John Stankiewicz - Beyond The Classroom - a podcast by Anthony Trucks

In today’s episode, our guest is John Stankiewicz. He has recently started his clothing line and a motivational apparel brand, The Hustle Prevails. He is a Business Strategy and Mindset Coach with a passion to help people do and be in business. He has been a Network Marketer for 8 years, and he is the author of the book “Beyond the Classroom: The Unconventional Education of an Entrepreneur.” And today, he is going to share with us all about his book and successful network marketing.

 

[7:14] Why should we listen to you?

I teach not from theory experience. I feel like I’ve been through a lot of major life events that have molded me into who I am today. I’m the type of person that takes action. I’m not just a talker, I’m a doer. All these crazy journeys add together and got me a deep sense of drive. Ultimately, I feel like I’ve been there and done it. When I teach people, I’m confident because I’ve experienced it before.

 

[9:01] Why do you have so much success in the network marketing world? 

The only way you can fail in network marketing is if you quit. One of the many blessings of network marketing is there’s such a low barrier to entry. With network marketing, you can get involved for as low as $150 to $1000. You hardly need that much skin in the game. The barrier’s entry is really low. It’s really easy for people to quit. It’s the people who don’t give up; they go into it. They commit to learning the skills. They see it as a long term game. They work on themselves, build on themselves, keep taking the action consistently. The timeline is going to be different for people. If you don’t quit, then you can’t fail.

 

[10:51] Why do most people quit and how can they mitigate that?

Network Marketing, like any other type of business, is a mental game. Like any type of entrepreneurship, you’re diving in, the odds are against you. You have to navigate through the failure, through the rejection, through the people thinking you’re crazy. So the people, who succeed, work on their mindset and build those foundations within themselves to show up every single day. The major things you are dealing with network marketing that people struggle to get through is that they see an opportunity and they’re all about it. Getting over the fear of other people’s opinions, the fear of rejection, the fear of failure, getting yourself out of the imposter syndrome, and stop comparing yourself to people. Once you get over those things, it’s really simple to do.

[12:41] Did you ever have to navigate past that fear?

I found a company that I thought I can partner with. I was convicted on the vision. In the beginning, none of it phased me, but I ended up failing with that first company. It took me a while to get back to the full swing of things because after that I did let it get to me but a lot of work later and I feel like a brick wall now.

 

[13:51] What were the lessons you took from that first experience?

I kept building on the side. I wasn’t as out there loud and building with the same intensity as I was with the first company. You don’t need everyone to say yes to be successful. Rejection isn’t as painful as we make it up to be in our minds. I kept pushing forward with this entrepreneurial journey. I invested a lot of money into myself, into mindset work. It shifted things I was able to step into the fullest version of myself. All of it happened for a reason. It allowed me to build the identity of the person I needed to become to maintain that level of success.

 

[17:49] How did your podcast become to be and where does it tie to your life mission?

I thought a podcast would be a great exemption to the book. It will be a cool way to promote the book and get the word out there. It started as a pivot and a need to adapt to what’s happening in the world right now, and it’s just growing. In terms of the bigger picture, not only are you going to elevate your network, you are going to have more content, more value to bring out there and to bring to people. As long as what you’re doing is in alignment with why you’re doing it, it can expand in anything. I have different businesses I have invested in, and it’s all in alignment with my purpose and why I’m doing everything. It’s hard to say exactly where everything is going to go, but I know why I’m doing it and the impact I want to make.

 

 [19:41] Why are you doing all this?

I wanted to prove to people I had what it took to be successful. After what I went through and the scrutiny, I wanted to prove to people I can become successful. I wanted to make sure that finances would never dictate the decisions I’d make for the rest of my life. And that was enough to get me through the initial wave of putting myself out there. But once I hit a certain point, it shifted to a purpose bigger than me. I’d say the why around my businesses is that I want to take people, inspire, teach, and help them create freedom in their life via entrepreneurship. 

 

[21:05] What is the book about?

It’s called Beyond the Classroom: The Unconventional Education of an Entrepreneur. I realized all these lessons I’ve learned, all the experiences I had, all the businesses I started, these were experiences that formed into who I was. I finally decided that I needed to share it through my story. I just started writing my story from the beginning to the end. And I wrote it with the goals to inspire people, to go take action on what their gut tells them to do instead of feeling the need to blindly go down the traditional route. I wanted to shift their perspective to what was possible in life. And to entertain them with the book with my story. I wanted to take them along on my journey with me and show them the raw stuff, funny stuff, the sad stuff, the ups, the downs, all of it.

 

[23:42] What is your version of a great life?

I've realized the most important thing is the lifestyle. What I desire is that freedom lifestyle. The ability to wake up every single day knowing that I’m in control. That’s the ultimate thing I’m after personally. Anything I want to do in terms of living my life, I just want to be able to do. I just want to have freedom.

[25:24] You have to have the discipline and the work ethic to earn that control, to earn that freedom. With the opportunities and options we have today, do something you love.

 

[26:12] What promise did God make to the world when He created you?

I think that it would never be the same after I left. I feel that we’re all put here for a purpose. We all have unlimited potential and during our time here, we have to do our best to realize that unlimited potential.

 

Key Quotes

[14:38-14:44] “You don’t need everyone to say yes to be successful. Rejection isn’t as painful as we make it up to be in our minds.”

[19:08-19:11] “As long as what you’re doing is in alignment with why you’re doing it, it can expand in anything.”

 

Learn more about John Stankiewicz on:

Website: https://www.johnstankiewicz.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/johnstankiewicz

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