My palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy...

I’m not gonna lie… I’m a little nervous sending out this first email. 

It reminds me of the first time I DJ’d in a club in front of a giant crowd.

The feeling in the pit of my stomach… the lump in my throat.

But like Eminem says, “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, This opportunity comes once in a lifetime”

So here it goes…

For this issue I’m going to share a tip on marketing, a tip on sales, one of the tools I’m currently using, a book I’m reading, and a cool video to watch. 

📣 Marketing 

Dora was wrong! 

Swiper YES swiping!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret 🤫

Every great marketer has a SWIPE FILE. I’ve kept one for more than 20 years and it has helped me more than anything else in my business.

What is it?

A swipe file is a collection of headlines, ads, copy, text, newsletters, websites, social media posts that you find fascinating or helpful, that you can “swipe” ideas from when writing your own headlines or creating content. I have both a digital version and a physical version where I clip out things.

Like Picasso famously said, “good artists borrow, great artists steal.”

Great ads and headlines make $$$$. Companies spend millions of dollars on getting their messaging right because good copy = GOLD. So why not “borrow” from the best?

You can start yours today by scanning your inbox or flipping through magazines.

Here are some cool links where I find some of my favorites:

https://swiped.co/

https://unicornads.com/ 

https://swipefile.com 

https://www.swipefiles.co/ 

Quick note here: You don’t want to be a douchebag and outright copy everything word-for-word! You want to use it as inspiration and a guide and make it your own.

📈 Sales

“Would you like fries with that?”

And with that simple question, McDonald’s made their profitability skyrocket 🚀  (they’ve also made a killing with combos & bundling)

Every business has the opportunity to create an upsell or a cross-sell regardless of what business you’re in. Every single one.

You can use this technique to get your customers to try a new product, add on an extra service like training, coaching, or an extended warranty. You can also bundle multiple products or services to increase average order size.

Think about it…

They’re already buying from you. So they like you, they trust you, and they are ready to give you money - right now. Why not present them with an upsell? What’s the worst that can happen, they say no? No harm, no foul. The best thing that can happen? You make extra revenue and have your customers try new things.

Every sale gives you this opportunity. If you don’t ask every time, you’re leaving money on the table 💵

If you can’t think of how this applies to your business? Drop a quick post in my FB group and I will give you ideas that can help you.

BTW, this also works if you’re buying something for yourself or your business. If they don’t offer you the upsell and you’re considering additional purchases, ask for it. I just got myself free delivery on furniture by just asking. Saved $100!

🛠 One of my Favorite Tools

I use many different tools on a daily basis, but my favorite one nowadays is Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases that helps you write, plan, and get organized.

I use it to keep track of all my projects, links, my SWIPE FILE, plans, and even my notes and outlines for this newsletter.

They have a basic version that’s free, and a pro plan that costs something like $4 a month. They also have a version for bigger teams if you need that.

📚 This is What I’m Reading Right Now

(You can click on the book if you want more info)

📺  Watch This

Speaking of brand cults… I found this fascinating!

Wow, I lost myself in the moment and I dropped bombs! And just like my first DJ set, I can’t believe it’s coming to a close. 

Now I can’t wait to do it all over again!

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - Let me know what you thought! Drop me a note 

P.S.S. - Think someone can benefit from this info? Sharing is caring!

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Am I original? (yeah) Am I the only one? (yeeaah)

Picture it… Miami, Florida 1995

It’s the middle of the summer and I’m DJing at Amnesia, one of the hottest clubs in Miami at the time.

Little did I know that I was soon to discover one of the most valuable lessons that I still carry with me today.

The music was 🔥 (the Macarena went viral that year), the foam was flowing 🧼 and I was in a groove that night.

As midnight approached, the promoter came into the DJ booth to tell me that he had a “special” act performing that night.

Some boy band from Orlando or something… (BTW boy bands weren’t even a thing yet)

So these 5 guys dressed in the wackiest coordinated outfits I had ever seen hit the stage and the promoter gave me the sign...

“Awwwww yeah party people! Let’s give it up for The Backstreet Boys!!!!!”, I yelled into the mic.

The Backstreet Boys? Seriously? These guys will NEVER make it! 😂🤣

Within a few months they had hit #1 on the worldwide charts, girls were going CRAZY over them, and they were international superstars! 

So much for my career as a talent scout...

This drove me nuts! How did I miss that? What was it that other people saw in them that I didn’t?  How did I not see the trend??? Here I thought I was a great judge of music… 

It rocked my world and set me off on a journey to look at everything through a different lens. 

I vowed to never let this happen to me again.

I needed to stay ahead of the curve.

The lesson I learned: Don’t discount ANYTHING without having a deeper understanding of it.

🔎Dig Deeper

From that moment on I became obsessed with understanding trends and coming up with ideas.

It’s something that I continue to do today in every aspect of my life and business. I attribute a big part of my success as an executive and as an entrepreneur to this practice. And I suggest you make it a part of your daily, weekly, or monthly routine too.

