SHOW TRANSCRIPT

This transcript is automatically generated by Descript.  Any errors or omissions are unintentional.

[00:00:00] Jeff Sieh: Hello folks. Welcome to Creator News Live. I’m Jeff c and you’re not.

[00:00:04] Paul Gowder: I’m Paul Gatter, and this is the show that keeps you up to date with what’s happening in the world of the creator economy and so much more.

[00:00:10] Jeff Sieh: You ever question whether attending conferences is really worth your time and money? Maybe you wonder how to walk away from an event with more than just a stack of business cards, or maybe you’ve been searching for ways to connect with the right people who can truly help you grow as a creator. If so, then you’ll wanna stick around, because today I’m excited to welcome my good friend Paul Gower, the founder of powwows.com, who has spent 25 years building one of the most vibrant online communities celebrating Native American culture.

[00:00:40] Jeff Sieh: Paul’s gonna be sharing his insights, his experiences, and his best strategies for making conferences count. So sit back, clear your schedule, clear your mind, and get ready for this week’s episode of Creator News Live. Paul, thank you so much for, uh, right after travel coming back in today. This is gonna be a fun one.

[00:00:57] Jeff Sieh: So, We’ve got even more people. [00:01:00] Yeah, Phil is coming in. It’s true. Dustin, he talked about you and Phil Palin. His book is amazing. If you haven’t checked out his book about ai, uh, and seeing, uh, him speak, I know he’s rushing off be a part of Adobe Max. So that’s a big conference, so this’ll be a good conversation.

[00:01:14] Jeff Sieh: So thanks, for popping by. Phil. I know you’re tired as well ’cause you were, you were doing the conference thing also. So, as always, I don’t know if you know this, and we talked about this a little bit at, uh, the, the conference we were just at, at Ecamm s creator camp that I’ve been doing these little intros for my guests.

[00:01:33] Jeff Sieh: And of course, ’cause Paul’s here. I’ve got Paul’s theme song. So we’re gonna play that. Right now

[00:01:38] Jeff Sieh: that is Paul’s theme song. We actually did a live demo of that inside of, the part of my, the conference that I did. So a lot of fun. I think they’re really fun and kinda a little quirky.

[00:01:48] Jeff Sieh: but we’re gonna dive right into it. first, I wanna ask the audience like, what is the most valuable thing you’ve ever gotten from a conference? Was it a lessons you learned, a connection you made or something else?

[00:01:58] Jeff Sieh: Dustin just chopped [00:02:00] in and, and said he really misses going to conferences. He’s just been too busy building and growing the business. Totally understandable. I think we’ve all been there. Uh, I didn’t do a lot of conferences last year, so, uh, I totally agree. So what do you guys think? Like, what is the thing that you have taken away one of the biggest things that happened to you maybe in your business from going to a conference?

[00:02:19] Jeff Sieh: I would love to know, so internet down below, wherever you’re watching from, and we’ll try to pull that up on the screen. But Paul, what have some specific benefits you have gained from attending, events like we hung out at Creator Camp. We were just there. We did craft and commerce together.

[00:02:35] Jeff Sieh: CEX, you spoke there as well. You and I are gonna get ready to go to Lou M’s. Amazing Momentum Conference in a couple weeks. We’re both speaking at that one. So, and you do powwows, which is a huge event. That’s a whole nother scale of what, uh, most people do. But what is some of your biggest takeaways or benefits for your business that you have?

[00:02:54] Jeff Sieh: Like, why do you do this? That’s a lot of travel. That’s a lot of work to speak. So why do you do it?

[00:02:58] Paul Gowder: It is, it’s a lot and, and it’s [00:03:00] expensive, right? I mean, even if you are a speaker and mm-hmm. Your, your ticket is paid for, it’s, you still have hotel rooms and flights and all this other stuff. I, I’ll give you one specific example, and this has been years ago, but what kind of got me back into going to conferences, especially as a creator.

[00:03:16] Paul Gowder: Um, I did ’em for my full-time job a lot, but I remember going to, tbe, which is there travel conference in Minnesota.

[00:03:24] Jeff Sieh: Mm-hmm.

[00:03:24] Paul Gowder: And. That was probably the first time that I went to a conference where I went and knew somebody and was able to kind of up. Right. I had a wingman, I, I met up with Lou Ello there and having, hi there.

[00:03:37] Paul Gowder: So one of the things they had is it’s just a big room full of travel providers, and Lou was the best wing man. He, I would go and talk to somebody. I’d come back and he’d be like, oh, that’s great man. Here, you need to go over here and talk to this. And it, that, that kind of stuff. Having somebody there supporting you, having your, having your your little group was so awesome.

[00:03:57] Paul Gowder: And then because of that, because of him encouraging me, [00:04:00] I actually got a paid gig from that. to do some travel influencer stuff. So yeah, I, I love it’s the connections, right? Right. That’s, that’s the number one thing we probably talk a lot about that it is the connections and, and having that support group, um, especially when you do go to conferences, can make a huge difference.

[00:04:16] Paul Gowder: Because I’m an introvert. If I’d gone to that conference with, without Lou, I would’ve sat in the corner and not met with anybody and just gone to sessions. And if, if that, if you’re doing that, then you’re probably not getting the full value out of the conference.

[00:04:29] Jeff Sieh: Right. And I, and so to be honest, like when you have friends there and they have products that you believe in, like, you know, we, we’ve talked about Lou’s conference and like I was able to hang out with Phil and he’s in the, the chat right now.

[00:04:39] Jeff Sieh: I was able to actually ride back with them to the airport and we had a conversation and we were able to like, talk together as speakers, but when we’re there, I’m like, Hey, when people are asking me questions about ai, I can go like, Hey, have you read Phil’s book? Like, it’s really great, like, go talk to him.

[00:04:53] Jeff Sieh: Like those kind of things where you have like advocates, like you were saying. The wingman I think is huge. [00:05:00] and it’s not salesy. You don’t have like, like your team member going like, Hey, here’s Jeff, you know, don’t look him in the eye, but here’s his business card kind of a thing. You know, you have these people who really love you and your product pushing for you.

[00:05:12] Jeff Sieh: That is what, where the magic happens. So I totally agree. I think that’s, uh, really, really important. and, uh, there’s some great, there’s some great comments we already have coming up. So I wanna pull these up Dustin says, I do have pending messages on Facebook from someone who wants me to buy a booth spot at one of our favorite conferences next year, which is great.

[00:05:30] Jeff Sieh: I think you would be good there, but you could also unconference it and I think you still be doing well. And, uh, Chris Stone from uh, Casta ahead says, I like the snacks and if you like snacks, Chris Stone, you should have went to Creator camp because they had some epic snacks there. uh, Dustin says, I spoke at a conference in Atlanta in 2019.

[00:05:50] Jeff Sieh: I met a guy named Casey and he’s one of the biggest reasons. That Magi is so successful, and we’re gonna talk about that more, but I can trace back the connections that [00:06:00] I’ve made at conferences and how my business has, you know, hockey sticked up, I guess is what you would say, because of the connections that we’ve made.

[00:06:08] Jeff Sieh: I mean, Paul and I run a paid mastermind and a lot of them are from connections that we are friends with and enjoy hanging out with at conferences. They’re part of our group. So it really does make a huge, huge difference. But Paul, I wanna talk about this because, you know, it’s a lot like conferences are a lot you’re like me.

[00:06:28] Jeff Sieh: Like it’s not just, I can get, you know, Uber to the airport and I’m done. Like I can just take a direct flight anywhere I have to go to, I have to drive hours to the airport and get a direct flight or whatever. And then there’s a travel day, and then you’re there. There’s an expense of the hotel, there’s a ticket, there’s food, all this stuff kind of, you know, when you’re a solepreneur or a small business.

