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Shine On Success
Welcome to "Shine On Success," the podcast dedicated to exploring the journeys, challenges, and triumphs of today's entrepreneurs. Each episode from your host, Dionne Malush is crafted to inspire, educate, and empower you, whether you're just starting out or are a seasoned business owner.
Shine On Success
Building a Shark Empire: The Power of Grit, Mindset, and Marketing
In this powerful episode, Joey, the founder of MediaShark, shares his incredible journey of building a thriving media company without a traditional college background. From getting fired unexpectedly to launching his own business as an act of defiance, Joey reveals how grit, determination, and an unwavering mindset can turn obstacles into opportunities. He dives deep into the ethical foundations shaped by his father's wrongful conviction and exoneration, discusses the importance of planning for success in both business and life, and offers practical tips for entrepreneurs starting with limited resources.
Whether you're looking for inspiration to overcome adversity or valuable insights on marketing, this episode is a must-listen. Plus, hear about Joey’s exciting future goals, including his TED Talk aspirations and MediaShark’s plans for growth!
Connect with Joey here:
Website: https://gomediashark.com/
Facebook: Joey Lowery
Instagram: that_merketing_guy
LinkedIn: Joey Lowery
Connect with Dionne Malush
- Instagram: @dionnerealtyonepgh
- LinkedIN: /in/dionnemalush
- Website: www.dionnemalush.com
- Facebook: /dmalush
- LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/dionnemalush
Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a seven-figure business from scratch, especially when the odds are stacked against you? Welcome to another episode of Shine On Success. I'm your host, dionne Malish, and today we have an outstanding guest, joey Lowry. Joey is a bootstrapped entrepreneur, amazon bestselling author and the founder of MediaShark, a company that has made waves in the digital marketing world by focusing on ethics and transparency.
Speaker 2:Known as that marketing guy.
Speaker 1:Joey has worked with everyone from coaches to Fortune 500 companies, helping them cut through the noise and get straight to what he calls the success driver. Get ready for a deep dive into the mindset and strategies that have propelled Joey to the top of his field. Welcome to the show, Joey. So, Joey, tell me what is one thing you would like people to know about you before we get started.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I guess for myself personally, you know, I think the cool part is, I guess, for where I went and what I've done, is I did it with all, without a college background. That's why I guess that would be what I'd say.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean that's pretty cool, right? Because I went to art school. So you know, it's totally different. I'm an entrepreneur now and I went to art school.
Speaker 2:So I get it.
Speaker 1:I love that, and so you're known for getting right to the success driver right in marketing.
Speaker 2:So can you share what that means to you? Yeah, so I think you know, when it comes down to marketing especially, I mean you can apply the concept completely, you know, all over the place. But the aspect of you know you want to put a message in front of an audience, and when it comes down to it, I mean not even just that, you want to get an end result with your marketing, your dollars, things like that, whether you're, you know, traditional or digital or anything like that. So the aspect of the success drivers, it's what is going to drive the success for this, you know, marketing campaign or your life or however you'd like to apply it. So I kind of call it that you know that success driver in a way. What are each one of these rungs going to produce so we get that success? That leads us to where we want to drive all the results.
Speaker 1:I've never really heard anyone call it that, so I've been an entrepreneur for a long time. I'm also very creative, so I love the idea of you having a creative entrepreneur. You're doing really cool things, so tell us a little bit about exactly what your business does.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I started MediaShark about five years ago and yeah, thank you so relevant right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the funny part was, you know, even going into like what we do I mean, you know we run ads, we do anything when it comes to SEO, you know, have a client needs to rank on Google, if it's one of those things where we come in and we have to fix a bunch of stuff because we're just not getting conversion, sales or leads, you know, or it's we're running an entire, you know nationwide campaign for a very large fortune company, or we've done stuff overseas as well, and when it comes to ads and things like that. But you know, mediashark, it was funny. So how it started was I actually got fired from when I was working at a marketing company and I won't say who it is, but I was no right and I, you know it's funny cause I'm working for this company and I was busting my butt to be there and you know I felt like I finally earned it and again, I had no background in really marketing at all at the time. Just, I love sales and so I was almost making probably 25, $26,000 a month, for taxes obviously, and I mean like so I had really worked really hard to earn the spot on the sales team and they really didn't keep a lot of people, but it was very close niche and so I felt very blessed to be a part of it.