It will pay off BIG TIME 💰

There’s a ton of different ways you can go about spotting trends, and I can probably spend an hour going through my exact process, but this is a quick version of how I do it:

I normally set aside an hour a day (usually while I have my coffee ☕️ in the morning) and look through a handful of some of these platforms, sites, and tools:

• Reddit

• RedditList

• Product Hunt

• Kickstarter

• Indiegogo

• Exploding Topics

• TrendHunter

• Think With Google

• TikTok

• Twitch

• Twitter

***plus a couple of other cool sites, podcasts and newsletters I subscribe to.  

I tend to spend 10 to 15 minutes on the ones I’ve chosen for the day.

My focus while on those sites is on a couple of things… (this isn’t your typical social media browsing routine where you just scroll and hit like)

First, I focus on what’s trending on each of those sites’ front pages and click through to learn more on each topic. Then dig a little deeper to read the comments. You tend to learn so much more in the comments sections! 

If something catches my attention, I usually note it down in Notion or the notes app on my phone so that I can take a deeper dive later on.

Next, I use the search function to look for keywords specifically around my industry or things I’m interested in. This gives me tremendous insight! Much more than the standard boring industry websites and magazines that “everyone else” reads.

❓Ask Questions

My next go-to tactic? I’ve learned to ask young people a TON of questions. 

• What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen recently?

• What are you watching?

• What are you playing?

• What are you reading?

• What are you listening to?

• Have you seen any interesting products lately?

• What brands are doing awesome things right now?

• What apps should I try?

This list goes on..and on…and on… 

The key here is to have a genuine conversation with the intent to listen and learn.

That’s how I discovered TikTok and Twitch. Both platforms which I’ve embraced and been able to leverage much sooner than any of my competitors. 

If you’re wondering how effective some of these platforms can be for your business, we just launched a campaign with some Twitch streamers and it generated over 2,000 email signups in less than 10 minutes. NUTS!

All because I asked my kids, nieces, and their friends where they’ve been hanging out and seeing cool stuff.

👀 Side note: If you haven’t been on Twitch or Tiktok, you need to check them out and use the search tool to look for things you’re interested in. For example, I’m an Excel nerd. Some of the BEST excel tricks I use every day I’ve found on TikTok! So there’s more to that platform than silly dances. You just have to look deeper.

These trendspotting exercises keep me “in-the-know” about upcoming products, music, services, and movements both in and out of my industries. 

It also helps me to have great conversations with different people around these topics.

But the most important thing it does is generate a BUNCH of new ideas for me.

Then I start to figure out how they either fit into my existing businesses or what kind of new business can be born out of these ideas.

I’ll spend next week’s issue breaking down my “Idea Workout ⁨💪🏼” and how I turn these trends into actionable ideas.

I’m pretty sure you don’t want to miss that one!

So with that...to quote another famous boy band, “Bye, Bye, Bye!”

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - If you want to know more about my trendspotting process or tools, let me know by replying or by posting in my Big Idea Society Facebook Group

P.S.S. - Thanks SO much for the great feedback on last week’s issue! Keep the feedback coming. It helps this get better and better 😃

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I've got the brains, you've got the looks - Let's make lots of money

They say that money is attracted to great ideas.

But not every idea is a great idea…

Like the time over the summer that me and my best friends (and OG DJ partners) Marco & Curro thought it would be a great idea to kill fire ants 🐜 in my front yard with a roman candle 🧨

We killed the ants 🙌🏼

But we ended up setting part of the yard on fire 🔥🧯😳  Oh Sh💩!!!

(My parents, who are reading this newsletter just like you, are just finding out what really happened 😬 - Sorry guys! 🤷🏼‍♂️) 

💪🏼 Exercising your IDEA Muscle

Thankfully there are ways to come up with great ideas without setting your yard on fire. But it takes consistent practice. You need to exercise your IDEA muscle.

Why is it important to exercise your idea muscle? 

Because you need it to be strong whenever you need to come up with an idea. You don’t want to wait until you NEED an idea to start exercising that muscle.

One of my favorite ways to do this is by creating a list of 10 new ideas a couple of times a week.

I learned about this exercise a couple of years ago from James Altucher, who says that “Ideas are the currency of life - not money” 

He does this exercise every day - 365 days a year. That’s 3,650 ideas!

James likes using waiter pads and a pen for this… I use the notes app on my phone. 

How does it work? Pick a topic and start jotting down ideas… That’s it.

Think it’s simple? Not so fast, my friend 🛑

Coming up with the first 4 to 6 ideas is usually easy… it’s numbers 7-10 that are the most challenging. But this is where your idea muscle really starts to develop. 

I recommend that you vary topics… don’t just focus on business things. That way your ideas become diverse.

Here are 10 examples of some of my recent topics:

• 10 things that can be reinvented

• 10 books I should write 

• 10 TV shows that should exist but don’t today

• 10 wacky inventions that might actually work

• 10 new foods to try

• 10 experiences I need to have before I turn 50

• 10 ways to connect with my family and friends

• 10 influential people I want to meet

• 10 things I want to learn this year

• 10 places to visit or things to do in my hometown that I’ve never done before 

• 10 businesses that have successful formulas that can be adapted for other businesses (this is a bonus one in case you’re counting)

For that last one, here’s one of the ideas that I came up with…

An Airbnb for Tools - I think this is a brilliant idea!

