Digital Social Hour - Avoid This Networking MISTAKE Every Entrepreneur Makes! | Alycia Kaback DSH #524

Episode Date: June 29, 2024

🚨 Avoid This Networking MISTAKE Every Entrepreneur Makes! 🚨 In this eye-opening episode of the Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly dives deep with the incredible Alicia, co-founder of Vision Craft and VIP Ignite! 🎬🌟 Fresh off their 10X Award win, Alicia spills the beans on the *one critical networking mistake* every entrepreneur should avoid.  From meeting legends like Al Pacino and Neil Armstrong to sky-rocketing her business to eight figures, Alicia’s journey is packed with valuable insights you can't afford to miss. 🚀 Discover how she and her partner mastered the art of networking, leveraging high-profile connections, and scaling their business to new heights.  👉 "People don’t buy products; they buy YOU!" Learn how to leave a lasting impression and the importance of being authentic in your entrepreneurial journey. Tune in now to uncover the secrets behind their success and the pivotal moments that changed everything. 💡 Watch now and subscribe for more insider secrets. 📺 Hit that subscribe button and stay tuned for more eye-opening stories on the Digital Social Hour with Sean Kelly! 🚀 Join the conversation in the comments below and let us know your biggest takeaways! 📣 Don’t miss out on this exclusive episode that could transform your business forever! 💼💥 #DigitalSocialHour #SeanKelly #Podcast #NetworkingMistakes #EntrepreneurTips #VIPIgnite #VisionCraft #BusinessGrowth #ApplePodcasts #Spotify #FunnelStrategy #10M #SuccessfulPartnership #HowToScale #ScalingTips #SeanKelly #MeetingNewPeople #BusinessMistakes #HowToSucceedInBusiness #Entrepreneur #AlyciaKaback CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 00:42 - Alicia's Vision Craft Award 02:10 - Scaling to 8 Figures 03:35 - Alicia's Co-Founder is a Stay-at-Home Dad 07:33 - Meeting Al Pacino Backstage 09:46 - Meeting John Glenn and Neil Armstrong 13:44 - Networking is Everything 17:04 - How to Get into Broadway 22:05 - First Financial Breakthrough 25:00 - Proximity 26:20 - Finding the Right Partner 26:59 - Pivoting During the Pandemic 27:28 - Importance of Accountability 29:20 - Surrounding Yourself with the Right People APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://www.digitalsocialhour.com/application BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: [e-mail] GUESTS: Alycia Kaback https://www.instagram.com/alyciakaback/ SPONSORS: Deposyt Payment Processing: https://www.deposyt.com/seankelly LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You met Al Pacino backstage. Al Pacino, yeah. Okay, so here's a true story. So when Mike and I started VIP Ignite, we were the bridge to help talent meet top people in the industry. Somebody said to me, well, aren't you tired of just being the journey?

Like, why aren't you the destination? We ended up investing in Broadway and one of our good friends invited me to go with him to a show and Al Pacino was starring in it with Judith Light from Who's the Boss. And we went backstage and we all got to hang out. It was so nerve wracking.

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We got Alicia here, co-founder of VisionCraft. Thanks for coming on. Thank you. Coming off the 10X award, right? Bling bling. Yeah. Oh, they give you a ring? Yeah. So we had a really cool plaque that came for the last eight years. We've been two comma club with ClickFunnels. And then finally we went big, you know, it's like Vegas style, just all in. I love it. We got the 10X. So how do you get the 10X one? Is that a certain amount? 10 million. 10 million in one year? Yeah. Wow. Using a funnel.

And that's really crazy. That's impressive. Yeah. And you know my business partner, Mike. He's a complete genius. So we're showbiz. And I'm the face of the company. He's definitely the brains.

