One more thing and I want to bring this into the sales conversation too. When you're hiring somebody, or training somebody in sales, and I've done this a number of times, I've done all kinds of experiments to get to this point. I find that role-play is very, very important. And that of course is a traditional way to train people. But what I had found is some people resisting, they resist the role-play. And what that says to me is they don't feel good about themselves. They're so uncomfortable that they don't want anybody to see him "fail", or stumble, or-TRAVIS: Or look silly, yeah. ANDREA: Yeah, in the beginning. And I think that's a big old red flag because when you're in a sales position, if you don't feel comfortable about yourself-- Traditionally you hear this, you're not selling a product and the service, you're really selling yourself. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: And I really believe that because it's you connecting to another person. And even virtually. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: I do have a few clients that I have done entire bookings for thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars and they never talk to me. That was all done my email. They were in hurry,

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or whatever-- Or else they really didn't care they just try to get this done even though it was tens of thousands of dollars. But I still give them my best services whatever way they want it. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: Whether it's verbal or written. And I got to say, thank god I type fast. For today's salespeople, if you're doing virtual make sure you're a fast typist. TRAVIS: Right. Or have a virtual assistant that's a fast typist. ANDREA: Or a dragon or something. TRAVIS: Yeah, right. I think a lot of people don't realize this. I didn't realize this when people got on the stage and spoke, I didn't know that it was a rehearsed talk. ANDREA: Ooh, but maybe it isn't always. TRAVIS: For most people I've come to know over time it is. ANDREA: Well, it is to a point and I'm qualified to answer this one. It's rehearsed in the sense that they've given it so many times they Their danger is that they could be so super polished that they're super slick. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: And they have to watch out that they're not super slick and that it's crap. I don't know how they do it. TRAVIS: Or it could be boring. ANDREA: Yeah, how about boring for them. Can you imagine the same speaker doing the same talk year after year? If I were in their shoes, and I get to see enough of these people so I observe. There are some that do the same talk year after year, and then there are some that will change it up and they'd keep up with the trends. And those people are going to be more alive and fresher. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: There's one speaker I'm thinking of, Earl Hamner, he always was a proponent of every-- he didn't really rehearse and every talk was different. And he had a very unique style, very unique, people loved it. Either they loved it or they didn't. But it was his style and I would

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encourage that in whatever you do in life, whether it's speaking, or sales with one person, just be you. It's like I did not rehearse, there's no way to rehearse for this. TRAVIS: Oh yeah, there's no way-ANDREA: Anyway, what‟s his job is he keeps us in the moment. TRAVIS: Right. I was going to say improvisation comes later. It's more of an advanced skill once you get the foundation. A lot of speakers have 4, or 5, or 10 different talks. And then once they get them down pat then they can improv right on the spot. And that's the same thing with presentations and a sale quite often is there's been a lot of practicing and studying that goes on behind the scenes. And so, the time and effort is put in there. And then as you grow to become more competent and capable, then you can get to where it's very easy to speak extemporaneously. ANDREA: You know what, you're absolutely right because I remember I created my own scripting when I started, and I pretty much followed so that I wouldn't forget anything. And I was still learning. And as I became more comfortable I started enhancing the scripts so to speak. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: And then, at this point after 25 years, I'll just get on the phone and tell me what you need-- I know what to ask. Occasionally, I'd go, "Oh my god, I forgot to get the date." TRAVIS: Yeah. Well, you're human but that's just due to a deep level of competence. And a lot of people don't realize that. Now, you're coming on this show it intimidates, and I've had some really big names that are really panicking because they want to know what we're going to talk about, they want to know the speaking points, they have 7 things they want me to cover. And I've turned down bookings over that because I want it to be a natural, real, organic conversation. I don't care if someone has points on their side that they want to mention, that's fine. But I'm more interested in just an authentic natural conversation that happens anyway, that happens as long as we bring value to the listener. Now that is nerve wracking for a lot of people. ANDREA: That's really interesting. And I feel even better about being on your show today even though I'm not a speaker. TRAVIS: You're doing a great job for somebody that's not a speaker. ANDREA: Remember, the power of your purpose is greater than your fear. And I use that for myself today. Because there was a little-- I don't know where we're going with this and I don't know what he's going to ask me. But you know what, here's part of the personal development

