Arthur Tubman: I’m fired up, John. Let’s get the show on the road.

John: Yes. Arthur started as an entrepreneur at 19 while in the grip of a terrible addiction to drugs. In 2009, he launched a tech startup and called it Free Blog Factory that was part of a web-based reality show featured on the front page of The Orange County Register. He [inaudible] [00:00:19] across celebrity talent like Hulk Hogan and Alfonso Ribeiro, better known as Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bellaire, to create more conversations in their business. He’s the founder of D4Y Brand Builder Inc., a digital marketing agency. Arthur, take a minute and fill in some gaps in that intro and give us a little glimpse of your personal life.

Arthur Tubman: Awesome, John. Well, starting with my personal life, I am married to my high school sweetheart, Aleena. We reside in beautiful San Clemente, California. I grew up originally in New York City and I’m kind of getting used to having just one season instead of four, which is pretty cool.

Professionally, I currently run a digital marketing agency, which was spawned from being on that reality show that you just mentioned. We were featured in a big newspaper in Orange County, California. We got a ton of calls from local business owners and I was realizing just how big the need in the marketplace was for a solution back in 2010 for social media and online marketing.

Fast forward six years later; we are a full-service marketing team of 30. We help our clients get more traffic, leads, and sales in their businesses so they can more effectively scale their businesses online. It’s been a pretty rewarding journey and never in a million years would I have predicted that this is the path I would be on today.

John: I know a lot of people that listen to EOFire, know and like and follow Gary Vaynerchuk, and he’s kind of made the digital marketing agency thing sexy all over again. Let’s talk for a minute about how you generate revenue in your business.

Arthur Tubman: Absolutely. Well, I have effectively been labeled – or I labeled myself a plate spinner, for lack of better terms, to describe my state of entrepreneur. My wife and I, we have a real estate business where we buy homes and generate passive income that way. I’ve recently raised some capital for a new media platform I’m building. But primarily, John, my core revenue comes from servicing high-end monthly clients and are done with [inaudible] [00:02:10] coaching program at D4Y Brand Builder.

John: So what does it look like as far as charging clients you have? Like what kind of packages do you offer that really bring in the dollars?

Arthur Tubman: We’re completely full-service. When I say that, we literally will do three phases of service where we will come in, we’ll do their market research, we’ll look at what the marketplace is doing in their niche, and kind of reverse engineer some of the competition, and not necessarily copy the competition, but model them and kind of see what’s working, leapfrog the learning curve for them, and start to actually put all the different pieces in place. So things like building their funnel, writing all their copy, creating all their digital assets, running all their ads, and really scaling their businesses through online marketing efforts; driving ads and doing videography work and all sorts of that fun stuff.

John: Now what do your packages range from, low price to high price?

Arthur Tubman: We start at $10,000 per month for our high-end full-service packages, and it goes up from there.

John: Wow. What’s the highest you’ve ever charged for one month?

Arthur Tubman: $23,000 in one month.

John: $23,000 for one month. Fire Nation, you can see why the digital marketing agency can get a little sexy. Now let’s talk about a worst entrepreneurial moment, Arthur. You’ve had some great moments. You’ve had some not so great moments. Talk to us about what you consider the worst moment to date. Tell us that story.

Arthur Tubman: I was network marketing early in my career. A lot of people will say that network marketing is kind of like the gateway to entrepreneurialism. I remember back in – it was late 2008. I was in a real estate opportunity and the real estate market has just completely collapsed. I was literally squatting in a house in Plantation, Florida. My pride at that time was just too big and I didn’t want to go to my parents and ask them for help. I couldn’t afford to turn on my water, electric. I took showers at a nearby gym and I had candles for light. I ate at a nearby food bank.

