The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk - 087: Selena Soo – How To Get Noticed By Powerful People

Episode Date: January 7, 2016

Episode 087: Selena Soo – How To Get Noticed By Powerful People Selena Soo is an extremely interesting learning leader.  She has built an incredible business out by focusing on developing relationships.    We are extremely fortunate to have Dan share his knowledge with us, the loyal listeners of The Learning Leader Show.  Selena brings 10 years of experience working with visionary leaders in the areas of publicity, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and membership growth. She is most passionate about helping the next big stars monetize their brands and stand out as leaders in their industry. Episode 087: Selena Soo – How To Get Noticed By Powerful People Subscribe on iTunes  or Stitcher Radio The Learning Leader Show “I teach my clients how to cultivate their own powerful relationships with influencers and the media, and become seen as the leaders in their industry.” – Selena Soo Some Questions I Ask: What are the common characteristics of high achievers? How are you able to charge $24K/year for your Mastermind group? What do you provide your clients? What are the specific tactics used to earn PR? What does your publicity program entail? Why do we struggle to implement and execute on what we learn from books/speeches/workshops? What books have had the biggest influence on your life? What does being a learning leader mean to you? In This Episode, You Will Learn: The critical components of sustaining excellence: A commitment to being the best Building relationships with a bang The process for starting his own business and leaving his comfort zone The importance of humility Why relationship building is the ultimate key to success Being a giver – Why it’s a must Why it’s never an overnight success Get your free gift from Selena “I Help Experts, Authors, And Coaches Who Are Looking To Make It Big — Both Online And In The Mainstream.” – Selena Soo Continue Learning: Go To Selena’s website: s2-groupe.com Claim your free gift from Selena: s2-groupe.com/vipvideo Read Business Insider’s Article: How a woman who once made a $42,000 salary built a business that earns up to $300,000 a year Follow Selena On Twitter: @selenasoo You may also like these episodes: Episode 001: How To Become A Master Connector With Jayson Gaignard From MasterMind Talks Episode 034: Jimmy Hatch – Shot While Searching For Bowe Bergdahl And Sky Diving With Gabby Giffords Episode 004: How Todd Wagner (and Mark Cuban) Sold Broadcast.com To Yahoo! For $5.7 Billion Episode 010: Shane Snow – How To Accelerate Success Using Smart Cuts Did you enjoy the podcast? This was a jam packed episode full of great content.  Selena Soo is leader who is constantly learning in order to help us all live a better life. Who do you know that needs to hear this?  Send them to The Learning Leader Show! Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell Bio From s2-groupe.com Selena brings 10 years of experience working with visionary leaders in the areas of publicity, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and membership growth. She is most passionate about helping the next big stars monetize their brands and stand out as leaders in their industry.  Selena has relationships and friendships with editors at Fortune, Forbes, Entrepreneur, O – The Oprah Magazine, Glamour, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, Whole Living, Fitness, Shape, More, Seventeen, People, NBCU, and ABC News along with numerous influential bloggers in the personal and professional development space.

You know, as you mentioned, like I'm big on relationships. I really believe that's everything because, you know, when you think about every single opportunity that we get in life, whether it is we get a client or we, you know, are featured somewhere, or we get introduced to someone. It all comes down to there's a person that is helping us get that opportunity. We don't get these opportunities by ourselves. There's always people involved. And so, you know, when I help people with publicity also think about, you know, who are the people that you need to be connecting with? And nowadays in the ward of publicity, it's not just traditional publicity, it's, you know, online is huge, and it's bloggers and influencers and other individuals, people that you can build a real relationship with. I mean, you can't really build a relationship with Fortune magazine, but you can build a relationship with people at that publication.

Are leaders born or are they made? Our host, Ryan Hawk, believes that leaders can be made through determined, focused work on learning the art and science behind the makeup of other successful leaders. Now it's time to inhale knowledge and exhale success. You're listening to The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk. Hey, and welcome to the Learning Leader Show. I am Ryan Hawk. So excited for tonight's featured leader. It's with Selena Sue.

Selena has 10 years experience working with visionary leaders in the areas of publicity, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and membership growth. She's also passionate about helping the next big star, monetize their brands and stand out as leaders in their industry. You guys got to go look Selena up. Check her out on Google. You'll see her rocket ship type career that she's truly created for herself. A couple of things we got into tonight.

