2018 Fastlane Summit - Preliminary Probe for Speakers

[MJ DeMarco]

This is an informal inquiry into speakers for the Fastlane 2018 Summit, assuming we put on the event.

We will be looking for a 30-45 minute presentation that appeals to Unscripted Entrepreneurs in general. Such topics can be motivation, beliefs, marketing, advertising, nomading, Cryptocurrency stuff, real estate, investing, etc. PLEASE, no disguised sales pitches.

If you are interested, please send an email to "FastlaneMeetup2015" at Gmail dot com -- also post in this thread if you are interested.

Should the event proceed, the preliminary dates will be either the weekend of February 16-18 or February 23-25. The event will take place Friday and Saturday, and perhaps half the Sunday.

We are looking to return to the same event which hosted in 2016, The Talking Stick Resort and Casino. If you went to that event, it really was a great time.

If you are selected for a speaking position, you're ticket will be either discounted (at least 1/2 off) or FREE. (Costs have not yet been determined.)

If you have a speaking fee (assuming Elon Musk is reading this) you can include that too. In the 10 year history of this event, speakers have been regular contributors of the forum and generally speak because they have something to share.

This event is both a networking event, and a learning opportunity.

THE EVENT WILL NOT BE RECORDED.

So what determines if this event will go on?

1. I expect to make a decision soon, but a lot depends on how I feel. The circumstances which caused me to cancel last year have improved, albeit not as much as I'd like.
   
2. The quality of the speaker proposals and their content.
   
3. The cost of the event, interest, etc.

If it does happen, usually about 150 tickets are offered and it sells out within 6 hours.

~ MJ

 

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[million$$$smile]

Though I'm not as active on the forum as previously, I think I could give some value to others by sharing a bit of what I've learned.

Topics I could speak on (all with verifiable results)

• Building a B&M store from $0 to nearly $500K/yr
• Creating a niche market website from scratch to $650K/yr
• Private branding products without outsourcing
• Why China, when your next product could be next door...
• Amazon, and 4000 product listings later...
• Listening to a different drummer is Life Unscripted

R

 

[biophase]

I'll present on eCommerce

 

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[GlobalWealth]

As always, I'm in. Also happy to speak. Some topics that come to mind:

• Tax minimization strategies for location independent entrepreneurs (digital nomads) - "How to live tax free and travel the world..."
• Info product develop strategies and marketing - I have a few info products that have been doing pretty well and creating a good funnel for my upsells
• Managing short term rental properties in multiple countries

I have spoken in the past about asset protection and wealth preservation/growth, but I'm bored with those topics at this point. If someone really wants to discuss them I'm an easy target to be bribed with bourbon....

 

[SteveO]

If be happy to talk about resurrecting a goat track back to the best golf course in the area. It would include the business planning aspects and work involved.

 

[AllenCrawley]

I'll speak. Topic: Launching a licensed brand.

 

[TheTruth]

MJ, do it This event is always worth it.

Things I can speak on:

1) How to build an e-commerce business from $0 to 6 figures (profitably) within 5 months

- Product selection, differentiation, marketing tactics etc.

2) How to scale a business from $180,000 in sales to over $1,000,0000 in revenue (profitably) within 6 months using paid traffic.

- I did this for a tech startup where I can layout the entire strategy and tactics I used

3) How to get to scale to $100,000-$150,000 in adspend/month profitably (the systems needed in place - front end + backend)

- I currently manage $150,000 adspend/month and scaling

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

I mean... I guess I normally talk a lot... lately I've been talking more... and getting paid for it...

Willing to accept *other* forms of payment. ;-) ;-) ;-)

I can do some advanced TR stuff if you want. Maybe behind-the-scenes stuff. Whatever is clever.

I've been doing a little bit of "coaching" (read: having real chats with real friends) quite a bit lately and maybe I should share the content and how to coach.

Or I can do my normal spiel. It's pretty refined these days... I only did it about 700 times last year... and I'm almost up to that now I think this year.

