Start Creating TikTok Content on this episode of Wake Up Legendary. Below is the transcription for this episode:
Matt: Hello, everybody happy. Wednesday, September 7, I forgot what day it was Wednesday, September 7, we're live for another episode of wake up legendary. You're doing well. If you're tuning in for the first time, congrats and welcome. We do this every single Monday through Friday at 10am. Eastern. And it's a way for us to offer a little bit of inspiration, a little motivation to wake up not with Fox News or CNN but with somebody who's actually you know, kicking some ass with his business or her business. And it's a way for us to bring on guests totally unscripted. So sometimes people are like, hey, you know, is this all just like scripted out and you've got all this? No, I met our guests today. I met him like three seconds ago. And that's about it. So we've got cool guests. We bring our guests every single day. So make sure that you make it a point to tune in every single day. In fact, if you want, you can text the letters W L. Each open a text message type in W U L, and send that message to 813-296-8553. You can see it on the screen right now as well. And you'll get just a simple little text message every single morning when we go live. And here's, here's exactly what it looks like. Boom, there it is. And that's all that happens. We don't try to sell you anything. We don't have other stuff. We're trying to sell you, we just simply go live and send you a little message saying hey, tune in. So whether you're at work, whether you're on a walk with your dog, whether you're laying in bed in the morning, and you still haven't woken up, whatever I mean at 7am Where I'm from over here in Phoenix so you can tune in every single morning, listen to another awesome guest and today's guest His name is Michael Michael, what's up? How are you?
Michael: What's going on, man? How are you?
Matt: I'm good. I'm doing well. Where are you currently calling in from?
Michael: I'm currently calling in from Mississippi. Southaven, Mississippi right outside of Memphis, Tennessee.
Matt: Right on Well, welcome to the show pumped to have you having us on? Yeah, of course. We've got a man we've got. You have so many followers. On Tik Tok I'm excited to talk about that. And I'm just excited to talk about your journey and stuff of coming online and building huge followings. You've got it looks like you've got a family. I don't know. Like I don't know you that well. But yeah, tell us first before we dive into all of that. Tell us a little bit about how you found lead. Like when did you find legendary How did you find us? What's been your journey online so far?
Michael: Okay, so a little backstory about me. I am is there by you know Michael Jones now and I am a husband and a father to two boys. They're eight and five. I am from Chicago, Illinois. But now I reside in Mississippi but I am from Chicago, Illinois. And I started my online journey back in 2019. When I was working in the warehouse field I was putting in about 50/60 hours a week. And I was really desiring to have more time with my family with my wife and my kids. So I went to the internet and I, you know, Googled as much as many people do. I Googled how to make money online and I came across you know, opportunities to do so I got introduced to you know, digital marketing, affiliate marketing. So I first started out in 2019 kind of struggled a little bit and then took a little break and then came back because you know, I still believed in the business model still believed in that process just had to figure out what I was doing wrong and that's when I came across your guys’ training program, which is 100% Amazing. I came across it in 2020 right around I believe it was like September is of Sept 2020. I got into it. And you know, from there, I just started taking off and you know, I think around the holiday around Thanksgiving is when I started to take it really seriously. I got into the training and I dove into it. I started implementing the strategies that's taught inside of there. And ever since then, has been able to take off and you know, being able to build a massive following and you know, being consistent.
Matt: Cool, man, that's so cool. And 357,002 That's a lot. That's impressive. What's What's the I mean that's just one channel. But from going to going through the training. Before that, had you ever done anything online? Did you maybe try drop shipping or did you buy any other courses or try anything else?
Michael: Yes, I hadn't tried any of the business models. I could say I probably tried Amazon FBA or blog. I really got into it, but I really didn't implement any of the strategies and so blogging but I was real close to starting blogging. I really haven't done any drop shipping or anything like that, but I had bought a ton of courses
Matt: But what kind of stuff like what was that journey like buying courses trying different stuff?