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part in business. I feel comfortable about me. I may sound a little arrogant in saying that but if I don't feel comfortable with myself how can I relate well, and with clarity, and openness to other people? How could I not be authentic, and how could I be authentic if I don't feel good about me? They're not going to put on an act. Maybe there's a point where you need to-- if you're uncomfortable with yourself that you have to do an act until you get comfortable. What I would say to you guys is start working on yourself, it's your life-- one of my favorite phrases, "It's your life, what are you going to do with it?" TRAVIS: Yes. ANDREA: And nobody's going to do it for you, nobody's going to create your happiness for you, nobody's going to create your business for you, you have to take those steps, deal with it, and deal with the unknown. And understand that that is what life is. People are putting their life on hold, live your life on the sidelines. TRAVIS: Yeah, I completely agree with you, and number 1 I want to say that it doesn't come off as arrogance saying that you need to become comfortable with yourself. And that's okay. ANDREA: And I just want to say I wasn't always there. I've worked-- I am an example of constant personal learning. And it's just not mental, I'm constantly applying-- how could I do this better, or I'm feeling kind of stiff about this, or why am I judging this person? These are all holding us back. TRAVIS: Yeah. I want to point out, I think that a big problem that hold a lot of people back is perfectionism, and they're waiting for the right time, they're waiting for the stars to align, they're waiting for money to be right. And you've just got to step out, you're got to take those forward steps, you've got to take some of the blows, you've got to make some of the errors. It's never going to be the right time. And so, you've just got to start taking steps, even if that means that the first 20 steps are only tiny little steps, just take steps and constantly move forward, right? ANDREA: I can't emphasize that enough, I absolutely agree with you because, again, it's your life, are you going to let it go by? Here's one of my favorite phrases. I arrogantly left to quote myself. It's the stuff I've learned. Are you going to have regrets when you're 85 and you're sitting in your rocking chair, are you going to have regrets of the stuff you didn't do? That bucket list, or the business that you didn't create, or the job that you didn't take because you were afraid that you weren't good enough. What I would say to you is if you have any hesitation, that's a red flag to stop and look at it, and then take steps. And I want you to know there are practical steps. I'm actually working on something. It's so important to me. I actually want to create some kind of systematic agenda, like a program that people can take for this kind of practical development, the stuff that seems so wily nilly, and flighty, and up there. The stuff that gives you that selfesteem, that develops that sense of purpose that gives you that sense of clarity, ra ra-- I sound

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like mono speakers' box here. I'm so passionate about it because I have worked through it. And I will say that you're talking about, you know how people always say, "II want to lose weight" or "I want to change." How many really mean it? And that goes with starting a business, or growing a business. It's like you have to be willing to look at the processes, to look at what's going on now and say, "Can I do it better?" or "Can I start?" And get help. I believe you coach people don't you? You consult with people? TRAVIS: Yeah. I do. ANDREA: So, I did that. You need to seek professional help when the time is right. I went to the small business development center; they weren't too helpful for what I needed. But I didn't have many mentors but only did the consulting thing and it was our last money frankly besides that $3,000. It really made a difference, and it's a huge investment. TRAVIS: Do you wish you had gotten more mentors along the way? Do you feel like that would've fast-forwarded things for you? ANDREA: Yes. I think that any time that you could take a quantum leap by going to somebody in your industry, or paying somebody for that, or a coach if it's a problem of taking action. Paying a coach to keep you on-track. I think absolutely, and I wish we had done that. But in the process there were things that I learned and those are things that I could share with people today so they don't do what I did. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: I was writing stuff, I was thinking I don't know where Travis is going on this radio show. But I was writing some notes down and it was like-- "Oh my god, there's a lot of don'ts" and I was thinking I don't want to be negative. But there's a lot of don'ts along the way as well as a lot of do's. So it's a combination of due diligence. I wrote a little list. I had to just share this because I think that would help people. TRAVIS: Yes, please do. ANDREA: Only if I find it. Let's see-- I could practically write a book, I'm prepping for this. TRAVIS: Great. One of the things I want to say while you're looking for that is, I try not to live my life too much in the rearview mirror because I think it's a formula for problems. Although I do review how I've done things in the past and try to hold myself as accountable as I possibly can for everything. And I went 15, 16 years without a mentor. ANDREA: Wow.