The keys to her success before anyone knew who she was, how helping others has led to what she is currently doing today. And then how was she able to create a mastermind group where she charges each member $24,000 to be part of it, and that's only for one year. And she details how each and every person in that group is getting a massive return on that investment. And she has a free gift for the listeners of the Learning Leader Show, which is a video she's created that helps visionaries get their ideas heard, which I'm very appreciative of

her to offer that. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, it's Selena Sue. Hey, Selena. to get this one going. I appreciate you being here on the Learning Leader Show. I got a quick question to get us rolling. And that's around sustained excellence. And you have really built your business in your career on spending time around and building relationships with people who have sustained excellence over long periods of time. You obviously are one of those people as well. And I'm curious from your perspective, what are some of the common characteristics that those people all

seem to share. That's a great question. I love it. I mean, there are a lot of people out there who are looking to be successful. And I think there's a lot of, you know, the latest marketing tricks and things like that that they're trying to learn about to kind of get that inside edge. But when I really look at the people that I admire, people like my friend, Rite seti, Marie Forleo, and other people, there are definitely certain common characteristics. Also, Derek Halpern is another person who comes to mind in this category. And I think first and foremost is that they are dedicated to excellence. You know, when they put out a product, it needs to be world class. When they create content, it has to move people. They're not about putting out B plus work. You know, it has to be A plus. It has to be

the very best that they could give to the world. And I'm lucky to know each of them personally. And I just know how much they care about their audience and how committed they are to being the very, very best. And I mean, maybe it sounds very, very, just, generic, but the truth is I think a lot of people don't really push themselves, you know, to their full potential. And so that's something that I really admire and people like Rameet, Marie, Derek Halpern. And it's something that, you know, I also do in my own business. I push myself to be my best. And I think that really, that that comes down to, I think, why my business has been successful over the past three years. Yeah, I was going to ask you examples.

And so I know Rameet, I've emailed with him a little bit as well as Derek. It's interesting, Because those people have, and I know that you've personally learned from them as well, and even in some cases invested. So let's dive in now to your story, Selena, and really a little bit about your background and then currently what you're doing today. Yeah, sure. So my stories, for many years, I was reading the blogs and watching videos with the people I admired. And I would, you know, be sitting at home in my bed being like, wow, this person is so amazing. And I would, you know, forward their emails to my friends being like, you've got to sign up for their newsletter. You've got to check them out.

It had always been drawn to the world of personal development and entrepreneurship. I think it's because, you know, I saw these leaders and these inspirational personalities and they were helping people live better lives. And I thought, what could be better than that? And not only that, but they had built really inspiring businesses where they got to track. and do things they loved and express their ideas. And so these were the people that I just gravitated towards. And I actually had the chance to connect with some of them.

So, Rameet Satie is someone who I'd probably been following for the longest, you know, read every single newsletter and bought his book, bought all his courses and things like that. And I was walking home from my summer internship. This is when I was in business school. And I spotted him on the street. And I just went up and introduced myself to him. And because I had bought his, you know, Earn 1K program and read his book, we just had so much

to talk about. We really hit it off. And he would host these meetup events in New York City. And so I would go to these events and connect with him and his friends. Derek Halpern would come to these events. And I just, you know, I guess with Rameit and all these people that I met, I just really cared about them and was inspired by them. And so I just made myself a helpful person in their life.

And one day Remy reached out to me while I was in business school saying, that he was relaunching his site. He had these two different versions of new home pages and one of my feedback. And I was in my entrepreneurship class at the time, and I left the classroom, because in my mind, nothing was more important than this, helping someone that I admired so much.

And I basically spent the rest of the day doing market research with my classmates and writing up pages of very detailed feedback, and I sent it over, and he was blown away. And that's just kind of how I always am. I'm always helping people. oftentimes unsolicited, but when I get to know someone, I understand what their goals are and their business or where they need help, or maybe they ask me for help, but I always, you know,

I go above and beyond. And even though Remy is not, you know, a client anyway, rather I'm a student of his courses, but I've just been helpful to him in various ways that he really understood my work ethic and the quality of my work. And so he was able to tell people like Marie Forleo about me and endorse me to others. And there are variety of people like, Marie Forleo and Danielle Lipport, who I've helped in different ways. And so this was all while I was in graduate school, I didn't have a business or anything. And when I finally realized I wanted to start a business, which was also when all of these amazing people that I admired for years were telling me that I was really good and really

believing in me that gave me the confidence. So when I did start, I did have testimonials from Marie Forleo, Daniel Leport. I'd also been building a lot of relationships with magazine editors. And so I was able to start my business with a bang. So that's kind of how it began. And there's a lot to share from there. But I think that's just, yeah, that's where we'll stop there. Yeah.

So you start your business and let's talk about the business and what you do and specifically what you provide for your customers and your clients. Okay. Great. So when I started, I started off as a publicist because my greatest passion and it still is is promoting visionary people and their ideas. If I think someone is amazing and can help people, I just want to get their work out into the world. So I was always doing this naturally anyways, mostly just for free and connecting people

and promoting people very organically. But I decided, okay, I want to make this a business. I know that I'm creating so much value. I'm getting a lot of results for people. And so I, you know, had a couple PR clients, and I just realized that I didn't really want to do publicity in the traditional way. And the thing is, is that publicity is hard work. You know, you have to write very customized pitches to people. It can take time for things. to develop, you know, you might want an opportunity. It might take you a year to get it or six months or four months or maybe you might just not get it because it's not a fit. And so naturally when publicists are, you know, working so hard, they need to be, you know, compensated.

