I did not start with special skills, a degree or an audience. I started in my parents’ bedroom after knocking on more than 20,000 doors selling security alarms.
About six years later I had done over $150M in sales. The vehicle was a high ticket service business, and I still think it is the best model for most people starting out.
This is the raw version of how I would build one again, from choosing the skill to closing the deal.
Why high ticket services win
Product businesses, the kind you see on Shark Tank, need heavy capital, often run on thin margins, and usually come with personal debt. Low ticket products need either a big budget or huge traffic.
Services need none of that. No inventory, no startup capital, and very little money required. You trade time and effort for cash.
My early mistake proves it. I sold a $47 fitness program called the Rapid Muscle System and barely anyone bought. When I changed to a $3,200 four month program for premium buyers, roughly 3% of the market, I made $10K in my first week and about $1M that year.
The math is simple. Message about 100 people a day, get a 10% response, book three calls, close one at $3,200. That is roughly eight to nine hours of work.
Pick a skill and build your USP
I picked fitness because I started training at 12, competed as a Division I athlete and learned from NFL position coaches and an Olympic weightlifting coach.
Most good niches fall into health, wealth or relationships. If you lack a skill, learn one on Udemy for $10 to $20 or on Alison for free. High paid skills include software development, project management, sales, content creation, copywriting, AI, video editing and digital marketing.
Then build a unique selling proposition, the thing that separates you from the cheapest option. Trainers stand out with vegan diets, blood testing, hormone optimization or longevity science.
Mine was “how to eat whatever you want without sabotaging results,” built on calorie balance and If It Fits Your Macros. I ran ads with me in visibly good shape and it did millions. Sell people what they want, then deliver what they need.
Grade your offer honestly
Using the value equation from Alex Hormozi’s $100M Offers, score your offer on four things: the outcome, the likelihood of getting it, the time it takes and the effort involved. Each one that favors the buyer gets a check.
- A standard “lose 20 pounds in 3 months” offer scores about 1 out of 4.
- Liposuction for the same result scores 4 out of 4. That is why people pay thousands for it.
- My business consulting offer scores about 1 out of 4, because most people will not do the work.
Do not invent fake improvements. A weaker offer can still sell. It just needs stronger sales and marketing behind it.
Prime your profile, then pick your traffic
Your bio should do four jobs:
- Say what you do and your unique mechanism.
- Give a call to action like “DM me ready for help.”
- Show proof. Mine says broke to $100M in sales in six years.
- Link to an application.
Pin client results, how to posts and one authority post. One of my clients, a physical therapist who was $200K in debt, made $57K in the first month after learning the skills.
Here are traffic sources from hardest to easiest:
- Going viral. I do not recommend it. About 2% of creators reach 100K followers. My own YouTube took about 40 hours of prep and 40 of editing for roughly 10 videos, with 12 editors and a video manager.
- Cold outreach. Facebook groups or specific Instagram hashtags. Send 100 messages a day at 20 an hour, expect 10% to 20% response, about 3 calls and 1 close.
- Your own followers. About 100 messages, around 30% response, 5 to 7 calls and 2 to 3 closes.
- Boosted posts. Aim for $1 to $2 per follower and 10 to 20 cent profile views. $1,000 can mean about 500 followers, 150 responses, 7 calls and 2 closes. You still have to message everyone who engages.
- Paid ads. DM campaigns that send people to an application. Expect $10 to $15 per lead.
Most beginners should start with warm followers, move to cold outreach, then use boosted posts once they have a few sales.
Your numbers diagnose your problems. Low response means a weak first message. Responses that do not turn into calls means the conversation is off. Calls that do not close means sales skills.
How to message cold and warm leads
For a cold lead, compliment something real on their page, ask about their work, ask whether it keeps them busy, ask their goal, their struggle, what they have tried and whether they have had a coach. Then ask permission to help.
For B2C, move to a short call first. For B2B, go straight to a sales call.
For a warm lead it is the same flow, shorter. Thank them for following, ask their goal and struggle, ask what they have tried, then offer help. Keep every message short, but do not skip steps.
Once people respond, automation does the rest. In Elite 360 the flow is ad, DM, landing page, opt in, then emails and texts that push people to book.
The sales call and the four objections
My call structure:
- Intro and pre frame. You only move forward if it is a fit.
- Discovery. Why now, what is the goal, what have they tried, have they had a coach or run ads.
- Quantify the cost of waiting. Six months stuck at $20K a month extra is about $120K lost.
- Summarize and get a yes that they will move forward today if it fits.
- Three pillars. Mine for fitness: eat whatever you want within guidelines, train however you want because nutrition drives about 90% of results, and hire me instead of a generic program because you will not need another trainer later.
- A brief overview of five to ten minutes.
- Build certainty close to 100% before price.
Then the four objections:
- Price. Know your high price and your floor, for example $10K and $2K. Ask if price is the only obstacle, then ask for cash on hand, savings and available credit. Below the floor, wrap up kindly. Above it, build a custom deal, like $3K up front and $500 a month for three months.
- Spouse or partner. Ask what their objection would be. It is usually price. Frame it as asking for support, and use a deposit that is refunded if the partner says no by a set deadline.
- Time. Deciding later is still a decision. Confirm they are more likely to hit the goal with you, that you can deliver and that they can access funds. Then ask them to decide.
- Belief. Walk through the worst case and use a performance based guarantee where they must do the work.
Fulfill with a system, not your calendar
I run a paid community with direct messaging and Zoom when needed, plus a free community with the curriculum. Build the curriculum once, automate what you can and avoid one on one work for every client. I have updated mine three times in six years.
The takeaway
Pick a skill, give it a sharp USP, price it high, and start conversations every day until the numbers tell you what to fix. Then run the same call structure every time and deliver through a system.
That is the whole game. It is not easy, but it is simple.
Want to know what’s capping your business right now? Take my free 90 Day Ceiling Plan. Answer 18 questions and get a written plan, built on your own numbers, that names the one thing holding you back and what to fix first.