And you kind of need a little bit of yin and yang. And you guys are a great pair because the networking, the network you built together is insane. Yeah. Well, when you walk into a room, you have to be able to own it even without saying a word. And I find that a lot of people, which is why we started VisionCraft, we've invested a lot of money to surround ourselves with greatness. And as an entrepreneur, so many people didn't know their why. They couldn't really quite depict what they were doing. And people don't buy products. They buy you you you know that so and what you did today even though it's a silly example with the donuts you left an impression

on everyone that you met today with sugar high yeah and not people probably like you empty-handed like even dinner parties 50 bucks but you just changed everyone's day and perspective i try to it's a good conversation starter like what are you going to eat yeah um so i just you know i anywhere i go i'm you just always bring gifts you know and thank you cards that's a big thing of course so um so eight years you were stuck at seven figures yeah and then what was that i hate to even say stuck it sounds so like arrogant but as a business owner you know you always want to expand and if you always do what you've always done you're always going to get the same results. Right. So. So what was that key? Was there a key moment?

You remember scaling to eight figures what you did differently? I really just think, you know, there's, I think with entrepreneurs, especially now, like between AI and everybody has a course and everybody has, you know, marketing. I think we just really needed to kind of get back to our true passion, which is coming out here and meeting more people and not just sitting behind a desk all the time and just elevating. Right. You know? Yeah. When conferences went away during the pandemic, it was weird. It's so sad.

Yeah. Like it's hard sometimes to be around people again. It took me a few months. Not going to lie because you're still in there for two years. Try working in New York City, getting pregnant, going to Florida, moving cross country and working from home. Like for the last like four years, like that's crazy. Yes. It's a good thing. I'm not an alcoholic, but like you, you start going insane because you're like, as soon as you're done with work, my tradition is because I work from home and I have a three-year-old

and my fiance is a stay at home dad. I won't just like go into a conversation or like go into mommy mode i like take a shower and i like recalibrate to be like my true self yeah because you have your onstage presence and then you have your okay we're off this is me for real right so let's talk about the stay-at-home dad thing that is a rare thing these days was that a planned decision um well we got pregnant like we found out february of 2020 march the whole world shut down yeah and mike and i were investing in broadway all of our broadway shows were we also own a mother agency with models and actors and everything was just set a standstill and eight months pregnant i was like you can't work like we're high risk you know like god forbid like you came back and i you know we couldn. So he quit work, eight months pregnant, and then we moved to Florida.

And I was like, oh my goodness, I work from Zoom all day. What are we going to just drop off the baby at daycare? And he's like, oh, and we just got used to it. And now that the world has opened up again and we're traveling, thank goodness you don't have a job. How great is it that we get to travel with our family? We were in LA two weeks ago. Then we're back in Florida. We're in New York.

We're all over the place. But we get to travel with our son. Nice. And so I don't even like to say unemployed. He's the CEO of our home. Okay. You know, like literally he, he does so much. And I think that's also a reason why the company, not, not the only reason, but you have to be happy with yourself. Yeah. You know, it takes a mature man to be able to do that. Cause a lot of immature guys would not do that. And he's had a hard time between family and friends like wait making fun of him right yeah like what and it's not even so much about like power it's just as a man you're taught to provide right and he does you know like but we we play our roles yeah you know and and when i'm not on zoom and i'm not doing my thing, it's a good equal and that's important.

Absolutely. How often are you on Zoom? Every day. Damn. Yeah. So when we used to have the physical offices in New York City and Philly, I would be in every single office in the tri-state area doing live presentations. Wow. And then with Zoom, I think I've done like 4,000 live webinars.

Yeah. And they're all unique. Like, no, I do live open calls Tuesdays and Saturdays for people trying to get into show business as well. Um, and that's kind of where vision craft came into play.

And then I was doing live open calls and casting calls. And so I don't mind zoom. Cause now it's like, Hey, as soon as I'm done, no traffic, no people. Um,

but yeah, like zoom, zoom is great. I mean, Zoom works. Are shows back to where they were pre-pandemic, you'd say? Yeah. Yeah. I think especially Hollywood has changed dramatically.

Back in the day, you had to live in New York. You had to live in LA. You were physically going into the studios. But now that everything is done on Zoom, there's more competition now than ever because literally it's the whole world is your competition. Yeah. You know? That makes sense.

Yeah. Now we're in Vegas where shows are like, I hate it. I just paid 250 bucks for Absinthe. Have you been to that one? Oh my gosh. That's one of my favorites. Yeah.

