Chris Dufey: My man, John, I am absolutely ready to flame on.

John Lee Dumas: Yes, flame on. Chris is a physique and business coach that froths at the mouth getting people into great shape and showing them how to build real businesses that give them the money freedom and lifestyle they want. Chris, take a minute. Fill in some gaps from that intro and give us a little glimpse into your personal life, brother.

Chris Dufey: Thank you so much for having me on, John. It’s an absolute pleasure. It’s 3:00 a.m. for me. I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world rather than you and me having a two-way –

John Lee Dumas: Or sleeping. One of the two.

Chris Dufey: Exactly right. Well, I would enjoy maybe a couple of z’s but that’s okay. Mate, look, I’ve been able to transform my life and lifestyle, going from what every personal trainer and anyone in that kind of field knows, being in that real time-for-money trap. And I’m just so grateful to be in the position now of running successful businesses online and living here in Bali at the moment, myself, my wife, and my daughter. And we’re just having a great time and I’m just really enjoying this journey.

John Lee Dumas: Well, I gotta say, I am someone that can appreciate somebody that takes care of themselves and gets them in great shape. And, Fire Nation, I’m looking at Chris’ Skype photo right now and this guy is shredded beyond belief. So he lives the life that he proclaims here. And it’s pretty exciting to see the results you’ve gotten both physically, being in good shape, but also business wise and running a very viable and successful business.

And that’s kind of what I want to talk about next, Chris, is how do you currently make money? Because we’re entrepreneurs. We’re looking to create viable businesses of our own. How do the dollars come in the door for you?

Chris Dufey: Well, I’ve got the beauty of I actually run two businesses at the moment. One is Fit Body Pro. This is how I show people how to get into the best shape of their lives, where I earn membership and private coaching. And then I have the Turning Pro Academies where I show people in the fitness industry, personal trainers, how to build and grow and enjoy a successful business, either online or in person.

John Lee Dumas: Now did those two start simultaneously or did one kind of grow off the other?

Chris Dufey: No, they definitely didn’t. The physique side, the Fit Body Pro, started first. And it really wasn’t until I was just getting flooded with messages and emails all day, every day with people who’ve been seeing me now living in Bali and asking how did you get this done. How have you gone – from Sydney, I moved to Dubai.

I lived in Dubai for a year and a half. And ran and grew a personal training business there and then kind of kicked the bucket, snow bombed the city, and we ended up moving here to Bali. I started the online business with Fit Body Pro, loved it, and then I ended up only starting the Turning Pro Academy five months ago. And it’s been a rocking success and I love it.

John Lee Dumas: Well, I love the fact that you grew another business out of your current business because, Chris, the reality that I see is so many entrepreneurs are terrified to start in a niche. They think, man, if I start in a niche and I get known as a credible, an authority figure, in this one thing; I’m never going to be able to get out of that. Kind of like typecasting in acting, like how Ross will always be Ross to us in Friends and he can never do anything else.

But no, that’s not the reality, Fire Nation. You need to find that niche, to get that initial momentum, dominate it, prove yourself, become an authority figure, and then you’re gonna get just the inbound emails with questions, pain points, and problems just like Chris did. He’s gonna say lightbulb. There’s another business opportunity here. Let me take what I’ve already built and add to it, diversify, grow my business. So I love that, Chris. We’re gonna get into that, by the way, in a little bit, Fire Nation.

But first, Chris, you know how we kick things off here. We don’t just talk about the awesome things that you’ve done because there’s plenty of that to go around. I want to hear the worst entrepreneurial moment you’ve ever experienced to date. And, Chris, I want you to take us to that moment in time and tell us that story.

Chris Dufey: This is honestly something that I really haven’t talked to a lot of people about. I’m more than happy to share this with you, John, and with the one or two listeners you’ve probably got. So, look, there was a big leap that I had to take and I think that’s really what’s put me in the position now to continue taking risks. But this really would have to be something that not a lot of people know at the moment so I hope to empower people by really sharing this.

And this was really where I had to test myself and take a leap. Really, I had to, at one point, fly from Sydney and I was moving to Dubai. And my wife was six months pregnant and we had chosen to take the opportunity to move across the world. And there’s nothing like having a new baby and starting a new business on the other side of the world and kind of taking that move.

And for that to happen, I just remember there was – it’s burned in my retina. It was 3:00 a.m. in the morning. The flight from Sydney to Dubai is very early in the morning so I had to wake up super early. And I was standing there in the doorway, bags in hand, looking at my wife laying in bed. And she was staring at me just absolutely crying and I could just see fear and the unknown and just tears pouring down her eyes.

And having to turn off the light and then walk out the door and go to the airport and with me not knowing what’s ahead. And it was about four hours into the flight, something happened and just a wave came over me and I just started crying in silence. I feel sorry for the lady sitting next to me because she must have thought I was losing my marbles.

