Tim Paige: Oh you know it buddy, you know it!

Interviewer: Yes, the senior conversion education at Lead Pages, Tim spends his days helping business owners, entrepreneurs and marketers utilize the billions of data points from Lead Pages so they can increase revenue, grow their list and further scale up their businesses. He hosts the popular podcast ‘Conversion Cast’ and has hosted over 450 webinars in the last two years alone, Tim. Take a minute, you animal, and fill some gaps from that intro and give us a little glimpse of your personal life.

Tim Paige: Yeah man well I’m a husband and dad I have a two-year-old boy and we have another one on the way.

Interviewer: Congrats!

Tim Paige: Thanks Man! That’s the most important thing and then beyond that, I do all that stuff at lead Pages, I really, I have a great time helping people with their businesses with really specific marketing stuff. Like what you can really do to get more subscribers and grow your business. That’s the stuff that gets me out of bed in the morning. And beyond that I do a lot of voice over for the UFC and Tommy toys and the CW network and Time Warner Cable. I do a lot of fun stuff like that and beyond that I’m a die-hard Syracuse Orange fan, oh yeah!

Interviewer: I’m still upset that you stole Pascal Cho Cho from us Providence College Friars but I wish you best. Abundance JLD, abundance.

Tim Paige: Ah yeah!

Interviewer: But Tim let’s talk about revenue. You have gone through your ups and your downs in the revenue place when it comes to being an entrepreneur. And now you’ve been working with Lead Pages for a really long time and the entrepreneurial space and time continuum. Talk to us about how you make money today.

Tim Paige: Yeah so we’ve got a lot of ways to generate revenue at Lead Pages, but we really, it’s our main product is the Lead Pages software. And we’ve got a few different plans there but the main focus is people actually signing up for our software. And my part in that is mainly on webinars. Webinars is a huge revenue source for us at Lead Pages and so that’s the big thing. We also have a new product called ‘Center’ which is really revolutionary; I’m really excited about it. Basically it’s a marketing command center. So it kind of ties in all of your different marketing tools and allows them to talk to each other so that everything is automated. But those are our two main revenue streams.

Interviewer: So I love that you broke that down because now I have even a better understanding. Now let’s kind of break down your personal revenue, how do you bring the dollars in the door?

Tim Paige: Yeah so I bring in money from obviously the things that I do at Lead Pages and my income there. And then I also have the voice over business, which I do podcast intros and all sorts of stuff there, generates revenue. And that is all, pretty much entirely from word of mouth and auditioning through my agents.

Interviewer: Timthepage.com if I remember correctly?

Tim Paige: Yeah that one’s still there.

Interviewer: Yeah! Now also we talked about a little bit in the pre-intro chat, you’ve locked in a pretty big deal in the voice over world. Can you talk about that?

Tim Paige: Yeah I can, so pretty much if you go to a movie in one of about 8000 movie theatres across the country, you will hear me if you get there a little bit early and you see kind of the previews for the TV shows and stuff. I’ll be the guy going and up next you get to see a preview of the all new movie, Angry Birds!

Interviewer: That’s gonna be so cool, I literally can’t wait, they better have that down in Puerto Rico! It’s kind of funny Kate and I went to the movies the other night and we went to the movie, we thought we were gonna be late because it started at 7:00pm. We got sat down at 7:05, like right when the lights dimmed, and it was 7:45pm before the movie started. And we were like, this is literally getting out of control, the amount of previews and commercials and oh my god it was crazy. But we had fun; there were a lot of cool things going on. And now that I can hear your voice, it will make that 45 minutes all worthwhile.

Tim Paige: Yep.

Interviewer: And for our nation, if you’re hearing a nice bit of banter back and forth between Tim and myself it’s because we’re buddies. We’re really good friends, we’ve been friends for a really long time. Way back in the day actually, he was episode 941 of EO Fire so this is not his rodeo. And Tim and I actually did a podcast together back in the day. You can still find it; it’s called ‘Love your Leap’. So definitely go check that out if you wanna hear Tim and myself back in 2013 just wrapping about life and about business and entrepreneurship. That podcast was a blast Tim.

Tim Paige: Ah man it was so much fun and it was cool because you and I both at the time really only talked to other people and talked about their stories and that was our chance to share our own kind of things.

