"I am more efficient because I have empowered the employees to be more self-sufficent, (and more educated) and therefore not need me as much. I have actually had more time with my family (and two small children) and my business IS MORE PRODUCTIVE!"

“I now realize it is crucial to train my employees to do what I do.

You were open and honest and real. Not a “stuffy suit” guy! The impact of working with Tad on my business was multi-faceted: from improving our organization and systems, changing our ads, increasing employee knowledge - through regular meetings-, our customer service, and overall happiness and success in the workplace!

I feel like meeting with Tad Hargrave was a re-inspiration of how much I love our business and that makes all of us happier every day.

I am more efficient because I have empowered the employees to be more self-sufficent, (and more educated) and therefore not need me as much. I have actually had more time with my family (and two small children) and my business IS MORE PRODUCTIVE!

I have started a second business (in its infancy) complete with website, etc. I can focus on expanding both businesses and though I know that I still have many things to implement, we do have a schedule of how and when to do them and that is working well! I really appreciate how laid-back, fresh and unaffected Tad is.

Working with Tad, and the things I took away from it have made everyone in our company feel more comfortable, energized and personally involved in our success. (They are actually saying that to me!)

It has created more coherence between all the part - time people we employ, and more consistency with all of the tasks that they are responsible for.

I found that they had a lot of great ideas (as Tad said I would find) and we have implemented them. They are more self-sufficient, excited to come to work and find "projects". I am totally amazed.

MacKenzie and I have implemented some changes into our ads and will continue to do so. The in-store posters are almost ready and the catalog is printing next week. It is too early to tell results, but I trust you! I hope to see you again! Thanks Tad!”

By Lonica Halley, Natural Selections, www.organicselections.com, Fairfield, Iowa

Despite all your best efforts, are you struggling to get enough of the right kinds of clients for your green, holistic, local or "conscious business"?

I want to invite you to come and join us for the “Radical Business Intensive”.

It’s a three and a half day long, content-rich, roll-up your sleeves, nuts and bolts workshop. You'd pay at least $1700 for it anywhere else you went. And it's all about how you can grow your business and attract all of the right kinds of clients for whatever you want to pay (and without sacrificing your integrity).

Seriously. This is a pay what you can/want weekend (based on what you can afford). No big catch.

But this is not open to everyone.

Rule #1: You must apply to go. Applying does not mean you’ll get in (though most do). Each weekend has only 20 spaces and I screen carefully to make sure that only the coolest, locally owned, community minded, green businesses attend.

My name is Tad Hargrave. Since 2001, I’ve been traveling around North America helping conscious entrepreneurs like you to attract more clients and increase their cash flow - without selling out or compromising their integrity.

The core of this work has been a little weekend workshop I created: The Radical Business Intensive.

Once I tell you a bit about it - I think you’ll understand why. Hopefully, if I explain it right and you think it’s a fit, I might even be lucky enough to see you there someday.

It’s very, very different than most of the marketing trainings on the market today.

Here’s a sneak peak at what participants have said about it (many of them were so inspired that they agreed to place their personal phone numbers in their testimonials - you can call them yourselves and ask if the weekend is for real):

Because it’s not just about ‘more information’.

I’d be willing to bet you've probably read some books on business and marketing. You might have even gone to a seminar. But ideas are not the problem. More information is not the answer. You're already overwhelmed as it is.

I'd be willing to bet money that you have a stack of unfinished books somewhere in your home. My guess is that you're overwhelmed as it is.

More information isn’t going to change that. That includes this weekend.

This weekend, in and of itself, obviously isn’t going to turn everything around. Let’s be very clear about that. This weekend is no cure-all or magic-bullet. I wish it was - but it isn’t. It works for some people more than others. Who knows why.

I don’t know - but I do know a way you can find out. Why don’t you download (at absolutely no cost or obligation to you) my roughly 195 page e-book, “The Way of the Radical Business.” All you have to do is go to the following link. You don’t even have to give me your email.

Give it a read over and if it feels like it’s all a lot of review then this weekend may not be a fit. You may just need to implement the stuff you already know.

In fact, this letter is going to be filled with a lot of bold claims. But I think you will agree with most - if not all - of them.

Let me start with this one: you are, right now, unknowingly and unwittingly self-limiting the amount and quality of clients you get, the amount of money you attract and the amount of happiness you’re experiencing in your business.

How does that happen? I’ll tell you more in a moment - but for now let’s be honest about something.

You started this business of yours not because you wanted to become a gazillionaire. You started it to make a difference and do well for yourself.

You were sick of the 9-5 rat race. Tired of working for the man in jobs that weren’t in alignment with your values - so you started to plot your escape.

I bet you stayed up late that night. You had so many ideas - the seed of your current business had been planted.

Oh - you probably told all of your friends and I bet there were a few giddy moments.

Maybe you got your logo, website, business cards and brochures - and you proudly hung out your shingle.

Or maybe not as many as you’d hoped.

Or maybe not the right kind of people.

You discovered that it was harder than you thought it would be to get clients.

And, despite all of your intelligence, integrity and intentionality to manifest a better, happier and more profitable life . . . it wasn’t working.

Being real, business can be hard. You may have heard that 95% of businesses go under in the first ten years. If you’re feeling like it’s a struggle - you’re not crazy.

I know that for many of you, there’s the pressure of debt growing higher and higher and the feeling like there’s a million things you have to do - without the support to do them all.