At Caesars. I was doing the math because we're entrepreneurs. Yeah. So I'm in the room sitting. They're doing all right. I'm calculating the seats and I'm saying,

wait, they're making 100K a night because they're doing two shows. And plus everybody has to buy the drinks because they're there. They're doing all right. I'm calculating the seats and I'm saying, wait, they're making $100K a night because they're doing two shows. And plus everybody has to buy the drinks because they're there. They shove those down your throat. Yeah. So they're making $150K a night.

Yeah. And that show's so good. Yeah. It's a great show. It's nerve wracking. It is. When you're sitting on the front, you're like, oh, please don't fall on me. Oh my God.

Because the guy roasts people at one point. Yeah. Yeah. It's funny. So I'm literally looking this way. It's like improv. Yeah. Yeah.

Don't pick on me. He got the guy next to me and I'm like, oh, I'm not looking. Yeah. Yeah. Don't make eye contact. Yeah. Yeah. He's funny. So I'm literally looking this way. It's like improv. Yeah. Yeah, don't pick on me. He got the guy next to me and I'm like, oh, I'm not looking. Yeah. Yeah. Don't make eye contact. Yeah. Yeah. He's funny though.

The show is brilliant. Yeah. And it has enough for everybody. But I don't know how they do it on those little stages. They should expand. It's so good. Yeah. It's so good.

Have you been to the new one at the Wynn? No. Okay. No. Awakening, I think it's called. Okay. That's a good one. It's hard because we brought the baby this time.

Yeah. So even we were talking about restaurants in the other room and I was like, oh, I don't no awakening i think it's called okay it's hard because we brought the baby this time yeah so even we were talking about restaurants in the other room and i was like oh i don't want to be that that you know here's my three-year-old going to a club again you know so i'm trying to be respectful yeah but he's cool my kid's been to south beach he's been on set before okay he's three but he's gonna run vegas i think yeah he's networking he shakes his hand you know i love it yeah he's gonna be he's not he's not like a normal kid caden is cool yeah yeah good name too caden with a c or k c okay yeah i know some with a k oh yeah i know some shawns with an h oh how do you feel about that i feel all right

um they're not you yeah they're not you met some interesting people i want to go through these one by one so you you met Al Pacino backstage. Al Pacino, yeah. What was that like? It was, you know, okay, so here's a true story. So when Mike and I started VIP Ignite, we were the bridge to help talent meet top people in the industry. And somebody said to me, well, aren't you tired of just being the journey? Like, why aren't you the destination? Like, well, I'm not an agent. And so we ended up investing in broadway and one of our good

friends dan loria who starred in the wonder years um invited me to go with him to a show and al pacino was starring in it with judith light from who's the boss and we went backstage and we all got to hang out and it was so nerve-wracking because you see these amazing people that you like i'm a film student i love anything hollywood and it's al freaking pacino how do you like not like freak out you know or like try to quote his movies or go such an honor legend legend and um i i walked up to him and i don't even know like how quickly i grew a pair of balls just to do that i was like it's just so nice to meet you. And he said to me, he said, before you even say a word, your body language says so much about you.

Wow. And I was like, oh, thank you. And it was just so, because even as an entrepreneur, you know that. Like when you walk into a room, you're networking. You have to set the tone. You could feel it. You can feel it. Because there's some off days when you're at a conference and you realize not as many people are coming up to you and approaching you right yeah and you could tell also like for us because we're show business like who's really negative you know where you're just like oh let's get the sage and cleanse this place after you're out of

here yeah i'm sure you've seen some weird stuff in that business but they're like in a lineup you're like no yeah i don't even want to see your no and it doesn't even matter about like their aesthetic or their physical appearance. It's just something about them. It's their aura. It's their energy. Yeah, it's their energy. As I get older, I'm getting better at like picking up on it too.

I can... There's a lineup and I'll show you how to... Yeah. It's hard. It's quick now. Yeah, it is quick. Yeah, within minutes. But a lot of people don't know it's them.

