2015 Fastlane Summit, Official Thread

[csalvato]

Don't have time for a full write-up of my experiences, but going after blue whales ( a la @benhebert ) means I just emailed the CEO of a company I am working with directly, instead of dealing with their low level peons.

Well...that was fast...

Chris- Thanks so much for the email. Are you free at all after 3:00 PT tomorrow?

I can't thank you enough for reaching out to me directly to discuss this. I take a lot of pride in the products we've built for publishers, but I know there is always room for improvement. Looking forward to hearing your ideas.

 

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[Bosstradamus]

Well...that was fast...

Holy cow!

Thats whats up man. Freakin amazing!

 

[csalvato]

LOL ok this is too funny to be true.

Before I emailed the CEO, I emailed the low level peon and her boss I was working with. The boss accidentally replied to all:

We can give him lead data, what does it matter. This guy is a moron

Too bad I have a meeting with his CEO tomorrow.

 

[throttleforward]

I lol'd-epic! Now you're required to tell us how it goes tomorrow when you slowly slide that printout across his desk.

 

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[throttleforward]

The boss accidentally replied to all:



Too bad I have a meeting with his CEO tomorrow.

You should also ask him to leave a comment when he unsubscribes to your email list

 

[Arrabista]

Wish I could have been there.. maybe @Arrabista will feel like sending me some notes =). Met him briefly over dinner in HK and he's a guy I'd love to meet again some day. If you make another trip to Thailand let me know.

Sawat dee kap jake , be careful what you wish for
i think i will be passing through bangkok in June , i will hit you up for a catch up .

 

[randomnumber314]

LOL ok this is too funny to be true.

Before I emailed the CEO, I emailed the low level peon and her boss I was working with. The boss accidentally replied to all:

Too bad I have a meeting with his CEO tomorrow.

CEO's are people just like anyone, unimportant supervisors tend to be caught up in the "prestige" of their jobs. Bottom line, if you can help the company, anyone with any title should be happy to sit down with you.

Great work, you're gonna kill it!

 

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[csalvato]

CEO's are people just like anyone, unimportant supervisors tend to be caught up in the "prestige" of their jobs. Bottom line, if you can help the company, anyone with any title should be happy to sit down with you.

Great work, you're gonna kill it!

Exactly how I was approaching it too..

Also that most managers are not looking for opportunities to improve the company. They are looking to not lose their job and not have to think at work. So when I ask them to consider things that will help the company they simply say "no".

But the CEO is a true decision maker who has to think hard about how he can make the company better. In many ways, the CEO is going to be easier to convince than a manager.

 

[Arrabista]

Thank you All .
I echo the sentiments here . I m about to board a plane on my first leg to head to Dubai.
15 hours to Hong Kong .
It will give me the time to "decompress and process".
We all made the event worthwhile because we were all invested and committed in it .
if anyone needs anything from me send me a pm . If any of you are passing through Dubai, look me up ....
Go forth and Communicate effectively!
No crotch clutching !!

 

[LightHouse]

Here is my memoir of BnP 2015. It took me a few days to recover... At this point that should be a built in excuse for me.

As others have reflected, thank you MJ, Danielle and Allen for saving BnP and everything that makes it amazing. I came in around the 3rd event(2010?) I believe and there is always a drive to go back.

These past two years I got much more out of my annual trek across the country. I started learning that business isn't the point, making money isn't the point. Those are arguably easy in contrast to how our relationships with people like us really drive everything in life. Business becomes a game of clicking the right pieces of the puzzle together in the right order and the right time. The point was to forge strong relationships with other people that have a drive to effect those around them and have significance in life.

Knowing this I started being more transparent about where I come from, I noticed the more i open up and trust the greatness in those that come, the more amazing the outcome is for everyone. Trust isn't easy and it isn't free.

Now to the tidbits of info and the connections.

Thank you @throttleforward , I got the opportunity to travel with a friend this year. The circumstance of us changing flights and getting in early, turned out to be the most insightful and valuable thing that happened all weekend. We had some very deep conversations throughout Wednesday night and Thursday that may in fact change my life for good.


