In this episode of the Book More Show, I sit down with Mike Mack, a key figure in writing and business development. Mike shares his journey since the release of his first book, "_Remarkable Service_," in 2016 and discusses how his writing has evolved.
We explore the challenges and opportunities that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly how virtual interactions expanded his business globally. Mike also offers a preview of his upcoming book, "Weekend Wisdom," which is set for release in 2025.
We delve into the strategic role of books in building relationships within the executive coaching community. Mike emphasizes how physical and digital formats can be powerful tools for connecting with clients and reinforcing coaching philosophies. He shares his practice of gifting books to new managers, illustrating how they can foster ongoing engagement and support.
As our conversation unfolds, Mike reflects on the changes in his writing process over time. He notes that the journey becomes smoother and more intuitive with each new project.
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
I discuss with Mike Mack his journey in writing and how his books have been instrumental in his business growth and executive coaching success.
Mike shares insights from his debut book "Remarkable Service," published in 2016, and subsequent works like "Relationship for Keeps" and a co-authored book on retention.
We explore how the COVID-19 pandemic expanded his business globally through virtual interactions and provided new opportunities for growth.
Mike offers a preview of his upcoming book "Weekend Wisdom," which is set to release in 2025, emphasizing the evolution of his writing process.
We delve into the strategic use of books, both physical and digital, in building relationships and reinforcing coaching philosophies within the executive coaching community.
The episode highlights the timeless nature of valuable content and how books continue to foster meaningful connections long after their publication.
Mike talks about his experience in co-authoring a book on retention and the impact of giving away copies to build credibility and connections.
We discuss the advantages of using different formats like visual, audio, and written to engage audiences and expand on themes like discipline, alignment, and clarity.
Mike reflects on how writing a book has become more manageable with experience and the supportive nature of our professional relationship.
Listeners are encouraged to connect with Mike through his website and LinkedIn for the latest insights and updates on his projects.
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TRANSCRIPT
(AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors)
Stuart: Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Bookmore Show. It's Stuart Bell here, and today joined with a returning guest, mike Mack. Mike, how are you doing Great? Always a pleasure talking to you Stuart. Anytime yeah, fantastic. Anytime yeah, fantastic. Appreciate it. Well, thanks for taking some time out of the day. I'm excited to do a bit of a loop back on the journey. I mean we're a couple of years later. Since we spoke last, I'll link in the show notes through our previous podcast, just so people can see how much longer my beard's gotten, exactly how much short my hair's got. But that conversation was around I think it was around the release of Remarkable Service and subsequently you've written a couple more books and COVID's happened since then. So why don't you give us a bit of a catch up and share for the audience, kind of what you do for people who are meeting you for the first time, and what's happened in the last couple of years as the business has developed, and kind of dialed into what you do?
Mike: now, yeah, you bet, so I'll kind of start at the beginning. I guess, where we were initially connected, it actually goes back to 2016 already, if you put that. So because remarkable service, which was the very first book that I put out. I actually did a second revised edition. So the very small version, which was the very first book that I put out. I actually did a second revised edition. So the very small version which was through your team back then, I did the revised and expanded edition that came out in the fall of 2017, which was a big hit in the context of why I wrote the book and it actually generated some revenue as well, and we can talk about that. And that was that particular book.
A couple years later, we got into Relationship for Keeps. That book was never intended to make me rich and famous, but it was a book that I needed to write a bit of loosely depicting my journey and, again, your team supported me in that journey as well, which I was really grateful for, and we'll talk about the fifth book coming up in 2025. Really grateful for, and we'll talk about the fifth book coming up in 2025. Unique opportunity last year, we did a co-authored book with one of my colleagues where we really about retention of people in the revolving door. So my colleague, chris Schinke and I put that book out and again your team supported me and Chris in that journey as well. Really, that particular book was as much about a giveaway and we'll call it a pretty high-end brochure because it was a bit more salesy, if you will, than the other books in the context of the purpose. But the play there was giving away hundreds and hundreds of those copies and relatively affordable to work with you, and we were able to do that. So a lot of businesses and leaders got a copy of that book. So it was a credibility side.
