Sovereign Systems

There are few such great privileges in the world as;
Working on things you love
with people you deeply connect with

We're crushing 2024 🌋

✍️

I'm not "self-made".

I would not be here without my mother.
(or my father obviously)

But I wanted to take this moment to show appreciation...

You're amazing mama! Thanks for everything.
Love you!

2023 in numbers 🌋

- 109,981 USD earned

- 27 paying clients served

- 4 muscle ups in a row achieved

You know what's crazy?
It all took the same 3 steps...

- consistency
- review
- adjustment

Are you ready to put in the work?

My 5 Biggest Coaching Mistakes
and What I Learned

Started coaching in 2017 and in three years, I made every mistake you can think of. Here are my lessons.

1. Being Too Nice
In the beginning, I was overly nice, hoping to win clients over.
Big mistake. Like dating, being too nice can backfire.
You need to lead with authority and authenticity, not just kindness.

2. Chasing “The Right Strategy”
I used to think one perfect strategy was all I needed.
Wrong. Success in coaching depends on your mindset, attention span, strategic thinking, and discipline.
Without these, no strategy can save you.

3. Niche-ing Down
"Niche down," they say. But by 2022, every coaching niche was saturated.
The game-changer? Embracing disruptive ideas. Mine was 'using authenticity and self-love to create your dream relationship, challenging mainstream advice. It worked wonders.

4. Doing Busy Work
I was everywhere - YouTube, podcast, TikTok, LinkedIn. Doing it all gets you nowhere.
Focus on one channel, optimize it, and double down on what works.
That’s how I made over 170k from one funnel.

5. Connection Calls
Building relationships is great.
Jumping on calls to "connect",
hoping people will buy from you... is not.
Make sure you separate connection and sales calls.

My Takeaway:
Avoid the niche trap, and become a Disruptor.
Find one funnel that works and double down.
Don’t be a nice guy/gal, and don’t rely on connection calls.
It’s about strategic thinking and mindset, not just hard work or a magic strategy.

What have been your biggest lessons in coaching or business?

Financial Freedom is a Lie

Most people aiming to make “10k/month” will never actually make that online.
Perhaps not even half.

Here's a breakdown of why that goal is keeping you broke:

•Monthly Mindset Limits You:
- "10k/month" forces a month-to-month thinking.
- Real business growth is measured in quarters, even years.
- Switch your aim: Not 10k/month, but 120k/year.

•Vague Financial Targets:
- Is "10k/month" revenue or profit? Pre or post-tax?
- Remember, you are not your business.
- "I’m not a business-man, I’m a business, man!" - Jay Z
- You're likely not Jay Z. Separate personal and business finances.

•The Illusion of Round Numbers:
- Why 10k? It's just a nice, round number.
- In 2023, I made 110k USD. Felt great, but still not enough.
- As income grows, so do expenses, goals, and desires.

My journey to true freedom started when I realized…
I can have financial freedom at 3k/month!

Living in Spain (where 3k/m goes far), doing what I love, that's already freedom.

The irony of financial goals is that when you're not fixated on 10k/month,
you start thinking long-term, and become financially savvy earlier -
and, ironically, might reach that 10k/month faster.

It's about choosing goals that bring you real freedom.
Freedom isn't just in numbers, but in the lifestyle and choices you make.

What's your real measure of financial freedom?

Why My Biggest Client Fired Me
(And Why I’m Glad It Happened)

My client F joined my program in 2022.

- He worked with me for 15 months.
- spent 30k on my business.
- had the biggest results of any client (100k closed in a week).

But then, he told me,
“Martin, I feel like it’s time for a new chapter.”

Whether you like it or not, this point will always come.

“I loved working with ya, but it’s time I invest in someone with a bigger audience.”

First, it sucked to hear this.
Facing the reality that I couldn't serve F anymore was tough.

But as I reflected, I realized:
- It’s a win that I got him to this point.
- I can learn from what he needs next to improve my services.
- We may work together again, and he may send more referrals.

But I gained something even more important:
- Discomfort.

F had been paying me 2k/month as a retainer for most of 2023.
This income made me comfortable.
Even in low sales months, my bills were easily covered.

It felt like the stability of a 9-5 job.

But there was a downside...
I was working slower, less efficiently, with less fire.

Losing this 2k/month brought back a bit of pressure. A sting.
And that’s healthy.

The fire. The hunger. The fear.
That's what helped me get F as a client in the first place!

The lesson: While comfort and stability are pleasant,
and consistent income is reasonable to seek...

Never forget that discomfort and uncertainty are the most powerful fuel in the world!