Thank you @Arrabista , for being so impactful in my life and everyone else's that you meet. You are truly an inspiration to many and the concepts and ideas you teach will better the world, seriously. BTW, the story of how offended you were at getting free soda is my new favorite story of the weekend.


Thank you @GlobalWealth , for being a positive influence on me under all those dirty tricks and terrible re-hashes of my jokes. You have a tremendous amount of knowledge that people value highly... I am starting to think I should actually listen to you


Thank you @1step for taking the time to chat with me Sunday morning and missing part of the event. You’re insight will hopefully push me forward for the new goals I want to achieve, and I am glad we had the chance to connect.

Thank you @danoodle for letting us in on your life. It’s great to really get to know someone at that level as I think it is mutually beneficial. I think you have better clarity on your purpose for your upcoming newborn.


Thank you @Chadi for having a great conversation on sensor technology, singularity, and where humanity is really headed in the future. Thinking on a grand scale opens the mind to greater problem solving and greater impact.

Thank you @Iwokeup & co for letting me be transparent with you. Your perspective on how you run your family has given me a LOT to think about. Your sense of likability inspires me to be that way with others. Our session with @arribista was one of the highlights of my weekend.

Thank you @MJ DeMarco for being around more this weekend. Although you say you are an introvert, we don’t see that in you. You can really captivate an audience and flood them with knowledge. I didn’t get a chance to talk to S much (your SO) but…. That might be a good thing

Thank you @AnneC for reminding me to get my stuff together. Your no excuses approach was the idea I needed to get back to my goals after the last few weeks. It helps to have those pushes. Thanks for not sugar coating it!

Thank you @Jill for making it out. Phx wouldn’t be the same with out you. Thanks for also reminding me much the same that I need to get with it and move forward. I loved the pictures from the Kili climb as well!

Thank you @MikeC for being the best most random dude I know. You already know the thanks I give to you for this weekend via our texts. Can’t wait to see you again next year.

Thank you @Ramble On for our chat at yardhouse. You have a great jump on business and sounds like you are well on your way to success with your wife. Corner that market!

Thank you @Chitown for being so inspiring. I am glad you took a second to ask me about your business. If you ever need help, call me, this time I will pick up! I loved hearing your crazy celebrity filled stories. You are an amazing dude.

Thank you @TopChef for having a short convo at breakfast about amazon. I look forward to hopefully getting some of your guidance. I wish we had more of a chance to chat about it.

Thank you @pickeringmt for being my first day summit buddy. You have a great brand going, I hope some of the concepts you learned can make that business explode. Thanks for being such and awesome dude.

Thank you @OperationMyWay for not dying on me! I still have guilt but I’ll get over that. It was awesome sharing the real deeper moments no matter the outcome at the Summit this weekend with you.

Thank you @K.Y. for being my inspiration to get up and do what it takes. We talked about this on FB. But your willingness to just get up and find any means possible to get to this meet up is an inspiration to everyone that didn’t do that. You have what it takes no doubt to be great.

Thank you @RHL for your teaching and your angles on business given your experience. You have a ton of great stories, and our conversation about dealerships and business was a true highlight of the weekend.

Thank you @Travis Phipps for our conversation on business and life on Saturday. You have a great story and you are extremely knowledgeable in your craft. I hope to connect some more with you and trade some business.

Thank you @Milkanic for our conversations on Marketing Automation. It is always great to chat with people above my technical ability. I am sure we annoyed some with our acronyms but that’s ok, it is its own language.

Thank you @benhebert for sharing your story. You have a great business running and an inspirational background. I hope to meet up with you in Austin and learn some more.

Thank you @JasonR for everything…. Literally everything. I have few great friends and I am glad you are one of them. I have to leave most of the detail out of this thread, but I think you already know. Thanks for helping me change my life this weekend.


