Youtube Videos
Podcast Episodes
Mastering the Digital Domain: Insights from 7-Figure Entrepreneur Ray Blakney
Mastering the Digital Domain: Insights from 7-Figure Entrepreneur Ray Blakney
What's the easiest way to make a million dollars in one year? Should you start with branding, your message, or your product? And when you create a new business, do you already have the exit strategy in mind?
Ray Blakney is just your typical samurai-wielding Filipino-American entrepreneur who lives in Mexico, has bootstrapped multiple 6 and 7-figure companies, and has had 4 exits – and does it all from the comfort of his own home!
In today's inspiring episode of Service Business Success with Class, Ray is advising all of those hungry entrepreneurs out there that the first step towards making a million dollars in one year is to get a sale in 30 days.
Before that though, there's a lot you can do to assess whether your business idea is a good one, and how to measure your competition. Before that, Ray is showing us how he blew up the first time around with his online Spanish education business.
And before that, Ray shares his 'aha moment' when he was working for the Fortune 500 company, had the flashy car, and it still wasn't enough.
So whichever way you look at it (or listen to this episode), becoming an entrepreneur, staying inspired, bootstrapping startups, and figuring out a smart exit from the comfort of your living room are all achievable.
Ray Blakney is generous enough to share some real gems in this episode with our gracious host, Steve Class. Please join us!
"I'm very good at finding product market fit. Building an MVP and getting it out there and seeing if people will pay for it." ~ Ray Blakney
In This Episode:
- How Ray questioned his American Dream (and became an entrepreneur)
- How Ray met his wife and started a business partnership with her (with complementing skills)
- Launching a Spanish online learning business in 2008 in the midst of a Mexican swine flu fear
- The value of giving away free content as you build up your audience
- Why entrepreneurs start new businesses (the power of staying inspired)
- Ray's skill set (explained) on why he's ideally suited to building companies
- Does Ray build companies with the exit in mind?
- What's the easiest way to make $1M in one year?
- Ray shares his patented formula for assessing new business ventures
- How to assess your competitors in the online space
- Understanding how to plan your exit strategy (and get the right offer)
- What are Ray's future plans for Latin American businesses?
- What advice would Ray give to a younger version of himself?
Connect with Ray Blakney:
Website - https://rayblakney.com/
Connect with Steve Class:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steveyclass/
Property Management - https://www.newenglandpropertymanagementllc.com/
Realty Service - https://www.newenglandrs.com/
Website - http://succeedwithclass.com/
Selling with Purpose: Tyler Cerny's Journey to Excellence
Selling with Purpose: Tyler Cerny's Journey to Excellence
What does it take to sell? We're talking about selling well. Becoming the number one member of your sales team while still relying entirely on commissions to earn a living. For Tyler Cerny, it starts with believing 100% in the product and service you are selling.
And above that, for Tyler, it begins and ends with your why. Tyler Cerny is an international keynote speaker who's recently delivered a powerhouse TEDx talk where he's reverse-engineered the idea of finding your why first so that you can find your life's purpose.
Growing up obese and with a speech impediment, you wouldn't have gotten good odds on Tyler achieving all that he has as a motivational speaker who helps people develop their personal brand. But achieve, he has!
In this hugely inspiring episode of Service Business Success with Class, our host Steve Class is getting under the hood with Tyler to really see what it takes to succeed as a salesperson and articulate your offering.
From playing basketball in China to sitting on the sidelines listening to Tony Robbins, Tyler's journey to become an influencer himself is a fascinating study in knowing your value proposition and staying positive through all the challenges life sends your way so that you can impact the world around you. Finding purpose starts here. Please join us.
"At the end of the day, we either know how to achieve our goal and we just need to execute, or we need to figure out what the plan is and what that looks like." ~ Tyler Cerny
In This Episode:
- Tyler's journey from sports (in China) to sales and public speaking
- Learning from Tony Robbins as a motivational speaker
- Creating a live event to get into the same room with people you need to network with
- How did Tyler overcome the challenges of COVID?
- What does it take to work on your personal brand?
- The daunting journey of getting on stage to deliver your first TEDx talk
- Understanding the flywheel cycle to grow your brand
- Articulating your offer and knowing your value add
- Becoming clear on who your customer is
- The process of figuring out how you can be world-class in your business
- How Tyler's TEDx talk has opened doors for him
- What advice would Tyler give to his younger self?