I had so much drive to succeed, though, that I would just put on my suit and tie, I’d go to my business meetings, and I’d try to forget what I was going home to. At this time, John, I had two years’ sobriety and most people would probably use or drink over this, but I didn’t. For me, it was a very humbling experience and I’m eternally grateful for it. I often hear things like, “Fake it ‘til you make it,” which to me, it just means like you’re being fake, right? It wasn’t until years later that I realized that developing a strong mindset is what that saying is really all about. When I really started to focus on me and bet on myself, everything around me started to transform.

But as far as my worst entrepreneurial moment, I mean, squatting in a house, candles for light, no electric, no food, no water, but spending every dollar that came in and buying more leads and being able to just work on my business.

John: Do you remember what was that turning moment where you just said, “Wow. I really think that I’ve just turned that corner and good things are ahead.”?

Arthur Tubman: Along the way, I gained a ton of skills and I grew some tough skin going through some of those moments. But I think what really changed for me were my habits and my priorities. It wasn’t so much learning something new or doing something new, it was just changing the way that I managed my time, changing the way that I managed my money, hiring mentors, and really focusing on personal development and just continuing going when the going got really, really tough for me.

John: Fire Nation, there’s one thing that we can always control, one thing that we have 100 percent power over, and that’s our mindset. People can’t take that away from us. There’s some great books on this topic; As a Man Thinketh and some others I can name right now. But what I really want to bring this back to is you, Fire Nation, and your mindset.

No matter what you’re going home to at night, be it great or horrible, no matter what’s happening during the day at work, you have complete control over your mindset and how you frame your attitude and how you’re approaching every situation and every opportunity. Just remember that. It’s so empowering that you have control over your mindset. Now, Arthur, let’s talk about an ‘a-ha’ moment that you’ve had, one of your greatest to date. Take us there and tell us that story.

Arthur Tubman: Well, I think the bumps and the bruises on my journey have created tons of ‘a-ha’ moments, but the one that immediately comes to mind is just being labeled a shy, introverted kid my entire life, and creating that identity over the years started to have a negative impact on my development. On one hand, I kind of enjoyed being called the “silent genius”, but on the other hand, I always found myself as a visionary for new projects at first, but then taking a backseat simply because I’m soft spoken.

Well, John, in the summer of 2015, just a short while ago, after having launched a ton of my own products and a ton of my own masterminds, I decided to join Russell Brunson’s Inner Circle Mastermind, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt like I was part of a tribe and I felt like I started to really find my voice again.

Just like I have heard my entire entrepreneurial career, “You become who you hang around,” “Your network is your net worth,” right? So now I’m in three masterminds. I surround myself with the best of the best and it’s allowed me to really start being more open, step way outside of my comfort zone, and learn how to effectively network.

I mean, I’m on this podcast right now because of masterminds and connections I have made in the last year. My business has grown over 1,000 percent from the relationships that I have built at mastermind. So I think my biggest ‘a-ha’ moment is joining masterminds, being a part of masterminds, and surrounding yourself with people that you want to be like or aspire to be like or your peers that you can grow and learn from.

John: There’s so many great takeaways here, Fire Nation. I mean, number one; I love that Jim Rohn quote that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. I mean, truer words have truly never been spoken.

I remember a while ago having a conversation with a great entrepreneur who I looked up to and respected and I was saying, “I’m thinking about putting together this coaching package, like really premium level.” He’s like, “Well, how much is it gonna be?” I shared the number and then he just kind of stopped me cold in my tracks. He was like, “Have you ever spent that much money or invested that much money in a coach or a mentor?” And I said, “Well, I’ve invested in coaches and mentors, but no, not that much.” He’s like, “Well, then, if you haven’t invested that kind of money in your own betterment, why do you think people should invest their money in your for that?”

I was like, “That is such a great point and I really need to adjust my thinking here and really start saying, ‘Hey, when I invest in something on that high of a level, what I’m really saying is I’m going to learn from people at that level, get drawn up to that, and continue to improve and learn and grow from that period.’”