And finally thanks to @Red , @MJ DeMarco and @AllenCrawley for resurrecting “BnP” and turning it into something amazing again. I can’t wait for the next one, or in the mean time I can’t wait for all the other meet ups before then!


To those of you not listed, I hope to get to know you more through other channels over the next few weeks and months. There are so many great people; it is hard to make strong connections with so many in such a short time.

 

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[Travis Phipps]

Dude, @LightHouse - that is one helluva thank you post.

It was great to meet you, and look forward to working together and a friendship in the future. I'll stay in touch...in the meantime, if there is anything I can do to help you out, let me know!

Our chat was inspirational and deep...it helped me put perspective on the rest of the event (I still had about 36 hours to go after our meeting).

Thanks again!

 

[JasonR]

Knowing this I started being more transparent about where I come from, I noticed the more i open up and trust the greatness in those that come, the more amazing the outcome is for everyone. Trust isn't easy and it isn't free.

My favorite part about this post. [HASHTAG]#TheTruth[/HASHTAG]

 

[pickeringmt]

Thank you @pickeringmt for being my first day summit buddy. You have a great brand going, I hope some of the concepts you learned can make that business explode. Thanks for being such and awesome dude.

Dude, THANK YOU!

You had some great ideas for my project, and I really appreciate your input.

Literally working on your suggestion right now.

 

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[throttleforward]

Thank you @throttleforward , I got the opportunity to travel with a friend this year. The circumstance of us changing flights and getting in early, turned out to be the most insightful and valuable thing that happened all weekend. We had some very deep conversations throughout Wednesday night and Thursday that may in fact change my life for good.

That means a lot to me - thanks for all your advice, conversation, and for putting me up for the night on Wednesday. You set the tone for the rest of the weekend - I don't think I would have gotten nearly as much out of the experience if I hadn't started it with you.

 

[Iwokeup]

Thank you @Iwokeup & co for letting me be transparent with you. Your perspective on how you run your family has given me a LOT to think about. Your sense of likability inspires me to be that way with others. Our session with @arribista was one of the highlights of my weekend.

You're very, very welcome. If I can ever be of service.

And FWIW, that session with @Arrabista could end up being a very profitable venture here in the States. Depends on what he wants to do.

 

[FionaS]

You're very, very welcome. If I can ever be of service.

And FWIW, that session with @Arrabista could end up being a very profitable venture here in the States. Depends on what he wants to do.

The next Tony Robbins!

 

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[Esquire]

I think I will steal a page out of the @Arrabista play book next time I give an Alimony speech.

"Okay ... everyone out of your seat and let's make two rows. Big Foot ... reach into your wallet ... give half of whatever's in there to Little Foot. Little Foot ... reach into Big Foot's pocket ... take away his car keys. Now Little Foot ... turn up the energy level to a 9 and tell Big Foot you want more. Then repeat!"

 

[Bila]

So jealous i could not come ...Pfffff

 

[Esquire]

Thanks to @Red and @AllenCrawley for all of their hard work in putting this together. Thanks also to all the other speakers for all of the great content. And (of course) thanks to @MJ DeMarco for the best business book ever. Awesome meeting you.

Finally ... thanks to Southwest Airlines ... for overbooking my flight out of Las Vegas ... and hooking me up with an $850 travel voucher. Flying in the Fastlane!

 

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[Esquire]

P.S. I was really bummed that we did not get to hear @eliquid and @AffPlaybook speak. Both of their topics sounded fantastic.

So what's the odds we can convince you two to do a podcast, webinar, or something of the sort so we can catch up on what we missed ...?

I know ya must have put a lot of work into it ...

Whaddayasay ...? Who else wants to hear their presentations ...? Like this post if ya do.

 

[Eskil]

Now that the dust is settling a bit after the weekend, it's time for me to reflect on the meetup. I also wanted to wait a few days to post because I want to keep the spirit of last weekend's meetup fresh in the mind of those of you who are back to your 9-5 or getting tempted to slip back into the unglamorous reality that you perhaps strive to change.