Interviewer: Yeah we were both just focused on the interview based podcasts and so that was like our little kind of personal time to rant and to just have fun. And you know because of the friendship that we formed there, I mean when Clay came to me and said “Hey JLD, who can run the Lead Pages podcast?” I said “There’s one person only and his name’s Tim Paige.”

Tim Paige: Whoop, whoop!

Interviewer: So Tim let’s talk about your journey at Lead Pages specifically. Because back in episode 941 Fire Nation, we got into Tim’s backstory and it’s very impressive. It is resilience galore so you wanna go back and listen to episode 941 just type in Tim or Paige, P-A-I-G-E into the search bar and you’ll come up with Time Paige. And I’m sure his close cousin Jennifer Paige, the famous singer comes up as well, she was episode 747. I saw that right before I bought you on here Tim, that was pretty cool.

And you can listen to it then, but we’re gonna focus on the last couple years. So Tim, since you’ve joined Lead Pages, it’s obviously been mostly great, you make a great salary, you work at a great company, you have great people that you work with, I mean all is good. But there’s still some tough times. Can you take us to the worst entrepreneurial moment you’ve experienced thus far with Lead Pages?

Tim Paige: Yeah of course, I mean with any business, there’s gonna be some failures, there’s gonna be tough moments. We’ve been having a lot of success and things are amazing at Lead Pages but of course there are gonna be some of those times. And a lot of them I can really speak to kind of my personal failures within all of that. And it takes us back to really not that long ago, last year.

So one of the things we do at Lead Pages is everybody is responsible for the numbers that they’re a part of. Whether you’re a blogger or designer, you’re responsible for certain numbers. And I had been performing really well consistently for about two years, you know of course little bumps in the road here and there and there are gonna be some times that aren’t great. But at one-point last year I hit a really rough patch. And we had a big string of webinars in a row where even though I was feeling like I was on fire and everything was going great, at the end of the day, the numbers were just lower than normal.

And a few bad webinars turned into a month of really bad webinars. And it turned out that that month I was like “Okay, let’s see if I can just try to give myself a little boost here and go maybe things are just bad across the board, maybe it’s a weird time, maybe it’s like vacations and people aren’t thinking about stuff.” Trying to come up with all these excuses to kind of make myself feel better. And I looked around and I talked to some people, and it turned out that literally every department in the company had their best month of the year and I had my worst month since I’d been there.

And it was really hard and it was really hard for me to just go “Wow, I really just need to sit back and go look I’m just not, I’m not doing great right now and I need to turn it around and figure it out.” And even in that time that all those things were going wrong, we even had a really big software glitch. Not a Lead Pages software glitch but a tool we were using to track some things. That ended up, it glitched out in the middle of some big promotions we were doing and it hurt some of our relationships with some really big people. And it just a lot of stuff came together all at once that made it a rough month.

And I think one of the biggest things I had to do to get out of that was to really kind of take a second and accept it and say “You know what? Business is like this and we’re gonna get into this rut and this hole.” And I have to as an entrepreneur and as somebody who is a leader, I need to just sit back, take a minute, accept it and go “Okay, moving forward, it’s time to fix this, and I can’t let the fact that this last month or so has been so bad, I can’t let that affect things going forward. Because if I do, it’s gonna become a longer and longer time until we’re able to get out of it.”

And so that was one of the big things that I realized was there’s so much that plays into your mind, there’s so much that plays into your thinking and how that affects your results. And so because I had a little string of failures, I got all negative and got all down on myself and for a month it just continued on until I finally said enough is enough and I’m not gonna let this continue. And after that we turned it around and the next month was the biggest month I’d ever had.

Interviewer: Fire Nation, there’s a theme that we’ve really been seeing actually this last week of interviews with EO Fire and I kind of love how it just naturally seems to happen like this. But this theme that I’m pulling from Tim’s story specifically here is, take 100 percent responsibility. Take 100 percent responsibility for the good times, for the bad times and for the in between. Because what else are you gonna do? Are you gonna stick your head in the sand? Are you gonna whine, complain or moan or just think that it’s not really happening?

No you need to look around and you need to be real and say “I’m taking 100 percent responsibility” and know that there’s gonna be some tough times. But don’t get down on those because it will start to become that self- fulfilling prophecy. You’ll start to believe your own jargon that’s going on in your head if you let yourself get caught up in that jargon. So just take 100 percent responsibility say “How can I improve from this current situation and move forward”. And Tim just real quick because I’m a webinar guy, did you find anything that you were doing within your webinars was the reason for this? Did you shift anything or was it just kind of a funk?