So Fire Nation, when you’re building a business, whatever that might be; coaching, masterminds, courses, virtual – whatever it might be, digital agency, and you’re saying, “Hey, I want to charge X, Y, or Z,” have you invested X, Y, or Z back in yourself? Because that’s where it starts. I love all that.

Arthur, you’ve obviously learned that lesson and will never forget that the power of investing in yourself, to surround yourself with the right people, is priceless. That’s my big takeaway. What do you want to make sure Fire Nation gets in one sentence?

Arthur Tubman: I believe that whatever niche that you’re in, whether you’re a brand new entrepreneur or you’ve been in your business for a while, join a mastermind. Find a group locally, whether it’s the 25K mastermind that is exclusive or it’s the chamber of commerce down the street. Join a mastermind, become a part of that group, and really dive in.

John: What’s your biggest weakness as an entrepreneur?

Arthur Tubman: I have a really hard time saying no. I love helping people leapfrog that learning curve, but I know that every single time I say yes to things I shouldn’t say yes to, it means I have to say no to something else. It’s kind of a catch 22. That’s my biggest weakness.

John: And it’s not even really you have to say no to something else. When you say yes to something, you’re saying no to everything else that you could have said yes to at that point. So just make sure that you’re weighing those decisions because sometimes the right answer is yes. So think about it. But a lot of times, it’s gonna be no. What’s your biggest strength?

Arthur Tubman: I’m extremely tenacious and I have a no-fail attitude. I have a really close friend in the space. His name is Chris Record. He always talks about reframing when you say, “I can’t,” – every time you catch yourself saying, “I can’t,” just reframe it and say, “How can I? How would it be different if I can do that?” I wholeheartedly believe in having that attitude and I’m just tenacious in everything that I do.

John: What are you most fired up about right now?

Arthur Tubman: This digital marketing agency that’s always on the cutting edge. We’re always looking for what’s the newest technology that we can use? What’s the newest strategy we can implement? Not being so caught up in being in the box and being completely cookie cutter, but seeing what’s the latest and greatest. We’re bringing in awesome people all the time to help deliver just outstanding results for our clients. I’m just excited watching it all grow and unfold in front of my eyes.

John: Well, Fire Nation, I’m excited to unfold the lightning round for you, so don’t you go anywhere. We’re gonna take a quick minute first to thank our sponsors. Arthur, are you prepared for the lightening rounds?

Arthur Tubman: I am, John. Let’s kick it off.

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

Arthur Tubman: I don’t think anything was ever holding me back. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. I mean, the way that I was raised was kind of the standard, or at least I think it was the standard, and it was you go to school and get good grades, so you go to school and get good grades so you can one day be accepted to a good college, and continue to get good grades so you can one day get a good job and eventually retire.

I did not know what being an entrepreneur even meant until I was – I just realized I was born to be one. I could never truly conform or hold any job for more than a few weeks. I could never answer to a boss. My friend, Corey Shanes, introduced me to this world of entrepreneurship and I dived in and I never looked back since.

John: What’s the best advice you have ever received?

Arthur Tubman: Everyone that I meet that’s an aspiring entrepreneur or that’s part-timing it or whatever, seems to be afraid to fail. One of my mentors told me that the truth is that failure is absolutely temporary. He told me this, and I’ll say this to your audience the way he said it to me, he said, “Ask yourself if you knew that you could not fail, what would you do? Who do you want to be when you grow up? Go do that thing and do it now. Never, ever, ever give up on your dreams.”

If you have no one to believe in you – heck, maybe you don’t even believe yet that you can do whatever it is that you want to do, just believe that I believe in you and believe that John believes in you. Sometimes all anyone really needs is for someone to believe in them, John. So that’s the message that I want to share.

John: I believe in you, Fire Nation. What’s a personal habit, Arthur, that contributes to your success?