I was planning on doing a lot of work around the house over a weekend and realized I needed some tools that I didn’t have. I reached out to my local Home Depot and they either don’t rent out the tools or were already booked for the weekend.

That got me thinking, is there anything out there that’s like “the Airbnb for Tools”?

I have a lot of tools that sit idle in my garage for months that could be making me money from someone who needs them for a 1 off project. Some people (like me for my weekend project) only need a tool for 1 specific job and will probably never use it again. Imagine being able to search for the tool you need in an app and finding one a block or two away. I’d gladly pay for that!

Who knows? This may turn into something!

Anyways...

Just with that list above, I came up with 110 new ideas! Imagine doing this 52 weeks a year? Or every day like James?!?!?

Now, are they all good ideas? GOD NO!!! Some of them are horrible! But just like any workout, some are better than others. Regardless, they still strengthened my IDEA muscle.

So what to do with all of these ideas? 

You have to use them in one way or another. 

Think of your brain as a gas tank - it has a certain capacity. And for it to be able to be filled up again, you need to use the fuel, or in this case the ideas.

So a lot of times, I get inspired and pursue them. 

A lot of times I share them or give them away to friends and family who can use them.

And sometimes I even let them have idea sex… 

Yeah baby! That’s when two different ideas have sex and create an AWESOME idea baby 👶🏻

But most of the time, I do nothing... They just sit those lists in case I need them some day.

By keeping them in the lists instead of my head, I can free my brain to come up with new ideas and know that I will always have a ton of ideas to revisit whenever I need to.

The other added bonus of this exercise routine is that I’ve become an IDEA MACHINE! 🤖

Because I’ve been doing this for a while now, coming up with new ideas becomes easier and easier - whether it’s for work, for new businesses, to help someone, or just for myself.

So now it’s your turn…

What AWESOME ideas are you going to come up with?

I’d love to hear about them! If you’re up for putting them out into the world, share some in my FB group or drop me a note.

✋🏼But Wait...There’s More

I couldn’t let you leave without sharing at least one more idea you could use…

This one is all about promoting your business or your services (if you work somewhere this would make a for a great idea to share)

Create sales or promotions for your business around different holidays or make up your own. 

Everyone does the same boring normal holidays (Christmas, Black Friday, Memorial Day, etc..) but what if you could offer a “Sweet Deal” to celebrate National Ice Cream Day? 🍦

Not sure what special days are coming up? I got’chu fam…. Here’s a daily list of holidays you can use!

You could also do what Amazon and Alibaba do, and create your own holidays! 

In case you didn’t know, on “Amazon Prime Day” Amazon had sales of $6.1 Billion - in one day! (that’s more than its sales for the past Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined!)

What’s your holiday going to be?

‘Til next time….

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - is there anything you want me to write about? Give me some ideas (see what I did there? 😉)

P.S.S. - If you haven't figured it out yet, music is a big part of my life (and inspire the subject lines of this newsletter) - So I started a Spotify Playlist with all the songs from the newsletter in case you want to follow it. I'll keep adding to it as the new issues come out 🎶

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Now here's a little story I've got to tell...

Everyone loves a good story… and I love telling them.

Like the time I was prepping for one of the biggest meetings of my career…and well…let’s just say that things got a little colorful.

We were living in Southern California at the time. 

And if you’ve spent any time in “The Valley”, you know that spiritual shops and fortune tellers are everywhere.

So my wife (God bless her 🙏🏼) knew how important this meeting was going to be for me and thought it would be a great idea for me to take a “lucky spiritual bath.”

On her way back from a Target run, she went into The Psychic Eye on Ventura Blvd and asked Willow, the enlightened, patchouli scented girl working the shop, for the very best bath potion for good luck. 

(OK, I really don’t know what her name was, but I’m pretty sure it was probably Willow) 

Armed with the potion, some candles, sage, and a lucky coin, Judy came home and got the bath ready for me.

The color of the water should’ve been a dead giveaway, but against my better judgement and at the persistence of my lovely wife, I eased into the bath.

“Get in all the way!,” Judy insisted. “It needs to cover everything in order for it to work.”

After exactly 21 minutes in the bath (because apparently that’s the magic number 🙄) I stood up and COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES!

I was GREEN from neck to toes. Like completely GREEN.

We both got a good laugh 🤣 joked about me being a leprechaun and tried to shower it off.

Except it wouldn’t come off!!! 😳 At all! 

After much scrubbing and creams, we managed to get most of the tint off my hands which was good enough for the meeting.

The next day I went into my meeting in a long-sleeved shirt, tie tight against my neck and hit it out of the park! 

The potion worked! 🍀

It ended up taking a week for all the tint to finally fall off of my body, and somewhere in The Valley, Willow is probably still laughing at me.