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TRAVIS: And I started in the early 90's and there wasn't a whole lot of mentors around. There are really wasn't even much talk about that. I wish I would have been more proactive about finding someone to help mentor me because I could've fast-forward-- not that I need another car or more fancy stuff, but for me I'm on a mission to impact as many entrepreneurs as possible. And I feel like I would be so much further down that path if I had done that. So, for me I really wish I would've been more proactive about getting a mentor. ANDREA: I definitely agree with you, and one thing I would suggest to everybody listening here is if you have a certain business you're in or considering being in, or job-- whatever. There are industry associations and I would definitely connect with the local chapter, or the national chapter, or both of that industry association because those people could be your mentors. They could very well be your competitors. But a lot of them have information to share or resources to share. It's a great place to start. As well as getting somebody like you Travis who would help you-- would ask you the hard questions and really nail it down for you. TRAVIS: And hold you accountable, right? ANDREA: Yeah, exactly. You have your system. There are some very practical things you have to do in business. And you're not in business if you don't have cash flow. So, people can be very visionary and the visionary is good. But if they don't have the money to sustain the business, and I'll give you the four elements to be an entrepreneur that I found on my little list. Then you're not in business. So, the whole point is to have a business that you start and sustain. So again, I got to say after being willy-nilly and running all over the country and working for everybody, and getting all kinds of experience and I loved it. Having my own business has been a wonderful source of gratification. It held me after-- I couldn't stay in a job more than a year and a half because it would bore me. But my business, I'm interested, it challenges me, it gets me writing, and it's creative. And I even get on radio shows like this and where I could share some of this stuff. I'm actually a fountain of wisdom from-- understand that I sell all these speakers who are experts in every area. So I am exposed to so much information it's like almost overwhelming. But it's amazing. These are business experts, people you see on the news, people you love, people you read as best-sellers. And I get exposed to these people personally, first-hand and their books, it's just incredible, I feel so fortunate. TRAVIS: You get paid to be exposed to them too-ANDREA: I do. And it makes life really, really interesting. Remember, business is more than just money, it's your life. So you want to make it interesting. So here's the list that I was looking for. So, four basic things to be an entrepreneur, some qualities. In other words you have to have a good idea. So maybe you have a product or a service that solves a problem, or maybe that improves people's lives. And then you have to have the finances of some sort. In my case my husband and I, we're both unemployed at the time, in between. And we decided to go for it and

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we pulled all of our resources. Everything we had saved to that point. The third is you need the guts to actually do it. It's that get off your duff and really do it. And number four, and this is critical, is the persistence in determination to sustain yourself to keep going in the down times. I remember a little story after 9/11. In my business everybody would fly pretty much, they didn't have virtual meetings at that point. Everybody would fly to their event, right? So the speakers would fly and all the planes were not flying. So all the meetings were cancelled. So, some businesses in my industry went out of business, because they had to return all that money. TRAVIS: Right. ANDREA: And all the speakers. I handled it a little differently. And stayed in business I got. And it was a dramatic moment but it could've been a very depressing moment because nobody was booking, everybody was afraid to fly. They were cancelling future meetings. So, just letting you know. One thing I want to say about persistence is don't give up on the eve of success. How many times have people just said, "I'm throwing in the towel." And they did all the hard work. But they ran out of the funds, or they emotionally just ran out of steam. TRAVIS: Yeah, it reminds me of the book 3 Feet from Gold. ANDREA: I can relate to that. TRAVIS: Yeah, the guy gives up and sells the mine. The digs three fit and strikes gold. ANDREA: And there it is. So, use your discrimination. But if you're going to start a business and put your heart and soul into the business, make sure you can sustain the business. And at least say have money on hand for rainy times. Because during 9/11 I needed it and there was one other bad time, I think when that other recession happened. There was a rate of 7, around there, somewhere around that row 9. We needed those rainy day funds, even though our business was a multi-million dollar business. Because there was just a real slowing down for a short period. So business just go in cycles. You want to avoid that if you can but you may have a business that falls prey to it because of things beyond your control. We call that force majeure. So, don't give up on the eve of success, that's all I can say. TRAVIS: Yeah, I completely agree. Hey, let me ask you, what book or program made an impact on you related to business that you'd recommend and why? These are the three questions that I did let you cheat and prepare for. ANDREA: Yey, a little cheating. I don't cheat. I'm almost through. TRAVIS: Right.