You’ve got lots of ideas but only so much time.

And some of you have put in so much time but it’s still not working and you find yourself saying to yourself,

“How can I put all of my heart and soul into something that feels so right, that’s doing so much good and yet nothing happens? Is this what I’m supposed to be doing? How can I put in so much effort and nothing happens? I put ads everywhere, I email me list and yet there’s NO response. I put out brochures I spent a fortune on and NO response? And then sometimes, when I’m doing nothing, a flood of business comes. Does it even matter what I do?”

I know that many of you have sort of, ‘lost money trying to make money’. You’ve sacrificed a lot to get to where you are now. And the most frustrating and confusing thing is - you don’t know what to do to fix it. You don’t know where to go from here. You don’t see a clear relationship between your own actions and the results you’re getting.

o       Find it hard to fit marketing into your schedule?

o       Avoid networking, writing and speaking?

o       Think small about what your business can achieve?

o       Start a marketing plan and then abandon it?

o       Complain that business is slow and the economy is to blame?

You have a clear vision of what you want (and business is good) . . . but you know you’re capable of a lot more. You’re dedicated to giving extraordinary service to your customers and your community. Your business is a success because you’re very good at what you do.

It is not because you’re excellent at articulating the unique value of what you do. It’s not because you’re a great marketer. In fact, most of your growth has come from word-of-mouth.

You know in your heart, mind and gut that if you could clearly articulate the essence of what you do to more of the right people, you would have all the business you could handle - and more - but you don’t know how to do it. You need some help.

You want to attract more clients and cash-flow but you want to do it in non-pressuring, non hype-filled ways.

Again, let me start off by saying this: You aren’t crazy. You aren’t alone.

If you’re lost in a new city, it’s a lot like starting a new business or trying to take an old one to the next level.

The answer is NOT to become more positive and just focus on what you want. That’s helpful, but it’s not the answer.

The answer is NOT to just ‘try harder’. More effort will just get you lost faster.

The answer is to get a MAP. To understand where you are in relation to where you want to be. Only then will you be able to get there. If you’re smart, you might find a local who knows the way.

Having said all that: let me tell you - from years of experience - what I honestly think you might need to take your business to the next level - whether you get it from this weekend or not.

Eight resources I suspect you need to grow your business (whether or not you get them from my workshop - make sure you find them):

1.      Proven Material: I’d have a lot of nickels if I got one for every time they told me that they learned marketing at University and it was useless in the real world. But where do you find stuff that works?

There’s so much material out there.

After all, if you do a google search for “Marketing Consulting” you’ll find that there’s about 14 million listings. Sales consulting is a bit better at 11.4 million. And what of “green business marketing consulting”? 1.62 million. Where are you supposed to start? It’s overwhelming.

How do you know what’s good?

The material you will learn at the RBI is not theory. It’s not abstract pontifications. It is carefully handpicked material gained over the past five years of reading dozens of books, attending countless workshops (many of which cost me thousands of dollars).

I’ve done this all so that you don’t have to.

Many have people have paid many thousands of dollars for the same materials.The corporate elite pay hand over fist for this material. No joke. The thousands of dollars they pay per hour for marketing coaches is based on the same material you will be learning.

But, you won’t really believe me on this or really “get it” until one of two things happen: first - you actually apply it and the money starts flying into your bank account or second - you go to another marketing training where you pay $2000 upfront and . . . it’s all the same stuff. If I had a nickel . . .

2.      Tough Questions:you will have the opportunity to ask yourself some tough questions about your business.You may have some uncomfortable moments that cause you to squirm a bit. We will raise up questions that speak directly to the root of many of the problems you are facing.

They may not “feel good” now but the answers you come up with will feel wonderful. If you’re up for sitting with some uncertainty in order to take the next step in your business then this may be for you.

3.      Expert Guidance: You need direct, honest and clear feedback on your marketing. You need someone you can ask questions to about YOUR business and get some candid reflections. You need honest feedback on what you’re offering and how you’re offering it. It all starts: before you even show up to the weekend, you will send me a one page description of your core, bread and butter product and service. Which I will tear to lovingly dissect, deconstruct and help you rebuild to be irresistible. I will have you write down your target market on an index card which I will review and critique. I will be with you all weekend to hold your hand, answer your questions and give you direct feedback on your plans.

4.      Examples: You don't need more theory. You need to hear examples of how those theories have worked for real people in the real world. Dozens of them. You need stories and case studies. You need to hear and read so many that the principles become living, vivid principles you can easily imagine applying to your own situation.

5.      A Clear Diagnosis: You need an overarching understanding of why your marketing has or hasn't worked in the past. You need to know where you're strong and where you're weak. Where you're on track and where you're off track. You need a MAP. You need a tour guide.

Again - this starts before you show up to the weekend: you will be given a copy of my core business diagnostic, “The Horrible Hundred”. This 20 page beauty has earned me rave reviews from clients over the years. Inside of thirty minutes you will know exactly where you’re strong and where you’re struggling.

6.      Safe Space:  while you will almost certainly experience moments of discomfort, you won’t ever, ever be made to feel that you are stupid, lazy or inadequate. Our intention is to create a safe space of incredibly mutual support. After all, we’re all going through the same problems.

7.      Space: You need to take some time away from your business. You need some time to work ON your business, not just IN it. You need to think ABOUT it. You're likely caught up in just getting through your to-do list. Almost held hostage by your own business. The only way out of that is to make a break and get some space.