And Judy? Well, that wasn’t the last of her “great ideas”

📚 What’s your story?

Storytelling is the oldest and most effective form of communication.

If you’re not telling stories about your brand, yourself, your business, or your movement, you’re missing out on what people value most over anything else...connections.

People connect with good stories. People want to be part of good stories.

But better yet, people SHARE good stories. 

And the brands that are sharing stories are winning in today’s economy because people value authenticity. 

People want to know more about who they’re buying from. Who they’re doing business with. They care about what’s behind the product more than they care about the product itself. 

And they’re willing to spend more on, and evangelize those brands that they feel a personal connection to.

So think about your website, your social media channels, your personal branding.

Are you sharing your brand’s story? Or are you just talking about your product or services?

Need a little inspiration? 

You’ve probably seen the funny brand story videos from Dollar Shave Club, Old Spice, and the Squatty Potty. Or the powerful story of Johnny Walker. 

But here are 3 companies I love that tell AMAZING brand stories…

👨‍🍳 The Reluctant Trading Company - A Tale of Adventure, International Intrigue and Tellicherry Peppercorns.

I really enjoy cooking and grilling and after seeing their origin story video, I not only became a customer, but I’ve shared this story with hundreds of people! (and here I am sharing it again!)

🚲 718 Cyclery - Brooklyn, NY - From Wall Street Architect to Bike Builder

My brothers-in-law are both avid bikers and have a passion for restoring vintage Italian and French road bikes. One day while helping them source a part for one of their builds, I came across 718 Cyclery in Brooklyn. This is a story about following your passion, pivoting, and finding success in the least likely of ways.

👃 Commodity Fragrances - Guess Who’s Back?!?

I have a knack for killing off cologne companies. Once I find a cologne I like and decide to make it my signature scent, the company goes out of business or discontinues the scent. (If you ever start a fragrance company, stay far away from me!) So when Commodity went out of business, I wasn’t surprised since I had become obsessed with their “Gold” cologne.  

But lucky for me, they came back after one of their fans bought the brand and revived it. Along the way, they’ve been documenting the story of the comeback. And it’s been great!

You can find the entire story here! 🎦

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💡 More Big Ideas

These are the things that I’m listening to, watching, reading, discovering, or enjoying this week.

📖 Read - From lying in bed with zero ideas to negotiating with the biggest superstar on planet earth - The story of Yeezy.Dating

📻 Listen - How John Foley started Peloton (How I Built This with Guy Raz) - BTW, I’m @RalphQ305 on Peloton - Follow me and let’s ride

📺 Watch - David Foster: Off the Record (Netflix) - David Foster is one of the greatest producers and songwriters of all time, having worked with Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Chicago, and more. A true hit-maker. He’s a perfectionist and not always a great guy. But you have to respect his work ethic.

🛒 Buy - Oculus Quest - Treat yourself to the most incredible immersive VR experience. Some of my favorite apps: TribeXR, BeatSaber, TRIPP, YouTube VR, and PokerStars

📈 New Trend - AI tackles the third leading cause of accidental death in the world and helps lifeguards do a better job at keeping us safe while we swim.

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Hope you enjoyed all the stories this week… If you get a chance, drop me a note and let me know what you thought. You can also let me know what you'd like to hear more (or less) about.

As always, keep coming up with ideas, dreaming big, and taking action!

‘Till next time...

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - Have a friend that may enjoy this newsletter? Share it with them! You can forward them this email or you can send them this link: http://ralphq.com/newsletter so they can sign up

P.S.S. - If this is your first time reading this newsletter and want to read some of the previous ones, you can find them here: http://ralphq.com/past-issues 

I’m gonna pop some tags, only got $20 in my pocket...

Hey, honey, can we go thrift shopping?

What? What? What? What?

Armed with $20 and an idea, Judy and I headed to Goodwill to buy mismatched China plates and old school globes that she could paint on and sell as art on Etsy as a little side hustle.

After spending an entire weekend painting and transferring her digital designs on to the plates and globe, we launched the shop.

The first month, we sold 2 plates for a grand total of $60 (sold a big one for $40 and a smaller one for $20)

WHAT A FREAKIN’ RUSH!!! 🤩

For the next couple of months, sales increased to about $500 a month. Not too shabby for doing something she loved to do anyways.

Then something magical happened…

A designer in L.A. bought a collection of plates for a design she was working on for the home of a “high-profile” movie star. 

After receiving the plates she contacted us about getting fabric made with one of the designs on the plates because she wanted to make matching curtains.

Judy and I had no idea how we could make that happen, but we thought it would be super cool if we could make fabric with her designs. 

So we turned to Google and found a company where we could have fabric made.

Fast forward 4 years and today shopcabin is an international company that licenses over 12,000 designs to fabric manufacturers, wallpaper printers, clothing manufacturers, paper goods makers, and more! 

There has been enough fabric printed with Judy’s designs to reach the International Space Station or cover 35 entire professional baseball fields!

All from what started out as a little idea and a side hustle!

