Best Entrepreneur Sale of the Year + Interview with Pat Flynn

(Note: The Only72.com sale is now over, but you can still enter your name and email and be notified when the next sale will be.)

Today I’m really excited about two things.

First is that the Only72.com sale is back! It is an amazing package being offered at a ridiculously great value. I’m so excited by what is being offered this year that I will definitely be buying it!

If you don’t know what the Only 72 sale is, it’s a group of hand picked courses, put together in a package and offered at a low price. It is only for sale for 72 hours starting right now. After that, this package will never be sold together like this.

Secondly, I’ve got a good friend of mine and someone who I always say inspired me to change my life here at Get Busy Living today. He’s Pat Flynn, who runs Smart Passive Income.

He’s an amazing guy, well respected, open and honest. Pat’s story is quite amazing. Pat was laid off from his job and unsure what was next for him. Five years later, he is an Amazon Bestselling author with Let Go, public speaker, podcaster, and runs a business that generates $50,000+ a month. If I do the math that’s over $1,600 a day. Amazing! Being laid off from his job was probably the best thing that’s ever happened.

Now Pat has joined the Only 72 team. He was asked by Adam Baker, who is one of the original co-founders of Only 72, to join the team when the other co-founder moved on to different projects.

By bringing Pat aboard, there’s been a lot of changes, but in a great way!

Pat was super nice to answer some questions here at Get Busy Living. We talk about Only72, creating his first product, how he was able to move forward after being laid off, advice he has for those who fear failure, how he got involved in a Hollywood movie, and more!

First let me tell you exactly about the Only 72 package, then the interview with Pat will make more sense.

At the end of this post, find out about my bonuses if you buy this package from me.

Let’s go!

What is exactly in Only 72?

The bundle is called the Be Everywhere Bundle.

It’ll serve the huge market of people who have an idea or have started a platform and need help to focus that concept and move it onto other platforms to grow their audience.

Here are the six courses included.

Pat Flynn is contributing his first course called Breakthrough Blogging – and is exactly what many people need to get over there “blogging wall.”

I’m so excited by what you and the Only72.com team have put together this year. I think it is the best yet.

First describe who would be a great fit for this package?

Pat: Thank you Benny! We’ve definitely put a lot of hard work into coordinating this next package and I’m really excited to share a little bit about it with your audience today!

This package is for anyone with an online presence who wants to stand out of the crowd. If you want to expand your reach, increase your authority and gain more crediblity in whatever niche you’re in, this bundle has all of the information you need to truly make that happen.

This is the “Be Everywhere Bundle”, which is comprised of the top courses from experts in each of their given fields to help you get maximum impact on various platforms and content mediums. All the top information on blogging, podcasting, web videos & YouTube, Amazon Kindle publishing as well as a course on making connections with people to bring it all together – it’s definitely all that a person needs to give themselves optimal presense online.

This is based off of my “Be Everywhere” strategy that I’ve personally become known for and presented about at various conferences. I called it this because I started to notice several people emailing me and sending me messages to the tune of “Pat! I don’t know how you do it, but everywhere I go – there you are! You’re everywhere!”

This package will help you build an audience that will react the same way.

Secondly, you’re taking a different approach with this sale than previous ones. Can you talk more about that? 

Pat: In the past, the Only72 sales were made up of several different products – mostly eBooks and other downloadables – which did an okay job at contributing to a particular theme. As an Only72 customers myself before I came on as a partner, it was overwhelming to get 10–15 different products in one bundle, and to be honest, I didn’t even use 80% of them.

This time around, all of us at Only72 wanted to make sure that the theme behind the sale was extremely solid, but also that the products and contributors reflected that theme perfectly as well.

Instead of trying to gather every product we could think of into the sale, we were very particular about who we wanted to be a part of it. We didn’t want just anyone to be able to contribute – we wanted the best – and the products from those people are all high quality courses that are worth much more and deliver a lot more impact than just an eBook.

We really wanted to focus on what the customer would want first – what would actually be helpful and be used, instead of just trying to create one massive bundle. My strategy in business has always been: the more people you can help, the better your business will be – and we’re definitely taking that ideology into Only72 from this point forward.

Many of your readers have been asking you to create an online product for a long time, and you finally have! It’s also the foundation of this whole package and the course that everyone should begin with.

