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As you know, our goal is to have a location independent source of income that will allow us to pay our expenses and hopefully pay our mortgage down earlier.
I bought Chris' Empire Building Kit when it first launched last month, because I thought it would be beneficial.
Building My Side Business
My side business is profitable, but I want to build it a bit more and create a lifestyle business around it. Chris has already done this, so I wanted to learn from him (and others) and I took the plunge.
Chris is relaunching it again and I know that some of you are probably interested in finding out about it before making a purchase.
I want to share today some of my thoughts and experiences with the Empire Building Kit and lessons I've learned so far.
Empire Building Kit's Purpose and Goal
Chris' goal with the Empire Building project is to help people build a sustainable lifestyle business (at least $50k) in one year with 365 tactical tips given daily.
One big hang-up I have is I feel like I have to do everything at once. Having something to focus on is extremely helpful for me and allows me to get more done.
Like Chris' other projects, he goes beyond just written case studies, e-books, and interviews; he includes a huge amount of information spread across written, audio, and video.
No matter your learning style, this kit has numerous resources besides the daily tactical activities.
Case Study Method
The core of Chris' process is using case studies to analyze real life situations you'd encounter when creating a business.
Besides sharing his own triumphs and mistakes he's made as he's built his business, he includes how others have grown their business. His take on the EBK case study process:
I talk with the other entrepreneurs all about money—remember, these are people who make $50,000+ a year without employees and by doing something that they love.
I ask them: “How did you make this happen? What was your best decision and your biggest mistake? What do you wish you had known when you were first getting started?” And so on.
The focus of every conversation relates to this question: “How can other people do what you’ve done, in their own way?”
Building an empire isn't just about blogging online. Chris worked hard and made an effort to get a pretty varied group of entrepreneurs. Their businesses include:
- Coaching Artist
- Dog Trainer
- Graphic Designer
- Personal Trainer
- Photographer
- Web Design
I think having different businesses highlighted and analyzed is a big strength for the program. While I enjoy blogging and would like to see my income grow; my main income is coming from content creation.
With the program, I went ahead and watched the videos ahead of time, which is helpful just by itself.
As Chris goes over it with the daily activities, I watch the video again with the questions on my other window. I treat it as a semester class and try to keep up with the assignments.
Each week there is a bit of a breather with the weekly review, so if you need a bit more time to get the work done, you can use that day.
Who is the Empire Building Kit For?
As with many things in life, this program is not for everyone. Entrepreneurship is not a get rich quick scheme and this course really emphasizes the amount of work and effort involved.
That's not to say that you have to work 90+ hours a week to create a successful business, it's just not realistic to believe you can do it in 4 hours a week.
So who would be interested in the Empire Building Kit? I'm thinking about this the whole weekend and I think that it will appeal to:
- People who are looking to build an income stream and want specific daily goals to help them create their own business will probably find this kit incredibly useful.
- People who have a side business and want to make it their main source of income can find a ton of applicable information.
I mainly fall in the second category and I want to build from what I have right now. That means I have to develop some new skills to complement what I'm doing right now.
Want to Start Building Your Business?
There are three different models, each appealing to slightly different audiences. Depending on what your goals, you have to you go all out with the Hail Caesar pass or play it safe with Emperor-in-Training.
- Emperor-in-Training – $149
- Hail Caesar – $249
- Alexander the Great – $449
As you can see with the prices above, this is not for the casual hobbyist. The course is designed for those looking at building a very small (size, not revenue) business. You have to examine the costs and see if this the right investment for you.
What's Included in the Empire Building Kit?
All the kits includes the following:
- Daily emails (for 365 days) with specific goals and tactics to help you determine a business to create and and build.
- Video interviews with successful lifestyle entrepreneurs about how they speficially built their business (including annual figures) Update: Transcripts of the videos are included.
- Case studies (PDFs) with a different businesses and backgrounds.
- Video presentations from Chris on marketing topics like cross-selling and the tools he uses for his own business
- More case studies, interviews, and content as you progress through the EBK 365 emails.
Alexander the Great & Hail Caesar Extras
There are some extra materials if you decide to go up with some more tiers.
The Hail Caesar package includes 12 PDF case studies, 7 video interviews, and 43-step Product Launch checklist.
The Alexander the Great package includes 15 PDF case studies, 7 video interviews, the 43-step Product Launch checklist, and a behind the scene look at Chris' Unconventional Guides as a business.
Your Thoughts on the Empire Building Kit
If you enrolled in the program during the inaugural launch, what is your feedback? I've shared mine and I'd love to see what you've thought of it so far.
If you're interested in picking up the Empire Building Kit, I hope you find my review helpful.