If all you did was take two days to reflect on your business and start planning on how to apply all the things you already know how to do . . . you'd probably have at least one significant breakthrough. Don’t you agree? Don’t you already know about a lot of things you could be doing that you aren’t applying?

8.      Peers: You need to be surrounded by peers who share your values so you don't feel so alone. And so you can get outside (but aligned) perspectives.I think you need a chance to hang out with other conscious entrepreneurs: imagine it - 20 hippies in one room! The event is a lot of fun. Everyone is so committed to helping everyone else. You're just going to meet fabulous people. You should be able to find some exciting cross-promotion opportunities if you’re even half trying. Whether or not you find like minded entrepreneurs at this weekend or elsewhere - make sure you find some.

But make sure that you don’t only hang out with people in your industry - the real power comes from cross pollination with people in totally different businesses. Here’s the problem. 99% of people who do what you do market exactly the same way. Their ads even look basically the same.

You’re almost certainly trapped inside of a box - but you don’t even realize it.

You'll probably get the best ideas from people from totally different industries. You’ll be shown ways of marketing that are totally new for you and your industry. I can guarantee you’ll have at least 6 moments of saying to yourself, “Wow. That’s so simple. Why didn’t I think of that?”

So, I’d like to invite you to spend a weekend receiving those things under my ten really very fair conditions. 

Perhaps you are selling a natural, eco-friendly, cruelty-free or otherwise healthy product . . .

Or you’re in the Healing Arts or a Holistic Practitioner? (perhaps you’re a Therapist, Massage Therapist or Body-worker, Yoga Instructor, Herbalist, Shamanic Practitioner, Life-Coach, Meditation Teacher etc.) . . .

Are you a local business owner that just plain cares deeply about your community, nature and social justice? ( maybe you run a Yoga Studio, Eco-Friendly House Cleaning company, an Organic Farm, a local Theater Company, a Fitness Studio, a comfy, little locally owned Bookstore, a groovy local Restaurant, an Eco-Store, a Pottery shop or a Natural Health-Food Stores etc.)

But regardless of where you fit I hope you will feel welcome to join us for this event.

If you can honestly answer “Yes!” to some of the following 10 questions, then this event may just be what the doctor ordered . . .

1. Are you needing to attract more clients?

2. Are you needing to increase your cash flow (and quick!)?

3. Are you good at what you do but you don’t LOVE the thought of marketing?

4. Is the following statement true?: You know that if you could really articulate what you do to enough of the right people you’d have more than enough clients.

5. Do you suspect that you are undercharging? Do you feel like what you’re offering is worth much more than what you are charging but you don’t know how to ask for more money? You might be trapped in a win/lose game. You lose and your clients win.

6. Are you interested in the proven strategies used by other progressive entrepreneurs, holistic practitioners and "green business" folk are using to successfully and sustainably grow their business without abandoning their deeply held values or giving up their unique, funky-vibe?

7. Have you been secretly "intending" to give your marketing more time and focus . . . but uhhh . . .  just haven't seemed to get around to it? Do you want to take the next step in your marketing but you aren’t sure where or how to start and you want someone just to say, “Here, do this first.”

8. Do you want to market more but are secretly terrified of seeming “pushy” or coming across like a salesperson? Do you find yourself wondering, “How do I effectively sell my products without compromising my principles? How do I actually sell my services without selling my soul? How do I expand my business in a way that doesn’t feel forced?” You believe in what you’re offering with all your heart and soul. You built your business on relationships and trust, and don’t want to learn how to “sell” to people - but you’d love to attract new clients.

9. Ever mail a promotion that got little or no response? Do you suspect that no one’s reading your ads? Are you spending a lot of money just to get your name "out there" and have come to the conclusion that “Advertising doesn’t work.”  Do you feel like you’re throwing your hard earned money down the toilet?

10. Do you know that you need to have a customer or prospect database but still haven’t gotten around to it? Is your customers contact info still on scraps of paper in the corner of your office?

If you could say yes many of these - then you are likely needing some outside help. But let me be clear - I may not be the one to help you. But - whoever you go to for help - make sure you’re protected.

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you’ve been to seminars before.

I want to be clear about what your experience will be like.

I’ve found that there’s a few different kinds of presentations.

There’s the boring lecture kind.

But there’s also the super active ‘raise your hands’, moving music being played, the earnest stories about ‘how i used to be a failure and I learned this and now my life works.’ They speak in lofty spiritual terms and work group dynamics to subtly force you into interactions. And the whole evening is a carefully designed pitch for their program. Subtle commitments are built.

They ask the group questions but don’t really care if you say “no”.

They’re prodding reactions vs. having real, relevant info to offer and using that to build the energy.

There’s the glassy eyed staff all dressed up, talking amongst themselves and standing in the back (almost like security guards by the door) responding extra loud (do you get it? YOU’RE supposed to respond that loud too!) or sitting next to you and raising their hands, saying yes and laughing (a little too loud) at all the appropriate times.

But it feels really inappropriate.

You get that the staff is trying to act and seem very empowered - but that they aren’t really. Maybe they’re trying to pretend so hard to justify the $4000 they just spent on the seminars. You feel awkward sitting next to them. You want someone chill to hang out with but instead you have someone so . . . enthusiastic.

You don’t want to attend a weekend that relies on hype.