Speaker 2:I'm like man, I'm on this great career path and I started losing clients and the next thing you know, it turned into a lot of the sales guys. We're just kind of all wondering, like you know what's going on, because what we're showing in our reports weren't lining up what the client is actually showing inside their Google analytics, which obviously is. You know, that's. That's the Bible when it comes down to it. So you know what the client was saying, that they're seeing, and so we were losing clients based off transparency. And so I spent a lot of time, I dove into it all and I thought, literally I'm like I'm going to put the red cape on, I'm going to bring all the issues up to management, and then you know it's going to be great, they're gonna be happy with me and on top of that, you know we'll solve the team. And I brought up all the issues and the next day I am fired on the spot.
Speaker 2:Seriously, the next day, the next day, yeah, so the second day of the conference. So I end up getting up and you know, because you always take your suitcase down, because usually we pack up and go right to the airport after the shows, and so, you know, one of my buddies came up to me like, are we moving our stuff because luggage? They say something, they don't want our stuff behind the booth or something, and uh, he's like now they're letting you go. I'm like what? This is insane. And it didn't tell me why. Of course, you know, I think I'm pretty sure why I got let go, but, you know, fired on the spot and I literally, I think it was like 11 o'clock at this point now, remember, the bar at the hotel opened up and I went right there and I'm like te name it after an animal that could eat their animal. So that's how I'm going to start.
Speaker 1:Are you kidding me? That's how this all started.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's how it all started, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's great. So how long did you work a job? Yeah, because that's huge. I mean, that's a big like burn the boats moment, right.
Speaker 2:You couldn't have just went and got another job a long time. Yeah, and so I was. I mean, I've worked my entire life at different sales jobs, so I kind of went through that whole sales routine of you know bounce around a lot, and I finally felt confident enough that I was, I could, I could sell high ticket, I could do. You know, whatever you need me to do, if it's phone call sales or you know B2B or you know even in person sales, I was great and I can happened. So I was in there long enough where I started thinking like at age 27, 28, I'm like man, this is my career path, I want to be in this type of world.
Speaker 1:So was there any personal things that happened in your life that helped shape your approach to the ethics in business, because I think that's important to you after what you just said.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so my dad's one of those things. So my dad spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit and so he was proven innocent through DNA testing about 10 years after he got out and Johnny Cochran and Barry Sheck actually represented him. And then he went after the state of Kansas and 10 year lawsuit and you know he ended up coming out, you know, obviously innocent and now he speaks across the United States on wrongful convictions and DNA testing. I can say that specific story, I mean it's very impactful and I know a lot of people are always like whoa and stuff and I'm like you know that's my dad and so sometimes I probably downplay it a little bit.
Speaker 2:But you know, seeing somebody who went through so much struggle, not only you know he got out and then had to register as a sex offender and you know through Megan's law, and then you know, month after month having to, when DNA testing comes available, he gets tested or was able to get tested and that's its own story and comes back. It's not him and just the fact that this guy, you know just push through and push through just to, you know, make his name clear. One, you know it wasn't even a monetary thing, like let me sue this state. You know this government entity it was I want to be. You can keep going. I think that was a huge motivating factor for me. You know, I even think now like it's.
Speaker 1:I mean, you think about it because you went through something that you thought at that moment was traumatic.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then you saw, you saw him and that makes you think if he can do that and get through that, you can just about get through anything in this world. Right, you can push through adversity always and get to the other side. And your dad has proved positive that you can have something as adverse as that and become successful on the other side. So that's incredible. What a story. I mean it was probably very difficult to grow. You know, to be a part, right, you're on the other side of it, so you get to be part of that in your growing years. That's, that had to be very hard.
Speaker 2:It was hard to you know, and they, they sheltered us a lot, me and my sister, from it. You know us a lot, me and my sister from it. You know we weren't born until after he was out and so I didn't know any of this. So it was really funny when it was a dateline came out and actually filmed my dad for two days and it was just one of those moments where my mom calls us in the bedroom and my dad's standing there and he's all excited about it and my mom's like, hey, I don't know what they're digging into rape case.
