Conquer the Chaos

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Make your small business work for you with this expert guide on entrepreneurship

In the newly revised second edition of Conquer the Chaos, celebrated author and CEO of Keap, a world-leading provider of marketing automation software for small business, Clate Mask, delivers yet another incisive and exciting roadmap to entrepreneurial success for small business owners. The book offers six non-negotiable, must-have strategies for entrepreneurs, as well as an engaging mix of stories, quotes, anecdotes, and examples that highlight businesspeople who have successfully confronted and overcome the daunting challenges that accompany self-employment.

You’ll also find:

• A brand-new section on lifecycle automation and work, as well as work-life balance as a business owner
• How to avoid becoming trapped by your business and, instead, find time, money, and freedom in your entrepreneurial journey
• Strategies to move beyond surviving in your small business and begin growing and evolving

An extraordinary take on small business ownership and entrepreneurship from someone who’s been on the frontlines of a growing company, Conquer the Chaos is a must-have resource for anyone hoping to get more money, more enjoyment, and more flexibility out of their company.

Foreword xi

Preface xv

Part 1 The Entrepreneur’s Quest for Success 1

1 The Entrepreneurial Revolution 3

The Purpose of This Book 7

A Better Way of Life for Entrepreneurs 9

The Entrepreneurial Revolution Defined 10

The Loss of Security: Corporate Distrust 12

The Power Shift: The Internet Age 12

The Promise of Something Better: The Overnight Success Story 13

The COVID Effect 15

2 The Quest for Success 19

The Entrepreneur’s Hierarchy of Success 21

Money 23

Time 24

Control 25

Impact 26

Freedom 27

The Real Definition of Success 28

The Stages of Small Business Growth 30

3 Chaos and the Dark Side of Entrepreneurship 39

What Is Small Business Chaos? 42

The Chaos Continues 47

You’re Wearing All the Hats 47

You Don’t Know How to Grow 48

You Are Growing—The Wrong Way 49

You’re Drowning in Technology 49

You Lack a Clear, Central, Guiding Focus 51

The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship 52

Ego Is the Enemy 54

ADHD 55

Introducing the Six Keys to Conquer the Chaos 56

The Personal Keys: Mindset, Vision, Rhythm 57

The Business Keys: Strategy, Automation, Leadership 57

Part 2 The Personal Keys to Success 61

4 Mindset 63

Cultivating a Mindset of Success 67

Your Emotional Capital Bank Account 72

Disciplined Optimism 74

The Three Components of Disciplined Optimism 75

Entrepreneurial Independence 78

5 Vision 85

Why and How Does the Imbalance Happen? 88

The Evolution of Life Vision 90

The Five Parts of Your Life Vision 92

Guidelines for Lifetime Goals 96

Putting Together the Vision Puzzle Pieces 97

6 Rhythm 101

The Rhythm of Execution Defined 105

The Rhythmic Habits and Schedule 108

Start Small: The Three Transformative Habits 114

Goal Setting the SMART Way 115

Wrapping Up the Three Personal Keys to Success 118

Part 3 The Business Keys to Success 121

7 Strategy 123

Company Strategy 127

Customer Strategy 132

The Three Phases of the Customer Lifecycle 134

Follow- up 135

The Fundamentals of Follow- up 137

The Seven Secrets to Double or Triple Your Sales 140

Back to the Basics of Customer Lifecycle 143

8 Automation 149

What to Automate 155

From Manual to Automated 158

The Typical Lead Generation and Conversion Process 160

The Automated Lead Generation and Conversion Process 161

What Else Can You Automate? 166

New Client Follow-up 166

Reviews and Referrals 167

Repeat Business 168

Billing and Collections 168

Workflow 169

Micro Automations 170

Pro Tips on Automation 170

9 Leadership 175

Think Like a CEO 179

The Three Jobs of a CEO 180

Conscious Capitalism 182

The Enlightened Entrepreneur 183

Set the Vision 184

Build the Team 188

Build the Team: Developing the Organization 188

Build the Team: Developing the People 192

Get the Resources 196

Part 4 Putting the Keys into Practice 201

10 Changing for Good 203

The 10 Principles of Practice 206

The Ego TRAPS That Catch Entrepreneurs 212

Timidity 212

Resignation 213

Ambition 214

Pride 215

Sabotage 216

Guarding Against Ego TRAPS 217

11 Keep Going 221

The Keep Going Story 223

Keep Serving 226

Keep Growing 227