Right. A lot of times it's their echo chamber, their friends and family. Facts. Yeah. Yeah, that rubs off on you. Yeah. Yeah, you got to be real careful who you're friends with. Oh, it's everything. Yeah. That's my biggest fear. No matter what you do, like even raising my child, I'm like, okay, he's in preschool

now. Who are the other parents? What do they do? You know? Yeah. I'm at a good spot now where I don't worry about if they're talking about me anymore. But before I used to constantly think about that in high school and college. Cause it weighs you down. Yeah. And I think that's one of the things that people worry about on Facebook because they're looking for that instant, you know. Yeah. Facebook's pretty toxic. Well, my whole thing with Facebook and Instagram is don't impersonate, be. So many people are so worried about what other people think of them.

Yeah. Just be yourself. For real. Just be real, you know. Yeah. Because at least if you get hate when you're yourself, you can't do anything about it because you're being yourself yeah and sometimes haters are really the highest form of flattery because at least they're talking about you right you need them yeah you definitely need

them and like even in show business like i'm damned if i do and i'm damned if i don't if i told somebody the truth that they didn't have what it took oh you're so mean you asked for the truth yeah and so i find like sometimes this is why people get scammed especially in show business because they're so quick for the rainbows and it's not. What are some common scams in the show business space? Oh my gosh. Pay me money. Here's work. Pay me money. Here's an agent. Pay me money. You know, it's just gatekeepers. Yeah. You know, you get rewarded in public for kicking butt in private and you have to put in the work. Everybody says I want an agent or even what an agent wants, you know? I mean, look at you, you have a podcast. It's amazing. Like one of your last, you know, viewers had like 4.5 million. Yeah. How many people have podcasts? How do you stand out? You know? And you have to find like those pain points. Like you have to talk into their, into their language, into their heart, you know? Absolutely. That's why I've been able to grow

because I'm reaching so many different audiences. And it good yeah um you also met john glenn and neil armstrong yes these are like the craziest like i joke around this is like the craziest dinner party conversation so i had a radio show with cps digital and it was really cool and my my business partner who you know michael thompkin is a complete brainiac, complete brainiac. And, um, when we had the radio show with CBS, he was able to get press passes to go to, um, John Glenn's, like it was like the 50th anniversary or something crazy of the first whatever. And, um, so Mike and I ended up going and true story. So there was all this press there, like NBC, CBS, like real legitimate press. And here I am like, hey, I just have this like little talk show. And it turned out that I wasn't feeling well.

I was in the restroom and there was a woman there that couldn't figure out how to get like the mechanical things to work. And we started, I was like, oh, let me help you. And this just shows you always have to be nice. When we walked out, she said, oh, are you here for the John Glenn? And I said, yes. And she said, oh, come sit with me. And Glenn? And I said, yes. And she said, oh, come sit with me. And so I walk in and Michael's like, where are you going? It was John Glenn's wife. It was Annie Glenn. So she waved hi to me and Michael's like, how did you

do this? You were in the bathroom for five minutes. And I come out with like a friend. And later on, she's like, what are you guys doing for lunch? Would you like to join us for lunch? She personally introduced me to Senator John Glenn, her husband yeah then neil armstrong i have pictures of me shaking hands with him wow that's a legend charlie yeah holy crap ahead of nasa appointed by barack obama i was hanging out with charlie crazy but like you don't know who you're gonna meet because you could have not helped that girl i could have just like washed my hands and been like okay i'm in a rush which 99 of people yeah but i didn't yeah and by the grace of god i was like oh let me Because you could have not helped that girl. I could have just like washed my hands and been like, okay, I'm in a rush. Which 99% of people probably would have done.

But I didn't. Yeah. And by the grace of God, I was like, oh, let me help you. And she had soap on her hands. What was I going to leave her? Like she couldn't figure it out. So I was like, here, let me help. And just that one little act of kindness changed the whole trajectory of our company.

I love it. I actually talk to all my Uber drivers. I do too. Yeah. All the time. Which people think is weird, but you never know. That's what they do. I found one guy who had a crazy story I've ever met and I got him like a therapist and all this

stuff. Really? Changed his life. Changed his life. Yeah. And he's coming on the podcast. But yeah, you really never know. There's some crazy stories. Everybody has a story. Yeah.