Speaker 2:We're talking about things that are very aggressive and mature, and so you know, it was definitely a very eyeopening experience. But you know, seeing him and also seeing his attitude over the years go from, you know, jokingly we called him prison Ed when we were growing up because he definitely had some anger things, but you know, but he's a great guy. He, like you know, was an amazing dad. But you know, I couldn't imagine what going through he or what he went through, and you know all the emotional turmoil and the perseverance, but then also was able to keep a good head on his shoulders, raise me and my sister, and then you know, even you know serving the church parking lot as a greeter and just keep that positive attitude while working full time and then still pursue. You know your own innocence. That's incredible.
Speaker 1:I had someone on my show a couple of months ago who was in for 16 years and he was proved innocent and he became a lawyer and now he helps people, you know. So he put it in such good use. It was definitely a positive spin on it, but he was cool and it was a really interesting story. And you know, I know someone locally actually two people in my area that both were wrongly convicted and spent a lot of time there. So if you hear a train, I mean there's a train really close. It's kind of cool, like it's like every 15 minutes and it's just. I love transportation, the idea of it, like I go back to the early 1920s in my head and think about it.
Speaker 1:It was so cool. So what is the biggest challenge you faced in the early days of building MediaShark and how did you overcome it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think in the beginning, you know, and I think sometimes we think as entrepreneurs or even business owners, people, marketers, whoever salespeople you know, we think we're very unique in every aspect of our struggle and it's like, oh my God, like it's so similar.
Speaker 2:It's just maybe the timeline or how it happens just a little different, but it seems like it's the same ingredients a lot of the times. But for me personally, I think one of the biggest struggles was one understanding how to manage the invoicing and money and like actually realizing that like this, you know this is a feast or famine situation. You know it's not one of those things where there's any guaranteed paychecks coming in. You know it is really. You know I have to bust my butt for this, to work and make sure that. You know I was able to maintain the sales and also maintain clients and things like that until I was able to bring on more people. But that aspect of having, you know, hunger to famine and then, you know, obviously having feast moments at times too, that really made me want to push through and definitely helped a ton.
Speaker 1:They really. You just don't have any. No one teaches you. I guess the small business association and places like that try to, but until you're living in it you have to learn and unfortunately sometimes it's from learning from mistakes. Right, they cost you, they're costly mistakes. In our own company, you know we have 200 agents and it's we've made a lot of mistakes and if I went back and counted the dollars over the last six and a half years, I would be sick.
Speaker 1:But you know, we had to learn the hard way. We had people in position that shouldn't have been. We trusted people we shouldn't have. You know, we had people paid the wrong amount and no one ever mentioned that and then they never came back and said hey, you guys gave me the wrong amount of money. It's just people, and this is the time. It's just because they don't ever check their stuff, because nobody teaches them how to make money or how to check your bank account or balance things.
Speaker 1:So you know if I had to look at the public school system today and I could affect it in any way. One would be to put Thinking Very Rich in at a junior high level and teach them principles of success.
Speaker 2:I mean shoot. Start that in fifth grade.
Speaker 2:I mean wouldn't those learning curves, but I mean, I think, psychological awareness, that not even just the control aspect, but, like you know, knowing that you you have to take responsibility and blame yourself for a lot of things you know and not just take in, say, like you know, it's his fault or her fault. It's like I can't make that responsibility now. And in all those mistakes and all the wins that was, you know, the one thing that really stood out to myself was just like man, like it's like ever yeah yeah, and he's like oh yeah.
Speaker 2:And also here's the second rarest one.
Speaker 1:I'm like oh, my god but you cannot get away from him. If you have a napoleon hill anything, yeah, yeah, he'll hunt you down until he gets it. And I understand why because it's really affected me personally so much in my life and you know I'm in my mid-50s, I've been through a lot and it's just. It's been a crazy life and I thank God that I have this idea of personal development, how to fix me first, because it has been my fault. I look back at all of it and I know that the mistakes we made were because I wasn't paying attention, because I didn't learn enough to know. So you know, that's, that's how we learned. So let's talk about your mindset. So, from when you first started your company to today, how is your mindset shifted?
