111: Man Up, Take Control, and Reach Your True Potential with Bedros Keuilian

This week we have a very special episode for you in that we are having a Misfit Entrepreneur on for a second time. This is rarity and not something I would typically do, but when I saw what he was doing and the message that he’s created, I had to have him back on to discuss it. Misfit Nation, this week’s Misfit Entrepreneur, the only two time guest at this point, is Bedros Keuillian.

So, let me tell you why I am having Bedros back on and for those of you that don’t know who Bedros is…Bedros escaped communism, came to the US with nothing and now He is a high performance coach, speaker, and business consultant. He's the founder and CEO of Fit Body Boot Camp, a two time Inc. 5000 listed business and one of the nation’s fastest-growing franchises, and an investor in over a dozen companies ranging from software, digital media agencies, and educational and consulting services. He's known as the hidden genius that entrepreneurs, best-selling authors, and thought leaders turn to when they want to quickly scale their businesses and build impact-focused brands.

Bedros has just released a new book with a message that I think is incredibly timely and society needs to hear. It’s called “Man Up: How to Cut the Bullshit and Kick Ass in Business and in Life.”

After hearing that title you can probably guess why I brought him back on…but what is most important is not just the message of the book, but the real, tried and tested actions Bedros will teach you that you can start using now to reach your full potential now.

www.Manup.com

Bedros calls himself the “Immigrant Edge” and the “American Dream.” His family escaped the Soviet Union when he was 5 with 2 suitcases to their names and no one spoke English. He grew up with nothing and very poor. He had a lot of anxiety and pain about not being able to fit in and numbed his pain with eating.

In 11th grade, he wanted to ask a girl to the prom. He knew he had to lose some weight. He was very overweight with low self-esteem. He spent the summer between junior and senior year working out and came back to school losing over 30 lbs with a little more self-esteem, but still didn’t have the confidence to ask a girl out. But that summer made a difference for him. He originally had planned to leave school and go to technical school, but after seeing the difference he made in himself, he decided he wanted to help other have and feel the same transformation.

He decided to become a personal trainer instead. He got certified, but had not clients and even the few he got weren’t paying him much. He got two side jobs, one as a bouncer and one as a fry cook at Disneyland. He was always tired. One of his clients asked him about it and pointed out how he was poor at marketing and sales. The client brought him a sales tape on how to sell better. That lead to Bedros diving into personal growth. Before long, he was having more success and then creating personal training studios. He was able to sell those in the early 2000’s and then started coaching and consulting personal trainers on how to do what he had done.

That became the base of what he has done today in coaching and consulting, and the creation of Fit Body Bootcamp a franchise that now has over 700 locations worldwide and opening up dozens per month.

At the 12 min mark, Bedros explains what the most important message he wants to teach people with Man Up…

• Entrepreneurs are islands. We suffer in silence.
• Bedros went through this when he started to build the business around Fit Body Bootcamp
• As he grew a larger organization, he found he was missing something. He had good control a solopreneur or with a few employees, but as the business grew, he knew he was not equipped for the task.
• He was a poor communicator and started to have a bad relationship with employees. He was passive aggressive and had animosity.
• He was unclear in his vision and in explaining it to employees He realized he was not equipped to “win the game.”
• He actually gave up on things, but after self-reflection realized everything came down to his leadership and he hadn’t “manned up” to take responsibility.
• The book is designed to teach people how to be a better leader through taking ownership, learning to communicate better, becoming better at decision making, emotional resilience, and how to be clearer on your mission and vision.

After everything you’ve learned and done to this point, what’s the #1 thing you’ve seen that holds other back from reaching their fullest potential?

• Everyone is afraid to take full ownership
• They must stop making excuses, take control of the situation, and rise to the challenges.
• The most effective thing you can to control your outcome is the become a “Control King or Queen.”

You start the book by taking about leading self. Explain that.

• Lead from the front. It starts with self-discipline.
• You cannot expect others to do things you haven’t done or demonstrated the discipline to do.
• Practice tell, show do. Tell your team what you are looking for them to do. Show them exactly what it is. Then ask them to do it. Don’t assume that people just get it.

Tell us about the 5% rule…

• It is critical for anyone leading anything
• The leader must focus on their 5%. The 5% of things that they are extraordinary at.
• The 5% are the biggest levers a leader can only do
• The leader must then delegate the 95% of things they are not the best at

How can someone uncover their purpose, vision, and path – and then make it a reality?

• It more about developing your purpose, developing a skill.
• Most don’t take the time to get introspective and ask, “What do I really want?”
• What are your drivers? Money, meaning, possessions?
• You can have all 3, but you must create meaning alongside what you want.
• Don’t’ jump around other people’s purposes and desires – you must develop your own.

At the 38 min mark, Bedros shares the practices and habits that leaders must do to build great, high-performing teams…

• Reading about the Navy SEALs gave Bedros some of his best advice for building a team.
• If you notice, the are called “SEAL Teams” not SEAL individuals.
• A team is a group of individuals brought together to compete against an opponent and win.
• There is a difference between having a true team and having employees
• Teams are outcome driven and obsessed with beating the opponent together doing what it takes.
• As a leader, it is your responsibility to get our team members to play up to their highest potential.
• A great example is if you find a book or message that helps you as a leader, you should share it with your team and engage them to learn the material.
• Or send them to a training or event to teach them more

Outside teams vs. Inside Teams

• Outside teams are friends, consultants, and coaches you work within your industry.
• Your inside team are the people on your teams in your business that you lead on a daily basis.
• Your outside team holds you accountable. You hold your inside team accountable.

We all have this book of our life and unfortunately most people hand the pen over to others to write the book, when they are the ones that should be writing it. Take the pen back and decide for yourself what the pages really look like.

 

Best Quote: “We all have this book of our life and unfortunately most people hand the pen over to others to write the book, when they are the ones that should be writing it. Take the pen back and decide for yourself what the pages really look like.”

 

Bedros's Misfit 3:

Leadership is critical. It is the problem and the solution

Leadership starts with self-discipline. Work on yourself first. Lead from the front and then set high expectations.

You do hold the pen. Take back control of your life and your story.