💰 Side Hustlin’ 

If 2020 has taught us something, it’s that life is truly unpredictable. 

As you were celebrating the New Year, could you have imagined this year shaping up the way it has? I sure didn’t!

This pandemic has led to massive changes to our daily lives and a record number of people facing unemployment. 

Whether or not you lost your job, or whether your business is up or down, today you’re realizing the importance of “hedging your bets”, now, more than ever.

You need a “Plan B”. Just in case… and a side hustle is a great Plan B.

So what can you start? Here’s a quick list to get your ideas flowing...

• You can start something related to your hobbies, like Judy did - this could be a shop, a paid newsletter, a private Facebook community, or a local meetup you can sell tickets to.

• You can teach something or coach people on something you’re already passionate and knowledgeable about on platforms like takelessons.com, udemy.com, skillshare.com, preply.com, or teachable.com

• Are you an expert in your field? Try setting up shop on Clarity.fm

• Do you have knowledge that can translate into tasks others may need help with? Like social media stuff, design work, writing, voiceovers, etc…? Offer up your services on platforms like Fiverr.com

• Do you have a special talent? Offer it online via platforms like Patreon or AirBnB Experiences.

• Maybe you’re a bargain hunter! If so, you can buy stuff at garage sales, Goodwill, Nextdoor.com, Craigslist, OfferUp, LetGo, or local Facebook groups and then resell those items on Ebay, Amazon, or your own online shop at a big markup. (If you’re interested in seeing how this works, do a quick search for Amazon arbitrage on YouTube and prepare to be blown away.

Still not sure any of those work for you? Don’t worry…. I gotchu

How about buying an existing online business you can make even better?

Here’s a list of some of the places I love looking for online businesses to buy:

• Flippa

• Shopify Marketplace

• SideProjectors

• Empire Flippers

• FE International

• Quiet Light

Still need more inspiration? Check out these success stories!

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💡 More Big Ideas & Stuff

These are the things that I’m listening to, watching, reading, discovering, or enjoying this week. Click the links and enjoy them with me.

📖 Read - Imagine making $27million a year working with your best friend by making just one “Killer” game that people can’t seem to get enough of (oh yeah, this started out as a side hustle)

📻 Listen - When it comes to side hustles there are two podcasts that inspire me more than any others. The Side Hustle Show by Nick Loper (super nice and genuine guy) and Side Hustle School by Chris Guillebeau (best-selling author of The $100 Startup)

📺 Watch - Side Hustles can not only make you some extra dough, but they can actually change your life because of these 3 life-altering secrets that every side hustler knows

🛒 Buy - Chances are your voicemail greeting sucks as bad as mine… That’s why I can’t wait to get my new one from “The Voicemail Guy”. (I think people are actually going to enjoy getting my voicemail instead of talking to me 😂) You can order your own greeting here

📈 New Trend - With more people working from home nowadays, indoor gardening is becoming “a thing” and there are several startups taking advantage of this trend 🌵

🎉 Celebrate - Today I’d like to celebrate my friend Jamy who took some seriously massive action and launched her own spin studio online! If you’re into spinning, love great music, positivity, and inspirational messages, you have to check out Keep It Simple Studios 🚲

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Who’s ready to side hustle? Let’s go!!! 🙌

As always, keep coming up with ideas, dreaming big, and taking action!

‘Till next time...

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - I’d love to hear about a side hustle you already have or are thinking about. Drop me a quick reply and let me know what you’re working on 😃

P.P.S. - By sharing this newsletter with someone, you may just change their life - that’s pretty powerful, right?!?! 

Just forward them this email or send them this link: http://ralphq.com/newsletter so they can sign up. You can also send them this one to read all the past issues: http://ralphq.com/past-issues 

Nothing can stop me I’m all the way up…

WARNING: This is really going to piss off my haters even more… and I LOVE it 😎 So here it goes…

I’m not gonna lose, dawg. I’m just not. 

No matter how much you want to see me down, it’s not going to happen. Not in your lifetime, and definitely not in my lifetime.

That’s because I’m hardwired to win. 

Play a board game with me? I’m going to win.

Want to race me? I’m going to win.

Challenge me to something? I’m going to win.

Set my mind to anything? I’M GOING TO WIN!

There simply isn’t another outcome.

From a young age, I came to the realization that how I thought about things impacted the outcome of everything I did. And I discovered that almost by accident.

For a long time I would wake up in the morning after a full night of sleep and think to myself, “OMG I’m sooooo tired…” And guess what? For the entire day, I felt tired. 

Then one morning I asked myself a follow up question that changed my life - “Are you really that tired? You just slept for 8 hours!”

And just like that, I called myself out on my own bullshit and my life has NEVER been the same.

From that day forward, I made a commitment to myself to only think positive thoughts (especially right as I wake up and go to sleep), watch positive things, listen to uplifting songs and stories, and surround myself with people who are going to lift me higher. 

Everything and everyone else...ain’t nobody got time for that!

The results? 

Like DJ Khaled says, “All I do is win win win no matter what!” 