Speaker 2:All over the place, good or bad. So, no, it's funny because, you know, in the beginning I really thought, you know, that I just had to do just just enough and it would work. And then I realize now that, like, like enough is just stepping stones into the mountain you have to climb, you know. And so I think, from a psychology aspect of, like, my mindset, it's like, in the beginning it was like, and it was still, you know, we still have our moments, for sure, but it was, you know, instead of knowing and understanding what I was doing, you know, it was like, let me just start throwing darts, and I wasn't very. Again, going back to, you know, the whole aspect of you know, I really thought I just I'll try this, try this and try that, and then let's just see if it's fit, it's six or works. Versus now, it's much more sniper. You know, everything is a a very pinpoint. This is exactly where we want to go. There is no question of no-transcript opened Mediashark.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, two actually there's. There's a, let's say, a deep one that really hits home. That mostly on the second one. But the first one was when we landed Sprint as a client. That was really cool.
Speaker 2:Obviously, they got with the T-Mobile merger and things like that. We ended up not being able to continue with them as a client, but that was an eyeopening experience for myself and it was the first time I felt like, oh my God, like we could do this, you know, and the amount of money they spent and how quickly they spent, it was insane and that made me so nervous because I'm thinking like if they have any issues, we're bankrupt. There's no way we can repay this and survive. So that was very much my club treatment for them. But ending them and I realized just everybody, client, you want to work with everything you do, if you can. Just very simple terms, you're one person away and I'm not like Russell Brunson with his one funnel away, but you can get within one person away from the biggest decision makers. That can affect your business, your life and that should be your goal and that's what I did. We reached out to agencies, we got to be really strong partners with them and we strategically tried to place ourselves with agencies that we know work with these big boys, and so that actually worked out. And so it was something where everybody's always like, how'd you land them? It's like, man, we didn't really go after them. We found out who their friends were and it really put us on the map you know, as being, you know very small boutique, but hey, we're here to play.
Speaker 2:The second one was more of a personal disaster. That happened actually, which is kind of funny in a sense. I can't say again I wish I could who they were. But when I stepped away officially I will say fired, and I literally, within a very unique experience, I feel blessed to have had him in my life at the time. But we kind of had a falling out and basically I get a call.
Speaker 2:I remember I'm driving over the bridge and I was not focused on the financials at all and the first round of MediaShark was me and him and we're starting to hire people, we're bringing on stuff and we hadn't really wasteful in our spending. I look at that now. I was not in the financial side at that time, I let him with everything. But you know, I get a call as I'm crossing this bridge over to Tampa and he's like hey, man, we got enough for two more paychecks, maybe one, you know, worst case scenario. And I'm like, what Like? And you know, within about three weeks, we had to, we separated and I had to restart MediaShark completely on my own. Again, that was, and again I wish him the absolute best and me and him still have a great relationship. But we're obviously, you know, now different. But that was the overcoming moment that I'm like this is hard man, this is really freaking hard. And that was, yeah. So everybody's always like, yeah, how to start MediaShark? I'm like man.
Speaker 1:the second one was great. The first one, this version 2.0, was amazing. Yeah so let's talk about that. Limited resources. You have limited resources, right? It's not like we were born to money, you and me, so we had no choice but to do this. We have no choice, still, right.
Speaker 2:So what piece of advice do you give?
Speaker 1:to someone that's starting a business with limited or no resources. What can they do to get their business off the ground?
Speaker 2:Well, so I think, first thing is, you know, I mean, you look at the aspect of like taking and we didn't take any funding, we didn't take out loans. I didn't do anything like that, I didn't even put anything on a credit card. So this was like hey, I'm going to my savings and I'm going to make this work, and this was a race to get. Do I want to go? How much do I need to make? Or what, like how many sales I got to have? Or you know, how many leads do I need to talk to eventually? But then put down a date and then you make out the plan of how you're going to make it happen and then you read it twice a day and then you realize, like you'll call it, we'll handle that in a second. I need to get mentally right and making sure that I understand where I need to go, how I'm going to do it and by what time I need to do it. Then it's like let's look at this toolbox of all these tools and what can I do right away to get traffic or my name, my brand, my whatever in front of the potential clients? So I think one of the big things you can do for free is I mean go learn SEO, take a day and watch every SEO type video online on how to grow a website, how to build a website on your own. You know, and I cause I mean end of the day, the key thing is Google has so much opportunity with traffic and if you could just start ranking among you know, let's call it some of the real players out there, you're going to get the traffic and then I, what I would do is I'd start I don't want to call it the Grant Cardone 10X thing, but I would literally make it a habit.
