Archive for raymond fong
Helping Hands Mastermind a Success!
Posted by: | CommentsWow, what an INTENSE weekend!
I just got done with our first session of the Helping Hands Mastermind, hosted by Jim Yaghi, David Schwind, Fernando Ceballos, and myself, and it was awesome! 5 ambitious and committed entrepreneurs, Kelly Baader, Greg Murrell, Latasha Jones, Ryan Grace, and Zakary Frank flew in from different parts of the country to get together for one intense weekend of masterminding where the four of us help them plan and build out their sales funnel. The experience level varied but the passion of everyone there was all skyrocket high.
We started with dinner on Friday night before hitting the “war room” Saturday at 9 AM. We went ALL day and night on Saturday (we were suppose to end at 7 but umm… ended up not finishing until close to midnight – oops sorry guys!) That’s what happens when you try to cram way too much info and do too much 
Then we met again on Sunday and just chilled, chatted, goofed around, and did some more masterminding before folks took off to the airport to fly home.
Did everything go perfectly as planned? HELLLLLL no. We had technical glitches, we got sidetracked, we spent too much time talking about people’s USP, we got off schedule, we had problems with the internet. But shiznutz, people were happy and satisfied. Take a look:
Seeing happy faces like that make me happy and smile Love helping people who 1. helps themselves, and 2. APPRECIATE being helped (as opposed to being lazy and having an entitlement attitude).
We’re wrapping some more stuff up for these 5 students and adjusting our schedule/plan for the next 2 groups
I’ll keep you posted.
No Excuses Summit Review – Most Rewarding Exhaustion EVER!
Posted by: | CommentsHi there,
I am just now recovering from an awesome weekend hosting the No Excuses Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am exhausted, tired, lost my voice, and sleep deprived (still) but I feel soooo good and am so proud of how this event went.
Initial Reaction… to an “Empty” Room
Before the Party Got Started
I got in Wednesday to help oversee the whole operation during setup and the layout. I walked into the ballroom where the event was to be held and couldn’t believe how big (and empty) the room looked. They haven’t setup the chairs and the tables yet… so in my head, I was thinking, “Wow, when we start, will there be a lot of empty spaces? That’d suck…”
A few hours before the event started, Fernando and I did a quick intro video recording and as we walked into the room, I saw the sea of chairs and tables and again, I felt a bit nervous and uneasy. You see, having good energy is sooo important to a live event and the last thing we wanted was for the room to have so much “empty space” that it drains the energy and good vibes we wanted.
Then 3:00 PM hit and registration opened. Folks were hustling and bustling getting their nametags. I still didn’t know what to expect. Did we give people enough time to register? Would everyone get their nametags in time for the opening which happens at 5:00 PM? Hmm…
Feeling the Energy!
Well, whatever the case, it was time for the show to start. I asked Joseph O’Day, one of my good friends and also a speaker (from Link Networker) to guard the main door and open it when it was go time. He told me later that he was busting a sweat just standing there because so many people were packing the entrance waiting to get in that the body heat was just unreal. Heck, a lady was waiting in line since noon!
I stood up towards the front of the room, off to the side of the stage, and gave the cue to open the door, with rockin’ music blaring.
I knew we’d do “alright” as soon as I saw people literally SPRINTING to the front to get good seats. And they just kept in coming in. My nervousness melted away.
The audience brought SOOO much energy with them it was contagious. Even writing this now I am getting goose-bumps all over again thinking about these attendee’s smiles, amazing energy, and positive attitude as they stormed the room. The feeling was absolutely fabulous and so very rewarding.
And we were just getting started!
Running the Show
For the next 2.5 days we packed the house. I couldn’t believe that a room that seemed so big, empty, and intimidating only merely house before we opened the door became so packed – bustling and hustling with so many excited network marketers. We had some of the industry’s top leaders take the stage and deliver their absolute best right there in front of this sea of entrepreneurs. It was absolutely amazing. I was constantly running back and forth checking in on the speakers, coordinating with the MC, the production crew, our registration team, and our assistant.
And every minute, I would take a pulse of the event to see how everyone is doing and not once was I disappointed. The energy and the vibe in that room kept me going – I drew strength from all the attendees and speakers in the room. It’s amazing what happens when 900~1,000 people align all of their intentions – the energy it output is so empowering. Everyone in that room was determined to make the very best out of the event AND to make the event the very best.
Heck, one of my favorite moments was when a group of people just started dancing at the front of the room while we were waiting to get started Sunday morning (we invited them on stage and everyone loved it).
The speakers were spot on – they all adapted to the same philosophy, which is to deliver the absolute best content they can and “woo-and-wow” the crowd.
Take Away
By Sunday night, I expected some of the people to have already left – after all, some folks have family to attend to and well, jobs the next day (Monday). We expected about 40% of the people to have gone by the time Fernando and I took the stage as SEO Networker.
That was not so.