[00:06:50] Jeff Sieh: That ain’t nothing. Right? Like that’s, that’s an investment. So how do you judge whether a conference is a good investment or not?

[00:06:59] Paul Gowder: Yeah, [00:07:00] it, it’s tough. so two things I would say for people kind of judging where to go. One, talk to people that you know, you know, like reach out to Jeff and I and we’ll definitely give you our opinions on different conferences we’ll been, have been to this year, the past couple years, and kind of tell you who’s it for, right?

[00:07:16] Paul Gowder: And, and find that fit. But I also look for conferences that have opportunities, especially structured opportunities to meet with other people. Mm-hmm. Like that TBE event, it, there was a way for you to schedule meetings with travel vendors. Pod Fest has like some meetups and some times, for you to do that kind of thing.

[00:07:36] Paul Gowder: Um, momentum’s really great with its table talks and, the, you know, the first day we, we play the bingo and you have to go around and meet people mm-hmm. And cross off your bingo. Those kind of things I look for again, because if it was left to me, I’d be sitting in a corner just taking notes. Um, so I want ways to, to force myself to go and, and talk to people and do that networking so that I come away with a list of contacts.

[00:07:57] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. I, I, we’ll di we’ll dive [00:08:00] into some of your strategies a little bit later, but, I think for me, if it’s a good investment, I do look at the people. I do look at the speaker, the not only the information that I can take away from it, but that’s just the first layer that, that’s just like the icing on the cake.

[00:08:14] Jeff Sieh: Right. Like you said, it’s those relationships, those, those things you meet in the hall, I will skip Unless it’s a friend of mine who’s speaking, if there’s a conversation out in the hall that’s better, I’ll skip what I had planned because those have always turned into a, you know, a better return on investment.

[00:08:31] Jeff Sieh: Or even just like I meet new people, I get ’em for my show or whatnot. But, that’s the other thing is though, is like by going to people’s sessions that you admire, if you were a speaker, we notice who’s in the room like we do. and if you come to, if, have I seen you at all my sessions?

[00:08:46] Jeff Sieh: Like, okay, this guy wants to meet me, I’m gonna make time for him. So when you’re getting started, going to those people’s sessions that you wanna connect with and staying and maybe hanging back a little bit, which is really hard for introvert, introverts like me, but if [00:09:00] you do it and make those connections, People notice and people see you there, and it’s not some, you know, you’re not trying to stalk them or something. It’s not weird like that. It’s just like, you’re interested, I have questions. Can I talk? Can I buy you a coffee? Do you have any time? That kind of stuff can really, do wonders for your business.

[00:09:18] Jeff Sieh: So, you, me, you mentioned that kind of solid one where you had the kind of a, a great lead from that. But are there any other things that really led to new opportunities or business growth that you’ve done from a conference? I mean, speaking gigs for one.

[00:09:31] Paul Gowder: Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Um, I think.

[00:09:34] Paul Gowder: Speaking last year at Momentum led to me speaking at CEX because, Lulu was at momentum and was able to see what I was doing. earlier this year at Craft and Commerce, I, I made some contacts and, I’m working on building, uh, something I’m gonna announce soon. And, uh, I was able to email my folks at KIT and say, Hey, can you facilitate an introduction?

[00:09:55] Paul Gowder: And because of that, I’ve had like multiple Zoom calls with high ups in that company. Um, giving me [00:10:00] strategy sessions, tons of email support. I mean, and that would ne if I had emailed that company without that kind of connection mm-hmm. They would just, I would’ve never gotten past the first level. Right.

[00:10:10] Paul Gowder: So, and then, you know, this past weekend, here’s, here’s one that’s just crazy. I was able to meet with Luria, which, you know, I was first, I was fanboying ’cause I followed her for so long.

[00:10:20] Jeff Sieh: Cali Lewis. Yeah,

[00:10:20] Paul Gowder: yeah. Mean our first conversation, she’s like, Hey, yeah, Lou just was talking to me about you. How can I be of service?

[00:10:27] Paul Gowder: Right, right, right. You know, it’s like, And so we had this great conversation about the content of my videos and where to go, and then later I had some questions about some YouTube features that are coming out, and she was able to talk me through that, and then messaged people that she knew and the next day came back and said, Hey, by the way, here’s what I found out about these upcoming features and how you can use them.

[00:10:47] Paul Gowder: I mean, you never know who’s in the room. so I mean, I try to plan ahead and, and make a list of people I wanna contact, but you never know those kind of conversations I, that I would’ve never imagined, I would’ve had those kind of really great conversations [00:11:00] with her.

[00:11:00] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. They, they, what is it? They say, your network, your networking, it’s your net worth or something like that.

[00:11:05] Jeff Sieh: But for me, it’s never been like, I’m not collecting people. I’m not, you know, you’ve seen those people at conferences before where they’re just kind of collecting, oh, I know, da dah, dah, dah, dah, or I know da da. And it’s not, that’s not what you want. You want to build almost like your. C-suite of, people who are interested in what you do and, and you’re friends with.

[00:11:25] Jeff Sieh: Like, I know, if I have an issue with a email sequence, I can get on Messenger and Paul’s gonna respond to me like, Hey, you need to do this, da da, da. And if he’s, and he’s done it before, it’s like, I can get this character to work in Midjourney. What do I do? Well, send it to me. Oh, okay. Here’s what you do.

[00:11:40] Jeff Sieh: And so you have these people that you can rely on and you do it, you’re smart about it. You’re not like hitting, I’m not hitting up Paul every five minutes. Like, Hey, can you write my email for me? Not like that. It’s, but when you have questions, you have these people that you know that can be like, oh, this is what I think, this is what I would do if I was in your situation.

[00:11:58] Jeff Sieh: Example, Paul is [00:12:00] like testing every community. Thing out there. Like he’s building, he’s got Mighty Networks, he’s got Circle. He is trying all these. And so because of what he’s been doing, he can advise me on this is what I would suggest for you, just like you would do for a client. So I mean, that’s where the value of these relationships, uh, come in.

[00:12:18] Jeff Sieh: But Paul, I wanted to ask you another question because there’s people kind of can maybe get confused between virtual events and actually going to like the, the actual conference because a lot of conferences now will offer a virtual ticket like, Hey, if you can’t make it, you can buy this. You don’t have to travel, but you can get all the information, which I think is great.

[00:12:40] Jeff Sieh: So this is my opinion and you tell me what you think. Virtual conferences are great for information. If you’re learn, need to learn how to, Hey, I wanna learn how to use script. Okay, I can go to a virtual conference where Lou Bartone inside of, EcammS community did a training about it. I can go to that virtual event.

[00:12:57] Jeff Sieh: But networking is a different matter. It’s really [00:13:00] hard to network on a virtual event. What are your thoughts? Virtual events, in-person events? What do you like to do?

[00:13:05] Paul Gowder: Yeah, I, I think there’s some really great value in virtual events, and if you’re strategic and really go after some knowledge that you need, I think that’s, that’s great.

[00:13:14] Paul Gowder: For me, it’s because I’m watching YouTube videos to teach myself all week long. It’s hard for me to sit and concentrate on, on a virtual event. so I try not to do those as much. I, I want the in person. Uh, I find when I’m sitting in the room, I’m paying more attention, I’m taking more notes. Mm-hmm. but I mean, in virtual events do have their place and especially, you know, for somebody who, who’s on a budget, uh, it’s a great way to get that knowledge.

[00:13:40] Paul Gowder: but there’s nothing like being in the room and, you know, hearing even. Like this weekend, there were questions and discussions after speakers finished. Um, Ecamm wasn’t recording, but you know, I’ve been at conferences where they recorded the session, it ended, but it was those conversations on the stage, maybe asking questions or just when the speaker stepped off the stage.