The last big book that came out whether I can share that because you didn't work with it directly but you did have involvement on it. So I am going to share that because the big book done by another organization was Lunch with Leaders. It came out in January 2024. I interviewed 12 executives Truth be told, I actually interviewed more than 12, but some people decided to deselect themselves. They didn't want to be in the book at the time and it was where they were at in the professional journey of the business While I recorded those, and they were all done virtually through Teams or Zoom. Your team actually helped with the transcript of all those recordings, so indirectly they were involved in that particular book as well. I got a fifth book coming out in 2025, hopefully in January soft title right now Weekend Wisdom. We can talk about that later. Your team's already engaged in that conversation so I already had that as recent as this week and really excited about it. So that's the book journey and I love what you do and I've referred a lot of people to you. Hopefully some of them became clients over time.
But let's give a little history. You know we met in 2016, 17, working with Betsy and Kim and others on your team. It's been an interesting time, mostly good in my world. So if I reflect back on, you know, even 2016, we didn't know anything about the pandemic or COVID really has been a game changer from our business perspective and I'll give an update on that, stuart. So really, if I think back at four and a half years ago where early stages of COVID in spring of 2020, I recognize nothing about my business or you know kind of the world that we live in today and a lot of things have changed.
So, number one, having virtual access to someone like you or me is commonplace today.
Where it was special back then, it's still special. By the way, what we've been very fortunate on the business front, and maybe why Mike Mack writes books et cetera it's allowed us really to become more accessible anywhere. So from a virtual world globally so North America to the Middle East, australia to London we get to talk to people and that's been a lot of fun and a real privilege to be able to do that. So that was a blessing of COVID. While we're still in the training, coaching, consulting business that coaching side the one-to-one work has really elevated and escalated over the last number of years and while we were on that trajectory, covid and pivoting to virtual made that possible. It really accelerated it. So that was a long answer to an opening question, so you can tailor that as you wish. But bit of an update my world by and large is great. We're blessed to do what we do and I still plan on publishing several books over the next number of years. That's kind of my goal and we can talk about that further.
Stuart: It's like tattoos People don't always stop at just the first one. It's uh, opens the floodgates. That idea of you mentioned that a business pivoting or developing slightly down the coaching and person development side of things that change, partly facilitated by covid but probably not necessarily driven by covid do you think that is as a result of your footprint out in the world and the stuff that you were putting out there? Those are the pieces that resonated, the coaching stuff resonated and then the audience built from there. Or is it more of a change in the kind of like macro situation of people being people themselves being more dialed into the service that you offer? Is it? Was it customer driven, or were the customers just responding to what you were putting out there?
Mike: it's a great question and a complicated answer because I think it's all of the above. You know, we just celebrated our 18th anniversary at X5 Management. You've got a bit of runway and credibility and track record and structure and process of how you support clients, so that worked out well. If I had started the business in the fall of 2019, kicking into COVID would that have been as great? It likely wouldn't have been Relative to things like books or blogs or content, et cetera.
I've always had this desire Not only I enjoy reading and I listen to a lot of audio books as well where I want to get smarter and wiser, so I wanted to be able to add value and that was really the catalyst. And I always have to pay you and your team the number one compliment because while I knew of Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach, I knew of Dean Jackson and 90 Minute Books. Because of that conversation I always say had I not been affiliated back then with Strategic Coach or knew Dan Sullivan, I wouldn't have been a client of 90 Minute Books and written my first book. Maybe I would have eventually, but I wouldn't have done it as soon as I did. And so I've been on the journey and I joke, people go you're going to write another book as a tattoo. When you do it, it feels right and you maybe want to do it again. I've learned a lot in the process relative to. I just had someone literally read remarkablearkable Service like a week ago, and it came out the second edition in 2017. And it was interesting just to talk about a book that's been out for seven years, right. So I think it's like anything, everything you do that's purposeful finds its place. So there's a lot of books out there. You would know the statistic and how many are out there, but I love what I do professionally, so it's all about adding value. So, whether it's a good blog or it's a linkedin post, or it's a good book, and big books and little books have different purposes for the right audience, and I've been able to play with that, purposefully but intentionally. Play with that in terms of customer service relationships, how to stop the revolving door in terms of retention and then leaders. Those are all topics that I'm very passionate about as well, so that I think the fact that you know that you're you know there's a comment and you would know this quote, I think you know.