 

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[throttleforward]

Happy to talk about lessons learned from the rise and fall of ValueCrates.

Also happy to talk about how to leverage the federal government to your advantage (i.e. the cheap and easy ways to lobby Congress and your state government like the big boys do). Topics could include: PACs, Super PACs, how the fed. government buys stuff, how to get laws changed, how to use laws to lock out your competition.

 

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[Arrabista]

Hi there Folks ,

sorry havent been visting the forum in a while ....but here are my thoughts for this year .

As a lot of you are crossing borders to do business so I thought I would pitch this because it is relevant and getting more important :

ARRABISTA'S CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION BOOTCAMP !!

some questions to start the ball rolling and get you thinking ....

How effective are you at communicating?
How well do you know your own communication style ?
Why is this important when you travel and meet differing cultures?
What are the pitfalls in cross cultural communication?
How does your message need to be tailored for a Chinese client ?
A Middle Eastern client ?
An Indian client? etc
What is the concept of " Losing Face" ?
What is face ? is it important ?
Personal space , body language and your vocal tonality in influencing clients from differing cultural backgrounds ....?
what is a high context culture?
what is low context culture ?
Negotiating
tactics in differing cultures?
Dealing with conflict and emotions with differing cultures ?

looking forward to your thoughts!

As always i propose that my session to be participatory and interactive : Its learning by "doing ".
You are trying tools and techniques out to add to your communication tool kit ... and hopefully enjoying yourself as you learn .

Thanks,

Arrabista

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Finalizing some contract stuff here so I don't get screwed.

Hope to send out speaker invites later this week assuming we can work out the contract chinks.

Dates: Fri Feb 16 and Sat Feb 17 -- Talking Stick Resort.

 

[AnneC]

Ladies, where are you? Represent!

I know I'm not active on the forums, but I'm usually at the in-person gatherings. If we need a gal in the mix, just holler. Outside of Etsy, I can speak on Amazon Custom / Amazon Handmade, real estate investing (short sales, subject-to, lease options, etc.), or an extended version of doing business with China.

 

[JAJT]

I'll certainly be going barring any unforeseen circumstances. I missed 2015 and 2016 was cancelled so I'm seriously itching to shake some hands I haven't seen in a few years now.

Hopefully you feel better this year but of course health comes first.

I'm willing to talk and comfortable with it and have talked at past non-sponsored forum meetups but I think there are quite a few other larger "success stories" out there that would bring more value to the table. That being said, you can count on me to jump in and speak on any number of topics on a whim if needed.

 

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[DaveC]

Proposal: Buying Web Based Businesses…..Accelerate your Fastlane Ride

Why this applies to all Fastlane Forum members….i.e. what’s in it for you?

1) New entrepreneurs - Get started in business for less risk and with often immediate cash flow

2) Intermediate - Grow and add to your existing business…online or offline

3) Retirees/Expert level entrepreneur - Diversify your portfolio…add cash flow

Synopsis: Many entrepreneurs start out building web businesses from scratch…finding an idea, doing research, creating landing pages, testing offers, etc…. Even with “lean startup” or “fail fast” methodologies, many small businesses experience failure. Buying an existing business will often accelerate you past these roadblocks. It's not for everyone though, and I'll discuss the cons and risks as well.

About me: I’ve personally used this to build a portfolio of cash flow and appreciation. The returns can easily be 40-50% per year or more. I’ve been investing in online website purchases since 2009 and have done dozens of deals in sizes ranging from under $1k to over $2million.

Note: I spoke on this topic at the 2016 conference. I’ll be updating on some of the deals that I’ve done since then and some of the new deal strategies

 

[Eskil]

It sure would be great to meet everyone again and I don't think interest in the event will be an issue

I for one would love to speak again, but I can write up a more formal proposal with via email.

 

[jon.a]

I'll think on a topic. Once the spots start filling in, I'd be glad to develop a new talk for the group. Sounds odd, but I'll ask: Are there subjects that are off limits?

Acid trips.