It's not just like $100, right, type of publicists. It's many thousands of dollars on retainer. And so naturally the expectations are high. But I found that there's just a lot of pressure to get results quickly, which I understand. People are investing a lot. But I, I think there were times where I felt a bit of pressure to almost be aggressive with my media contacts to make things happen and always operated in a more organic way where I'd pursue something if I really felt like it was a win-win for both people versus just trying to push someone else's agenda even if it wasn't a natural fit. And so it just wasn't feeling good for me, even though my clients were great.

So I hired a business coach. I paid a lot of money. I joined a high-end mastermind. It was... How much did you pay? close to $27,000. It's kind of crazy, but I also knew that I was going, I had confidence because, you know, I had PR clients paying many thousands of dollars a month, and I also had like a line of people

that wanted to work with me because they saw that I'd got an endorsements from Marie Forleo and Danielle Laporte, and, you know, people who followed them or who were in their masterminds wanted to work with me, but I didn't have the right business model. I didn't really know how to help people in the right way that actually felt good for me. just, you know, just be like, oh, I'm not accepting new clients and just kind of turning everyone away. So I knew that the people were there. I just had to create the right offering. And so with my business coach, I created a publicity coaching offering where it advised people on publicity and building relationships. But then I didn't have to do every aspect of the execution work.

We would, you know, I would support them in doing it. And then eventually that turned into a mastermind. I think for me being in a mastermind made me realize, oh, I can create this. And this format is so valuable. And so with creating the mastermind, we added on these in-person retreats in New York City where I would bring together my media contacts, people from places like Fortune Magazine or Oprah, the Today Show, entrepreneur, all these different places. And my clients would have a chance to interact with them face to face and build these relationships. And it was cool because, like, let's just say with 10 clients, I want to introduce them to 50 amazing people over the course of, I don't know, six months or a year, I would have to make 500 email introductions. But if I can just bring them

all together in a room for them to connect and really facilitate those relationships, you know, you can do it in one night, right? So it just became more high leverage and high impact. So people loved it. And so, yeah, I went from just doing publicity coaching to a publicity mastermind, which has been so great for me. I've had some of the best clients I could ever dream of. And then from there I started creating online group programs and I was mentored by Rameit Saiti. I was in his beta group for Zero to Launch and I continue to go back to the material because it's just so good. I'm very active in the Zero to Launch community and it just changed my life in such a big way.

So yeah, that's my story. I gotcha. Can you define what a mastermind is for the people who have never been a part of one? Sure. So the term mastermind means the meeting of the minds and it's about the idea that we can create so much more together than by ourselves. And so with a mastermind, there's typically an event, whether it's an in person event or online event, where someone is in a hot seat and they're saying, I have this challenge in my life or in my business and I would love your support. And then you've got a group of people who are brainstorming and figuring out solutions, offering ideas. And so with a mastermind, you know, I love your support. And then you've got a group of people who are brainstorming and figuring out solutions, offering ideas. And so with a mastermind, What was cool is it wasn't just me being their coach, which was a huge part of it, but there was also a whole, you know, group of super, you know, successful visionary people who were all reaching the same types of goals and we could all help each other get to the next level. This was very powerful. And so the mastermind is one of your cornerstones for success, both being in one and then creating your own. So what is the, what is it like to be a part of, first of all, two questions.

So one, what does it cost to be in your mastermind group? And then what do you specifically get? What's the return on that investment? Right. Okay. So with my mastermind, the first time I launched it, it was a six-month program. I charge 9,500, I mean, essentially 10,000. And then I doubled the length of the program later.

I mean, for our first launch, it's smart to do six months because it's hard to initially get people to commit for a year. For the year-long program, we up the price to 24. thousand dollars and it included three retreats in New York City regular coaching calls with me email access and with my clients they're not just seeking publicity they're looking to take their businesses to the next level so I help them with that too and so when they have a launch coming up I'll be there to support them sometimes my clients will send me the webinar that they're doing for you know the for the launch I'll watch the webinar I'll give them feedback I'll look at

their sales page I'll coach them through things so it's kind of like a business and publicity coach in one person. So that's, you know, a lot of what I do is advising and coaching and helping with relationship building too. And so I'll connect my clients to people I think they should know. And the mastermind, I have run it for about over two years now. It's coming to a close right now. We just had our last call on December. I'm putting it on pause because I'm creating a new publicity program that's just going to require my full-time focus to really get it off the ground in the way that I want to. But I do. I do. see myself continuing to help people in a one-on-one way or a small group way just because

it's so rewarding for me. But I'm going to have to kind of move that from my primary focus to something that I, you know, probably pick up later. I mean, 24K for a year program, that's, that feels to me like a really high-end program. So I guess it elicits it two thoughts. One, like, wow, that's incredible. Congrats to you, you know, for making that happen. But two is why shut down that nice stream of revenue for yourself and your business? Good questions. Yeah, so I'll talk about, I mean, there's a few things that you brought up. One was the investment, and it is a lot of money.

