5 Steps to the First Million (And Costly Mistakes to Avoid)

Sébastien Night here. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Harry Sardinas from Speakers are Leaders for an in-depth interview about my journey to success. We covered a lot of ground, from my early days as a dance instructor to my current role as the founder of OneTake AI. Below the interview video, you’ll find an article that summarizes some of the key success strategies (and painful failure stories) I shared in our conversation. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, I hope you’ll find some valuable insights here. Let’s dive in!

What you'll learn from the interview:

• 5 steps Sébastien Night used to reach the 7-figure mark in multiple businesses
• How to leverage content marketing for any business
• How you can turn a "failed" product launch into killer success
• The value equation to making "Irresistible Offers" (and how to add value without sacrificing your time or losing money on the sale)
• The "AI prompting trick" to get any AI tool to be smarter and more creative
• Why Sébastien's net worth as an entrepreneur was flat for 10 years, and the one thing he learned that made him a millionaire in a single year
• The "Express Business Plan" that simplifies starting any business from scratch
• Stories of the most difficult moments in Sébastien's career, and how he turned things around when failure seemed inevitable
• The "Rule of Zero" method that allows some businesses turn out almost 100% profit from every dollar that comes in (while competitors struggle to stay afloat)
• Launching a tech business? The secret reason most startups fail (and no, it's not because their tech gets beaten by competitors)
• An incredible AI tool you can leverage today to grow your business FAST

1. Hey, It's All About Sharing What You Know

Remember when I was handing out dance flyers? Yeah, that didn't work.

Let me take you back to my early days as an entrepreneur. Picture this: me, standing on the streets, desperately handing out flyers for my Latin dance school. I even got close to being chased and fined by the police because, well, you're not supposed to do that in private spaces like underground parkings. Talk about a rough start!

Why giving away "appetizers" of your expertise is a game-changer

Everything changed when I discovered the power of content marketing. Instead of trying to sell dance lessons outright, I started recording small parts of my classes. Not enough to replace the full experience, mind you, but just enough to get people interested - like an appetizer. And you know what? That's how we grew the business.

How I use AI to help my clients create killer content (without the tech headaches)

Fast forward to today, and that's exactly what our AI tool does. We work with people who are into content marketing because we've seen firsthand how powerful it can be. The idea is to give these little appetizers so people want to buy the whole meal from your business.

2. Listen Up: Your Customers Know Best

The webinar disaster that taught me a valuable lesson

Okay, confession time. I've been doing webinars for 15 years now, starting way back in 2008. When we launched OneTake AI, I thought I had it all figured out. I did this brand new webinar with hundreds of people attending. In the chat, I could see people saying things like, "Oh my God, this is amazing!" and "I love it!"

But then came the offer... and for the first time in my entire life, our conversion rate was ZERO percent. Zero! I was baffled. Everyone seemed happy, but nobody bought. It was a wake-up call.

Why asking about your product is the WRONG approach

Here's the thing: don't ask people about your product. If you say, "Here's what we want to sell, what do you think about it?", people will tend to give you a positive answer to anything. It's not going to help you pinpoint what they really need.

How I turned things around by really hearing what people wanted

I went back and reread all the comments and surveys. It turns out, I was focusing too much on how the AI edits your video for you and the specific style it gives you. What people really wanted was a tool that, with one click, does it all for you. They didn't care about the technical details; they just wanted the result.

So I changed the message, and the next week I did another webinar. The difference was night and day. We crushed it. The lesson? Listen to your customers, but don't have preconceived ideas about how to talk about your product.

3. Make 'Em an Offer They Can't Refuse

The secret to charging $1000 for something worth way more

I've coached businesses for a long time in many fields, and this is the biggest problem for people: you have something that's worth, let's say 1,000. People look at it and think, "Well, you have ten hundred-dollar bills, and you want my credit card for a thousand dollars." It's extra effort for no additional value, so it's hard to sell.

How to add massive value without working yourself to death

The way you want to build things is to bring maybe 8,000 worth of value or transformation. Think about how much money they will save, how much money they will earn, what emotional transformation they will go through. Bring that amount of value, and then you can charge your thousand dollars. Sometimes you can even charge two grand because from their perspective, you're bringing so much more value than the price you are charging.

My trick for creating high-value content that sells itself

Now, you might be thinking, "Does this mean I have to work eight times as hard?" Not at all! The trick is to use content. Pre-record yourself, gather some of your best interviews or podcasts, and create something that doesn't require more of your time, is free for you to deliver, and has high value for the customer.

For instance, with our AI tool, we see that most users do about half and half. Half of their videos are free content for YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. The other half are value-adding videos. You find an expert, interview them, and then have the AI edit the recording. Suddenly, it's no longer a conversation; it becomes a masterclass.

4. Bring Something Fresh to the Table

Why being "average" is the kiss of death in business

In the AI world, many people commit the same mistakes. When you ask ChatGPT or similar tools to write you an email or give you an idea for a product, you're basically getting the most likely answer to this question. It's like getting the average of the Internet - very basic and not very creative.

How I use AI to come up with off-the-wall ideas that work

When we were building our AI assistant, we realized that none of these tools, not even ours, is very creative on its own. But here's the trick: you can force it to be super smart and creative if you ask for multiple ideas at once.

