Creating a Luxury Leadership Brand with Shaan Rais

0:01Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire. Brought to you by the HubSpot Spot Podcast Network.

0:30His skillset is helping you differentiate and dominate in business. And today, Foundation, we'll be talking about a world of saturation, how to stand out, how to differentiate yourself, how to be extremely confident and oh, so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Sean and our sponsors. The Next Wave, your chief AI officer hosted by Matt Wolf and Nathan Lance, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. AI technology is transforming the way we do business and the media landscape is fragmented. The Next Wave strives to be the leading podcast on AI technology and how you can apply it to growing your business.

1:07Listen to The Next Wave wherever you get your podcasts. Are you looking to start or grow a successful business? Attend the world's highest rated business growth workshop taught personally by Clay Clark and featuring Robert Kiyosaki and Eric Trump at thrivetimeshow.com slash EOfire. Again, request life-changing tickets today at thrivetimeshow.com slash EO Fire. Sean, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. Oh, man. What's going on, Fire Nation? I'm so excited to be here. Entrepreneurs on fire. Listen, you already have what it takes.

1:49That's what a lot of people don't understand, that you already have what it takes. You were born with it. You earned it. You were forged by fire. No pun intended. You were forged by fire, born for the fire. And it's the fire that you walk through every single day that actually becomes your claim to fame. It's the thing that we disavow and the thing that we shy away from, John, that people don't know that actually puts them over the top. It's that thing that's hiding in the back of the closet that you don't want to share that will absolutely propel your brand to heights, heretofore unknown. Sean, you are forged by fire, my friend.

2:29That's what I look for in potential guests of Entrepreneurs on Fire. You fit that mold to such a high level. And today we're talking about creating a luxury leadership brand. And we have to be honest just in everything that we do. And the world is a world of saturation. I mean, if it works, everybody starts doing it. And then the noises are so loud. How do we personally stand out in today's crowded marketplace? Okay, you want to build a personal brand that authentically reflects your unique strengths. Then your story and then your value. A lot of people start with their story. They just want to tell everybody everything about them and it doesn't work that way.

3:08You want to focus on your unique strengths, then the story. But really, nobody believes in the story or cares about the story unless you can tell the story that's going to help the person get where they want to go. And that's why we transition from the story to the value. When you transition from the story to the value and your brand becomes a bridge, then you become unforgettable and not just noticeable. Give me an example of that. Maybe it's yourself. Maybe it's one of your clients. Maybe somebody that you've seen that you really admire for some various reasons. How has somebody done this well?

3:42Okay, great. So in the beginning of COVID, when it really took place, when it resonated, and I actually took notice and they told me I couldn't speak, I couldn't coach, I couldn't speak in rooms, fly anymore. I said, okay, great. But I didn't believe them, right? I didn't believe that I couldn't touch people or serve people. So I went live on Facebook. And in less than 90 days, we did$450 ,000 cash collected. In less than 90 days, this was the education I always had, the experience I always had, and the expertise that I always had. I just gave it to a different market and they 10x my revenue in less than 90 days.

4:18That's an example. So when I tell people the story of how their three E's can become three I's, those that education, experience, and expertise turning into impact, income, and independence, and then I share my personal story of having done it in less than 90 days, nobody says no to me. Let's talk about the best way to differentiate ourselves as a luxury item. Let's really get specific. Let's maybe use an example or two. Beautiful. You want to position yourself as the expert. Focus on exclusivity, high quality service and deliver outcomes that elevate your client's status or results. Because again, it's not about you.

4:58When you can turn your pearl of wisdom into someone else's unforgettable platform that helps them to become visible, credible and profitable, you're golden. There's no price that a person won't work with you at because you're giving them their results. Fire Nation, I really hope you can see yourself in these situations that Sean's talking about and saying, hey, this is there. This is an opportunity for me to step into because I can do this stuff. But Sean, some people might still be listening and asking themselves, I'm just beginning. I'm just starting right now. Is there too much competition for me right now in this world?

5:37Is it even possible? Should I even bother starting? You definitely should. Why? Because competition is everywhere, but beginners stand out by niching down, being authentic and providing exceptional value that speaks directly to their audience's needs. This is something I always told people from day one, John. I said, listen, a two can teach a one. A five can teach a three. And a seven can teach a four, six, five or three. You don't have to be a 10 to start, but you got to start to become a 10. There's so much power there, Fire Nation. And I really want to dive deeper into some examples here, Sean, because you say niche down.

