Ep. 29 Straight Up Entrepreneurs With Aaron Janx

Ep.29 Interview With Aaron Janx   Brad Post, Create the Movement, Host Aaron Janx, Straight Up Entrepreneurs Facebook Group Brad Post, Create the Movement, Host: Welcome to this edition of Create the Movement podcast. This is Brad Post and I’m very excited today to be speaking to a new friend, I guess I could say, that Aaron. Aaron Aaron Janx: New friends. BP: Aaron Janx, right? Did I say it correct? AJ: That’s correct. BP: All right. Just got connected with Aaron through, basically, an email registry. Was moved by what you’re doing. We somewhat have similar backgrounds. Similar geographical areas, too, that we’ve lived in. Just excited to talk to you, Aaron. So welcome. AJ: Happy to be here man. BP: Well, just kind of the first question, you know? Tell us your story. I’d like for you tell our listeners about your story. It’s extremely inspiring. AJ: So, when I was in high school I was a horrible student because I was the kind of kid, and still am the kind of man, that I don’t like people telling me what to do. So, when I was in school I was thinking, “Well, what am I going this for? I don’t want to learn this. I don’t want to do this.” I’d just keep my book shut and not even do anything. And I ended up graduating. I did graduate. But I graduated with a 1.999. Like I just made it by the skin of my teeth. BP: That’s passing, right? AJ: So, I got to walk. A pass is passing. So, then I enrolled in community college, but I dropped out of that. Because, what in the hell am I going to go into another stint of learning things I don’t care about. So, I got an errand-boy position with the Fortune 500 company, but it was a division of them that sold local advertising and marketing to small businesses. At that time, all’s I did was drop off invoices, give them copies of their ad. I would just, you know, go and pick up checks – stuff like that. Until, I had the opportunity to go and do a re-sign. So, I went to do a resign. They said, “That was a pretty good job.” Because I sold the guy more than he had originally had in his marketing. And then they said, “Well, give it a shot. See what happens. Try to sell for a week.” So I did. And I broke all kinds of, you know, company records for new client acquisition. And did really well. And they promoted me to sales manager, and regional sales manager, and sales trainer. And I did that for a while. Got into, on my side hustle, because I was making a lot of money there, my side hustle was real estate investing. So, I started that when I was 19. And I started flipping houses making big money. Quit the Fortune 500 company. And was living like a rock star. Market crashes. And the way that I got houses did too. So, I, you know, wouldn’t go back to work. And I said, “Well, it’s hard when you make a lot of money to imagine yourself going back to work and make some little salary. You know?” $50,000. $100,000. I couldn’t imagine myself doing that. So, I burned through that savings. Went broke. Went on food stamps because we couldn’t afford food anymore. And I said, “You know? I can’t live like this.” I got to go back, figure it out in real estate, figure it out in sales. So, I did. And I was fortunate enough to figure it all out. Got to the space where I didn’t need to work anymore. And got into doing which I’m doing now which is teaching sales and client acquisition. Primarily to coaches all over the world. BP: Okay. So, man, that’s extremely humbling to go from probably making as much money as you were to on food stamps? AJ: Aw, man. BP: You had a wife and kids to take care of, right? AJ: Three kids. BP: So that’s a big, humbling experience. AJ: I’ve been so broke and poor where I’ve put like 50 cents of gas in – multiple times I’ve done that. BP: Wow. And it didn’t get you too far, did it Aaron? AJ: No. It got me home though. BP: Right. Right. Well, just, you know, kind of – that’s awesome man. Just kind of recapping the story. I guess, you know, you did really well with the Fortune 500 company. When did you really, kind of, have the ‘Ah-ha’ moment of the vision or the calling to really be a salesman and do your own thing. AJ: Well, from the very beginning. Because I sold so much they always let me do what I wanted to do. And they left me alone. And when they started to change their deal I started, they started to change things. You know? From the top down that really had nothing to do with me. You know? Their packages. The different services that they offered. To me it got convoluted. So, I was like, “Hey, I’m making a bunch of money over here in real estate, anyways.” You know? I’d get checks that