My first interview, and I'm interviewing Pat Flynn. I'm still stunned and I think, this interview will bring a lot of value to you.
Pat Flynn is probably one of the most respected internet entrepreneurs. He is the host of the SmartPassiveIncome blog, earns $40,000 to $60,000 each month from his businesses, and his podcast is close to 4 million downloads.
I was really honoured to interview him and to let him introduce his brand-new eBook Let Go, to discuss with him about the best ways to start engaging in internet business, and how to brand yourself efficiently.
Let Go is his most recent masterpiece. It is published on the brand-new Snippet platform, which includes videos and tweets directly into eBooks. Pat is one of the first authors of this platform, which shows the position he has in internet business.
Let Go - The Pat Flynn Story
Let Go is supposed to be a source of motivation and inspiration. It's the Pat Flynn story and contains his journey from being let go as an employee to becoming one of the most popular internet entrepreneurs in our world.
Pat was working in an architecture company and was laid off when the U.S. economy slowed down in 2008. He was forced to let go of his plans, and since he wasn't able to a new job, he started an internet business.
The eBook shows in a brilliant manner how his whole life changed in the process of launching his internet business.
It's very motivating to see him conquer fears, that everyone would have in a similar situation. Let Go shows, that he's no genius. What made him successful is that he took massive action and believed in himself.
He describes how the daily ride in the 'death train' changed into time where he listened to internet business podcasts and just gets more and more excited about being let go. He finally couldn't wait to start his business.
Pat joins the Internet Business Mastery Academy and starts to collaborate with other entrepreneurs. Their help allows him, to create products and sell them on a website, that was never intended to serve this purpose. After one year, that site made more than $100,000 in sales.
The conclusion of Let Go is, that we all have to let go. We have to let go of our limiting mindsets, telling us that we can't do this or that. Let go of our fears that something won't work out. Let go of doing what everyone else does.
Pat Flynn is the living proof, that letting go is a way to success. And that's the story he shares with us in Let Go.
The Interview
Please excuse the unstable quality of the video. I'm still learning how to improve myself, since this was my first interview that got recorded.
I want to give you a small excerpt of the 35 minute interview with Pat Flynn. I'll mention only some specific parts of the interview, be sure that you will hear stuff that you won't read here 🙂
The interview with Pat Flynn has five main topics: Let Go, how to start internet business, branding, productivity, and collaboration.
And at the end of this interview, you'll get the 3 most important advices, that Pat can give to starting entrepreneurs.
Since June 17th 2013 is the fith anniversary of Pat being let go, he introduces #LetGoDay. To honour this day and Pat's efforts, the interview starts with talking about Let Go.
You have to understand that you will fail - Pat Flynn via @iamjankoch
Let Go
Pat bares how he had to let go of everything he was conditioned to believe in.
As he was let go, he tried to get a normal job again and to get back into his comfort zone.
Like everyone else he tried to get back to what he was used to. He wasn't able to get his next job and it was in this time he understood that his layoff broke him free from a lot of constraints and literally opened the world for him.
How Pat Flynn Would Start His Internet Business Today
After we finish talking about Let Go, Pat explains how he would start an online business now.
He gives really helpful and applicable advices, on how you and me can start our own internet businesses.
Since he started with a website that already had 2,000+ daily visitors, his situation has been not comparable to the situation you and me are in. That's why I asked him how we would start all over today.
He points out the importance of providing free information, that really matches the needs of your audience. Well, that answer isn't special in any kind, you can find it everywhere in the internet. What makes this interview special is, that Pat describes, how he would actually take action to build a new online business.
Pat reveals a wrong assumption that some people make, when they hear his story. They think it's possible to make huge money fast in the internet, since Pat Flynn earned $8,000 in his first month by selling an eBook on his website. What they don't understand is, that it took him 18 months to build the website, and more importantly the community around it.
This interview really shows the single aspects, that made his website this successful. He would build his new internet business build on the same pillars, as he build his current business:
- Understand, that you will need some time.
- Provide free and easy consumable information.
- Make yourself an expert and step ahead of the parade.
His eBook was a study guide for an architecture exam. Though there was a guide released from the official council for the exam, Pat started to selling more and more guides. And in this interview he explaines why that happened.
Branding
The importance of branding increases, since people like to do business with other people.
Pat emphasizes the importance of interacting with your audience in a personal way and touches big topics like social media, regular commercials, and the famous customer service at Zappos.
He reveals, that he was doing the exact opposite that everyone else was doing. I mentioned, how I was starting my internet business right now, and asked him how I can stand out of the masses.
I didn't mention that to feature myself, in fact I don't even say the name of my page. The reason was, to let Pat talk about the exact situation you and me are in. We're no Pat Flynn, we are just starting - and Pat gives advices that exactly match us.
One of his examples is a fitness website for nerds. Since the market for health and fitness is a very saturated one, it is very difficult to be successful in that niche. Pat takes this real world example and gives advice, how to brand yourself as an expert and how to stand out of the masses.
Pat goes into email marketing and gives practical advices on how to start building your email list. He explains several methods to increase your subscriptions, touches on the techniques how to use lead magnets, and stresses out the importance of the best placement for opt-in forms.
Productivity
Pat Flynn has build several businesses.
He runs multiple websites, his podcast is one of the most popular business podcasts on iTunes, he publishes books, does public speaking, and still spends time with his family.
In the interview you'll see, how he managed to build a business that automates work and that works for him, instead of forcing him to work.
He reveals how he replaced the work for one platform by the work for another platform, instead of just adding more and more work.
Since he knows, how important his strategy of Be everywhere is, he has managed to do this work in a very efficient way. He also announces a book about this strategy, which makes me really curious right now.
He posts twice a week on his blog, since he wants his blog to function as a hub to every other platform. The other fixed item in his schedule is a weekly podcast.
The use of the different mediums depends on the content Pat is creating. When he talks about complex situations, he creates a video and inserts this into a blogpost.
The mistake that some people make is to use different mediums and platform just for the sake of using them and finding a new audience on them.
Pat really utilizes his various social media channels, his blog, his podcasts, and his videos to provide information in the most consumable way.
Related Information
The interview refers to several different websites and persons. Here you can find every link, that Pat and I mention during the talk:
- Let Go (non-affiliate link) - Pat's eBook on Amazon
- Let Go (affiliate link) - Pat's eBook on Amazon
- SmartPassiveIncome - Pat's main website
- SPI Podcast - Pat's podcast
- Internet Business Mastery Academy (non-affiliate link) - Learn Internet Business
- Internet Business Mastery Academy (affiliate link) - Learn Internet Business
- GreenExamAcademy.com - Pat's first website
- Social Triggers - Derek Halpern's site on psychology in digital marketing
- Nerd Fitness - A perfect example for branding
- Tim Ferriss - Author of The 4 Hour Week/Body/Chef
- P90X - Home Workout
