Extreme Business Makeovers 2008 - June 19-21 in Orlando

Okay, I'm officially psyched!

We've got all the pieces together for our Extreme Business Makeovers 2008 event that we're having at the Caribe Royale in Orlando on June 19-21! So, now we're just finishing up the promotional materials so we can start getting the word out about it on Monday!

I'm SUPER EXCITED about this group of speakers that has come together for this. I can honestly say that there are no "B" level players in the bunch. These were all my top choices for 2 reasons ... (1) They have an expertise in a specific arena that entrepreneurs and independent sales professionals need (And, their content is authentic and proven).... (2) They have the right heart - they're top desire is to see their successes and failures help others transform their lives!

Here's the line-up: (You can go to their web sites and read all the standard promo stuff and all the great things that others say about them... but this is my "from the heart" take on each of them!)

Michael Angier - Creating A Mastermind Group - www.michaelangier.com
A new friend of mine that I met originally a couple years ago at Vic Johnson's conference in Atlanta - I recently reconnected with him at Ken McArthur's JV Alert Live in Orlando. This guy is as honest and dependable as the day is long...and a very wise businessperson as well. He's a great guy to know and learn from.

Simon T. Bailey - Discovering and Releasing Your Brilliance - www.simontbailey.com
If you lack any passion for what you're doing, Simon will help you find it. He's an ex Disney big whig and is amazingly good at helping people discovering what makes them tick and tapping into it to turbocharge their success trajectory.

Bill Bartmann - Becoming an Extraordinary Entrepreneur - www.billbartmann.com
How many conferences have you been to when you've had the opportunity to learn from a BILLIONAIRE entrepreneur (yes... that Billion with a B). This guy is not only amazingly astute, but his success extends beyond his wallet to his 32 year marriage, family and friends as well. I met him through Charlie Jones - need I say more?

Bob Burg - Go-Give Your Way To Never-Ending Prospects - www.thegogiver.com
Even if he wasn't my business partner, I'd still want him speaking at this event. NO ONE does a better job helping entrepreneurs and sales pros, who may not naturally be the best networkers, learn and apply a simple system to help them meet and cultivate relationships that deliver massive gains to their businesses - all in a fun and non-threatening way. It's all based on the incredible principles that he taught in his National Bestseller - The Go-Giver. He's also a totally honorable and "stand up" kinda guy!

Stephanie Frank - Win in Business Without Losing Your Mind - www.stephaniefrank.com
When she first looked at me and asked me why I was driving myself crazy and killing myself, I could tell that this was one of the very few people who understood me. In fact, she understands entrepreneurs and independent sales pros inside and out and is AWESOME at giving us easy systems to keep us focused on what we do best and eliminate our headaches!

Christopher Guerriero - Becoming An Instant Authority - www.automaticbestseller.com
Have you ever met one of those guys who just did the right thing because it was the right thing... the type that everything they touch seems to turn to gold? You kinda don't know whether to love em or hate em right? Well, Christopher is one of those guys, but because he's so darn humble and nice, you can't help but love him! And, he brings an incredible skill set to the table - helping entrepreneurs and sales pros stand out from the crowd and become authorities virtually overnight! This guy is GOOD!

Josh Hinds - Great Seminar - Now What? - www.getmotivation.com
Josh is someone who has been in the self-development industry for years - usually behind the scenes bringing great speakers and teachers to his audience. He is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet and has a great message and system for actually applying what you learn from seminars and conferences - instead of just walking away pumped up only to go back to your same old ways of doing things.

Dr. Don Kennedy - 5 am And Already Behind - www.bahbits.com
An amazing and passionate man - Dr. Kennedy is a physician who heard time and time again from his 70 year old and above patients how they would have done things differently if they had to do it over again. Since then, he's been on a mission to help people do it right the first time... to tap into what they should be doing instead of doing what others expect of them. And, his information and system for overcoming the one key bad habits that is holding you back is nothing short of life-changing!

Donna Krech - Never Ending Motivation - www.donnakrech.com
If there was ever a person who had an excuse for failing in life, it would be Donna. But, Donna didn't fail. In fact, she went from totally penniless to creating a fortune in the fitness arena. And, she's going to help our attendees learn how to tap into the motivation that's inside of them ... the type of motivation that overcomes challenges that inevitably come up. To me, she's that kid sister with the wise old heart that helps you remember why you're alive!

Dave Lakhani - Beat Low-Price Competitors ... In Any Economy - www.boldapproach.com
There are 2 people in my life that I've been intellectually intimidated by. One is my brother-in-law Len - a true genius - Psychiatrist by the time most graduate college and MBA. The man can converse with great understanding on ANY topic! The other is Dave Lakhani - whose insights and business building solutions never fail to blow me away. If I have a business problem I can't get my head around, Dave would be the one I want to call. A true scholar and gentleman!

Greg Rice - Overcoming Challenges by Thinking Big - http://pctonline.com/articles/printer.asp?ID=3045&IssueID=235&Source=back
Greg and his twin brother John (who tragically passed away in 2005) overcame the incredible obstacles of being abandoned at birth and, as dwarfs, standing at only 2'10". While still in high school, they purposed themselves to hone their sales skills and eventually went on to make quite a mark for themselves in Palm Beach County , Florida real estate. They also became famous pitchmen for Hulett Pest Control - helping them become one of the most recognizable and successful pest control companies in the south. He's a personal friend of Bob's and from everything I hear, a great guy!