Talk about your contribution and how it came about.

Pat: People have been asking me to do a course for a very long time, indeed. I’ve been blogging since 2007 and I’m so fortunate to have an amazing community of some of the most supportive fans in the world, and I love them to death. Because of that, I didn’t just want to force a product out there because I knew it would sell and I could make money from it. I’ve learned, over the years, that when money is the primary motivator it’s typically something I should stay away from. There was no NEED for me to come out with something because I typically give everything away for free and my audience was going out of their way to pay me back as a result, typically by going through my referral commissions for products, tools and services that I’ve used and recommended as an affiliate. If I were going to come out with a product, I would need a better reason to than just the money that I could earn from it.

After coming on as a partner at Only72 and discussing the theme of this first sale, it became appararent that there was a huge opportunity for me to help a lot of people as a contributor for the blogging component of this next bundle. That’s when I started to think deeply and with purpose about what sort of bloggers really needed in a course, and I discovered that it’s not information about how to start a blog. What’s needed is something that helps a blogger keep going, because the truth is that not all bloggers who start a blog stick with it. In fact, most don’t, and it’s sad. Who knows how many bloggers who quit in the past could have actually made a huge impact on people’s live and the world, if only they kept going.

I’ve actually had a course like this in the back of my mind for a very long time, and after discussing it with a few people in my mastermind groups, when one person said “Pat, you’d be doing people a disservice by not creating this course”, that’s when I went full steam with it.

I’m very proud of Breakthrough Blogging and know it’ll be a great tool in any blogger’s arsenal.

In the package, you have two experts teach about podcasting, and creating online videos. If someone has an blog already, but is looking to grow their audience even more, why should they be focusing on podcasting and doing videos?

Pat: A blog alone isn’t enough.

We all know that a blog is an amazing platform for delivering a message and building an audience, but there are other ways to deliver that same message, which allows us to reach more people than we could ever reach with our blog along.

There are millions of people who watch videos every single day on YouTube, millinos of people who listen to podcasts – huge, untapped audiences that are looking for information like yours, but will never find it because you’re not where they are looking. YouTube and iTunes (for podcasts) are HUGE untapped search engines. If you’re not utilizing them, you’re not reaching the people that you could and you’re actually doing those who could benefit from the information you have a disservice.

Some people don’t want to read your blog, but they would love to listen to you instead, or watch videos that you have to provide.

Furthermore, if you were to utilize each of these platforms, you’re no longer just a blogger – you’re a brand. An expert. An authority that stands out from everyone else who is just a blogger.

The Amazon Kindle publishing course in this bundle takes it to a whole new level too. Not only do you stand out as an authority even more when you have a published book, but you’re able to tap into Amazon’s 300 million+ customers as well.

Also, think about this. If your blog were to shut down, how else would you be able to communiate with your audience? Email should be a given, but having other platforms to continue to deliver content AND grow your audience, even if your blog were to cease to exist, is huge. My sites were down for an entire week due to a DDOS attack earlier this year, and having my podcast and YouTube channel still there building an audience for me was huge.

Once someone buys this, you aren’t just leaving customers with these courses and that is it. What else do you have planned?

Pat: We talked a lot about this because we wanted to show customers that we actually care, which we do, and it’s very clear that a company that cares doesn’t just give you their product and ditch you – they continue to build a relationship with you. They followup. They give you things that weren’t even a part of the original deal. That’s how you become a memorable brand and that’s when people share that experience with others.

We have a lot of things planned – and many of the contributors are also getting in on it too, which is awesome! For example, a couple of the contirbutors will be holding webinars to help people get started with their course. We’ll also be keeping in contact with our customers from time to time to make sure they are taken care of and are happy.

You published your first book this year, Let Go, and it is a huge success. Well deserved because it is a great book. In it you talk about how you were laid off from your architecture job and your career plan was shattered. You couldn’t even find another job.

What helped you move forward and not keep replaying what happened to you and being angry? I know many people would have a hard time letting go and can’t move forward.

Pat: A lot of things helped me move forward after the devestating turn of events back when I was let go from my architectural position. I think first and foremost, it was the support from my wife (at the time, my fiancee) that kept me going. She always kept telling me that things were going to be okay, and that went a long way.

