I Sold 40,000 BOOKS! This is what happened.

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Welcome to the climb. Hey. This is my series where I record my journey as an entrepreneur, my growth, what projects are working, what projects aren't working, where I'm making money, where I'm losing money, and all of the ups and downs along the way. So thanks for joining along for the ride. I got some really exciting news this past week about my book. I wrote a book called 12 Months to 1 Million how to Pick a Winning Product, Build a Real Business and become a seven figure entrepreneur. And the book launched in May of 2020, right at the peak of the pandemic. Woo hoo. But last week I got confirmation from my publisher that we crossed 40,000 total copies sold.

Which in the book world is a real success. If you sell 10,000 copies of a book, you're doing pretty well. And so in nine months to have sold 40,000 copies, I'm so jazzed. I was, when I got the numbers, I was kind of like secretly pulling for 25,000 and, and so to far exceed that. I was just absolutely thrilled. So thank you to all of those of you who have bought the book, supported the book, reviewed the book. It means the absolute world to me. And it's been nine months, so we figure the first year, you finish the year with about 50,000 sales. That's a really, really good first year to a book. And the whole book publishing world was pretty much on pause last year, so there wasn't a whole lot of PR and stuff going around in the book launch world. So if that turns on next year, you know, I might finally get to do that PR tour that I always wanted to do. My goal has always been to sell a million books. So to do 50,000 in the first year is just a huge win for me and I'm really feeling proud of it.

My primary business is that I promote and invest in businesses that are run by entrepreneurs that are creating change and building wealth for everybody involved. And one of the ways that I do that is I have an investment fund called the Capitalism Fund. And we had some amazing breakthroughs since we last did an episode of the Climb. We currently have three active deals that are signed, sealed and delivered. We have a few more that are currently in due diligence. But I invest in these businesses and help free up the business owner so that they can cast a bigger vision and they have more support to grow faster. And we've really found our footing in the last few months for helping these business owners. So we found our what we're really good at and what we're really good at is helping businesses that are doing about a million dollars a year, sometimes more, and freeing them up from capital constraints because we put money into the business, bringing in our resources and our connections to help them sell more and grow faster and advertise more. We basically say, oh, you wanna not worry about Amazon anymore? Okay, here are the three agencies that we partner with. Pick your favorite one and we'll pay for it. Oh, you wanna run lots of Facebook ads? Here are the three agencies we work with. Pick your favorite one, we'll pay for it. Oh, there's this three pl and we go down the line and just free the business owner to go build the business of their dreams and it's really starting to show some life. One of the businesses that we own a significant amount of is a brand called Keto Brownie. It is a low carb dessert line or snack line essentially. And they were out of stock, basically out of business for about nine months. We came on, put money into the business, freed up the founder, Nick to go launch more products and build a bigger vision. And he just got back in stock, did a relaunch and he's back in business. And we're getting customer feedback and getting reviews. And I feel like I'm living vicariously through Nick of this business growth that I'm so proud to be a part of. And I know that business is gonna be a multi million dollar business because I've done this before and because we're good at what we do and because he has a great product. And I love to work with people like Nick who are excited about their brand and excited about their business and, and just need help when it comes to casting that vision and need capital and need people and help. So much fun to operate from that place of just helping Nick grow the vision that he wants and he's going to have a multimillion dollar business as a result of us working together. Of everything going on in my career right now, I'm most energized about the fund because I get to do what I do best and I'm helping these entrepreneurs carry out their visions. If, by the way, you run a business that is exciting to you, but you've run into challenges and you need some help, you need capital and advice. I specialize in helping e commerce brands that are right at about $1 million, sometimes more, sometimes less, free up the founder so that they can build a bigger vision and you can apply to put it on my desk over@capitalism.com fund. I really see every single one. And if it Seems like something that I can help you grow into the high seven figures or low eight figures. Then we'll reach out and we'll set up a time to talk about it.

I'm feeling really proud and excited right now about the progress and the work that we're seeing and doing@capitalism.com so that's my, this is my baby. Capitalism.com is where we promote and invest in entrepreneurs. And what has been most exciting for me is we have so dialed in the person that we help and how we help them. We help entrepreneurs who are building businesses that match the impact that they want to have on the world. And we can help them get the clarity and the funding and the resources and the community and the connections and the strategies that they need in order to create real change in their customers lives and build real wealth for themselves and for all parties involved. And we're so clear on who we're serving and how we're serving them that it's just making things start to line up. And one of the easy ways to see that is we have this, this, this program called the Capitalism Incubator. The Capitalism Incubator so far has been 25 people at a time. It'll be more over time and I'm still really involved in the process and the teaching and the helping of these, of these entrepreneurs. But it's all about building a seven figure business that you can sell. And the progress is just lightning fast in these entrepreneurs because we spend the time to line them up with a vision that really matters to them. I know in my career, especially in my 20s, I, I thought that I had to know the how before I could move forward. But if you know the why and if you know what about your business matches why you want to do this, if there's like alignment between what you want to create and who you are, man, all the hows just show right up. And so we've been putting a tremendous amount of energy into getting the entrepreneur we lined up behind what they want. And then the launch is easy, the funding is easy, the scale is easy, the ads are easy, the partnerships are easy. And just, it's just so much fun to play in that world. So there's one duo in the group that is working on a brand for dads, like fashionable dads. And they came in kind of, they knew they wanted to do this business and they were all in on this business. But one of the founders said, I still worry about money, which most entrepreneurs do most, most people do. And just within a few weeks I've seen our mindset evolve so much because they're really playing to win because they believe in what they're doing and they're lining up influencers and they are lining up partnerships and they're just ready to go. And those are the types of entrepreneurs that I just love to back. And that's what makes my job so fulfilling and so much fun. So I'm so proud of what we're doing inside of the incubator. You can find out more by the way, if you want to join that. Over at capitalism.com Inc. We open up the doors a few times a year, but that is our fast lane to building a seven figure business that you can sell. And we're just getting amazing progress in there.