And also because it is so much money, I didn't really actively push my mastermind. I'm not, you know, sending out, I mean, at least this entire year, like emails to my list, asking anybody to join the mastermind, people usually just find out about it and ask me about it. And I'm not one of those people who is trying to get on the phone and just like close people and say the things they want to hear. It's more about me getting to know someone and really seeing, am I the right person that can really create, you know, 10x at value for them. And if not, then, you know, I wouldn't want someone to spend the money because I know that as

entrepreneurs, we really need to watch our expenses. But for the right person, it can be really game-changing. One of my clients who is incredible, her name's Kimmer Luna, and she was on welfare for many years, and she started her online business in May of 2014, and one year later, she generated close to $900,000. It's an incredible success story. And not because of me, though, on her own, she did that. But then she came to me because she was really looking to take things to the next level in terms of publicity. And she, you know, very quickly built this big community.

She's got, you know, all these people who love her. And she has successful launches. And so working with me, we can kind of push things to a higher level. I don't think, I mean, obviously still, it's a major investment that's only to think carefully about. But I can really do a lot to help someone like that. And there have been profile stories on her and Business Insider and Forbes.com. And there's a lot of really big major media that will be.

coming out a lot of, yeah, just like the top top people who are really interested in her story. And so it's really such an honor for me to support someone like her who is so amazing. And so someone like that can really see the return on their investment. And there are other people who maybe are not quite, you know, where camera is financially. But typically my clients are already making six figures or multi-six figures when they work with me in the mastermind. And they're kind of on an upward trajectory. and so I can just help them get there faster,

but I wouldn't take someone on if I didn't feel like they would get a major return. It just wouldn't feel right for me. So then the second part of the question, why shut it down next year? Yeah. So I'm somebody that just really believes in the power of focus. There is just so much going on when you run a business, you know, from customer service and operations and different programs

and, you know, all the relationships I'm managing with the media and other online influencers. And there's just, there's so much. And with my clients, I love them so much. And I just care so much about their businesses. I treat their businesses like it's my own business. Like, that's just how I feel about it and how I show up. And I think that's why I've also been successful in getting great clients because people know that about me and getting great endorsements.

But at the same time, I know that for this publicity program that I want to launch, I really need to focus on that because it's such a big endeavor. And, yeah, the mastermind, it's a lot of work to put together these retreats. You know, with the retreats, I try to bring different people every time because I want my clients to just have to expand their network to the biggest network possible. And so, you know, let's say there's 40 new VIP guests that I'm bringing to each retreat from all these different magazines and online publications. And, you know, it's like that's 120 people.

and I'm reaching out to people sometimes who I don't even know in the media. And you've got to understand that these people from these top magazines, I mean, they're being invited by big corporations to fancy parties or getting, you know, invited to celebrity events. There's so many options. There's so many reasons why they would say no. And for me, I mean, one of my skills is writing emails and just getting people to say yes and influencing people. And so I spend a lot of time just like working on these emails to turn these.

people who don't know me, strangers or acquaintances, into friends of my company and people who are interested in my clients. So it takes a lot of work. And that's just one aspect of the mastermind. There's so many other aspects of the mastermind and what I do for my clients. So, you know, I mean, it's one of the best things I've done in my life. And it was also a growth experience for me because, you know, I've had the privilege of really getting to know all these superstars, businesses inside and out. And even though I'm coaching them, naturally, there's so much that I'm learning as well. So I think it's been a win-win all around. And in terms of kind of the next phase of my business growth, you know, I need to focus on this next launch. But with all my

clients, I kind of feel like family. And so with many of them, we're still going to be in touch. And I'm still going to be supporting them in my own way, but not as official clients. So that's why I'm putting it on pause for now. But who knows what may happen in the future. But it's been so rewarding to do this for the past two years. Okay, I got you. Have you read Greg McKeon's book called Essentialism, The Discipline Pursuit of Less? I have. It's such a good book.

So good. Right in the middle of it. And it made me think of this because it really shows a lot of discipline on your part because I think there are a lot of people. And it feels like you're playing the long game too. It would be easier to just say, wow, this is great. You know, I'm getting 24K a pop. It's fun. I enjoy it.

I'm seeing these people. I'm helping accelerate my client's businesses. Like everything is great. Revenue's up. You know, and I've read obviously there's a ton of PR. A lot of stories about you. Business Insider wrote an interesting story earlier in the year.

You know, how a woman who once made a $42,000 salary built a business that earns up to $300,000 a year. And I know at this point you're even bigger than that. So talk to me a little bit about that side because I think, and I've had a few guests who've talked about PR, but prior to, gaining some of this knowledge myself. You know, I just thought this writer, Libby Kane,

or somebody else would just randomly seek out people. But PR really works. It's kind of a two-way street from what I've learned. I love you and you, an expert, to tell me about how stories like this get written, whether it's in Fortune or Business Insider or, you know, Oprah, whatever, how it all happens, the back and forth, the people pitching stories. Really, that's, I'm curious. Yeah, there's so much to say about how to get PR.