Do you get rich and famous because you write a book. Writing a book builds credibility. That affords you the opportunity to open certain doors, sometimes that you didn't otherwise expect, and it's like anything you know. A lot of people talk about doing it, but writing a book is a bit of work. About doing it, but writing a book is a bit of work. A bit of work. Even though your team helps immensely in doing that, you still have to have an idea and a narrative and the voice and what you know, what's your desired outcome in terms of that audience. So I think it all blends together and I think success leaves clues. So that's why, even to say that by by the spring of 2025, I'll have five books I I don't know if I'll write another five, but maybe I will. Yeah it's, I know how to do it now and it gives me joy.
Stuart: I was just going to say. You know how to do it, in the sense that it's not the first rodeo, you're not trying to. You can see the end of the journey before you start and, knowing what the purpose is and where it sits into the bigger picture in the audience that you're trying to engage in the job of work that it does when this tool is the right tool. You've got in your tool belt, ready to select and deploy 100. That idea that a lot of people will say everyone's got a book, in which I don't necessarily always agree with, but it's definitely a lot more straightforward now than in the old world where a traditional publishing deal was the only option and that is is an option only for the few, not for the many.
The idea of writing something we're obviously passionate about, helping as many people as possible do it, but that idea of everyone's got a book inside them, the knowledge that you've got as a business owner, the ability to share it. The positioning that you've got as a business owner, the ability to share it, the positioning that you're not trying to write necessarily the magnum opus or the de facto piece on any subject it's just starting that conversation the response that you've got from the various books that you've written has that kind of worn out. The response you've got from the audience has been positive and the fact that it exists out there has been a net good, regardless of whether it's a big book or a little book, or covers everything or introduces the ideas to people I love your questions.
Mike: Interesting perspective. I think it's evolved over time because, as you can appreciate, writing your first book you're apprehensive. You're vulnerable. Like what if people don't like it? The reality is there's a lot of books that I've purchased myself, that I loved and some I didn't like as much. So putting yourself out there as an author, whatever the topic is, I think I've become better at it in the context of making sure that you're writing it for the audience, don't write it for yourself. I've read all my books many times because through the writing process and the publishing process but I think that's an important aspect is that it's purposeful. So, relative to relationships, I'm a big relationship guy, so that book, even though it didn't monetize or turn into big dollars, is something I'm very proud of. That I wrote it and put it together at the time Like a tattoo it's. It can be permanent. So for me it's a bit of a legacy thing as well, because there's a lot of people that do podcasts as you do. I love being a guest on a podcast. It's not something that I have a desire to do to build out my own podcast show.
I'm in the book publishing lane, not in the book publishing business, but it's an extension of that where, hey, how can you reach 100 or 1000 people in a night or a day? Well, you can do that. So I think it. Somebody asked me this just last night. I spoke at a university last night and somebody said so, you've always been a writer. Well, no, I have ideas and I have relative intelligence on certain things that I want to talk about. That's where your team comes in to put that to paper and make it structured, so the end user, the reader, benefits from that information as well. So I'm pro on books and I have a lot of books. I definitely listen to a lot of audio because it's just convenient. So my favorite books. I also have the hardcover paperback as well, for resource purposes as well, and I think that's a cool world of Amazon today. I mean, you can put it out there anywhere fairly quickly and easily.
Stuart: Yeah, that distribution to get in front of the audience, whether it's Amazon in the storefront or whether it's email or, increasingly, I think, the so when we look at the executive coaching stuff, your world and that group of ideal targets, the higher up the organizational structure you go, the smaller the number of people but the idea of reaching out to some of them in a physical sense, in a hard copy sense.