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ANDREA: So the first one, the question on the book. This resource I would recommend, it's a very new book, I'm exposed to a lot of books from my business experts all the time. This one is Do It Marketing. It might not be on the best-seller list but I'm going to tell you, get this book. It's by David Newman, Amacom is the publisher. Do It Marketing is 77 instant action ideas to boost sales, maximize profits, and crush your competition. This book, you could open it, you don't have to read it. Nobody likes to read anymore, right? You can open it on any page or I have it in my hands. Number 39, your sales to don't list and it's talking about top 10 things sales people do that buyers just like. It's very easy to read. Number 44, nobody's going to steal your idea. How good of a client would it be. There's little forms in here. But it's usable; you could just pick it up and use it instantly. So, this book is wonderful. Amacom, it's 1995, I'm sure it's on Amazon. So, and we definitely get that by David Newman. And you had a few other things you want to pick my brain. TRAVIS: Yeah, what is one of your favorite tools or pieces of technology that you've recently discovered, if any, I don't know if you're techie at all-ANDREA: Yes, I am. TRAVIS: ... that you'd recommend to other business owners and why would you recommend them? ANDREA: Well, our hope is this is run on computer. I tend not to want to complicate it anymore than it is. So, they're not necessarily the newest, but I'm going to tell you what I think would be very useful to most business people listening. Whether you're working for somebody, or you're starting business, or in the middle of the business. Number one is if you deal with customers and you need a customer database, this is an old program but it's always updated, ACT. I've used it for almost my entire career since Windows came into play; I've been in business since before Windows. And its strength is it not only takes notes but it schedules, it's a really good scheduler. So for people that need that it's better than using just Outlook or something. And you have a complete database of your client. You could use databases like FileMaker, Access, or CRM Macintosh, or Apple, whatever. But it's a good one. It's a CRM, customer relation management. And another one, this is kind of a real techie one now. If anybody does presentations. It could be either speaking presentations or for selling, Webinar Jam, I think I have to look for it. If you have trouble finding it you could email me Travis, I'll give you information how to contact me and I could always help you. But it's a Google Hangout-- you've heard of Gotowebinar? Webinar Jam uses Google Hangouts, you pay one fee for the whole year. It's much cheaper, and it does a lot more than Gotowebinar. Now, Gotowebinar is a wonderful product but it's a very pricey product. Google+, Google has been doing all the staff so they're always improving this. And this is a very versatile media so I would check it out. If you want to do something visual with people and that could be for webinar or face-to-face.

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TRAVIS: Yeah, that's the guy that created Kajabi, right? ANDREA: I can't remember their names. Is it Mike Pierce and somebody. There's two guys. Anyway, I actually I did a webinar on that. Again, I'm not usually the speaker but I was asked to. I have a book author who speak sell more books. And I did this webinar and I was terrified so I've never even used PowerPoint myself, right? I loved it. It was a lot of fun talking to myself. When you do virtual, it's not like there's a conversation like this. So, it was different. Anyway, the third one I recommend and I know other people have on your show recommended this and that's LinkedIn. I'm an early adapter of LinkedIn, they're actually a client too. They are progressive; it is really the single foremost social media business forum. And they're always increasing their reach and understand when you're a business the SEO, the search engine optimization, how are you found on Google, or Yahoo!, or any search engine is really important. So you want to have a presence on LinkedIn like some of these others because they show up. They show up on searches and that's really-- And also, if you're a networker, join the groups. The power of LinkedIn is the groups. When you join the groups you could talk to the people, and you connect with the people, and you're giving value or learning, and in the process its people. TRAVIS: Yeah, great recommendations, thank you for that. ANDREA: Sure. TRAVIS: What quote would best summarize your belief or attitude in business? ANDREA: Okay, can I give you three? TRAVIS: Sure. ANDREA: Okay. Here's the traditional, out of the universe one, this is by Mark Twain and I love this book. Have you ever heard this one? TRAVIS: Yes. ANDREA: "Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails, explore, dream, and discover." And it is so about what we've just talked about taking risks, face your fears, and move ahead. I also want to add a one-liner, John Ruskin said, "When skill and passion are joined together expect a masterpiece." And I'm going to give you mine again. So you're can memorize this one, "The power of your purpose is greater than your fear."