[00:13:59] Paul Gowder: Right. [00:14:00] Those next 10 minute conversations where the most value was presented. And so if you’re not in the room, you’re not gonna get that.

[00:14:07] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. So when did you start in your business journey? Investing in like, in-person events or conferences? even when it’s, you know, it was a significant, like, it was a burden.

[00:14:22] Jeff Sieh: Like, it was like, okay, it’s gonna cost me money, but I’m gonna do it. Like, when did you realize that was so important?

[00:14:28] Paul Gowder: I, I’m guessing it was somewhere around. The 20 16, 20 17 era, somewhere in that timeframe. and it was because of the encouragement from, from Lou, going to that first momentum, which was a stretch for me.

[00:14:42] Paul Gowder: Mm-hmm. fortunately, you know, I was talking with Lou and he invited me to come and speak. So, it helped a little bit that offset some of the costs. and then seeing the value I got out of that as a business owner and having that, focused attention and seeing that when I invested in myself, it really paid off.

[00:14:59] Paul Gowder: That [00:15:00] encouraged me to, and I was, like I said earlier, that was when I went to TBE next. Mm-hmm. Um, and you know, it was still a few years before I started going to multiple events in a year. it was because I, I was doing LOSES mastermind, which Right. I think is, if, if you can’t go to conferences, masterminds are the.

[00:15:18] Paul Gowder: In some cases they’re, they’re better, but it is the next best thing, right? Having that group. Yeah. but yeah, it, it was, it’s been a few years that I’ve been going to conferences, but going to multiples in a year that’s only been like the last three, four years.

[00:15:32] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. I would say that probably the last four or five for me is the same thing.

[00:15:36] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. because even if you’re not speaking, it’s, it’s worth going because of like the connections we’ve been talking about and things happen. Just things happen when you go and get in front of people and kind of pull yourself outta the shell. Uh, Chris Stone says, I stalk both of you guys at podcast.

[00:15:50] Jeff Sieh: Thank goodness you didn’t run away. oh gosh. If we would only have known, if we would only have known Paul, Chris, but that’s a great

[00:15:56] Paul Gowder: example. The first time I met Chris, you, you were talking about [00:16:00] skipping sessions. Right. I remember that podcast. And there was a full day. I don’t think that. Any of us went to a session, maybe one, and we sat at a table.

[00:16:09] N/A: Yeah.

[00:16:09] Paul Gowder: kind of out in the, in the atrium area. Mm-hmm. And several people stopped in, including Chris, and Jim Fs. and that was a, for me, that was like, this is so cool because I mean, it it was Lou and you that were drawing people to the table. No, but I got to meet so many people that day. and I would’ve never had those connections had I just spent my whole day going to sessions.

[00:16:29] Jeff Sieh: Hmm. That’s a great point. That’s a great point. Um, some more, so Billy, Billy Thorpe, who is also at, creator camp, this is what happens is he, everybody comes in dogs yet when you’re, um, after you’ve gone to a camp, it’s like, we gotta hang out with Billy quite a bit. So he’s amazing. Amazon influencer, uh, learning how to sell stuff online.

[00:16:46] Jeff Sieh: He is your guy. and then, but mostly bit Disney says there’s a little conference this month I’m looking forward to. That’s right. I wanna see a chat there as well. And, uh, yeah, it’s, it’s, he says he wouldn’t know either of, of us without it. So that is very true. You [00:17:00] make. Connections at conferences. This is a great question by Doghouse Dog, which is a great name.

[00:17:06] Jeff Sieh: Uh, it says Love conferences, especially Momentum. But what is the best investment after the conference to continue to stay connected, build your network, learn and have accountability daily, weekly, monthly? I wanna tell a story. Doghouse Dog and then Paul, you can follow up. long time ago when I, before anything happened, like I was, uh, wanting to learn how to do a podcast.

[00:17:27] Jeff Sieh: I had heard about Social Media Marketing World and like, this was like 15 years ago and I really couldn’t afford to fly, didn’t want to. So I thought I’d take this epic road trip, right? Like, so I just drove three or four days. I stayed with one of my, he’s actually a co-producer on my show, uh, Shannon Hernandez.

[00:17:45] Jeff Sieh: We do the guys Kawasaki show together. Stayed at his apartment in Arizona on the way. But it was fun. I gotta drive through everything and see everything. It was really cool. But I got to meet these two guys. There was an add-on vent. After Social Media Marketing world it was like Pod Fest San [00:18:00] Diego.

[00:18:00] Jeff Sieh: And I went there and I met Eric Fisher and Anthony and a bunch of other guys. And from that meeting we started a mastermind. And so since that time, I have met with Anthony and Eric every Monday, except when I’m traveling, since that time. So it’s over 10 years where we’ve met and it all came from a conference.

[00:18:19] Jeff Sieh: So what I would say, doghouse dog is use those adv. If I tell everybody, if you go to a conference, find a mastermind group. You don’t have to stay with them forever if it doesn’t work out. But if it does, oh my gosh, you’ve got your people and you can meet weekly, like make a plan. Like, Hey, let’s all find a time we can meet and let’s meet together every, you know, this time at a certain time.

[00:18:41] Jeff Sieh: Because all the technology now, it’s, it’s so easy. Like, and Paul and I meet every week and it’s like when we meet at conferences, it’s just, it’s just continuing the conversation. It’s very natural. It’s nothing. Like weird. It’s just like, Hey, good to see you. We in real life, let’s go and sit down and talk over here.

[00:18:56] Jeff Sieh: Like, it’s amazing. So I would do that [00:19:00] if you, if you wanna connect after the conference, those, like, if you went to Ecamm Creator camp, then go today, make a list of people and send out an email. Say, Hey, I really enjoyed our conversation. Enjoyed, can we meet like regularly? I mean, Phil, uh, we were talking about AI stuff in the, the ride back and he says, we need to do like a, a quarterly call where we just talk ai.

[00:19:19] Jeff Sieh: And I’m like, I’m in. Let’s do it. Yeah. You know? So, those things happen when you go and you make yourself available for those things. But if you’re back from a conference, make that list and do it today before it goes, goes away,

[00:19:31] Paul Gowder: man. I’d say take advantage of whatever online tool that the conference uses.

[00:19:36] Paul Gowder: Um, creator Camp has a Facebook group just for attendees. Take advantage of that. Be in that Facebook group, especially afterwards. Reinforce those connections, maybe add them as friends. you know, there’s, I’ve already friended a bunch of people that, that I talked to from this weekend, and I’ve had several people send me requests.

[00:19:52] Jeff Sieh: Mm-hmm.

[00:19:52] Paul Gowder: That, and whether it’s a, some people, uh, craft and commerce use Mighty Networks, so you can be in there messaging people. yeah. Take advantage of all those [00:20:00] tools that they give you and be in there and, and reinforce those connections. That’s how you’re gonna continue to have benefit from all those relationships.

[00:20:07] Paul Gowder: Don’t just let them dry up. Right. Um, I, I was making notes that every time somebody came up to me and said, Hey, I really wanna talk to you about email, I was like, okay, let me write that down. ’cause I don’t wanna depend on them reaching out to me. I want, you know, I want to, if they were asking me a question, I wanna make sure I follow up.

[00:20:21] Paul Gowder: Yeah. So, yeah, take some notes during the thing and then take advantage of the tools that they give you.

[00:20:25] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. And, it’s okay for you to go, you know, like you can be the, the bold one that reaches out, like, hey. like you said, if you make notes during the thing, ’cause a lot of times for me, I’m like, I’m horrible at that.