🏆 Preparing to Win: Mindset Makeover

Like all worthwhile things, developing this kind of mindset takes dedication and practice. And the more you do it, the easier it becomes. It’s like a snowball effect. 

Here’s just a few ways I prepare daily to win…

• As soon as I open my eyes, I give thanks for having the opportunity to have another day to win and then I recite my affirmations.  I recommend that you come up with 5 affirmations that you repeat 3 times each. I find it helpful to print them out and tape them to my bathroom mirror and look at myself while reciting these - just like little Jessica does 😊 (If you want some ideas for affirmations, reply to this email or DM me...I’m happy to share some with you)

• Every morning, before I start my routine, I watch or listen to one inspirational video or playlist. My two favorite ones recently: Make it Count and Work Hard for It

• I have several “pump me up” playlists that get me fired up. The songs in these lists are all trigger songs for me. Songs that immediately get me into what Tony Robbins calls “Your Peak State.” I usually listen to these as I first sit down to start going through my emails in the morning.

• I subscribe to as many motivational and success driven accounts on social media as possible. If I find myself scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or LinkedIn throughout the day, I want to be inspired and flooded with positivity - not negativity.
  
  👍PRO TIP: The most freeing thing you can do is to unfollow anyone or anything that doesn’t add value to your life

• I surround myself with people who raise me up and drive me to do my best. I am part of several mastermind groups that I regularly participate in and contribute to, including my private Big Idea Society group on Facebook. The people in these groups not only drive me to step out of my comfort zone, but they also hold me accountable and keep me motivated.
  
  👍PRO TIP #2: Remember these two things: You become the average of the 5 people you surround yourself the most with and your network is your net worth. Who are you hanging out with? Is that who you aspire to be? If not, it’s time to find a new circle.

• I meditate or do breathing exercises a few minutes a day to keep my mind clear. (This is something I wish I could do more of and I’m actively working on getting better at.)

• And finally, I always ask myself this when I find myself struggling to go on with anything I’m working on: Can I take just one more step? Often the answer is yes and the sense of accomplishment is amazing!

Those are the things I am dedicated to. Your routine may look exactly the same, or it may vary some way. But the key is to be consistent and to do these things even when you don’t want to. 

It’s during those times that you’ll find yourself achieving the most personal growth.

So? Want to join me in making the world a more positive place? Let’s get that mindset right!

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💡 More Big Ideas & Stuff

These are the things that I’m listening to, watching, reading, discovering, or enjoying this week. Click the links and enjoy them with me.

📖 Read - Atomic Habits - This book by James Clear shows you how tiny changes to your habits lead to remarkable results. The simple framework in this book will help you change the way you think about success and put you on a fast-track to achieving anything you want.

📻 Listen - Surround yourself with successful people and greatness by listening to my friend Lewis Howes’ The School Of Greatness podcast. Lewis interviews the most successful people on the planet and inspires you to unlock your inner greatness and live your BEST life!

📺 Watch - It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. In life you’ve gotta be hungry if you want to achieve greatness. 

🛒 Buy - One of my daily reminders to “keep going” comes from watching my Radiometer and Mova Globe spin. These are powered by the power of natural light and serve as a reminder that the universe is constantly providing me the energy I need to accomplish anything I want.

📈 New Trend - With less and less available time, people are starting to turn to Microlearning to learn new skills. What is Microlearning? It’s a form of learning where lessons are broken up into small bite-sized pieces and repeated over time in order to achieve the greatest retention. How big is the market? How about almost $4 Billion dollars by 2026?!?! 

🎉 Celebrate - This week I celebrate my friend Harry Bluestein who recently launched a new world Gin called Harry Blu’s. Harry is a prime example of an entrepreneur seeing a HUGE vision come to life in one of the most competitive industries in the world. Harry Blu’s is one of the best tasting gins I’ve ever had...but don’t take my word for it - he’s already been awarded with Double Gold honors in the 2020 Sip Awards! Make sure to check them out and ask for them the next time you’re having a cocktail🍸 and remember the name...because this is about to blow up big time! (You heard it here first!)

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Are you pumped up yet? Let’s go!!! 🙌

As always, keep coming up with ideas, dreaming big, and taking action!

‘Till next time...

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - Do you have any motivation or mindset tips you can share with me? I love to learn new ways to stay pumped up! Drop me a note and let me know.

P.P.S. - By sharing this newsletter with someone, you may just change their life - that’s pretty powerful, right?!?! 

Just forward them this email or send them this link: http://ralphq.com/newsletter so they can sign up. You can also send them this one to read all the past issues: http://ralphq.com/past-issues 

Step right up and don't be shy, because you will not believe your eyes...

Ding dong...🔔

“Good afternoon Mr. Quintero! Your neighbor Mr. Harris suggested I come see you, my name is Michael. Nice to meet you sir!” 

Michael was a young man, barely two years into college, that “hooked” me from the minute he began chatting with me.

“Mr. Harris tells me you’re an entrepreneur! And quite the neighborhood chef too!” 