Everybody. For real. And this is Vegas. Yeah. I can only imagine. Yeah. You also studied under Tony Robbins. Yeah. So we're part of his business mastery and his platinum program, man, talk about networking, people who pay, pay attention. And I'll tell you, like when we first started going to Tony Robbins

or even ClickFunnels, we would just do like that bare minimum just to get in, just to kind of see like, are they drinking the Kool-Aid? What's going on? And we realized that when people did the bare minimum, they got bare minimum results. And one day I said, who's sitting in that front row? Like, why is Tony hanging out with them? Like, what are they doing? And when I started doing further research with Mike, we're like, oh my gosh, look at the revenue they're generating. And he said, oh, that's platinum. It's like a hundred grand. I was like, that's crazy. And he said, is it? And by doing that and also joining ClickFunnels and our circle and all these other, you know, high level, you are who you surround yourself with. Your network is your net worth.

And even being here today, I mean, just getting in front of the right people. We just signed a deal with Brian Tracy. We're going out to La Jolla next week. I was talking to Les Brown earlier today. It's crazy. And it's just networking. Absolutely. But you got Brown earlier today. It's crazy. And it's just networking. But you got to know how to network. And that's the hardest. Some people join and then they talk about it because they're not actually networking. Yeah. And they're competing with

everybody else and you're in your own lane. Yeah. That's a limited mindset. Yeah. And my feeling is even like Broadway, like we've won six Tony Awards with our shows. It's not about the awards. It's about having proximity and having proof and power that gives you authority, but you have to learn how to leverage it. Are you interested in coming on the Digital Social Hour podcast as a guest? We'll click the application link below in the description of this video. We are always looking for cool stories, cool entrepreneurs to talk to you about business and life. Click the application link below. And here's the episode, guys. You know, and that's a hard thing to teach.

Absolutely. So is the Tony Award pretty much the Oscar of the Broadway world? Yeah. So that's the highest. So we've worked with Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce. Wow. But like even investing in Broadway, that totally changed everything because we were able to see like everything. It's kind of like taking your favorite storybook and bringing it to life.

Yeah. We are now like part of the scene. Like, oh, look at this. Costume designers talking to me. Oh, why are you doing this and not this? And talking about marketing and why do the wraparound bus versus the billboard in Times Square? Why? And like you would hear the psychology.

Oh, that makes sense. And then like you learn that and you're like, oh man, I could, I could apply this towards VIP, which is our mother company, VIP Ignite, because we help aspiring models and actors get in front of the right casting directors and agents and producers, but we get them ready. And the reason why we started Vision Craft was because there were so many entrepreneurs that kind of needed that Hollywood-esque blueprint. They have a story, but they don't know how to tell it and they don't make it compelling,

you know, and it's going to be great. It's got to be tough to get a show on Broadway, right? Oh, Broadway. They only do a few a year, I feel like. I feel like they've done the same one for like years, like the Harry Potter one. Oh my gosh. Think about how many people go to the most prestigious schools in the world and then they graduate and then what? They're living in New York, bartending, waiting on tables, like waiting for that big break. So, I mean, obviously there's no guarantee. Yeah. But if I can help put somebody in front of the right people and just, you don't want to just sit up on a website.

What is that going to do? You're one of a billion on a website. Like, pick me. Who's going to pick you? Yeah. If you know you're right. Like, you have to get face to face. You got to get out there.

You got to get out there. You got to be proactive. You had no prior connections to Broadway when you started, right? No, none. And I feel like that's very hard to do because most people do have those connections that are in the space. Yeah. We also work with filmmakers. We work with people that work with Francis Ford Coppola.

And for me, like that's a dream. I'll never forget when I took that picture with Anthony or Al Pacino. Somebody commented like, Oh, you're so lucky. I was like, lucky. Are you like,

I found like a quarter on the side of the street, like F you, this was all based on having the right connections and building your craft and investing. We've, we've invested a lot of money and time and Broadway and movies and just to get even just in the rooms. You probably put in $10,000 before that point.

Oh yeah. a million actually. Yeah, but like, and then I deal with people that are brand new. They least amount of risk, but they want the most amount to gain. And they're not willing to put in the work, but they're so worried about impressing everybody. Do you see that in the younger generation?