Tim Paige: I think what it was, was the mindset that I had gotten into as a result of a few lower performing webinars had caused me to have that energy that was “Hey, I’m struggling right now” and it’s almost, it’s not desperation, but it’s almost that negativity. And somebody asks you a question that maybe you don’t particularly like the tone of the questions and you respond with a little bit of like clause out.

Interviewer: Edge, yeah.

Tim Paige: Yeah and I think that’s one of the big things that was affecting it.

Interviewer: Got it, got it and again Fire Nation this goes back to the self-fulfilling prophecy. I mean when you start to believe these own words inside your head I mean it’s audio, it’s video, people see your reactions, they hear your voice. We’re really perceptive as human beings when it comes to audio and video. So just realize, what you’re feeling inside is definitely being exposed outside, that’s just reality.

Tim Paige: Big time.

Interviewer: Now Tim let’s talk about one of your greatest ‘ah ha’ moments that you’ve had, being at Lead Pages. Of course you’ve had unbelievable amounts, I mean billions of data points, you must be like a pig in heaven, I mean it’s amazing! What’s the greatest ‘ah ha’ moment?

Tim Paige: One of the biggest ‘ah ha’ moments I’ve ever had actually came slowly over time and it just continued to cement itself. I think a lot of times we have these big lightbulbs like “Boom hear it is, here’s this thing.” But for me the number one thing I’ve learned which’s led to my success at Lead Pages and in all areas of life is just the serious legit power of real, meaningful relationships.

Our business at Lead Pages wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for relationships. Whether it’s the ones that Clay created with our customers before we ever had the software tool. It’s the relationships that our team has with each other, we’re like a big family. When I first joined the team it was like 20 something people and now we have 165 people.

Interviewer: Wow.

Tim Paige: And it’s still a big family and you know there are some people that you talk to less than others because of just not working together on a lot of projects. But overall it’s like this big amazing relationship. The relationships that our, our leadership team, Clay and Tracey, that they have with our team. The relationships we have with our partners that make them want so desperately to promote our stuff and do webinars and do blog posts for us. The relationships I’ve made with friends which ended up being a big reason why I’ve been able to do the things I have.

I mean you mentioned it, you and I became friends not because I wanted something from you or you wanted something from me, but we had a lot of things in common, we connected we were driven, and that led to me being at Lead Pages. That led to us having a really awesome podcast that many people have written to us and said “Hey John and Tim, your podcast has inspired me and helped me learn.” All of those things came as a result of relationships. And not business focused relationships where I’m trying to sell you or get you to do this thing. It’s all real relationships that evolved as a result of common interests and stuff like that.

And I really, I’m gonna say something that’s unpopular, I actually believe in luck, being a part of the equation. I think people are afraid to say that because then they think it takes away their power to do anything. But it doesn’t. But circumstances work out a way that they do. And maybe you’ll meet the right person and when you meet that person, something happened in your past which caused you to have a particular set of skills, a very particular set of skills. So that when that meeting happens, when you meet the right person, you can make magic happen and that person is your friend and you happen to be able to help them with something which then connects you to somebody else.

And so I think that being ready for things to happen and doing everything you can to be the best at what you do and to focus on the things that you love doing. So that when those relationships happen and they lead to something, it’s a natural thing to go ‘Oh, great, this would be the right person to do this.” Or “Here’s the right project for you.”

Interviewer: I believe in luck, and I’m a big believer in the phrase, “Luck is where effort meets opportunity.” So Fire Nation, if you are putting in the effort, like Tim was, nose to the grind stone like I was. Guess what? When opportunities arise, you’re there. So yes, there’s some luck involved with everything we do but it takes effort and meeting opportunity.

And I love your focus here on relationships. People ask me all the time like “John, what is the best thing that’s come out of EO Fire?” And it’s not the dollars and it’s not the x, the y, the z. It’s the over 1400 relationships that I’ve built with past guests of EO Fire and growing by one every single day. Relationships are everything at Fire Nation, value them to the moon and back. Now Tim what’s your biggest weakness as an entrepreneur?