John Lee Dumas: Right. Who is this dude?

Chris Dufey: But it was just a moment where it was complete uncertainty and that unknown. And I think every entrepreneur knows that. And I think because I put myself in and went through that position and then I really felt like I kind of burnt the ships behind me. It was a [inaudible] [00:06:05] position where I had to make it work or else they were going – I had an ongoing job. I had a family that I have to take care of now.

And I know you talk about that baby factor and geez, John, that is an absolute truth. And I just love that I had to go through that because I feel like I’m stronger being able to now look upon that and go, yes, I now know I can just take it all on.

John Lee Dumas: Fire Nation, let’s break it down. You are a human being and there is a reason why humans are so surviving. This survival of the fittest. We will do whatever it takes. It is in our DNA. It is innate. We will do what it takes to survive. A lot of us have grown up pretty comfortable in middle class, upper class. Even upper lower class, you’re doing pretty good. You still have TV, you still have the comforts, you still have shelter.

And the reality is you don’t necessarily have to strive until you get to a certain age to clothe yourself, to feed yourself. But then you get to that point – and, Chris, I’m glad you brought up the baby effect because I had actually written that down when you were talking – where actually now it is on you. It is on you to provide for yourself, to provide for your loved ones.

And when Chris was on that flight and he broke down, it was because he said man; my wife is six months pregnant. I’m about to be responsible for a child that’s coming into this world and that child is 100 percent on me and my wife. I mean, period. That’s how it is. And then that baby effect takes in. And what happens, Fire Nation? Does that outbound phone call that you were scared about making just six months ago, are you still scared to make that outbound phone call? No. You’re more scared about not feeding your child.

So the baby effect is real. The survival of the fittest effect is real. Don’t be terrified when your back is against the wall because a lot of times that’s exactly where you want it to be because then you have no choice but to succeed. And, Fire Nation, you’re listening to my voice, you’re hearing Chris’ story, you will succeed. Chris, what say you?

Chris Dufey: I think it’s an absolute truth. You want to hunt it down. I feel like with my baby girl, I had the freedom now and the real reason why I started these online businesses and run them the way that I do is to give me the luxury of I can spend time with her at any point of the day. I can organize it around. I can spend time with her in the morning. I can be there.

Because being a personal trainer, having that section of being in the gym 12 hours a day and not being able to see my baby girl was first born – I’m sorry, I was there when she was first born. But then when I was in the gym all day, I would see her for a tiny bit in the morning and then I would have to race home at night to be able to give her the bottle before bed.

And I was like this is not the father I want to be. This is not how I want to live my life. I want to be around and I want to be a present father giving her what she really needs. And I just love being a father and I just love being able to be in this position to be able to do that.

John Lee Dumas: And, Chris, being in that position, even before your daughter was born, and knowing that you had to create a successful business, was there anything that would have stopped you from doing that? I mean, you would have run through walls, both figuratively and literally I’m sure, right?

Chris Dufey: I was gonna say the exact same words. I would literally run through walls, without a doubt, without thinking about it. You just hunt it down. And I think, in that moment, it could be a little bit of being naïve as well, where you just do it. But I think that’s the beauty of it. I think that’s where maybe a lot of entrepreneurs fail is because they’re just not pulling the trigger. And I think if you just pull the trigger, take action, and fail forward, you’re going to make it.

John Lee Dumas: I love how you said a little bit of it is being naïve. And that’s okay, Fire Nation, because ignorance is bliss especially for entrepreneurs. And you know how you said, Chris, that you burnt the ships. I mean, you had no place to go but forward. You had nothing to do but succeed.

Again, Fire Nation, let me just hammer this home. That’s not a bad place to put yourself, with no option but to succeed. You will succeed. So, Chris, let’s move to another story. This is going to be an “aha” moment, an epiphany that you’ve had. And just like you took us to that moment on the plane, take us to that “aha” moment and tell us that story.

Chris Dufey: This is pretty funny, John, because it wasn’t that long ago. Obviously, we kind of really have those “aha” moments all the time, especially when you first start and you see money start coming in to the account. When you first wake up, you’re like this is amazing! Never thought this would actually happen. But this wasn’t that long ago. And I laugh because I knew that I would be able to get to share this with you.

And I was down at the beach playing with my daughter, making some sandcastles. Middle of the day, just goofing around, playing around, doing really what I’m best at. And it just struck me and I was just like I’m able to do this. This is my lifestyle. I get to wake up and decide the rules in which I’m working.

And I actually broke a couple of awesome business growth, KPIs, that I was really trying to target for. And I broke it at a six-figure month and I was like I just love each step. And I just couldn’t believe that this was happening. And it was thankfully due all to myself and I knew that it was my responsibility coming through it. I think that’s where you can really get empowered.