Michael: Well, the journey of buying different courses. The biggest thing is getting into it and actually learning it and implementing it and not focusing on trying to make money and that's one mistake that I definitely made when I first started buying a course about definitely being eager at the time of you know, wanting to make money. There's a lot of bonuses and to the point where we don't even access the training is right there in front of you. You don't access it, you don't open it up and you just go out there and you start trying to market something that you really don't have any education on. And I don't have any. I didn't develop the skills. So I definitely teach that to my audience. Let them know that that's one biggest mistake that I made when I first started out. And now you know, I preach as far as getting into the training. Your bias is good to buy training but you have to go through it and you have to implement what's inside of it by buying it and just having it on your computer just having a you know a book or whatever if you don't open it up. If you don't learn from it, then it's not going to be of any use at all.
Matt: Yeah, it's sort of like a math textbook or something right? It's like you can buy the textbook, but if you don't go through it and don't do the problems and you know, don't actually try to solve something it's like what Yeah,
Michael: yeah. So that was one thing that I did when I first started out, which I know you know, like people may fall in that category and some of the training that I did get from watching YouTube, you know, I was big into buying solo ads and that did not work. I lost a ton of money in the process of doing so. kind of join the club, join the club, kind of like got me all over like, you know, lost my confidence and my ability to grow into business because I was losing so much money because I didn't have the knowledge it was just what I was learning or was being told from somebody people go out there and buy solo ads and it's like no, like no.
Matt: Yeah, I always tell a story about how I bought some I bought about $1,000 worth of solo ads and I didn't even really know what solo ads were and put them on a credit card and I never saw a single lead not even I don't I don't even know if I ever saw single click come from that. Yeah, you learn right. So you learn and you discover and some of that is you know, you spend money that you wish you didn't and some of it is you spend time that you wish you didn't right sometimes people are like sometimes people feel like you know wow what a scam I got scammed because you know, I spent money on solo ads, but you know, a lot of times people don't realize we're scared that we do a lot of stupid stuff that takes a lot of time that we're scamming ourselves basically our whole lives sometimes when we're scrolling on Tik Tok because time, time is worth money way, way more than money but it's just funny how our brain does that as soon as we lose a little bit of money, it's like wow, like, my confidence is lower my you know all of that. But then like, we'll go out and like, waste a night out at a bar. We'll go out and like and scroll tick tock for two or three hours every day doing absolutely nothing. And it's like, you know, like, maybe you should be mad at yourself for scamming yourself.
Michael: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Matt: What's what's been, what's been the journey of getting started? Online, opening up like tick tock accounts and social media and like, how is that content creation gone on WhatsApp and like?
Michael: Well, when I first started, I had no social media presence at all. I was not even big on social media. I was afraid to get on camera. It was something that I refused one of the reasons why I kept buying so as you say, you spent 1000. How about five or six? Like literally because I was reluctant to, you know, show my face or get in trouble with other methods and other strategies, right. And so, back when I got so that my back up against the wall, I have lost my job, but I was on unemployment. And it was like okay, well let me dive into this training. Let me go ahead and implement you know, some of the strategies in there and of course, it was like okay, well getting out there and content creation and learning about it. And I was like, I was I was not wanting to show my face, but my back was against the wall and I knew that I couldn't look my wife and I knew I couldn't look my children in the face and tell them that dad was not going to try his hardest with the information that he knew that he had they could utilize to get us out of a situation that we were in at the time. So I met like I tell my audience now. And it's kind of touching as I speak on it because it was like, when I got out there started creating content like I was I did not want to show my face for several reasons. One, I didn't even have any teeth. And to tell that story and to have enough courage, you know, right now, you know, to tell that story where when I first started, I was sober, like down and out. Like I didn't even have you know, I didn't want to be on camera because of my presence, my physical presence, how I look, but I couldn't look at my family and tell them you know, I couldn't I couldn't let us go out like that. So I have to put their pride aside. I have to not care what somebody else thinks about me. And I had to get up and start creating the content and it was ugly. And I said now I shared with my audience when I go live. I was still on my very first video. It was totally ugly, ugly and then you can even probably see if you really zoned in or zoom in on me and be like, Oh man, he didn't have any seats. But like, yeah, I don't have a problem sharing that story now with my audience or with people. Because it doesn't matter where you are right now. It's about where you're trying to go and what others think about you and you'll be left behind and be stuck in the mud somewhere wondering about what Johnny and Susan is thinking about you and you know, they don't care anything about you at all. So the process of producing the content was, you know, I didn't have any knowledge about it. I just started creating content and sharing my story. And then as I started to grow and become better with content creation, I literally will go out there and I will see some of the successful people that was an industry that was making noise and I will go out there and I would you know see how they were creating content and get tips and get strategies and kind of model the success of others that was proven to be great content creators and from there, that's where you know 357,000 followers standout today plus other accounts as well.