I'll start with a few ideas and I can go deeper if you want. But I think when you're thinking about getting PR, you want to first think about what's the right PR for me. Because different PR serves different purposes. For example, if you're looking to get published by, you know, or get a book deal by a mainstream publisher, you're going to want traditional PR. They're going to want to see that you've been on TV or in traditional magazines, brands that they recognize it lends a lot of credibility.

But if you're looking for PR to grow your business and get clients, it might make more sense to be in niche publications or on podcasts. I personally think that podcasts are one of the best forms of PR possible. I know it's a very kind of new format of media, but at the same time, it's just so powerful. You know, my own business, I found that when people hear me on a podcast and they're listening to a, you know, 30-minute or one-hour conversation, you know, we get to go deep.

They really get to know me and my philosophies, and what I've done in my business for my clients. And then when people, you know, then decide, okay, now I want to join this person's list. They're just super engaged. And the seeds already been planted for a lot of them. I want to work with this person one day. I feel like this person could really add something to my business. And when I, you know, even look at who is my mastermind, a lot of people have said,

you know, I heard you on the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast. I read that piece on fast company.com or that guest post on Ramit's website. And I just knew, like, I was going to work with you one day. Yeah, when I really trace back where my clients have come from, a lot of it has come through publicity. I love online publicity, especially because, you know, you can promote it to your email list. It's so shareable. I think another big piece about publicity is also really leveraging it because, like, let's say, you know, I'm on a podcast. That's great.

I'm going to access a new audience. But also, you know, I want to give that information to my audience because it's a form of content. It's going to help them connect deeper with me. And so what I do with a lot of my clients is I really show them how to leverage their content in a big way. One quick example is I was doing this interview last, oh, wait, it was this year with Andrew Warner on Mixergy. Yeah, I watched that. You watched that? Yeah, it was a good interview.

And Andrew is, what's the word to describe his interview style? I feel like it's combative of all. Challenger? Challenger. Yeah. He's great. He's great. He's great.

Yeah. It's kind of like he's an aggressive interviewer. He is. You better be ready to go. when you go on his show. Yeah, I was like pretty nervous because I knew that he was going to ask me about revenue. And back then, I mean, that was just earlier this year. I didn't really talk about my revenue as much.

Now I'm pretty open just because I feel like it's something that people can learn from. And it's good to see what other people are doing. But I knew, oh my gosh, he's going to ask me what I make and he's going to ask me this and that. And, you know, my audience, they were watching the interview and people were telling me, like, I was sweating. Like, you know, the way that he was challenging you. It was like, you know, but you held your own. So it was very entertaining. But with the interview, I knew that I wanted to really talk about my program, Get Know and Get Clients, which is a six-month program that I offer.

And it's $3,000. It's a high-touch group program. And I told Andrew in advance. I wanted to talk about that. And so we spent a lot of time discussing the program and just, you know, talking about different results I've had in my business and for clients and things like that. And then when I launched the program, I included that interview in the launch sequence. I think I sent that interview to my list two times. And, you know, when people are, some people might think, okay, well, people are busy.

They only want to watch like two or three minute videos. But the truth is, if someone's deciding whether to sign up for a $3,000 program and it's the most money they've ever invested in their business, they're going to be willing to watch a one-hour interview to learn about the person that they'll be learning from. And so there are a lot of people that joined my program who said, yeah, I watched that interview and I just knew that I needed to be in Get No and Get Clients. that kind of got me off the fence and into the program. I hear that so many times.

Or you have people who don't join that program in particular, they may be like, you know, I just know I want to work with you specifically. And I can't wait. And I can't wait. You know, so it's so exciting. And so such a gift to have these incredible, you know, media opportunities because it really builds your brand in such a big way. It builds your business in a huge way.

It helps you get clients. It's not, you know, I think sometimes people think that they have the wrong expectations of media. like, oh, I'll be on Oprah, I'll be on the Today Show, and then I'll be a millionaire, or I'll just suddenly have 10,000 new people on my list. It doesn't quite work like that. But when you really leverage the publicity in the right way and you, you know, are prepared for your interviews and kind of know what you're looking to do and how you're looking

to connect with the people that you're, you know, speaking with or who are listeners of the podcast or readers of your guest posts, I mean, you create that really deep emotional connection and engagement that turns people into subscribers and potential. actually buyers. I mean, it's just, it's so powerful. So whenever I, you know, work with someone on getting publicity for their business, like I don't even, I just take a big step back. And like, you know, I want to know where they want to be in their business in three years and 10 years. You know, what is there, if they can even think that far? But really, what is their long-term vision for their business and what's going to get there? Is it, you know, growing their email list?