John Lee Dumas: I love the quote that you can become the captain of your ship, the master of your own destiny. And, Chris, like you on the beach that day were able to look at yourself and say hey, I’ve done that. And, Fire Nation, you’re the author of your own book. You’re writing the pages right now. Whether you like what those pages say or not, you’re the author because you have the decision to change those words, specifically the words that are going to be written tomorrow. It’s on you.

Now, Chris, talk a little bit about KPIs because you’ve had a successful six-figure month which is a massive month. So congratulations on that. KPIs are really important for a number of reasons. And I kind of want to have Fire Nation get that and understand what that means and how you use them to improve and track your business.

Chris Dufey: I like boiling things down to absolute simplicity. Really thinking about 80/20s or what an 80/20 would be. For that key performance indicators, I only really want one or two numbers with the businesses that I run but I also like to think about some KPIs on a lifestyle term as well. As in how much time have I been able to spend with my family today? Or have I been able to do something that I love today that is not work-related and kind of looking after myself as well?

I think looking and keeping track of what you’re actually doing and what you’re succeeding at and you’re being able to then go, right, maybe I’m failing at being a husband. Maybe I haven’t been great because I haven’t been able to take my wife out this week. I’m gonna make a really big difference like we’re going out, we’re going to be doing something.

Or can I be spending more time as a father or do I need to be making more sales calls? Do I need more traffic to my site? All these different things, breaking it down, and for the listener, make sure you boil those KPIs down. What are those couple of key factors that you can really look upon and know that you are moving towards success?

John Lee Dumas: I love that. And key performance indicators, Fire Nation, you need to have them for both business and just for you, for your life, for your emotional well-being. I mean, I know that some KPIs for me for business that I track every single day, how many people are signed up to my main email list, the EOFire newsletter? How many people have signed up to the free podcast course? How many people have signed up to the free webinar course? How many people have signed up for my Freedom Journal newsletter? I want to know those numbers. Who’s joined Paradise? Who’s joined Webinar on Fire, my paid communities?

These are all key performance indicators that I track on my Infusionsoft dashboard every single day. And that’s important because I keep the pulse now of my business. And I can see if things are trending the right way or the wrong way. But then on the personal side, it’s have I gone for my 35-minute power walk today? Have I done my seven-minute circuit workout? Am I doing these things that are keeping me on the personal side? And relationship side. Have I talked to my family in the last couple of days, x, y, z?

So think of these KPIs for both business and for personal. That’s my takeaway. Chris, what do you want to make sure our listeners get from really that story that you just told?

Chris Dufey: I think it’s hilarious because I do the exact same thing just before we actually hopped on this call. I jumped on Infusionsoft and looked at how many people came onto the list yesterday. So I think that’s great because it’s so true. I want the listener to be able to, right after this episode, know what one key performance indicator is.

Just one number is that they can look at every day that is going to be moving them towards success. Whether it’s related to their business, whether it’s related to their personal health, whether it’s related to their fitness or their family, their relationships, whatever it is, bring it down to that one. I just love the book The One Thing. And it rocked me because I’m always trying to think about that now.

John Lee Dumas: Focus, Fire Nation. Follow one course until success, not 15 courses. Don’t let that weapons of mass distraction take you down. Now, Chris, you have some strengths. We’re going to mention one in a second but what’s your biggest weakness?

Chris Dufey: This is hilarious because you just pretty much brought this up but it’s focus. And that bright, shiny object syndrome is very prevalent. And I’m honestly always working towards boiling it down to that one thing. What is that? Because I find myself easily – I can have entrepreneurial ADD all the time. Going to cafes and being like, whoa, there’s a huge opportunity here. And then you go down the road and there’s a massive opportunity over there. And then everything’s coming all at once.

And it’s like, no, if you try and chase multiple rabbits, you’ll never catch one. So honestly, for me, it’s something I’m always working at is trying to always just be focused on that single target.

John Lee Dumas: What’s your biggest strength?

Chris Dufey: I would honestly say it’s taking action. It’s pulling the trigger and just going for it. And you know what? I’ve done a lot of things that could be classified as a failure. I guess it’s what you define as a failure and if I learn from it then it really isn’t. I know that can be a little bit cheesy but it’s why we learn. It’s how we grow.

John Lee Dumas: Now, Chris, you just said this was a weakness of yours so I’m going to throw down the gauntlet and ask you what is the one thing that has you most fired up today?

Chris Dufey: Talking about entrepreneurial ADD, I’m just about to launch a very specific supplement label that’s targeted towards weight loss and health. And I’ve just gotten the labels and the formulation back and I’m just absolutely excited to go down this route and bring this out to the world. So I’m really looking forward to bringing my body blends to the world.