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TRAVIS: I like that. Wonderful. Let me ask you, how do people connect with you if they want to become a speaker, or maybe they have questions on how to become a speaker. Maybe give them so resources and maybe they don't want to get booked as a speaker, who knows? ANDREA: Okay. What I'm going to do, I have a relatively new website and I'm going to give you-- my email is on that website but I'll give it to you here anyway. Is it okay to give email here? TRAVIS: Yeah, sure. ANDREA: Okay. I just ask you to be very, very clear on your subject line because otherwise it will get lost in the hundreds of emails I get a day. And you're important to me. So it's Andrea@goldstars.com. That's my business site. And a relatively new site is andreagold.com, and you could see some of my goofy pictures, and get a sense of my real philosophy on that site. And for the resources for the books, if you're an author who wants to speak I do have some really practical resources. The way I talk today I'm very practical. I would be a trainer and service speaker. Go to andreagold.com and go to the products page or on goldstars.com, it's the same thing, go to the products page. I also do consultations by phone. And my office would help you with what the pricing is and what's available. But we're all about helping people with their dreams. And I'm going to tell you, that book, The Business of Successful Speaking which I wrote. It's kind of a file -- let me deal with this. Its Proven Secrets to Becoming a Million Dollar Speaker. A speaker who bought it said to her CPA, "Isn't she just lying about that subtitle?" And the CPA actually calculated the information in the book that said there's a few ways that you can earn a million dollars or more. So, I actually was endorsed by a CPA. So, I just wanted you to know, everything that I create, s ell, speak, whatever is the real deal. I've suffered through it, I've learned it. I want to help people. And it's coming from a good place I think you probably can get that just listening to me. It's who I am, and I'm very, very passionate about any way to help people have a more fulfilling, successful life, whatever that means to them.

End of Interview

TRAVIS: Excellent, wonderful, thank you so much. Remember that you can find all the links to the books and the resources mentioned in this show in the show notes. Just go to rockstarentrepreneurnetwork.com. Now before I close the show today, I have a quote for you that I want to share. And the quote comes from Og Mandino, and the quote reads, "Always do your best. What you plant now you will harvest later." This is Travis Lane Jenkins signing off for now. To your incredible success my friend, take care.

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How We Can Help You We know that finding someone that you can trust online today is hard and that so many “so called gurus” are self-‐appointed and have never really even done what they teach you to do. That‟s exactly why we created the Double Your Profits Business Accelerator. This is an exclusive offer for our fans at a fraction of its normal cost. Here's what to expect. We'll Schedule a 'One on One' private session, where we'll take the time to dive deep into your business and tell you what is missing, so that you can have your best year ever! We'll do this by performing a S.W.O.T. Analysis. This tells us your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats within your business. This will be an eye opener for YOU, for several reasons, however some of the most common reasons are. As the 'Business Owner' it‟s difficult to see the big picture of your own business because you‟re in the middle of a daily management. And you are too emotionally involved to completely impartial. This is a common problem for EVERY business owner. It doesn‟t matter if you are a one-man army, or an army of 150, the problem is still the same. Travis Lane Jenkins Business Mentor-Turn Around Specialist Radio Host of The Entrepreneurs Radio Show “Conversations with Self-made Millionaires and High-level Entrepreneurs That Grow Your Business"

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