Woke up to this, this morning…

“167 Of Your Ads Have Been REJECTED“

Or in other words, our entire Facebook advertising account had been punched in the face and shut down in one fell swoop – again.

FUCK.

… And like I haven’t got other shit to deal with on a Tuesday morning.

Now, I could have understood, if it was for the One Man Empire business, but it was for one of my other interests, in another market.

… One that is 100% clean, and 100% friendly.

Turns out FB, didn’t like a particular word on one of our landing pages.

Something about the word “You,” that’s got their backs up.

Funny really, because using the word “you” is arguably the most powerful word in copywriting – but who am I to argue, and like Facebook give about what I think shit anyway.

Truth is, it’s not the first time and won’t be the last time that one of my marketing channels gets slapped:

… Happened with referrals when a supplier died.
… Happened with Google when the Panda update dropped.
… Happening now with Facebook as compliance becomes king.

Which just goes to show, Facebook is not the problem. 

In fact, it brings me nicely onto the point of this email today:

Reliance on ONE Is Always Dumb-Fuckery Of The Highest Order.

That is…

… Reliance one customer 
… Reliance one supplier 
… Reliance one employee 
… Reliance one marketing platform 
… Reliance one source of customers 

If history has taught me anything it’s that given time, good apples always turn bad.

… Case in point – at some point even a thoroughbred gets a swift bullet to the head.

Fortunately, in this instance, and in the business of question, there are multiple streams of customers.

So we’ll just ramp up the advertising elsewhere.

It’s why rolling into 2021, and this rapidly emerging economy, I’d urge every self-made man among us to spread risk and R-E-M-O-V-E reliance with full force.

Remember, as the winds start to change faster and with more unpredictability than ever, the spoils will go to those who have the power to up and move sticks, with speed and with efficiency.

www.ApplyForTheFellowship.com

Make More. Provide More. Be More.

Charlie 

Posted by Matt last night inside our private Fellowship app:

“I would prefer that you stop bombarding me with amateur spam. Your behaviour is a disgrace to our profession”

The amateur spam in question? 

A simple “want to go ahead with your quote” text message.

Now, encase you’re wondering, Matt’s in the Tree Survey business and this dickhead is one of Matt’s competitors.

Looks like they were trying to reverse engineer his marketing system by playing possum and asking for a quote.

Which by the way IS very smart.

His arsehole feedback, however, was not.

… and for two reasons:

1. It was irrelevant – see my email last Sunday
2. It was ignorant – as the follow-up message in question, closes quotes like clockwork, and on autopilot.

Truth be told his reply should have read:

“Matt, I wanted to reply to your text by saying thanks…

I’ve been in this industry for 20 years and I’d hit a wall. After mystery shopping you, getting a quote and seeing your automated systems and processes first hand, I’ve got a golden shower of insight… 

In fact, I can now see clear as day, how you’ve come from nowhere and taken over our industry in the last 24 months. It makes total sense why every lead I speak to has said they’ve chosen YOU over us. 

Please let me buy you dinner so I can pick your brains further. In the meantime I’m going to start doing what you’re doing – it’s clearly working. 

Thank you again. ”

Now, I suspect this particular individual is too old in the tooth to change, and too stuck in his ways to do what’s need to be done.

Which brings me onto the point of this email today, One Man Empire Iron Law #53 and your mantra for money this week:

Always Do The Opposite Of Everyone Else…

… Especially if they’ve been in the market a long time.

There’s no faster way for the self-made man to take over any industry than showing up like no one else does, or dare will.

I’d back that up with an old Dan Kennedy’ism:

“If you’ve not pissed someone off by 9 am you’re not marketing hard enough…”

Truth is and right now, it’s more important than ever to be bucking industry trends by ruthlessly raking your competitors over the coals for being too stupid to change and too dumb to act.

www.ApplyForTheFellowship.com

Make More. Provide More. Be More.

Charlie 

Question in from David in Loughborough:

“Charlie – is there really only 30 men in The Fellowship or is that a marketing and scarcity thing…”

Fair question David, so let me give you the breakdown on group size:

• I operate one group
• It’s in the UK
• It’s strictly limited to 30 active members

… And when I say “active” I mean paying.

I don’t operate with contracts which means seats open up occasionally throughout the year.

… Meaning I take applications for potential good fits, year-round.

Now, encase you’re wondering, the average man around the table has been in for 21 months.

Which begs the question, why only 30 men?

Truth is, there IS demand and appetite for me to open up more spots…

… BUT that means my time split more ways, which has a knock-on effect to the results the men in here get…

PLUS in my experience when you start pushing group sizes towards 50 – brotherhood and bonds start to get severed and sacrificed.

Leading to more fucking headaches (and fallout) for me to deal with.

