Month: March 2011 | Chris Zavadowski's Massive Leverage Marketing

Now that things are starting to warm up, I thought I’d post a fun recap of our 2nd annual Maverick Business Insider Summer Extravaganza event. (I’ll admit it’s coming a tad bit late). 😉 I produced this insanely fun event, along with Yanik Silver, for our Maverick1000 members and Maverick Business Insider newsletter subscribers. This 1-day experience covered the maverick philosophy of make more, have more fun and give more. (If you weren’t there – you missed out!)

We started off the day with the workshops and a presentation Yanik gave on “3 Pillars of an Extraordinary Entrepreneurial Life & Business” and the newest trends for 2011 online & beyond (you may have seen the updated webinar Yanik and I both produced a few months back, too). Then a highlight of our “hard work” was throwing paper airplanes around for the “Airtime Mastermind”.

Here’s a picture that captures it well –

Air Time Mastermind in full flight

Everyone got a piece of construction paper to write down their most pressing issue or problem in business. Then they folded up their plane and launched them around the room. Everyone had to grab someone else’s plane and write down an answer to their question. We got some great conversation going and insights to problems attendees faced. (This game is very cool if you’re looking for a unique group mastermind experience!)

Then after filling up on a summer BBQ lunch, we transported everyone over to the Airsoft close quarter combat facility (the same place a lot of our nation’s special forces use). Now in case you haven’t seen Airsoft or heard of it – it’s billed as similar to paintball…WITH all the fun, but WITHOUT the pain. (Umm…BS!) You definitely felt those damn pellets!

At the Airsoft facility, suiting up for the games with Mavericks Dr. Adam Summers, Mike Cline and William Lee. Notice William (who I affectionately referred to as Rambo). When they asked if anyone had played before, he didn’t say anything. He chose instead to go for Shock & Awe when he started suiting up. Vests, extra magazines, a backup handheld gun (with flashlight), an automatic primary weapon (with flashlight AND silencer), ninja mask and more. The room got a little quiet as his violent side started to show

Did someone call for S.W.A.T.? (William is just practicing for the upcoming Maverick Covert Ops experience in October.)

Now for the Giving part – we had a “Charity Chicken”. What the hell is a charity chicken you may ask? That’s a perfectly valid question and one we’re not exactly sure the answer to either. But for some reason myself and Yanik Silver both got into the suit to bother people inside the playing field until we were shot. (Trust me, even with the dang suit on you still felt the bullets.)

Anyone who shot the chicken would donate $10 to Village Enterprise Fund (vef.org), one of the self-sustaining charities Maverick consistently supports. Here’s an action shot of the “Charity Chicken”:

The Charity Chicken also lays eggs during the game (good for bonus points and special powers). Chris decided he should get some practice beforehand… 😉

The #1 player, and winner of a $500 charity donation in his name (2nd place got $250 and 3rd place got $100 — they both chose American Cancer Society, and William chose the Dizzy Feet Foundation), why not pour some beer into your trophy? At least, it looked like a good idea. 😉

To determine the trophy winners (and winners of the charity donation prizes), we held a special sudden death match at the end of the day with the top guns. 1st place went to Maverick1000 member, William Lee (“Rambo”). 2nd place was snatched up by David Dolak and 3rd place went to Jared Polin.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Maverick event without a few other fun awards. Rakhi Sharma won the “Lost Cause” award for her er, um….”skills”. And Maverick Member, Adam Summers, snatched up the MVP trophy for his awesome teamwork covering his buddies’ asses.

Here are all the awesome Members who stepped up to shoot the poor chicken (i.e. Yanik and me) and donate to charity:

Jon Butt (www.jononfire.com)
Mike Cline (www.techguyswhogetmarketing.com)
Robert Dickson (www.porcupinewebsitedesign.com)
David Dolak (www.dolphinjewelry.com)
Mostafa Azab
Jonathan Flaks (www.jfcoach.com)
Christian Hammarskjold (www.wideopenbaja.com)
Jeffrey Kirk (www.webgeniussummit.com)
William Lee (www.candytelegram.com)
Andy Miller (www.andymillerinternational.com)
Gary Nealon (www.rtacabinetstore.com)
Jared Polin (www.froknowsphoto.com)
Buck Rizvi (www.ultimatelifespan.com)
Rakhi Sharma (www.cheenifortots.com)
Jeffrey Sherman
Adam Summers
Jimmy Sweeney (www.honesteonline.com)
Ron Tager
Joe Tice
Joe Zapolski

And our most coveted prize went to Maverick1000 member, Gary Nealon. He was given the award for Big Mother Clucker for hitting the defenseless chicken the most out of anyone and making the biggest charity donation. (Thanks Gary!)