Bo Short - Extreme Leadership Makeovers - www.boshortonline.com
One of my favorite people, Bo Short is one of those rare individuals that almost seems born out of time... like you could easily picture him right along with Thomas Jefferson and our other Founding Fathers as they birthed this great nation. Along with his experiences building several multi-million dollar companies and working with others as a turnaround expert, Bo has developed a principle-based system of leadership that has earned him accolades from many of our nation's top executives, athletes and elected officials.


Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller - Gravitational Marketing - www.gravitationalmarketing.com
You know that marketing is VERY near and dear to my heart. I've got some definite opinions on the subject and have met very few marketers that I feel totally "get it." So, if I'm letting someone else teach my audience how to build real-world, highly effective, attraction marketing system, it MUST be someone I believe in. In the case of Jimmy and Travis, I absolutely do! I actually met Jimmy at an event at my church where Charlie Jones was speaking. I wound up meeting with him and his partner Travis for a lunch and we became instant friends. They are not only excellent marketers with expertise in both the art and science of persuasion and marketing for entrepreneurs, but they're also really honest and caring guys as well!

Is it just me ... or is this a really incredible line-up? Not only will they all do a great job teaching their particular topics and systems, but can you imagine the hot seat sessions? It's so cool to see people with totally different expertise from one another, all tackling the challenges of our entrepreneur participants.

This year, I'm able to back off from the marketing expert role since I have Jimmy and Travis to fill (make that overfill) my shoes. Instead, I'm just going to be the host who gets to introduce my friends (who happen to be world class experts in their own arenas) to my guests in the audience. And, of course, I'll be facilitating the Hot Seat Sessions as well.

This is going to be soooooo much fun and is going to help a ton of business owners and sales pros who are at the place where they are ready to ratchet up to the next level and really transform how they are doing business and life!

More to come....

Best Laid Plans, etc...

Well ... It's been a crazy couple weeks. First, I wound up getting knocked down by the Flu (a totally new experience for me since I'm used to getting an annual sniffles type of thing that slows me down, but nothing like this with aches and pains and making it tough to think clearly and work). In fact, I got it, along with 5 of my children - compliments of my oldest, Josiah, picking it up at a "camp in" event at church. Thankfully, Jody and Charity survived it all unscathed.

Then, last Friday night (actually Saturday morning at 2:30am) we all piled into our "less than environmentally friendly" conversion van and drove up to Hendersonville, NC to visit with my parents (who are now in their 80's), my sister and brother-in-law and their two children and my closest brother. My oldest brother and his wife also travelled to be there with his son and one of their grandchildren. Great visit! All the kids got along really well - not just with their cousins, but with the own siblings too (sometimes a challenge)  ;-)

Of course, I managed to get myself in a little hot water by checking my emails and phone messages far too often and consulting with my brother-in-law on a new business venture while I was there.  He is an amazing guy - a Psychiatrist AND MBA and a fellow A.D.D. type like myself ... so as co-dependents, we went off "chasing rabbits" and a quick breakfast out turned into a 3 hour consult which made for a less than warm reception upon our arrival back at my sister's house. Whoops! I guess that's the telltale sign that you're doing what you're meant to do ... that you'd do it for hours on end for free ... just for fun!

So, we got back late Wednesday night and now I'm headed for the airport in about a half hour to go to Mannatech's big Mannefest convention in Dallas. They're expecting about 5,000 people and my business partner, Bob is speaking there, along with Robert Kiyosaki, throughout the weekend. It should be a fantastic time ... the Manntech associates I've met are all really wonderful, giving people who seem to be in the business for all the right reasons.

I'd better dash for now, but I wanted to update you as to why it's been quiet on the blog for a couple weeks. I get back home on Sunday and sometime early next week, I'll post a video review for Gravitational Marketing (I did post a written review on Amazon.com if you want to check it out). I hope you're able to spend the majority of your time doing what you're created for today!

All The Best,

Thom

Great meeting the other day ...

Hey, I'm actually getting out of my comfort zone and trying some new things this year. I figured since my business partner, Bob is the maven of networking and referrals, I should actually try to cultivate relationships with the many people I already meet online and in person every day.

Well, a few weeks ago, I met Jimmy Vee at a Charlie Jones (LOVE that man) event here at my church here in Orlando. Wonders never cease - I actually made it a point to follow-up by contacting him and Tuesday, I met with him and his business partner, Travis Miller (another cool cat) at PF Changs.

Okay... first, the food was AWESOME (not  to fixate on food, but PFs is really good and I'm not treating myself too much lately as I've resolved to shed 100lbs this year). More importantly, the company was PHENOMENAL. 

Before our meeting, I had discovered that they were marketers right here in my neck of the woods. I never know what to make of info like that unless I know what type of marketing philosophies and practices are employed. It turns out that these guys are marketing pros (the real kind based on solid, proven and measurable direct marketing principles not general advertising garbage). On top of that, they are actually passionate, honest and mission-driven guys. Wow... 3 honest marketers in the same city ... let alone at the same table at a restaurant ... that's like alternate universe kinda stuff ;-)

At the end of our meal, they gave me their new book, Gravitational Marketing which was just published by Wiley. Tonight, I've got to read a galley copy (not out yet) of David Bach's Go Green, Live Rich. But, I'll crank through Gravitational Marketing this weekend (there's a lot of meat there to get through) and let you know how it is on Monday. (sidebar - Don't go out and buy Gravitational Marketing yet ... though I have a feeling it's fantastic ... Jimmy and Travis are putting together a special campaign for March 19th, so "keep your powder dry" till then.)

Meanwhile... I hope you like my new free flow dialogue. It feels really awkward to someone who's more used to writing articles. But, my wife tells me she prefers the peek into my rather warped mind more than my prose and "faux heady" thoughts. I'll let you be the judge.

Blessings to ya!