John Lee Dumas: Okay, so if I take those supplements, am I gonna have abs like you?

Chris Dufey: No. I’ll be brutally honest and I’m gonna say no. And a big part of actually what I want to deliver is not just the product side but giving the right advice with it as well. That’s kind of what I want to mesh together. But, yes, John, I’ll be able to show you how to get the [inaudible] [00:17:34].

John Lee Dumas: I love it. So, Fire Nation, don’t go anywhere because Chris is about to show me how to get amazing abs and we’re gonna talk about the lightning round. But before we get there, let’s take a minute to thank our sponsors. Chris, are you prepared for the lightning round?

Chris Dufey: I’m just ready to rock and roll. Let’s do it.

John Lee Dumas: What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur?

Chris Dufey: I would honestly say nothing because I’ve technically worked for myself since being 18. I’ve kind of always known that I’m truly and technically unemployable. I just never really labeled myself as an entrepreneur. So I’d say nothing.

John Lee Dumas: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Chris Dufey: My father wrote this down for me and put it in my room when I was a kid and it’s something that I’ve just always, always taken. And it was you’ll achieve what you want when you help others achieve what they want.

John Lee Dumas: What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success?

Chris Dufey: I like this one. I’m very structured with my day and I really do find that structure gives me freedom. Especially with being able to organize the time that I have with business and then being able to spend it with my girls and everything. It’s my morning routine. That one is, excuse the pun, sets me up on fire each day. And I’m able to get everything done and then be able to clock off usually by 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. and go and enjoy the rest of it.

John Lee Dumas: What’s an internet resource, like Evernote, that you can share with our listeners?

Chris Dufey: You’re probably gonna burn me right now, John, and I know this might be the lamest answer going around but I’ve been trying to get rid of as many of the apps and everything that I use technical wise and I’ve only just started getting into Evernote. I know this is bad but I’ve just found it fantastic being able to put everything in one place. And if it wasn’t for that, being able to communicate with my team would be slack.

John Lee Dumas: If you could recommend one book for our listeners, what would it be and why?

Chris Dufey: Oh, okay. I kind of went through the books that other of your interviewees have said and this is one that rocked me. I can honestly say this was a life-changing book. And it was The Compassionate Samurai by Brian Klemmer.

John Lee Dumas: Why?

Chris Dufey: I honestly think it made me a better man.

John Lee Dumas: Well, Fire Nation, I want to first off say I’m not booing specifically Evernote. I think it’s an amazing tool, an amazing resource. But the reality is it’s so amazing everybody would say it if I didn’t say “like Evernote.” And some people even still do like Chris. But I also, Fire Nation, that you love audio so I teamed up with Audiobooks and if you haven’t already, you can get an amazing audiobook for free at eofirebook.com.

And, Chris, this is the last question of the lightning round but it’s a doozy. Imagine you woke up tomorrow morning in a brand new world, identical to Earth but you knew no one. You still have all the experience and knowledge you currently have. Your food and shelter is taken care of but all you have is a laptop and $500.00. What would you do in the next seven days?

Chris Dufey: This is a doozy and I like it. I would answer three questions, John. What can I do and be the world’s best at? What drives me, gives me passion? And what are the major problems that I can give solutions to? I would then find that starving crowd and know the answers that I connect with them. I’d then go out and find like-minded individuals, people that I can team up with, network with, create relationships with both solving those problems for other people as well but also just creating success in the way that I want to create success as well to be able to learn from.

And I would simply go out. I would give free material away. Grow a following. Build relationships simply through a site email integration and then keeping all the tech sites very simple. And then I would just make sure I know how to deliver the world’s best value and the best experience. And I would make sure I just chop away at that each and every day from there.

John Lee Dumas: Chris, let’s end on fire with you sharing a parting piece of guidance, the best way that we can connect with you, and then we’ll say goodbye.

Chris Dufey: For the listener, I just want you to be able to believe in yourself. And if you are not going to take action right after this episode right now, you’re soaking up obviously everything in EOFire and you’re taking the first step. But if you don’t actually take some action today then go stub your toe because you really need to be able to step up and do that for yourself.

And you can definitely go find me on chrisdufey.com where I’ll just love to be able to connect with you, to be able to hear your story. And also just I’m more than happy to answer the questions that come through about creating success and creating that freedom lifestyle that you really want.

John Lee Dumas: Fire Nation, you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And you have been hanging out with CD and JLD today. So keep up the heat. Head over to eofire.com, just type in “Chris” in the search bar. His show notes page will pop right up with everything that we’ve been talking about today. And, Chris, I just want to say thank you for sharing your journey with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you. And we’ll catch you on the flip side.