Answering Your Questions, a Q&A with Isaac Mashman

0:09

Yo yo yo yo, what is going on everybody? Isaac Mashman here, and you are now listening to another episode of Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, the show that is all about helping you become a more capable individual through me sharing my experiences and knowledge in business, life, and personal growth. [I] have a special episode today, and it is a Q&A format episode. This is something I've never done before, but it's something that I figured was necessary to answer some questions. So what I did last week was I made a post saying, hey, drop your questions. It could be covering business, marketing, sales, whatever it might be, or it could even be a personal question. I took a couple of the questions I received. I have five of them, and I'm going to be answering them in this video.

1:01

Well, I say video, but it's also audio. This is both audio and video format. I have the video of me recording. [I] don't have anything planned out. You can go to the YouTube channel to watch that. If you're watching this on video, then yo, what is going on? I see you right over there. So let me go ahead and dive right in, but before I do, I want to go in and discuss the fee. Now, the fee isn't monetary. It's not me having to sell you a product or be an affiliate for a company that I don't really believe in. It is me asking you to share this episode and share Chase the Vision with a friend, a family member, a business partner, somebody that you think can get massive amounts of value, just as much value as you got out of my content and out of my words, and pay it forward.

1:44

That's all I'm going to ask. I'm not running a bunch of advertisements, and without further ado, let's dive right in. So I have five questions, and they're coming from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The number one question that I got was from Bobby Wheeler Jr. on Facebook. He's a phenomenal life coach, and I don't say that everybody can just be a life coach. But this is somebody who I could tell just based off of his content that he really does care about his clients and who he works with. He asks, what steps do you feel are extremely overrated in the scaling and growth stages of business?

Now, my answer to Bobby and to anybody who is looking to scale is advertisements. I feel like all too often people think that advertising and spending a bunch of money on Facebook advertisements and Twitter ads will somehow magically save their business, their product, their brand, and that simply isn't the case.

2:36

The great thing about ads is, yes, you can develop more attention, and if you're really good about optimizing your targeting, you can get a lot of attention for relatively cheap. However, what I see is a lot of these businesses that are looking to scale lack the proper brand image. They lack the proper positioning, which means behind every single dollar that they're pushing to market and pushing behind their marketing campaign and their advertisement campaign, they are not getting the right conversions, which means they're ultimately throwing money away, because, hey, I want to buy from a brand that looks amazing. I want to look at and buy from something that has a solid reputation.

It has something of value. It has all of my answers addressed right on the biography or on the website. Just because you spend a couple hundred dollars per day, or even more than that, on a marketing campaign, that isn't always going to be the answer.

3:31

So I think that that is overrated. Now, there is a time and a place for ads. With my own company, we're not to the point where I want to run ads. I don't think we ever will. This isn't a particular business model where I see advertisements [being] extremely beneficial for what we have going on. Instead, we're emphasizing word of mouth and referral based business, which I recommend every single company do as well before they look to actually spend money, to spend some of that revenue, that profit, in an attempt to increase their returns. Something to keep in mind. Great question, Bobby. I appreciate you for typing that and taking the time to come up with that.

Next we have [Unarm], U-N-A-R-M, on Facebook. Now he doesn't have a last name. I've seen him comment on a lot of my different stuff.

4:14

How do you initiate the conversation? Okay, this is what he's saying. How to initiate the conversation with a fellow business owner the right way. Now, this is something that I have been creating some content going out against, because there are so many different sales guys that are super unprofessional, and they just try to pitch you on the first message. You send them a friend request, or they send you a friend request, you accept it, and then two minutes later, sure enough, they're in your inbox trying to sell you the latest, greatest product and thing that they have going on. I'm not saying that there's anything particularly wrong with that innately, but those rates are going to be extremely low, because you have to build rapport. You have to build trust. You have to build a level of connection with the person that you're trying to work with.

5:00

What is going on is, if you're coming into my inbox trying to pitch me right off the get-go without knowing anything about me, what I have going on, or whether what you're even providing is something that I need, then I'm going to turn away from you, and I'm going to give you the cold shoulder. I've started doing this TikTok series, an Instagram series called Buy My Service Bro. The people are loving it because I get pitched, and they're like, yo, buy my service bro, and I'm not going to do it. I'm going to work with friends. I'm going to work with family. I'm going to work with people who I consider to be experts and professionals who aren't just in it trying to get favors from me. I want people who I can work with and have a friendship with long term.