Matt: that's crazy. Just because, like when you get started on those platforms like to build number one to build a 337,000 follower account. I don't know if everybody just got the big gold nugget that you just dropped but it's sometimes just as simple as really monitoring and watching what are the strategies not necessarily like, like, you know, different people are going to share different parts of their journey in the content creation strategy in their world, right. And this happens at various different niches and industries. For instance, I've seen people there's this renowned pizza. I don't know if it's called chef or whatever, but there's this famous pizza chef in Phoenix and his name is Chris Bianco and he's an Italian guy. He's a great chef, but like, but like him. He'll post occasional videos about things like you know, hey, started and started in pizza, you know, 35 years ago, whatever. And now he's got some of the best, definitely the best pizza in Phoenix, but he's also got like, he's, he's pretty renowned. Like people will travel and they'll come to pizzeria bianco, because that's like, when fired pizza that you're gonna die for. And, but like, he'll take for instance, I've noticed on like, you know, his Instagram or whatever, he'll take pieces of content that are unique to him and his place and stuff. And there's tons of little content creation nuggets in polling from Okay, so he, he now is in a place where he can tell his story and he's got a bunch of results, but a new but a new pizza restaurateur. can also look at how he markets that on social media, how he tells the story of life, the food that he creates, the ingredients that he sources and he might not have the results of a 35 year pizza or pizzeria restaurateur. But I like that you point out there's lots of content nuggets built into that whole thing and and you've basically built a multi 100,000 person following from just being smart and being an engineer and looking at the different pieces that people that other successful people have. Done in their social channels to build a huge following and you've done the exact same thing basically right?
Michael: Absolutely. I literally did just that. You know, I will go out there and I will look at some of the successful people in the industry. And you know, I gave an example of some artists I don't I don't keep the secret of how I did it. I literally shared it with my audience and it was like, you know, it's I'm live because I go live on Tik Tok. And then I show my audience exactly an example in a different niche. Here's a fitness person. Here's another fitness person. And you can see the resemblance in the deep end of videos. And you can see the similarities, but there's, they're there. They're almost seasoning on it. There's their own sauce on it. And this is just how simple it can be for you to go out there and just find five or 10 people within you who know your industry within your niche and see how you can go out there and just get us. The biggest thing is to get inspiration from them. See how they're, you know, you know growing and see what they're doing and see how you can come up with ideas as well as all as well as being creative in your own way too as well. And putting your own stuff like that on it.