It's just this kind of stuff that makes me so happy to be doing what I'm doing. I love empowering that entrepreneur to build something that they love and then bringing in the capital and the support and the advice and the experience and the network to just help them go. It's just, it's. I feel so good to be at this point right now. I'm feeling really relieved lately because I just feel like I'm in my zone of genius. I just feel like I am getting really clear on the difference that I make make around the people that I work with. And the more that I can just own that, the easier it is for me to speak to more people like that. And I used to think that I had to have the perfect message or I had to have the perfect idea or the perfect product, the perfect strategy or the perfect process. But none of that matters if you're building something that isn't what you really want in the world. So I guess in a way, in a really obvious way, I am discovering for myself what I do for other people, which is help them find alignment in their business behind the impact that they want to make. And then it just gets fun. And when it's fun and exciting, the results come naturally easily. It seems like the world is coming back to some degree of normalcy. I'm starting to get speaking gigs again. I'm starting to get inquiries for appearances based on the success of my book. 12 months to 1 million. We're starting to think about having in person events again. We are planning for the Capitalism conference to return this September. It's going to be a smaller in person experience with more streaming this time. But we're starting to talk about in person masterminds and getting people together again. So I'm really bullish right now. I'M really just excited. Just excited. I'm finding that you can choose to be excited and then find reasons for it, or you can choose to be frustrated and angry and find reasons for it. So you might as well just pick the emotions that you want. You might as well just do it with intent rather than doing it by default, which is usually has you focus on negative things because most people are negative. And finally, oh my goodness, I'm so proud of what we were doing inside of our mentorship program, which is is called the 1%. The 1% is for entrepreneurs who are building towards their seven figure business. And we have a call that is just a Q and a call once a month. And we have other coaching calls throughout the month, but one that is just pure Q and A. And there was one woman in particular who said, man, I came in here with a business question and what I got was really good therapy. I want you to watch this clip. I just get a little bit of a hunch about you on something.

Okay.

Okay. You need to absolve yourself of the sins of buying products in the past that didn't work out.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, there is definitely a fear.

Yeah. You and lots of other people.

But.

There'S this, there's this great quote in psychology. I think it's by Greg Jacobs, who's a psychiatrist who says, the curious paradox is that as soon as I accept myself fully, then I can change.

And one of the recurring problems or symptoms of entrepreneurs is as soon as they doubt themselves, they buy something else that is a distraction and then they go down the route of the next distraction and then they're like excited. Potential hope doubt creeps in by the next thing. So I'm telling you that because.

It'S not the products that were the problem. It's not the lack of the traffic that is the problem. It was your own doubt over that going the way you wanted that kept you from actually building the business and the brand that you wanted. Now you're saying, okay, but do you believe, like, do you agree with me or am I way off base?

I do. I just, you know, I've gone from, I had a successful insurance agency for 20 years and was so sure, oh, this online marketing thing, this is going to be great. And yeah, I'm going to do what Russell says and it's going to be awesome and going to do all this stuff. And, you know, then it was like, oh, wait a minute, this isn't working. So I must need to know something else. And I must need to know something Else. And so, yeah, it's like been three years of not being able to figure out what. What I'm missing that is not making it work.

Yeah.

So.

So, I mean, like, I don't, I don't.

Your book did tell me. Which it was. I was trying to go into the thing where I thought there would be more money and I didn't have. I. I was doing self improvement. My passion is dogs. I like dogs so much better than people. I really do.

A lot of times you and a lot of people. Yeah. You're gonna get lots of amens on that one, Debbie.

My. My dogs are freaking awesome. And that's what I realized. I had to find a way to serve people in the area I had a passion for.

And that is where the money is.

Your excitement is where the money is.

It's like the greatest unlock and best kept secret is like what you are excited about is where all the money is.

So. Especially when partnered with a halfway decent business strategy and you've got a really good one.

Thanks.

So I'm gonna. I'm gonna keep bringing back to this point until I really know that you've got it. All right.

All right.