6:17And this is something that I talk about a lot with my audience, because so many people come up with this big idea. They're like, this is a big idea. I love it. I'm excited about it. And one of the problems with big ideas is that it's a great idea. So everybody has ideas like that, or everybody has a similar idea, or a lot of people have similar ideas, because it is a big idea. It is a great idea. and then there's a lot of competition. Where people win is they actually carve a niche out of that big idea that either people have ignored, overlooked, or the competition's weak for any number of reasons and then you own that niche.

6:53You niche down till you are there. I mean, with me, with this podcast, I wanted to start a podcast. That's a big idea. Let's niche down. Business podcast. There's a lot less business podcast than just podcasts. Okay, but there are still about 800. Let's niche down again. What about an interview-based podcast that only speaks in interviews and questions and has conversations with successful entrepreneurs. Okay, there were eight of those. And again, this is 12 years ago. This is back in 2012. Now I'm getting somewhere. But Sean, I said, I want to niche down even more because I don't want to be the ninth best interview podcast, interviewing entrepreneurs.

7:27What is something I can do differently within this already niche of a niche of a niche that can really make me stand out? Quantity. Everybody was doing it one day per week, two days per month. What if I did it two days per week? Well, that's interesting. What about three? What about seven days a week? What about 365 days per year? That's interesting. And here we are 12 years later, 4 ,486 episodes later, I'm still doing that niche that I carved out of the quantity. Give me an example like that, Sean, that you've done in your life, that one of your clients has done in their life. Give me an example of a niche that was carved out that's really meaningful that you think would be interesting to my audience?

8:09It's really about who you are. So every single person has their own niche, just in being authentic. When you become you, so this is what I say. I say brand you, not what you do. So everybody was doing organizational branding and business branding. But when I started talking about branding and coaching for that point, people were still talking about, what do you do, football? Is it football coaching? What do you do, basketball? No, I took coaching in college. So the coaching is evidence-based. It's not the motivational, not the rah-rah. Yes, we focus on leadership. We focus on entrepreneurs and executives, but it's evidence-based.

8:46So what I did, John, to your point is I took something that existed from another industry and brought it to this vertical. So your audience, I want you to think of what do you know that you probably don't think applies or makes it different, but it's what makes it different. It's called differentiation for a reason. If you do a background search in your own life and you do an itinerary and you create a list of 20 to 30 to 50 things that you do, that you love to do, that you're passionate about, that is easy for you, but it's hard for everyone else, you'll find the unique value propositions that you already have.

9:27And then you want to tie those together. And when you tie those together, you create what they call a blue sea. Fire Nation, you want to be in that blue sea. You want to be swimming in that blue ocean. You don't want to be in that red ocean where all the sharks are ripping people to shreds. It's not a fun place. Don't be there. And I love what Sean was sharing earlier about, listen, a five can teach a four. A seven can teach a six. A nine can teach a three. All those things are true. You don't need to be the number one expert in the world to teach people, to help people, to guide people. You just need to know more than people in the room.

10:08When I first started podcasting, guess what? I was not the foremost podcaster in the world. I didn't know the most about podcasting in the world, and I still don't. But I launched the biggest and greatest podcasting course and community in the world, Podcasters Paradise, and everybody who joined, guess what? They had one thing in common. They knew less than me and I taught them and they got value and it's been a phenomenal experience. So think about that, Fire Nation. Sit down over a weekend, use something like YouTube, conversations like Sean and I are having, learn, become an expert on a topic and then go execute.

10:41And we have so much more to talk about when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Picture this, you're at a party and someone asks you what you do as a marketer. How do you even begin to describe it. Not only do you brainstorm new campaigns, create compelling copy, dream up landing pages that will actually convert and generate leads, you also have to gather all the data to make sure it's even working. And tomorrow you'll do it all again. Marketers are spread way too thin, but HubSpot has a better way. With the help of Breeze, HubSpot's collection of AI tools and features like Content Remix, you can turn one piece of content into a whole suite of assets.