 

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[Kak]

Assuming it is the second weekend mentioned... I’ll speak...
-“Capitalism... The ultimate form of giving.”

Also, I want to hear the lecture from @million$$$smile choose him!

 

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[Travis Phipps]

You know I'm in...

This is one of the highlights of my year.

I usually speak/present on traffic and media buying, but I think I'll take a rest on that. If any of you jokers want some tricks just hit me up at the event...I'll be happy to let you know what is working for our clients.

I'll send the topic choices to the email listed above.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

T

 

[LightHouse]

I have spoken in the past about asset protection and wealth preservation/growth, but I'm bored with those topics at this point.

...Oh... you too??!!!

 

[Red]

target to be bribed with bourbon....

Don't be fooled, ladies & gentlemen... his heart really wants a Jack Daniels Mudslide.

Topics I could speak on (all with verifiable results)

Your presentation years ago was one of my favorites, I loved how you just jumped in & what you didn't understand, you learned. I would love to hear the update now that you've grown leaps & bounds.

Acid trips.

What have you got against LSD? Microdosing was a very positive experience for me.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Finalizing some of the numbers, should have an announcement shortly about YA or NAY!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

How can I best be alerted when you open up sales?

1) Watch this thread.

2) Visit the forum regularly as the initial announcements will be put there TO START. The ticket notices will happen in an order of progression starting with those who are regular forum contributors and participants -- the squeaky wheels will get first offerings of the grease. After that, it will be more actively advertised.

As a reminder, this is NOT a for-profit event and never has been. If it was, tickets would be TWICE as much and we'd have a room for 1000. And then I'd advertise it like crazy. Any profit from this event occurs solely as cushion from loss. The casino has significant minimums and requirements.

 

[Get Right]

It would be a privilege to talk.

"A million dollar business built out of the dirt."

 

[eliquid]

Id like to talk possibly. I had a chance in 2015 to present and was on the line up, but got snowed out the weekend of the event and couldn't get to the airport and had to cancel last minute.

But off the cuff, I could speak about

• Running multiple SaaS based business' from 0 to 5 fig MRR ( each ) in just a few months ( onboarding, churn/retention, programming, competition, feature set, working with & selecting a partner, etc )
• Advanced Marketing via Personality Profiles and why you need to know which personalities use your services
  
• How to genuinely figure out what you were meant to do, and how to achieve it
• Of course PPC, ( see sig ) but it looks like there are others that can present on this topic already

 

[ApeRunner]

I would be more than happy to be a speaker this summit. These are the topics I for which I can deliver an awesome presentation:

80/20 Business & Life
· Entrepreneurship and lifehacks.
· Techniques & Motivation.

Achieve Laser Focus (even if you are ADHD)
· I am ADHD adult.
· I learned how to get laser focus at will.
· Techniques & Motivation

Any of these Digital Marketing topics:
· PPC: Facebook Ads, AdWords, Display Network
· Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
· Marketing Automation

 

[EvanOkanagan]

Really late to the party on this.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of Real Estate related content so far. Here's some of what I could cover:

- Build wealth exponentially buying small multi-family (2-4 unit) properties

- Strategies to maximize cashflow and minimize risk

- How to calculate "true" cashflow (it's often less than you think)

- Achieve "financial freedom" through intentional iteration

 

[MJ DeMarco]

When is the deadline by which you will decide speakers, assuming the event goes on?

That is something that is decided MONTHS ahead of time, so in this case, it would probably be by late September, early Oct. Like within 30 days.

The event cannot proceed without a set group of speakers who commit, because I want attendees to know the content we will be covering. So in order to advertise the event, we need to have a set group of speakers/content/etc.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Speaker invites are now going out, albeit they're only going out ONE at a time for coordination purposes. Hope to have them all out by early next week.

When we lock down confirmed speakers, date of ticket sale should be next.

 

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[AndrewNC]

I'll send this over to the email address for my official application to speak when I'm certain if I'm going to the conference. If I go, I will be presenting on the following topic...