Matt: 100% 100% and it's excuse me, it's I feel like though the other thing I wouldn't comment on was showing your bad videos or showing your first videos man smart so smart, because people every single time that I get an email from somebody that says yeah, but I don't have 100,000 followers, you know, like how they've been doing it for two years and they've got 300,000 followers like how can I ever do that? And every single time I say remember they had a day one? Yes, I went wherever they're at right now. Everybody has a day one where they're sitting in front of their computer or their phone. They're looking at their phone and sarin into that TikTok app. And they're like I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Even have a training even if it all lays it out perfectly. Yeah, there's a moment of implementation where we all look into the camera phone, the blog post, whatever. And we're like, shit like, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how this is gonna work, but I gotta figure it out. Because like, it's either this or I quit. And that's a really sobering moment. So to show your beginning moments where it's like dude, honestly kind of embarrassing, whatever. It just removes all of the shame and weird feelings from it. It's like it just strips it all away. And it's, you know, it just reminds me of like, when Dave was getting started and he got clean. And, you know, he hadn't told a lot of people about a story. And they started sharing his story because it just removed all of the weird hidden things about it. And it was just like, hey, let me this is just who I am. Right? My journey, my story. This is what it's like. And then people came to really appreciate that they were like, I respect that honesty and that realness. And some big reason why legendaries are as successful as it is, is because people are drawn to the sort of like, real vulnerable, raw transparency. What um, as you create content you've been creating content for, like, how long have you had these tick tock channels open and stuff?
Michael: Well, I have two open Well, I think really three but two of them that I'm actively you know, comes in because definitely on my head, the very first one which one is the 350 some 1000 I had that one open as early as 2020 like December I think I created my very first video two days before Christmas. So when you know when people are out with their family, of course I was too but like I said, I was at this breakfast at this point. My back was against the wall that you know, I had to you know, they had to do something so yeah, I was starting around Christmas time. I think I just like my very first video, which is because I said I've been sharing it with my audience, especially as of late and showing them their very first video. I'm not mistaken. It's like December 23 of 2020. And I think January like seven to 12 was when I took it seriously. And that's it every single day. I've been just putting out videos. So basically for almost two years that I've had that account and as well as I'm not sure when my Instagram account got created. It was a little bit out there I probably got. I focused on Tik Tok and mastered that first and then I went on to Instagram. I created an Instagram account as well. And so growing that as well, but I've been creating content for almost two years now. Geez, man, that's crazy.
Matt: For people who are newer or aren't really familiar with creating content or, like Dude, there's people watching this today who just bought the challenge today, like the first episode, they're watching, right? For those kinds of people, like what would you say to them when they look at you like, man, he's been doing this for two years. Like, that's a lot of content. How can I ever do that? Because that even to me if, as you say it feels daunting, like how would you encourage or give a little bit of like, hope to those people who are just getting started and it feels like a big hurdle to jump
Michael: Well, one is definitely you know, believe me your ability to do so that's first and foremost. I believe you'd have to believe that you can go out there and do it. If you think that you can't, then there's gonna be there's gonna reflect that. So you have to trust yourself. You have to believe in yourself and your ability to do so even if you don't see the plan in front of you of how to do it. You have to believe no matter what I'm doing in my day to day Sally did it. They're no different than I am not gonna go out there and do it. So I will say to people just get started in believing in yourself. And most importantly, never get too satisfied or complacent or get full from what you have accomplished after you have seen you know you accomplish three 100 videos and use words like Don't, don't, don't slow down. At that point. It's not time to take your foot off the gas, and often will make that mistake and even in my process with this, I could admit that I've made that mistake and that's something that I don't always, you know what I wouldn't most people probably would not share it but you know, I've I've made that mistake is learned and grown from that mistake to just continue to you know, remain consistent no matter how successful you have. Become at this point. You just continue to keep pushing and never give up and you know, don't stop don't get too full, you know, and unsatisfied and your success that you're not hungry so always always have that hunger and that's why they always say well what is your why always think about why you're doing it just because even when you get you know, when you don't feel like it or when you get tired or when you feel like oh I can just close now I could just sit back I didn't. I didn't know how to get a video that hit 1.3 million. I could just sit back and not post videos for two weeks like no don't. Don't Don't Make that mistake, continue to keep pressing on and really definitely meant to, you know to put your foot on the gas and go so I just I will definitely believe in yourself and stay consistent and don't get don't get to pull yourself at all.