Speaker 2:Every day I send out a hundred emails, no matter what introduce my product to somebody. There's lists you can buy all over the online. I would do 10 Facebook messages, 20 Instagram messages and I would try to film one intro video that I would send to. I call them my whales, so I always try to be. You know, 20% of my marketing time, or sales time, is spent on whales. 80% is making sure that. You know I'm working with what I need to do to get the business growing, but those are my little darts. I'm throwing out that. Hopefully I land the whale. But you know that's where I'd start. It's just the SEO aspect and then diving into, you know, actual, real direct messaging and getting in front of people.
Speaker 1:So for me, you know, having a real estate company, they're all individual little businesses of their own. So what you just said is what I always say you just keep doing. There's something to do every day that can move the needle. You have to do it. And I say to the agents and I could say this a million times and it probably won't sit but if you actually took 40 hours a week and worked, you would be able to sell one house or list one house every single week. I guarantee it, no matter what. But the problem is they're doing too many other things outside of the business.
Speaker 2:Well, and that's what they say. What is it that like, if you can get was it a salesperson to work 65 of the time, then they are considered a successful salesperson. So it's like if you're working half, almost a little over half, that's what makes you successful. Or like just to be, I guess, playing in the game. You know, could you imagine going to work at a job where they're like, hey, if you just work I mean, I know you got an eight-hour shift today but I just really need you to knock out five, maybe five and a half, and then it it's like you know.
Speaker 1:But I'm going to steal that for sure. That was really good. It just doesn't make sense and so and I think that people just get caught up in everything else except for building their business. So there is so much opportunity in the world still. There's so much you can do and be successful and just constantly doing things, income producing activities every day. Figure out what they are for your industry right and do them Well and here's a great thing.
Speaker 2:I mean, I got a buddy who's a real estate agent out here and I told him I was like why don't you just build the directory for the what to do, the best restaurants, the you know whatever, build a website directory and then create the leads that if you know these types of people that you know, you're going to put out the newsletter of the coolest things are happening in this little area. And then you also mentioned the houses you're selling. You know, here and there in the newsletter, but you are the directory of the activities in your little market. Again, you have to niche this down. You could have your own lead list, basically, and be generating leads for yourself and also advertising your listings and marketing newsletter for next to nothing.
Speaker 1:Right and then create the Facebook group around that Right and start pulling the people in marketing to them. It's an everyone can do, because everyone knows different people. You don't have all the same people in your life that hold 250 of marketing. Who comes to your funeral and who goes to the wedding? Right, there's 250 people and they, everyone knows 250 minimum, I know. Unless you're like living in a cave and you don't have anybody, you don't have any friends.
Speaker 2:Well, thanks to these guys, now you know, I don't think that's even possible.
Speaker 1:No, it can't be.
Speaker 2:I agree.
Speaker 1:So you've worked with both small businesses and Fortune 500. How does your approach differ when working with varying size?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So it's interesting because when you work with the team, you, you work with the team. You come in as an expert, but you have to come in so careful that you're humble and understanding your alpha. I don't use the word alpha necessarily, but you know you're direct enough where the superiors of whoever feel like you are the right solution as a company or whatever you're bringing to the table, your solution offer, but then at the same time, humble enough that you don't threaten whoever's in front of you that you're going to be taking their jobs or your team will, because that is huge within. You know we get into some of these larger companies, or even you know companies that have teams, more or less, that have a small marketing team with them. You know these people you know respectfully, should be fear, fearful of you know, potentially an agency coming in and taking over their jobs. So when we work with anybody large, it's more like you know, hey, who's the team players. You know can we go in with a boost of confidence? And basically, how do we highlight those players so they look good for their bosses? But then make sure the boss understands that hey, we're the ones doing this stuff, but we're here as a team player.
