0 (2s):
Boom, shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs On Fire brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network with great shows like Salesmen. Today, we're pulling a timeless EOFire classic episode from the archives, and we'll be breaking down how to make multiple six figures as a coach this year to drop these value bombs. I brought Rafael Eliassen and EOFire studios. Rafael went from a depressed and anxious janitor to multiple 6-figure coach and speaker. Since, he has helped build million dollar companies, and his speeches have been listened to by 30 million+ people. And today Fire Nation, we will be talking about how coaching certifications are a trap. We'll also talk about how luck is not a tangible marketing strategy, and when you genuinely make a difference in other people's lives, you'll always get compensated more than you need.

0 (49s):
And so much more Fire Nation. When we get back from thanking our sponsors, there is a product out there that people are calling nature's super fuel in a bottle. Introducing the world's best kept secrets Ketone-IQ. The next 100 people to visit Ketone-IQ.com and use promo code FIRE at checkout will save 20%. Business made simple hosted by Donald Miller takes the mystery out of growing your business. Recent episodes, like how to attract and retain top talent and how to make more money with your current products are straight fire. Listen to business made simple wherever you get your podcasts. Rafael say what's up to Fire Nation and share something interesting about yourself that most people don't know.

1 (1m 36s):
How's it going Fire Nation? Thank you, John, for having me on. And actually English is my third language. I speak fluent Norwegian than Russian first and English is not my native language.

0 (1m 47s):
Wow. Well, K9 rush. You're taking a trip this fall to Moscow. So I may need to get some tips from you on places to go.

1 (1m 53s):
Absolutely. I was actually born in Murmansk, which is quite far away from us Moscow, but yeah, we'll have Russia very fun to explore. So I think you'll have a great time

0 (2m 3s):
Looking forward to it. I'm doing Moscow and St. Petersburg, and then we're going to head over to Riga Latvia. So we're going to be kind of doing that area of the world, which would be really cool, but Fire Nation, you tuned in today to hear about how to make multiple six figures as a coach, not next year, but this year we're going to be diving through a lot of critical and exciting topics throughout this interview. But first off, I just want to just say Rafael, thanks for joining us as Fire Nation heard through the intro. I mean, it hasn't just been roses and rainbows for you your whole life. You went from being a depressant, anxious, janitor to where you are today. Now on Entrepreneurs On Fire, talking to Fire Nation, sharing your story, your journey.

0 (2m 43s):
So kind of talk to us about that. Talk to us about why you failed in your first attempt those first six months, even though you were making daily videos and then kind of tie in why most coaches fail as well.

1 (2m 56s):
Absolutely. And it's a pleasure to be on. I used to listen to Entrepreneurs On Fire when I was starting my business.

0 (3m 1s):
So

1 (3m 6s):
First get it going, you know, initially, yeah, I was struggling a lot. I was trying to make videos every single day. I did that for a whole year. The first six months, nothing happened the next six months I got on track to make six figures. And so the real problem was that I was just putting out content, you know, bashing my head on the wall, hoping that people would watch it. I wasn't focusing on the client or the customer. I was self-absorbed. I wanted people to hear what I had to say instead of actually helping them with what they needed to help with. And that kept me stuck for a really long time. And it also kept my business small and kept me stuck in the job that I didn't like.

0 (3m 43s):
Well, I really want to talk about this because I'm really adamant on my side of the spectrum of putting in the reps and for you Fire Nation, you may say, well, listen, I will never put out daily videos cause I'm just not going to be good at doing daily videos. Well guess what? Rafaelle probably wasn't that good at making daily videos at first, but doing it every single day for six months, even though there was no real traction there that it was one benefit and that was, he was getting better at doing the thing. He was getting better at daily videos because he was putting in the reps. Now, could he have gone about it in a better way as he mentioned? Absolutely. There could have been more intention that could have been more focused, more micro niche. There could have been a lot of things.