Matt: Yeah, and don't take yourself too seriously. Yeah, man, but, um, so do you still work the same job that you did when you started this right?
Michael: No, I don't work. No, not not for anybody else now. I've been working. I lost my job during the run around the pandemic time.
Matt: You said that you said that. Yeah.
Michael: I lost my job then was on unemployment. And so you know, I was on planet for a while kind of sitting there for a while and then it just started to exhaust it was like, Okay, what are you going to do now? You're going to go back to our nine to five, or are you going to like what are you going to do now because you're about to receive your last unemployment check. So what are your thoughts on why unemployment has ended? Yes, this is it now. So it's time to wake up Mr. Mike. So what are you? What are you going to do? Are you going to go out there back into the workforce? Where are you? You know, don't really like it and you already had a taste and you already experienced what it's like to wake up and see your wife every morning and then go to bed every morning. You know what it's like to wake up to your kids in the morning and be there when they go to bed and drop them off at school and feed them and you're there you're there and one has given them the meals and you know you're not hearing about how somebody else like you're there with them. You're able to go outside and play with them. You know what it's like the things that you desire and wanting to play and the reasons why you want to come online and start a business. You just experienced that by default from being unemployed for about a year now. So are you going to go out there and work on a blog or are you going to go and apply the training that you have because you have the training? Are you going to apply what you have? So that's when I say you know what, I don't want that this is what I want to do with my family. And that's why I took this series and never looked back.
Matt: That's cool. Yeah, I Yeah. That's super cool, man. And you've got a lot of success. I mean, you really have had a lot of success over the last whatever like two years now. Two years. Two and a half years have passed since the last three years.
Michael: Well, yeah, thanks. Yeah, I tell people I started about three years ago, but when I really reached my breakthrough was when I got access to you guys's training when I was when I reached my breakthrough online because once again when I started in 2019 I was reluctant to do some of the strategies that actually you know, not you know, they actually were I was spending about a year spinning my wheels, trying to buy solo ads and stuff like that. None of that stuff works for me. So when I got access to your training, you got to just train and I didn't hear anything about solo ads. You know, anybody heard that term and when I got access to oil, it's about getting access to the right training. I really believe in that. That's why I'm you know, I'm a big proponent of you guys' training and why you know, recommend it to those who are interested in starting an online business. And once I started, you know, getting out there and implementing it and creating content and overcoming my biggest fear and one of my big areas is getting out there and showing yourself and putting your face out there and creating content once all with a met. I mean, it was like that was like the secret sauce almost. It's never just overcoming fear.
Matt: Yeah, that yeah, that's funny. The eye because I kind of remember that. It just brings up a memory for me when I first saw it online and man, I was just so hesitant and so introverted. I was so scared to put myself on video or to create content with my name on it or whatever, you know, just like cool, man. That's so cool. And now you're humming, you're cruising. For people who are just about to hit post. I'm gonna give you the last word with them. They're just about to hit the post for the first time. What would you tell those people? They're a little hesitant, a little scared. I'm a little overwhelmed. They're not sure what their aunt or uncle is gonna say or their cousin or whatever. We're gonna go viral and they're a tick tock sensation. What would you say to those people to give them a little encouragement and a little inspiration?