Final Words of Guidance 228

Appendix: Keap Small Business Resources 233

References 237

Acknowledgments 239

About the Author 241

Index 243

CLATE MASK, the entrepreneur's guide, is the CEO of Keap, the leader in small business automation software for 6, 7, and 8-figure businesses. He is the co-author of the first edition of Conquer the Chaos and the company he leads has won numerous awards for their software and service to entrepreneurs.

starting and growing a small business is an exciting—but risky—proposition. Surrounded by the chaos that comes with running a business, how can you help your new venture become one of the success stories? And how do you build a successful business without sacrificing what matters most in your personal life?

In the newly revised second edition of Conquer the Chaos: The Six Keys to Success for Entrepreneurs, award-winning CEO of Keap, and New York Times bestselling author, Clate Mask, delivers an insightful and engaging blueprint for entrepreneurial and small-business success.

In the book, you’ll find six non-­negotiable and indispensable ­strategies for entrepreneurs aiming to succeed in business and life. Through a page-turning collection of stories, quotes, anecdotes, and examples from entrepreneurs who have successfully overcome the daunting challenges of building a business, the Six Keys to Success come to life. Based on over two decades of experience serving entrepreneurs, Mask shares brand-new sections on lifecycle automation, leadership, and a proven method for creating ­harmonious work-life balance as a small-­business owner.

You’ll discover how to avoid The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship and achieve the money, time, control, impact and freedom you seek as an entrepreneur. The author also shares critical and proven techniques for moving beyond the survival stage of small business, evolving through the predictable Six Stages of Small Business Growth, and reaching a place where balanced growth in your business and personal life becomes your reality.

An exciting and inspiring take on entrepreneurship from the perspective of someone who built his own software and marketing company and has grown it from 0 to over 100,000 users and $100 million in annual sales, Conquer the Chaos is an invaluable guide for business owners, founders, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, self-employed people, and anyone else interested in building a great business and a great life.

Praise for CONQUER THE CHAOS

"Conquer the Chaos will show you how to use automation and the Six Keys to Success to scale your business and achieve the growth, profit and freedom you want, without sacrificing your personal life."
—RYAN DEISS, founder of Digital Marketing and CEO of The Scalable Company

"Plenty of people offer business advice. Many of those who offer advice are professor-types who have never managed a team or navigated the real rapids of business success. If you want the real truth, the God's honest truth about how to succeed in business, this book will show you the way."
—DONALD MILLER, author of How to Grow Your Small Business

"Everyone with half a brain knows you must implement effective marketing to grow a business. But the true masters know that automating your marketing is the real path to exponential growth, consistent new client acquisition, higher profits and a greater return on all sales and marketing investments—and no one knows this better than Clate Mask, the O.G. of marketing automation. Get this book and STUDY it if you want better than average results from your marketing."
—ROBIN ROBINS, CEO of TMT

"It's hard to separate your business and personal life in a scaling business, but Clate's story and framework are evidence that you can succeed wildly at both. His advice and his Six Keys have been insanely influential for me, and this book will unlock the same results for you."
—CHRIS RONZIO, Co-founder and CEO of Trainual, the leading SOP and Training software for scaling businesses

"Clate Mask is a master of systems. He has built a career out of leveraging processes to build phenomenal products, cultures and companies. This powerful guide can help any entrepreneur truly conquer the chaos and have more peace and profit from their business. It's pure gold!"
—RORY VADEN, New York Times bestselling author of Procrastinate on Purpose and creator of the viral TED Talk 'How to Multiply Time'