AP 1137: How Do I Do Less One-on-One and Get More Customers?

AP 1137: How Do I Do Less One-on-One and Get More Customers? (Especially Since I'm Not Full Time)?

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Pat Flynn:
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Pat:
What's up everybody? Pat Flynn here, and welcome to episode 1,137 of AskPat 2.0. You're about to listen to a coaching call between myself and a entrepreneur just like you. And today we're talking with Joaquin from Hollywoodeditingmentor.com, an amazing personality and amazing story about how he's built up a brand to help other people who were in his position not too long ago, helping people crack into Hollywood, and helping to get on set and edit for movies and television and such, which is what he's doing right now.

Pat:
The dilemma here is that he will be soon going back to work. And although he's doing a lot of one-on-one stuff right now, and he's actually getting customers and clients, well, how are we going to scale this once he gets back to work? He won't have time for one-on-ones, and he doesn't want to do one-on-ones as much anymore. So I want you to pay attention to the solutions that we come up with and exactly how this is going to be moving forward, because we come up with a solution. You can tell he gets really excited about it, and I'm stoked to hear this episode go live because this is going to help a lot of people—including you.

Pat:
So thank you for listening in. I cannot wait to hear what you think about this. This is one of my favorite episodes I've done in a while. Hollywoodeditingmentor.com with Joaquin. Here he is. Joaquin, welcome to AskPat 2.0. Thanks so much for being here, man.

Joaquin Elizondo:
Hey, thanks for having me, Pat. Good to be here and good to meet you.

Pat:
You too. How about you introduce yourself to everybody else who's listening in with us. What do you do, and what are you known for?

Joaquin:
My name is Joaquin Elizondo, and I'm a film and TV editor here in LA. I work in films and scripted TV shows in Hollywood. I've been editing now for broadcast for almost 20 years, and in the last couple of years, I made my way, broke into Hollywood, to pursue my dream, which was always to work, edit in feature films and scripted TV shows. So I've been doing that now for maybe the last four years when I got to LA.

Joaquin:
It was a journey. It was a challenge to break into Hollywood. It's a very competitive field. I was able to do it with a lot of perseverance. A lot of mistakes and a lot of just talking to people. I figured out how to do it, so therefore, I decided to create a mentorship program because I know there's a lot of people that have the same goals, the same dreams as I did.

Joaquin:
So now knowing and going through the process and committing a lot of mistakes and learning from them, I'm now trying to teach others how to achieve their goals of breaking into Hollywood and/or editing, say, feature films and scripted TV shows, or if they also want to pursue documentaries, reality shows, just editing in general, as me who has done this for 20 years, I've gone through so many areas of post production. So I have experience in ...

Joaquin:
I started off in local news in San Diego, because I'm from San Diego. I worked in promos, commercials, sports, documentaries. So I've done everything, and it took me, like I said, 15 years to get to where I wanted to be, but I did it. There's a lot of people out there who are doing the same thing and there's not a lot of resources, and also I just know the feeling of being kind of out there by yourself and feeling lost, and basically needing someone to take your hand and guide you.

Joaquin:
So that is what I'm doing now with my Hollywood editing mentor program. I got to say, it came out of your Smart From Scratch course. It really was what got me to launch this, to just get it going. And after that, it went pretty fast. I had one-on-one clients pretty quickly. I now have a podcast. I have a community. I've been asked to speak on panels.

Pat:
That's awesome.

Joaquin:
I speak on panels. I also host panels. I've been asked to now teach filmmaking classes at the Media Arts Center in San Diego. It's growing. I'm becoming slowly the face of mentoring. And also being Latino, being Mexican, I am also promoting diversity in the workplace. It's growing. But I know that I need to take it now to that next level. I know that the audience is there, the concept is there, the growth opportunities are definitely there. It's just now finding a way to, all right, how can we take it that next level?

Joaquin:
And also to be honest, to monetize this. Because I have been taking one-on-one clients. The reality is though, that even though before, where I did not want to pursue a digital course, the reality is that I will go back to work, and being that my work is so demanding, long hours, I will not be able simply to do the one-on-ones. It's something that I will not be able to keep doing, at least while I'm working. So I do need to have some type of digital course.

