The Art of Passive Income

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income, Mark and Scott talk with Phil Ebiner—CEO and the creator of VideoSchoolOnline.com. Phil, a best-selling online instructor, created his first online course in 2012 and through consistency, persistence, and quality he grew to over 400,000 students, 50 courses, and 400 plus free tutorials at the time of this podcast recording. It has since grown to over 500,000 students and 75 plus courses! Today, Phil takes us into the world of online education.  Is there money to be made in online education? Phil is proving there is. His career started in video production which ultimately led him to create courses online. Learn how he went from making $60 in his first month to $10,000 in a single month.  We delve into: Starting out and scaling Level of expertise or training needed The most difficult part of creating a course Where to host a course Generating traffic Timeline to create a course Plus, is the industry too saturated to startup today? Listen in to find out Phil’s answer and more! TIP OF THE WEEK Mark: Learn more about creation and Phil by going to his website at VideoSchoolOnline.com. Scott: Check out DecksetApp.com. Deckset will turn your thoughts into beautiful presentations. Phil:  If you want to create an online course, focus on how much the student gets out of your course and not how much you get from the student in terms of money. Focus on creating a course that students love. Stop worrying about how much you're going to make from each student if you care about actually creating a great course that helps them learn. You're going to be paid back because of the good reviews and that creates more sales. Listen to Phil's podcast Online Course Masters Show. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income—Round Table edition, Mark is joined by: Jeannie Morem Tate Litchfield Aaron Williams Erik Peterson Mike Zaino Scott Todd Is it profitable to buy from tax lien fund investors? Jeannie was approached by an investor with an inventory of off-market properties that he wanted to sell her. Is there enough meat on the bone to make these deals worth your while, especially when new areas will need to be researched? The guys give their feedback and discuss if it's worth your time to dive down those Newbie Rabbit Holes. That leads us into County Shiny Object Syndrome—Seeing other investors do well in other counties brings a lot of temptation to jump into that county, but should you? The guys share their insights on chasing county shiny objects and give valuable advice that will help you make the smart move. We also talk about the new program for Flight School and coaching clients, Top Gun— where each month a coach takes on one module and goes deep into it! Scott talks about his module which is getting great feedback, How To Crowdsource Your Ad Writing. Scott also has a bone to pick with Mike and hashes it out. Finally, stick around for the post, Let Freedom Ring chat and find out everyone’s hidden talents! The word of the day—Irascible adjective: easily provoked to anger; very irritable: an irascible old man. characterized or produced by anger: an irascible response. the exact opposite of Erik Peterson Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income, we are diving deep into a student success story. Jon & Valari Burnett—Jon, with a full-time job managing 4 businesses and Valari with 2 kids under 2 at home… one a newborn, jumped straight into Flight School in July of 2017 and then on to coaching from there. By the end of March  2018, Jon was able to quit his full-time job and go ALL IN working on their business from home allowing him to spend more time with Valari and their children. How did they grow so quickly with such a busy schedule? With desire, ambition, grit… and the attitude of, “If they can do it, so can we!” The Burnetts accredit their success to the accountability of first Flight School and then their coach, Erik “butt-kicker” Peterson pushing them to keep moving forward when they wanted to slow down. Join us as Jon & Valari share their journey, from trying other niches to finding The Land Geek program and now crushing it in the land business! With time freedom as their why Jon and Valari worked hard in the beginning, devoting every spare minute to the business. Their busy schedule comprised of getting up at 5:00 a.m. to do follow-ups and ads, then Jon worked on marketing during his lunch breaks, Valari worked on client leads during the kids naps, and then working together in the evenings after putting the kids to bed in that short period before they went to bed themselves. Listen in as the Burnetts delve into: How Flight School and coaching helped them How they got out of the rat race quicker by increasing cash flow while decreasing expenses The importance of knowing your why They