Episode 44 - Nolan Harper (Part 1)

Name: Episode 44 - Nolan Harper (Part 1)
Uploaded: 2023-06-18T20:28:55.000Z
Duration: 1 h 38 min 48 s

Introduction

In this section, the host introduces the Coach Catalyst podcast and its purpose. He also introduces Nolan Harper, the owner of Proven Digital, a YouTube Ad Agency.

The Coach Catalyst podcast is about helping coaches grow by learning from successful mentors in the industry.

Nolan Harper is the guest for this episode and he will be discussing all things related to YouTube.

Nolan's Backstory

In this section, Nolan shares his backstory and how he got into digital video marketing.

Nolan has had various experiences including being in the Navy Seals, skydiving, and doing dropshipping.

He found himself $250k in debt after trying out different businesses.

These experiences led him to digital video marketing with a focus on YouTube.

Getting Started on YouTube

In this section, Nolan discusses what coaches should do if they want to get started on YouTube.

Coaches should start by creating content that provides value to their audience.

Consistency is key when it comes to posting videos on YouTube.

It's important to optimize your videos for search engines by using relevant keywords in titles and descriptions.

Engaging with your audience through comments can help build a community around your channel.

Introduction to YouTube

In this section, Nolan explains why he believes that YouTube is the platform of the future compared to Facebook.

Unlike Facebook, which prioritizes short-form content, YouTube allows creators to make longer videos that provide more value to viewers.

The algorithm on YouTube rewards channels that consistently produce high-quality content over time.

There are more opportunities for monetization on YouTube compared to other platforms like Facebook or Instagram.

How To Win at YouTube

In this section, Nolan shares his insights on how coaches can win at YouTube.

Focus on creating content that provides value to your audience and solves their problems.

Consistency is key when it comes to posting videos on YouTube.

Engage with your audience through comments and build a community around your channel.

Use data and analytics to track the performance of your videos and make improvements over time.

Nolan's Fitness Background

In this section, Nolan talks about his fitness background and how he got into CrossFit.

Nolan has always been passionate about fitness but doesn't consider himself the biggest or most in shape person.

He did CrossFit for several years before getting into digital video marketing.

He also went through SEAL training twice but was unable to complete it due to injuries.

Injury During SEAL Training

In this section, Nolan talks about his injuries during SEAL training.

The injuries were caused by the intense physical demands of SEAL training, including running long distances and carrying heavy equipment.

After being deployed overseas, he suffered a fatal blow to his knee which started a downhill spiral of more surgeries and rehab.

Super Coaches Summit

Trevor announces the Super Coaches Summit, a practical and tactical event that aims to help attendees leave with a better business than when they came. The event will also facilitate networking and collaboration.

Key Points:

The Super Coaches Summit is taking place on August 5th and 6th in Reston, Virginia.

The event aims to be more practical and tactical than other events, with the goal of helping attendees leave with a better business.

Networking, connecting, and collaborating are key focuses of the event.

Attendees can expect special features to facilitate connections.

Early Aspirations for Military Career

Trevor discusses his early aspirations for a military career, which he had since he was six years old. He looked up to his dad's friend who had gone through Green Beret, SEALs, and Delta training.

Key Points:

Trevor wanted to join the military since he was six years old.

His dad's friend inspired him because he went through Green Beret, SEALs, and Delta training.

Trevor started working out at eight years old in pursuit of his dream.

Joining the military was everything Trevor wanted.

Coping with Injury

After blowing out his knee for the third time during training for indoc (the workup phase before becoming a Navy SEAL), Trevor realized that it was no longer possible for him to pursue his dream. Coping with this realization was difficult as he had invested so much of his identity into becoming a Navy SEAL.

Key Points:

After blowing out his knee for the third time during training for indoc (the workup phase before becoming a Navy SEAL), Trevor realized that it was no longer possible for him to pursue his dream.

Coping with this realization was difficult as he had invested so much of his identity into becoming a Navy SEAL.

After the first rehab, it was still doable. After the second rehab, it was getting less likely but still possible. After the third surgery, there was no coming back.

There was a lot of identity tied up in who Trevor wanted to be.

Life after Military

After leaving the military at 23 years old, Trevor felt lost and unsure of what to do next. He used his GI bill to go to school and got his Bachelor's in criminal justice. He bounced around a few different jobs before realizing that he could pursue skydiving as a career.

Key Points:

After leaving the military at 23 years old, Trevor felt lost and unsure of what to do next.

He used his GI bill to go to school and got his Bachelor's in criminal justice.