0 (4m 23s):
He did better there, but at least he did something. So Fire Nation, you have to take that step forward. You have to put in the reps, you have to get better at that thing is that you want to do by doing that actual thing. So kind of talk a little bit more about that raffia, like looking back, what advice would you give yourself? You know, if you were starting all over again, you had those six months plus of doing daily videos going forward. What would you tell the Rafael from them?

1 (4m 48s):
Absolutely. I mean, the number one piece of advice would have been to really focus in on what people's problems are and trying to solve them and help in the best way, because that's really what got me off the ground. You know, just making content for the sake of it. It was good. And you know, if people look up my name on YouTube, they can actually find my first video. It's really bad. I had anxiety, I struggled to even get in front of the camera. So I think it was brave enough of me at the time to even begin. But if I wanted faster progress or if I was starting all over again today, I would have basically done the research. I would have sat down and really found out what is my ideal clients struggling with? What are people actually asking about? What do they need help with instead of just putting out stuff that I thought was good or that I wanted to talk about, that was the big mistake that I made for a very long time.

1 (5m 35s):
And I could definitely move a lot faster and gotten way better results if I would've actually focused as now, you know, my channel has grown over 70,000 subscribers. It's still growing obviously. And it's because I focus on actually helping people, not trying to look cool.

0 (5m 49s):
Now let's maybe talk about some more specifics. Like, was there a video or just an aha moment or just an idea that really did kind of it for you that took you to the next level. Then you just started doubling down on that. Like, was there a moment like that? Was there a video?

1 (6m 4s):
Yeah, absolutely. I started going into personal development forums and actually reading every post and every question and every problem that people had, I would go and utter videos related to what I was talking about and finding the real pain points that people had. And then speaking on that, and also I realized that people really enjoyed me as a motivational speaker, even more so than sort of a self-help group, because I was young. I didn't really have a track record, but I could always bring some fire, you know, Fire Nation as well. Like there was that energy in me because I was young and hungry and a lot of high level entrepreneurs actually responded really well to that. So I really found my audience when I started more so roaring and you know, sort of really tapping into my heart and being raw and vulnerable.

1 (6m 45s):
So that really helped me out a ton.

0 (6m 47s):
What are those biggest struggles that your ideal clients have Fire Nation? What are their biggest struggles? You need to create the solutions for them. So I love how Rafael went out and he found the biggest struggles, the biggest obstacles, the biggest challenges that his ideal potential clients and customers and people that were going to listen to his content were having. And then what did he do? He created the solutions for them, with his words. What's another thing, or maybe a couple of things you're seeing other coaches do. That's really causing them to either fail or just get traction a lot slower than they could otherwise.

1 (7m 23s):
I really don't take responsibility for their traffic. You know, a lot of coaches, they're just very focused on getting clients or they want to put out the videos and they hope that somebody is going to kind of catch on. They want people to just find out about them naturally just discover them, stumble upon them. And that's almost like praying or, or just, just wishing for luck. You know, it's not really a tangible marketing strategy. It doesn't get results. And that's what I was doing for a long time. And that also kept me very stuck because you have to really be responsible for your traffic. You need to bring the eyeballs, you know, not wait for people to one day, maybe discover you. You have to make sure that whether it's, you know, paid strategy with ads or organically, somehow you got to be bringing people in, not waiting for them to find you

0 (8m 9s):
Take responsibility for your traffic, Fire Nation, the spray and pray method. It's just not effective. People are just going to stumble across you in 2019 and beyond that, might've happened back in 2002, 2007, not today. There's just so much content out there. You have to bring the eyeballs and I'll give you an example from podcasting Podcaster's paradise. One of our biggest questions from that community that we run is Sean, how do I get more listeners to my podcast? Well, don't just keep putting out more podcast episodes and just hoping that people find your podcast. Guess what podcast listeners do they listen to podcasts? That's very obvious Fire Nation, but it's something that's so few people actually think about when they're creating a podcast.