The "11 ideas" trick that'll make your marketing pop

Instead of asking for one email, ask for eleven email titles or ideas to catch the attention of a specific prospect. The first few will be obvious, but then it's forced to come up with more creative options. That's where you get the off-the-wall ideas that will make your marketing stand out.

So if you use AI for marketing, don't just say, "Write me an email." Say, "Give me eleven email titles, ideas to catch the attention of this kind of prospect." Then pick the best one and use that as a starting point.

5. Build Your Own Wealth (Don't Just Be Your Own Boss)

How I made 7 million euros... and ended up with zero

This one's a tough lesson, but it's crucial. From starting my first business in 2007 until 2017, I had grossed 7 million euros. That was about 10 million dollars at the time. And you know how much I had left? Zero. The money came in, and I couldn't even tell you where it all went.

The mindset shift that changed everything for me

In 2017, I had a simple but powerful mindset shift. As an entrepreneur or business owner in any field, what you're doing by running your business is seeking freedom. And to get this freedom, one of the best ways is to use your business as a way to build your personal wealth, not just as a way to have your own job and be your own boss.

Why taking money off the table is crucial for your future

Be very mindful of taking at least part of the money to start building your future. I mean taking it off the table from the business, investing it, using it to create your own wealth. That's actually what helped me when I was running my speaking and coaching business. It gave me the million dollars I needed to start OneTake, which took me to the next level.

6. My Tech Startup Journey: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Why you can't do tech as a side hustle (learn from my mistakes!)

Ten years ago, I started another startup with one of my best friends. We made a few mistakes that I learned from. We had the right product solving the right problem at the right time in the market. In the first year, we did our first million. Sounds great, right? But this business is not around anymore, and here's why.

One of the big mistakes was that I was a co-founder, but I also had my other main business. You cannot really do tech as a side project. We also had people working in marketing that were split between my existing business and this new tech business. From this period, I stopped hiring people part-time, period. When someone is working on two businesses at the same time, they're not focused. Their mind is not there.

The competitor that almost crushed us (and what I learned)

We were struggling with some legal issues, and then a competitor showed up on the market. Their price was maybe 15-20% cheaper than ours. The founder was someone as well-known as me in the market, but the difference was in the mindset. They were full-time on this. They went all in.

At the time, my co-founder kind of lost the appetite. He said we should just follow these people. But here's what I learned: it wasn't about the price. If you look at these guys' prices now, they are way more expensive than the price we had. Other competitors have shown up in the last five years that are, again, way bigger. There was still space in the market for everybody.

How founder psychology can make or break your business

One of my mentors, who runs a family office investing in tech businesses, said something profound. Among all the businesses he had invested in that failed, none of them failed because the technology was outdated or competitors ate their lunch. All of them failed because of the founders' psychology.

7. Introducing OneTake AI: My Latest Venture

The frustration that sparked the idea

For 15 years, from 2010 to 2022, I ran the Free Entrepreneurs Movement, coaching 300,000 entrepreneurs in 14 countries. During this time, I noticed two things. First, I was spending a ton of time editing my own videos for online classes, coaching recordings, and marketing content. Second, the main thing stopping our clients from being successful was the gap between having an idea of how they want to share their expertise and making it real so they can actually share it online.

How it's solving a massive problem for content creators

Everything else had been solved. There are thousands of tools to host online courses or handle payments. But nobody had made a tool where you could just record your content as you are and get great results. That's where the concept of OneTake AI came from.

Why I believe this is a game-changer for entrepreneurs

OneTake allows you to just record yourself - it could be just a voice recording if you don't want to show your face, or with a webcam or Zoom. Then the AI takes that and, without you having to do anything, removes mistakes, stutters, and awkward silences. It improves sound quality, adds titles for main points, composes custom background music, and even translates the video into the viewer's language, syncing your face to match. It's a complete solution for creating professional-quality content without the headaches.

8. Wrapping It Up: You've Got This!

Quick recap of the 5 steps

1. Embrace content marketing and give away "appetizers" of your expertise.
2. Listen to your customers, but don't ask directly about your product.
3. Make an irresistible offer by providing more value than you charge.
4. Bring something fresh to the table - use tools like AI to generate creative ideas.
5. Build your personal wealth, not just your business.

Why persistence is key (even when you only have one student)

Let me leave you with a story of perseverance. When I gave my first salsa class, I only had one student, and it was a guy. It was awkward, and I almost quit right there. But I went back to talk to the guy who taught me salsa dancing. He said, "If you give great service to your one customer, then you'll get two, and then from two, you get more. But the key is you just have to persevere."

He was right. The second class, I had two people. The next class, I had four. And within a year, I had 150 students.

My challenge to you: Take action on one of these steps today

So here's my challenge to you: pick one of these steps and take action on it today. Maybe start creating some content to share your expertise. Or really listen to what your customers are saying they need. Whatever you choose, remember that persistence is key. Keep at it, learn from your mistakes, and don't be afraid to pivot when necessary. You've got this!

And hey, if you want to try out OneTake AI for yourself, head over to try.onetake.ai. You can upload any video you already have or just record yourself and see what the AI does with your video and audio - no credit card required. Who knows? It might just be the tool that takes your content creation to the next level.

Here's to your success, fellow entrepreneurs. Now go out there and make your first million!

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