[00:20:35] Jeff Sieh: But if I can make notes or even take a picture of people or do a selfie or something and say like, Hey, they wanted to know about like this or that, or how to use Midjourney or how to use the, create some new song titles or whatever like that I can help with. And then I have a note for it later. but like, uh, even Billy said, so many valuable convos in the halls and hotel lobby.

[00:20:56] Jeff Sieh: So very true and says, uh, at virtual events, we don’t have [00:21:00] the chance to have those after hours connections or side quests as I call them. I love that side quest is exactly what they are. and that’s sometimes the side quest can turn into the full quest, you know, and you can forget some of the stuff at the conference.

[00:21:13] Jeff Sieh: But, and then we, uh, I think it’s, uh, the V HHAs Club podcast. I think that’s Katie. So Katie, look at you, uh, with the, uh, thumbnail coming in on YouTube yeah. There’s so many greats in the comments here. It’s so awesome. the tear table had the best snacks. Uh, so people are, this is what the cool thing about community is.

[00:21:28] Jeff Sieh: They start talking to each other inside of the, the, uh, the conversation and then, and then video, like of data says, it was great meeting you Jeff, along with Lu Mangel and Tanya at podcast Movement, thanks to Katie for the pre-conference introduction. See, that’s what’s so cool too, is once you, you have these people like I can go to, I’m like, Katie, I really, I’ve never been able to get this person on my show.

[00:21:49] Jeff Sieh: I know they were on your show in Ecamm. Can you make me an email introduction? And that’s happened just because relationship stuff. So things really, really happen. And then, we’ve got all these people, [00:22:00] gosh, too bad. Lou’s not here. It’s like a commercial for his, his thing. So Momentum just got me so motivated.

[00:22:04] Jeff Sieh: I did more than three months after that than I did in the previous year and a half. Paul, my goal for this year’s, email, email, email. See, look, you’re already go influenced people. Yeah. And, yes, so this is a great question. This wasn’t what we were gonna talk about, but yes, Paul and I run a paid mastermind group.

[00:22:19] Jeff Sieh: Um, we do that every Monday. It’s Mondays and Fridays best days of the week because Monday is mastermind. Friday is, uh, this show. So very, very cool. So, um, yes, really think that that’s the biggest benefit of conferences. VHS Club says that, man, we’ve got all these people chiming in who are gonna be at momentum.

[00:22:39] Jeff Sieh: So, uh, if you haven’t been to momentum, it’s worth going. That’s where I gotta meet all these cool people. So, I, I see

[00:22:46] Paul Gowder: one, two ahead Joe. Uh, Emily’s talking about meetups. Yeah. So, Uh, where we were just at creator camp, they had a, an ability in the app or in the, the notion to be able to schedule your own meetups.

[00:22:56] Paul Gowder: Craft and commerce had the same thing. Or you could just look and find [00:23:00] meetups of people maybe you wanted to go and hang out with. So yes, meetups are a great thing. take advantage of those or just schedule your own. That’s another way to just find these connections and to find your people.

[00:23:10] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:23:11] Jeff Sieh: So, uh, Dustin is actually thinking of starting a pain mastermind group. Oh my gosh, Dustin, let’s talk. ’cause that’s a great idea. Wow. Yeah, yeah. but so, so let’s talk, we kind of touched on it, but investing in yourself. This kinda the last question for this section is, why is it important to creators to invest in these gathering?

[00:23:28] Jeff Sieh: Even when budgets are tight, it’s because this is when things happen. Like if you really, I, I get it. Like I, I know a lot of people will, and I’ll see ’em in the groups like, Hey, I need a roommate for going to Social Media Marketing World, or Momentum or wherever. That is okay to do, like when you’re starting out, that is fine.

[00:23:46] Jeff Sieh: If you can find a roommate to cut costs, that’s awesome. Like when I was a kid, we got to go to Disney, but we ate our sandwiches out in the parking lot, right? Like we, I mean that’s sometimes that’s, you gotta eat peanut butter and jelly in [00:24:00] the parking lot and that’s okay. Like that is okay where you’re at.

[00:24:03] Jeff Sieh: So find those ways where you can, you can actually go in and maybe save some money. I know like social media market world and a lot other, other conferences do this. If you volunteer and spend some time, they’ll either give you a discounted ticket or a free ticket. That’s an option too. I’ve seen a lot of people doing that.

[00:24:19] Jeff Sieh: That is totally cool. Like totally cool. So I know a lot of big time creators who started out doing it that way. So get yourself to these conferences any way you can because it really does make a huge difference.

[00:24:32] Paul Gowder: And Jeff, Liz Wilcox said she was talking about another example, but I think she said something really good on the stage.

[00:24:38] Paul Gowder: That you, you, you need to look at how you’re investing in yourself. She, you know, she talked about people are, are willing to buy camera gear and buy the latest mic, but then when it comes to buying kit for your email people, it’s expensive. Yeah. Same thing with conference. Really evaluate what you’re spending money on.

[00:24:54] Paul Gowder: Sometimes the, the investment in a conference is maybe better than, than upgrading your [00:25:00] mic or something else. Right? yeah, there, there’s some choices we can all make and, and try to figure out ways to get to these conferences.

[00:25:05] Jeff Sieh: So here’s a, I just thought of this, a way to evaluate if a conference is good to you.

[00:25:09] Jeff Sieh: One, go look and see if their community is good. Like go into, like if you would go into community, you would buy a ticket like for next year. Right now, the same thing with momentum. If you would go into the community right now and look at the people talking, you’d probably buy a ticket. So I would, instead of looking at what the topic is and who the famous speakers are or whatever, I would go in and look at the community and if those are your people.

[00:25:31] Jeff Sieh: Then, then I would say, this is one I would invest in, because those people, the community is really gonna be more important than, you know, somebody giving you what’s the best way to, to do Instagram right now, or the best way to make AI images or whatever. That’s not gonna matter As much as like you connecting with the right people and finding your people not to sell with per Sieh.

[00:25:53] Jeff Sieh: I mean, that’s great if you can, but mostly to help you, support you in the business because this is a lonely place if you’re [00:26:00] in Longview, Texas. Nobody knows what I do. Nobody. But I can get on a call with Paul and he understands like, oh yeah, I’ve had to deal with horrible bookkeepers before and I got in trouble too, and this is how I got out of it.

[00:26:12] Jeff Sieh: Like that kind of thing. So think that way. So find the people that make, uh, the sense with you. Anything else, Paul, before we move on? Next section?

[00:26:19] Paul Gowder: Uh, that’s a great point. Yeah. It, it’s the communities before and after that can make a huge difference in whether or not a conference is worth it.

[00:26:26] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. And then Emily, uh, pops this into, so one more tip.

[00:26:29] Jeff Sieh: Be a volunteer at your favorite event and get behind the scenes point of view. Yeah. So I know Emily does a bunch of stuff for social media marketing world. Yeah. So that’s, that’s a great idea as well. And then, uh, Katie says that exactly right, Jeff. Find the people, not the schedule. That works best for you.

[00:26:45] Jeff Sieh: That’s great information. And by the way, we did, I didn’t say this ’cause you know, I get so excited for this show, but we need to do a shout out for our sponsor of the show, which are the amazing people over at Ecamm that I just got to spend. Look at this. I even brought my, this is amazing, a Walla mug that they [00:27:00] gave, uh, creator camp, uh there. But go. If you wanna know more about Ecamm, that’s what we’re drew to produce the show. Find out more at Ecamm dot com slash jeff. Save 15% on your first purchase. But the other cool thing is that it does so much more for video production. The community, which we’ve been talking about today is amazing. So even if you don’t go and test out Ecamm right away using my code, go and check out the community ’cause they are stinking amazing.