Tim Paige: I have this tendency to like desperately want to do way to many things at once. I’ll try building a new webinar and getting guests for Conversion Cast and helping somebody figure something else. And jumping in Facebook groups answering questions about marketing. And, and, and, and, and it’s really funny that it was, it took almost like a crash, to figure all that out. I had a friend come to me like “Dude, you’re doing just way too much. You’ve gotta stop and just focus on one thing and do one thing at a time.” In fact, that book, I think it’s ‘One Thing’.

Interviewer: Yeah.

Tim Paige: That was a big lightbulb for me because it really helped me to realize that you really have to just focus all your efforts and start seeing results. But it’s still something I struggle with every day.

Interviewer: Biggest strength?

Tim Paige: Probably my ability to stay calm, it takes a lot to get me frazzled. I can say “Okay, let’s just move on and be ready for the next thing and do what we can.”

Interviewer: Tim obviously Lead Pages has a lot of exciting things going on. You even as an individual have a lot of exciting things going on. What’s the one thing you’re most fired up about today?

Tim Paige: I’m really excited right now for Center. That’s like for me, the thing that’s got me so fired up, I’m so ready to go. Because marketing as a whole is just, really changing and evolving. There was a time where people wanted all their marketing tools to be in one. Like, they wanted one tool that was like landing pages, and email marketing, and Facebook ads and blogging and stats and all that. But we’re realizing as an industry that that really doesn’t work. And if you really wanna have a successful series of marketing campaigns, you need to focus on specialization.

So we’re doing some renovations on our house, we have a 166-year-old house, so always renovating. And so when our guy comes over to focus on stuff, we’ve got an amazing contractor and he comes over to build this new addition to our house. He doesn’t just come over and do everything himself. Right he brings in an electrician; he brings in a plumber right he brings in specialists. Because he might know how to do all those things, but he wants the best of the bets. Because they know it better than anyone else.

That’s what people are realizing now when it comes to their marketing. You want the best landing page tool, the best email marketing platform, the best automation, the best everything. And so that’s why I’m excited about Center because it makes it so that if you want to do all those things, and you want to have the specialized tools, you can have them all communicate to each other really simply. You don’t have to go log in to Lead Pages and then go log into Convert Kid and then go log into this other thing. Center will handle it all and communicate with all them for you. So you can use the best in class tools without having to have this like, this compartmentalization of your marketing.

Interviewer: Wow, where can Fire Nation find out more?

Tim Paige: You can go to leadpages.net. We’re actually gonna be releasing that very soon so check out leadpages.net and you’ll be able to see more about Center.

Interviewer: Exciting! You know what else is exciting Fire Nation? The lightning round, so, don’t you go anywhere and Tim will be right back after we thank our sponsors. Tim are you prepared for the lightning rounds?

Tim Paige: As prepared as I’ll ever be!

Interviewer: What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur?

Tim Paige: Maybe age, or like time. I waited till I was 18 to start my own business. Maybe because I was like too focused on listening to Marylyn Manson and Deaf Tones and trying to be as Goth as I could be. But yeah I don’t think anything was holding me back, I was ready.

Interviewer: What’s the best advise you’ve ever received?

Tim Paige: Oh I love this, I think it was actually, it was on Entrepreneur on Fire, Clay our CEO was on the show a long time ago.

Interviewer: Yeah like in the teens I think; it was crazy long ago.

Tim Paige: Seriously, yeah and I never forgot it, he, you asked him what was his mantra and he said “Only do what you can’t not do.” And I mean that was so profound for me, I heard that and I had to pause it and I had to stop and take a minute. Because that’s it, that’s it, all throughout the day, if you can’t not do something, that’s when you should it. But otherwise there’s no point. That or maybe get out of debt as soon as you can because that changed my life.

Interviewer: What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success?

Tim Paige: When, my brain is on overload and I’m feeling like way too much stuff going on, I take a break and go run around the house with my son. Just completely running, yelling screaming at the top of our lungs. My wife is like “Oh my Gosh, please be quiet.” It helps my head just to be completely cleared and then I can come back fresh.

Interviewer: And Fire Nation, you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And you’ve been hanging out with TP and JLD today, so keep up the heat and head over to eofire.com. Just type Tim in the search bar, his show page will pop up with everything that we’ve been talking about today. Best show notes in the biz, we’re talking time stamps, links galore and of course check out all that Tim has going on over at Lead Pages, his webinars, his voice over, I mean we’re gonna have everything linked up for you. And Tim, I just wanna say thank you for sharing you journey once again with Fire Nation, for that we salute and we’ll catch you on the flipside.