Arthur Tubman: I actually wrote an e-book a couple years ago on my four habits of success, but I’ll pick one. My one would definitely be mentorship. I believe that every great entrepreneur, every great business person out there that’s created anything significant has had mentors in their life; personal mentors, health mentors, money mentors. Mentorship has been a huge, huge part of my success. I always just latch on to the best of the best in whatever it is I’m trying to achieve. I listen and I take advice. Even when I don’t want to listen, I still listen anyway because they’ve been to where I want to go and they know the road.

John: Can you share an Internet resource like Evernotes with Fire Nation?

Arthur Tubman: I would say Slack. I seriously do not know of a better communication tool for my team that exists and integrates with everything else we use like Basecamp and Trello and allows our entire team and clients to stay in constant communication.

John: If you could recommend just one book, Arthur, what would it be and why?

Arthur Tubman: I would say Relentless by Tim S. Grover. It kind of brings me back to the habit of mentorship because those guys coached some of the great basketball legends of our time; Michael Jordan, Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant. He demonstrates the real difference between good, great, and unstoppable. And let’s face it, John, we can all use a little kick in the butt every once in a while, right?

John: Arthur, true. This is the last question of the lightening 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 taken care of, but all you have is a laptop and $500.00. What would you do in the next seven days?

Arthur Tubman: With the new networking skills that I’ve gained over the last year, I would probably just go out and create some business cards and I’d go meet local business owners in this new world and I would survey them. I would find out what area in their business that they’re most struggling in and offer them like a free 15-minute business audit so we can maybe create a strategy and plan to overcome the challenges in their business.

I would go out and create a new version of my current product, which is called the Do-It-Yourself Marketing Machine Blueprint. I’d just go out and buy click funnels, I’d put the training in a member’s area, and I’d sell these business owners on the roadmap to truly scaling their businesses online.

I’d also want to keep them accountable. I think accountability is such an important part of learning this whole online marketing thing. So I’d create some kind of mastermind group. I don’t know if this new world has Facebook or not, but create some kind of mastermind group for them where they can have that peer accountability and support.

John: Well, Arthur, I want to end Today on Fire with a parting piece of guidance. The best way that we can connect with you? And then we’ll say goodbye.

Arthur Tubman: Well, I would share a quote from Eckhart Tolle as my parting piece of guidance from Power of Now, which basically is about reminding people of their unique ability and that success is really a journey and not a destination. I just want people to really embrace that journey. And never compare themselves to anyone else with this quote, and it goes something like this, John, it goes, “You are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold.” That is how important you are. I just think it’s super powerful. And, John, I want to give your listeners a free gift if that’s okay.

John: Sure.

Arthur Tubman: I want to give them my Penny Click Profits course that has effectively sold over 8,000 copies, where I’ll teach your listeners how to go out there and build huge Facebook communities in their niche [inaudible] [00:16:28] hundreds of thousands, or even millions if they want to. I’ll also give them some free PDF cheat sheets alongside of that so they can have some of that support documents alongside of that course. And for anyone that’s really serious about it, I’ll give them a free 15-minute business audit from my team. They can get that by simply going to mmblueprint.com/fire. That’s mm, like Mary, Mary, blueprint.com/fire.

John: Fire Nation, I mean, if you don’t take advantage of at least that business audit, I mean, come on. What’s going on here? Those other gifts seem amazing, as well. Again, that’s mmblueprint.com/fire. Anywhere else you want to send them, Arthur?

Arthur Tubman: No, that’s it. If they want to connect with me, they could always find me on fb.com/arthurtubman. I’m on Facebook, on Twitter, I’m everywhere. Just find me.

John: Fire Nation, you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and you’ve been hanging out with AT and JLD today, so keep up the heat and head over to EOFire.com. Just type Arthur in the search bar. His show notes page will pop up with everything that we’ve been talking about.

Literally and truly, these are the best show notes in the biz, time stamped awesomeness. Go check it out. And of course, mmblueprint.com/fire is where your gift is waiting, Fire Nation. Take action and get your little booties over there. Arthur, I want to thank you for sharing your journey with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you, and we’ll catch you on the flip side.

Arthur Tubman: Thanks, John.