Just got back from Palomar College, and I'm still processing one conversation that hit harder than any presentation I gave.

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Ok, back to the hard-hitting story.

A mid-60s electrical engineer pulled me aside after my session.

Late 80s. He had developed a system that let restaurant servers transmit orders directly to the kitchen – revolutionary for the time.

He had his first client. Revenue coming in. Momentum building.

Then he got scared. Took a "safe" job instead.

His product? Someone else eventually built it. Made millions.

His biggest regret?

"Justin, I envy you for building your business. I wish I had done it."

Let that sink in for a second.

40+ years of wondering "what if?"

That's the real cost of not betting on yourself.

BEHIND THE SCENES: SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT INSIGHTS

Yesterday was interesting on multiple levels.

First, the format: Speed networking style where 15 speakers sat at different tables, and students rotated through asking questions. Then a panel discussion.

What struck me most?

The questions students asked revealed their mindset:

Compare that to the ONE student everyone remembered:

Infectious enthusiasm. Not the smartest. Not the most prepared. The most ENERGIZED.

That student will go further than the straight-A students playing it safe.

Why? Because energy is transferable. People want to work with people they want to be AROUND.

THE 3 FRAMEWORKS I SHARED (AND YOU SHOULD STEAL)

1/ THE 10Cs FRAMEWORK

I walked them through the complete system:

Care → Commit → Community → Context → Communications → Content → Consistency → Conversion → Cash

Most businesses stop at "Content" and wonder why they're broke.

Winners execute all 10. Systematically. Repeatedly.

2/ CLOSEST TO CASH ACTIVITIES

Shout out to one of the speakers who crushed this concept.

Before starting any task, ask:

"Does this move me closer to revenue TODAY?"

Organizing your desk? No.
Making 10 prospecting calls? Yes.

One FEELS productive. One IS productive.

Every morning, I audit my calendar:

That's how you scale.

3/ ORGANIZATION → COMMUNICATION → DELEGATION

Every single speaker emphasized these three skills.

Organization: Know what matters vs what's noise
Communication: Align teams to outcomes, not activities
Delegation: Focus on your zone of genius, delegate the rest

You cannot scale without mastering all three. Period.

THE AI CONVERSATION EVERYONE'S AVOIDING

Students asked about AI replacing jobs.

Here's what I told them (and what you need to hear):

AI won't replace you. Someone using AI better than you will.

Right now, I still manually set up:

There's no "AI, go do this" button. Yet.

But here's what AI CAN do:

The winners? Those who know WHAT to automate and WHAT to do manually.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE IS KILLING YOUR BUSINESS

Multiple people brought this up, so let's address it.

"Work-life balance" is a myth created by people who hate their work.

What you actually need? ALIGNMENT.

When you're aligned with your purpose:

Last night, Yvonne was up until 2 AM working on campaigns. Not because she "had to." Because she was in the zone.

That's not unhealthy hustle culture. That's flow state.

The key? Seasons.

Sprint when you're hot. Rest when you need to recover. But don't confuse "balance" with "alignment."

THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON FROM ME

Built an IT consulting business. Generated $1M in revenue over 5 years.

Sounds great, right?

I only kept $50K in profit.

Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. Equity is freedom.

That lesson shaped everything I do now:

Don't just build a business that pays you.

Build a business you can SELL.

PRO TIPS FROM THE TRENCHES:

✅ Early is on time. On time is late.
I left San Diego 90 minutes early for downtown LA. Still barely made it. Plan for the worst.

✅ Print your presentation as backup.
Tech fails. Always. Have a printed version you can walk through if needed.

✅ Follow the conversation, not your slides.
Rigid presentations feel robotic. Adapt to the room's energy. Jump around slides as needed.

✅ Have your free offer ready.
Every conversation should have a next step. Digital audit, checklist, template – something of value.

✅ Follow up within 24 hours.
I'm sending the business department head an email TODAY with:

Fortune is in the follow-up. Most people don't follow up. Be different.

THE BORING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

One speaker crushed it talking about home services.

Electrical. Plumbing. Roofing. HVAC.

Why these "boring" businesses are gold mines:

Everyone's chasing the next AI SaaS startup.

Meanwhile, the plumber down the street is doing $2M/year in profit.

Don't sleep on boring businesses.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE REVENUE RONIN

Quick updates:

📧 Newsletter growth: Up to 500+ subscribers organically (you're part of the OG crew)

💼 Client pipeline: 3 new fractional CMO conversations scheduled this week

🎯 Community: Close to 40 paid Ronin members (mission: 1,000 by end of 2028)

📈 Revenue Ronin AI: Launching V2 with enhanced audit capabilities

🗣️ Speaking: Cal State San Marcos engagement confirmed for Q1 2026

We're just getting started.

YOUR ACTION ITEMS THIS WEEK:

1️⃣ Audit your calendar: How much time is "closest to cash"?

2️⃣ Identify your infectious energy: What makes YOU magnetic?

3️⃣ Check your alignment: Are you balanced or aligned? (Big difference)

4️⃣ Follow up: Who have you been meaning to reach out to? Do it today.

5️⃣ Share one win: Reply to this email with one win from this week (I read every response)

THE QUOTE THAT SUMMED UP THE DAY BY ANDY:

"You're entitled to nothing. Breathing is a gift."

Don't squander it doing work that doesn't matter.

Don't squander it playing it safe.

Don't squander it wondering "what if?"

You're either growing or dying. Choose wisely.

See you in the trenches,

Justin "Results" French
Founder, The Revenue Ronin
Fractional CMO | Marketing Strategist | Revenue Growth Expert

⚔️ Discipline. 📊 Data. 🎯 Results.

P.S. - Tomorrow's Ronin Mastermind call (paid members) at adjusted time. Check the group DM for Zoom link. Can't wait to dig deeper into these frameworks with you.

P.P.S. - Prices increasing Jan 1st, 2026. Lock in now: Join The Revenue Ronin Community

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