The Internal Transformations of Entrepreneurship:

They say they are four stages of personal transformation:

1. Physical
2. Mental
3. Emotional
4. Spiritual

I will begin my presentation on the latter three.

• Mental: How to transform yourself into the type of entrepreneur who has crystal-clear clarity and direction, always knowing exactly what steps to take next with your business, and the certainty/confidence you are moving in the right direction. How to clear out the mental fog that blurs our vision and have the self-awareness to accurately see your sticking points and the bottlenecks that are holding your company back from growth. When you have this, you will know what problems to correct so you can grow your business.
• Emotional: How to take full control of your emotions so you will no longer suffer from "negative" emotions: stress, procrastination, fear, anxiety, anger, frustration, insecurity, lack of confidence, etc. You will learn how to take full control of your emotional state and how to harness and channel this energy to put it into the things you are creating, and into your life. When you properly channel your energy and emotions, you can build things faster, create things that are more emotionally appealing to your customers and audience, and enjoy the process of doing it all. I will also show you how to clear out past emotional trauma and baggage left over form past events in our lives. These blockages often hold us back from taking these steps forward into uncharted territories with our business. By the time you are done learning this, you will be able to feel like you're flowing forward with your business with a sense of relaxation that you never felt before.
• Spiritual: After going deep on this inner journey and put the skills you learned from my presentation to use, you'll have already have cleared out virtually all of the emotional blockages you face in your life, you'll have the mental focus and clarity to perform at your best, and you'll be a more balanced person than ever before. Other people, especially well-respected business owners, will look up to you with admiration and respect for who you've become. Your relationships will have already improved. Your communication skills will be more fine-tuned than ever. So after those two changes (mental and emotional), it's time to take it a step further. After digging deep into the unconscious mind, I began to notice how a lot of our inner perceptions are transmitted outwards. Through citing reference from experiments in quantum physics, energetic attraction, and various spiritual beliefs such as vibrational frequency, life purposes, life paths and journeys, our unconscious timeline, chakra systems...I will teach you how you how to attract opportunities to you, and impact the events of the outside world; primarily through internal changes you make within yourself...at a true, powerful, hacking the very fabric of the universe type of level.

The last one is a touchy subject for many members of this community, so the bulk of my presentation will be about the Mental and Emotional realms, which will be more applicable to the audience's belief systems.

If there is time left over, I will wrap up my presentation with:

1. Physical - How I physically applied this to my life, how this has been working for me in the past, and how I am growing my company at the practical skills level. From creating a service people benefit from, refining that into a product, and then I'll deconstruct my marketing and sales process for closing service-based sales between the $2,000 and $4,5000 price points.

For my speaking fee: I feel that $2,000 will be a fair amount to cover travel expenses, hotels, food, drinks, and other late-night stuff that will surely be going on at the event. But then I thought to myself, this isn't a regular conference, this is a community and it's the Fastlane summit!

So perhaps I'll decide to make things a little bit more fun and interesting for myself and @MJ DeMarco where on one of the breaks, we can take that $2,000 and walk over to the poker room at Talking Stick Resort and Casino, and we'll stand over the edge of a no limit texas holdem table together as I place the poker chips stacked high on in front...

The entire audience of the Fastlane summit will be standing behind us as the cards are dealt, the room silent with suspense and anticipation for what's about to go down next. And as @AllenCrawley and I will be the only ones who knows what's going to happen...

The cards will be dealt...

I will look around the room with a smile on my face....

I will push all the chips into the center and say out loud for all to hear:

$2,000...

All in...

Blind

As I don't even look at my cards.

One person will call. And then the next...and the next... All of a sudden the pot will be up to a whopping $8,000. People will call, I will win. I will hand MJ the $2,000 back as well as another $3,000 from half of the profits we won from that hand.

And we will go back and resume the conference better than ever.

If I'm going this upcoming year, I'll email this proposal to the official email and let MJ decide on my speaking fee...err... speaking investment idea

Edit: Just making fun with the speaking fee poker thing

 

[amp0193]

How can I best be alerted when you open up sales?

 

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