Of course, they’ll tell you that they’re hyping you up to help you remember their information. But that’s based on the premise that info is what creates change (it doesn’t). It’s also base don the idea that some elaborate tricks are needed to help you remember good ideas (they’re not). Sure the whole “repeat after me” game can work when you need to memorize information in a rote fashion. And it can be fun.

I used facilitate events like these. I’ve recovered. My workshops are nothing like the above.

What will create real excitement and help you remember is relevance and personalized help and having a system to remember and keep track of thoughts of ideas during the weekend. 

And before you spend one thin dime on any marketing workshop here’s . . .

Seven critical questions to ask yourself about any marketing or sales training you’re thinking of attending (and how the RBI stacks up):

QUESTION #1: How many people will be there? There’s advantages to larger and smaller groups. Larger groups have more chance to general networking and more big group energy.

But a sub-question here is: “realistically, how much one on one access do you get with the instructor?” I hang around at lunch hours. I’m there at breaks. If you have a question, it’s extremely likely you’ll be able to hear my take on it.

Smaller groups are more intimate and there’s much more chance for one on one interaction with all of the participants. Plus - there’s more opportunities to get your questions answered directly by the teacher. That’s why I limit the weekends to 20 people. It’s very important to me that you get any questions you have answered. Many marketing trainings have hundreds of people. You’re lucky if you get to shake the instructors hand.

QUESTION #2: Is the workshop designed for people just like you? Who the workshop is designed for determined everything about it from what the content is, to how it’s run. If the workshop is sort of for ‘anyone in business’ it will be less relevant for you. That’s the key thing you’re looking for in any workshop before you spend a dime: is it relevant?

My workshops are a bit of a mix here honestly. They’re for green, conscious, holistic business types - and that’s a pretty big group. If I picked a more narrow target it would be more relevant to the people who attended. If you’re a graphic designer and you see a marketing training for graphic designers - you can bet it’s going to be relevant.

QUESTION #3: Do you like and trust the instructor?I can’t overstate the importance of this one. Does the instructor share your values and worldview? Do you really want to sit through an entire weekend of speaker after speaker talking about how rich they are and how many big homes they have?

QUESTION #4: How personalized is the workshop to each participant? Just because there’s small numbers doesn’t mean that you will be getting personalized help or attention. It might be 100% lecture where they talk at you all day and there’s no time for questions. I think it’s critical that you get direct feedback on your marketing situation. Here’s some of the ways you’ll get direct and 100% personalized feedback at the RBI.

1. Marketing Diagnostics: Before the weekend begins you will receive two marketing diagnostics that have gotten me rave reviews. They will help you to identify both your top business and marketing challenges - but also the precise next steps and resources you need to handle them.

2. Niche Critique: You will get your ‘niche statement’ and receive at least two front of the room critiques with specific feedback for improvement from me which will help you to both laser your focus and also to understand (on a personal level) the power of niche marketing for your business. It will lift up why you’re business has been struggling and help you understand exactly how to change direction.

3. Offer Critique: You’ll receive at least two private critiques of a page long articulation of your ‘irresistible offer’ on your core product or service (whatever is your biggest bread winner). I can’t overstate how valuable this could be for your business. I charge $100 per half hour. You’ll likely get at least that amount of time of me lovingly tearing apart and helping you rebuild an offer that your clients simply can’t say ‘no’ to.

4. Hubs: You will not leave the weekend without a core set of prospect rich hubs you can approach you find new clients.

5. Risk Critique: You’re losing money right now because your clients are scared to take the first step to do business with you. That’s the reality. So, I will spend an hour going over some basic ways to reduce, eliminate or reverse those feelings of risk. Then I will have you create a list of the precise fears that most people have about doing business with YOU that might stop them. Then I will ask the group if any one has any risks that they don’t know how to address. And that conversation won’t stop until you have some ideas you feel solid about.

6. Word of Mouth Strategy Session: Sunday morning I will be sharing Word of Mouth Strategies with you. Over lunchtime on Sunday I will invite you to determine the strategies you will pick from the menu to use to attract more clients to you. After lunch I will invite everyone to share what they intend to use. If you don’t have something figured out - we won’t move on until we figure out something.

7. General Feedback: I work very hard to make sure that there is plenty of space in the weekend to answer your questions. This will happen during sessions but also at lunch times when I’m available for free to answer any questions you might have, review your materials and bounce ideas around. I can guarantee you that this wouldn’t be available to you at a standard marketing training.

8. Manual Review: You’re going to be given over 500 pages of to-die-for notes. Let me promise you that you likely won’t read them all. Nor do you need to. But there are almost certainly a dozen small pieces of it that could change your business forever. The problem: if you don’t read them all - how will you find them?  On Sunday afternoon we will take an entire hour and you’ll be walked through the entire 500 pages. You’ll be given post-its as the most valuable bits flagged for you. Anything you think you might want to go back to you can mark with the post it and write on. This hour is invaluable and doubles the value of the weekend alone.

QUESTION #5: How interactive and fun is the workshop? Just because a workshop is small in numbers doesn’t mean it will be interactive. I’ve been to many day long workshops that were 100% lecture. I never actually spoke to the people beside me. Here’s what I do to make sure that this weekend is fun, interactive and the best conscious business networking opportunity you’ve ever had.

1. Introductions: Sounds so simple, but I have to mention it. You will know who everyone is at the weekend and what they do in short order.

