Seize The Opportunity In Front of You and Grow It, Duane Spires

Feb 28, 2023

Wes Schaeffer

The Sales Podcast Professional Development Marketing Automation Digital Marketing Entrepreneur

Simple equals scalable

Simple equals scalable!
Summer camp and after-school programs.
Elevate, Evolve, Enroll.
Came from little money, and despite a 75% scholarship, he had to make more money
Saw an ad for "hiring blackbelts."
He was hired by a "sketchy" dude to teach martial arts to kids in rec centers.
He saw how the company was dropping the ball in the areas of customer service.
Started doing his own thing.
Rec centers took 30% of gross but no rent, and the rec center did the promotions.

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He followed Dan Kennedy and marketed the way he taught.
Knocked on the doors of daycare centers, and the first one hired him.
His first client asked, "how much is it to register" and he asked, "Well, what's fair?"
His girlfriend was a cheerleader, so they added cheerleading, and his business doubled.
His next girlfriend was a dance teacher.
He met a guy who was a tennis teacher.
Now he's at 2,000 students and doing 7-figures in his early 20s.
Then the 2008 recession hit, and in early 2009 he started to feel it.
His classes were low-cost, and kids just started canceling.
He created a campaign in Keap so parents could automatically cancel!
Got down to maybe 400 students.
He didn't fire anyone.
Suddenly he was strapped and didn't know how to budget.

2010 he's in a weird mood on the beach, alone. It's dark, and he walks out into the ocean and prays.
"Summercamp" comes to him.
He asked his wife her thoughts on the idea.
He blasts an email about a summer camp to his list, and within two days, he had 50 kids who signed up for summer camp.
He had no idea what to do, and kids were just hanging out, and he was figuring it out.
The kids loved it, and so did the parents.
Parents asked what they'd do for an after-school event.
So he started it.
Found an old van at a church for sale and buys it.
Suddenly he has 200 kids and keeps growing.
He joined a coaching program, and it was terrible, so he launched his own course.
Now he has 500 programs around the world.

Simple equals scalable."

He did a speaking engagement in LA at the end of 2019 and saw a lot of international travelers with masks on, and he thought it was weird.
He spoke in Oakland and got super sick and thinks it was COVID.
The first week of February, he addressed this with his members.
He and Lauren prayed for guidance.
"Let everyone go for free."
So they made a video and offered everything for free, so we'd all stay in this together.
Lost $100k/mo in revenue almost immediately.
Created an e-learning program.
This helped all of his members stay open as "essential businesses."
They made more money than ever (his clients).
He then doubled the size of his business.

Don't mistake a little bit of movement with momentum."

Hasn't had a drink in over two years.
He started questioning everything in his life.
Booze had no benefit.
"I am a non-drinker."
You start to change your environment.
You join masterminds, business centers, etc., and you grow.
Who's in your top five?
- Friends
- Family
- Business
- Hobby
Write down everyone in those key circles.
- Out of those people, who wins when you win?
- Who in your circle feels as though they lose when you win?
- Who in my circles wins when I lose?
If we had the ability to solve our own problems, we'd be levels ahead.

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