Here is something I told @throttleforward the other day, but I'd like to repeat it here...

For anyone looking at the progress I made in one year, and who feels like they are perhaps stuck or unsure where/how to move forward - I have the following advice:
The thing people in your situation should be absolutely most afraid of - is settling back into routine. That fear was what eventually drove me out of it. I've been there and know how 'comfortable' it is to slip back into the 'everyday of things'. Then before you know it, another month, then 6 months, then 12 months have gone by. That is what you should be scared of.

Embrace the fear of 'settling in'. Instead, maintain the drive and energy from this conference and do NOT let it slip. If you have to - frequently look at photos taken at the event to remind yourself of it. Also - do like @thorn and make it your goal to be up there on that podium next year with YOUR progress story to tell.

Anyway... so this was my 2nd meetup (last year was my 1st), and even though last year was terrific - this was even better. Without repeating what everyone else has already posted before me, it goes without saying that @Red and @MJ DeMarco especially deserve a big tip of the hat for arranging and handling the practical sides of the meetup. @AllenCrawley also did great introducing each speaker (we should hire that guy again for the same job next year...)

The venue and meeting room was well suited I thought (also better than last year), and the food and service was excellent.

All the presentations were great. I'm bummed I missed one (sorry @splok ) but I had to leave to see my son's drum concert with his school band. Other than that, I didn't miss a thing - and I enjoyed every second of my time there. The names are too many to list here and I *think* I got around to meeting and talking to the majority of you.
You know that saying though - time flies when you're having fun? Well that's definitely the case. Those 4 days feel like 1 day, lol. And sadly there were a couple of people I didn't get around to talk to much or at all. If you were one of those people and wanted to talk - please send me a pm and we can catch up in private.

Met lots of extraordinary people though that I am proud to say will become my lifelong friends. Got that same feeling again as I had last year.. that I'm "with my tribe". There's an instant feeling of connection and understanding among us. These are my people. Like I also posted on my Facebook page the other day - there is no bullshit, no arrogance, and no elitist attitudes. 100% down to earth folks.

And thank you @MJ DeMarco for sticking around most of the weekend and mingling with us. I used to be like you, shy of crowds and most comfortable in smaller groups. The best way to get over that is to get out of your own comfort zone, so kudos to you for trying that. (And your presentations were killer btw). Five cards...suited...? LOL I'll try to make it a goal next year to be a poker champ by then.

 

[Eskil]

P.S. I was really bummed that we did not get to hear @eliquid and @AffPlaybook speak. Both of their topics sounded fantastic.

Me too. I've already talked to @eliquid this morning about this. I think he is considering it, but that is ultimately up to him and how he feels about it. Would be great for sure.

I will get in touch with @AffPlaybook and see if he would do an INSIDERS call.

 

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[throttleforward]

Here is something I told @throttleforward the other day, but I'd like to repeat it here...

Sage advice to be sure. I was thrown right back into the DC grind when I got home and could feel the excitement and buzz wither away while sitting in my dayjob cube. Though I had a couple business wins as soon as I got back, today was less spectacular. I began to feel like I was moving in molasses instead of running on jet fuel like I felt yesterday and all weekend.

After reflection, I think I was experiencing the high of events (meet up plus quick business wins) and the grind of the process.

I'm determined to not get stuck again. I'm determined not to get comfortable making slow, steady progress while the weeks and months continue to slip away. I'm determined to not let the big fish I have on the hook get away this time because I was too lazy to reel it in.

I hope for those of you with demanding jobs, kids, or other responsibility that you do the same. It really is time to put up or shut up, especially if you attended this year. No more excuses, half steps or "I'll just wait until they get back to me." There isn't time for that anymore.

 

[AffPlaybook]

P.S. I was really bummed that we did not get to hear @eliquid and @AffPlaybook speak. Both of their topics sounded fantastic.

So what's the odds we can convince you two to do a podcast, webinar, or something of the sort so we can catch up on what we missed ...?