2. Lunches: I give 90 minute lunch hours (with some homework) so that you have time to mingle and socialize. I don’t enjoy workshops that are rushed.

3. Group Discussions and Exercises: You will have many chances during the weekend to work in small groups such as:

• sharing times you got screwed by some business,
• sharing stories of businesses that amaze and inspire you,
• looking at before and after examples of do nothing ads turned into winners and discuss WHY you think the new version works better,
• interviewing a partner on what it is that makes your business so irresistible,
• a fun Sunday exercise of creating a mock business in 30 minutes applying all that you learned from the weekend)

4. Dinner on Saturday: For years, I was sad because there was so much content in the weekend and yet very little chance for people to really hang out outside of it to get to know each other. So, I decided to change that - on Saturday night, you will be taken out for dinner (I’ll pay for food and you can pay for drinks) at some cool, local, organic restaurant. It’s a really lovely thing.

5. Magic Tricks & Jokes: From time to time during the workshop - mostly as blatant bribery to come back from breaks on time - I will bust out some close up magic. I’m actually quite good. I’ve been doing improv comedy for 15 years semi professionally. I enjoy presenting and performing. People tell me that my humour is one of their favorite parts of the weekend and that it helps them to stay focused, remember more etc.

QUESTION #6: What kind of take home materials are there? To be honest, my materials used to be shit. I would give out 50 pages of thrown together notes. Whatever workshop you go to you want to make sure that you get good take home materials. This could be audio of the event, videos or a paper workbook.

But whatever they are - here’s what you want - well organized notes with a ton of real life examples and exercises you can use to integrate the material into your own business.

When you sign up for the Radical Business Intensive you get over 500 pages of hand picked, to-die-for resources. It’s a sort of ‘best of’ compendium of marketing resources. I get rave reviews on my workbook People are literally stunned by the size, dreadth and depth of it. They are highly organized into 16 major virtual workshops focused on a different theme. Each workshop is overflowing with dozens of real world examples and case studies (e.g. as of this writing you get:

o       38 examples of niche statements,

o       28 business who’ve successfully used hubs and joint ventures to build their businesses, 33 examples of ways businesses have reduced risk for their clients (and made a pretty penny doing it),

o       86 specific word of mouth strategies,

o       72 different referral strategies etc.

o       over 90 examples of truly irresistible offers

QUESTION #7: What if it sucks? Let’s be honest - the event might promise big and under-deliver. What do you do then? What kinds of guarantees do they offer? How do they lower the risk for you?

At the Radical Business Intensive you get to attend the whole weekend, receive the materials and get access to my individual coaching, time and attention before you pay me a penny. And then - in the last 7 minutes - you pay me whatever you want. However they go about it - make sure that you feel safe. Make sure that you feel comfortable with their recourse policies and guarantees.

Two more important ways I make this weekend pleasant:

1. No homework in the evenings: I give you no homework on the Thurs, Friday or Saturday nights. All work will be done at the event.

2. Reasonable hours: I end at 6:30pm sharp on Saturday and Sunday. This is not one of those seminars that promises to ed at 9pm but then goes until 1 am. I think down time for your life is important for you to integrate the material and avoid overwhelm.

So, how do you sell your services without selling your soul?

How do you marketing your products without compromising your principles?

How can you make sure your marketing gets a positive response and creates warm feelings of trust?

Better yet - how do you have your ideal client chasing YOU down, instead of you chasing them?

Too much marketing (even by savvy, conscious entrepreneurs) create either no response or seem “over-hyped” and trigger a “used car salesman” reaction.

My name is Tad Hargrave. I’m the founder of Radical Business. Thank your for your interest in this “Radical Business Intensive”:  a weekend long, very content-rich, roll-up your sleeves, nuts and bolts two-hour workshop on “strategic coaching for social entrepreneurs” (worth $1693) for whatever you want to pay.

I will ask you to do this with FOUR cheques. The first payable immediately and the other two postdated for anywhere between now and one year from the event. Those cheques can be for any amount you want - no minimum and no maximum.

Seriously. No huge catch (a few small ones but I think you’ll find they’re more than reasonable - more later on those).

Why I stole and laundered the high priced, closely guarded marketing secrets of the corporate elite and am putting them to use for good

When I was 18 I started my first business, called the School Revolution. I did workshops for highschools around school spirit and such. During that time I was also working for a leadership development seminar company. And I started getting introduced to a lot of what I’m about to share with you. Cutting edge marketing information.

First, how simple it was. Most of it was common sense. There wasn’t much that was revolutionary. 

Second was how effective such simple things could be. I was dumbfounded by how much more money this kind of information could make people. I saw, in extreme cases, examples of people changing just the headline of a 10 page sales letter - only the headline! - and getting 21 times the response of their previous version. Just the headline! I was so amazed. I saw people applying this material and it was like they turned the faucet and money started pouring out. It was shocking to my 18 year old mind.

But third - was how expensive it was. I saw five day seminars that cost like $5,000. Not including food or hotels or anything. I was shocked that anyone could afford to go. I remember one seminar that was $25,000 because there were only 30 people allowed. Most of these seminars were huge. Like 500 to 1000 people. I’ve probably spent over $20,000 on seminars like this in my lifetime.

But, during this time I also became more ‘radicalized’ in my politics. I got into the activist scene and started to understand that capitalism might have  . . . one or two issues with it.