Pat:
That makes sense. So we're at least reserving the one-on-ones for the higher-end potential clients.

Joaquin:
That's correct. I realized that it is a premium product and so that ... I do consultations and there is interest, but it is more of a premium product. People would definitely pay for it, as they have, but I also have to ... There's some people that probably ... It's too much probably for some people. Especially going through a pandemic makes things a little tougher now.

Pat:
Yeah, for sure. So first of all, congratulations, Joaquin, for telling me that amazing story.

Joaquin:
Thank you.

Pat:
I'd love to talk more about that. But I definitely am here to help you and maybe we can chat again later on about your journey, getting into Hollywood, helping other people, because there's a lot of people who do video who follow me because it's online. So they might be interested in this as well.

Pat:
In your journey, just really quick, what was the number one thing that has helped you start your business? There's a lot of things that go through our minds when we're starting something new like this. I'm sure you battled your own demons too with regards to getting started. What was the most helpful thing that you did to get your first clients and to start this new journey for you?

Joaquin:
I think, what I took ... This is what I tell people and this is what has helped me in my journey simply just in my career. What I push a lot in my program is the soft skills. It is this relationship building that, I got to say, to me, I just enjoy really talking to people. It's natural for me. I think what I realized in my journey was that it wasn't so much about the hard skills, like how much I knew about the software and actual editing. Sure, you have to be good at what you do, but it was my, I guess, personality, my ability to form relationships, that has opened doors for me. So therefore, that is what I push more in this program is the development of these softer skills.

Joaquin:
So networking, time management, relationship building, all that. So that has, I think ... and this is the comments that I get from people and students that I work with ... is just simply that ability, I think, to reach out to people, to communicate. I feel it's not an issue for me. I like to be out there and talking to people and engaging. So I think that is what has opened up a lot of doors for me and that's therefore what I try to teach to people.

Pat:
Dude, amen. That's what's helped me here too. Without the connections and the networking, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. So I'm really glad that that's number one and that's what you're teaching, and it's so great to have and hear your students say that as well. You're literally changing lives with your program. What's the program name by the way? Where could people go check it out in case they're interested?

Joaquin:
It's Hollywood editing mentor. You can find it at Hollywoodeditingmentor.com.

Pat:
That's so cool, because anybody can learn how to edit a piece of software. They could read the instruction manual back to front, but it's the soft skills, the stuff that we don't learn in school, you kind of have to figure it out on your own. You're helping people fast forward through that. That's something that's worth a lot of money, whether it's through one-on-one consultations with you, or like you said and you're talking about, maybe a digital program of some kind. So let's start talking about the future here. You had mentioned a number of times this phrase, "next level." "I'm ready to go to the next level." Define the next level for me. What is that, exactly?

Joaquin:
Well, there's two parts, I guess for me, at least the way I see it. One is growing the community. I know for example, my subscribers, my mailing list is, I would say, fairly small compared I think to other programs out there other businesses. And also just in social media, my following, I think, it's not in the thousands. But it's also the fact that I have not really gone above and beyond with, say, promoting this. It's been just kind of grassroots. I mean, really out of my network, say colleagues or professors, friends. I've done, I think, the very minimal effort in regards to promoting it. But just by that, it has grown. So I do want to say, reach a larger audience, because even though the numbers are small, but the interest is, I feel, very high.

Joaquin:
I'm talking now to people all over the world: Brazil, Chile, Italy, editors from there are saying, "Hey, I wish that 12, 20 years ago, I had this." So it has a global reach, no doubt about it. So, that's one part. And then also the ... I guess, to monetize this, because I think initially, I went through that phase of like, "Hey, as a mentor, I should just be doing this for people and not charge anything." But then I realized quickly through talking to friends and honestly hearing from you, is that I do have experience and expertise that I can offer, and it has value.

Pat:
Exactly.

