How Julian Added $42K In Retainers - Master Filmmaker Case Study

What's going on guys? I'm here with one of my clients, Julian from Ballad. How are you Julian? What's going on?

I'm doing swell. Beautiful day. Can't complain.

I love it, man.

I love it.

And do you mind giving everyone a rundown? How much have you made since working with us and how much have you spent on ads? Tom doing these intros and these case studies now. So give us the numbers if you don't mind.

Yeah. So my ads are $4,425.53 and I have closed to date about $42,000.

Nice, solid, I love it. For anybody who doesn't know you, do you mind just giving us kind of a little bit of backstory on kind of you, your company, who you serve, just the whole gamut there?

Yeah, totally. So I, Ballad is my company. I had, you know, kind of come into this, I was doing this on the side, you know, I built this business on the side while I had a full-time job. That job ended and then I was kind of like in limbo deciding what I wanted to do. And I was like, oh, let me do this full-time. So really what we focus on is video production for companies in the design industry. So anybody from the product level, furniture, lighting, wallpaper, et cetera, up to interior designers, architects, custom home builders, et cetera.

Very nice. I love it. And I guess what was kind of the main issue you had coming into the program? What were you looking to get help with? Like, give us a little bit of a rundown there as well, if you don't mind.

Yeah, totally. So I think there's like two buckets that I would put it into, right? There's like the, logistical, operational, like things that you can actually like list out what they are or be specific. And then there's kind of like, you know, more abstract, like, okay, life decision, which way do I go? I'm kind of waffling back and forth. So for me, I was in a place where I was just kind of trying to decide, hey, do I try and go and get another job? I kind of really like this stuff. You know, I'm seeing the world is kind of changing. I feel like I'd be happier, you know, whatever. But I, I kind of needed direction and that's kind of what I was looking for, or at least if not direction, you know, you make a commitment and then that kind of propels you to go further. And then on the logistical side of things, the more specific side of things is I was, you know, I needed a consistent way of getting new leads. I needed a consistent way of like, you know, getting people on my calendar and whatnot. I needed systems for delivering my services. I felt like if I was gonna really do this, I didn't wanna kind of half-ass it in the way that I wouldn't say I was half-assing it before, but you know, I didn't really build up all my systems and like invest in everything to make it like 100%. And I just needed help really doing those things, but also like triaging, like how do I decide this one first and then this, or invest here, but wait to invest in this, or build out this part of your offer and then worry about this stuff later. Cause I struggled with, Hey, do I offer people websites? Do I, you know, I was kind of a jack of all trades. So those are some of the things that I needed help with.

Yeah, just like order of operations, priorities, like what's the biggest constraint? What should I solve first? Because I think you're right, it's always like there's a million things we can fix in a business and there's always things we can be doing, but what are the things that are actually going to make us more money now versus like later where it's just not as high of a priority, which makes sense. Um, and how did you find us? I'm curious. How did you end up finding Master Filmmaker, the program, all that?

Instagram ads, which partially was also kind of a proof of concept, which was like, okay, I've, I've run ads and stuff and I have a marketing background, but if somebody can consistently, you know, have a clean funnel and the way things go through and the whole process was smooth, I was like, wow, if they can do that for themselves, I think I trust them to be able to help me figure that same thing out. Sure. And get that nice and tight. So that's That was kind of the, you know, one of the things that pushed me over the edge.

And I think I remember you saying you were watching some of our YouTube videos as well, and some of our stuff there. Was that true? Or were you just kind of looking at Instagram?

That, it wasn't, YouTube wasn't until after. That was in the deliberation phase. That was when—

I was always, I'm always curious the buying cycle that everybody goes through. So you, so maybe you got on a call and then you're like, hey, let's go check out this guy on YouTube and see what he's about, that kind of thing.

Yeah, I mean, it kind of mirrors just like anybody's purchasing decisions. It's like, oh, you hear about this and you're like, ah, I don't care, whatever, I see a million ads. And then you see it again, you're like, oh, okay. Okay, whatever, maybe that's legit. And then you see another ad and so on and so forth. And then you get on a call and then you, you know, you're weighing the decision and whatnot. And at that part, you're, you know, I'm just soaking up everything, trying to gather as much information as I can to make a good decision. And I think I did.

Yeah, for sure. And I guess like, what, what do you feel like has been particularly helpful through what we've gone through? Like, I know we talked about a bunch of stuff, but has there been maybe one or two things that stood out to you where you're like, hey, this is super helpful? Like, I think this has really moved the needle for me.

Yeah, I was looking at some of the other case studies that you had just to make sure I had my answers and what I wanted to say correctly.

