Todd Herman coaches professional and amateur athletes on the internal aspect of success to help them stay sharp, focused and consistently at the top of their game.
He’s also an awesome internet marketer although he doesn’t exclusively have an online business.
The majority of his business is actually more face-to-face (speaking, coaching & consulting) but when he started his company in 1999 he knew that he’d leverage the online medium to help grow my business.
Todd and his team truly offer the most challenging and difficult program for athletes to help build their confidence, improve game performance and earn scholarships/wins on the web today…
And, they’re very honest about that.
Too many people try to sell the “this is easy” type program; they don’t. They tell athletes and parents that this is the hardest thing you’ll ever do, but if you master your inner game, there’s nothing you won’t be able to achieve.
This type of message resonates with the type of client they want and it’s just plain true. Changing yourself is really hard work!
Book Your Currently Reading?
Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger (13th time re-reading)
Best Business Purchase?
Text Expander (Massive time-saver, Great systems creator & some incredibly ninja ways to make scaling a business SUPER easy.)
Favourite Business Resource?
Blinkist – it’s a great way to read the most important parts of a book in 10 minutes and decide if you want to go deeper with it. You can stay current with so much information without bloating the brain.
Biggest Inspiration?
Definitely my family. I lucked out and got parents that are incredible people, brothers and a sister that each have a special quality I admire. My wife who is never afraid to take on a new challenge and give everything to make it happen.
Favourite Business Website?
Hubspot.com, so much helpful, actionable information. They truly demonstrate how to win in the new media world.
How I Started
Hahaha, I’m definitely not the poster child for “4 Hr work week”! Like many others try to reach.
I absolutely love what I do and probably work about 50-60 hrs in a week.
However, I do have flexibility built in so I can take a day off if needed and golf with friends or roam the streets of NYC with my wife and little girl hunting for cool experiences.
The online portion (membership website) generates a 6 figure revenue for the company, but it’s an exceptionally small portion of our company’s revenue.
We’re looking to scale up and do more products for athletes and business people this year, though.
Leveraging systems and technology to help reach a larger audience, the internet is amazing at ‘reach’.
At the end of the day, the online medium allows a person to serve more people and because the core motivation for our company is to serve people, there was no thought that we would ever stop even if we weren’t getting results.
So because of that thinking, there was no worry about whether we should keep going even if we weren’t getting results.
It’s a mindset thing.
The Best Thing I Did For My Business
People. Making and connecting with great people.
Whether it’s an online or offline focused business, great relationships make the path to success so much easier. Start with an attitude of, ‘how can I be of value and help others’.
If you think about serving others first, you’ll build lasting trust and loyalty – ideal for HUGE profits.
How I Make Money
The most profitable part of our ‘online business’ is our membership site.
The biggest reason is because it satisfies a core need the sports niche has, which is an important lesson for others. Don’t fall in love with your ideas until you’ve proven it satisfies a core need/problem of the market.
How I Work
I wake up early and focus on the 3 core activities that drive our company,
1. Developing the culture and building our people’s skills,
2. Meeting with clients, talking to customers and connecting with partners or other business people etc. I do this by, speaking a ton, coaching/consulting and getting on the phone/skype,
3. Strategy work. Developing new systems, courses, products etc.
The Day I Realized I Made It
I realized all the hard work was paying off when the Indonesian government awarded me with the ‘Rama Award’ in 2007. It’s an honour they give to someone who displays ‘Exceptional Wisdom and Leadership’ at a young age.
They originally found me for a consulting project via the web in 2004, which reinforced the power of the web to me.
And, I celebrated by getting my ass back to working hard so I could continue to serve. 🙂
I Would Have Become Successful Sooner If…
Nothing.
The Biggest Benefit Of Running A Digital Business
Connecting with amazing people all over the globe and being able to coach/consult with Olympic athletes in multiple countries around the globe.
It’s been an amazing experience to leverage the power of the web and help athletes achieve Olympic dreams and win medals or achieve personal goals. It’s a high that money can’t buy.
What YOU Should Be Focusing On
Connecting.
If someone is in the position where they don’t have all the skills yet, go get a mentor and work for them (for free if needed).
It’s what I did with my business at 21 and it made a huge difference. Saved me years of time, learned so much and was introduced to a network of people that would’ve been difficult to crack into on my own.
How We Get Our Customers
- 33% – Affiliate/JV’s promoting our stuff.
- 31% – Email list building and promotion.
- 25% – Customers liking the program so much they send our links to friends, teammates or post on social media.
- 8% – Search – People doing a keyword search and finding us.
- 3% – Other – People buy after hearing me speak, or from random social media stuff etc.
Why I’m Successful And You May Not Be
Ego.
Most of the people that I see ‘make it’ are willing to reach out to others, ask for help or build their idea.
I say, ‘Ego’ is the difference, because too many people let the idea of worry, rejection or judgment stop them from taking action.