[00:27:22] Jeff Sieh: So many good people there. Alrighty. second part I wanna talk about making these work for you and you kind of talked about it a little bit, Paul, and ’cause you do a really good job with this. So can you walk us through your approach to like pre-booking meetings and planning your schedule to make those event worthwhile?

[00:27:38] Jeff Sieh: I mean, Paul’s got a plan. Before the plane touches down, like for conferences

[00:27:43] Paul Gowder: and, and I have to do that again because if I didn’t, I would sit in the corner. so first thing I do is look at the who the speakers are and determine if, if any of those speakers really can address some issues or pain points I have.

[00:27:55] Paul Gowder: And so that I make a list of not just like, Hey, I want to go and talk to Luria, [00:28:00] for example. It’s like, if I get a, a chance to talk with Luria here’s what I’m going to ask her. Same thing like at Craft and Commerce. I wanted to, talk to Chanel from Growth and Reverse. Mm-hmm. Okay. So if I talk to her, here’s what I want to ask her.

[00:28:12] Paul Gowder: Right. and then same thing. I’m in the, communities for all of these, and I’m seeing who the other attendees are and making a list of those folks too. It’s like, oh. Oh, so-and-so’s gonna be here. I definitely wanna try to connect with him, and, and ask him this question. Uh, so it’s, so I’m not feeling like a stalker and just like going up and collecting, autograph selfies with people, like, I, I really think about what is the value, what would I want to talk with him about?

[00:28:38] Paul Gowder: What can they, how can they help me? And, and then go and, and I have a checklist, right? Here’s, here’s who I’m gonna go and see. the coolest thing at CEX, uh, we got to do that mastermind the first day. And, three of the people that I had on my list were at my first table and I was like, dang, this, this is awesome.

[00:28:54] Paul Gowder: Right? This worked out. So perfect check. And then I was able, yeah, I was able to spend the rest of the week there, [00:29:00] um, having multiple conversations with these folks and, uh, yeah, it really works out well. So that, that’s what I do is go through the speakers first and then be in these Facebook groups or the Mighty Network or whatever, and figure out who the other people are and, and if there’s a way, that you can make a connect.

[00:29:15] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. You know, and this sounds weird, but like, I look like when I get requests on Facebook, I look to see who my, my friends are. ’cause sometimes you get like, like who are these people? Like, why do they wanna connect with me? Which is great. I’m happy for that. But a lot of times I’m like, oh, they’re friends with Billy and, Paul and Katie like, oh my gosh, I need to send a message to these people because they are the same people I hang with.

[00:29:37] Jeff Sieh: Like, that’s important. So that’s a great way to kind of, to build your network as well. But the thing I do when I go to conferences, and it’s really funny, I go mostly to find new guests for this show actually. I mean, like it’s ’cause I want introduce ’em to my audience. And here’s the thing, it’s most of the time it’s not speakers.

[00:29:55] Jeff Sieh: It’s not speakers I see on stage. It’s mostly people who come up to me and go like, we were at CEX and this guy [00:30:00] has a book about visual marketing. I’m like, dude, I need to have you on the show. ’cause that’s fascinating to me. Let’s talk And like, so that’s one coming up. I mean, I think we’re booked out until.

[00:30:09] Jeff Sieh: The beginning of the new year from just going to conferences and talking to these people. And so for me, if you, if you’re trying to, um, get content for a show or a podcast, don’t just like, try and wait in line for the speakers and try to get Pat Flynn on your show and all that stuff, that’s great. But think about like, who would really resonate with your audience like that, that somebody introduced me for the first time on my show, right?

[00:30:34] Jeff Sieh: Like somebody, I was on the very first podcast that got me noticed by other people and whatever, so that everybody starts at zero. Like, be that person, like to connect people. That’s what I, I like, I like to get people to get in front of my audience that I really, really like. So, uh, that’s kind of my goal for the conference.

[00:30:51] Jeff Sieh: I’m trying to do better. I’m trying to be more like Paul, but gosh, he’s got such a plan that I, I just, I am not worthy of going to to see Paul. [00:31:00]

[00:31:00] Paul Gowder: And the other thing I, you know, I always say to myself is like, who, who can I connect with? Who’s gonna be beneficial? And then. I have a goal of, let me see if I can help one person.

[00:31:10] Paul Gowder: Oh yeah. Like if somebody comes up to me and ask a question, I want to leave a conference E even if I’m not a speaker. It’s like I wanna make an impact on one person so that I always try to make that, that’s my way of like giving back. I’m gonna make all these connections and I’m gonna bug all these people.

[00:31:24] Paul Gowder: Um, that Yeah. Figure out a way that I can help one, at least one person while I was there.

[00:31:27] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. The other thing is, and this is just being a good person kind of thing, is if you see somebody on the outskirts, like outside and like they’re kind of, they seem like they’re nervous or lonely or whatever, go and talk to them and like invite them in.

[00:31:43] Jeff Sieh: Like, one of the things, I think a social media examiner, when they taught, they actually taught, like a lot of stuff from Disney is like when you’re standing to talking with. Your friends or people try to keep it open so somebody feels comfortable coming up to you. And so that’s a great tip. Like if you’re chatting and we get it, like we see [00:32:00] these people, you know, we don’t get a scene very much.

[00:32:01] Jeff Sieh: So we’re really excited to hang out with all these people. Try to leave space so somebody else can come in because we’ve all been that person in the room. Like who are, I feel weird kind of a thing. And, and if you go and reach out to somebody at a conference, they are gonna be so appreciative of that.

[00:32:16] Jeff Sieh: I mean, they just, that’s a great way to connect. Like, Hey, I saw you by right here. Like, what, what are you hear? What are you wanting to learn at this conference? Like, what is exciting you right now in the world of business or whatever the conference you’re at and, and try to do it that way. So I think that’s a great way to.

[00:32:31] Jeff Sieh: To open it up and not make it. So yeah, buddy up em, Emily says, so yes, uh, make sure you can to do that and, and don’t leave people out. ’cause that’s just in, in fact, this is funny. I’ve done this a couple times now. It’s like if I’m on the plane first and like, I’m like, ‘ you can see people who come on the plane or you see ’em in the waiting around for your flight ’cause it’s delayed or whatever, and they’ve been at the same conference.

[00:32:52] Jeff Sieh: Like, I like to wait. Like if for some reason I’m, I’m not there, or I see ’em standing at the airport and going, Hey, I saw you. We didn’t get a chance [00:33:00] to talk at, you know, momentum or wherever, uh, creator camp. I, I just, I’m so glad that we were able to bump into each other at the airport. And that’s another great thing you can do and relationships are built because of that.

[00:33:11] Jeff Sieh: So kind of try to think outside of the box in things you do. so here’s the, the question, Paul, how do you balance attending talks or workshops with spending time in the hallways? Because a lot of times. There is something you want to maybe go listen to. Like, I wanna go hear Dustin talk about what’s new in Magi.

[00:33:29] Jeff Sieh: Like, I want to get in that room. But you’ve got people who are like, Hey, hey, I wanna ask you some questions, Paul, about email. Can you sit and talk for a little bit? So how do you balance, like, gotta go Dustin’s on stage to You know, being really engaged in a conversation.

[00:33:44] Paul Gowder: It, it, it is a tough balance and that, and you don’t know what’s gonna be said in a session that, that might trigger.

[00:33:50] Paul Gowder: I, I, again, I try to plan as much ahead as possible. I’ll go through and select like at a, at a pod fest for example, where there’s so many sessions going on at one time. Mm-hmm. You just can’t attend all of [00:34:00] them. So I’ll go through and mark. Like, here are the ones I have to go to that are, I, I, there’s something gonna be said, I need to be in this room.