The client we were working with last week is in the exit planning type world, so we were talking about them and their geographic footprint of 100 miles from where their office physically is. There's probably less than a thousand organizations within that footprint that they would be ideal targets for and maybe less than 250 where it's really the sweet spot. So, using the physical book to outreach to those people and it must be similar for you, the, to have the physical book to back up the conversations that you're having, to be introductory pieces to reinforce your approach in the executive coaching that you're doing. As that one-to-one audience gets narrower, there is more and more excuse me, there's more and more of an opportunity to bridge that gap between the digital and the physical world and the one-to-many versus the one-to-one. Do you over the five, four books previous? Have you had much experience of that kind of one-on-one approach as opposed to the one-to-many that I think people sometimes again?
Mike: another great question and I kind of reflected on it, leading into our our call today for the podcast. I kind of go to the basics, in no specific order. Um, because we we're blessed with some, some great corporate clients. A lot of it's value driven to the client, so some of them bought books on Amazon bestseller day or whatever the case, but more times than not we gift that to a new manager or otherwise. So there's some impact there, there's a value add.
I do less speaking than I used to, just from a time perspective, but, like last night, I gave away five copies of my leadership book because that was the audience, the one-to-one side. It might be somebody you met at an event and hey, stuart, it's great to meet you and send you a little note and a card and send you a copy of the book. Not everybody does that, so that's a personal touch. It doesn't always turn into a client, but it does turn into a relationship more times than not, which is great. So that's the luxury of it. So while I keep that's the beautiful part of access to getting copies of the book, I don't need a hundred copies of all my books in my basement or my garage versus that, I have them readily available all the time. So, where you know, I'm going to be on site with a client tomorrow which is a Peterbilt dealership. That has been a longstanding client. I have an office there and I have copies of all my books there. So if a new manager comes in, I oh hey, I give him a copy of that. He didn't have to buy it or she, but it's just a gift and encouraging that they would read it and learn from that as well. That's kind of the intent and that's the luxury of it.
The other aspect, very quickly, is having an online version. We do have it on our website so people can get a PDF version with an email. But I also would share that to a friend in another country or state. I would do that virtually and at no cost. So if you said, hey, my brother-in-law wants a copy, I could in theory do that, but it's more with the connection, so that electronic version is still there. I do have some audios on a few of my books out, but it kind of depends and it's interesting because I just ordered some new books, literally of all of my books, and it kind of makes you think about, hey, when's the last time I gave away a copy of Remarkable Service, and what would prevent me from doing that to 100 people right now, just because the book is seven years old? There's no reason at all.
Stuart: There's no expiration date on them. Yeah, yeah, I mean, the information is just as relevant as it ever was. It wasn't a book that you wrote about something that specifically was happening at that time, it's. The elements of remarkable service are pretty timeless. That's why they're important. So the opportunities once it exists, to bridge it into a current conversation and keep that relationship going, I think the physical versions, the scale of the digital versions make that pretty unique and the connection of the physical versions because they do sit on shelves. I've got in the office behind the the wall or the cupboard behind the wall here, books that I brought with me from the uk. Now I'm not sure that I've read them recently, but books do tend to physically travel around with you and it has that relationship building element that is disproportionate compared with the same information on blog posts. There's uh, there's something tangible about it and where that works it works well.
Mike: It was interesting. I have a bookshelf in my office and I also have a bookshelf in my basement and I was downstairs exercising and there was a particular book that I looked at just as recent as this morning and I almost remember the point in time I had it.
It's an incredibly dog-eared because, it wasn't on audio back in the day and this goes back pre-starting x5, back to my business and it's pretty chewed up because I went it cover to cover a bunch of times and it brought back memories just seeing it sitting there on the shelf like oh yeah, that yeah that book isn't talked about, but it was a very impactful book for me at the time yeah, so um, and those connections, I mean it's that emotional.