Another source of motivation and inspiration was following the success of others. It was actually a success story that I heard on a podcast about a guy who was making a living by teaching people how to pass the PM (project management) exam that gave me the idea to turn a blog I had created for myself for an exam into a business, which changed the whole course of my life.

Another big thing was being extremely motivated by all of the small wins along the way. I remember when I made my first $1.08 from an Adsense advertising I put on my blog – I was on top of the world! It motivated me so much and gave me the energy I needed to keep going and figuring out how to make that income grow.

And lastly, just realizing that I had no other choice but to succeed motivated me like crazy. I had no safety net (although I’m sure my parents would have never let me become homeless if it got to that point), and because of that I took risks in my business that I probably would have been to scared to take otherwise. I got out of my shell and got uncomfortable because I had to, and the results were life changing.

My layoff became the worst thing that ever happened to me, to the best thing that ever happened to me.

There are lots of people who are stuck in a job they don’t like, and would love to work for themselves. They see people like yourself and many others that have an amazing online business.

They want that too. What do you advise is the best way to start? Should they start with a blog or should they create a product first?

Pat: I would highly recommend starting with a blog. When you build a blog first, you’re able to build a tribe, a community of people who you serve that could eventually become your customers – and when you have a blog (and later expand onto other platforms!) there’s no need to guess what products might be useful for them, you would know, because they would tell you.

Keep in mind though that your blog is not your business. It becomes a platform that allows you to more easily (than just from scratch) build a buisiness from.

Making a living online with a blog or online business takes a long time though. My most successful online businesses and blogs took over a year and a half before seeing any significant income from them.

If you’re in need of money now, my best advice would be to freelance first. By freelancing, you’re still trading your time for money but you’re doing it in a way where you can learn and get to know how it all works online. You get to build connections with those who you are working for and can later use that information you learn and connections you’ve made to build a business of your own.

One of the biggest problems we all have is being productive. We have so much going on in our lives that we feel like we don’t have the time to work on a side business or we get easily distracted when we do.

You have family with two very young kids and probably dealing with a million things that need your attention on and offline.

How do you stay focused, be productive, and get stuff done?

Pat: There’s an entire lesson in my course about this, because it is such an important subject matter.

Being productive means a couple of things – it means having the time to do things, and then doing the right things in the time that you do have (i.e. being efficient).

There are, of course, several things that go along with these topics – far too much to talk about for a single guest interview (hehe!) but my number one tip would be to make sure you have a schedule, and it’s communicated with people around you who matter.

One of my biggest challenges when I started working for myself was being able to separate work life from family life. They would often blend together and it wasn’t fair to my family, and it wasn’t fair to my business and those who could benefit from my business either. Creating a schedule and comminicating to my family that this is the time I need to get things done (which of course, came with a lot of negotiation – because it’s both sides of the equation that matter!), allowed me to have truly 100% focus on what I needed to focus on. When it was family time, I was in family mode 100%. When it was time to work, I was 100% in work mode.

We always talk about breaking free from the 9–5, escaping the 9–5, but a schedule is still absolutely necessary in order to get things done and be in the right mindset to do what you want to do.

Also, a small side tip that has helped me quite a bit, I’ve learned when I am my most productive self. I’ve learned that I write best and am the most creative at night, so that’s when I set that time to work. If you try to get me to write a blog post in the afternoon – it isn’t going to happen. The point of this is – work with yourself, not against yourself.

You’ve had some really great and surprising opportunities come your way because of your “Be Everywhere” strategy that is covered in this package. Can you share some of those opportunities?

Pat: Yes indeed! I’ve been contacted by publishers and literary agents who have found me via my podcast or YouTube who want to work with me on a traditionally published book, which is awesome. I’ve always wanted to publish a traditional book (it’s been a goal of mine since I was a kid!), and being everywhere helped me realize that opportunity much much sooner than I ever expected. I’m currently creating a proposal for something right now actually.

Probably the coolest thing, however, was when a Hollywood producer contacted me after listening to my podcast. He asked me to join forces with him for a $10m independent movie that was coming out in over a year, to help manage the web and social media development of the brand, and I agreed to do it!

I got paid really well for this opportunity, but part of the contract was that I would be able to come onto the set and be an extra in the movie, which was another life goal of mine. So, when filming in August of 2011, I was invited to Boston to meet all of the actors and be on the set as an extra. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience for me. I was also invited to walk down the red carpet during the premiere.

