We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Sartain and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
The most important lesson is that you really have to focus on providing a solution for the customer. When you come in with an idea of what the customer wants, but they tell you they want something different, you need to be dispassionate. You have to set aside your ego and focus solely on what the customer needs. Sometimes, you might be solving a problem the customer doesn’t even want solved; they just want to feel better.

The second lesson I learned is that success leaves clues. For every question we have in the program or in our company, there are always 10 or 20 people we can reach out to who have gone through something similar. I can reach out to people like Tai Lopez, Bradley, Wes Watson, or Dan Fleischman, and they’ve faced similar challenges. I always start from expertise first, and that requires you to drop your ego and not assume you know better. Also, you need to find mentors. Both of these lessons require you to drop your ego. The customer is going to tell you something, and people who have made a lot more money than you will have valuable insights to share as well.

The third lesson is about leadership. Poor leadership is all about authority with no responsibility, while good leadership is all about responsibility with delegated authority.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I teach leadership, communication, networking, and dating strictly through the lens of evolution.

I use science to back up the knowledge I’ve gained over 25 years. Because of that, our results are ubiquitous—meaning all of our clients get results, as we base what we do on concepts from evolutionary psychology.

When I see the testimonials—we have about 200 films, but around 500 guys who want to do testimonials—I feel the most proud of the lives that have changed. Helping my clients is what I’m most proud of.

I did what I’m doing now for free for 11 years. Because of that, I was able to gain a following and expertise, so when I finally turned this into a business, it grew extremely fast. I already had hundreds of clients after the first month.

Yes, I had two business partners who stole a significant amount of money from me. Once I realized what was going on, I went my own separate way. I recognized my own value and worth, and I decided to leave.

The lesson is actually in Men of Action, rule number one: don’t pay attention to the words; we only pay attention to people’s actions. The second part is we don’t trust people we’ve known for a long time; we only trust trustworthy people.

What I want the world to know is that it has changed significantly, and there’s a massive evolutionary mismatch for men. There’s no instruction manual. The world expects you, as a man, to perform and to just get it, but no one is going to teach you how. No one is going to teach you how to sit with the cool kids, how to be cool, or how to fix your business.

My job is to teach you to “get it.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Number one would be Griffith Observatory

After that, it will probably be like the top of Runyon Canyon.

My favorite places to eat in the whole state are Tender Greens and Tocaya Organica. For a date spot, I recommend the bar at Yamashiro and then probably the bar at Catch.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, my coaching program feels like a catharsis for me. My favorite time of the week is when I have my Tuesday calls with all my clients. I never get tired of it. I want to give a shoutout to everyone in MOA—my clients truly make my life more fun. They allow me to do what I do best for a living, and their journey to change their lives motivates me. Some of them have even become better at throwing events than I have! There’s a guy named Anthony DeRico, one of my clients, who’s about five feet tall. He worked the door for the Teatro event and is better at throwing parties in Los Angeles than I ever was. He’s truly impressive!

Book Shout Out:
Extreme Ownership (How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win Book by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Website: https://www.moamentoring.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelsartain/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsartain

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sartainpodcast?lang=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelSartain

Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-michael-sartain-podcast/id1579791157

Image Credits
Michael Sartain / Errol Webber

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