| Hey, Last month I did a Zoom training for over 500 high performing entrepreneurs. About 17 minutes in I said something shocking: “The 5am club is a very, very bad idea for most people.” I could see the eyes in those little Zoom squares light up. “Did Craig Ballantyne, the guy who gets up at 3:57am just say that getting up early is a bad idea?” No. I said that for most people… … Living on someone else’s schedule is a stupid idea. “It’s not about the hour you get up,” I said, “It’s about what you do with the hours that you are up.” After the training, one of the women on the call thanked me and said… “I’ve been beating myself up for years because I can’t get up at 5 am. Now I see that not being a part of the 5 am club doesn’t make me a failure” You’re welcome :) And this leads me to a bigger, broader, more disturbing part of the coaching industry... That I call “the rise of dogmatic coaches”. You probably know what I’m talking about… Coaches and consultants who’ve gotten results for themselves or one of their clients… ...Then assume that “their way” is the ONLY way of doing things. And you can typically spot them from a mile away… They’ll say things like… “All successful entrepreneurs wake up at 5 am!” “You should never work after 5 pm!” “You MUST have a YouTube channel.” “Instagram is only for kids… don’t waste your time there.” “If you don’t have a podcast you’ll never grow your business!” “You must have a 15 minute team meeting every morning to inspire your team!” ...I’m sure you could add a few others to the list. Problem is… This type of coaching forgets about the “human element” of success. They ignore the fact that everyone is different and the same strategy or system that worked for one person won’t necessarily work for everyone. That’s why I love the 5 am club example… Because so many “gooroos” and coaches (even at the highest levels) will say that being an early riser is mandatory for success. While completely ignoring the thousands of high-performers who are biologically incapable of high-performance early in the morning… For example… Back in 2009 when my friend Joel Marion hired me as his first coach… He was working as a highschool teacher on the “wrong side” of a city in New Jersey. His work day started at 7 am and ended at 3 pm. Back then, he would come home from work, nap for a few hours… ...And then work on his online business from 8 pm until 3 am. Then he’d take another short nap, get up, go to work, and do it all over again. Now I’m NOT recommending that schedule (because it would kill 99.99% of people)... But the thing is… Joel is a machine and a night owl. Even to this day, he does his best work from 10 pm to 4 am. And whenever I stay the night at his house (where I have my own guest suite his kids have affectionately dubbed “Uncle Craig’s Room”)... He works until I wake up… ...And when he sees me sit down at my desk in his giant office (that’s bigger than my first apartment in Toronto). ...That’s his cue to go to bed. Again, I’m not recommending this. But that’s the schedule that works for Joel. And it works for him very well. His 10pm - 4 am schedule helped him have a $330k launch only 6 months after starting his first business… It helped us bring in $750k in sales when we partnered up on our product launch in 2011… It’s what fueled the growth of his $100MM/year supplement company Biotrust Nutrition (that he built in 18 months)… And it’s one of the reasons why I’m such a big believer that it’s not the hour you get up that matters… But what you do with the hours that you are up. If I’d told Joel he needed to wake up at 5 am to work on his business back in 2009 (and if he’d listened to me)… ...There’s no way he would have achieved the level of success he has today. If anything, he would have suffered from anxiety and burnout because he was working against his biology instead of with it. Listen… If you’re working with a coach who tries to push dogma down your throat... Who tells you to do things their way instead of listening to you and helping you create your own way… Sooner or later it’s going to eat your business alive. Because dogma never works. After helping more than 250+ entrepreneurs make their first 7-figures I’ve realized that the ONLY way to succeed… Is to get crystal clear on who you are, how you operate, and your unique strengths and weaknesses. … And then OWN them. Just like I did. And just like Joel did. And if you’re looking for a “dogma-free” coach to help you max out your unique strengths… I’ve opened up a few spots in my coaching program for a small handful of serious entrepreneurs who want to grow BIG in 2020. To qualify, you need to own your own business and be making at least 6-figures. And I’ll be honest with you… the program is not right for everyone. If you can’t handle NO B.S. straight talk, if you aren’t willing to take fast action, or if you’re looking for a “magic bullet” to solve all of your problems… ...This isn’t for you. But if you’re a coachable action taker who wants to build an Empire in 2020 and beyond… And to work a whole lot less than you are right now while you do it… Hit “reply”, tell me a little bit more about yourself and your business and let’s see if we’re a good fit to work together. To Your Success,
Craig | 