Speaker 2:When it comes down to, you know, working with the like let's just say, looking, working with a local dentist or lawn care company or something like that what we'll typically do is you know, we try to make everything super transparent. You know, because a lot of these business owners they don't realize at the same always say, like, the digital world is a Wolf of Wall Street situation. You can get screwed over so fast, so easy. So what we try to do is hey, here's what's going on, here's what this is going to cost you, here's all the little fees and here's where you could get screwed if you don't go with us, just in case. And then you know, they know the best, and you know, and we got a team.
Speaker 2:You know, it's not to me necessarily, by any means, but you were working with somebody who's small and local and you know we all start somewhere. You know, and they, they're like oh, this other company said that they can do it for $2,000 less and it's like can get the same thing for, you know, 4,000. Sure, you could say 2,000 is going to be the cheaper one, but it get the gas costs the same. So really all it is is your reach. You know you're not going to go as far as you think you will, but someone's going to promise you you can't.
Speaker 1:So there's marketing right, because sometimes you don't see results for a while six weeks and you're like what's going on? And so I've been there because I've done, and so the communication, the fact that you're transparent, already sets you apart in the industry. And that's what you need to do right, Set yourself apart in an industry that a lot of people try to tackle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no-transcript, this road you're not. It's not getting bumpy for you, but here's what's going to happen If you don't maybe potentially go with us. This is where you could be. You know, in the sales world is sometimes maybe, as a salesperson, you're afraid because you want to be so positive and it's like man. The truth is, if you could just be like I'm not, I want to be like fearfully positive in a sense, where you're like aware of it and you know you become more of the doctor, the facilitator, rather than the salesperson. You know, because the doctor is going to tell you, no matter what here's. You know, as a salesperson, if I don't talk about the negative potential, then you know I really just look like this is all about me.
Speaker 1:Makes a lot of sense. So, outside of your dad, who's been the most influential person in your life and how they impacted your journey?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I'm going to actually say I mean I don't know him, I've been around him a little bit, but Russell Brunson was huge, was for me. I mean that was do that I could build, you know, not maybe what he did by any means, but like I could work hard and achieve something really cool in this space. I think for him it was just like when I went to my first ClickFunnels and I got to meet a couple of and actually I'm now really good friends with a couple of the big speakers with him and I met his wife and she's so so nice. And just being around these group of people I'm like this is crazy. Like this guy has built something that has changed the entire world in the marketing scheme of things or even sales. And just seeing him and then literally like the traffic secrets diving into those books, being in these organizations, it just really made me realize it's like man if you were willing to bust.
Speaker 1:You see russell brunson yeah, andrew carnegie jesus, my dad, you know. So there he is.
Speaker 2:Russell brunson yeah, just like I don't want, I don't want to leave jesus out of that.
Speaker 1:But yes, yeah, no, for sure, yes yeah, mean, obviously he should be our first, our first one. But you know, sometimes we need a little different answer. We might call someone else but, I, you know he does have all the answers for sure. So how about daily habits or routines, anything that you do daily to keep your mindset on track?
Speaker 2:Yeah, for for me, I have a challenge of myself. Every month I find two books, a personal growth one and a business growth one. I make sure I read those. Every month I pick two different books and some are longer, some have been shorter than others. That's, that's been a big growth help. But also, you know, just really just making sure I'm taking notes too on these books, because after the second book, or whatever, start forgetting. So making sure you can go back and review.
Speaker 2:And then, honestly, I think, which is something that's so overlooked, it's exercising, like I'm not the one to boast about, like I look great or anything like that. But earlier today I went out for a two and a half mile run before this, but just doing something that allows my head to get clear and I can burn off energy or whatever my feelings and emotions are in the moment, or maybe just have some peace and quiet. As we were just talking earlier. It's, you know, taking a break, and if it's exercise for you, that's awesome, for me, that's what it is. But, you know, try to incorporate some type have to put this on your list.
Speaker 2:Okay, I will.