also talk deals: First deal and how long it took to get there Best and worst deal all in one! The advice the Burnetts give to those stuck in the rat race who want to escape it by duplicating their success—just start doing something and get educated. They explain that education is one of the most important factors in being successful. They look at this business as a franchise, instead of starting new and learning by trial and error you already have a successful proven system in place that is given to you, making your success rate much higher. We didn’t want to create our own system, we wanted to find a system that already works and then plug and play. We wanted to learn from other’s mistakes as much as possible, rather than relying on ourselves to make the mistakes to educate ourselves. Jon and Valari are proving that with a little hard work and determination, The Land Geek model will put you on the road to financial freedom, you just have to take action, set your pace, and keep moving forward. This can’t miss episode is jammed pack full of value, advice, inspiration, and motivation! To see the Flight School clip that Valari mentioned, CLICK HERE! TIP OF THE WEEK Mark:  My tip of the week is, if Jon and Valari can do it then, you can do it, too. Listen to this podcast. Valari:  If anyone wants to reach out to us or needs encouragement, let us know, we'll help you push through. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income—Round Table edition, Mark is joined by: Aaron Williams Erik Peterson Tate Litchfield Scott Todd Tate starts this week’s Round Table off with a confession, he’s been cheating... on his land business! He’s been taking a shortcut and buying wholesale instead of mailing. But is buying wholesale really cheating or a smart business strategy to keep the business running efficiently? Join us as Tate gives us all the details and the guys analyze both the psychological barriers and business side of wholesaling.  Also, Should Flight School students buy wholesale and when? How to know you’re getting a good deal to avoid predatory sellers—Scott breaks down the numbers Then, we have a case of what would you do—Aaron shares a situation he is in where he pre-sold properties on a bulk deal but the seller is dragging his feet on getting the deeds notarized and back to him. How much pressure should Aaron put on the seller to get this deal finalized so he can proceed on the sell side? Lastly, with the land selling websites going up in costs considerably, Scott shares his new plan of action and rates which includes a FREE plan! And, could it be that Erik finally has a nickname? Listen in for details!  TIP OF THE WEEK Mark: Check out this new book coming out called, Dirt Rich. We're going to have a special launch pricing coming out very soon. You can get the first chapter right now for free by going to TheLandGeek.com/Dirt-Rich. Plus, when you get your copy of the book you will also get these bonuses: Exclusive content and downloadable resources Free 30-day access to our Land Geek Mastermind Community Exclusive coupon for HUGE savings on the Investor's Toolkit Free coaching call with one of our Land Geek coaches Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income, Mark and Scott talk with Steve Yastrow—Yastrow.com. Steve is a nonstop idea generator, business advisor, and best-selling sales author. Mark describes him as a combination of a TED talk high-level thinker, combined with the real-life practical strategies of somebody who knows how to get things done and increase revenues by sales. In 1997 Steve opted out of a career as a senior marketing executive in the hospitality industry to form Yastrow and Company which has enabled him to help organizations of all types improve their results through his breakthrough marketing, customer relationship and sales ideas. Steve shares how an observation when he was Vice President of Resort Marketing at Hyatt Hotels, gave him the confidence to go out on his own. I realized one day that the real marketing wasn't coming from the marketing department, the corporate office, it was coming from the bellman and the pool guys and the front desk clerks who were there on the ground delivering a great experience. That observation also led to his first book and the concept behind his business, Brand Harmony—“If you can create a compelling customer experience, for every point of contact as part of contributing to that experience, that's when your customers love you.” How do you create compelling customer experiences? We delve deep into why companies need to start focusing on their internal brand — the employees on the front-line that interact with the customers directly need to completely get it and are enthusiastic about the actions they take to deliver on your promises. Your external brand, your brand in the marketplace, can never be