No, have whatever answers are true to you. It doesn't, you know, whatever you feel like is best and whatnot.

Yeah, I just didn't want to ramble. So I will say in the first thing, like when I first started, it was like a mindset shift, which like if you told me at the beginning, I probably would have been off-put by that term. To begin with. Just like, I don't know, it's just mindset shift. It's just like, I was like, oh, what are you trying to sell me? Like, whatever. But in all honestly, in all honesty, I kind of came in with that mentality of, is this going to work or is this not going to work? Yeah. And shifting over to, okay, well, what can I do to make this work and what is actually in my locus of control? That made me, you know, I saw that, whatever.

I, I could see that subtly shifting within you because it's like, I think it's easy for all of us to come in and be like, hey, is this it's gonna work for me, but it's to what extent do I make it work, right? 'Cause it's like, there's always that dichotomy, but it's been cool to see that within what you've kind of transformed in your journey. 'Cause I have seen it where it's like, you're getting more resourceful. You're like, how can I work this lead? How can I make this work for them? How can I adapt some things here? 'Cause it's never gonna be perfect. Everybody's journey's gonna be different, I think. And it's just, how do I make it work for my business specifically, is what it sounds like you're saying. Totally.

So that's something like, I guess abstract, that I think has just kind of stuck with me that was helpful. But, you know, for me, another thing was the, the ads, like information or alpha, if you will. Like, you know, I'm not the only one who's running ads and trying to grow my business. You are around a lot of other people who are also trying to run ads and grow their business. So, and you guys are obviously doing it for yourself. So just by osmosis, you kind of learn of like, okay, this is what's hitting right now, or this is what types of things are working. And when you combine that with your own base level of understanding with what is working on platforms right now, because maybe if this was 4 years ago, the same things could work for a few years. Yeah. But now the game changes so fast and in a few months the certain style of video or, or, or whatever type of ad that you're running to get new clients, that is constantly shifting. So just being around that is like a huge unlock that it's hard to like quantify exactly the value of that. But It's huge. And then the last thing is just sales. Like, I came into this fancying myself as someone who's pretty articulate, and I just felt like I was a good talker, and therefore I would be good at sales just because I could, you know, articulate myself. But the truth is, is that sales is like a lot more things than that, and there's a lot more that goes into that. And that doesn't mean, I don't know, whatever cringy sales shit that's out there. Like, you can retain who you are while still maintaining and understanding the architecture of a sales call, right? Like what parts go into it, how to, you know, zig or how to zag in certain times of whatever. It's not about like following a script or whatever, it's just kind of having an understanding of like what's happening and then having control and then that just makes you more confident. And that's been huge for me. So now I get on sales calls and I'm like, let's go. Like when I first started, I was like, oh, like I don't want to mess up. But now, you know, you get on and you're like, Let's see what you could throw at me that I haven't seen yet. And that is like such a shift. So I think those are kind of the real big things for me. And then there's like the systems and everything, but I love it. Yeah.

All that's the ads point too. It's like, cause we spend so much every day on ads. We're just constantly trying to disseminate like this format's working or this working, this is working right now and having you guys take that. So it's almost like you're paying, you don't have to pay the money that I pay in ads. I'll do the testing for you guys and then I'll tell you like what's working and then you guys can just take those proven concepts and implement them directly into your account. Which I think is, which I think is huge. And like just getting around other people who are doing that, it's like we talked about like the static format, formats that are working really well and like the sketchbook and the, just the different formats that I think, you know, in a couple months maybe those will be obsolete and we need to have new stuff and that's fine. But it is just like constantly evolving and changing to your point, which is, which is huge. And yeah, I know with sales, like you've, you've crushed it so far with, with sales and you've come a long way, which I think is awesome. And it is, there is, you do have to have a structured format, but you don't have to lose yourself within that process too. To your point, I think that's huge. Kind of a weird question, I guess. Where do you feel like you might have been if you hadn't taken the leap and like bet on yourself? Because it's uncomfortable, it's scary to invest in yourself and your business. Like, where do you feel like you might have been if you hadn't done that necessarily?

Yeah, I mean, honestly, when, when I was weighing the decision and kind of what to do, you know, there was a part of me like, do I go back and get a job? Do I whatever? And that's really what I was wrestling with. Do I take this plunge? Do I take this leap? Whatever. And I think if I had not done this, I would either be in one of two places. I would still be kind of waffling around and like deciding what to do and draining my savings doing that, or I would have just, you know, been back at a job, or maybe worse, I would still be looking for a job and maybe not found one. You know, I don't know if the hiring Things are changing, you know, hiring market is weird. So, you know, to tell you the truth, it would probably be in one of those places because, you know, I really did not— I think it really gave me the go-ahead to say, yes, I'm doing this and I'm going to see it through whatever happens. But also it gave me the tools to make the best decisions with that leap. It's not a— it made it so that it was not a blind faith leap. It was a calculated risk that I decided to take.