[00:34:09] Paul Gowder: And then there’s other ones that, hey, if I have a chance, I, I’d like to go see these. And so then I know, hey, if there’s a good conversation happening or if there’s a good chance of me hanging out at a, at a table out in the hallway and making a connection, um, it’s okay. It’s okay. I have a list of things I can skip and I’ll try to figure out later.

[00:34:27] Paul Gowder: but it is tough. And even sometimes I’ll miss some of those ones that I marked as a, a must do. Mm-hmm. Because I’m having a conversation like that pod year at Pod Fest, we just sat at the table. Right. that I missed a lot of the ones I said I had to go to, but I didn’t wanna leave that table ’cause we were having so many good conversations.

[00:34:44] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. My rule is anymore with, conferences is that my whole thing is I go and support my friends. Like if Paul’s speaking, I’m in the room. Like if Lou’s speaking, I’m in the room. If Dustin’s speaking, I’m in the room. Or if somebody asks me like, Jeff, would you come listen to my talk? [00:35:00] I’d really like you there.

[00:35:00] Jeff Sieh: I’m like, yeah, I will do it. And so I try to do that. And those are the priority, even if I’ve heard their talk before, because I know what’s the speaker like, having a friendly face and somebody who’s not in their phone going, yeah, that’s really good what you’re saying. Paul, um, makes a, a difference to the speaker.

[00:35:17] Jeff Sieh: So I wanna be that to those people. So that’s kind of my rule. And then the rest is like, I want to hang out and talk and meet new people and, and see those people on the fringes that invite them in or whatever. And so I’m, I’m not perfect at that. And I know I’ve, I probably, I hate it when you’re talking with somebody and you can tell they’re, oh, there’s somebody more famous over there.

[00:35:36] Jeff Sieh: I want to, I’m gonna go talk to them. You can, you can see them disconnect. I don’t want to be that person. And I know I have before probably, and I don’t wanna do that. So I’m very conscious of trying not to do that. but I really want to be engaged and try to really focus and have those people feel like they’re heard.

[00:35:50] Jeff Sieh: Because I think that’s so important just to communicate now. So, do you have any specific, like rituals or habits that you do, like note [00:36:00] taking or follow up? Things to ensure that, like after the event, you, you just don’t like, oh, I’m done. I don’t have to travel. There’s, there’s stuff Do you have any like, systems that you do, do you have like, I’m gonna wait three days and then call these people?

[00:36:12] Jeff Sieh: How do you usually do that? Paul?

[00:36:14] Paul Gowder: I, I don’t have a, a system or schedule, but I do, I make a lot of notes. I need to get better. I talked with, I need to talk with Joe Moore, who another person was at creator camp who does a great job note taking and automations. Um, my notes are kind of spread everywhere.

[00:36:27] Paul Gowder: I’ve got some in my Asana. I got some in my notes, I got some in email. but I was just writing stuff all weekend. Maybe I’m gonna be like filling by that plot device he talked about. and thank you for all the people at Creator camp making me spend money. Um, that’s right. So I don’t have a good system like.

[00:36:43] Paul Gowder: I just take a ton of notes and then I’ll spend today and tomorrow going through those notes and figuring out what I need to do from here. it’s not perfect. I, that’s one of the things I definitely need to get better, especially, you know, figuring out, as, as we got more conferences coming up next year, I, I want to have a better system.

[00:36:59] Paul Gowder: the other I, I [00:37:00] loved Joe had, again, talking about his automations, he had different, focus modes on his phone. Yes. And so he has a conference one which pops up a QR code that people can scan and Yeah. So that was a, I’m sure he’s capturing those people and then he can follow up with them later.

[00:37:16] Paul Gowder: Yeah. I, I want to, I wanna systematize this more ’cause there’s, I know I’m probably leaving some on the table. For me, it’s just taking a ton of notes and then spending some time going back through them.

[00:37:25] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. And applaud, uh, the, the, the tool that he mentioned that, and Katie actually, Katie Brinkley had one, On her wrist that she was carrying, carrying around. But I got one too, like I botted up when she was talking. So I got the new one coming because it’s really great to be able to summarize stuff because even if you are there as a speaker, you’re like, people are coming and asking you questions. Those is, those are a great way to create content.

[00:37:46] Jeff Sieh: Like those questions you’re getting asked, like, and not losing them. Right now I’m doing the same as you. I have, pretty much a checklist. Like I just use the notes pad ’cause it’s right there on my phone. I can like, mm-hmm. Hey, follow with Katie about this later. Or Hey, uh, a [00:38:00] vase asked me about a AI images, how, you know, what can I do?

[00:38:03] Jeff Sieh: Send him an email or, you know, those kind of things. I think. and then following up, if you’re getting, um, I usually go back and I, when I have a stack of business cards and I usually either scan them or I go through the ones that I really wanna follow up or who ask me to follow up. Then I will make a note of those and I have to do those like pretty quick when I get back.

[00:38:22] Jeff Sieh: Otherwise it’s gone, I guess, you know, squirrel, next thing. Um, exactly. So I think it’s important to have a system, even if it’s like a little checklist that you make on your phone. Super, super important. and, this is a great comment and we, I think we need to talk this about this for Rich. He goes, my struggle is shutting down the business to take days off during a work week for these in-person events.

[00:38:45] Jeff Sieh: And Katie, uh, came back and said, yeah, that can part can be really hard, rich. Even at Ecamm, I find that I’m staying up late and waking up early to catch up on email and social in between events. So Paul, the struggle is real. How do you do it? [00:39:00] Yes,

[00:39:00] Paul Gowder: it’s tough. I, so we got into, for creator camp, we got in like a day and a half early.

[00:39:06] Paul Gowder: and so the, the first full day we had, Kelly and I woke up. And we spent the first few hours of that day working. Um, I, well we went and had breakfast and then came back to the hotel, worked for a couple hours and then went out and kind of explored. so I’ll, you know, try to take some downtime or, or to, to do that.

[00:39:24] Paul Gowder: I also try to, for, for me, you guys have heard me say this before, email is really the center of what I do@powells.com. So I will, if I can try to write out emails and schedule them ahead of time so that I’m not, missing them while I’m traveling, I. Don’t always do a great job. Y Yesterday we got to the airport a little early and I sat there and, and wrote an email for, um, yesterday’s travel section.

[00:39:49] Paul Gowder: Um, so yeah, it, it is rich. It’s hard it, try to do as much ahead as possible, and then find some downtime or, or if you’re like, Katie, stay up late if you have to. but [00:40:00] it, it is tough. I mean, that, that’s what we’re, we’re all here most of us solopreneurs and we’re the business. And so if we’re away, the business doesn’t operate.

[00:40:07] Paul Gowder: find some systems that you can do ahead of time or just find some cracks where. You can take a few minutes. it’s hard.

[00:40:13] Jeff Sieh: Yeah, I get it. Like I’m very blessed that I have my daughter working for me now so I can send her some things. But there’s still, like, I was still editing some stuff for Guy. ’cause his show comes out on Wednesdays and that was the middle of the thing.

[00:40:24] Jeff Sieh: And so what I have done is try to recreate my office at home as much as I can. Instead in a travel kit, like if I have to go live, I have a camera I can use, I can use the, I have a little thing that goes on the back of my phone I can put on here on my laptop. And it has a pretty decent camera. I, I have another one of my MX mouses that I travel with.

[00:40:43] Jeff Sieh: This is the one that stays here because I have to edit. And I talked about this a little bit in my talk at Ecamm, but there’s this little side button right here. It’s a little scroll wheel. ’cause I have to scroll through the timeline into script. And so if I don’t have that, then it’s another layer of friction when I’m working.