He bounced around a few different jobs before realizing that he could pursue skydiving as a career.

Some of the reasons why Trevor wanted to become a Navy SEAL were because he could get paid to skydive and ride fast boats.

Skydiving and Wind Tunnels

In this section, the speaker talks about his experience with skydiving and working at a wind tunnel. He explains how wind tunnels are similar to skydiving in terms of sensation.

Experience with Skydiving and Wind Tunnels

The speaker started jumping into his career with every spare dollar he had.

He got a job at a wind tunnel called iFly when they were just starting to go big.

The experience in the wind tunnel feels the exact same as skydiving because it is largely a visual experience.

There is no sensation of stomach drop out of the plane when you see the ground rushing up at you because it's largely a visual part of the sensation.

Risk-Taking and Becoming a Father

In this section, the speaker talks about risk-taking and how becoming a father has changed his perspective on taking risks.

Risk-Taking and Becoming a Father

The speaker met level-headed and cautious guys who were calculated risk-takers during his time as a skydiver.

When thinking about everything he experienced in his past, he would go back to skydiving in a heartbeat but not base jumping.

Becoming a father has changed his perspective on risk-taking, but he still loves skydiving.

Coach Catalyst

In this section, Kane, founder of Coach Catalyst, talks about how their software helps coaches keep their clients accountable and scale their business.

Coach Catalyst

Coach Catalyst is the number one accountability and communication software on the market today.

The software was built on the four C's of coaching: content, communication, community, and consistency.

For content, coaches need to deliver the whole experience for clients beyond just workouts.

For communication, coaches need to own their communication with clients by using a centralized platform.

For communities, coaches need to take ownership over their social group with Coach Catalyst communities.

For consistency, Coach Catalyst built all the fundamentals from Atomic Habits within their app to guarantee clients get the best results possible.

Base Jumping and Video Production

In this section, the speaker talks about his experience with base jumping and how he got into video production.

Experience with Base Jumping

The speaker has jumped off objects that were 400 to 450 feet tall, including antennas and bridges.

The scariest thing he ever jumped off of was a 180-foot antenna where you can whisper from the top and be heard on the ground.

He has seen people jump from as low as 100 to 120 feet, but he wouldn't do it due to the risk of an off-heading opening.

Most of the danger in base jumping comes from hitting the object you jump off of.

Getting into Video Production

The speaker always had a camera in his hands since he was young and started making movies at age 10 to 12.

He picked up his camera again when he wanted to make more money with his skydiving skills.

He started filming weddings, events, and business videos for friends and family.

After several failed attempts at building side hustles and businesses, he decided to launch a video production company.

Lessons Learned from Failed Businesses

There was a different lesson in every failure, but mindset was often an issue.

His most successful attempt was dropshipping before it became mainstream, but it crashed due to slipping margins and not paying close attention to numbers.

This attempt put him into debt, which was a hard lesson to learn.

These experiences have made him a better manager in the ad space.

Overcoming Challenges

In this section, the speaker talks about how he overcame challenges and broke limiting beliefs.

Breaking Limiting Beliefs

The speaker realized that making 20 grand per month was possible, which broke his limiting beliefs.

This realization put him in a mindset of problem-solving and overcoming challenges.

The speaker has always had a quality of leaning into challenges and figuring out solutions to problems.

Importance of Focus

The speaker reflects on how he didn't achieve notable results in activities he participated in during high school because he wasn't focused.

He achieved world records in skydiving within three years because he was obsessed with it and threw all his attention and focus into it.

Being a dilettante, bouncing around from thing to thing, made him mediocre at many things.

Catalyst for Low Turnover

In this section, the speaker talks about how Coach Catalyst helped him streamline communication with clients and improve client retention.

Streamlining Communication

Before using Coach Catalyst, the speaker spent 10 to 20 hours a week communicating with clients via phone calls, Facebook Messenger, email, and text messages.

Since starting to use Coach Catalyst software, the speaker has cut down his daily commitment to interacting with over 300 clients to under 15 minutes a day.

Using Coach Catalyst has helped the speaker streamline his six-week challenges and improve client retention.

Turning Point in Video Production

In this section, the speaker talks about how he got into video production and the turning point that helped him succeed.

Doubling Income

The speaker realized he could double or triple his income from his job as a car salesman by getting more clients for video production in his spare time.

However, he struggled to get clients because he didn't understand how to get them on the internet.

Finding Success

While filming a video for a gym owner, the speaker was introduced to someone who helped him understand how to get clients on the internet.