Yeah, I love it, man.

I love it.

We're super happy you're with us. Last question, if anyone's maybe on the fence about just booking a call, seeing if it's the right fit for them, being on the other side, like, what advice would you give them knowing what you know now?

Yeah, well, I mean, calls are free, so, you know, you don't really have much, much to lose. But in all seriousness, I, I will say one of the things, if I was to talk to my my previous self, right? Yeah. One of the things I was wrestling with in my head was like, okay, if this works, like, this is going to change my life. And it's like, I was like, well, is this going to change my life? Like, I don't know, you know? And I couldn't kind of get over that. And what I will say now is that, you know, it's not that any course is going to change your life. You are going to change your life. However, if you want the least path, the path of least resistance or of least friction and giving yourself the highest likelihood of getting it correct and not, you know, wasting more time or money, then, you know, you know what Eric's put together, what everybody at Master Filmmaker, the whole sum of all the parts is, is, you know, is exactly that. It's going to give you the best chances to making sure that you Change your life and you make things better. And I will say that, like, my life is completely different than it was a few months ago. You know, it's not all roses. You know, I still have to deal with, you know, new levels of stuff. But yeah, that's what I would say. It's—

and you put in the work to get here. It's not a magic pill. It's not a magic fairy thing that just automatically makes you a successful business owner. It is systems, tools that you utilized, right? And I think that's the key thing is you have to come in here with the mindset of how do I make this work for me? How do I continue continually ask for help and support when we have tons of support every single week? Right. It's like you have to want it for yourself and put the effort in. And some people want it, some people don't. You obviously put in the time, put in the effort, and that's, that's why you're reaping the fruits of that labor, you know, which is huge. I just like to say that for everybody, like when they see this, to be ultra realistic, ultra like, like just transparent that like you have to put in the work, you have to do the work and you did, which is huge, you know.

Totally, totally. It's like, what's, what's you're kind of like, what's the catch? Well, the catch is you're going to still have to do the work. Yeah. Yeah.

It's not magic.

It's not.

Yeah. Cause I think everyone sees these case studies too. And, and you watched these case studies before you joined with us and it's like, you got to do the work. It's not this magic thing. I think a lot of people are like, what's that catch? Like you said, it's like you do work. You got to spend money on ads. You got to test new ads. You got to take sales calls that don't always close. You got to like, there's just things you got to do. But I think being around a community of other people who are also going through the same thing, makes it easier. And having people where they can be like, they have a flashlight where they can see ahead of you and be like, do this, don't do that. It doesn't feel like you're kind of like just doing it pointlessly, if that makes sense. Which I think sometimes when you're doing it by yourself, you're like, am I like digging this hole that will lead to nowhere? Or am I gonna like strike gold on the other side? And I think it's nice to have foresight from other people who could be like, well, if you keep doing this, you will get there. And I remember telling you, you were taking sales calls. You're like, they're not closing. They're not closing. They're not closing. And I'm like, you got to take a couple more. We got to tweak a couple of things here. And then you hit gold and you started closing. You closed like back-to-back deals, I think, after that. But there was a time period where you're like, I'm not closing anything. What's going on? You know?

So, yeah, I closed 5 in the last 6 weeks. Wow.

So, and you took what, like maybe 15, 20 calls before that and then nothing? Like didn't close anything?

Ballpark. Yeah, it was, you know, you have some less serious people, but I would say solid serious people, probably spoke to about 15. And it's just like You know, I knew that I wasn't trying to go to outer space. Like, I knew I was trying to do something that is like, yeah, within my realm of capabilities. So I knew it was going to hit and I just kind of had to keep that mentality.

But it's hard in the trenches though. And then once you get that first close, you're like, let's go, baby. I'm ready to— I'm recharged, recalibrated, ready to take more calls. So I get it. It's great. Where can people find you? Where can people find more about your company?

Yep. So it's BalladNY, B-A-L-L-A-D-N-Y dot com. And yeah, you can get pretty much everything off of that that you need to get.

Love it. Julian, I appreciate your time. Excited to do another one of these when we're hitting multiple hundreds of thousands. And till then, thanks for your time.

Soon enough.

Appreciate it, dude.