[00:40:59] Jeff Sieh: And [00:41:00] even here’s, so it’s so super nerdy. I know it is. But I bring my Apple Vision Pro with me because I have a wide screen here and I hate working on editing stuff without my wide screen monitor. So I am the nerd guy alone in his hotel room with the glasses on, working away at his computer. but it works for me.

[00:41:20] Jeff Sieh: So you need to find the workflows that can help reduce the friction when you’re traveling. This is the only way that I can do it. And then build yourself a travel kit, like to take with you that you can do your business. If you have a keyboard that you feel like you can only write emails on, like figure out a way to pack that in your luggage.

[00:41:36] Jeff Sieh: Like try to make it move with you as easy and as sEcammless as possible. For me, that has helped me get the, the most work done. But it is, it is tough. but like, I mean, even our friend Rich Watts, he has to, he goes there early and he’ll have to go and work on stuff for his, his job, and then he’ll come back and do his PR stuff that he does for his racing stuff.

[00:41:56] Jeff Sieh: So you just have to have those workflows in place, is what I would say. But it’s, it is. [00:42:00] The struggle is real. It really does. Yeah. So anybody below has any great tips, let us know. What were you gonna say, Paul? Sorry.

[00:42:07] Paul Gowder: I was gonna say Kelly. Yeah. Kelly likes having dual monitors. So she has a, um, a travel monitor that she takes with her and she can, you know, attach to her laptop mm-hmm.

[00:42:15] Paul Gowder: To give her that extra screen as well as she takes her mouse and keyboard because she knows she’s gonna be more efficient if she has, you know, as much like her desk as she can. So, yeah, that’s that kind of stuff. And so whether you travel with the same computer that you’re using at home or just try to make sure that they’re synced as much as possible with the right, with the same app.

[00:42:34] Paul Gowder: Yeah. Reduce it as much friction as you can.

[00:42:36] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. so before we go to the next section, I just wanna do another shout out to our friends over at Ecamm Ecamm dot com slash jeff Amazing conference. And by the way, little secret, they’re gonna be in the uk, they’re doing a little tag on event with, uh, a, a YouTube conference, I believe, over there, but it’s gonna be Creator Camp uk.

[00:42:53] Jeff Sieh: Like holy cow, how cool is that? So, uh, make sure you go to Ecamm dot com and check that out. That’s one I [00:43:00] just may have to go to. We’ll have to see. But anyway, yeah, ecm.com/jeff and oh, Billy says, I just try to take, make a hundred videos in the week before, like, so Billy, like, it would be a little hard ’cause he’s got, he’s a big Amazon influencer doing, uh, brand deals and all this stuff.

[00:43:15] Jeff Sieh: So yeah, working ahead. But like he, this guy can, he can bang him out. Like he’s just going crazy. So you don’t know Billy. Make sure you guys go check him out and follow him. alright, so the last one, this is maybe the most important one, building relationships. We’ve talked about it the entire time, but what does finding your people, Paul, at a conference, what does that look like in practice?

[00:43:36] Jeff Sieh: Like, how do you know you are in the right circle or you’re in the right group? Like, how do you know that? Like what, what makes you invest more in the people that you find at conferences?

[00:43:49] Paul Gowder: It’s people that, for me, it’s people that make me better and support me. So, like I talked about that first conference I went to with Lou and he was, you know, standing there.

[00:43:59] Paul Gowder: [00:44:00] Every time I would come back from a meeting, he, he would be, Hey, what’d you learn? Okay, well, alright, what’s the strategy for the next person? Let’s, let’s do that. It’s the people that, yeah. Will help me and feel like they’re, they’re pushing me to be better. And it is so important though, to find those right people.

[00:44:16] Paul Gowder: and there are people that you’re gonna hang out with at conferences that may not be, it still may be a valuable resource, but maybe they’re not the, maybe they’re not your, your wingman kind of people. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, which is fine. You, you still need those relationships too. But, uh, yeah, we, I think we’ve been really fortunate.

[00:44:31] Paul Gowder: We have a, a, a good little core that we’ve been to several conferences now together. and you know, it’s, how to find them is hard. Um, but I’d say you go. Say yes to everything. If somebody asks you to go get drinks, say yes. If somebody asks you to go have lunch, say yes. meet as many people as you can and, and you’ll, you’ll figure out, um, Lou always talks about in his show, you know, be your authentic self and you’ll attract like-minded people.

[00:44:56] Paul Gowder: yeah, I think that’s same thing in his conference. Just be [00:45:00] yourself and, and you’ll attract people that are like you.

[00:45:02] Jeff Sieh: It’s interesting that you said, you know, just say yes to everything. ’cause I remember specifically a couple of nights ago, somebody asked you to do karaoke and you said no. So I’m, I’m, yeah.

[00:45:13] Jeff Sieh: There are certain exceptions, right? Did you see those people singing? Oh my gosh. There’s no way. We had like a backup singer to Diana Ross and then Laura Davidson from Shore. Oh my gosh. Like, she takes her glasses off and like Blue said, like, she turns into Superman. Like from Clark. She’s like, it was like Michelle Pfeiffer on the piano.

[00:45:30] Jeff Sieh: It’s like crazy. Like, holy cow. Who is this person? So anyway, I was showing

[00:45:34] Paul Gowder: those videos yesterday. I’m like, there’s no way I wanted to, I don’t do karaoke go after that. There’s no

[00:45:38] Jeff Sieh: yeah. Them,

[00:45:39] Paul Gowder: no.

[00:45:40] Jeff Sieh: Um, but see that’s the stuff you learned. Yeah. Yeah. Doc was crazy too. anyway, so, what do you think is the reason when somebody goes to like an event, how do they decide which ones are worth going to year after year?

[00:45:57] Jeff Sieh: So we all know we, we’ve talked about momentum. [00:46:00] You and I, you’ve gone longer than me. I’ve gone for four years. Go to Social Media Marketing World. You know, why, why do you decide to go back? Like, what, what’s the reason?

[00:46:09] Paul Gowder: Ooh, that’s tough. I go back to a conference again. I mean, we’ve said this so many times, it’s not for the sessions.

[00:46:15] Paul Gowder: even though, like craft and I, it was the first time I went to Craft and Commerce this year, and I, I wanted to go because there were people there I wanted to meet. But also there was a couple of keynotes that I really wanted to hear, I wanted to be in the room for. but. I would only go back to Craft and Commerce now because of the relationships that we had.

[00:46:33] Paul Gowder: So it, I’m looking for repeat things, is, you know, it’s, it’s, it is those pla those times where we can network. there was, what was it two years ago at Pod Fest that we were at the, uh, questionable Hotel. Hotel that has been destroyed and torn down. Yeah. if, if I, if that was my first time at pod, I don’t know that I would’ve gone back if I just attended sessions.

[00:46:54] Paul Gowder: Right. it was definitely the conversations and the, uh, other things that made that [00:47:00] a standout event. yeah, so for me, it, it is gonna be like, if I look back and say, what did I get out of this? What were the lasting, connections I made then that’s what I’m gonna go back to. and momentum. The, the reason I go back every year,

[00:47:16] Paul Gowder: And, you know, you and I are gonna speak again this year. I’ve, I’ve heard you speak, what, 3, 3, 2 or three times this year already. Okay. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. But I, and same thing, I, I’ve heard Lou speak now three times this year. Right. And I’m gonna hear him speak again at momentum. I get a little something different out of every time you guys speak, but I’m not going back to momentum to hear you speak again.

[00:47:36] Paul Gowder: I’m going back to momentum because I know that there are going to be times during the day where I get to sit and ask questions or just be in the room when a conversation is happening. that’s so important. I mean, here’s another example. At Creator camp, I just happen to be standing in the hallway.