Joaquin:
It's certainly something that, when I was going through the process of, say, breaking into Hollywood, I would have gladly paid, trust me, to speak to someone in the industry to get inside information. No doubt. I recognize the value of it. But now I'm trying to really find ... I guess, develop the right business model to, like I said, monetize this.

Pat:
Thank you for that. And there's also the fact that if you were to give away everything for free, there's no skin in the game for those people. They're not going to take action. They're not going to be as serious about it as if they invested that money with you and that time as well to take action and do those things. So that's great. Okay, thank you.

Pat:
So, let's first talk about exposure and reach and growth and such. You've used a lot of small words like, "Oh, my email list is not quite that big. My audience hasn't reached a thousand followers yet. It's just grown organically." Now, it's like, "Wow, let's imagine if we put some fuel on this fire now, how much bigger it can grow." Have you thought about how big you want it to grow or what would be the next level for you? That way we can create a concrete goal: here is my email list size now. I would love it to be, within a year, at this size.

Pat:
That way we can actually track, because a big struggle with entrepreneurs is, we just don't know how we're doing, and if we need to work harder because we fell behind, or maybe we're fast tracking and we're going there quickly, but we don't realize it, and we could in fact take breaks or slow down a little bit, and this is where people start experiencing burnout. So we need to figure out what these goals are.

Pat:
I would say, and question and challenge you, by one year from now, what would that be like for you in terms of wow, things are going really well. Obviously you could say, "I want a million." That would obviously be great, but probably not required for where you're trying to go. A year from now, where would you like to be?

Joaquin:
I guess if I could break the thousand mark, I suppose, would be a goal?

Pat:
For your email list?

Joaquin:
For email list, sure. Right now in my Facebook page, I have close to 600 followers. So again, it's small numbers compared to other people, but I haven't really thought about it. That's a really good question, but breaking the thousand mark-

Pat:
What are you at now on an email?

Joaquin:
On email, 168.

Pat:
Dude, I think that you could get to a thousand by the end of the year. We're recording this August 2020. I think that with a little bit of ... and we'll talk about it.

Joaquin:
Yeah, okay-

Pat:
You're getting ... He's smiling. I don't know if it's making you anxious a little bit, but I think you can get to a thousand by the end of the year. There's so many people changing careers right now, or looking to level up their career. They're looking for mentors, people who are successful in certain places, and video editing is becoming a skill that a lot of people want, but just don't know what to do with. This is, I think, a great situation. So how would that feel if you were able to hit four figures on your email list by the end of the year?

Joaquin:
Oh, that's awesome, and maybe you're right. Maybe I guess I didn't really think about it and I sold myself a little short there.

Pat:
And then obviously, with that email list, you can do a lot of things with that. You could survey a bigger audience when you come out with a piece of content, send more people to it. It can spread further. A lot of what I know in this industry is, people talk to each other. All the people who are doing this try to find each other, and creating that community, like you said, can be really key. So it's cool that you have a Facebook page because that's going to continue to grow. Do you have any other social platforms, or where are you creating content, if at all, anywhere?

Joaquin:
Yes, I do have a YouTube channel. I do videos constantly. Right now, I put a lot of effort into production into my videos. So, I try to, if I can do one a week, I'm good. But the idea is to be consistent, so I do have my YouTube channel. I do have a Facebook Live that I do through ... I use Ecamm, of course. It's called "Afternoon Tea with Hollywood Editing Mentor." It's one Thursday every three weeks.

Joaquin:
What I've used it as is a ... Initially, I was thinking of it as a Q&A type session. I'll be there for an hour, kind of like you do office hours. And I said to myself, "Well, why don't I make this into a networking mixer, given that it doesn't have to be just about me?" It's about, invite all these aspiring editors and assistant editors, and we can hang out, and we can all ask questions and talk. It's a virtual networking mixer. People have really loved it. I'm doing one this Thursday and it's great. I also do Instagram and LinkedIn. Honestly, LinkedIn has also been really helpful. Yeah, so it's basically Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and my email list. And the podcast.