“Mr. Quintero, I aspire to start my own business once I get out of college and I hope to be as successful as yourself. It is apparent by your beautiful home that you must be very good at what you do.”

Go on…

“While studying business at Georgia Tech, I’ve been working very hard at improving my skills and I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes to listen to my sales pitch and give me any pointers or advice? ”

Michael’s sales pitch was flawless.

He shared his personal goals with us (Yeah, he hooked Judy too!), developed rapport right away, and told us about his family all while setting up his demo.

He sliced, he diced. He had us slice and dice. He showed us how the Cutco knives glided effortlessly past even the toughest materials. He explained how our current knives simply couldn’t hold up to the demanding Cutco standards. He even brought up problems that could arise from using our current set of knives. And then... he cut a freakin’ penny in half with a pair of Cutco shears! 😳 

“And by the way Mrs. Quintero, these have a LIFETIME warranty and we will sharpen them for FREE anytime you need them sharpened. This means that your two delightful young boys sitting over there can inherit them from you and enjoy them with your grandchildren one day.”

45 minutes and $1,400 later…

I was the proud owner of a beautiful set of Cutco Knives that I still own to this day! (Damn you Eddie!!!)

🎓 Sales 101

Sales is what makes the world go ‘round. Nothing happens until something is sold. 

You wouldn’t have a business or work where you do without sales. 

No Sales = No Business

Yet most people HATE sales. 

Most businesses that I have advised or consulted that were having a “sales” problem, meaning not enough sales, all had the exact same problem: they simply were not pitching their products or services on a daily basis.  They were all taking a passive approach to sales. They opened their doors, they set up shop, and they waited for things to come to them.

They would post things on social media, fix something on their websites, work on meaningless tasks… Basically, they would do anything but the ONE THING that was going to bring money through the door. Sell their products or services.

Remember: Everything you do in your business or line of work has to prioritize revenue. If no money is coming in, you’re done. Dead in the water.

Luckily, this is a pretty simple problem to fix. Especially if you do two things:

1. Change how you think about selling: Rather than thinking that you’re “selling” something to a customer, understand that your products or services are serving your customers and helping to make their lives better.

2. Follow a simple sales process, consistently - every time!

📈 Extremely SIMPLE 3-Step Sales Process

My favorite sales process is not complicated at all, and very easy to remember - PWS. And it applies to ANY industry:

1️⃣ Identify a PROBLEM or need that your customer has or may not even know they have.

2️⃣ Make the problem WORSE. Explain what happens if you don’t fix it.

3️⃣ Offer them the SOLUTION.

Michael clearly did this as he walked me down the path of why I NEEDED these $1,400 knives in my life.

But here’s another real-life example of this sales process at work…

Several years ago I met a guy at a local business event. After chatting for a few minutes and exchanging niceties, I asked him what he did.

He said to me, “I help entrepreneurs and small business owners manage risk.” 

Hmm…. I was definitely intrigued by this.

“Have you thought about what would happen to your business if you didn’t have internet access for a month or if all of your data was wiped out by a hacker?” (He identified a problem I didn’t know I had…and now I was like, “Oh shit…”)

“That would be horrible, but it would be even worse if your customers sued you because their data landed in the hands of a hacker. Actually, just last week, I read about a company that was sued for $1 million because of a data breach.” (Now my problem, that a few minutes ago I didn’t even know I had, became REALLY big.)

“That’s why I love helping entrepreneurs manage those kinds of risks with different kinds of business insurance policies that cover those kinds of things!” (He offered me a solution to my problem)

Please TAKE MY MONEY!!! 

Do you think I would have paid any attention to him if he would have told me from the get-go that he was an insurance agent? Yeah...exactly.

Now it’s your turn...

What about your pitch? How can you turn it into a compelling story using the PWS sales process?

Also, are you actively selling every day? And I don’t mean just on social media. I mean actively looking for business in person, on the phone, or over Zoom. If not, you’re missing out on a TON of money that is going to your competition.

Need more ideas on how to incorporate this sales process into your business? Drop me a note or come to my Facebook group and I would be happy to give you ideas specific to your business.

Now go out there and sell something dammit! 🤑

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💡 More Big Ideas & Stuff

These are the things that I’m listening to, watching, reading, discovering, or enjoying this week. Click the links and enjoy them with me.

📻 Listen - This guy makes over $1million a year teaching people to play piano - My friend Pat Flynn is genuinely one of the nicest people on the planet. He’s a brilliant entrepreneur that shares amazing info and stories on his podcast every week. This week he interviewed Jacques Hopkins, an engineer who quit his job to teach people how to play piano online.

📺 Watch - How reinventing a 120 year old game made these 3 friends multi-millionaires. 

🛒 Buy - These clothes help cure blindness - My sister-in-law turned me on to these guys and their cause last week. This is near and dear to my heart because my great grandfather was blind. These brothers’ stories are incredible and their polos are the BEST! While visiting their website, make sure to click the yellow box with the eye on it so that you can experience first-hand how they see the world.