That instant gratification? I think it's because of social media. It's a lot of social media. Because even on YouTube and TikTok, you're training your brain to be rewarded every five seconds. Every five seconds. And if you don't see it, you start getting depressed. Like, what did I do wrong?

Yeah. And you're just refresh, refresh. Yeah, it's crazy. I can't wait to see the studies when they come out because it's a new form of entertainment, short form. But it's definitely toxic. It definitely is. Especially TikTok and everybody thinks that they're, you know. Yeah.

They think they're hot. And I even see it on me because I used to be able to watch a full podcast or movie easily, not check my phone once. Yeah. Now it's tough. But Broadway is the same thing. When you're in a dark like theater and everybody's checking their phones, you're like, uh-uh. Oh, they're doing it in Broadway too?

Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's concerning. Yeah. It's crazy. Even Broadway, if they're penetrating that market, because that's an older crowd usually, Yeah. Yeah. That's concerning. Yeah. It's crazy. Even Broadway, if they're penetrating that market, because that's an older crowd usually, right? Yeah. Yeah.

Dang. But you know, like when I went to school, so I studied TV and film and communications. Like I love the greats, like Alfred Hitchcock and those long takes. Now everything is like Argo. Cut, cut, cut, cut. Because that's our attention span. Yeah. People get bored now.

Yeah. Yeah. So you got to adapt the shows. And that's why like with vision craft we're going to do like one minute stints what's your story one minute let's hot button let's overcome it right now yeah because people you got a minute you got really 10 seconds for real not even it's like a first date it makes sense because all the shows i've been to out here it's a 360 stage because people just can't stare at the same thing anymore

yeah like absent yeah it's pretty worried about that. Everybody falling on you, you know, cause it has to be like interactive now. Yeah. Like, are you awake? Let's go nuts.

Yeah. You also got off to fly with the prime minister of Israel on his private jet. Again, with it, with networking, I, um, I ended up getting asked to MC the Israel film festival.

Wow. And I was like, really? And, um, it was kind of crazy. I was in New York and they needed somebody last minute like, really? And it was kind of crazy. I was in New York and they needed somebody last minute. Somebody had food poisoning and somebody thought of me.

So just even the fact that they thought of me, I was like, oh, really? Okay, sure. And yeah, he was in the audience and I got to meet an Academy Award winner who ended up becoming a friend and she came out to our networking events and it wasn't about a rah, rah, rah, you can do it. It's like, no, let me tell you what I did. I need to tell you the story. Right. Because a lot of times people don't want to hear the struggle. They just want to hold it and pretend. That's true. Yeah. There's a lot of that almost because of social media that you want to put on a show. Yeah. But people can see through it these days, I think. All day. Yeah. Every day. When you're just posting good stuff. I mean, it's not even relatable at that point. Yeah. And I feel feel like for me like i sometimes get told like don't put so much about your kid on

there or here i am cooking but i think people need to see like i'm not a magic unicorn nor is mike like we work hard to have a great family and you know to be able to live the life that we live now but they didn't see the blood sweat and tears for 18 years you know i mean you get rewarded in public for kicking butt in private yeah and i think sometimes you need to show people not like the struggles but the hey i'm just like you for sure but if i know how to do it like my service can help you yeah i agree the modern day celebrity image of what it used to be of like an a-list actor not messing up yeah perfect is no longer appealing yeah because you kind of need to see like the other end now, you know? No, for real.

When people only post where they vacation or whatever. Yeah, that's not real life. I don't, Kardashians are cool, but there's a lot more to it. Yeah. You know?

It's well calculated. Yeah. You got plans for more kids or are you good with one? No, I'm good with one. Yeah? One and done? I had my first kid at 43,

so that was like a blessing yeah 43 i used to joke around i was gonna settle down and have kids when hell froze over and i didn't mean that like literally but i was working you know you you run businesses and you're in the office seven days a week till midnight during what time i heard that's common with new york girls yeah you just you wait and i think to myself yeah i probably could have gotten married in my 20s but i i'd much rather live my life and get to the point where now like we get to travel and be it i'm home every night for bubble bath night and story time and dinner and i'm there yeah but yet we're doing all right you know and i'm able to work from home i couldn't have done it before absolutely so i i god just had a plan and it was just to wait. I love it. When was that first financial breakthrough? How old were you?