Pat:
And the podcast. YouTube, I think, is going to be your sweet spot. I'm looking at your YouTube channel right now. There's a lot that we could do here, for sure. You're off to a great start. Your thumbnails look good. I think that we need to have people understand exactly what Hollywood Editing Mentor will ultimately do for people. Even just a simple tagline, "Your path to whatever," like whatever the transformation it is you're offering, it has to be so clear up front. And coming up with something that you say at the beginning of every video that brings the community together and creates that language around that transformation that you're offering people for people. A masterclass in ... What did you say? Breaking into Hollywood. Helping you break into Hollywood? That's a very common phrase that I think your audience could get very used to, if you aren't saying that already, and it's just becomes a part of the language that you use, and would likely get people to continue to come back.

Pat:
I think the YouTube strategy is great. I would continue to stay consistent on there, but try to go ... and this is what I recommend to everybody. I haven't watched any of your videos yet, but this is what I recommend to those who have great subject matter like you do, but who are still under 100 subs ... which you're at 90, so you're really close to a hundred, which is really cool ... is to go a little bolder. Something a little bit outside of the comfort zone or something that the audience would go, "Whoa, this is different. This is something that's unique that I can't find anywhere else. This is why I'm going to subscribe and continue to come back."

Pat:
I think that the YouTube plus the email list, letting people know that ... I don't know if you have a lead magnet or something to get into your email list, but something that you could give away, like a Hollywood cheat sheet or something like that, five top mistakes that editors make when trying to get into Hollywood, something that they would be required to download in order to get it. That's going to get you to that 1,000 pretty quickly once you start to get people coming across your way.

Pat:
And then finally, since you have a podcast, I love that in terms of exposure. I think another strategy that could work out for you, that would also help you grow your YouTube channel as well, is collaborations. You talk about the idea of networking. Well, use those networks and other people who have audiences, either on a podcast or on YouTube, and do collaborations. Bring them on your show and you get on their show, and is how you can grow audiences together.

Pat:
And you have, with this experience you have, so much to offer. You have so much value. And this is of course the free way that you can get people to come and find you, and get into your brand, and you learn more about them. And then they see ... I'm assuming they eventually see the mentorship opportunity with you. But I love that you are thinking about monetizing this in other ways, because number one, people can't afford it often. I hope that you're charging an adequate amount for that, because that is worth a ton of money. Your time. How much, if I were to hire you ... You're smiling now.

Joaquin:
I realized ... This has been a learning process. One thing I did know, I said I was not going to wait until things were perfect. I decided to just go for it. I'm going to learn along the way, as we go.

Pat:
Love it. Ready, fire, aim.

Joaquin:
Yeah. Obviously, when I started doing the one-on-ones, I said, "Well, we're going through a pandemic. We're not working. I'm starting out, so I'm going to give this pretty cheap." I know what other people are charging for one-on-ones. Mine is really cheap compared to it. But what I realized was that, yes, those one-on-ones have to be worth it with regards to pricing, because it is a lot of time. I realized that if I need to do it right, I need to charge more of a premium price and not everyone can afford that.

Pat:
Right. And number one, it's totally cool that you went the cheaper route to start because that's validation. Any sort of money to go, "Here's my money. Can I buy your time?" Is a huge validation. You've done more of these now, which is great. But now ... and it's interesting, it's perfectly set up for you ... If you increase that price, you're going to have less people who are going to be interested because they can't afford it, and you didn't want to do these anymore anyway. Or you only wanted to do them with higher level clients. That's number one. So it fits with the where you want to go.

Pat:
Number two, the higher price you charge, the better students you get, just legit. You're going to get the people who are serious because they've invested in and they're wanting to do this. So that's number two. And number three, when you create that higher price point, this anchors the price of your masterclass or your online course. It's like, "Hey, you can hire me for $250 an hour here, or you can get access to all the knowledge, everything that I know, all the soft skills and whatnot, the worksheets and whatever contracts you might need, et cetera. You'll be able to break into Hollywood using this for just $99." I'm just throwing that price point out. Or $199. It's cheaper than it is.