were as much as a lot of people’s annual salary all the time. BP: Right. AJ: And I said, “Well, I don’t need this.” Because by then company was kind of like a side hustle for me because my real estate was the big thing. And I didn’t have to spend much time doing it because we produced so much. So, I didn’t have an office to go to or anything like that. So, I would say at 19 I knew that I was going to be an entrepreneur, but I was milking them for the money because they kept paying me. And I was doing well so that I kept that on for a few more years but, simultaneously while doing real estate. BP: Right. Right. AJ: So I’ve always been an entrepreneur though. From the time I was I a kid I was selling stuff. BP: Yeah, I kind of had the same story. I sold gum in 7th grade. I’d buy it for a dollar and sell it for, you know the Big Red gum and whatnot. What was your first, I guess, entrepreneurial? AJ: CDs. BP: Was it? Okay. AJ: Burned cds with music on it. Bootlegs. BP: Okay. Off of Napster, or something like that? AJ: Yeah, Napster. BP: Exactly. Right. AJ: So we’d sell cds and kids would add requests. So I’d go and put together their mix and come back and sell it to them. BP: That’s a great idea. That’s good. Yeah, go ahead. AJ: But, you know, the deal is that I wasn’t, I didn’t start off a salesperson. I was introverted and I had bad people skills. But when I, you know, got into selling when I was 18 I became obsessed with it. And I realized that if I learned how to sell, I could basically do anything with my life I wanted. Because, really, I learned that selling was influencing. BP: Right. AJ: And if I could influence somebody I could get investors; I could get people to buy into my ideas. I could sell them a product or service, so I would always be able to make money. BP: Good. That’s good stuff. Tell us a little bit about your sales mentoring. You said you basically mentor coaches and consultants around the world. AJ: Right. So, what I do there is about, over a year ago, I didn’t really know what to do to be candid with you because I didn’t need to work. And I thought well, I could either go be a beach bum and piss the rest of my life away. I’m still a relatively young man. And I’m not that kind of person, so I said I’m going to start a podcast. Kind of like how you thought. BP: Right. AJ: And so, I started a podcast and I interviewed over 300 online entrepreneurs. And I only aired about 60 of them though. BP: Really. AJ: Yeah. Because I’m the, I’m an intense person. So, when I do something I go intense. And I was doing it and I said, “Well, you know, these people to me, like I’m making more money than most – all these people. They should be interviewing me.” BP: Right. AJ: So, I’m always interjecting sales stuff with them. So I had coaches start to reach out to me. Very slowly at the beginning. And they said, “Hey, you’re a sales guy can you help me learn how to get clients?” I said, “Well, yeah. But I’m not going to do it for free.” BP: Right. AJ: And they said, “Well, okay.” And I did that. And fast-forward a year later and I have the Six-Figure Coaches Club. And we grow about a new person every day, every other day. And it’s doing great man. I never dreamed that it would do so well. I didn’t plan it, but I discovered that it was an area that needed a lot of help. There’s a lot of coaches out there and some consultants, too. But I mainly deal with coaches. But they don’t know how the hell to sell. They’re good at what they do. They’re a good business strategist. They’re a good business coach – whatever you want to call themselves. But they don’t know how to sell. They do not know how to get clients. So, that was a void – it’s a void that I fill. I make more money just on that then, just that puts me in the one-percent. BP: Right. AJ: Just this thing. BP: Right. Right. AJ: So it’s beautiful. BP: That’s great. That is great. Well, also there’s just, in checking your website, you had an equity participation in consulting. That’s another kind of area that you work with? AJ: Yeah. So, that’s a very unique deal where if a person comes in and they want my sales expertise, and they want to give me, you know, equity in the company for my expertise, then I’ll work out a deal like that. But I really don’t want to that because it’s too harry. It’s too much details. But I just had that up there in case somebody wants to do it. BP: Okay. Okay. And tell us a little bit about your Facebook group. It’s called Straight Up Entrepreneurs. One thing I really liked about it, too, and you’ll probably touch on this, is just the rules. As soon as you open it up there’s the rules – here’s what you can and can’t do. Which I think is great. But go ahead. AJ: So, Straight Up Entrepreneurs is a place where I can be straight up. And you can already tell, and your listeners can tell, that I’m a ‘shoot-from-the-hip’ kind of guy. I don’t have a lot of filter – for better, or worse. And I used to be involved in a lot of online entrepreneur groups, entrepreneur groups in general. And I found that people in there to be very flowery. To be puffy. Everybody’s great, and we’re all great, and you can do it, and it’s ‘Ra Ra.’ And we’re all special and let’s give each other hugs and trophies. But, that’s not reality. That’s not life. Life is: you win or you lose. You know? Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t. BP: Right. AJ: And most people don’t make it. And most businesses do go out of business. You know that in what you do. If somebody opens up. A year later, two years, they’re not in business. So, it’s the harsh reality out there. So I wanted a place that I could go and dish it out, where other people could, too. And just be blunt without having to worry about the PC-police, or the sensitivity committee, come on and, you know, chastise them on posting the truth in a blunt way. So I did. So I opened up Straight Up Entrepreneurs. BP: Great. Great. Love it. Love it. This is kind of a little off topic, or off subject, but are there books that you recommend. I don’t know, I’m sure there’s a lot of different sales books or leadership books, or podcasts that you listen to, or whatnot? AJ: I recommend a book, it’s not really a sales book, it’s more of a pitch book by Oren Klaff. It’s called ‘Pitch Anything.’ It’s all about framing. And he didn’t invent framing because I’ve been doing it since I’m 18, but I love the way he explains it. Because this is what I’ve doing and this is what I’ve been teaching people. He just put in a more scientific way that explains the neural economics behind it. So I love that book, and I always tell all my mentees to go read it. BP: Absolutely. I’ve read it. I like the ‘power frame’ and just the way he takes ownership of meetings. It’s a good book. AJ: Right. BP: What about podcasts? Is there any specific, I saw on LinkedIn that you’re a Gary Vaynerchuk fan. Is that correct? AJ: I don’t know if I’m a Gary V. fan. BP: Okay. AJ: Because I don’t really follow him that much but I like what he says and a lot of things because he is like me in that he doesn’t have a lot of filter. BP: Right. AJ: So, I like people like that and there’s not many. So he’s one of them. He has a podcast, so, he’d be a podcast for people to listen to. BP: What about your podcast. You said you interviewed, you published 60 of them? AJ: And then now we’re up to 80 something. BP: Okay. AJ: But I changed the format several times when I was doing it because I really didn’t know where I belonged in the space until the market let me know. So, I’m just, to me it’s, I go by the market. I don’t have an emotional attachment to what it is. As long as it’s moral, ethical, and legal, and I’m okay with it. So, I learned that the market wanted sales training from me. I didn’t go to give it to them. I actually resisted it because I’ve been doing this for a long time already. You know? But they wanted it from me, and it became a great passion for me. So, I changed the podcast to where now, and it’s been like this for several months now, it’s only sales mentoring. So, I bring somebody on, like you, and I bring them in the hot seat, they tell me all about their business. I try to explain to them in 30 minutes how they could sell more of whatever it is they sell. BP: Okay. And that’s the Aaron Janx Show, correct? AJ: Right. BP: And that’s for Winning the War in Success? AJ: Well that’s the old, it’s changed names Brad, many times. But just for everybody if you want to learn about sales, if you want learn how to sell more. If Brad would to come on we’d say, “Hey, we’ve got a marketing company. We want to learn how to get more clients.” BP: Right. AJ: So, then, I’d walk them through, you know, some ways to do that. BP: Okay. Great. Good deal. This is kind of a weird question, but I always like to ask it, would you mind sharing what your daily routine is? AJ: Yeah, I work about 85 hours a week. BP: Okay. AJ: Always, at least. So, I stay up pretty late. I go to the gym probably about at midnight. BP: Okay. AJ: There’s not a lot of people in there. And I get to do my own thing and zone out. So, that means for me, I usually wake up at 10. Because I get home and I go to sleep around 2 or 3. So I wake up around 10. And then I go and just go full petal-to-the-metal. I have virtual assistants, ...