Connect with Tyler Cerny:
Website - https://www.tylercerny.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tylerdcerny/
TEDx Talk - https://youtu.be/vzo2wMWa9GQ
Connect with Steve Class:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steveyclass/
Property Management - https://www.newenglandpropertymanagementllc.com/
Realty Service - https://www.newenglandrs.com/
Website - http://succeedwithclass.com/
In the Mix: How a DJ Company Masters the Art of Team Culture with DJ Mike Spinnato
In the Mix: How a DJ Company Masters the Art of Team Culture with DJ Mike Spinnato
'DJ Mike Spins' started playing Brooklyn block parties as a DJ during his early childhood, learning on the 1s and 2s, and enjoying music as a side hustle.
Little did he know that one day his side hustle would turn into a full-time hustle with an event production company (Eclipse Events) that caters to all sorts of events in New Jersey, providing everything from the DJ to the lighting, and the filming to the photo booth.
Host Steve Class cut his entrepreneurial teeth with Mike Spinnato when Mike gave him a job in his event production business when he was growing up.
As such, Mike is a mentor and friend to Steve and the conversation flows warmly between them in this inspiring deep dive into the world of DJing, live events, and the art of good service in an industry where it's always somebody's special occasion.
Learn about the early days of the music scene in Brooklyn, the challenging days of COVID, growing your business horizontally as well as vertically to meet your client needs, and so much more in this business masterclass on going from Brooklyn block parties to $2 million in revenue, all the while creating a team culture along the way. Please join us.
"Being an entertainer, you can often become the entertainment, to the point where the focus is on you at the wedding. And I never wanted it to be that way. I always wanted to facilitate the party to keep the focus on the guest (or guests) of honor." ~ DJ Mike Spinnato
In This Episode:
- How DJ Mike Spins got into DJing
- When the side hustle becomes the main hustle
- Being a DJ in the era of live bands
- How did Mike market his music skills back in the day?
- Building relationships with venue owners
- Learning to read the crowd as a DJ
- When Eclipse Events became a known brand
- Providing a one-stop service for your client
- The importance of across-the-board consistency
- Getting staff that begin and end their day together
- The importance of skills cross-training
- How did COVID impact Mike's business?
- What are Mike's future plans?
Connect with Mike Spinnato:
Website - https://www.eclipseevents.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/eclipseeventsnj
Connect with Steve Class:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steveyclass/
Property Management - https://www.newenglandpropertymanagementllc.com/
Realty Service - https://www.newenglandrs.com/
Website - http://succeedwithclass.com/
Wild Collaborations: Creating the Right Connections in the Safari Business with Scott Brills
Wild Collaborations: Creating the Right Connections in the Safari Business with Scott Brills
Imagine combining a love of nature and adventure with an IT business background and starting a safari business in Tanzania!
This is the story of Scott Brills, co-founder of Pamoja Safaris. In today's entertaining episode of Service Business Success with Class, Scott is chatting with our host Steve Class about the ins and outs of the safari service business.
Scott was a pioneer in the digital nomad field before it was even a thing back in the early 2000s and was then able to combine his understanding of running a business remotely with his passion for adventure travel.
Together with his partner Joshua Lovuto, he founded Pamoja Safaris in Tanzania, specializing in custom multi-day trips to the major safari locales, including Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, Tarangire National Park, and Lake Manyara National Park.
From making that first dollar to surviving COVID, and from how much you should tip on safari to the importance of growing your business organically via word-of-mouth marketing before trying to scale, Steve is picking Scott's brain in the best possible way to find out what it takes to run a successful hospitality safari business in a remote working environment.
There are entrepreneurial insights galore inside! Please join us.
“We think long term. We want to build relationships with the properties. We want to build relationships with our guides.” ~ Scott Brills
In This Episode:
- How Scott became a digital nomad and got into the safari business
- How to differentiate yourself as a safari operator
- The value of word-of-mouth marketing to grow your business organically
- What software does Scott recommend to run a safari company?
- An insider's look into doing business in Tanzania
- Looking back, what would Scott do differently to grow his business?
Connect with Scott Brills:
Website - https://www.pamojasafaris.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pamojasafaris/
Connect with Steve Class:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steveyclass/
Property Management - https://www.newenglandpropertymanagementllc.com/
Realty Service - https://www.newenglandrs.com/
Website - http://succeedwithclass.com/
Capturing Success: Unveiling the Power of Personal Branding with Samantha Annette
Capturing Success: Unveiling the Power of Personal Branding with Samantha Annette
What does it mean to serve your clients as a professional photographer? For Samantha Annette, it all starts with valuing herself and her skills so that she can charge what she is worth and then deliver a premium product.