better than your internal brand. Steve also elaborates on: Creating Brand Harmony The concept of improvisation — Ditch the Pitch Latent Profit and The Six Recalibration Questions Plus, he gives us an example of an actual company that provides the Brand Harmony experience. And another where customer service goes terribly wrong. Customer love isn’t formed by what we say, it’s formed by what we do. The way your employees interact with your customers, the way your salespeople engage customers is really what tells your story. Much more powerful than inanimate objects like brochures and websites and even social media posts. Can these methods work for smaller companies? Listen in as Steve shares why he thinks smaller companies have a greater advantage, plus so much more!  TIP OF THE WEEK Mark: Learn more about Steve by going to his website at Yastrow.com. Scott: Check out the chrome/firefox/safari plugin Keeeb. It's a web clipping tool and at the same time allows you to organize your thoughts and ideas all into this platform. Steve: Whenever you are in a conversation with a customer, focus 95% of the subject matter of the conversation on the customer. 95% of the subject matter is all about the customer. Talk about the customer's story, not yours. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income—Round Table edition, Scott Todd is taking over the controls while Mark is away and joining him are: Scott Bossman Jeannie Morem Erik Peterson Aaron Williams Tate Litchfield Jeannie starts us off with the question, is there such a thing as bad land? She was told by the county that the land she bought is useless because it can’t be developed but she has sold property in that area before without any problems. She also took a field trip out to see it and found it had beautiful views. So does bad land really exist or is value in the eye of the beholder? I wouldn't say that there is bad land, just bad buys. Anything can be good if it's at the right price. The people at the county have a single track thought process. They’re processing papers and 90% of that is building permits so as far as they're concerned, that property that can’t be developed is useless. But, what about the guy who just wants to take his ATV out there and cram around or somebody that's a serious rock hound? That’s extremely valuable property to them. So, that person at the county is not your customer. I would say there’s not so much bad land, but some undesirable bits about it. Just make sure you get it at the right price and then it's good land. -Aaron Everyone shares their property field trip experiences and advice on why you shouldn’t let some undesirable conditions concern you. And, wait until you hear Tate’s nightmare field trip where he was stuck on the property in the middle of the desert and had to dig his way out in 100-degree weather, and he had no water! Then, Aaron shares the details of an eBay auction he had to kill because the numbers weren’t working for him. Was it a good move? Listen in as we go over eBay pricing strategies so the numbers make sense! TIP OF THE WEEK Erik: A quote by Dale Carnegie, Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income, Mark talks with The Hardcore Closer, Ryan Stewman. Mark describes Ryan as cool, edgy, and more ambitious than Grant Cardone. He is a 4X best-selling author who contributes to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Addicted2Success, Good Men Project, Lighter Side of Real Estate and Huffington Post. He also has more Salesman of the Month plaques than he can count. How did he become so prolific in sales? Ryan shares his dramatic story, starting at age 13 when he was selling car washes at his step-fathers car wash. Ryan was a hard worker who liked his job. He made it a fun experience, which ultimately set him up for success. That job put him in contact with up to 1,000 customers a day, one of which saw his potential and offered him a job in mortgages. She told him she would make him a millionaire, and she did! The odds weren’t always in Ryans favor though. Between the age span of 14 to the mid-20’s, he essentially had to sell for his life. Listen in to hear his struggles and how he overcame them to beat the odds. Plus, we break down a land sale role-play in which Ryan tries selling Mark on his dream property.  A couple techniques Ryan used were: Small talk to extract facts Pre-framing a decision Also, Ryan goes over his Ultimate Objection-Handling exercise that will prepare you for any objections or excuses that the buyer might give you to not move forward. And the 6 magic questions that will prepare you for engaging with the customer. TIP OF THE WEEK Mark: Learn more about Ryan by going to his website HardcoreCloser.com. Ryan: Go to ElevatorToTheTop.com and get a free copy of my Paperback book. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?  