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11:50See thousands of success stories and testimonials from real people just like you who Clay Clark has mentored and coached into prosperity at thrivetimeshow.com slash EO fire. Clay's proven business coaching program is month to month and it costs less money than hiring a minimum wage employee. Yes, it's month to month and it costs less money than hiring a minimum wage employee. schedule your free personal 13 point assessment with clay clark himself today at thrivetimeshow.com slash eofire because clay only takes on 160 clients and only allows 300 attendees to each business conference you will interact with clay directly see thousands of real success stories and learn about attending the thrivetimeshow two-day in-person workshop featuring robert kiyosaki and eric trump today at thrivetimeshow.com slash eofire become the next success story schedule a free consultation, and request tickets to join Eric Trump and Robert Kiyosaki at Clay Clark's next business conference today at thrivetimeshow.com slash EOfire.

12:49One of the most impactful things I've done on my entrepreneurial journey is publish a book. It's a way to package up my knowledge and experience and share it with a worldwide audience in a meaningful way. It also serves as an evergreen marketing tool to help grow my business for years to come. I believe that everyone has a book inside of them. So if you're ready to publish a book with maximum impact, then I've got exciting news. I'm launching a brand new mentorship program called Author 100, where you have the opportunity to work with me one-on-one for 100 days. Author 100 will include weekly one-on-one calls and daily guidance from me to help you every step of the way from drafting to writing to publishing and even marketing your book.

13:32Over the past 12 years, I've self-published five books, including one of the top five publishing campaigns of all time on Kickstarter, the Freedom Journal. I've also traditionally published with HarperCollins, so I know a lot about the book publishing world and where most authors go wrong. I created Author 100 to share my experience and the lessons I've learned along the way, and I can't wait to share it with you. If you're interested in learning more, head over to author100.com and sign up for a free call with me. That's author100.com. Sean, we're back. And I just interviewed Seth Godin a couple hours ago.

14:09This guy's a legend. I interviewed him back in 2012. I interviewed him again in 2020. And he has a quote that I love. The problem with the race to the bottom is that you just might win. Nobody wants to win that race. Nobody should even be in that race in the first place for a lot of reasons. So how do you raise your prices knowing everyone else is lowering theirs? That's a great question. and I'm happy to come on the coattails. I'm happy to be in the presence. I can smell the fumes, right? Just being in the exhaust is a beautiful thing for me. So the way you raise your prices, knowing that everyone else is lowering theirs, which is the race to the bottom, is by showcasing that unique transformation that you and only you can provide and delivering exceptional results that justify the premium.

15:02Price is a reflection of value, not market trends. So one of the things that we did was we came out the gate with a term that caught people by surprise and actually caught fire. We said, add a zero. Add a zero to your number. So I would work with clients and they would tell me, yeah, show them my offer is$500. And I would say, okay, well, that's okay. Now let's see how we can add a zero to the back of it and justify a higher price. And then some clients will come to me and say, well, I've got an offer that's$5 ,000. And I'd say, okay, phenomenal. Let's add a zero to the back of it and see how we can justify that number.

15:42What needs to be added? What needs to be taken away from it? Because listen, guys, those who pay the least want the most and those who pay the most want the least. So what you'll find is that the higher the price, the more value the client and the less work is required from you. So start, not like everybody says, start at the bottom and raise your prices as you go. No, start at the top. Add a flipping zero, Fire Nation. Add a zero. I love that phrase too. Price is a reflection of value, not of market trends. Now we're on the topic, let's stay on the topic of dollar, dollar bills. Where exactly does the money come from when it comes to branding yourself?

16:26We know that branding is important. Where does the money come from? The money comes from becoming that go-to authority in your space. You've got to become, listen, the stronger your personal brand. No one can be more you than you. There's a number one speaker, number one coach, number one podcaster, but nobody can be more you than you. So the stronger, the more authentic, the more raw your personal brand, the more you attract higher paying clients, higher paying opportunities, and higher volume and value partnerships. Sean, going from competence to extreme levels of confidence, that is a challenging journey.

