An Unintended Lesson In Business

Hey Guys,

Rich Schefren here. This email is long… but it’s important. And it has some valuable lessons…

Let me tell you… pulling off that live video stream from our seminar last weekend was pretty thrilling. It was also historic and groundbreaking.

In fact, the company that we used for the video feed is putting together a big press release – I think it was the largest live video feed they have EVER done in ANY market.

HOWEVER, last weekend wasn’t all beauty and grace.

In fact, I have a rather large confession to make.

Since there is no real way to sugar coat it, here it is: in one very big way, I really dropped the ball. This is the deal…

My plan for the live video stream was to deliver a knock-out brand-new presentation that has never been seen before. It was going to be about taking a company from start up and growing it into a business that truly gave you freedom.

The working title was “From Startup To Freedom”.

I have spent literally weeks with this material, and I have all the mindmaps to prove it.

But in the days leading up to my seminar last weekend my life was consumed by moving my entire company to a new office complex, and I was also busy preparing for the twelve other presentations that I was going to give at the seminar for all my coaching clients.

The end result was that I went into the weekend seminar with nothing but catnaps in the 80 hours before the event started.

Not a good way to start a seminar, and I am not proud of it.

In fact, the only way that I was able to pull the event off was with prodigious amounts of Red Bull… and a really crack team that was supporting me every step of the way.

But those things can only carry you so far. And at 1:00pm on Saturday I was scheduled to appear in front of the biggest crowd of my life… a live video stream with 10,000 people watching.

So around 11:30am, while I was up on stage giving a different presentation, the key insiders on my team huddled out in the hallway talking about revising my strategy for the live video feed.

And there conclusion was unanimous… they didn’t want me getting up in front of the huge streaming video audience and giving a brand-new presentation in my current sleep deprived state.

In fact, it was even worse… my team had just finished creating the Powerpoint presentation for “Startup To Freedom” that very morning while I was on stage.

Don’t get me wrong – I had been working on the presentation for weeks… but the Powerpoint is always the last piece to get finished… and in this case it was getting finished on Saturday morning while I was up on stage giving my other talks.

That’s the way it is, and the way business often gets done. It ain’t always pretty.

In any case, I would have been presenting my new talk from a brand-new Powerpoint that I had never even seen in a finished form.

So when I got off the stage around noon for our lunch break, my team pulled me aside to give me their recommendation… which was to NOT deliver my “Startup To Freedom” talk. Instead, they suggested a talk that was based on some of my core teaching… a talk that I had given before.

This wasn’t an easy decision.

But I will tell you this… having a team worrying about this type of stuff for you really is an amazing thing. Building this type of organization is the kind of stuff I have been teaching all along, and it really is breathtaking when you’ve put it all together.

In any case, I made the painful decision to go with a presentation that I was SURE I could deliver well… rather than a brand-new presentation that would have rough around the edges (especially in my sleep-deprived state).

My biggest concern, of course, was for my current clients who were at the seminar who had already seen this talk before. And I was also worried about the people who had promoted the live video stream for me.

But in the end, it was my call and still think it was the right way to go.

Since the seminar, I’ve read a few blog posts by people complaining that this material wasn’t new. Those people are 100% correct.

I apologize for that. I promised new material, and I didn’t deliver. That’s the cold, honest truth.

However, I’m going to make it up to you…

To make things right I’m going to deliver my keynote presentation online for the world to see.

Keep in mind that this presentation is my latest and greatest insights into how to rapidly take your business to the next level.

I will be sending you details on how to access that presentation in the next day or two, so please stay tuned.

Finally, I just want to say this… when you are working on great things (such as rapidly building a multi-million dollar business), then sometimes things get a little messy.

It’s not easy. Don’t let anyone tell you it will be. Take it from me, because I’ve done it several times.

There will be times when you’re completely drained, completely exhausted, and may even feel defeated.

But as long as you’re focusing on the right things and keeping the momentum moving forward, you will make progress.

And remember – when you’re knocked down, you’ve got to get back up.

In any case, look for my new “Startup To Freedom” video presentation in the next day or two. And get ready for a mind-blowing presentation – it’s going to rock your world…

Warm Regards,
Rich Schefren

P.S. Remember… in business you have to stay nimble. That is the only way to be, or you will get eaten up and spit out by your competition. I have built a team, and that team enabled me to stay nimble last weekend. And I couldn’t be more proud of my team. I just keep trying to live up to them. That’s why it hurt so bad when I stumbled last weekend.