0 (8m 52s):
So my biggest piece of advice is get yourself on 5, 10, 15 other podcasts in your niche. Every single month I do 20 to 25 every single month I am on between 20 to 25 other podcasts every single month, because I know whether big or small that podcast has people that are listening, that listened to podcasts. And if I can convince them that I'm bringing value and, and have an opportunity to bring them back to Entrepreneurs On Fire to listen, because the average podcast listener listens to seven podcasts. If I can become one of their seven, I've just added a new listener. So that's just an example from the podcasting side that you need to use Fire Nation for whatever niche and vertical that you are in.

0 (9m 33s):
So we talked a little bit about getting your ideal clients and understanding the ideal client's struggles and obstacles and challenges. Take us through how we can actually find these ideal clients. What have you done to identify and find these individuals?

1 (9m 49s):
Absolutely. So really the number one thing for me was I had a passion, right? And I was stuck on that, oh, I wanted to talk about self-improvement or personal development. And I really loved it. And it was this thing that I really burned for, but I wasn't looking at these two other pieces because that's one, but the two other parts that are equally just as important as what does the market actually needs. That's the second one? Like, can you find a gap? Is there something that, you know, the market needs that isn't being fulfilled currently by someone else, or even if it is, they're not doing a great job at it. For instance, I run a mastermind for coaches that are just starting out and in there, you know, one guy specifically niche down into breakup coaching.

1 (10m 30s):
You know, this is an area that hasn't been tapped into so much people that are struggling in their relationships. He's helping them, you know, as they're coming out, you know, just kind of recover, get into a good place again and get momentum in their life. And there are so many, you know, different areas of life that people struggle with that just aren't being handled or taken care of by anyone or maybe being done poorly. And you can tap into that. And then thirdly, you got to look at what are you good at? So what you're passionate about, what the market really needs, do the research and then what are you actually good at for me, I was really great at holding entrepreneurs accountable. So that was my first big niche. You know, that's really where I got a lot of traction, basically people that were even self-employed and entrepreneurial, you know, they, they had their own business, they were doing their own thing, but they weren't maybe doing all the things they said they would do.

1 (11m 18s):
So they had some goals, they had some routines that they were getting to do, but they weren't. And I would show up every week and track them in a tracking sheet that makes sure that they were on points. And that really helped me sort of, you know, get some amazing clients and get them great results. And it also taught me a lot about business being around really high level people.

0 (11m 35s):
Where is the gap Fire Nation? What is that void that needs to be filled? And you're not going to know those things until you get dirty in those areas, you need to go on those forums. And those Facebook groups like rafaelle was doing, see the conversations, find the problems. You also have the challenges that people are having and see where the gap is that, and I love point that you're actually good at as well. Rafael knew that he was going to be at a hold people's feet to the fire, that he was going to be at a hold them accountable through a checklist, through a tracking list and make sure that they were doing the thing they needed to do to succeed. So what's the gap for you Fire Nation that you can pair with something that you're actually good at and hopefully enjoy a little bit. Now, Rafael is something that a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with because they get overwhelmed is they feel like they need to be on every social media platform to succeed.

0 (12m 21s):
And they just really struggle with that. So share with us the other ends of the spectrum, which is how we focused effort can work way better.

1 (12m 31s):
The number one thing that I did was to just focus on YouTube for, you know, the first two, three years, even it's pretty much a whole, I did. I got featured on other people's YouTube channels, just like you were talking about getting on other podcasts. I was just tripling down on that. That was all I focused on making videos there, getting featured on other people's, you know, channels. And then also commenting being a part of the community. This generated a lot of traffic and a lot of traction very, very quickly. If I was doing Instagram, Facebook, you know, all these different platforms at the same time, my focus on my effort isn't as sharp. It's not as lasered. It's not in one single point. And so, you know, the results also will be all over the place.