Speaker 1:It is so good, like when you're opening. I want to show you something because I know you'll love it. You see what all those bolts, every single bolt, says.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that Just about in every page.
Speaker 1:It has that on there.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It is so good, joey, I can't put it down, and I read a lot than some of the things that I've read.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I definitely just wrote that down. Yeah, thank you, I appreciate that.
Speaker 1:You're very welcome. So is there one specific principle in Napoleon Hill's thinking that has helped you more than any?
Speaker 2:I think it's the power of thought and understanding that I really believe now, like it is truly a power of energy. I mean, it's something that's so. So much there, no-transcript, we're all these crazy ways we can measure this kind of stuff now, but it really is a real energy force in out there.
Speaker 1:Because we're energy. Right, we're all made of energy. It's incredible. What is the biggest takeaway? You?
Speaker 2:we did seven figures our first year, you know, and obviously that's not take home by any means, but that was, you know, something that was really cool. But I just, I truly think that, man, if you really are stuck, and you know, you like, I got fired on the job, I had a great income, I wasn't married and like that, you know, so I was able to, you know, really watch out for myself, we'll call it. But you know, I just when I was sitting at that bar, you know, as dumb as it sounds, I had no idea that this would even turn out to this, you know, but in fact I really just thought it was going to make them mad and that was the only real big win.
Speaker 1:I probably have with this you know.
Speaker 2:But just the aspect of this, you know, convincing myself, you know, just in general, to find the next thing that'll help push you through, the next opportunity. It's all at your fingertips, you know, and I just hope that people realize that it's like I always say there's no education, because I again, I was brought up that you should go to college. I felt like I was a failure because I didn't. And then you know, after I'm thinking like they were right. You know I should. I should have went this route or a different route. But the aspect was, you know, if I just strap the boots up ready to go, and you know, if I hit the pavement running, like on YouTube or things like that, and I absorb what I need to do and I put out the actions and the thoughts it's going to work out, and then I truly believe that.
Speaker 1:And I believe you. So what's next for you and MediaShark?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I I'm in the application process of a Ted talk, so that'll be something. Yeah, I'm really excited about that. It's been a emotional but very well, let's say, a well put together opportunity. We'll call it for myself personally and then, you know, for the business wise growth lies, but it's been hard, I will say it's. It was like therapy, digging into stuff. It was a lot, but I'm very excited about that.
Speaker 2:And then for for mediaark, we're, uh, we're actually breaking into some new markets and, you know, started actually going to coaching clients. I think, with what's about to happen, uh, economy, wise, good or bad I think a lot of businesses are going to try to figure out how to do all this stuff on their own. You know, if we look at, like I just said, the library aspect, youtube's there, you know. So all the information at your fingertips. So I don't want to do that for what we do, but I want to go into being able to help these businesses go into the aspect of I can do this, you know, in-house and I can use these fundamental trainings to train my staff.
Speaker 1:They'll always need somebody. I think it's a great idea and I think there's there's so much that they can do, but there's certainly things that they can't do. They think they can until they actually sit and do it, and it's. It's a lot and things and something else I'm going to say. One of my friends here in Pittsburgh. He actually coached 30 people to get on TED Talks. So if you ever need any pointers, I probably can hook you up with him. He's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's a good guy. He himself, I think, has two, so he's in the National Speakers Association with me. We have a Pittsburgh chapter. So if you're a member of that or if you're not, maybe that would be a cool thing, because it's really so cool. I love that.
Speaker 2:But it's so hard to yeah, because you're like, oh, I want to do this, and it's like, oh, there's so much work and barriers, but it's like I keep doing it.
Speaker 1:I'll be happy to. I'm speaking in Vegas at an event just for, or just kind of like, my signature talk. I'm excited about that. That will be an adventure for sure Awesome. So where can listeners find you online?
Speaker 2:Sure, it's a business thing. Yeah, check out gomediasharkcom and there's a reason, there's a go in front of it, you know round two. But if anything, if you just you can go to on Instagram that marketing guy there's under stores in between there, but yeah, that marketing guy online if you want to just reach out personally, but yeah, those are the two spots.
Speaker 1:That's awesome and I really appreciate. It was great to get to know you.