Is there, are they looking for more customers for their group programs? Are they looking for a book deal because based on all those details, that's going to determine what the publicity plan is. And also, who are the people they need to connect with? You know, as you mentioned, like, I'm big on relationships. I really believe that's everything because, you know, when you think about every single opportunity that we get in life, whether it is we get a client or we, you know, are featured somewhere, or we get introduced to someone. It all comes down to there's a person that is helping us get that opportunity.

We don't get these opportunities by ourselves. There's always people involved. And so, you know, when I help people with publicity also think about, you know, who are the people that you need to be connecting with? And nowadays, in the ward of publicity, it's not just traditional publicity. It's, you know, online is huge and it's bloggers and influencers and other individuals, people that you can build a real relationship with. I mean, you can't really build a relationship with Fortune magazine, but you can build a relationship with people at that publication. And so, you know, I really help my clients think long term, develop. relationships and also just, you know, not be aggressive and fearful about things needing to happen

ASAP, but rather really getting to know different people, understanding what their needs are. And then if you're somebody who can help them with their needs and serving their audience, then, yes, pursue it, you know, explore opportunities. And so I'm just really proud of my clients because I think that, you know, in the space of the personality space, which I work in, I help personal brands. There can be people who are divas and demanding and all of that. But when I look at my clients, I truly feel like they are amazing role models for people, you know, in terms of personal character and the work that they're sharing and their message. It's just everything they do is so high quality and just so heart-centered.

So it's really an honor to help them get their message out there so they can serve more people. You talk about relationships and how that's the building blocks and how that helped you get your business off the ground, even when you were in graduate school. and it reminds me a lot of Joe DeSenna, the leader of the Spartan race company, and he's grown that to be a massive company that's all over the world, episode 55 from here The Learning Leader Show. And he told me great advice to give to particularly younger people, but I think it could apply to anybody. If you see certain individuals or people that are doing what you want to do,

find a way to add value to their lives. find some way, and it's usually for free, offer to work for them, offer to do something for them. And that's exactly what you did with Rameit and with others. You found a way to add tremendous value to his life and his business, and you didn't ask for anything in return, right?

And that was the building blocks of the relationships that you started building. Probably I'm guessing because you had an interest in it and you enjoyed it and you liked it and you were trying to build these relationships with people that you, I'm guessing, would say, admired. And that is what has led to this future success. And I think that's sometimes people see these stories on Business Insider about you making, you know, whatever, half a million dollars. And they're saying, wow, how did she do that overnight?

Well, it wasn't done overnight. It was done because you built these relationships. You worked for free. You gave advice. You added value in a great way. And you were playing the long game. And that's what's led to this. So it's not an overnight success.

They never are. There's always things that lead up to it. And that's what I think is really impressive about your story, Selena. Thank you. You know, another thing I just have to say is I think it's also about a lifestyle, you know, and how kind of I show up every day and my clients too. You know, I think that when you show up in the world as somebody who was a giver and just cares about people, like, and you're doing that every day.

I mean, good things end up happening. So it's not like, you know, know, being like, well, I mean, on the one hand, well, it's great to have a plan. I'm not saying a plan or a strategy is a bad thing necessarily. And I do teach people how to, you know, develop a strategy in my influence course on networking. But really, these things do happen organically. The strategy or the plan is to keep you on track. But it's more about, you know, you meet someone, you connect with them, you're inspired. And then you've an idea, oh, let me help you in this way. So it has been pretty organic. And then the other thing that I'll say, too,

is you mentioned just, you know, kind of giving and giving and not really asking for anything. And I think that there's just kind of a nuance that I want to, I guess, expand on. On the one hand, you know, definitely when I am connecting with people, first and foremost, I'm thinking about, you know, how can I help them? I'm just, you know, I am inspired by them and the opportunity to help them grow their business in any way or support them, be a part of their world. That's a reward. So I'm not, you're necessarily looking for, okay, I'm going to help this person.

person because I want that they have, I'll help them for free, but later I know that I'm going to want to ask for these one, two, three, four things. That's not really the approach. It's just about generally wanting to connect with people and understanding that, you know, these people are really busy and maybe there's nothing that they can offer me back. And that's okay because the opportunity to connect with them and make a difference was so fulfilling. So that's kind of how I approach relationships. And at the same time with people like Rameit and other people, I have asked them for things, you know, but it's more of an organic thing. I think that when you have a relationship with someone that is a long-lasting relationship,

it's natural for, you know, people to give to each other. But I don't ask for things that I think this person will be uncomfortable giving me. Or sometimes I have, you know, there was one case where I asked for something from someone or more than one case, and people have had to say no to me. And it's not a big deal, you know, and I just say that, like, share kind of why they can't say yes to my request and I'll be like I totally understand what you're saying makes perfect sense and usually what they'll be is like I can't say yes to this but I would like to help you in this different way and I'm like yes let's do that so when people can't help

me I never set at them or make them feel bad about it it's usually just they need to help me a different way especially with super high profile people they're just certain things they can say yes to considering things they can. And if they say yes to you, then they need to say yes to their 100 other friends. We're going to ask them for the same thing. So I just wanted to add that piece in. Well, and, you know, I know you're an Adam Grant fan as well. And Adam talks about that it's, as givers, you do need to give other people the opportunity to, to help and to be givers. And so asking for advice or asking for mentorship is a good thing, especially if you, if you're proven over time to be a giver yourself. That's not.