Samantha has also found a way to stand out from the rest of the photography crowd by owning her niche of personal branding photography. She was doing that before it was even really a thing.
But life hasn’t always been easy for Samantha as she dealt with divorce, the passing of a family member, and losing her job working for a sewer and drain company before she saw that the universe was telling her something.
So she cashed in her savings, bought a DSLR camera, read a book on photography, and taught herself something she’d once been passionate about as a child.
Please enjoy Samantha’s entertaining conversation with Steve as the two chat about what it takes to increase your net worth as you up your self-worth. Say Cheese!
“You have to stop and get people’s attention now. If you are doing the same thing as everybody else in every picture, how are you going to stand out?” ~ Samantha Annette
In This Episode:
- Samantha’s crazy career journey that led to her becoming a photographer
- How Samantha retrained her brain to reset her limbic system
- Standing out with her personal branding photography
- How Samantha works with her clients to get the best out of them
- Color theory: what do we think about when we see certain brands?
- Understanding the power and potential of personal branding
- How Samantha uses CRM to manage her business
- Having a strong presence on social media
- The tipping point of getting your own photography studio
- Advice to a younger self
Connect with Samantha Annette:
Website - https://samanthaannette.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ct_photographer/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaAnnettePhotography
Connect with Steve Class:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steveyclass/
Property Management - https://www.newenglandpropertymanagementllc.com/
Realty Service - https://www.newenglandrs.com/
Website - http://succeedwithclass.com/
From Convict to CEO: My Father's Journey to Redemption
From Convict to CEO: My Father's Journey to Redemption
What does it look like when a son interviews his father to get a better understanding of his upbringing? Steve Class is keeping it old school in this, the first impressive episode of Service Business Success with Class, by bringing in his father, Al Calascione as his first guest on the show.
This is a story of hard-earned redemption as Al Calascione shares his journey from convict to CEO. From Brooklyn beginnings in the 70s with a father as a fireman and making his first dollar as a 9-year-old, Steve’s father has always been into business.
Shoveling snow for mafia bosses and constantly being around wise guys growing up, making money in both honest and easy ways felt good as a kid. After time in the Navy and then returning to New York and working in construction, Al Calascione needed protection from being robbed, and so he turned to committing white-collar crime like everyone at the time did.
This trip down memory lane between a father and son is poignant and refreshing in its conversational candor. It’s the stuff of Martin Scorsese mafia movies as Steve’s dad figures out how to ‘get clean’ by investing in owning laundromats and real estate. That, however, leads to money laundering, an eventual conviction, and a son seeing his father go to jail.
We’ll save the rest of the story for you to listen to, as it’s pure podcasting gold! Please tune in – we are sure you’ll get some value from this.
“You know when you piss off the wise guys, it’s for real.” ~ Al Calascione
“No son should see their father in prison.” ~ Steve Class
In This Episode:
- How growing up in Brooklyn and working for mafia bosses helped Al Calascione become a business-minded person
- Getting your hustle going in NYC in the early 90s (... what does it look like - from the streets, to the blue-collar workers, to the white-collar workers?)
- Running your own crime syndicate
- From a convict to an investor: Turning your life around by investing in real estate
- Swindled Schemer: A story of a money launderer getting run in by his accountant
- How do you tell your son that you’re going to jail?
- Unveiling Shadows: The Violence Witnessed by Steve's Father Behind Bars
- Surviving Behind Bars: Understanding the Mindset of an Inmate
- How Steve’s father’s story has given Steve an entrepreneurial thick skin
Connect with Steve Class:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steveyclass/
Property Management - https://www.newenglandpropertymanagementllc.com/
Realty Service - https://www.newenglandrs.com/
Website - http://succeedwithclass.com
The Podcast that Helps You Get to $1 Million
Get inspired and gain valuable insights from Steven's podcast, where he shares actionable advice and interviews industry experts. Explore a wide range of topics that will help you take your business to the next level.
The Go-To YouTube Channel for Expert Advice
Get valuable insights and actionable advice from Steven's YouTube channel, where he shares his expertise on achieving remarkable success in service-based businesses.
Stay Updated with Success with Class
Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on upcoming books, speaking engagements, and other news from Steven's brand.