This turning point helped him find success in video production.

Starting a New Job with Gym Launch

In this section, the speaker talks about how he got hired by Gym Launch and his initial thoughts about the company.

Getting Hired by Gym Launch

The speaker was initially hired to do a video for Gym Launch.

He was later asked if he was interested in working for them as a video guy.

Despite being hesitant at first, the speaker eventually agreed to interview for the job.

First Impressions of Gym Launch

The company had no website or proof that it existed.

Their marketing materials were not visually appealing.

Despite this, they promised great pay, work from home opportunities, unlimited vacation time, and phenomenal benefits.

Moving to Austin

After attending a team event hosted by Gym Launch, the speaker decided to move to Austin as soon as possible.

He sold his house within two months and moved eight minutes away from Alex Hermosi (the founder of Gym Launch).

The speaker learned a lot during his time at Gym Launch and grew more than he had in the previous 10 years combined.

Lessons Learned at Gym Launch

In this section, the speaker talks about some of the lessons he learned while working at Gym Launch.

Learning from Alex Hermosi

The speaker was fortunate enough to be Alex's only in-person employee and was able to learn directly from him.

He traveled with Alex to events and dinners with higher-level individuals.

Power of Focus and Attention

The speaker learned that splitting your attention will multiply the time it takes to achieve your desired outcome.

He shut down all his side hustles after realizing that focusing entirely on his job would help him achieve what he wanted faster.

Working His Way Up

The speaker's final title at Gym Launch was Marketing Manager.

He had a lot of exposure to all of the company's companies and learned a lot during his time there.

Working with Alex and Layla

In this section, the speaker talks about his experience working with Alex and Layla, how they inspired him, and how he learned marketing skills from them.

Learning from Alex and Layla

The speaker worked for Alex and Layla in the past.

He was impressed by their work ethic and how they lived up to their words.

The speaker learned marketing skills from them that helped him create content that could reach more people.

Impact on Speaker's Life

The speaker had a great experience working with Alex and Layla's clients.

He was amazed by the results of their clients who were making 10 times more than before.

The speaker grew to love marketing while working for them.

Starting His Own Digital Agency

In this section, the speaker talks about starting his own digital agency after leaving Alex and Layla's company.

Leaving Gym Launch

There was a disconnect between what the speaker was doing for Alex and Layla's company and what else he could be doing for them.

Acquisition was still newly formed at that time, so there were opportunities for growth.

The speaker left on good terms after helping train up the team that they actually needed.

Getting First Client

The speaker got his first client through a network of people he knew from working with gym owners.

He did not want to work with gym owners to avoid any conflict of interest with Gym Launch.

Building a YouTube Channel and Running Ads

In this section, the speaker talks about his experience building a YouTube channel for Alex and running ads on YouTube. He shares how he initially failed but eventually succeeded by following a formula used by successful YouTubers.

Building a YouTube Channel

The speaker was asked to build a YouTube channel for Alex.

His first attempt failed as it did not get any subscribers.

He learned from successful YouTubers and tried again, which worked.

He was able to take Alex's channel from 6 or 7 hundred subscribers to 4,500.

Running Ads on YouTube

The speaker was asked to run ads on YouTube.

Initially, he failed but learned enough to believe that YouTube was the biggest opportunity in marketing today.

He bought every program he could find on YouTube ads and got his first client through Jim Launch's former client.

His model of running performance-only ads didn't work as clients had problems with their business and acquisition system.

The speaker started offering retainers and brought in a friend who helped clients get better performance from the ads and traffic that he drove for them.

Why Google is the Best Place to Market

In this section, the speaker explains why Google is the best place to market.

Reasons for Using Google as a Marketing Platform

Google is the largest platform on the internet.

Google has a large number of data points and can analyze user behavior to determine what they want or need.

Gmail and other interactions with Google are tracked, which allows for targeted marketing.

The entire platform is based on ad spend, making it an ideal place for marketers.

Organic vs. Paid Marketing on Google

In this section, the speaker discusses organic and paid marketing on Google.

Advantages of Organic Marketing on Google

People using Google are actively looking for solutions to their problems.

Intent-based marketing is easier on Google than interruption marketing used by Facebook and Instagram.

Advantages of Paid Marketing on Google

Paid advertising can be highly targeted based on user behavior and interests.

Conclusion

In this section, the speaker concludes the podcast episode.

Key Takeaways

Use organic marketing on Google to reach people who are actively searching for solutions.

Use paid advertising on Google to target specific audiences based on their behavior and interests.