Stuart: I think tony robbins describes it as the emotion, and emotion and the context in which you receive things it all goes to build that, that anchoring point that's in your mind. So it doesn't have to be as world-changing as if someone's daunted by the idea of having a world-changing book. It doesn't need to be world-changing, but it just anchors that starting point for the relationship. Yeah, the coaching clients who you work best with at the moment, and this idea of kind of engaging them and leading down a particular path, the work that you do with those guys is that your tentpole ideas. Are they reflected in some of the books so that people can anchor on those ideas through multiple different resources? Or, again, for the person who's maybe a business owner, they know their stuff but they're thinking I know if I was sat having a conversation with you I would know what we were talking about, but I don't know how that quite translates into a book, the ideas that you talk about. Is that what translated into the book and is then the starting off point for the conversations?
Mike: The quick answer is in some cases yes. So if we look at kind of, even in the order remarkable service, a little bit very little Relationship with keeps zero, this one that came out last year, very much so so and that's where there's some stories in it but at the same time tips and tricks on corporate culture or otherwise. We do offer how X5, our business helps. So this probably is the most to that topic.
The big one that came out in January Lunch with Leaders. People in the bio know what X5 does. No other reference to selling anything. It was all about the individuals in the book, the new book that I'm planning to bring out in the new year, in February, march. None of that at all. They'll, because even one of my colleagues challenged me. Well, that's not what we do.
But I do appreciate, you know, being a thought leader and I get to think about a bunch of things. I'm not just thinking about one thing. So the privilege of being in the coaching world, for example, is that you know people say, are you a life coach? Well, when I work on business with an executive or a CEO, trust me, we're talking about life at the same time. Talking about life at the same time. So I get a lot of joy on that because I can add value to my sister or my client in theory. And that's kind of the cool part where you can touch more people from a messaging perspective, less salesy by design. You know we've been doing this long enough. Where there are you know I spoke last night and somebody goes oh, you need to. Where there are, you know I spoke last night and somebody goes. Oh, you need to come meet our CEO, that's great.
Right, I get paid to do the speaking engagement. I gave away copies of the book. It's a connection and is your message of value to someone. The value can be translated beyond the pages of the book. Maybe it's consulting, maybe it's a referral you never know what it is.
But I have a great appreciation for great authors and maybe someday I'll be one. I am an author, but there's certain books that, like that, is well put together. And why is it that I listened to that audio book three times in the last year? It must be a reason, and you know I'm hearing this, reading it at the exact time that I'm supposed to be. I think that's part of it.
So even on Lunch with Leaders, for example, there's 12 independent chapters. So one of the guys last night he's an accountant, a CPA and a corporate controller. I said well, you can read any chapter in any order because they're all independent. He goes well, you have a recommendation. I said so. I referenced a particular chapter because it was a story about an accountant evolving from CFO to CEO, etc. I said that might be the place you start and yeah, so he sent me a note this morning hey, I'm going to read chapter two Just because he can get in the mode right away.
On that, versus I don't know where I should start, because there's a message. Because there's a message, I think, even in today's world I don't know I'd welcome your comment on that, because you see more books than I do in a given time, because you produce them. Where I just bought a book a while ago and my wife and I are looking at it, it's 800 pages and it's a 16 hour audio book. So I'll be honest that I may not read every page. Yeah, there are certain chapters and pages that I may not read every page. Yeah, there are certain chapters and pages that I very much want to read.
Stuart: So I mean that's the interesting point.
I think a lot of people, when you say book, people think traditional book, because most of us are brought up our experience of a book is that it comes from the traditional world.
But when you think about consumption rates and how people engage with content these days, particularly changing generations, the idea of someone being able to sit down and spend that volume of time, I mean that is a big commitment. So for the purpose and again it comes back to the job of work, but for the purpose of the sales channel, engaging potential customers, the thought leadership piece of just getting this idea out into the world and being able to promote it, a amplification piece of other work or a traditional big book type book, the job of work conversation really does come back to it. And if you've got the opportunity to try and match up and mirror as closely as possible the job of work with the vehicle, I mean that's the sweet spot and not just think that everything has to be exactly the same. A book has to be 300 pages and, yeah, podcast has to be an hour long. It's trying to match up as best as possible.
