[#21] My First Billion: The Data Doesn't Lie

Two attendees called the Strategic Scale Client-only bootcamp we hosted Friday and Saturday a Business Revival. 

That's the only way I know how to describe it too.

37 registered, 30 showed up, and two full days of deep work with our Advisory Board members that I won't ever forget.

Friday I revealed the Freedom Code for the first time.

The framework that shows you how to hit your Freedom Number so it funds your ideal lifestyle even if you shut the business down.

We also launched the Freedom Calculator, an app that reverse engineers your numbers so you know the exact date you can hit your Freedom Number…

…and the monthly revenue, profit margin, and wealth allocation targets required to get there.

I used to chase numbers I saw gurus post online, not numbers based on what I wanted to create.

Most entrepreneurs do the same thing without realizing it. The Freedom Calculator changes that.

The unanimous takeaway from the room was "wow, I don't need nearly as much as I thought."

That one realization alone unlocks a new level of freedom.

We also ran an exercise to help clients uncover the invisible constraints quietly limiting their growth.

My business partner, Dre, did a transformational session on the 5 Factors of Faith and how to close more sales.

And I did a full training on How to AI-Proof Your Business.

Day 1 hit different, and day 2 went even deeper.

Sunday I taught week two of For the Love of Money at church.

The feedback has been something else.

Members of our congregation and people watching online, reaching out about how the series is helping them reevaluate their relationship with money and their trust in God.

That's exactly what it's supposed to do.

Got home, took a nap, then went to a comedy show with Vanessa and our Pastors to see Mike Goodwin.

I love stand up comedy and I’ve seen some of the best stand-up comics live, and Mike is right up there.

The thing I’d say that puts him above them is that his comedy is 100% clean.

Then Monday we kicked off the Founder Freedom Workshop, and that's where the rest of the week lived.

Three days (well 4 including the Kickoff Day), of live virtual teaching, and here's the honest report.

Registration cost came in ~5X what we typically pay.

We went super direct with the messaging to a very specific avatar.

When you get that targeted the cost per registration goes up. That's expected so I wasn’t alarmed.

What we are analyzing is the show rate.

We typically average 30% or better.
This time we came in sub 15%.

That's a significant gap and it means something.

Could be the audience, could be the reminder sequence, could be the tech.

We don't know yet, but we're looking at it and we'll adjust for the next iteration.

That's what first versions are for. You don't optimize what you haven't tested.

Today is the bonus day, which makes it eight straight days of teaching between the bootcamp, church, and the workshop.

And I’m not done yet!

Tomorrow is Brunch with the Bros, our monthly men's gathering, a safe space for men to come, grow and be real with each other.

That evening I'm speaking on a panel at a wealth conference here in Atlanta.

Tonight I'm going to support my pastor, who's speaking at a women's conference, and Sunday I’m back in the pulpit for Week 3.

Don’t worry, I’m getting adequate rest in with sleep, present time with family and vegging out on new episodes of our shows…

Paradise, Chicago PD and Law & Order SVU.

I also started Yellowstone this week (yeah, I know I’m late).

The rest of the week in between:

Had a meeting with three partners on the NIL consulting firm and agency we're building.

This morning I took MJ to school while we vibed out to his new Lecrae’s new album.

All my kids love music. I'm convinced it's genetic. Went and grabbed my favorite green smoothie, got in the office and found out that…

My Ops Director, Bianca, had her baby!
God is good! They are both healthy and she’s in our group chat.

I swear she’s superhuman!

What the snowball is teaching me:

The process is about embracing imperfection.

The registration cost and the show rate are data points not verdicts.

You can't optimize something you've never run. Now we have real numbers to work with and real adjustments to make.

But the bigger work this week wasn't Analytical, it was internal.

When you're used to hundreds of people showing up and suddenly you're looking at a fraction of that, something gets activated.

It took me back to the early days when barely anyone would show up, I’d still show up fully as if it were 1000s of people on because it was for the love of the game.

I had to remember that. The joy is in detaching from the numbers and outcomes. That's what stewardship looks like.

It's not about how many people are watching.
It's about honoring the ones who are.

The comparison trap is real. Comparing this season to previous seasons, this show rate to past show rates…

…this version to what I'm used to. Comparison doesn't serve anybody and it can be rooted in pride.

Every season has its place in the build.
This one included.

We're in a recalibration phase. Building the right way for the right audience.

And I'm learning to be settled in that without letting the gap where we’ve been and where we're going to rob me of the joy of…

Where we are and how far we’ve come.

The snowball doesn't compare itself to where it was at the top of the hill.

It just keeps rolling.

More next week.

Tell those you love that you love them.

Marquel