5:39

So to answer your question, how do you initiate that conversation? It's as simple as sliding in the DMs and saying, hey, what's going on, Jack? I just came across your profile, dude. I'm not trying to sell you, but I saw that you love coffee, or I saw that you're in the Dallas area. I would love to learn a little bit more about what you got going on. I'm actually looking to go to Dallas. I'm actually a huge fan of coffee myself. And this really varies based off of the situation and based off of what the person has on their profile. It also varies if this is in person or virtual.

For the sake of this question, let me go address the digital one. It's all about finding an area, based off of their profile, that you can connect with them on.

6:19

If they are a coffee drinker, if you see them working behind a computer in a Starbucks, if you see them with an iPhone or with an Android or a MacBook, you can connect with them on the most minute level. So you're saying, hey, man, I see that you're [currently] working in Starbucks, man. I wish that I had the ability to go out and do that right now. Still in lockdowns. You could even take everything that's going on right now and use it to your advantage by having an additional layer of connection with somebody, because you're relating to them on their pain. You're able to relate to their inconveniences, or, if you're doing the opposite effect, say, yo, I absolutely love coffee, and it looks like you're drinking a macchiato.

6:58

What kind of macchiato are you drinking? If you find somebody who's a massive coffee drinker, you can get into a super, super geeky conversation talking about light roast, medium roast, dark roast, et cetera. So it's really just about finding that connection, finding that opportunity for you to come in and then try to open their, I guess you could say, trust. I'm not saying this in a light way, and I'm not saying this in a way of, like, you're abusing the content that they have out, but it is about trust. So you find something that you can connect with them on, and then you learn more about them.

You develop that relationship. Don't come in thinking that, yo, I'm trying to sell you on the first date type of thing, trying to instantly become married and have our vows, but rather view it as an opportunity for you to get to know somebody. Then from there, you learn about their family, their occupation, their relationships, their current situation financially, what their goals are, why they're doing what they're doing. If you see an opportunity for you to eventually sell them, that's how you go in.

7:56

But go into it thinking about, yo, what can I do to provide value for them without charging them? Then how can I build out my network and be of service to them? You have to be of service. If that means that they're looking for a specific referral, you could say, hey, I'm not trying to sell you, but I do want to know, who do you typically look to for referrals? Because I'm connecting with new people such as yourself every single day. Who knows, I might be able to make that next point of contact for you that leads to a business transaction. See what I'm doing there?

So [you asked] a great question, man. Continue that support in the content. Greatly appreciate you. Then we have Hindsight. Now, he is actually the lead audio producer on the Mashman Ventures team. His real name is Mitchell Heinz on Facebook, but Hindsight, man, he is a fantastic audio producer, and so I want to make sure that I answer this. How did you get confident in the unknown? This is not something that I can just say in one simple answer and say that, yo, I automatically became confident.

9:30

Everybody's trying to one up you. They're trying to feel like they're better than you. It's really just coming from a place of ego and not actual confidence.

9:39

The most confident person is the person who doesn't have to go out of their way to prove something. [Think of] the alpha lion. You're thinking about the lion and the pride, and the lion is not going out and hunting. The lionesses of the pride, the several lionesses, if we're talking in terms of a lion pride, they're going out and hunting. The lion is sleeping during the hottest point of the day. So if danger comes, the alpha lion is able to get up and protect his family. That is the same exact thing when it comes to having confidence. You don't have to express your confidence. People are able to sense it naturally.

If you're watching the video version, I'm doing hand motions, but I'm not doing them for no reason. It is a natural expression of my own confidence and my speaking ability, and it did not always come this way.

10:24

I used to shrink down, I used to be quiet, I used to run away from the camera, literally. When I was young, when I was not even young, when I was in my, let's see, senior year of high school, I ran away from the camera. I didn't want to have photos taken of me because I was self-conscious about my smile. I was self-conscious about my looks, about my weight, about my hair, about my name. Then over time I noticed that I was self-conscious, and I started chipping away, like Michelangelo and the statue of David. I believe it was Michelangelo who did the statue of David.