Pat:
And then people go, "Oh my gosh, that's absolutely a steal. Maybe I can ask a few questions on, I don't know, group office hours or sending an email. But okay, I can't afford him directly, but this price makes total sense." What's cool is you can kind of go both ways. You can go from people who were interested in your coaching, and you might know some people on a wait list or people who said that they would want to work with you, but they can't. You can go to them and go, "Hey, I get it. We don't have the resources right now to do the one-on-one, but I created this for people like you who can't work with me one-on-one, but I can still give you the information. And guess what? It's cheaper. Here it is." And they're ecstatic about that.

Pat:
And then, you can go the other way. Once you start building an audience and they start seeing this masterclass ... I keep calling it that, but it could be called whatever ... this online version of what you teach, they see that, and then maybe they don't purchase because they're not into online courses. You could follow up with them and go, "Hey, you're probably like me. You'd rather get direct mentorship from the person who knows. So here is my offer." It becomes this great ecosystem and both things will work for you. How has this bouncing off of you?

Joaquin:
No, no, no. It's all great. It's all great. That makes total sense because yeah, what I realized ... Like I said, I do have a lot of consultations. I think it comes down to ... The industry's shut down. No one really is working. So when we get to talking, I think people are interested. And then, I think once you hit that, "Well, how much is it?" And then that's when they're like, "You know what? I can't do it right now, but I guess when things get back up and running, I'll hit you up." Which I get it. That's the thing. It's just, at least in this industry ... Well, in many industries, but right now, things are shut down, so it's kind of rough. I understand that.

Pat:
Yeah. Yeah, you're right. And you know what? Now you can go, "Hey, there's a couple ways to work with me. I usually charge this much per hour, and if you want to do that, that's great because I can be hands on with you. But I know times are tough now, so we have the course. The course will give you everything, plus there's maybe a three month payment plan so it's even cheaper."

Pat:
Honestly, when people go with the payment plan, you actually make more than the one time payment. Typically, you charge a little bit less for a onetime payment. You don't have to do it that way. But that way people who don't want to pay so much up front, but they want to get the value, and they go in there and they love it, and they stick around and they pay for it. You can end up making more money there. And now, your YouTube videos, podcast guesting, any blog posts or anything that you might create that's out there is always an opportunity for people to come find you and take you up on those offers or see them.

Pat:
And then using YouTube to also showcase your students' success and some of their progress will help people go, "Oh my gosh, I want to work with Joaquin so bad. What are my options?" It's in the description of every single video and they see the options: "You can work with me here one-on-one, or you could work with me in this case." I think the next step for you is, like you did with a one-on-ones, is to start talking to people about what they might want in a course and how ... maybe even pulling a few people into a beta program to pre-sell it, even, just to validate it once more and have people get in perhaps at an early, discounted price, just to essentially help you validate this. And then you can work even with them just to create the course.

Pat:
I don't know if you've seen some of my stuff about pre-selling, my Smart From Scratch, which you have access to, and Will It Fly?, Or all about that. You can do that now with, with the course and check that out. Also, I think the next step would be to outline that course, because it's all in your brain right now and it might be just a mush. Outline it. You can remove things, make it clean, and that becomes the prototype, essentially, that you share with people. Like you would with a physical product, but you show people who can't afford you or who may just want to online course, "Hey, this is the plan. Seven modules. Here's what each module does for you. And by the end, you're going to have all the information you need to be able to have conversations with people who are decision makers in Hollywood, to be able to have your first job in Hollywood, or at least know how to get access to that. Is this something you'd be interested in checking out? Yes? Okay."

Pat:
That's the plan. So I don't know. I don't think we need to come up with a thousand ways. I think this ... and you've pointed this direction in the beginning anyway ... I think that's the next step.

Joaquin:
Yeah, no, you're totally right. It's something, like I said, it's funny because initially, it was like," Nah, I'm not doing a digital course. I want this to be one-on-one." And now I'm completely the opposite.

Pat:
What flipped for you?