Um, when I was 19, I bought my first home. Wow. True story. That's early. Yeah. I used to, when I went to UCF in Orlando, everybody made fun of me. I would drive to Disney to go host, like to, you know, I wasn't a waitress. I was a hostess making minimum wage, 30 minutes there, 30 minutes back paying for tolls. Everyone would say, why are you driving so far? It's like minimum wage. I'm like, but the waiters there make money. And they're like, well, why don't you work here? This is where your friends are. I said, my friends have no money. Nickel beer night, 10 cent wings. I don't want that. I want to make, I want to make money. If I'm waiting on tables, I'm going to make money. So I did what I needed to do. I hosted and I kind of proved myself. Ended up waiting on tables.

And at 19, I bought my first home. All from waiting tables? Yeah. Wow. I was making 500 bucks a shift at 19. Planet Hollywood, Disney, tourists. Dang. Yeah.

Would you like that Coca-Cola and a souvenir glass for 20 bucks? Tipping well over that. Yeah, but think about it. People that go to Disney have money to spend. And if you're going to work smart you know you're gonna knock it out i made more in one night than my friends in two weeks working full-time that's crazy but then when you become successful at 19 and you're buying a home oh you're an old lady now you got a mortgage and i would pick up shifts i didn't go away for spring break i'm'm like, doubles. Because I knew there was so much money. And I put it away, put it away.

Do you feel like you had to grow up kind of quick? Yeah. My mom got breast cancer my first year of college. Wow. And that was like really crappy. Because I was like, I had this idea of, I'm going to join the dance team and join a sorority. And it's going to be fun. And I was like, oh, no.

I need to be able to take care of my – I don't want to have to ask for help. And that kind of propelled me into, I need to be able to take care of them. I don't want to have to ask for help. And that kind of propelled me into I got to find a way to make money. I don't want to like fold jeans at the Gap or work in a telephone call. So I wanted to do something fun. And I didn't have any waitressing experience, so they wouldn't hire me. So I had to prove myself. Okay, I'll get in there and I'll kind of figure it out. And, you know, and they ended up, hey, do you want to be a food runner?

And that was the next step to being a waitress. But even, it's funny because now I speak from stage and I'm loud before waiting on tables. I was so quiet, complete introvert. But when you work at a loud, high volume restaurant where you're like standing on chairs and it's somebody's birthday. But now it helps me when I'm in a room bringing donuts,

like hi, because before that, I would have when i'm in a room bringing donuts like hi because before that i would have just sat just in a corner wow or like waited outside so that's sometimes i got thrown into so that job really got you out of your comfort zone other than the money emotionally oh yeah yeah for sure and i think you've done really well at proximity yeah i see that keep coming up in our conversation if you get in front of the right people, what are you going to talk about? It's not about you. What are you going to bring to the table?

You know, how can I serve you? And I followed up with every single person I met through you already. You know, Barry. That's impressive. You've been texting. You met them today. Yeah.

You already followed up. I'm like, hey, we have a boot camp. There's Synergy here, Whitney. Hey, let's, why not? Yeah, that's so cool. Because I feel like we were put in that room for a reason even though you're awesome yeah you know like success breeds success like what are you doing absolutely you know this is what i do oh could i ever be of help to you how can i serve

you and that's what i see with the podcast because i have on the most successful people from their industry but at the end of the day there's so many commonalities yeah in terms of mindset yeah it all is the same like even randall you know man he was telling me about his kids and it's just i feel like you're not trying to prove anything to anybody you just want to be happy at the end of the day and so many people just aren't so what makes you happy you know and there's a saying if you love what you do you never work a day in your life. I'm out in Vegas for 48 hours. I love it. I've been here all day. I could have gone sightseeing.