1 (13m 13s):
Now, of course, you know, as I've built my brand, it's natural to expand to other platforms, but I already built that authority. I spent five years doing it. And so it's much easier to now take some of those followers from one platform, translate that to another one. And now you become omnipresent. But initially when you're starting out and even for many people a little further, along in the journey, if they're kind of all over the place and they're not being consistent than one place, there's almost no point trying to do multiple places,

0 (13m 39s):
Fire Nation, you need to focus. And I think as Rafiel knows, cause he's listened to a lot of my episodes. Focus stands for follow one course until success. If you can do one thing so well, it's going to be so much better and effective for you than doing a lot of things, kind of decent. That's why when I started back in 2012, it was, oh, let me do one thing better than anybody else. That's out there doing it. And that is doing a daily podcast interviewing entrepreneurs. And guess what? I did Fire Nation to a better than anybody else because nobody else was doing it. I found the thing that nobody was willing to put in the time effort, energy bandwidth work into. And I did it. So I became the best daily podcast interviewing entrepreneurs overnight.

0 (14m 19s):
I was also the worst. I was also the only, what is that thing that you can actually niche down and dominate because it is critical to your success Fire Nation. And if you think these value bombs are not going to keep coming from Rafael, will you don't know this man to the level that I do because they're going to keep dropping him. As soon as we get back from thanking our sponsor, there is a product out there. People are calling nature's super fuel in a bottle, the fourth macro nutrients, and the times even called it the drink of dreams. The Atlantic, according to, as the most incredible surge of positive energy is better than caffeine and better than sugar. I want to introduce you to the world's best kept secret. It's called Ketone-IQ.

0 (14m 59s):
Ketone-IQ is FDA compliant and delivers a clean focused boost of energy. It's a competitive edge that your brain and body will thank you for. It's clinically proven to boost mental clarity, endurance recovery, and more after trying Ketone-IQ, I have to say the amount of energy I get from just one, serving that by the way only has one active ingredients, pure ketones is insane. My mental focus and flow state have become next level. And since I gave up coffee last year, Ketone-IQ has been an awesome boost, looking for mental clarity and sustained energy. Ketone-IQ is where it's at and the next 100 people to visit Ketone-IQ.com and use promo code FIRE at checkout, we'll save 20%.

0 (15m 40s):
Again, that's Ketone-IQ.com and promo code FIRE. This year feels like the official return of conferences and in-person events. And I'm very excited to be speaking live onstage at this year's Inbound 2022 events in Boston. Inbound 2022 is happening in person and online September 6th through the 9th. And Kate and I would love to see you there this year. The in-person experience will include festival style stages, including the podcast age what's next stage in the main stage, aside from hosting a live interview on the podcast age for Entrepreneurs On Fire, I am fired up about the connections and inspiration. That'll be all around us at this year's event.

0 (16m 21s):
If you can't join us in Boston this year, there are several other pass options available like the startup pass, which is your free ticket to the spotlight. Talents, prices are increasing and there are only a limited number of VIP tickets available. So be sure to check out Inbound 2022 today Inbound 2022 is built by you powered by HubSpot, learn more or get your tickets now at Inbound.com. So Rafael we're back and let's let was something that could be a little controversial right off the bat, which is why certifications don't work. You know, a lot of people are obsessed with certifications with going back to school with doing all this in that, talk about why they don't work in your experience and how they can actually keep you stuck as a coach.

1 (17m 7s):
It's a trap because you're basically running in cycles, trying to think that you need to be better at providing the service by learning theory, instead of actually paying a practitioner. So you're not helping people, you're learning about maybe helping people, but actual sessions with clients. If you're a coach are completely different. At this point, I crossed over 10,000 hours of actual coaching with clients. And I know plenty of coaches that are much older than me, much more quote, unquote experienced, but it's more so theoretical. And so they don't actually know how to get real results for people because they haven't done the work. And it's so frustrating to watch, you know, so many coaches that I've helped as well. They have the best certification.

