Finally back to Dallas, where it all started! I needed to catch my round flight back to Malaysia from Dallas Fort Worth and in the two days I had here, I tried to squeeze in at least one more meeting.

And guess who I met?

Yep, the legendary Marlon Sanders. It was a great honor to meet him – also considering that the marketing old timer hasn’t met any other Internet Marketers in person for years! (He said since 2006 but not sure if I can hold onto him for his memory, lol)

He flew in from San Antonio which is about 4 hours drive from Dallas, so it was a gold opportunity not to be squandered. Spent a good two days with him and man he’s such a genius, small wonder why many regarded him legendary.

It wasn’t all business however – surprisingly we got to cover some touristy places over the weekend – the JFK Memorial Plaza and Museum, the nearest gun shooting range, and other places of interest as Marlon used to stay here for years.

So there you have it… my US trip finally comes to an end! It’s been quite a journey and it felt as if I’ve been here longer.

Got to meet many amazing business owners, marketers, entrepreneurs – some of whom I’ve worked with for years but meet in person for the first time – and of course new connections forged.

After nearly a month of being away from Malaysia, it’s time to go home.

I had a bad start the moment I arrived in Dallas, Texas. After 27 hours of flying and transit via Emirates, I was further held back in the secondary clearance room at the immigration center in Dallas Fort Worth for another 2 hours.

Long story short: the customs officer asked the purpose of my visit. I was taken aback after the officer asked a barrage of ‘interrogative’ questions when I said I was here to attend a workshop on online business (not that he would understand the jargons of Internet Marketing like ‘big ticket’ ‘online marketing’ etc.)

The customs officer wasn’t convinced of my story. “So let me get this straight: you paid $10,000 to a guy you have not met before, don’t have his phone number, and you came all the way here on the promise he’s going to teach you how to do your business??”

“Well… yeah.”

Next thing I know, I found myself in a room full of brown people. Everyone in the room looked worried and tensed. So was I!

I was further quizzed by two other officers and every question got more probing, and my every response got more frustrating. So the stories about the paranoid measures at the customs and borders are true. The whole thing was just downright stupid. 

It was a high pressure environment and although I knew I’d laugh at this episode later, I was worried my Great American Trip would be over before it could even begin. What if I got sent back?

After what seemed like forever (2 hours had passed), I was handed back my passport and allowed to leave the room. “Welcome to Dallas.” Phew.

– – – – – – – – – –

The speed bumps behind, I spent my first five days in the US in Dallas, Texas, where the High Ticket workshop is.

What can I say about it? It was an intensive 3 + 2 days here (extra 2 because I was a VIP member). This had to be one of the most (if not the most) audacious, intense experience I’ve ever had in my business career.

So I flew halfway round the planet to this Mastermind with people I didn’t know…

Wasn’t sure what to expect to be honest…

Held my breath on some concerns…

Then in the few days I’ve been here, everyday was a test of my determination and mental strength. Not going to pretend, many times I thought of dropping it and giving up.

The result?

In the last 48+ hours, I made close to $20K (just $500 shy of that figure)

While I learned a great deal of lessons here, these stood out the most for me:

1. That I already had the power in me all along. I only needed to discover within me and harness it further.

2. Take action. I thought myself as one but the last 2-3 days alone really tested whether I put the money where my mouth is (figuratively or literally, you decide) Have to say, I didn’t work this intense back in Malaysia and my challenge after this is to keep up the intensity even after leaving this place.

3. Think BIG. When I came here to this mansion, I was in the company of sharks, the top of the food chain, with one of the participants who does half a million dollars a month. I wondered if I didn’t belong there but I decided I should make up with hard work – and I did just that.

I was on fire already and wanted to do more, only problem was… this is just the beginning of my US journey. I still had the road trip ahead so it wasn’t going to be conducive to get locked down and take on more big ticket clients and coaching calls.

Still I have more to learn. I’m thinking I need to do at least 50-100 calls to truly master and refine my steps. I look forward to the day I truly master the art of big ticket and it will be second nature.

Next Stop: Los Angeles…

There was one stop I had to make before going to the US: Singapore. My close business associates and I had planned this for months and I knew this meeting of the minds will be a historic moment that we will all look back years from now.

After a full year of hustling and working together to grow our businesses we met up at Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore.

We met up in Ian del Carmen’s hotel room to strategise our next moves for the year – and for the others who couldn’t make it physically, they got onto Skype for a live conference with us (since Hologram isn’t mainstream… YET).

In as much as I’d like to spend more time here, my real journey has yet to begin.

Next destination: Dallas, Texas, US…!