[I] could be entirely wrong. But regardless, he's chipping away at the marble, shaping this piece of rock in the image that he had in his mind.

11:07

That's the same thing I did with myself. To be specific, Mitchell, I put myself in situations that were extremely and excruciatingly uncomfortable. To this day, I oftentimes sleep better if I am on the floor than if I am on the bed. Now, I'm not saying that you have to throw away your pillows and throw away your bed and everything else and sleep [on the floor]. But if you want to experience being uncomfortable firsthand, you need to be able to put yourself in situations such as that. That is working out, something that I have been falling short on over the past year, and I'm finding that [by] strengthening [it] I'm rebuilding my own confidence, because confidence isn't always lasting.

Sometimes it can disappear if you're not continuously practicing the formation of confidence. What I mean by that is, if you're not working out and if you're saying, hey, I'm going to get to the gym tomorrow and tomorrow, then eventually your own confidence in your physical well-being and your mental discipline starts to decrease and shrink.

12:04

You can see that your confidence is building in other areas that you're devoting time to, and so find the things that you need to develop confidence in. Then make dedicated effort and take action every single day to become more confident. And if we were to talk about the conversation of confidence in the unknown, specifically, well, I say specifically, but I'm trying to target a couple of different points about all of these different questions because they're great. I love this format, actually. So if you're concerned about what's going to happen tomorrow with my business, with my life, with my bills, with my relationship, you need to stop thinking about that in a negative term.

You have to go at it with this aggressive mentality of, it will work out. At the end of the day, I know that no matter what comes my way, I am going to not react in a way that is sacrificing my power.

12:54

You're either able to react or respond in a way of control. Some things are out of your control until they happen, and then your emotional response, the ball is in your court. You can either blow up or you can maintain your cool and act with a level of logic. What is the solution to this problem? Now, regarding your business and relationship, take steps today that will put you in a good situation tomorrow, because understand that your tomorrow is completely determined by the things and the actions that you do or do not take. If you're slacking off, then, hey, you cannot expect your business to be built.

So it really comes from developing faith in yourself, not just confidence, but faith, trusting that, yo, no matter what situation comes, or no matter where I am at in life, I have myself, which means that I have everything I need.

13:44

That means that you will find a solution. You will find somebody that has the solution to what you have. Even if you're going and finding an opportunity or job opportunity from somebody else, you are still the person who is going out of your way to find and seek out that person. You are seeking. You are being the person who is seeking after that person who is sought after, or the opportunity that is sought after. So that is kind of a long-winded answer to your question. Yo, shout out to you, Hindsight. Make sure, guys, you go ahead and listen to Hindsight everywhere, H-Y-N-E-S-I-T-E. Sorry, he has an unorthodox way of spelling hindsight.

It's not hindsight, but rather it's a combination of [Heinz and sight]. Super unique. Unique. I love the kid. Next up we have Minoa. Now, the handle for Minoa was super long, and so it really doesn't make sense for me to spell out. But this is from Twitter.

14:37

How do you keep yourself focused despite all the crazy things happening in the world? Let me ask you a question. What things are going on that are preventing you from going after and building your own economy? If we're in a recession, that doesn't mean that I'm in a recession. That means that the economy is in a recession. If we're in a pandemic, that doesn't mean that I'm in a pandemic. That means that everybody else who's focusing on the news is in a pandemic. Here's the thing, I'm not saying to disregard what is happening and what is going on around the world today in an act of, you all don't care, but understand that there are a lot of things regarding what is going on that would probably create a lack of confidence in you about a variety of different things, whether that's the government, whether that's healthcare providers, whether that's the people around you.

15:25

You cannot control a lot of it. You can only control the things that are in your current circle, your arm's reach. If it is outside of your arm's reach, you might be able to influence something and cause a ripple effect, but at the end of the day, if you're focusing and dwelling on everything around you and the uncertainty, then you're taking away from yourself the things that you should really be doing today, and you're directing and diverting your focus towards something that is not going to result in a benefit to you. So that means that yes, all of the crazy things are happening in the world, but just because something is happening out there to that person doesn't mean that it has to affect you.

The entire point of getting into business and doing these things is to build yourself to get to this point, this situation in life, to where you can help those around you without having to deplete your own energy.