taking that's giving somebody else an opportunity to do something that they love to do, which is help and give. And so it is a really highly nuanced thought that it's not just black and white when it comes. Do you just give and take? Or are you giving for a specific reason to get to have a big ask down the line? Because we all know those types of people that they're they're doing something to kind of mail in a give because they have this massive ask that they're just ready to tee up. And those are the type of people that we don't like to do business with or don't like to work with. But the others who truly are there to help and they love seeing you be successful. Those are the ones that there's, it always seems to be a healthy back and forth with,

with those types. So I want to, I want to learn, uh, Sleen, a little bit about what's next because you're, you know, you're shut down or at least temporarily, you're, you're, um, really a big revenue generating mastermind group for this publicity program that's coming up. Uh, talked, talk to talk me about what specifically it is, what it will provide for. clients. I mean, this might be something I'm seriously interested in. I know this is it's kind of off the cuff. We haven't discussed it. So I'd love to learn a little bit out just selfishly here. Yeah. No, I would love to talk about it. So first before I get into the details of what it is, I've just kind of been sitting with myself and getting really clear about what

what am I meant to do, you know, in this world, what are my guests, what are my strengths why I meant to share. And, you know, I'm just very clear at the thing that I am most passionate about. is promoting visionary people and their ideas, helping people who are heart-centered and mission-driven, get their ideas and work out into the world. There's nothing more rewarding to that. I mean, I've been doing that my whole life, just very naturally connecting people, promoting people, and getting them out there. So I love doing that.

And related to that, the thing that I am best at is building relationships. And, you know, every day I'm just meeting great people. And there's also been times where I've wanted to even create work. more relationships for my business and for my clients, but I haven't had the bandwidth because, you know, I just, there's a lot happening inside my business. But like as an example, the other day, it was last Friday, I had a meeting with the editor-in-chief of Mind Body Green, and I went to the office and I got to meet Sony, you know, a couple of really cool people at the company. And then, you know, I had a pretty long chat with the editor-in-chief there. And within like

two minutes, we had bonded so quickly. It was like we were soul sisters. And we just had such a great conversation. And she's so excited about what I'm doing to help people and want to support what I'm doing. And, you know, I know people from, you know, as you know, many different publications like Oprah Magazine and Fortune and Entrepreneur and podcasts. And there's just, you know, I just have this big network. And I really want to cultivate those relationships deeper and have them help people in my community for this new program. So the new program, I'm not going to share the name yet because. because it's not public yet.

We're getting trademarked, but it's a publicity program, and it's to help visionary people get their ideas, products, and services out there to many more people to really establish themselves as the go-to person in their industry to push their stories out there, their ideas out there, their courses and programs out there. And when we're talking about publicity, it's all types of publicity from, you know, online publicity, like getting on top podcasts and guest posting on top podcasts, and guest posting on top. blogs like, let's see, like Huffington Post and entrepreneur in all these places, to being featured in mainstream magazines and on TV and really leveraging that media in a powerful way to really

grow your business, to get clients, to fill group programs, to really be seen as an industry leader and be, you know, elevated to a place where you're at the same level as those people that you admire. And the course is really about helping people impact millions. And so I'm very to say about the program. And another thing that I know just from working with so many clients is that you don't impact millions overnight. You know, it's not like you do a four-week course and then you're done. You know, there's work that you need to be doing consistently. There's relationships that you need to build when you have that big goal. And so I also wanted to create a membership program. So it's going to be for, at least for the charter members who join,

I'm giving them one year free access to the community. So it's going to be a Facebook group. And there's a lot of exciting things we're doing inside of that. But in addition, every single month will have a call with a media insider. So already, you know, Kerry, the editor-in-chief of Mind-Body Green, has agreed and is very excited about doing a call to really get to know people in this community and talk to them about how they can be in Mind-Body Green and how they can get their content to go viral. And in the future, I'll have people from probably Oprah Magazine and this place and that place. I mean, depending on where also my audience wants to be.

so I'll be doing a bunch of surveying. I'm just really thinking about the network that I have, which is pretty powerful and really focusing on expanding it, and then giving those, basically, those contacts or those relationships to people who are part of this program through these group calls. And when they engage with people on these group calls, it's also easier to reach out to them and follow up with them.

And they're also going to be sharing things that they don't share with other people in terms of what's coming up next at the publication or for the podcast. And so I just really want to help a lot more heart-centered mission-driven people that want to make a difference and get more exposure for their work and reach millions. That's my goal. And so there's just a lot of work to do around that because I'm going to do the heavy lifting of bringing a lot of these relationships to them and creating a super amazing course that's just really going to set them up to succeed. So that is what's coming up.