Mike: Validates you know the old saying less is more in some cases. So even even now, the book in 2025 will be on that lower end side. It might be 30,000 words at the max in terms of reading time, which have been the average. The leadership book I put out was the biggest one. That's a bigger beast of a particular project. One of the things that I'm trying to do is also say make it a bit interactive the new books. That I'm trying to do is also say make it a bit interactive. The new books. It's a little bit different where there's a bit of actionable takeaway, a reflection point at each chapter point, because I why I want to do that as a reader or as a listener. I like that a lot where, hey, what are your thoughts on 10x in your life? And there's a book 10x is easier than 2x and it's a great book, it's one of my faves. But there's that actionable piece at the end is part of it. Like, hey, that was a good book, but what did I do with?
Stuart: it. What did I do with that?
Mike: information, did I improve customer service. I improved myself.
Stuart: There's a reason I did I improve my health books on literally everything, as you well know, stewart yeah, well, I think you're talking about the interaction and the fact that the opportunity to engage the audience and start a relationship and a meaningful conversation and really give people value, the value of the books that we're writing, because we're not approaching this as traditional publishing in the sense that the money, the commercial transaction, is in the sale of some dead trees.
It's that we want to start that conversation and give people value and whether they come on board as clients or whether you just build the relationship and it's just putting some good stuff out into the world their interaction and the actually utilizing the information, the more ways that you can engage them in all of the different it's a long time since I've done any official training for people, but the different delivery mechanisms of visual and audio and written and exercises the more that you can do that, the more that it makes a meaningful difference, because the job of work is to get this thought technology out there and help people. It's not to charge 12 17 for a book and and retire to the beach. Let's talk quickly about the new book because I want to make sure that people were heading towards the end of 24 now, so a couple of months away before that comes out give people a bit of a view ahead on what the new book's about and the audience that it's looking to engage.
Mike: Yeah, thank you for asking that, and it was interesting because I started something almost a year ago and then I realized within maybe a 90-day period of time. So I've been doing a weekend wisdom post on LinkedIn and it was interesting how it started, because I'm pretty active on LinkedIn but I wanted it to be purposeful rather than just posting about dogs and trees or business. I don't talk about trees and dogs on LinkedIn but it started to get some traction and I realized that certain messages were resonating with certain people. Well, there's 52 weeks in a year, so, relative to the weekend wisdom, and there would be something there, whatever that may be 10X was one. I've got one coming up on discipline, other aspects, whatever that may be Recharge, gratitude, things like that. So it was interesting because when it started, it was I want to put some content together. But then what I realized and I will have that articulated in the book, but I actually started doing it because it was also what I learned my own wisdom from the week past and because I've been doing this for a while, stuart, I always say every week I got a theme on something. There's something there. It's it's about alignment, it's about conflict, it's about clarity, whatever that may be. So, as it started to get legs and traction, based on the interaction on social media, that some were better and bigger than others, just because it resonated, and that's just like writing a book. Yeah, so it's probably 90s, 90 days in, I went I'm gonna write a book about this, because so, basically, taking that small post and now expanding on that concept and what, what I want the message to be, um, so I'll give you an example. One's coming up. I haven't even written it yet, so I have the ideas together.
But but discipline, talking too much today with you, discipline, for example, when I think about this and I'm not the wise old sage but I'm of relative age where I have perspective on a lot of things you know, if you have discipline, you're not going to, you're going to eat healthy, or you're not drinking alcohol for a month, or whatever you're going to do. More times than not, people see discipline as you're giving up. Or you're not drinking alcohol for a month or whatever you're going to do. More times than not, people see discipline as you're giving up or you're sacrificing. Yet one would argue it could be the greatest thing. You give yourself discipline. I cannot.