16:17

You start out with 100%, just like you're charging your phone, and by the end of the day you open up more apps, you have more interactions, you do more things, you work longer hours, you work out, et cetera. That 100% is going to decrease down to 10% and then 0%, and then you have to recharge for the night. Fantastic question. Then finally, this is from Alicia on Instagram. What should I do in my early 20s? You should have experiences. Now look, I'm not going to tell you to go out and get a job and all this other stuff, or to not go to college. You have to make these decisions for yourself. But here's what I can tell you. I can tell you that you have to experience and you have to put yourself out there.

17:00

You have to develop yourself as an individual, man or woman, as a person. You need to be investing in a lot of personal development. You need to be reading more books. You need to be listening to more podcasts. You need to be targeting these areas of your life that you know you need improvement on. I needed help in sales. Guess what? I got Way of the Wolf by Jordan Belfort. I started studying sales. I listened to other forms of audio and other trainings, from multi-level marketing sales to specific e-commerce sales. I was targeting those areas of my life that I needed to grow. So in your early 20s, you need to do everything in your power to experience and develop yourself. You need to go and put yourself in those uncomfortable situations.

17:41

Going way back to the answer on confidence, putting yourself in uncomfortable situations is going to increase your level of confidence, which is going to build and develop more faith in yourself at the end of the day. So that is what you should be doing. I put myself in a ton of different situations to where now, if I was to fly across the world with a one-way ticket, I would be freaking excited because I know that I'm going to do just fine, because I've been in that situation before. There was a point where I didn't have a ticket home back to the States. I was going to either close the client in France or I was going to go ahead and retire to the French countryside.

I was either going to figure out a way back home, when I flew out to [Biarritz] from California, or a place to stay, or I was going to be homeless.

18:23

You have to do things that have this do-or-die mentality. In your early 20s, you need to be doing more of that. You need to be limiting the negative influences around you. If you have friends that are smoking and drinking every single day, look, cut them out, because if you're going to be around them, then that means that you're going to develop and start speaking like them. You're going to start thinking like them, and you're going to start lowering your own energy to match their energy, which is just this very bad circle of life kind of thing to where, okay, I'm negative, I'm going to make jokes, then you're going to be negative and make jokes.

Then I'm going to be negative and make jokes. It's really toxic. You are going to be going down under, and the next thing you know, it's like, they consider that weed is the gateway drug.

19:24

Like it or not, that's how the world is. The world is not like sunshine and rainbows. It is tough. It is rough. It is a lot of times what you make it, based around or based on the circumstances that you put yourself into. So hang out with the right people, people who are going to build you up rather than break you down, [talking] about business rather than talking about casual hookups, talking about succeeding and building a life for yourself rather than, what are you doing next Saturday, bro? No, you need to actually do things and talk to people that are conducive to your success, finding people who have more success than you and studying what they have going on.

19:59

Yes, it is okay to play games. It is okay to go travel and spend some time with friends. But if you're not doing the things throughout the weekend, during the other days that you're not hanging out with friends, that are building you towards your next level, then you're going to really be missing out on a lot of opportunities and falling behind. Not falling behind in particular to where other people are in life, but you're falling behind on where you want to be in your own life because of the expectations that you set for yourself. Play that back really, really quick. So guys, how bad do you want it?

Not in some super motivational way, but how bad is it that you want what you're visualizing in your head? How bad do you want that business? How bad do you want that career? How bad do you want that?

20:46

Rap affluence, right, that influence in the music industry. I've seen a lot of people say they want it, but to actually go out and get it, [those are] two sides of the coin. So this is the first ever Q&A episode, guys. Thank you so much for listening or watching if you're viewing this on YouTube. Or even if you're listening to this, go to my YouTube channel, hit that subscribe button, leave a comment, and if you have questions, share them with me. Leave a comment on my YouTube channel. I'm going to go back and I'm going to do more of these episodes based off of how you guys like this, because I want to make sure that I'm connecting with you and answering your questions and providing and pouring into you whatever it is I know can be of service to you.

21:27

So without further ado, be on the lookout for monologues every single Monday and interviews with awesome people every single Friday on your new favorite podcast, Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman. I'm your host, and until next time, much love.