1 (17m 48s):
They worked with the top level people and don't get me wrong. I've been self-educated as well, and it's helped me immensely. But the main point is to actually go out there and serve and make a difference and actually help clients so that you get real results. That's what I focused on. And I didn't get caught in the trap of trying to get certified because although I am a certified, it's not really, what's going to make the difference. And people don't necessarily really care about that. They care about whether or not you can help them. That's what the customer, that's what the client wants. Not some fancy diploma on your wall. That's not really, what's going to make the difference

0 (18m 22s):
Fire Nation. I love how rafaelle put this. It's a trap. Why is it a trap? Because you're learning about helping people rather than actually helping people. There's only one way you're going to get good. It's actually doing the thing. Going back to what I said at the beginning of this episode, putting in the reps, real results come from actually putting in the actual work. You know, if I sat around and just theorize about how, like what would it be like to interview people on a podcast and all, let me just research and read some articles that people that interview people. And let me look at some equipment articles and let me do this and that, you know, guess what I would have gained some knowledge, but I got better at podcasting because I got on the microphone and I podcasted poorly for a while.

0 (19m 9s):
And then just okay for a while and then a little bit better. And now I'm 2200 episodes in, okay, listen, I've put in some reps, Fire Nation in, you can too, it's just doing the thing. So let's get down to brass tacks, Rafael, how can we build a multiple six figure coaching business, no matter what age or experience we have

1 (19m 30s):
The thing that's really going to make all the difference. The thing that will actually get you real results is talking to clients. You know, this is by far the most important thing. It's more important than content. It's more important than having the perfect websites, you know, spend less time trying to look good on the internet, spend less time positioning and trying to be an authority and spend more time actually in conversations with potential clients. I basically focused my entire efforts on talking to people. When I went from zero to multiple six figures, it wasn't about trying to make the perfect funnel. And of course that can be helpful as well.

1 (20m 10s):
But the most important thing for me was actually messaging back and forward with people that could use my help and getting to know them, caring about them, asking them questions, and then finally saying, Hey, look, you know, if you like this, or if you'd like some more help, let's hop on the call, let's see how I can help you from there. Build some more value, some more traction, right? Some more, a better relationship, more rapport. And then from there, Hey, would you like to work together? It's just a natural transition. It's human to human connection. You know, in 2019 and beyond, it's getting so crazy with all this content. And everybody's just putting out videos and, and, and putting out all this color. And it's great. It's amazing. I love the content, but we lack that human touch.

1 (20m 51s):
And when you actually take the time to talk to your people, one-on-one and you get on the phone, it makes such a difference because you actually care about them. You're there for them. And that's what I've kept doing. I even do. Now, whether it's me or someone on my team to talk to my people and actually see if we can help them, not just putting out stuff and expecting people to come and buy and work with us. It's really all about providing value upfront, but in the even more amazing way that most people do really going out of your way to talk to them,

0 (21m 18s):
Human to human connection, Fire Nation. I mean, what better way can you put it? I mean, that's innately at our core. We crave as humans. We want to be heard. We want to be seen, we want to be relevant. We want to be progressing. We want to be getting better. We want to be serving others. We want to be serving ourselves. I'm going to be serving those that we love that human to human connection. And let's just kind of break it down. Numbers wise, Fire Nation. I mean, you honestly feel like if you develop incredible skills, knowledge, and you're willing to help people at a real core level, that you can't find nine people to pay you a thousand dollars a month to really help them exceed in that one area that you're actually good at.

0 (21m 60s):
That's nine people paying you a thousand dollars a month. That's a hundred thousand plus dollars a year. That is a six figure coaching business and find nation it's attainable. It is truly, truly attainable. And it's fulfilling and Rafael talk about that. Why have you found coaching to be such a fulfilling career? And why do you now today love helping coaches succeed with their career.