My wife and I are on an alcohol cleanse currently and we have a six month objective, which is not that hard to do. And if people go, why are you doing that? I can tell you why because we can number one. So it's a discipline versus well, are you giving up anything? No, actually I'm sleeping better, I have more clarity and there's a lot of reasons and I'm not. I enjoy a great glass of wine or a bourbon on occasion.
But that's the deepness of where I want to go in each of these relative topics, to expand that 250 word post or less into a chapter that will be of relative size, to create this weekend wisdom where there's a lot of insight on various things that would be valuable to most people. That would be valuable to most people. I haven't figured out the subtitle yet, but it's kind of reflections and insights, you know, and there's something else there, but I haven't figured it out yet. But that's what I realized when I got into it a few months. It was hey, I'm actually kind of writing this for me a little bit, and it happened to resonate with you at the same time. That was the perspective of-.
Stuart: It's such an interesting feedback mechanism from a shorter form, more immediately in the moment, social media post, where your audience is kind of self-selecting because they're the people who are connected with you that see, sees it at least in the first, for the first order, and the immediate feedback that you get from them, to be able to then expand on that and go deeper, both from benefit to the audience because it's interesting for them as they've raised their hand already, and also that thought exercise for you to go deeper into your perspective on it. So when you think about the job of work in a book, we often talk about the external job of work, but the internal job of work, the clarity that it provides, and they're thinking about your thinking, that's not a quick comment on that and I think it.
Mike: You know what? Why there's a book in everyone. But you know why do some write one or five or ten, or you know I'm I'm a fan of john c maxwell. I mean I think he's got 70 books out and I haven't read them all, but he's very gifted at what he does. It's interesting because even on social media sometimes we want instant gratification you liked it or not If somebody bought a book, I don't know you like some of it or all of it, but I can tell you why I do it. Now. It's like I hope that there's some valuable takeaways that have been a benefit to you based on the fact you you read it much like the new one and the weekend post, because I just talked to somebody yesterday. He's a long-time business connection of mine that I literally haven't talked to for two years. His life has changed. He's got a lot of things going on, mostly good, but big changes career and personally and he goes. Hey, I don't always reach out, but I read all your weekend wisdoms and that last one really hit home.
And he didn't like it.
Stuart: Right.
Mike: I have to like it. But he went and he articulated that well, he definitely read it and I think that's the intangible sometimes of wow. You know, does John C Maxwell know that I love five levels of leadership? He does not know that, but he wrote a good book that I read three times or four times, right when I think that's like anything we get to do and that's where I get.
Actually, thanks to you and your team, I get more joy because it's easier to convey that message now in book form. I didn't know how to do that back in the day. Now I do, now I'm. I get a lot of people go hey, Mike, I'm thinking of writing a book. You've written four. So that's where I start with you and your team. All the time I go well, this is who you should talk to and have a conversation, because don't make it complicated.
I was helping a friend of mine a while ago and they're going hey, I want to write this book, and here's what about it. I went so why are you writing the book? Well, I don't know. Now, they haven't written the book and I wasn't trying to stifle them. But why are you writing a book? And I've accepted I'm writing books not to be rich in payments, because you need to sell a lot. To sell a lot, like I, I did the one I just bought the 15 hour audio. That guy sold a million copies in the last. You know, the first year I will never sell a million copies. I'm not that guy.
Stuart: Yeah, so, and that's not the job of work, it's the ability to share the message and get something out there and have the immediate or the the obvious rewards of people liking and saying and coming on board as clients.
But then also knowing I love your point, knowing the intangible benefits of knowing that it's out, there is something good and it is making a difference. There isn't. Not everything has to be measured and tallied up so that it's a one-for-one scorecard of your life. I think it's acceptable to know that it's out there doing something useful, even if it's not the most obvious. I'm excited to check back in. I can't believe it's been so long since we spoke last time, or spoke on the podcast last time at least. So we'll definitely check back in and maybe, as the book releases in the beginning of the year, we'll do a quick podcast then and and talk about the release and what was in it, because I think it's super valuable for people to get those reflection ideas when they can look at your will, your words and your way of thinking about it and then lay it onto their own life and and think about things from their own perspective.