Joaquin:
I guess, well, a couple things. Just after doing the one-on-ones, I just realized that some people ... and after talking to some giving consultations, some people really, I think, prefer the digital ... I think some people have a hard time just simply doing one-on-ones. It's hard for them. Especially, I think, in this industry, editors—a lot of us are introverts, just by nature of this is what we do. We're in dark rooms all day working. So I think that's one thing that some people just have a hard time opening up.

Joaquin:
So I think some people just would prefer maybe just an online course. And also the fact that I will go back to work. I'm close to hopefully go back to work sometime next month, and I just will not be able to have these one-on-ones. And also, I'm not looking to let go of my editing career. That's the thing. So, to me, to be able to set up some passive income and still have my editing career, that's the ideal situation for me. Maybe down the line, I will say, "Maybe I'm done with this," and will maybe leave it, but as of now-

Pat:
You'll have the option, at least.

Joaquin:
Exactly, have the option. But for now I don't plan to leave editing.

Pat:
Yeah, that's cool. If you could, another interesting thing since you're going to continue to do that, would be to use your YouTube channel to ... if you're allowed to ... show behind the scenes of how you do what you do. It's like, "Hey guys, look, I'm here. I want you to be here too."

Joaquin:
Exactly.

Pat:
Come follow me and you can learn from me too. I love that. I think next step for you is creating that outline as well as starting to challenge yourself a little bit on the YouTube channel. And of course, continuing to grow that email list. I think the path is very clear. I'd love to check in with you later, Joaquin, and maybe we can get you on the big show to talk about your journey. And maybe we can use this as a before picture, and then we can talk about the picture after all this is implemented.

Pat:
I know you're going to be back at work and stuff, so that's a good driver too. The last thing is, you'll be able to help more people, because there's only one of you. There's unlimited amounts of courses that you could sell, and there's so many people who, I'm sure in this industry, need your help, as you know. So I just want to encourage you and keep pushing you forward and keep challenging yourself. But I'm stoked on the future. I'm stoked on what you're going to create. I hope we can chat again.

Joaquin:
I hope so too, man. I definitely would love that. And I just, thank you. Honestly, thank you. Like I said, Smart From Scratch, that's what got me going.

Pat:
Thanks for that.

Joaquin:
I can't thank you enough, just your overall, everything that you do, man. Thank you very much.

Pat:
Thank you so much. Where, one more time, can people go to check out your mentorship program?

Pat:
Check out Hollywood editing mentor at Hollywoodeditingmentor.com, and I'm on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram. Check it out and sign up for the list.

Pat:
I love it. Online course coming soon, maybe.

Joaquin:
For sure, yeah.

Pat:
All right, cool. Thanks man.

Joaquin:
Thank you, Pat.

Pat:
All right. I hope you enjoyed that conversation and coaching call with Joaquin. Isn't he great? Just such an amazing personality, and definitely follow him on YouTube and check him out at Hollywoodeditingmentor.com. Joaquin that's J-O-A-Q-U-I-N. He's awesome. Check them out. I hope this episode helped you. If you'd like to also get coached like Joaquin did today on AskPat, just make sure to fill out the application to have a chance over at AskPat.com. Make sure you fill out that application fully, because that gives myself and my team the most information that we could use as we select new AskPat coaching ... I was going to say contestants, but just guests is what they are, is what you are ... and would love to potentially have you on as well.

Pat:
So AskPat.com. You can listen to other episodes that are archived there as well. I'm just super stoked. Hey, by the way, did you know that I go live every day on YouTube? I do. If you'd like to check that out, I have a YouTube channel myself that you can also go and follow Joaquin there as well. If you go to YouTube.com/patflynn, you'll find me there. Just make sure you hit subscribe and you can check out our lives every single morning, currently at 8:00 a.m., Pacific, 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

Pat:
I'd love to invite you to come in and be a part of the community there. It's totally free to watch, and it's every single day. We go over a number of different topics and we are approaching episode 200 in a row. 200 days in a row, which is pretty amazing. So hey, make sure to follow if you haven't already. Thanks so much. I appreciate you, and I look forward to serving you the next episode. So hit subscribe if you haven't already, and as always, #TeamFlynn for the win. Peace.