And not right away, but in a couple of years from now I could see myself doing big live events with, you know, top people like Ariana Huffington, Cheryl Sambor, Gary Vanierchuk, like that kind of caliber of person, you know, who I think can really inspire and help my people get to their next level. So that's what my focus is. Nice. Really, really neat. Are there any, I'm trying to think of actionable, practical tips for people.

Are there specific texts or books that you would suggest people to read if they want to learn more about this line of work and they're interested in it? I do like Ryan Holiday's book. Trust me, I'm lying. That's really good. I'm trying to think about other books on PR. Ryan, by the way, I'm recording with him next week. So just a heads up, too.

It's pretty cool. Yeah, I mean, he's just a genius. His work is controversial, so people might, you know, it might make people a bit uncomfortable, but he talks about kind of the ugly side of media and making things go viral. so it's very interesting. I love his stuff.

But there aren't really any other books I would recommend, actually. I mean, a lot of what I teach is what I've learned from the real world is a lot of stuff that's happening in real time. Also, the media and the publicity landscape just changes so quickly. So, I mean, I can't even refer people to a program or a book that I really think would give them what they really need. That's why I'm creating a course. But Ryan's book would be a great.

place to get started and it's definitely a very entertaining read. Do you have a cost structure for your program yet? Yeah, I'm still finalizing. It's going to be between two to three thousand dollars for a year. Yeah. And then afterwards it'll be like probably $99 a month or $1,000 a year. So it's going to be very affordable for people who are serious about reaching more people and wanting to build these relationships and be a part of this community of, you know, people are, you know, people are changing the world. Yeah, there will be that continuity aspect in the future. Gotcha. Well, I have one more question, Selena. This has been really great. And it's around the whole purpose of my show. And as you know, we've talked prior to you in recording. And this is, it's called The Learning Leadership for a reason,

because I absolutely love the art and science of leadership and the fact that it's certainly something that is learned over time and can be developed, regardless if you're an introvert, extrovert or anything between. I'm curious to get your take on this, and that's when you see and hear the phrase learning leader. What's the first thing that pops into your mind? The first thing that pops into my mind is humility. Tell me more. Sure. So I think that in order to be a successful leader and successful in business, it's all about being open to new information, not feeling like you just know everything. You know, the people that I admire are constantly learning. Marie Forleo has talked about this. Rameet CET talks about this. You know, even though they're so successful, they've got these,

you know, multi, multi-million dollar businesses, they're still taking courses. They're still learning from people who maybe haven't reached the same level of financial success, but they're interested in learning their perspective. And so I'm constantly, and myself, I'm constantly learning. I'm always signing up for new courses, listening to podcasts. I'm really trying to improve and better myself. And just understanding that I don't have all the answers and that, you know, as a leader, I really need to learn from my community what their needs are. There's a lot that they can share with me. There's a lot that my team can share with me. And I think that also that humility keeps you grounded. And I think also, you know, when you're a leader, people look up to you, they're like, wow, this person's so successful. But I think that there can also be a disconnect where it's like, okay, this person's successful, but they're nothing like me.

And I think that when people are humble and vulnerable and wanting to connect. with people at that level. It also creates that trust and just deep understanding that that person does truly care. And that kind of further positions you as their leader. So I just, I think humility is so important. I love it. So good. And I loved having you here.

Sleena, thank you so much for investing your time, which is your most valuable asset here with us. Me and the listener at the Learning Leader Show, I appreciate it. Where should everyone go to find you? online. Sure. They can go to selenasoo.com. It's just my name. It will redirect to my company website. Also, I have a free gift that I would love to tell people about if that's cool. Yeah. Yeah. So I create this video called Get VIP Access to Media Influencers and Online Stars. And it's basically three secrets

to developing powerful relationships with people at Top magazines or the online influencers that you admire. And it's really been the foundation for my success and also for so many of my clients. And so I share a lot of stories and actionable tips and steps. And I just get such great feedback. People are like, oh my gosh, I loved it. I right away implemented things and I got these results. And just something I'm super proud of. So it's okay to put the link in the show notes.

I would love people to check that out. It'll be linked up. What's the link? It is going to be hard to remember. But I'll just say it now. It's my company website S2, S and the number two. S and the number two hyphen group, g-r-o-u-p.com, and then slash VIP video. VIP video.

It'll be linked up as well. So if you're listening in iTunes, you can just scroll down or my website, learningleader.com. It'll be there too. So, Selena, this is great. Thank you so much again for being here. And we'll definitely be continuing this dialogue as we both progress. So I'm excited.

Sounds awesome. Thank you. Thanks. This episode of The Learning Leader Show is over, but we have plenty more to keep you locked in until next time. Head over to Learning Leadershow.com for more information and to request your favorite entrepreneur, CEO, world-class athlete, or anyone else that inspires you. You can also talk to Ryan directly by reaching out to him on Twitter at Ryan Hawk 12. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time on The Learning Leader Show.