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income—Round Table edition, Mark is joined by: Mike Zaino Jeannie Morem Erik Peterson Tate Litchfield Scott Todd Just back from Bootcamp everyone is a bit tired but recharged and ready to share their takeaways and there was one prevailing factor that was reiterated by all, the sense of community and how strong it is!   Listen in as we delve into the power behind realizing that you are not alone in this business. Plus, Scott shows off the new bat that he received from Flight School student, Matthew Forbes. If you think you feared the Mini-Bat before, wait until you see this one! Mike shares what it was like going LIVE with Nite Cap and interviewing all the big wigs! You can watch the replay on YouTube. Mike also delves into mindset and gives advice on getting over paralysis by over-analysis. We also talk about the Magic of Bootcamp and all the deals that took place over the weekend. Plus, find out how Brent Bowers sold a property... it’s a new one for us! And, the Magic wasn’t limited to just Vegas, Jeannie shares a deal she closed over the weekend through eBay. And finally, community member Dan wanted us to talk about hiring VAs on Upwork—How do we write the job description, what categories do we post in, how do we find the candidates, interview them, hire them, and pay them. TIP OF THE WEEK Mike: Henry David Thoreau said, “The really efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure. There will be a wide margin for relaxation to his day. He is only earnest to secure the kernels of time, and does not exaggerate the value of the husk.” Don’t get caught up in emotions and anxiety. When you get this business down it should be flow, process, relaxation. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income, Mark and Scott talk to Kevin Siskar—Siskar.co. Kevin is Managing Director of the Founder Institute in New York—an early stage accelerator and startup launch program. He has built a portfolio of over 90 early stage companies and in 2016 he was named Best Startup Ecosystem Developer in the entire Founder Institute network, which has a global network across over 150 cities. He is also the host of the Ambition Today podcast where he explores the hardships and heroism of entrepreneurs, creators, investors, and builders who ambitiously changed the world. Join us as we delve into what sets the Founder Institute apart from other accelerator companies, plus: Personality traits of a great founder The first thing you should do when starting a business today—after canceling Netflix How to break through the noise and get traction in today’s marketplace Also, can we have too many choices that it causes us to do nothing? Living in the super-highway era of knowledge and information, there is nothing we can’t do or learn. But when you have too many paths to choose from, does it paralyze us? Plus, find out which three mentors Kevin would take to dinner, where he would take them and what he would ask them. And, is there something Kevin believes about business that other people think is nuts? Listen in to find out... TIP OF THE WEEK Mark: Learn more about Kevin by going to his website at Siskar.co. Scott: Check out EmailDrips.com. It's the world's first gallery with the best email sequences from the experts in your industry. Kevin: Read the book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

In today’s episode of The Art of Passive Income—Round Table edition, Mark is joined by: Jeannie Morem Erik Peterson Tate Litchfield Scott Todd With Dirt Rich about to hit the bookshelves in a few weeks, Mark emailed out Chapter 1 last week for all to read and Erik gives his feedback. A chapter in Dirt Rich is titled Kaizen—kai = change zen = good—change for better. In English kaizen is typically applied to measures for implementing continuous improvement… which we are applying to the coaching program!  Find out what we have in store for our coaching clients! Plus, what happens when you have momentum going and you take time off and lose it… how do you get it back again? It’s easy to make excuses why you’re not going to work “today” and put it off until another day. Everyone weighs in, and it all comes down to having the desire or a WHY big enough that you feel compelled to get it done!   Jeannie shares what has helped her stop making excuses and start taking action is to trick her brain with Mel Robbins 5 second rule—If you have an impulse to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill the idea. That rule helps me get all the annoying little things done because I’m a big picture person and I want to own lots of land and lots of acreage. But doing the little work is annoying. -Jeannie The last topic up for discussion is dealing with eBay flakes. They win the bid then disappear leaving you stuck with the listing fee! Everyone shares how to minimize the risks. TIP OF THE WEEK Erik: Pre-order Dirt Rich—a great book about getting started with land investing. Email support@thelandgeek.com. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?