🧰 New Tools - Need inspiration and ideas to help make your online ads bring in a truckload of moolah? Check out d2see - A platform with the best ads from all of the TOP D2C brands in the world.

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As always, keep coming up with ideas, dreaming big, and taking action!

‘Till next time...

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - I know you’re thinking of someone who could find this newsletter life changing… It would be awesome of you to share it with them. They will never forget you for it...Just like I’ve never forgotten Michael from Cutco 😉 

Just forward them this email or send them this link: http://ralphq.com/newsletter so they can sign up. You can also send them this one to read all the past issues: http://ralphq.com/past-issues 

P.P.S. - The Spotify playlist is getting bigger!  🎧  (If you’re new here, every newsletter title is a lyric to a song...and those song are all in this playlist)

Mr. Big Stuff, who do you think you are?

“What am I doing here? These people are going to see right through me! They’ve got the wrong guy!!!”

Those were just some of the thoughts racing through my head as I was getting ready to hit the stage in Germany and present to some of the brightest marketing executives and CEOs in the world.

I was scared 💩less!

I had been hired to speak and facilitate a workshop for this group of heavy hitters about innovative marketing and intrapreneurship (how to get big companies to think and act more like startups). Topics that not only I happen to be an expert at, but also very prepared to talk about.

I had done this a million times before, but there I was, doubting my very existence and qualifications. 

I felt like the biggest imposter ever. 

And that’s when I got my cue...“...welcome Ralph Quintero” 😬

That presentation turned out to be one of the very best I had ever done. It was successful in every regard and I received amazing reviews!

So why did I feel the way I did?

On my flight home, still on a high from the event, I had an unforgettable experience. My seatmate in 3A was Kevin Costner...yes...this Kevin Costner!

I assumed he was in Europe filming a new movie. But he wasn't… He was performing with his band, Modern West! (I had no idea he was a musician)

Kevin (we were on a first name basis now 😂) told me how he was scared shitless as he went on stage to perform at the biggest festival show his band had ever played. 

“What were people going to think? What were the other headliners going to think?”

Kevin-f'ing-Costner was suffering from Imposter Syndrome just like me!

🤡 Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is described as “a feeling of phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement. While these people “are highly motivated to achieve,” they also “live in fear of being ‘found out’ or exposed as frauds.” 

This is a real thing that not only affects me and Kevin Costner either… Albert Einstein, Seth Godin, Maya Angelou, Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, David Bowie, Sheryl Sandberg, and Michelle Pfeiffer have all suffered or continue to suffer from this. Maybe even you suffer from it. But as you can see you’re not alone.

According to research, an estimated 70% of women and 50% of men will experience imposter syndrome at least one time in their lifetime.

This is because of something called the Dunning-Kruger Effect which shows that the more skilled you are at something, the more likely you are to feel like you’re ‘faking it’.

While there isn’t necessarily a “cure” for this syndrome, there are some things we can all do to help deal with it.

3 Steps For Dealing with ‘I’m a Fraud Mentality’

1️⃣ Share Your Feelings - It’s OK to let others know how you feel. Remember, you’re not alone (that’s one of the reasons I’m sharing this with you today). 

2️⃣ Change Your Script - Changing your inner script changes your story. Rather than thinking about all the reasons why you’re not qualified to do something, focus on all the reasons why you are. 

3️⃣ Fake It ‘Till You Make It - Regardless of how you feel, don’t let it stop you from taking action. Get out there and do it - just like I did with my presentation. By taking action and not letting imposter syndrome paralyze you, your confidence will get a major boost.

If you want to learn more about this topic, there’s a ton of great resources out there about Imposter Syndrome. Here are some you can start with:

📔 Read this: Imposter Syndrome

👀 Watch this: How you can use imposter syndrome to your advantage

👂 Listen to this: Deliciously Ella - Imposter Syndrome & Self-Doubt

And finally, I’ll leave you with this thought…

(save this pic to your phone so that you have it handy whenever you need a friendly reminder)

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💡 More Thoughts, Big Ideas, & Cool Stuff

These are the things that I’m thinking about, listening to, watching, reading, discovering, or enjoying this week. Click the links and enjoy them with me.



👖 Fun Fact - I have not worn pants since February 29th thanks to COVID!

📚 Read - 5 proven psychological copywriting triggers that compel people to buy - Have you ever wondered why you get sucked into certain ads or infomercials? Or why do you buy the things you do? There’s a LOT of psychology behind it!

📺 Watch - A future sales master: This young girl wants to sell her little brother so she can buy a toy owl 😂

📬 Sign Up Right NOW - I ❤️ email newsletters. And this one from Harry Dry that’s all about marketing is in my top 5 right now. Sign up for it...it’s free and you won’t be disappointed.

As always, keep coming up with ideas, dreaming big, and taking action! (and don’t doubt yourself!)

‘Till next time...

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - It would be awesome if you could share this with one of your friends or teammates that may enjoy it!  Just forward them this email or send them this link: http://ralphq.com/newsletter so they can sign up. You can also send them here http://ralphq.com/past-issues to read past issues.