And I began to see that the people with the most radical, local, green, cool businesses and the people of colour and lower income people, women in business etc. would rarely if ever be able to afford the kinds of trainings I’d been to.

When a two and a half day training costs $1700 on average (from some random sampling I did) . . . they’d never be able to afford them. To make it worse - they’d never even hear about it. To make it worse still - even if they did hear about it and found a way to go they’d probably get really pissed off at all the capitalist rhetoric and lack of any meaningful political analysis. It’s a rich, white man’s world in there.

So, I wrestled with, “How can I get this material to the people who need it most but can afford it the least?” and I came up with my current model of offering my marketing workshops on a pay-what-you-can basis. Meaning that people attend my weekend but don’t pay me a dime until the last seven minutes. And people genuinely pay me whatever they want to pay.

It struck me that: Many of the worst businesses (ethically, environmentally etc.) are so profitable, in part, because of this information - because they know how to market what they do. And it seemed insane to me - the vicious spiral: companies that are already rich and awful can afford trainings to be even more rich and awful whereas companies that are struggling to do good can never afford the training or consulting to start making more money and do even more good. They’re trapped in the vicious spiral.

So, that’s really been my mission with Radical Business - to liberate this material and information that’s been hoarded by the corporate elite and share it with those who need it most but can afford it least. To take out the unethical, slimy and shady aspects of marketing but keep the gems that work.

The Street Worker Who Changed My Life:

When I was about 15 years old I went to a street-performer’s festival and met Gazzo Macee. He was a British busker from Oxford.

I watched him every day during the ten day festival. I made sure not to miss a show. Over the years, I got to know him and he taught me a lot about magic and performing (I found out years later that he’s world famous and considered one of the best street performers in the world by magicians worldwide).

But I’ll never forget one of the first things I heard him say. As he wrapped up his show. He said:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m a professional street performer. Anywhere else you go to see theatre you have to pay in advance and stay the whole time whether it’s good or not. But on the street you’ve seen me for free and you get to decide what it’s worth at the end. I believe that street theatre is the most honest form of theatre there is. So, now it’s your chance to be honest with yourselves and with me about what you thought my show was worth.”

On the street, you can’t just be okay - you need to be extraordinary enough to get people to stop, to watch and then to pay you.

On the street you must be good enough to INSPIRE people to give you money.

The RBI is a weekend long, foundation setting marketing workshop for conscious, community minded entrepreneurs. You will focus on the basics. The core elements of marketing. This weekend is about strategy, more than tactics (although your materials will have lots of tactics in them). It is really an indepth introduction to the core principles and questions of marketing.

I designed the RBI based on my understanding that you can only build as high as you go deep.

If you’re looking for a quick fix, this isn’t for you. This weekend will help you to understand the possibilities and the limitations of marketing.

This isn’t about easy, no-effort-required answers. I suggest you give whole search that up.  There’s no magic pill but there is a magic process. There is effort involved. Often times what is holding you back has nothing to do with marketing. Sometimes there are deeper issues at work.

It’s about asking the right questions. It’s about giving those questions time. My goal here is to raise up a lot of questions. We won’t have time to answer them all. If you leave the weekend with more questions that you came in with we’ll have succeeded. I want to help you see not only where you’re clear but where you aren’t.

This is a long term, foundation laying approach.

My goal is not just to give you fish but to teach you HOW to fish.

1. you’re not in this for the long haul

2. you’re totally satisfied where you are

3. you are caught up in a crisis (or worse a crisis mentality). If you are a chronic over-promiser, if you’re addicted to adrenalin; if you can no longer distinguish between what is truly important and what is merely urgent; if you keep overloading your back with your mouth; if you keep over-extending yourself and are hoping to be saved, then this weekend may not be able to help you. At some point, and this weekend may not be the right time, you need to step back, slow down and re-strategize.

IMPORTANT: While this weekend focuses on strategy, you will be guided to the tactics you need. I will tell you books that you need to read, or websites you need to go to.

What Will Be Covered? 

NOTE: this is rough. I reserve the right to change everything in this rough itinerary on a dime (and I often do) if I think it will help you make more money.

There’s no hard schedule - but there is a clear series of phases to the weekend:

PHASE #1: Identifying Your Niche. Who are you choosing to target? The ‘niche’ is the basis of the whole weekend. Everything we do will be built upon it. During this phase, you will be invited to identify a niche to work with over the weekend. You will get individual, focused coaching from me on the creation of this niche. Much of this is covered in the Niche Workshop you now have access to.

PHASE #2: What is your Irresistible Offer? In this phase we will look at what you could offer to your niche that would be absolutely irresistible. Most people make the critical mistake of designing their product and service first and then plunking marketing onto the top of it.

Instead, we need to start with marketing and ask ourselves questions like, “What do they want? what don’t they want? What’s most important to them when buying what we sell? What’s important not just about the product or the service but about the experience that surrounds the purchase? What frustrates them about our industry? What risks do they perceive to doing business with us?”

Here you will learn the elements of what makes a great offer including 12 “offer intensifiers” that can be added to any offer to make it more compelling.

PHASE #3: What are your hubs? Where can you find your niche? People always ask me where they should be advertising. But the answer depends 100% on who your niche is. Luckily for you, finding out where you can reach your target market is pretty easy. In fact, there’s only really 7 kinds of hubs and there’s 9 criteria of your ‘perfect hub’.