Michael: Well, what I would say to them is think why you already created a piece of content, right? Are you about to? It's just about putting that post that present post but thinking about literally like, why are you doing this? Like why do you want to go out there and create content or why you want to go out there and, you know, post videos. Just think about why you want to do it and don't worry about what other people may think of you only care about who the people you are trying to help like who do you want to help you know, and why do you want to help them your whole reason as to why you're starting is of course you want to start a business but you know you have to understand in business, you gotta be helping somebody. So win them by solving some problem or some sort. So why are you doing this? And don't worry about what others are thinking. One of the things that I tell my audience is that I had, I had the analogy where when I was asking myself was I going to go out there and start creating content. So i told myself, I said if my family was it me and my family was on a five by four wooden plank and I was on one side of my wife and my kids was on the other side of this five by four wooden plank, and I had to create content to go and save more by had to press posts to go and save them and they are there by foot in the air right and we beat up right like they they are hot five storeys high. Like I got to just watch my family, like just suffer because I'm scared or am I going to walk across that five by four wooden plank and go and say to my wife and my kids and that was the turning factor in me pressing the post that was okay. The post is going to create content that's going to help save my business and creating content is going to help grow a business and creating content is going to help me out of this nine to five job that helped me build a dream life and I want everything to be constant. Then an essay by my family, then that's what I'm going to do. And when I did that, that's when I was able to, you know, bring us out of it and bring us out of a situation that we were in at the time. So I would say just post it. They definitely think of a reason. I have your reason and your reason for doing this and let that be stronger than your fears like you have to have your goals and your, you know, his aspirations. All of those things have to be bigger than your fears and being with my wife, kids and seeing them and not having a job tell me when I can see them and you only get two hours today because you got to be here but tenants well knowing that I couldn't go to my my son's you know basketball game or you know, baseball game or things like that because I have to choose between going to work and providing food on the table like I didn't want what school they can go to work are we can drive because of the income that we have, what house we can live in, what neighborhood we can live in. I didn't want to give you that kind of control over you know me and my mom did have a situation, especially when I've always dreamed of doing big things for my wife and my kids. So that's why I do what I do. And why say someone else who's looking to get started? What's your biggest reason and you know, let it be stronger. Let your true goals and aspirations be bigger than any fear that you have a precedent post but that is not that bad. And you look back a couple of months later, you will and you can laugh about like I laugh about it now. I'll easily go to my audience and I'd like to look at this video. Like, like look at this crappy video. Like seriously, like I had no teeth in my mouth. You mean to tell me you can't pose with full, bright white teeth and stuff like there is like I had like real be like No, you press posts. You gotta go press it.
Matt: Just gotta hit the post. You just got it. Oh, cool, man. What I hear you saying is you know if you got those big dreams, you got those big aspirations or if you've got any dreams, any aspirations at all. You gotta let them feed those you got to the only way through that is to hit posts the only way to make them actually go is to hit posts.
Michael: Yes. That's cool. I love it. I love it.
Matt: Where should people follow you? Where's the best place? Do you want to send them to Instagram or the TIC tock or where should they follow you?
Michael: I'm creating a new tick tock while I'm trying to grow a new tick tock right now so that MichaelJones_official and So you're gonna watch building another account. I'm just building another account, you're going to be able to watch my journey as I've done in my journey. And in the process of building this one you can actually come along for the ride and see how I'm doing this and get inspiration and hope that it gives you motivation. Just go ahead and be yourself and go out there and not worry about what others think about you because you are great and you can do this just the biggest thing is just believing in yourself
Matt: Hell yeah. I love it. Michael, thanks, man. Appreciate that. And I appreciate the encouragement and and it's cool to see somebody who's been around like, as long as you have like, that's not all that common and it's really cool to see somebody you know, bring this heart of, you know, their life work. It's not work, but it's, you know, this new business into their identity and who they are and that's really cool and I love it. Thanks for sharing.
Michael: Absolutely. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate that.
Matt: We'd love to have you back to shoot us a message in a couple months. You could just hit up Roxy and a couple months and let us know how these accounts go. And let us know how you're building and stuff. We'd love to just revisit it and come back to it. And kind of help document your journey along the way for our audience because that's so powerful.
Michael: Yes, yes. Thank you. Cool.
Matt: Alright guys. I have TikTok here on the screen. Go give him a follow up. It's MichaelJones_fficial. So really easy. Find him on TikTok say, Hey, I found your wakeup legendary and we'll be back here tomorrow. Same time, same place. but we'll be back here tomorrow, Thursday. September 8, same time, same place is 10am. Eastern on our Facebook fan page. We're live every single Monday through Friday. Peace out everybody. See you soon.