Mike: So that would be a good chance to circle back at the beginning of the year I would be all over that and always a great you, always grateful for even the fact of you reaching out to me to keep in touch, and I value that relationship, even though, as many viewers may appreciate, we haven't ever met in person. I would welcome that opportunity someday, but I think that the takeaway for some of the listeners today also is that they get into that aspiration or desire to write a book the first time. I would highly recommend your team. It accelerates the process, but it's not a quick process. It's still even the book that I'll have out in February or March. I've been thinking about it for nine months and it's my fifth book, so it's not. You need to be intentional. Begin with the end in mind. I learned this way back when.
Who are you writing the book for and if you can name specific names that have become super helpful well, this is for stewart, this is for elaine, this is for wayne or ron, because you know who they are and, yeah, I think they would like that. Yeah, now hopefully there's more, but I might have predominantly business related where I'm in. I'm in the business community here, but in today's world, you know, I actually had somebody in Liverpool take a photo when they got to copy the book and they were going to a soccer game football game with my book in front of the stadium and I'm like wow that's cool yeah yeah, it's.
Stuart: Uh, it really is a teleportation device of getting the, the thoughts you want to share with people out around the world. You got it talking about getting things out around the world want to make sure that people can reach out and learn more about what you guys do, so where's a good place to to connect with you and the company?
Mike: yeah, I appreciate the opportunity. So obviously I'm big on LinkedIn, big in the sense I'm pro LinkedIn. I think it's great. So, reaching out to Mike Mack, you can find me fairly quickly on there. I think I have a different suit on in the picture, so that's good.
Obviously our website, which is pretty holistic on that, and our resources of our past. I'll say our, because one of my colleagues we co-authored and she also had one of her books out. X5managementcom is one. And, of course, if there was a private message, mike, at X5managementcom, I wouldn't turn that message down. Ideally, someone in the subject line would reference your podcast or otherwise, and also what and how we can help.
I mean, that's always the interesting part. Sometimes it's a question that's simple to answer if you have the answer. I always applaud people that ask One of my favorite books this is a side comment, and this was one of Dan Sullivan's and Dr Benjamin Hardy got to give him a plug on who, not how I love that book, because how do you write a book? Well, I know who you should talk to. You should talk to Stuart and his team. That's the takeaway in a nutshell, because there's a lot of things we don't know how to do, but there are people that know how to do it because they've already done it. So, again, I can't count how many times I've referenced your link and shared it with people because, hey, mike, I know you've written some books.
Stuart: I'm thinking of writing a book, that's. I have a conversation start there. Well, we appreciate it and it's funny because we often, we always ask. It's on the, the forms, and whenever we're talking to people, we ask how do you hear about us? And it's always there. There is a correlation between great people that we're working with and the connection being you, so that spreading the, the good feeling and the vibe, it's always happy to help. I'll make sure that I link in the podcast player or on the website. I'll link directly to the company page and to your LinkedIn profile as well. So just make it easy for people and, like Mike said, take the opportunity and reach out and ask a question and expand the conversation from there.
Mike: You bet, and so I just want to thank you again. I love what you and your team, you know, does, and I'm a fan, I'm a client. But I just honestly wish more people would take advantage of that, because it I I always say I would have never written that first book had it not been for your team. Honestly, I wouldn't, wouldn't have at that time, because it I appreciate it.
Stuart: How the heck do you write a book?
Mike: And I'm not a veteran yet, but the fifth book is way easier than the first one, trust me.
Stuart: You got some of the reps in. Yeah, exactly, it really has been a pleasure and thank you for being a great champion and we're a big fan of what you guys do as well, so I appreciate your time, mike. Everyone thanks for listening. Definitely check out the show notes to link straight through to Mike's website and the LinkedIn profile and keep an eye on the weekend wisdom and then come into the pages of a book near you soon, thank you. Thank you, mate. Take care everyone. We will see you in the next one.