Seth Thomas Hall of Transformational Solutions On How To Grow Your Business or Brand By Writing A Book
An Interview With Theresa Albert
Someone told me, “Your book is your business card.” There is a lot of truth to this. When I am networking, the book can say more than I ever could. The book creates opportunities to run workshops from, to have other people run workshops from, and to help scale and grow your business.
As a part of our series about “How You Can Grow Your Business or Brand By Writing A Book”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Seth Thomas Hall.
Seth Thomas Hall is the Founder of Transformational Solutions, a Los Angeles-based life-coaching company that helps to provide his clients with sustainable solutions to self-destructive habits and to ultimately find their true purpose. Through his own personal journey of recovery from drug addiction, depression, and homelessness, Seth’s mission is to support others in accomplishing their own personal goals. Seth is also the co-author of “The Mountain Method™,” an actionable workbook that helps readers identify their true goals — their “mountain” — and to be self-accountable and proud of their progress and aspirations. For more information on Seth, Transformational Solutions, and “The Mountain Method™,” please visit: transformationalsolutions.com.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what motivated you to become an expert in the particular area that you are writing about?
Thank you for having me! I suppose the story that motivated me more than anything was my own personal story dealing with addiction, homelessness, and mental health challenges. The Mountain Method™ is the sum total of the practical and spiritual lessons I learned on the way up my “personal mountain” to get to where I am today.
Can you share a pivotal story that shaped the course of your career?
Six years ago I was working for the housing authority in downtown Los Angeles. I was the “Day Porter,” which means I was the janitor. I worked seven floors of bathrooms and kitchens for two and a half years. I was the best damn janitor in Los Angeles. My restrooms were clean and smelled great. It may sound like I’m joking, but I’m not. “How you do the little things is how you do the big things.” Later I met my best friend and partner, Rachel Kove. She was pregnant with our son Jaxon when we started our company together. A switch in me flipped when she was pregnant. I started taking risks I had never taken before in terms of my career. From a psychological and biological standpoint, I started turning on abilities I didn’t even know I had in terms of leadership, creativity, and self-discipline. Which leads me to the most pivotal people I met who gave me a shot and who I still collaborate with daily: Denise Klein and Jane Mintz. Denise took me under her wing a few years back and is the most inspiring, understanding, and creative mentor I know. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her help and guidance. And Jane is a rock-star, maverick clinical strategist — and I am very blessed to be a part of her concierge team.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Are you working on any new writing projects?
We are always thinking about effective and efficient solutions to complex problems. Hence our company name, “Transformational Solutions.” We provide individualized coaching in the realm of mental health and substance use for individuals and families. We are always trying to collaborate with thought leaders and heart-centered individuals, and have a number of events, books, and interactive programs in the ether!
Thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. Can you please tell us a bit about your book? Can you please share a specific passage or story that illustrates the main theme of your book?
“We are all responsible for the direction our lives are heading. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes hard experiences to realize the life we do not want. That’s okay. You need to be in acceptance of your experience or your pattern of behavior. Your past does not have to determine your future. If you can take the lessons from your past and apply them to your future, your experience becomes your gold.” — Chapter 1, “Motivation.”
The Mountain Method is a workbook that is designed to help clarify a vision for your life. The remaining chapters are the skills and methods that will help you get there. The book is designed to pick up as you face challenges on your journey up your personal mountain. Some struggle with self-discipline, others with self-confidence. Some have a poverty mindset, others have poor communication skills. Identifying and facing what is holding you back is what The Mountain Method is all about. It is about achieving your goals and living the life you deserve to live.
You are a successful author and thought leader. Which three character traits do you feel were most instrumental to your success when launching your book? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Perseverance and focus (Chapter 4). The book was created from workshops Rachel and I had created for various facilities around Los Angeles. Writing the content and putting the book together took us two years. We had a new business and a newborn. We were both simultaneously running workshops, working with individual clients, writing a book, and had staff and business relationships we were nurturing. I remember there was a big publisher who said we had a great book, but weren’t famous. They wanted a sure bet. My advice is to set your mind to your endgame vision and keep going, no matter what.
Faith. My relationship with creative intelligence and guidance from within. I put in the effort required and left the timing of the results to the universe. Any challenging or new fear-inducing experience, including this one — writing this article — would be an example of an opportunity to put my faith in that power.
DIY attitude. We wrote the content, hired the editor, worked on edits with them, paid a hundred dollars to have the cover made, paid a formatter, and spoke on the phone with the people who printed the books to make sure it turned out as envisioned. Don’t quit just because someone tells you they can’t help you because you’re not famous. If the content is good, that’s what really matters! Get it out there if you think it can help someone!
In my work, I have found that writing a book can be a great way to grow a brand. Can you share some stories or examples from your own experience about how you helped your own business or brand grow by writing a book?
Someone told me, “Your book is your business card.” There is a lot of truth to this. When I am networking, the book can say more than I ever could. The book creates opportunities to run workshops from, to have other people run workshops from, and to help scale and grow your business.
Can you talk to our readers a bit about the benefits of becoming an author and promoting a book? Can you explain to other leaders why they should invest resources and energy into this? Can you share a few examples of how writing a book in particular and thought leadership in general can create lucrative opportunities and help a business or brand grow?
I mean, at the end of the day, my endgame is to have teachers doing classes from The Mountain Method. The reason I mention that has to do with my company’s “why” in creating a book. The point was to help people, specifically the younger generation. A lot of the skills and concepts in the book were not taught to me in school. The book is about how to be successful in real life. Although the book’s sales are not astronomical, it has created priceless opportunities, collaborations, and clients resulting in it paying for itself many times over.
What are the things that you wish you knew about promoting a book before you started? What did you learn the hard way? Can you share a story about that which other aspiring writers can learn from?
Don’t try to make money with the first batch of books. Give them away to people. Let people read your book and tell their friends about it. It’s one of the best promotional actions you can do. The success of The Mountain Method and the opportunities it has created have all come from sources I gave our book to. And then the other thing would be hiring a publicist — just do it.
Based on your experience, which promotional elements would you recommend to an author to cover on their own and when would you recommend engaging a book publicist or marketing expert?
Creating the book itself, getting it published, making it available on your own website, promoting it though social media, and handing it out directly to people — these are all things you can do yourself. And then once you are in a position financially, which took us a while, hire a publicist. Our publicist has helped get us opportunities we had tried and failed to get on our own, which also pays for itself many times over!
Wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your own experience and success, what are the “five things an author needs to know to successfully promote and market a book?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
Make your cover visually appealing. People love the look of our book. We used our brand colors, black and gold. It hops off the shelf.
Use a symbol in your title or art. We chose a mountain to symbolize our book. It conveys a story before you ever even pick it up.
I chose to have the cover printed with silk as an option. The way the book feels in your hands is an experience in itself.
Get reviews on your book before trying to advertise. People buy things they feel are legitimate.
Hire a publicist. Some things you can do yourself, others it pays to have a pro handle. Boom.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
I suppose I would want to have a lunch with Joe Rogan or Dwayne Johnson. These guys are super-high performers and have stayed at the top of their game since I can remember. Couldn’t hurt to get some advice from them.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
They can visit our site at: transformationalsolutions.com.
Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success with your book promotion and growing your brand.
