You're Playing Checkers...He's Playing Chess: Business Mastery Lessons From an $81 Million Day

Aug 21, 2025

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Episode Summary: Ryan Lang and Brook Bishop dive deep into a record-breaking $81 million book launch, breaking down the strategic elements that made it successful and why most coaches are approaching their business growth completely out of sequence. They reveal how three years of patient trust-building led to one explosive day and what coaches can learn about building systems, relationships, and offers that actually work.

Key Takeaways:

• (02:47) The donation-based offer strategy: How selling 200 books for $5,998 creates multiple revenue streams while building massive databases through lead capture

• (08:32) Why execution isn't the hard part: The real heavy lifting happens 90 days to 6 months before launch through relationship building and affiliate partnerships

• (10:44) The $4 million ad spend revelation: How investing over $4 million in ads for a 20X return proves the importance of knowing your numbers and having systems that can handle scale

• (18:51) Creating what people actually want: The difference between thinking inwardly ("this would be cool") versus understanding true market demand and building offers people will actually buy

• (26:25) Trust as the ultimate currency: How three years of adding value without selling built the foundation for massive revenue generation

• (32:33) The sequence problem: Why copying tactics without proper foundation is like switching flour and frosting in a cake recipe - you'll get a very different outcome

Notable Quotes:

• "He plays chess while most people are playing checkers. This was 100% orchestrated - he didn't just orchestrate this like a couple months ago." - Ryan Lang (22:31)

• "The most important currency these days is trust. And Alex has done an incredible job of just adding value, adding value, adding value." - Brook Bishop (26:25)

• "This is not an $81 million day. This is three years of building to this moment." - Brook Bishop (28:02)

• "When you create strong systems and structures out of simple pieces, you become nimble, you become scalable, and you become practically bulletproof." - Ryan Lang (31:38)

• "You might have all the right ingredients, but if you change up the sequence of when you use those ingredients... you're gonna get a very, very different outcome." - Brook Bishop (32:33)

Resources Mentioned:

Are you building your business in the right sequence, or are you trying to leapfrog to expert-level tactics before mastering the fundamentals? Take an honest look at where you are in your business journey - startup, stability, success, or mastery - and make sure your strategies match your stage. The strongest businesses aren't built overnight; they're built through patient, systematic execution over time.

Connect with Empire Partners: Ready to build a coaching business that scales systematically? Subscribe to The Coaching Equation Podcast for weekly insights on building profitable, mission-driven coaching businesses. Leave us a review and share this episode with a coach who needs to hear about proper business sequencing.