Lewis Howes went from injured athlete to New York Times bestselling author in just a handful of years.
He’s been a guest on Ellen, shared a microphone with Larry King, Alanis Morrisette, and Russell Simmons, and President Obama named him one of the top entrepreneurs in the country. His live events sell out. His podcast (800+ episodes strong) has millions of downloads. He’s a sought after keynote speaker who rubs elbows with the stars.
But you probably already know that. And I’m betting the part that speaks to you…and the bazillion other burgeoning thought leaders who tell me, “I want Lewis Howes’ website” comes down to that coveted rag to riches story:
Humble Ohio boy launches 7 figure business just a few short years after hitting rock bottom, living on his sister’s couch.
All American boy, All American dream: pull yourself up by your bootstraps (or cleats) and you can “make following your passion your full time job,” as Lewis’ website promises.
So, I know what you’re thinking:
If Lewis Howes can do it, I can, too.
Give me a website like Lewis Howes has, RKA.
The rest’ll take care of itself. And, hey! I’m not above setting up camp on my sister’s couch! IT’S LEATHER. I can live with that.”
I won’t deny that Lewis Howes’ website is as hot as he is. (I meeeeeean, boy’s got muscles.) And his zero to hero story is sexy, too.
Slow down, sport.
You don’t want Lewis Howes’ website.
Seriously.
I’ve written about this before through the lens of another ass-kicking, small town gal goes viral, “build a life and business you love” crowd favorite: Marie Forleo. It’s one of my most popular blogs ever. And, if you know Marie, you probably know why.
Marie went from Jersey girl to jewel of the online business world. And at least half of the up and coming entrepreneurs who come my way say the same thing: “I want Marie Forleo’s website.”
But, every conversation I’ve ever had about Marie’s bangin’ brand has gone the same way:
“What do you like about it? Is it the fonts, the colors, the photos, the layout?”
Nope x 4.
What I’ve discovered after fangirling over Marie with hundreds of entrepreneurs is that they don’t want to LOOK like Marie, they want to BE Marie.
It’s not Marie Forleo’s website they want, it’s her success.
And the same is true for Lewis Howes’ website: another hot dot com that gets dropped when I’m interviewing clients.
When we drill down into what it is about his digital domain that people love so much, sure — the site has infinite charms — but it’s not mountaintop inspo photos or slick graffiti fonts that people end up wanting. It’s the Lewis Howes lifestyle.
So, I’ll say it again. (Once more for the people in the back.)
You don’t want Lewis Howes’ website.
In fact, when he was where you are, even Lewis Howes didn’t want Lewis Howes’ website.
And had he started there, he probably wouldn’t be where he is today. Loooong before Lewis sat across from Ellen Degeneres, encouraging millions to pursue their dreams, he spoke to a much smaller niche crowd. Lewis’ first website was SportsNetworker.com and he built his early following (11,000 email subscribers in 2008!) targeting sports executives and professional athletes. Check it out:
A few years later, in 2010, he started his personal brand, but he still wasn’t at The School of Greatness inspo-preneur level just yet. Lewis niched again, focusing on helping people master LinkedIn.
Dude started with what he knew best — the sports industry. And, after learning how to leverage his pro athlete connections on LinkedIn, he leapfrogged to teaching others how to do the same.
The next iteration of his brand in 2014 inched a little closer to the Lewis Howes we know today. He leveled up from the LinkedIn Lifestyle and expanded to online business, covering Facebook and video marketing, with a broader “live the dream” message.
He continued to refine his offerings, replacing his Facebook and LinkedIn courses with master classes on how to host 7 figure webinars and create profitable online courses: early iterations of products he still offers today, alongside a high end mastermind that promises to give you insider access to celebrity teachers.
Check out Lewis Howes’ website as of July 2019:
LewisHowes.com didn’t start as LewisHowes.com, nor did Lewis himself begin his business by speaking to the masses the way he does today.
He started with a very specific area of expertise and pivoted strategically as his star rose and he figured out what information resonated with his growing audience.
It was the success of Lewis’ niche brand that gave him the credibility to grow his audience and speak to people everywhere, not just sports insiders.
So, for the last time, my beloved budding thought leader, lemme give it to ya straight:
You don’t want Lewis Howes’ website.
You want — and need — to build a successful niche business on what/who you know best. And that business will give you the leverage to grow, little by little, into wider audiences and the offerings that speak to them.
This, not a copycat website, is your admission to The School of Greatness.