Your first step is to absolve yourself of the sin of losing up to this point. And I'd love. I'd love to help you reframe that by showing you that there are lots and lots of people who would be very happy to spend $30,000 in three years finding the absolute perfect business for them that they were uniquely qualified for, that they had a specific voice in that they were excited about that they knew exactly how to serve that target market, were already plugged into audiences that would rally behind that, that had high valuations and high profit margins. There's lots of people who would gladly make that trade. There's plenty of people who spend four years and more than $30,000 to not have that type of clarity in business or their life in a thing called college. So the faster you can, like, not only forgive yourself, but see that this was all a necessary step in the process for you to have the clarity for what you have right now. The faster you get there, the faster this brand becomes a reality. Here's one of the reasons why. Now, this is one of many reasons, but here's one of many reasons why the minute that you show up on a call like this and you have the confidence and the clarity of this brand, kind of like you have right now and you say, here is the first product, I spent $200 getting a prototype. I tested on this dog, and he's doing so much better. Watch how fast the comments here, the comments on YouTube, the comments on your own personal Facebook show up and be like, do you need 10 grand to do your first order? Because I got 10 grand, right? Like, the faster that you show up with the confidence and the clarity, the faster that the money is just like, where do I go? Where do I go? Where do I go? Right? But. But. But it's. But it's all you, right? It is not the traffic problem. It is not the money problem. It is. Debbie's excitement has been kept at bay, and she needs to let it out. And the faster she lets it out, the more that excited investors are like, okay, I'll find your forum. Your first run. You seem like you know what you're.

Talking about as I'm getting older as.

Well.

Because I'm going to be 59 in a couple of months, and I'm just, like, going, okay, chick, you've only got so much time. You got to get this shit right, you know?

So that's a cool story. I mean, that's. That was a really creative way for you to justify why you can't do this.

That was. That was really creative of you. Thank you. I'm curious, Debbie, if you can be just as curious about why being at your age, with your experience level gives you a distinct advantage in the marketplace. I'm just curious if you could use that creativity to come up with an equally interesting story.

Well, I've spent 20 years in the dog show world and researching and learning and creating champion dogs that are healthy, a lot better. I mean, I just. I. I am too hard on myself. I am my. Sometimes my biggest enemy can be me, because you look at all the mistakes and not the successes, and.

Yeah, it. It's.

I'm gonna move on, man.

Well, hold on, hold on. No, you just keep giving me more.

I just think it was so interesting that right after you very creatively talked about why you were a rock star, you went right back to, I'm hard on myself. Which is. Which is a really, like. Wait, most of us are. Yeah, most of us are. But it would be just as true for you to say, I have 20 years in the dog business, and I've done this and this, and then said, wow, I'm really a rock star. I haven't given myself enough credit. I'm really good at this. I'm really good at what I do. I think I can do this. I do know a lot about this space. I do know A lot of people. In fact, I'm remembering a manufacturer that I worked with back in my dog show years. Right now, I think I'm gonna give him a call. So it would be just as easy for you to get on the Debbie is a rock star thought train versus Debbie's hard on herself because of all these reasons why I can justify why I'm hard on myself.

Right.

You can pick either thought train, but I would suggest that you use the one that makes you feel good and gives you momentum and, and shows the truth, which is that you are a badass and a rock star who is fully capable of building this business.

I love this. You come with a business question, man, that was some of the most major therapy.

Like, Debbie, it's all an inside out game. Like, I wish it wasn't. Entrepreneurship would be so much easier if it wasn't an inside out game. Entrepreneurship would be so much easier if there was a how. Right. And. And so what? Like, one of the things that makes me unique in this world is I spent so many years obsessing about the how that I can tell you the how every which way. But I know that I can give the same how to one person and they'll build a million dollar business and the same how to somebody else and they'll call me a scam artist.

So it's not the how that matters, it's the person. It's. So it's all an inside out game. I wish it wasn't. Wish it. Wish it was simpler because if it was external rather than internal, this would be a whole lot faster. But the, but the beauty of this, the. The good side of it being an inside out game is that you realize that you can have everything you ever wanted when you just allow yourself to do the things that you want in the first place and recognize your own capability in doing them. And it is our thoughts and our beliefs in the external world and the external validation that make us forget that. But your own joy and passion and experience is the perfect blend to build the perfect business at this perfect time for this unique problem that only you saw that as soon as you said it, I was like, oh my goodness, why hasn't somebody done this already? Yeah. Yeah. So that's the beauty of it. It's way more fun when you let it be an inside out game. Good work today, Debbie.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome. I'm excited for you. This is an inside out game. I wish it wasn't. I wish that it wasn't so dependent on where we were as people. But your business is a direct reflection of who you are and what you're focused on and where you're at. And so if you're not liking the results that you're getting, the way through that is to go in and see what's going on with you. This is an inside out game and I'm saying this to remind myself as well. Doing the inside work is the unlock to getting the outside results that you want. It's usually in first before you see the results outward. Hey, thanks for watching the climb. I'm Ryan Daniel Moran. I help entrepreneurs build seven figure businesses. If you're an entrepreneur that's on that journey, please subscribe to the channel. And if you heard me talk about my book in this and you want more, I have the Cliff Notes for you for free over@capitalism.com 12 just the number 12 and going there will allow you to download the cliff notes of 12 months to 1 million without buying the book. And so you can decide if you like it after reading the Cliff Notes. Thanks for watching this video. Hope to see you next time. Take care.