6 things I Learned Zooming With A Business Growth Group The Day After Christmas
By: Donovan Loomis
Tags: Mentorship, Self Improvement, Growth, Freedom, Business

Surrounded by Covid and Darkness

My Review Of The Hotep Jesus Mogul Summit

I know you might be wondering if it was a Harry Potter themed group for networking. No, it was even better than that. Magical on a whole new level but without the robes. Bryan Sharpe (aka Hotep Jesus) wove together technical and practical wisdom touching on branding, promotion, coding for websites, marketing, and AI assisted tools. The group supported and encouraged one another in ways I didn’t know was possible in 2020. You could tell people were actively making lives better and genuinely wanted to bring each other along. So what made me stay awake until 5 am in South Korea? Let me share briefly what I learned.

1. People cared

Because of Covid, maybe just like you, I feel out of touch with people. I live in a 39 story monolith jungle with almost 10,000 households and yet its lonely. Empty halls. Masked fear. Hushed whispers, we avoid each other. Just sharing an elevator with someone you can feel hostility and fear creeping down your neck. We live under a spirit of fear, caught in it’s cold dark grip. Not gonna lie. Its rough some days. Do you ever feel like that too?

I want something more. Community. Connection. Empathy. Hope. Things I craved but couldn’t find here in S. Korea. Last night from 1 to 5 AM in the morning, on the opposite side of the world I found what my heart desired. Although just a guest for the night, for a brief moment I felt happy and welcomed.

I think the thing that most impressed me about Bryan was his genuine interest in people and teaching them. I shared that after 12 years in Korea and my entire adult life, I was leaving my home and closing the doors on two hard fought for businesses. Leaving all I knew behind to begin anew back home in America. Two things surprised me: 1) Bryan’s interviewing and 2) Bryan’s offer of help. I have watched some of his interviews and seen him work and it was quite fun to be on the receiving end. But I think his offer of help really struck me as legit. It went something like, “Hey if you want to start over, however that looks to you, I can help you do that.” I believe him. I don’t know how to describe it but he just has that cred that if the man says he will do it, he’s gonna make it happen. Receiving that kind of care and genuine interest really meant a lot to me.

The way the other members supported each other also caught my attention. One of the members recently lost her mother and the outpouring of sympathy and empathy touched me. Even in her grief she gave back to the group. She left a little love bomb of positivity with everyone, in spite of her pain.

And again several of the other older members offered advice and service to the younger members. Even I benefited from their advice and wisdom. I was caught and didn’t want to leave. 4 hours in, 5 AM, tired and delirious, finally Bryan sent me off to bed. But I wanted more! For those of you who aren’t familiar with life in Korea it may seem weird that I would be so excited for this kind of thing. It just doesn’t happen here. Been starved for too long and this ended the famine.

2. Talk with the voice of your target market

I wish I knew this earlier when I started my bacon business. We struggled to find the voice of our 25–35 year old, office worker crowd. Since it wasn’t a personality brand I struggled to find a way to create a way to connect with my customers. We started to find that “voice” recently and I got some ideas for how to improve it. Great examples like the twitter accounts of Wendy’s, where the voice of the account paces and matches their client base. Or the personalities of big brands like Ronald, the King, and Jack (from the box). They used these “brand strawmen” to be the voice that their target market connects with. I never really thought of it that way. In my English business, having been a second language learner I knew where my clients were coming from. I understood their fears, their hopes, and their expectations. But it didn’t seem to transfer over to a product business. Based on what I heard last night I can transfer those principles over to the bacon business.

3. Using video self introductions to increase sales and find your next job

I think it was Bill Caskey, an attending member who suggested the idea of doing a short video self introduction to another member. He suggested it for sales and job application and it was BAM! The light came on and I thought, “YES! That’s exactly the advice I was looking for and needed for my transition back to the States.” As I update my Linkedin account I will keep that in mind and start preparing those videos. Learning from the other members was also a lot of fun for me.

4. Let your followers educate you

I really liked his ideas about crowd sourcing ideas from his followers on twitter and asking them to educate him. In doing so he learned how to speak in their voice, learned about them, and discovered what was most important to them. That kind of engagement helped him provide better content and allowed participation from followers which led to them becoming more like fans. It’s something we have practiced in the bacon business but we definitely have room for improvement.

5. If you have to educate your target market, don’t bother

This is it. This is the number one struggle we have faced for the last two and half years. Getting people to understand how bacon is different from pork belly and why it was so much better than anything they ever tasted was challenging. Once they tasted it, they believed and we built a faithful base of customers who strongly believe in what we do. But we still struggle to add on new customers and break that ceiling. Had I heard this piece of advice two and half years ago I would have made some different choices. But hearing that truth now I feel I can move on to better things and be more successful by a more efficient use of my energies and resources.

6. Investing in yourself makes a difference

I have spent the last 5 years helping many of my clients find better careers, happiness, health, relationships, and improve their communication skills. A small bit of coin invested in yourself makes a huge difference in life. Coaching and group mentoring like this summit is like a fast track to success and financial freedom because you learn to avoid the obstacles that blocked you before. You find the right roads you missed before. You learn years worth of skills in a single session. You get accountability and encouragement. I get that because that’s what I provided for many years and now its my turn to grow now. What about you?

Is this group right for you?

“A place where small business owners, startup founders, influencers, and side-hustlers can get access to a business development and marketing expert at a fraction of the price it would normally cost to hire a professional for consulting services.”

Swiped from http://bryansharpe.co/summit

I would say that covers it but I want to add a more personal note. If you are an entrepreneur, small business owner, someone like me with no American network who is starting over, I feel this group was made for you. If your budget is small but you want to grow big, this group is for you. If you want financial freedom, this group can take you there.

I enjoyed that the group was politics free, open, warm, and packed with learning. Compared to other resources I feel this self investment is worth every dollar that will yield a great return. Honestly went broke twice this year but this popped right in when I needed it the most and $124.75 a month (yearly subscription) sounds like a steal. I’m going to find a way to make it work.

I don’t get anything out of this. I just found something that greatly benefited me and gave me hope for a better future. I think we all need that. If you are not sure, try it out once and see what you think. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

I am grateful I took the chance.