1 (22m 25s):
It really is all about helping people, right? It's the most satisfying thing in the world. You genuinely integrate into their life, find out their deepest fears, their deepest problems, and then you serve them. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just being there for another person and helping them through what they're going through, that you can add value. And you know, it really comes down to caring about someone and that is extremely fulfilling for me now, you know, helping other coaches, building their businesses has been so satisfying because for five years, you know, I succeeded and in the beginning I struggled and I wish somebody would have been there to basically guide me and support me as I was growing and scaling my own coaching business. So being there for other people now, coaching coaches, something I never thought I'd be doing.

1 (23m 10s):
It feels really incredible because you know, now it's not just me going out there and helping clients. Now I'm helping someone else that is then going and helping clients. And that is absolutely amazing. And your ideal client changes over time. You know, this ideal client doesn't stay forever. It's not this person that you can best serve for the rest of your life. As you evolve, as you improve, as you learn new skills, you can help other people in an even more profound, better way. And that for me, you know, just seeing other coaches succeed, it's so fulfilling because I'm watching the impact that they're having. You know, I'm watching them really, really serve from their hearts and that warms mine more than anything else. It really does.

0 (23m 49s):
Fire Nation. I hope you remember who you're listening to right now. This is Rafael. He went from a depressed and anxious janitor to multiple six figures as a coach and speaker. So wherever you are in the world right now, Fire Nation, this is possible. You just have to put in the reps, you have to learn from those who have come before you, you have to believe you have to have confidence because you can make this happen. So Rafael wrap this up for us. What do you want to make sure Fire Nation gets from this entire interview and give us a final call to action, where we can find out more about you. And then we'll say goodbye.

1 (24m 26s):
Sure, really. I want you to remember that the more you serve, the more you are in, right, the more you go out there and actually help. The more you support other people, the more value you have to the marketplace, the more you get paid. It's not about trying to trick someone into your product or funnel or trying to convince people that they should buy from you. It's about going out there and really, really helping. And when you genuinely contribute, then you genuinely make a difference in other people's lives. You will always get compensated. You will always get paid more than you need. You know, it's always been the blessing to me because when I serve people, I get rewarded and that wires your brain in a really healthy way, that the more you serve, the more you help people, the more you'll earn.

1 (25m 6s):
And that has been the biggest game changer for me. And yeah, if people want to, you know, grow their coaching business, if they want to start building more momentum, I invite them to actually come over to my website. RafaelEliassen.com and they can hop on the free call with my team and basically learn how to scale, how to build, how to start, how to get moving in the coaching industry in a very simple service oriented way,

0 (25m 30s):
Fire Nation. The more you serve, the more you earn, if there's anything you take away from this, take away those words. And you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And you've been hanging out with RE and JLD today. So keep up the heat and head over to EOFire.com type a Rafael in the search bar in his shows page will pop up with everything that we've been talking about today. Best shownotes in the bears, or also head directly to his website that he just shared a couple of minutes ago, because that will have everything that you need right there to take the next steps with Rafael and buddy, thank you for sharing your truth with Fire Nation today, for that we salute you and we will catch you on the flip side.

0 (26m 13s):
Hey, Fire Nation today's value bomb contents was brought to you by Rafael and my through greater strengths. Well, their productivity, discipline and focus. And if you're ready to rock these three skills and just a hundred days, visit the MasteryJournal.com and use promo code PODCAST. And you'll get a nice little discount for listening to my podcast. I'll catch you there Fire Nation, or I'll catch you on the flip side. There is a product out there that people are calling nature's super fuel in a bottle. Introducing the world's best kept secrets Ketone-IQ. The next 100 people to visit Ketone-IQ.com and use promo code FIRE at checkout we'll save 20%. Business made simple hosted by Donald Miller takes the mystery out of growing your business.

0 (26m 59s):
Recent episodes, like how to attract and retain top talent and how to make more money with your current products are straight fire. Listen to business made simple wherever you get your podcasts.