PHASE #4: Word of Mouth Strategies - how do you get your current prospects and clients spreading the word about what you do. If you do the first three strategies, then you are well ahead of 99% of your competition. You are set up to market yourself in extremely low to no cost ways. This final step looks at the age old question of word of mouth and referral marketing. You will learn the difference between active and passive word of mouth and also the 4 mains strategies to achieve it.

For a more full description on the content of the weekend just click here to download a free 195 page PDF ebook, “The Way of the Radical Business: the four pillars of marketing your conscious, green, community minded business like a pro (even if you aren’t) . . .

I have to get this off my chest before I explode: There’s a big, fat problem with my pay what you can idea . . .

First of all: You probably have no idea how much to pay.

Secondly: some people feel guilty for not being able to pay me more (more on that in a second).

So, what am I expecting you to pay?

Well, first off, I’m expecting you to pay based on the value you think you received. Period. I’m asking you to pay based on a mix of what you thought it was worth and what you can afford.

But, over the years I’ve found that some context in this is useful . . .

Consider this: Jay Abraham, one of the leading marketing consultants on the planet charges $5,000 per hour for his services. His five day “Strategy Setting Super Summit” costs $25,000 per person to attend.      

And people make their money back. Easy.

Of course, that’s one of the most expensive programs out there. But I’d like to say . . .

A Word About Price: What would you pay anywhere else for a 2.5 day Marketing seminar?

Below, I’ve listed the prices of 10 other seminars that cover comparable information to give you a sense of what you would pay anywhere else . . .

Name	Event Name	Price	# of Days
Dan Kennedy’s	Info Summit	$3995	3
Jay Abraham	Mastermind Marketing Event	$5,000	5
Rich Harshaw	MYM Weekend	$4,995	3
Stu McLaren	Idea Seminar	$697	4
Armand Morin	Big Seminar	$1997	3
Stephenlive.com	Internet Mastery Secrets	$699	2
Peter Montoya	Strategy Session	$1995	2
T. Harv Ecker	Train the Trainer	$3495	4.5
T. Harv Ecker	Train the Trainer II	$2995	4.5
T. Harv Ecker	Guerilla Business	$2495	3.5
Average Ticket Price For a 2.5 Day Event	$1,693.33

1. Anywhere else you’d pay an average of $1693.33 for a full weekend.

2. Anywhere else, there’s a slim to no chance that your marketing workshop leader would actually share your political and spiritual values.

3. Anywhere else you’d have to pay that $1693.33 upfront (or sign up for a payment plan).

4. Anywhere else, if the event sucked, you’d have to go up to the person with your money and tell them, “I want my $1693.33 back.” (am I the only one that finds that proposition to be super uncomfortable?)

5. Anywhere else you’d pay an average of $1693.33 for a full weekend and there would be anywhere from 150 to 500 other people in the room vs. the 20-40 at the RBI. At those events your chances of getting personal, one on one access to the teachers are extremely low. You chances of getting your personal questions answered is extremely low.

6. Anywhere else you go THEY are determining the value of the seminar in advance.

I’m suggesting you register for the event and let me send you over $500 of FREE materials with no obligation on your side.

I’m suggesting you show up, attend the entire weekend and let me give you another gift worth $79 just for coming.

I’m suggesting you let me take you out for dinner at some cool, funky organic restaurant in town and bribe you mercilessly and unethically with fair trade chocolate.

 

I’m suggesting that you decide, at the very end, what YOU thought it was worth based on what you can afford.

 

I’m suggesting that it is my job to inspire you to give me money by putting on an event that is just that good.

 

I'm suggesting that you let me not only give you 2.5 days but 3.5 days. 

But I’m also suspecting something. I’m suspecting you might be thinking something like . . .

“But I know I can’t pay much!!! I’d feel guilty attending knowing how little I can pay you . . .”

I didn’t anticipate this problem. Never thought I’d have the problem of people saying, “I want to give you more money!”. Nope.

A key principle in business success is the principle of “risk reversal.” Here’s what I mean: anytime two or more people enter into a transaction one of those people is being asked to assume some, all or MORE than all of the risk. Usually that’s the person buying.

You wouldn’t believe how much business you lose that you never even know about because they perceive too much risk in doing business with you. They’re afraid it’ll be a waste of money, time or maybe people will laugh at them or they’ll look stupid etc.

At first, I thought it was sort of funny and odd when people came up to me at the end of the RBI’s saying, “I can only afford this much. I wish I had more. I’m so sorry.” It was funny to me because I really didn’t care. I’m not in this just for money. I trust people and, on the average, I’m actually paid very well for what I do even though it’s pay what you can.

But I started to see that this guilt was actually a “risk” for people. I saw people deciding not to come to the RBI because the offer was almost too risk free.

So, if you’re concerned that you aren’t able to pay me enough - thanks for the caring and let me say this:

1)      I’m not in this just for the money. I’m primarily an activist. The thought of you not coming simply because of money makes my stomach turn. I price it this way for people like you who may have huger hearts than bank accounts.

2)      AGAIN: I’m asking you to pay me with four cheques spread out over six months precisely so you are able to pay me an amount that more accurately reflects what you felt the weekend was worth.

3)      If this doesn’t reassure you - consider looking at it as a long-term relationship. I’ll be back in town soon. Just learn the material. Apply it. Build up your business. When you’re rich - come to an event or hire me for coaching and pay me a lot then. Or refer me to your friends.