Why? Even being here for the last couple of hours could catapult. You're building connections. I love it. The location and time freedom we have is just amazing. It's amazing. Even if I were to only make like 100K a year, I think I'd still do this. You're okay. And you've got a great woman in there. Yeah, I got lucky. She's amazing. Even if I were to only make like a hundred K a year, I think I'd still do this. You're okay. And you've got a great, great woman in there. Yeah. I got lucky. She's

awesome. First girl I ever dated. She's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. One and one and done for me there. Yeah. That's, that's all you need. Yeah. Yeah. When you know, you know, I mean, people, especially guys, they, they like to, I don't know. You know what I mean? Like it's like Costco. We just want to sample everything before we settle well that's because of our generation's stances on dating these days yeah i think uh they're scared of marriage and stuff but i think if you can find somebody you're comfortable with and you know that appreciates you regardless of anything else that's that's everything yeah and you know even for me like even finding jeff like oh my god i don't even know where i'd be without him wow him that's huge probably like in a dark

corner like two months after I had my baby my dad died so I was like oh god so I moved cross country worked from home had a baby lost my dad during a pandemic oh my god perfect storm yeah those were scary times it was horrible yeah super scary man not just

in the world but also for business we were doing live events only oh for you yeah so like michael fomkin genius like literally pivoted like he saw the trend coming and we realized so many people were paying so much money to go to our live events sitting down in front of agents and casting directors but they weren't ready so it was a lot of mindset yes but also like fundamentals yeah and that's why even with vision craft now we're doing so much live, but also on Zoom because it kind of needs to be like

accountability and check-ins a lot. Yeah. You know, because you don't know until you know. So in people's mind, they think they're being proactive, but a lot of times it's their self-doubt that ruins them.

Yeah. There's a lot of unlearning and limited beliefs, right? You've got to address. So it's accountability. Yeah. Accountability is huge for me. Yeah. It's a check-in. How are you? Yeah. Yeah. Accountability. I mean, people don't take it. No. It's crazy to me. I try to take it as much

as I can. Sometimes I see myself. And it's not always easy. Yeah. It's not always easy. You're going to have good days and bad days, but just you're not alone. And I think that's important because as an entrepreneur, that's the scariest thing. You don't know how you're going to make money tomorrow. Yeah. You know, you're 100% dependent on you. But you can't fail if you're going all in. Yeah. You have to do what winners do. A lot's on the line when you go down the entrepreneur route.

People think it's easy because of social media. Oh, you make your own schedule. You write your own paycheck. Do you know how scary that is? Yeah. Yeah. I work probably double the hours of a nine-to-fiver. What are your hours? I'm like, yeah, no. And probably the first five years I made less than a nine to five or two. Yeah. I think we broke even for a long time and I was

like, I'm tired of this. Yeah. But you proof of concept, you need to show like that it works. And sometimes you have to do just enough, you know, we weren't looking to get rich and I still don't consider rich. You know, I just be happy, you know, leave a legacy and be able to. Yeah. Help people. Yeah. If you help people, I think the money will come. Yeah.

You have to do the right thing. Yeah. You know, like there's so much out there, especially in show business, entrepreneurship. Everybody's a coach. Everybody's, you know, doing an online course. How are you different? You know? I see so many courses. All day. Crazy's a coach. Everybody's doing an online course. How are you different? I see so many courses. All day. Crazy. All day. I never went down there.

It wasn't for me. But you know, again, when you're networking and people can see that you're different, you just need a shot. This is how we're different. I'm more of a community guy. You see the group chat. I'm more like, let's help each other rather than me try to help all you at the same time. And that's, somebody has the answer. Somebody has been exactly where you've been and they know how

to circumnavigate. Yeah. If you type in the chat I made and I'm sure in any mastermind chat you're in, you're going to get an answer. But that's, that's why you have to surround yourself with the right people. And sometimes you have to cut a check for that speed because it's really hard to find successful people that actually can help. Why would they want to? If they want to take time out of their day to help a random person. Who are you? Alicia, it's been fun. Anything you want to promote or close off with?

VisionCraft, it's coming. It's going to be amazing. So if you're an entrepreneur and you want to get in front of the right people and be able to tell your story, because again, they're not buying their product, they're buying you. A lot of people don't know how to sell themselves. VisionCraft, it's coming. And VIPip ignite for any aspiring model or an actor but you can find the right people we'll link below thanks for coming thank you so much it was fun thank you thanks for watching guys as always see you tomorrow

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