P.P.S. I guess I’m really letting it all hang out with this email. But I have been an open book all along… if I am going to teach, then I need to be honest about what’s going on in my business and my life. Now I am going to go and try to duck all the slings and arrows that will be coming my way after I publish it.

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Written by: Rich Schefren on February 16, 2007.on September 15, 2008.

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Comments:

Kimberly

Well my goodness, what interesting feedback. At the seminar we had high points and some low points. Day one was not stellar, but….day two was much different. I have yet to date to find anyone else on the internet who offers more than what Rich does. Even his free content is of more value than some content you pay for! Just read back on this website in the archives section, if you read and apply what he suggests you can increase your income.

I like that fact he admitted some errors and is willing to correct them. That demonstrates integrity. I am willing to wait for the new platform and content.

Keep it coming,
Kimberly
Linda

Ok, I will be first to eat some humble pie of my own. I stumbled on to what Rich is doing/releasing. All I can say is, well, I am impressed.

And offer a sincere apology for my unkind comments.

‘nuf said.

Linda
Raphael

Well, i am certainly glad that the last few posts have come back around and are giving rich the respect he deserves. I can’t think of a more honest, more caring internet guru than him – and it’s a shame that some people don’t see that. Rich has made me a lot of money – what i learned from him helped take my $2,000 (approx) a month business up to $26,000 a month in less than 6 months. It really is unbelievable how quick some are to condemn and criticize – Anyone whose ever had a conversation with Rich, knows how much he cares about each of his clients and how much he invests of himself into the program. Keep up the good work Rich! I am looking forward to your new videos
Jim Stanton

Is there anyone on the web thats as transparent as Rich? Look at what he allows people to post on his blog. Some of this people are nothing but whiners. I’m not talking about Rich’s clients that commented, but the people who got two hours of great content for free and have the promise of even more free content from Rich… and they are whining that they saw some of this content before? Give me a break! My question for them is did you actually implement everything from the first time you heard it from Rich? I would bet my mortgage that they didn’t – because whiners are not doers.
http://www.viralshock.com/members/entrepreneur Pat

I finaly got in and just want to say thank you for the great presentation Rich. Have watched the webcast two times now and I just have to say – it\’s just awesome :)
Thanks a million for all the free pointers received, the mapping thing is so brilliant.

Best regards
Pat
Tom Guarano

Great stuff Rich.

This blog reminds me of the saying that no good deed goes unpublished. I know you have built a serious business by giving away free content, but its a pain that you have to put up with all the losers who have nothing better to do than complain. A two hour presentation of rock solid business advice, and it ain’t good enough for them.
http://www.mrorigano.com/ Dave Origano

All people that were there, as far as on his private client forum is stated – are happy about it. Plus attendance was free for everyone, there wasn’t a single (non-client) that paid up to 6000$ for attending.

-Dave
Tynisha

Peter (no last name given),
First of all I edited the word, so get off your high horse. I think people here have said much worse. I am not a personal friend of Rich. I am a new business owner who thinks all the constant bellyaching is ridiculous. If you’re not feeling Rich then don’t buy into the coaching program or listen to any of the feeds or read his blog. Not one person paid for the video feed (other than what we all already pay for our internet connections). For my needs the information was more than welcomed. If you’re not down with what Rich is pushing then fine, don’t be down with it, but don’t’ come after me. Stick to the topic at hand. You’re not a fan. Move on. Case closed.
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walter daniels

I’m coming to this way late, but I have some experiences that apply, from both sides. I’ve been at conventions where the Guest of Honor was Missing in Action for nearly the whole time. I’ve also done a presentation doped up for pain, and low on sleep. I wasn’t especially coherent for that one. I’ve even served as security for one where I had 7 hours sleep in three day. That was a complete blank for me.
I can understand what may have happened, when a business starts growing rapidly. A seminar, or convention, requires a tremendous ampunt of work, by a number of people. Most of whom collapse in exhaustion afterwards. Trying to do something like that, take care of ordinary business that hit roadblocks, is hard to imagine.
No matter how good we are, or our support staffs are, S–T happens. The time allocated to something proves inadequate, somebody doesn’t deliver, or is late, etc. In Other Words, all the plans fall apart, and the contingencies fail. Anyone doing seminars, or building a business, knows it will happen.
It’s just a question of when, and how bad, then what you do to try fix it. An apology is a start, but not all of it. Obviously, Rich admits that he failed to live up to his own values. To do that is an admission few are willing to do publicly. We find our limits by exceeding them, intentionally or not. Then, we know we aren’t Superman, or Superwoman, and try not do it again. Plus, we try to make it up to those we failed.