17:10And it's a journey that frankly, a lot may never succeed in, unfortunately, but you have the path for us. Tell us more. You have to continually invest in yourself, in your personal growth. Do one more push-up, write one more journal entry. It starts that small, but it's by continuously investing in your personal growth, taking bold actions and surrounding yourself with a supportive community that reinforces your success. Absolutely imperative. You can't do it alone. Confidence comes from mastery and delivering real results. So I'll tell you a small caveat. They used to call me preacher when I worked.

17:51When I was a consultant, they would always call me preacher because even on Sundays, I wore the white shirt. Dressed down Fridays, I wore slacks and a white shirt. And every time I came around, I came around with something positive. I was a coach long before I was a coach. Guys, you've been a leader long before you've taken a leadership position or a leadership position in your business. Help people every single day. There's something about adding that zero to your number, right? When you help one person, you go from a six to a seven. it's called incremental. Your incremental will become exponential as long as it's consistent.

18:26Fire Nation, I hope you're as fired up as I am from the value bombs that Sean's been dropping. I mean, we have talked about the race to the bottom. We've talked about adding a zero. We talked about niching down, differentiating yourself. What is the one key takeaway, Sean, from our conversation that you want to make sure that our listeners, Fire Nation, walk away with today? Nobody can be more than you. Brand you, not what you do. So many people lead with this. I say this from stage, right? I say, when I ask people who you are, tell me a little bit about you. They immediately tell me these accentures.

19:04I do this. I am a this. I've got an MBA. I've got three kids. That doesn't tell me who you are. It tells me what you do. when I'm looking for somebody to hire or to coach or to partner with, I don't care what you do because there's so many people that do what you do. I want to hear a dream. I want to hear a story. I want to hear something that moves me spiritually because everything else is super light. Business is a spiritual game. And the more authentic you can be, the more brand you, the more you and your brand that you can bring to the table, the more successful that you will be guaranteed unequivocal.

19:43Brand you, not what you do. Man, Fire Nation, those words are forged from fire. Sean, if Fire Nation is loving what you're putting down here, and I know they are, how do they connect with you? How do they learn more from you? What is your call to action for Fire Nation today? Sean Rae's assessment. I have something for free for them through you, John, I've made this just for you. For everybody that's listening to this right now, go to seanraizassessment.com. And because I know people have a problem with branding themselves and finding their core calling and their real identity. So I've brought an industrial and organizational assessment from my background of industrial organizational psychology, organizational development and change and leadership for change.

20:33We created something that is evidence-based. It's a psychometric instrument and it will give you your true brand identity in less than five minutes. And you will know exactly who you are, who you should serve, your weaknesses and your strengths and how to action-alize all of that, how to operationalize and actualize and push it out to the market with your unique voice without the script. No script. Mommy's talking not to you. The stuff that you grew up through and went through that colors your story, none of that will be included. It's stripped down, bare knuckles, bare bones, you. SeanRaisAssessment.com Fire Nation, you're the average.

21:17Of the five people you spend the most time with, you've been hanging out with SR and JLD today, so keep up the heat. And for links to everything we talked about, visit EOFire.com, type Sean, S-H-A-A-N, In the search bar, the show notes page will pop right up. And Sean, one more time, give us that URL for Fire Nation. Yes, sir. So it's Sean Rice Assessment, S-H-A-N-R-A-I-S Assessment, A-S-S-E-S-S-M-E-N-T. John Lee Dumas, it's been such a pleasure and a privilege to sit with you for this time. I receive that, Sean, and thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation.

21:56For that, we salute you, brother, and we'll catch you on the flip side. Let's grow. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Sean for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, are you ready to rock your very own podcast? Check out our free podcasting course where I will teach you how to create and launch your podcast for, you guessed it, free. Freepodcastcourse.com. I will catch you there or on the flippity-flip side. The Next Wave, your chief AI officer, hosted by Matt Wolf and Nathan Lance, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

22:31AI technology is transforming the way we do business and the media landscape is fragmented. The Next Wave strives to be the leading podcast on AI technology and how you can apply it to growing your business. Listen to The Next Wave wherever you get your podcasts. Are you looking to start or grow a successful business. Attend the world's highest rated business growth workshop taught personally by Clay Clark and featuring Robert Kiyosaki and Eric Trump at thrivetimeshow.com slash EO fire. Again, request life changing tickets today at thrivetimeshow.com slash EO fire.