[00:47:53] Paul Gowder: Talking to somebody and another couple people walked up and all of a sudden I’m hearing, all this talk about [00:48:00] what’s coming in Ecamm. I know Katie, I’m not gonna say anything that we’re not supposed to, but Right. You know, I, all of a sudden I was in this conversation with the developers of Ecamm and they’re talking about how it’s gonna work, what it’s gonna be done.

[00:48:12] Paul Gowder: I’m like, oh my God, I would’ve never been in this conversation if I was at home. Right?

[00:48:16] Paul Gowder: Mm-hmm.

[00:48:17] Paul Gowder: That’s gonna make me wanna go back because wow, that was a really impactful conversation and I’m already thinking about, okay, these things that are coming in Ecamm, how am I gonna use that for my business? so yeah, that’s gonna make me want to jump back and go, right?

[00:48:31] Paul Gowder: For sure.

[00:48:32] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. It’s, it’s the relationships you make and seriously, these people are my friends and colleagues now. Like, I want to, if, if I know Paul’s gonna be at a conference, like I’m thinking like. Okay, how can I get there? Like, you know what, because you wanna be in the rooms with those people more and more, like we’ve been able to do like two escape rooms, which sound like so bonkers.

[00:48:55] Jeff Sieh: Why in the, we go early and we do that and we had a blast. And it’s these, those [00:49:00] kind of things where you get to go together. Paul and I, you know, go out to and eat and have a great time talking about things in our lives and things we’re into, and so like that kind of stuff, it just, it solidifies stuff and it makes your business better.

[00:49:12] Jeff Sieh: I know it doesn’t, you don’t see any like, oh, Paul gave me 10 tips to make, my emails always get opened. Like, that’s not what we sit around talking about. But, but it’s the relationships and the know, know that you have support that makes you breathe a little bit easier. Things get a little bit easier in your business and you’re able to be more creative I think, by the end of the day.

[00:49:31] Jeff Sieh: Emily ha. And so, I gotta pull up these, Katie says, yeah, Paul, why did you say no to karaoke? Come on, we’re all waiting, uh, for you to sing Brick House. and then Emily says, this is a great, great piece of advice. She goes, put yourself in training leading up to the event. No, you’ll be living on fumes, but when you say yes, it’s gonna pay out.

[00:49:49] Jeff Sieh: So, very true. I know it’s ’cause Paul and I do these shows. He’s come on to this show before we speak. It seems like, you know, for us it’d be so easy like to go [00:50:00] into, these kind of situations. It’s still hard. Like I’ve gone, I, I, I think I wrote about it in an email to this, this conference where I didn’t know anybody and it was really awkward.

[00:50:10] Jeff Sieh: Like, I felt like, why am I here? I’m never gonna do this again. So I get it. It may seem like we, oh, they don’t, they don’t have any of those problems because they’re, they go live and what, whatever, it’s not true. It’s still a struggle. And you have to like Emily. Put yourself in training, do like Paul, make a plan.

[00:50:30] Jeff Sieh: And really just don’t say, don’t buy a ticket and just show up. Like make a plan. Make it because you’re investing this time and your this money. Make it be something valuable. And that’s all, that’s all on you.

[00:50:42] Paul Gowder: Yeah, I’ll say, so day two, I think of creator camp. I got into the room earlier than, than most people, and I was sitting at our table.

[00:50:51] Paul Gowder: You guys weren’t there yet. as conversations were starting to happen and I felt myself just coming in, like mm-hmm. I didn’t wanna move from that table. I [00:51:00] was like, okay, nobody’s here that I know. I’m just gonna sit here. And it was a struggle. and I didn’t, I didn’t get up for a while. I, I sat there and just kind of looked on my phone, and I, I really had to say, okay, get back in the conference mode.

[00:51:13] Paul Gowder: I’m gonna do something. Get up and talk to somebody. again, once you, once my people got in the room and you guys at the table, I felt more emboldened to go, okay, I’m gonna go talk to somebody. Right. You know? Mm-hmm. So yeah, do find your, your supportive group. It does help.

[00:51:28] Jeff Sieh: And I would love to know from you guys down below, like, who is somebody you met at a conference that you’re still connected with today?

[00:51:34] Jeff Sieh: I would love to know some of those people. I’ve got like, so many people that are in the chat, happened at a conference, uh, got to hang out. Like I think Billy was the first time I gotta hang out with him. Was that maybe it was Pod Fest? I think it may have been like the Amazon Day. They did. oh, and Emily, it’s always got a great tip.

[00:51:50] Jeff Sieh: She goes, don’t just show up and throw up. That’s good. Don’t throw. That would be me. Have that plan, pre-event, network online and be intentional and have a plan to follow up. So, [00:52:00] very true. The plan to follow up is important, but being intentional is great. Paul, do you have any other closing, closing thoughts before we wrap things up?

[00:52:08] Paul Gowder: If you’re looking for great events and where to go, also look, again, go into in their communities and see, um, having people like ou. If you go to Loo Lu, he’s gonna make sure that you find your way around the room. Katie and Doc and Caleb did a great job of coming around and facilitating conversations, making connections.

[00:52:26] Paul Gowder: So look for, for conferences where they’re, they have a community and it’s a very vibrant, active community and it, you’re probably gonna feel okay there. Mm-hmm. Um, and again, just reach out to people, you know, and if you’re looking at going and just ask, Hey, is this something I should go to? there, there’s some that I’m probably not gonna go back to, you know, again, but mm-hmm.

[00:52:45] Paul Gowder: Yeah, ask around it. It, yeah, it is, uh, it, it, but it is hard to justify. So yeah, do do your due diligence before you, you take on that expense.

[00:52:55] Jeff Sieh: And if you have been to a conference maybe more than once, or you’re going to a conference and you know, other people be [00:53:00] that connector, like be that person going like, yeah, hey, do you know Paul?

[00:53:04] Jeff Sieh: He’s got like a million people on his Facebook page. Like he knows this stuff. Like, you need to talk to him because he’s dealing with the same thing you are. So being that person and like dragging people together, like that’s one of the best things you can do. And people will remember that too, that you’re that connector person.

[00:53:18] Jeff Sieh: So very, very cool. Uh, Paul, tell people where they can find you, all the stuff you’ve got going on and your group and all that.

[00:53:25] Paul Gowder: Yeah. So if you are interested in learning more about powwows, Native American Heritage Month is coming up in November, so I’d love to to make that, Happen for you and help you experience connect and explore native culture.

[00:53:36] Paul Gowder: You can find that over at powwows.com/powwow 1 0 1 or if you wanna learn more about what I do as far as helping people create that dreamm lifestyle, if you wanna, you know, cruise like we do it, you can do it with side hustles or your business. Check me out over@paulgoddard.com.

[00:53:50] Jeff Sieh: That’s right. Very, very cool.

[00:53:51] Jeff Sieh: Thank you guys so much for being here. And as always, you know, thanks to our friends over at Ecamm Ecamm dot com slash Jeff. I would love for you guys to be able to connect with [00:54:00] me on my newsletter. Hopefully you guys in the comments already. But if not, jeff c.com/news. Uh, usually two emails a week, never spammy, uh, hopefully entertaining and informative.

[00:54:10] Jeff Sieh: So jeff c.com/news. And with that, thank you guys so much. Thank you to Katie in the chat. Uh, we’ve got so many, uh, other people, who like Fujis showed up. Emily, Billy Thorpe, who is amazing. So many people. And, uh, of course Rich Graham as well. Thank you guys for coming and watching and participating each week.

[00:54:31] Jeff Sieh: We wouldn’t be able to do this show without you. And with that, we’ll see you guys next time. Have a great weekend, everybody. Bye everybody.