I didn’t join to feel motivated. I joined to sharpen my thinking. There’s a difference. I’ve been running The Institute Corona for 8 years. I co-run a BDR division within our mortgage company. I’m building Institute Social as a long-term equity engine. I already understood systems. But being in that room changed how seriously I implement and execute within them. Here’s what actually shifted for me. 1. I Belong In That Room For years I wanted to be around "top players" in the game. Then one day I realized… I’m in that room now. And I belong there. There are people way ahead of me. There are people behind me. That doesn’t place me in the middle. It just means I’m in the right environment. That shift alone changed how I show up. Less hesitation. More ownership. 2. Life-Changing Money Is Math, Not Emotion Strip the emotion out and it’s simple: Inputs → Outputs. Traffic. Conversion. LTV. Churn. Offer strength. Retention. That’s it. When you look at it that way, money becomes operational — not mystical. That reframing changed how I make decisions. 3. I Bet On It Before It Paid Me Back I didn’t join comfortably. I put the community fee on a credit card. For perspective it was 3k a month for 6 months. Not because I was reckless. Because I wanted to preserve cash. And in my head I kept thinking: “There’s no way I don’t make more than this costs me.” Not hype. Math. If I implement even a few things correctly, this pays for itself. And it did. Not because revenue exploded overnight. But because: • We tightened retention • We simplified offers • We saw constraints faster • We stopped guessing • We made cleaner decisions We’re not where we want to be yet. But we’re further than we were. That gap now isn’t capability. It’s execution time. 4. What Most People Miss Inside Communities Most people consume. They take notes. They screenshot slides. They talk about ideas. Operators install. I stopped watching and started implementing immediately.

Quick heads up for anyone inside Institute Social. I’m already inside ACQ Vantage, and over the last 6 months it’s been one of the biggest lifts in my business. Not in a motivational way. In a clarity way. - Better constraint diagnosis - Cleaner offer thinking - Tighter monetization decisions - Stronger systems - Less guessing It’s sharpened how I operate across The Institute, BDR, and everything else. They’re opening up referral access for two people. I already have one spot spoken for. That leaves one more. There are three different tiers inside. I’m personally in the $8K option and will be staying another year. For where I’m building, it’s been worth it. This is invite only and there is not a better way for you to speed up your business learning curve than this.. It’s for founders who are serious about tightening their machine and scaling correctly. If you’re interested and want to hear my honest experience so far, comment below or message me directly. Happy to share what’s been most valuable and who I think it actually makes sense for. No pressure. Just putting it out there. Here is the link to check it out in detail (keep in mind this link is for current members but it has the breakdown on the options: https://vantage.acquisition.com/

You Don’t Have a Funnel You Have a Form. Most operators say: “We run ads. They fill out a form. We call them.” That’s not a funnel. That’s a contact sheet. Here’s the exact journey we run at The Institute Corona — and the mechanics behind each stage. Numbers first: • $5–$15 cost per lead • 70% contact rate • 90% show rate • 40% close rate after attendance • 20% take 48-hour promo immediately • <5% monthly churn • 3–4 payment cycles minimum Now the sequencing. Stage 1: Traffic (Controlled Input) Paid + Organic. • $800/month paid • 4–5 organic posts per day • Scheduled 30 days out Distribution is systemized. You can’t optimize conversion on inconsistent traffic. Stage 2: Lead Capture (Single Promise) VSL (video sales letter) funnel → Free 2-week training. One clear promise. One CTA. No confusion. Stage 3: Thank You Page (Momentum Engineering) Most operators waste this page. They say: “Thanks, we’ll reach out.” We do three things instead: 1. Video explaining what happens next. 2. Clear expectation: “You’ll receive a text + email.” 3. Immediate booking button. Why this matters: • Expectation lowers resistance when we text. • Booking button captures hot leads instantly. • Momentum is preserved while emotional temperature is high. This page alone increases booking rate. Stage 4: CRM Routing + Stage-Based Automation This is where most people fall apart. Lead hits Follow Up Boss (our CRM). Immediately: • Email sequence triggers (Welcome + Next Steps). • Text goes out 1 minute later. • We call same day. If no response: Shield-drop text: “Oh just want to confirm Alex is 9 years old, right?” This creates micro-engagement. Now here’s the important part: Every stage in CRM triggers an attached email sequence. Not random emails. Stage-based reinforcement. Examples: Stage: New Lead Sequence: • Welcome email • Origin story (soap opera style) • Social proof • Booking CTA reinforcement This keeps warming them even if they ignore texts.

This week was a good reminder of something I keep relearning the hard way: Most systems don’t fail because they’re bad. They fail because people try to automate chaos. Across the facility, BDR, and content workflows, the same pattern showed up: - When things felt slow, messy, or frustrating, the instinct was to add more: But the actual progress came when we did the opposite: - Cut people who weren’t producing - Simplified onboarding instead of polishing it - Took founder control back temporarily (assessments, decisions, flow) - Built containers (script packs, tiers, clear pipelines) before adding volume The biggest unlock this week wasn’t a new idea. It was clarity. Once the flow was clean: - momentum picked up, - stress dropped, - and speed increased almost immediately. Operator takeaway: If a system feels fragile, don’t automate it yet. Stabilize the pattern first. Then scale what already works. That’s been true in every business I’ve touched — gym, BDR, content, ops. Curious: Where in your business are you trying to “system your way out” of something that actually needs simplification or direct ownership first? Drop it below.

One of the most useful frameworks I’ve adopted from Dan Martell is the 10/80/10 rule. It completely changes how you delegate without lowering standards. Here’s how it works 👇 First 10% – You start it This is where your leadership actually matters. Clarify the outcome Define success Set constraints, guardrails, and expectations You’re not doing the work. You’re framing the thinking. If this part is fuzzy, the rest will be messy. Next 80% – Your team runs it This is where most owners mess up. They either: Hover and micromanage Or disappear completely Instead, you let the person own the execution. They solve problems. They make decisions. They build momentum. This is how capacity is created. Final 10% – You return to finish and review You come back at the end to: Check alignment with the original outcome Tighten what matters Make final calls This keeps quality high without you being involved the whole time. Why this works You still have input where it matters most Your team gains confidence and ownership You remove 80% of execution from your plate You stop being the bottleneck This isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing the right parts only. If you feel overloaded, ask yourself: “Which 80% am I still holding onto that I shouldn’t be?” That’s usually the unlock. P.S His book buy back your time is an absolute must read! it will have you rethinking how you operate.