I know ya must have put a lot of work into it ...

Whaddayasay ...? Who else wants to hear their presentations ...? Like this post if ya do.

Hey guys, so sorry I had to miss. I had a family emergency I needed to be home for. I had told Danielle I would be happy to deliver my content somehow, so I'm totally down for that.

Me too. I've already talked to @eliquid this morning about this. I think he is considering it, but that is ultimately up to him and how he feels about it. Would be great for sure.

I will get in touch with @AffPlaybook and see if he would do an INSIDERS call.

Just replied to your email

 

[FionaS]

Sage advice to be sure. I was thrown right back into the DC grind when I got home and could feel the excitement and buzz wither away while sitting in my dayjob cube. Though I had a couple business wins as soon as I got back, today was less spectacular. I began to feel like I was moving in molasses instead of running on jet fuel like I felt yesterday and all weekend.

After reflection, I think I was experiencing the high of events (meet up plus quick business wins) and the grind of the process.

I'm determined to not get stuck again. I'm determined not to get comfortable making slow, steady progress while the weeks and months continue to slip away. I'm determined to not let the big fish I have on the hook get away this time because I was too lazy to reel it in.

I hope for those of you with demanding jobs, kids, or other responsibility that you do the same. It really is time to put up or shut up, especially if you attended this year. No more excuses, half steps or "I'll just wait until they get back to me." There isn't time for that anymore.

Same deal. Came home, was thrust right into watching the kids all day every day. The Skype group and reading on the forums really has been helping, but I definitely need to work extra hard on keeping motivation up while my schedule (and the kids') gets back under control.

Thankfully it'll start calming down tomorrow afternoon, and I should be able to start putting some solid time in.

 

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[TheTruth]

My favorite part about this post. [HASHTAG]#TheTruth[/HASHTAG]

 

[TheTruth]

Embrace the fear of 'settling in'. Instead, maintain the drive and energy from this conference and do NOT let it slip. If you have to - frequently look at photos taken at the event to remind yourself of it. Also - do like @thorn and make it your goal to be up there on that podium next year with YOUR progress story to tell.

I was talking to one of my buddies today and he told me "you have your old energy back, what changed"

I told him...

"I saw pics of BnP and was furious that I wasn't there this time around... all the updates from my friends and the new people that attended made me realize whats important to me again."

Spot on advice

 

[LightHouse]

The thing people in your situation should be absolutely most afraid of - is settling back into routine. That fear was what eventually drove me out of it. I've been there and know how 'comfortable' it is to slip back into the 'everyday of things'. Then before you know it, another month, then 6 months, then 12 months have gone by. That is what you should be scared of.

This is incredible, I need to heed this as well. I think i'll print it out and put it right in front of me.

Funny, because when i bought my new phone, The company's slogan was on the screen that says... "Never Settle" Now I will connect the two.

 

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[LightHouse]

Edit, I added a word that @MJ DeMarco re-enforced to me at RnR saturday night...

Edit: in practice... (Thanks Eskil)

 

[thorn]

This is incredible, I need to heed this as well. I think i'll print it out and put it right in front of me.

Funny, because when i bought my new phone, The company's slogan was on the screen that says... "Never Settle" Now I will connect the two.

What @Eskil said is exactly the point I was trying to make with my post earlier on...@Eskil just does a much better job of getting to the point and I tend to ramble on

It is such an excellent point for ALL of us to heed and we should all have that quote printed out on our desk like @LightHouse 's picture. We all just met 70+ other people who are still riding the adrenaline high...connect with a few and hold yourself accountable. Do something like what @JasonR suggested in his presentation, start writing people checks to cash if you don't accomplish your goals/tasks. Whatever it is, find a system that works to hold you accountable and make it happen.

As a side note, I have no one to blame but myself, and even though I met a TON of people, I didn't really get to connect with you, @LightHouse, or @JasonR for that matter. I really have enjoyed the content of both your posts and will make it a point to make sure we connect next year.