Which brings me nicely back to business, the power of scarcity, and why when possible, you should always use it.

Nothing motivates action more than a REAL possibility of missing out.

It’s the universal law of economies of scale…

And the fact of the matter that when demand outstrips supply, the odds are always in your favour…  

Or in other words, for the self-made man in this game today:

Less Availability = More Power

Always.

So in summary and in answer to David’s question…

• Is it only 30 men? Yes
• Is it a marketing angle? Yes
• Are spots really “scarce”? Yes

… And BTW If you’re wondering why men leave, I shot an exit interview with Mark Lloyd that you can watch it here.

He’d been on the inside the group for 2 years before departing recently. 

He explains his actions here.

His words at the 72-second mark are instructive, so watch carefully.

Make More. Provide More. Be More.

Charlie 

I got one of those looks at school yesterday…

I think it was something I said, that caused the icy glare from one particular mum…  

Something to do with me promising to take Barney to McDonald’s as be bounded out of class and into my arms.

A sideways glance from one of Middle England’s finest that in my head said:

“You’re a bad parent.  I’d never take my precious child to McDonald’s and fill them full of junk and employ calories. You’re the worst kind of irresponsible man who is a plague on our national health system and to blame for the obesity epidemic in kids. Shame on you. I’d never step foot inside McDonald’s – we dine at pizza express…”

… followed by a “tut”…

Now, truth is, the glance I can live with, BUT the “tut” really pissed me off – so I hit google to do a fact check.

And here are the numbers:

McDonald’s Happy Meal – Chicken Nuggets:

• Calories 173 
• Fat 8.9g
• saturated fat 1.2g

Pizza Express Piccolo Pizza Margherita

• Calories 448
• Fat 11g 
• Saturated fat 6.6g

That’s right Barney’s chicken nugget meal has 50% less calories and 6x less saturated fat…

Who’s the shitty parent, now then, Mrs Middle England?!?!

Anyway, it only goes to prove to One Man Empire Iron Law #57:

Facts Will Always Trump Opinion.

… On that note, there are 3 facts that every self-made man worth his sole should know inside out and month on month for his empire…

1. Cost Per Sale – how much did it cost to make a sale
2. Customer Value – how much did a customer spend
3. Profit – how much money was made

Any other gauge around performance is deluded opinion at best and dumb fuckery at worst.

www.ApplyForTheFellowship.com

Make More. Provide More. Be More. 

Sue flagged this Facebook comment for me on Friday. 

“Charlie, love what you say and I’ve got some feedback…”

I didn’t read the rest.

Those nine words were enough.

I guessed he was going to give me his option on what I could change or what I could do differently…

Reminded me I should send you this…

It’s a transcribed Howard Stern sound byte for your instruction and your application this week :

—- TRANSCRIPT FROM LIVE RADIO SHOW —

HOWARD : Okay, Evan, go ahead. 

CALLER : Hey Howard, How’s it going? Now Listen. I’m I’m I, I, I, when I initially got on the phone, I was more fired up than I am now. So I, I want to give a constructive criticism to the show.

HOWARD : Not necessary, not necessary.

CALLER : No, no, but it is – you need feedback.

HOWARD : I don’t need any feedback. I come in here and I do what I want. What do I need your feedback for? 

CALLER : Cause that’s how you figure out…

HOWARD : No, I figure out what to do by ME. I am in charge of me and I’m in charge of the show. I don’t need feedback. What do I need feedback for? 

CALLER : Well, I always thought the show was about us, about the community?

HOWARD : No. If I thought the show was about the community, I’d be doomed.

CALLER : No, no… But…

HOWARD : Your feedback is irrelevant. Your feedback is irrelevant. 

CALLER : How dare you…

HOWARD : I’m telling you my process, Evan. 

CALLER : I know, but I figured that I could give some…

HOWARD : Feedback is irrelevant. Whatever your feedback is, it’s irrelevant. 

CALLER : I’m a paying customer. 

HOWARD : I don’t care – QUIT. I don’t care. 

CALLER : No, you can’t. You can’t do that… If everybody…

HOWARD : Evan, Evan. I can do it. I I’m telling you, your feedback is irrelevant. For my entire career I didn’t ask people their opinion over my show. I don’t care what you think. I care what I think.

CALLER : That’s hurtful…

HOWARD : The way that I was an innovator was to I-G-N-O-R-E the feedback. 

[Continues…]

HOWARD :  I don’t worry what people think of me. I don’t worry about what you think of me – because you’re irrelevant. 

CALLER : Of course you do. 

HOWARD : No, I don’t. If I listen to him and every other asshole on the planet, I won’t to have a show…

—-

Long story short – for those men that really want to forge their own path, this week remember, the opinion and feedback of the great unwashed masses is ALWAYS irrelevant.

Make More. Provide More. Be More.