The room was STILL packed and the energy was still high. I LOVED IT!
Even the breakout sessions were hopping with enthusiastic and eager folks.
After all is said and done… I had an amazing time. I am so so so proud of everyone that was a part of this event – all the speakers for their contribution, genuineness, and their willingness to just “give”, and all the attendees for just being so attentive, friendly, energetic, and passionate.
I believe this event was a great event because when folks came up to me to tell me their thoughts on this event, they didn’t just say, “Oh yeah, I learned some cool marketing stuff…“
No, they told me how it’s changed their lives, altered their mindset, and got them that much more passionate about building their businesses and pursuing their dreams. And that’s what we as leaders really outta be doing – not just teach marketing, but to impact and to motivate… and to, well LEAD.
Special thanks to Fernando Ceballos, Shawn Royster and his production team, Audrey Hagen and her team, Jimmy Davis as the MC, Ramiro Ceballos as one of our team members, and all the speakers for making this possible.
So now I gotta ask the Magic 8-Ball,
“No Excuses Summit II?”
Hmm… maybe, just maybe 
How Lucky We are to Have Free Enterprise
Posted by: | CommentsHola mis amigos!
Long time no chat, hope you are doing well… did you miss me?
It’s been a busy month and I decided to take a little breather by heading out to Cancun, Mexico for a week.
I got to do quite a few adventures including ATVing through the jungle, speed boating through the lagoon, snorkeling on the reefs, soaking up the gorgeous sun, mingling with the locals (I had some of the BEST tacos EVARRRR in a little hole in the wall street shop off the beaten path), getting second place in a banana-eating contest without even having to eat a banana (poor winner had to eat four, lol!), ziplining into the cenotes, haggling with the local merchants, and one of my favorite experiences of the trip – getting my open water dive certification. (Pictures will soon be found on my FaceBook, so be sure to add me if you haven’t already!)
That's Jesus
I learned a great deal on this trip… as I tend to do when I travel. I just love experience other culture and learning more about other culture’s customs. The thing is, as I learn more about other cultures, it also sheds light on our very own.
Amidst all the stories I heard and the discussions I had with the different folks I met, the one that stuck out to me the most from this trip (this is ironic…) came from my scuba diver instructor, Karl. Why is this ironic? Well, Karl is as American as you can get.
He looked like a surfer dude straight from California (but he’s actually from Alaska, I know, weird eh?) He’s been working in Mexico for 6 years, running his own scuba operation where he instructs and takes folks for pleasure dives. He use to have a huge operation but now runs a relatively modest one (more on that later) and employees a few locals, has an office space, a boat, etc.
Being the marketer I am, I struck up a conversation with Karl talking about his experience as a business owner in Mexico. What came out of his mouth for the next 10 minutes absolutely shocked me.
See, like I said, Karl use to have a huge operation, a successful one at that. He had his own dock, a fleet of boats, quite a few employees, big store front. And the difference between him and his 3 main competitors is that he actually gave a damn about the quality of his service. He was getting so much business that the 3 competitors felt threatened by him… Even though they’ve been in business for much longer, have a LOT more money in the bank, and run much bigger (although questionable at times) operations.
So guess what those 3 competitors did? They ganged up on Karl. Because they had lots of money and shady ties to the umm… local authorities, they shut down Karl.
Yep, one day, Karl and his crew woke up, drove to their work at the dock as usual to find everything taped up. They were refused entry into their own dock! The same went for their fleet, they got confiscated. The same thing happened back at their office and storefront. The local “authorities” made up some B.S. story about how they don’t have the “license” or whatever for them to be doing business.
And just like that, they shut down Karl’s operation overnight. All because the 3 competitors had loads of bribing money.
There was no arguing, no reasoning, no logic. They told Karl that he can’t run his business and took away everything he worked so hard to build up.
Karl and his crew literally had to break into their own offices/docks/ships to “steal” back their OWN equipment and supplies – an act that could’ve landed them in jail had they gotten caught.
Reflect on That Story For a Minute
Holy gazooks! That would never happen in the States, thank goodness! In our land of opportunity, we are so well protected by our laws, our governments, our infrastructure, I think we tend to take it for granted. We can run successful businesses without worries that others in other countries have to.
We really all should be more appreciative of that, don’t you think?
Be grateful that we live in a nation where we encourage free enterprise and we PROTECT that privilege every day. Let’s all give thanks to that and don’t ever take it for granted k?
Now, back to gearing up for our first live event ever, “No Excuses Summit”, be on the look out for more information, it’s going to be EPIC!
Hasta luego!
P.S. Karl had the persistence and the determination to keep going, he was able to resetup his operation, despite such a huge loss and setback, although to a much smaller scale, through some other local businesses who have the power to protect him from the 3 competitors and their evil ways. Go check him out on Mayan Aqua Dive whenever you visit Cancun, I highly highly recommend him! Oh, and tell him I sent you
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