A client of mine was tearing up on last call. He said:

"Martin, I'm going nuts! I know what I gotta do, I just can't carve out the time."

After 2 months in our accelerator, he had nothing to show for it.
It wasn’t laziness – with a full-time job and two kids, his plate was overflowing.

This struggle isn’t unique. I see it often. Working overtime, running other businesses, and family responsibilities – juggling these with starting a coaching business is indeed difficult.

The key isn’t just about knowing the steps or strategies.
It's finding the space to put them into action.

I told him;

- Let's create the minimal viable steps to get your client
No websites. No daily content. No fluff.

- Map out your entire week, and see what activities you can eliminate or delegate
A lot of the work he was doing at home & work, actually didn't need to be done by him.

- Schedule in 3 work blocks of 30 mins - 1 hour/week
and let me know when they are, so I can send an accountability check-in!

This took a huge weight off his shoulders. Turns out, overthinking causing burnout was eating up a lot of his energies.

With a simple plan, however, he actually DID have the time to do what it takes.

In just two weeks, he booked 7 calls with potential clients.
It’s amazing how a personalized, no-nonsense approach, coupled with accountability, can turn things around.

Have you experienced a similar struggle in building your coaching business?

You’ve been Lied to. Making money is Boring.

This is not clickbait. It’s true.
Making money is usually made through mundane repetition.

Is spending money fun?

Sure. Which is why “business gurus” show that part first, always.

Spending on cars, mentions, tavel. It’s an easy sell!
“Buy my course, and have fun spending money like me.”

The part they “forget” to show in their marketing, is how the money is actually made.

Making money comes from providing value.
Solving a problem.
You provide value by fixing a pain point, or fulfilling a desire for someone.

Now, finding the problem you want to solve is not easy.
Many people give up here already.
No lamborghinis for them.

When you did find the problem you want to solve
It doesn’t end there.
In fact, it’s the start.

Now you’ve got to become at excellent at solving the problem.
This takes repetition.
Solve it. Review. Adjust. Do it again, and again, and again…
Many people give up here, too.
They’ve haven’t even replaced their 9-5 income at this point.

You persisted? Great.
You’ve got an excellent solution now.
You stand out in the market. People want to buy.
Now you’ve got to scale.
This takes repetition.
Test. Review. Adjust. Not once.
Hundreds, or thousands of times.

It’s mundane. Boring. Repetitive.
It involves risk. You’re investing a lot of the money you’ve made so far.
You’re up against competition.
They’ve been in this longer than you. They’re more famous. Got more money.

Yet, you gotta fight your way up, and carve out your space in the market.
You gotta do something disruptive.
That's exactly what makes this so fun.

You get to grow as a person a tremendous amount
as you take on these challenges!

Did this excite you? Or did it put you off?
If it excited you -
Because you like to take on challenges, grow, and achieve mastery
Then I’m glad to tell you, you were born to be an entrepreneur.

Which side are you on?

What does Christmas mean to you?

For me it's family. Including my chosen family of friends.
It means giving, sharing, and tapping into gratitude.

It means reflecting on the powerful symbol of the birth of Christ.
The season of winter, rest, birth, and renewal.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

I'm curious to hear what it means to you and how you celebrate.

Here's the weird reason I always personalize my coaching.
I'm traumatized.

The first time I made a 4-figure investment, it was the money for my Master's degree.

I felt nervous. But said "f**k it" and pulled the trigger.

The next 4 months, I learned a lot.
But I also faced a lot of disappointment and frustration.

I was promised
- personalized help
- one-on-one attention
- some sort of guarantee of success

Yet what I got was a half-baked online course, cookie-cutter strategies and crowded zoom calls.

I didn’t get the result I wanted.
But I didn’t give up!

I kept going. I worked other jobs. I saved up.
I bought other courses. Spent over 20k.
Got burned multiple times.
After 5 years, I picked up enough…
I pieced things together.

The strategy I put together from 5+ different sources, with my own magic touch…
It worked! I was getting clients!
I could finally go full-time.

In fact, it worked so well… I kept receiving requests from my network.
People wanted to buy business consulting from me.
I was blown away! Humbled.
…and I really enjoyed working on businesses.
So I went for it.

And this is exactly why I take a 100% personalized approach to Consulting to this day

We are all unique.

We have different goals, challenges, and compromises we’re willing to make.

A one-size-fits-all all is not going to work for most people.

A lot of premium programs became too big, and scaled too far. You, the client, just become a number.

What I found was that a personalized approach and 1-on-1 support cannot be replaced. No matter how advanced an online program is. That’s why I include it in all of my programs to this day.

What are your thoughts?
Can a program lead to success without personalization?