Wk22 (31.9k subs) How one Sunday in London changed my life

The Comeback - Week 22 (31,900 Subs):

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6 years ago I quit my corporate job to start out as an online entrepreneur.

Working at home trying to build my first agency.

I had 0 connections, 0 network and 0 idea what I was doing.

Fast forward to last Sunday, we put on an in-person meet-up with 10 entrepreneurs.

No alcohol.

No clubbing.

No flashy cars.

Just 10 like-minded people (mostly building agencies) who are all ambitious for growth.

As we walked the streets of London the same thought kept on crossing my mind: “If only I had a community of people like this when I was starting out”.

Following that, every single person who attended said the same thing: “We need to do this again Nigel!”

So today I want to share the 10 lessons I learned meeting these 10 incredible entrepreneurs in London.

In the hope, it persuades you to get off Zoom and get out into the world!

Because if you find the right people it will change your life.

I know it did mine.

Today on David to Goliath:

1. Challenges - Staying Focused

2. Breakthroughs - Venturing into the Unknown

3. Main Topic: 10 lessons from meeting 10 entrepreneurs (in person)

4. Resource Recommendation - Legacy by James Kerr

Road to 100,000: Behind the Scenes

Challenges - Staying Focused

One word. Focus.

Right now, life is a whirlwind.

It’s chaos, pure and simple.

Every single day, it feels like we’re stuck in headless chicken mode—running around in circles, trying to juggle a million things at once.

We've got the big London meet-ups. We've got the SEO strategy. We've got the in-person podcasts. The mentoring is also fully under way and it’s taking a lot of my time. We’re also planning a trip to the states.

And on top of all that, we’re trying to make the newsletter better and better every single week (hopefully we’re succeeding!).

It’s a lot. And it’s so easy to lose track, to feel like you're drowning in a sea of endless tasks and deadlines.

Some days I struggle just to keep my head above water.

And with all this going on, it’s not always easy to laser in on what matters and cut through the noise.

Think about it. How did David defeat the mighty Goliath?

Not by being the strongest or the biggest, but by focusing on his target with unwavering precision.

And this is the only way we will achieve the goal of 100k subscribers in one calendar year.

By staying focused, staying fierce, and never letting the chaos drown us.

It’s a fine art that I’m practising every single day.

I know deep in my heart that the tides will turn.

For now, it’s head down in the storm.

Breakthroughs - Venturing Into The Unknown

The reason I went to London was to watch my football team Manchester City face Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Unfortunately, we lost but congratulations to them, they deserved it. And it was still a great day out with the family.

To make the most of being in the capital I also booked a studio to record podcasts with Lara Acosta and Timothy Armoo.

Two incredible entrepreneurs who have built big businesses and personalities online from the ground up.

We’ll be releasing these podcasts here and on YouTube soon so stay tuned!

These were my first two in-person interviews and I’ll be frank: When I walked into the studio my first thought was: “Wow, this has gone up a level or three - the pressure is now on!”

Thankfully I’d done the preparation and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

But little did I know the best of the London trip was yet to come…

You may or may not know I’ve been mentoring several marketing agencies in the past few months. I mentioned to one of them I’d be in London the week prior then out of nowhere we had a group of 10 guys in a WhatsApp chat.

It was last minute, it was spontaneous but it couldn’t have worked out better.

We first did a boat ride on the River Thames, followed by a steak at Canary Wharf and then one of the guys had the idea to book us for underground Go Karting!

Yes, I get it, we look like a group of armed criminals about to rob a bank!

Honestly, though this Sunday was my highlight of the year so far and even though I was considering building a community prior to this now I know it’s my true calling.

More on that though another time.

For now, I’m going to share the 10 lessons I learned from this incredible experience.

Main Topic: 10 lessons from meeting 10 entrepreneurs (in person)

Lesson 1 - Vulnerability:

For guys, it’s especially hard to show weakness.

The role models for men flex their materialism and power in order to create distance between you and them - so you buy their products.

But that’s just a highlight reel and not the raw reality of life.

When you meet people in person, especially successful people, you realize they are dealing with all the same problems as you.

This allows you to open up, share your struggles and know you’re not alone in this fight.

So many men (and I’m sure women) need this and the impact on your business and life cannot be underestimated.

Lesson 2 - Togetherness:

This one is hard to put into words. But there is a real energy when you have a small group of people that are all ambitious on the same journey in one place.

Regardless if you go for food, play sports or walk in nature, you can really feel something special in the air.

It’s built deep within our tribal human DNA and together we’re always stronger in groups - No one person ever gets left behind.

When you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself amazing things will happen.

Lesson 3 - Brainstorming:

There’s a reason that the biggest and most successful companies in the world have in-person offices.