4)      Remember - You aren’t the only person coming to the RBI. Some can pay me a lot and some just a little. On the average, I am paid very well.

5)      Think about it from my side: I’d rather have 20 people at the weekend than only 15 because 5 people decided they couldn’t pay me enough. It doesn’t use any more of my time to have you there at the weekend. I’ll be doing the weekend anyway. Even if you could only pay me the smallest of sums, it’s still more money in my pocket for the same amount of time. Make sense?

(NOTE: If you want to barter you MUST talk with me in advance and arrange it - I rarely do it because I travel so much).

With the situation so dire in the world - we need successful "green", local, sustainable, holistic and life-affirming alternatives like never before.

That means not only creating the alternatives - it means telling the world about them. It means spreading the word. It means getting people to try them out.

“Right livelihood” is fine to talk about - but how do you DO it? How on Earth are you supposed to do that in an economy that only values money? Let’s be real. How do you make a great living without compromising your integrity and selling out?

My goal here is to see if I can help you master and get control of your marketing.  I want to help you to ethically -- and without hype -- create a system for marketing that attracts perfect clients - but that also feels good, natural and comfortable for you. Something that pulls clients to you instead of pushing them. My goal for you is that, whenever you think of your marketing you feel peace of mind, not shame, fear and embarrassment.

Again - there's no "hard close" coming at the end of the weekend. I find that sort of thing distasteful at best. Yes, I’ll explain the weekend - but I think you’ll find it enjoyable. Plus, I’m a rather funny fellow.

                         

 

One of the unfortunate downsides of whole Pay What You Can thing is that it’s very easy for people to treat it as free, to sort of devalue it. That’s understandable. For years, I didn’t ask anyone to pay anything upfront. But I got so many people flaking and ‘no showing’ that I realized I had to do something. It wasn’t fair to me or to the other participants who were in a class half the size they had hoped.

So, even though I’ve resisted it for years, I’ve instituted a mandatory $100 deposit.

Meaning: Your spot isn’t confirmed until you send in the $100 deposit (a cheque postdated for the Tuesday after the weekend so that it can’t be cashed before the event). This $100 is not a down-payment towards the cost of the event.

When you show up at the event - you will get your deposit cheque given back to you - uncashed. The deposit is only there to prevent flaking and no shows and cover my costs should folks need to cancel. It’s there to make sure that those who enroll are really committed to coming vs. just interested. Since there’s only 20 spaces available I ask people not to enroll unless they’re sure they can make it.

However, life being what it is, you may need to cancel. There are many reasons that might need to happen but regardless of the reason, here’s the deal . . .

• two weeks before or sooner: you get a full refund (I’ll mail back your uncashed deposit cheque) plus I’ll offer to sell you the full materials and audio at a significant discount.

• one week before: you get $50 back plus I’ll offer to sell you the full materials and audio at a significant discount.

• the week of the event: you get no money back but I’ll offer to sell you the full materials and audio at a significant discount.

IMPORTANT: If you simply don’t show and don’t tell me you get no refund. You’re cheque will be cashed the following Tuesday. And you will have no option to get the materials. And I’m cranky. Grr.

1. The materials cost if you don't show: I will order the materials to be printed anywhere from 3-7 days before the event. It’s about 500 pages of notes. It’s not cheap to print those off. If 3 people don’t show then I’ve spent all that money (and killed a bunch of trees) for no reason.

2. Lost spot: There’s only 20 spaces. And, as these workshops are gaining popularity, it’s more and more likely that I am turning people away from my workshops. That means if you cancel too late in the game I’m losing hundreds of dollars. There’s a real, hard cost to me of that lost spot - and there’s no guarantee I can fill in the weeks coming up to the event.

3. Admin time: For every person who enrolls I do a welcome call. I have a bunch of small little administrative things I do for each person. If you don’t show - all that time was wasted.

4. Canceling the event: I’ve had situations in the past where enough people cancelled that I wished I could have cancelled the event. But it was too late. I had to do a full weekend with a handful of people, a site that was far too large no and a bunch of extra printed workbooks. If I get the cancellations far enough in advance I have the option of rescheduling the event.

5. Airfare: Please keep in mind that I am almost certainly flying to where you are. That means I am spending a lot of money of the ticket. And if I show up and there’s only 12 people out of the 20 who end up showing up . . .

6. Respect: I think there’s much lost in business today around respect. When people promise to come to an event and then simply don’t show up - with no notice given - I think it’s a sign of profound disrespect. And some people tolerate in their lives. I just don’t. If I sense that a client doesn’t respect my time and efforts, I will let them go.

7. Quality of the Event: With this deposit, it’s far more likely that the event will be full. This means a better, more vibrant event for you.

You are invited to a full weekend under eight, unbelievably risk free conditions:

So, that’s it. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at tad@tadhargrave.com otherwise I hope to see you there.

Tad Hargrave

Founder - Radical Business

P.S. REMEMBER: There’s only about 20 spaces available per event. If you’d like to join us at our weekend day Radical Business Intensive (worth $1693) for whatever you want to pay (you get decide that at the end of the weekend) with a FREE bonus of over $500 worth of marketing materials - then just click below . . .

 p.p.s. For a more full description on the content of the weekend just click here to download a free 195 page PDF ebook, “The Way of the Radical Business: the four pillars of marketing your conscious, green, community minded business like a pro (even if you aren’t) . . .

http://www.tadhargrave.com/RB/welcome.pdf