The movie is called Crooked Arrows, and it’s sort of a Mighty Ducks story set in the world of Lacrosse. Not a huge blockbuster hit, but it definitely made waves in the lacrosse world! You can actually find my name in IMDB as a result of this work! Hehe!

Having all this success is awesome, and so many of my readers want that. However, I know there are people reading this now who are so scared of failing. They give up before they even begin. They don’t think they can do it.

What would you say to someone to help them overcome that fear of taking that first step?

Pat: Failure is part of the process. Ask any successful entrepreneur about failures in their past and if they are honest with you, they will tell you about several. I have incredible amounts of failures in my past, but each and every one of them was a learning experience that guided me toward where I’m at now.

Fall forward. Fail fast so you can get closer to something that works. Read The Lean Startup by Eric Reis and you’ll even see how successful startups happen as a result of discovering the failures of a product first.

Angry birds was Rovio’s 57th game. The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss was rejected over 20 times by 20 different publishers before it went on to become a #1 New York Times Best Seller. Failure is part of the process, so don’t be scared of it. Embrace it. Don’t try to fail, but be happy when it happens – because now you know it’s time to pivot.

If you’re scared, if you’re met with that fear – take that as a sign that whatever you’re thinking of doing could be amazing and life changing. It usually is. It’s all about taking that first step and really it all starts with you.

So much of success has to happen first internally, in your mind, before it can manifest in real life.

One of my favorite quotes from all time comes from Henry Ford:

“Whether you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.”

Finally, for someone reading this who’s feeling stuck in life and wants start living a life they dream about, what advice do you have for them?

Pat: Just start.

Thank you Pat!

Pat rarely does guests posts anymore since he doesn’t need to, so I’m thankful he took the time to answer a bunch of questions. He had so much to share that he apologized for making his answers too long. I told him don’t apologize at all! Lots of great advice in what he said.

I really hope you found it as informative as I did. It’s definitely worth reading again to pick up on something you missed the first time.

How much is the Only 72 package?

It all sounds great, but you want to know how much it will cost.

I can easily see this package sell for $497 and sell a ton of copies. With the experts in each category all in one package, it’s definitely worth $497 because it’s around $1,000 total if you put it together according to Pat.

So I was shocked to see how much they are selling it for.

The price for all the courses is only $197.

That is an incredible value for what is being offered. At that price, to me, it’s a no brainer if you want grow your audience, increase your authority, and get more sales.

Plus they offer a no questions asked 60 day refund policy. Go through the courses, apply what you’ve learned, and if you aren’t pleased in any way, they are more than happy to refund your money. They want to help you as much as possible and stand by their guarantee.

It is only for sale until July 4, 2013 11:59AM EST. So if you’re thinking about it, don’t hesitate and wait till the last moment. Buy it now. 

My Bonuses!

If you do buy it from me, I will make an affiliate commission. As a thank you for doing that, I will include some special bonuses for you!

• You’ll get free access to my course, Develop an iPhone app with no programming experience. I teach everything I know about how to develop an app from beginning to end. I share with you how to hire best designers and programmers so you won’t get ripped off. It’s a step-by-step course that takes away all your fears and uncertainty about creating your first iPhone/iPad app. You have lifetime access to the course so start now or anytime you are ready. It’s not too late at all to develop your own app! ($97 value)
• A copy of my ebook, Get Busy Living in 30 days. I’ve never offered it separately. Only members who joined the 30 day email course received the book. The book will teach you the fundamentals for changing your life, finding happiness, and success. You can learn more about what I cover here.
• A copy of my other ebook, The Best of Get Busy Living. The ebook contains a collection of the most popular posts on the blog, along with some of my all time favorites. I created this book as a bonus to GBL in 30 customers so this is the first time I’m offering it separately.

How to get the bonuses?

Go to Only72.com through my link. After you’ve purchased the package, forward me your receipt to bennyhsu [at] gmail.com so I know you have purchased it. Then I’ll send you an email with all the bonuses.

Grow your audience and authority starting today

If you have a platform, and you are wanting to grow it, I truly believe what Pat and the Only 72 team has put together will help you get more readers, and authority in whatever niche you’re in.

Remember this is a one time offer. After 72 hours, this special package will never be offered again.

Click here to get in on this deal by Thursday at 11:59AM EST.