When you gather numerous intelligent minds in one space sparks fly and your creative brain goes into overdrive.

By overhearing other conversations and then getting involved you start connecting dots you didn’t even know existed.

If you don’t believe me try it for yourself!

Lesson 4 - Self Belief:

The biggest problem with social media is comparison.

You look at someone’s day 10,000 when you are on day 100.

It becomes extremely overwhelming for you to believe you’re good enough to compete.

But in person, you realize these people are just humans, with 2 arms and 2 legs.

Yes, they might have strengths you do not and more time under the bar - but it firmly makes you believe with enough time you can also go onto to achieve great things.

This is what is known as a ‘superiority complex’ or ego. Ultimately though it gives you the self belief to know it’s possible.

That in itself makes it worth the trip.

Lesson 5 - Fun!

Working at home alone can be tough and often saps the life out of you.

Meeting other entrepreneurs in person and doing adrenaline-fueled activities (such as Go Karting) allows you to blow off some steam and rekindle your fire.

Company owners are constantly putting out fires for their teams and clients but often are the ones most in need of a break.

This time allows your mind some well-deserved rest so when you get back to business you’re sharper than ever and ready to double down twice as hard!

What is making money all about if we can’t have a little fun along the way?!

Shout out to Tobi Chapman who is usually a quiet and reserved individual.

However, when you put him on a race track he becomes alive!

He got the fastest time out of the entire group and even won a medal for his efforts!

When asked for his advice his response was two words: “Don’t Brake”.

A great philosophy for not only life but business too.

Lesson 6 - Networks:

I was honestly stunned by the combined network there was sat around the table of these 10 entrepreneurs.

Yes, many of these guys are young entrepreneurs who have yet to realize their full potential but that doesn’t mean they don’t know people who have.

Whether it was being best mates with a huge professional footballer, classmates with some of the biggest entrepreneurs in the world or having clients that run the planet’s biggest podcasts, you’ll be amazed by the fact you’re a lot closer to those untouchable stars than you think.

Lesson 7 - Responsibility:

When you meet someone in person for the first time it makes everything real.

You see that they’re a real human being with flaws, unique strengths and vulnerabilities.

Following this encounter, you naturally feel a responsibility to help that person - much more so than anyone else you’ve met online.

This shared responsibility between a group of people transpires collectively and together you all grow faster.

It’s not just about the meeting today, it’s about the foundation of these relationships for years to come.

Lesson 8 - Inspiration:

There’s only so much you can learn from a one hour call on Zoom.

When you meet others in person you get the real depth - everything below the surface.

You see where people have come from, how hard they’ve worked to get where they are and the person they’ve become.

This is tremendously inspirational and it pushes you to keep moving forward when you get back home and sit down at your desk.

Lesson 9 - Direction:

So many entrepreneurs lack clarity and direction - this has been a huge struggle for me in building the David to Goliath Newsletter.

I’ve honestly never had so many breakthroughs in such a short space of time as I did last Sunday in London surrounded by these other entrepreneurs.

Often you already know what to do but being around like-minded people and asking for feedback confirms you’re on the right track, giving you the conviction and confidence to push on.

Lesson 10 - Experiences > Money:

When you’re sat on your deathbed and it’s all said and done all you’re going to be left with is your experiences and the people you had them with.

When I look back through my life the first things that come to mind aren’t the money milestones, it’s the experiences that money allowed me to have.

And no matter where in the world, it was always about the people I was alongside.

If you can have incredible experiences with like-minded people I honestly don’t think anything comes close.

Make time for it because before you know it the clock will be up!

Resource Rec: Legacy by James Kerr

This is one of my favourite ever books and couldn’t be more suited to today’s topic of spending time with like-minded people.

James Kerr shares the 15 principles that took the All Blacks from a laughing stock to the worlds most successful ever rugby team. Breaking them down into 15 powerful and practical lessons for leadership and business.

Instead of focusing on individual talent, it’s a stark reminder that no one person is ever bigger than the team.

Whether you’re planning on who to meet in person or looking to build an incredible team culture this is a must-read for anyone in business.

Grab yourself a copy here and use this as a handbook for leadership in business and life.

All-in-all I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to host and meet these incredible people.

This certainly won’t be the last event I’m putting on and my mind is now spinning full of ideas.

But if you’re going to take one thing away from todays Newsletter it’s this:

Do not underestimate the power of meeting like-minded people in person.

And if you don’t know a community of entrepreneurs on the same path as you then build one!

All it takes is 10 people, a WhatsApp group and a location.

The rest will all fall into place, trust me.

Until next time - keep dreaming like a Giant.

But believe, fight and act on your dreams like a god damn Underdog baby!

Yours truly,

-Nigel Thomas

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