Let’s be honest, nothing says classy like a chicken hat.

And if you think your Maverick members would let the chicken cluck off into the sunset – you’ve got another thing coming. The next day a fearless group of Mavericks took to the air for a skydiving adventure. Many of the members experienced their first freefall and the chicken went along for the ride too.

Maverick members with limited edition ‘Carpe Diem Bitch’ t-shirts and one chicken head are ready to jump.

Now at the jump site, I’m sure they’ve seen some wacky things – but Yanik suggested that maybe we could get the Chicken up in the air. After asking if he was kidding or not, they checked in with his instructor…and he gave a very hesitant, “Okay”. He cut off the chicken wings so we weren’t working with a ‘squirrel suit’ and then checked Yanik out in the harness.

All systems go for project ‘chickens aloft”

Here’s I am giving Yanik a friendly “hug” before we take off –

Insert your own caption here. 😉

And here we are in full-on chicken glory

And here’s a fun video from my first skydiving experience (highly recommended!):

I look forward to hanging out with you at the next Maverick Business Insider Extravaganza!

Catch you soon!

Chris 🙂

PS – If you haven’t seen enough or plucked your eyes out – you can check out a quick highlight reel we put together here: http://animoto.com/play/9kGbhKiQTkDc2F0xUWVYBA

We are very, very sloppy with language.

Consider the word “can’t”. People use it often, casually, and, mostly, inaccurately.

As in: I just can’t seem to lose weight. Actually, barring a genuine medical disorder, the odds against somewhere in the 25,000 to 1 range, anybody can, in fact, lose weight. There’s no mystery to it whatsoever. Reduce calorie, fat, and empty carb intake, add exercise. The accurate word replacing can’t here would be choose. I just seem to choose not to lose weight. I choose to remain fat, ugly, unhealthy.

I’m not a theologian, but I recall one of those bothersome commandments brought down from the mountain having to do with not lying. I know a lot of people who profess belief in those ten, yet lie like dogs daily to themselves. You’d think we could at least manage some private honesty with self.

In my businesses – publishing, consulting, coaching, and training – quite a few people excuse themselves from doing the things necessary to be successful. In 30 years, I imagine I’ve heard every excuse. Most quitters aren’t very imaginative, so even the 30 year list is short.

There’s the old story of the guy asking his neighbor to borrow his tractor. His neighbor says: “Can’t let ya. There’s a horrible drought in Kansas.” The puzzled guy says, a little irritated, “We’re in Iowa. What the heck does the drought in Kansas have to do with me using your tractor?” And the farmer says: “When a man doesn’t want to lend out his tractor, one excuse is just as good as another.”

Whoever publishes the piece in which you find this series of Why People Fail articles is just like me and every coach, karate instructor, art teacher, personal trainer, business advisor; he, we, hear a lot of quitters’ excuses. One of the saddest is “I can’t afford it.”

My friend Jim Rohn, a world class success teacher, has famously said: “Rich people have big libraries. Poor people have big TV’s.” Somebody visiting one of my homes said, “It must be nice to be able to afford to buy and own all these books” (there are thousands). I said, “It is – but a good number of them were bought when I couldn’t afford them.”

They are cause, not effect. When Houdini moved from his country home to the city, it required five full-size moving vans just for his library of books about magic, performance, psychology and salesmanship. He did not acquire his library after becoming Houdini. He acquired it in becoming Houdini. Personally, years back, I found it less harmful to not afford a meal than to not afford information.

If you mean it as a drought in Kansas excuse to exit a place you decide you don’t belong, a program for progress and success you refuse to stick to and apply yourself to, it really isn’t necessary to fib to us or to yourself. Frankly, we don’t care, and you do yourself no good with the dishonesty.

If you sincerely believe you can’t afford to acquire the information that leads so many to success, you might inspect what you do afford – your daily Starbucks run, your cigarettes, your nights out with friends. Super entrepreneur Gene Simmons (KISS) wrote that anyone under 30 and not yet rich even thinking about taking a vacation should be shot.

Anyone saying “I can’t afford it” to the tools, support and direction needed to get to position where they no longer need proffer such sad excuse needs a good old fashioned, back out behind the barn butt-whipping. In my opinion. At least be honest. Look in the mirror and say: I choose not to afford it.

– By Dan S. Kennedy, serial entrepreneur, from-scratch multi-millionaire, speaker, consultant, coach, author of 13 books including the No B.S. series, and editor of The No B.S. Marketing Letter. FOR A SPECIAL FREE GIFT FROM DAN FOR YOU including newsletters, audio CD’s and more: visit: www.FreeDanKennedyNewsletter.com