Episode 109

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Published on:

10th Jun 2025

Stop Reacting, Start Responding: Martin Salama’s Warrior L.I.F.E. Code to Elevate Your Leadership

Episode 109 Stop Reacting, Start Responding: Martin Salama’s Warrior L.I.F.E. Code to Elevate Your Leadership Frederick Dudek (Freddy D) Copyright 2025 Prosperous Ventures, LLC

Today, we’re diving deep with Martin Salama, aka the architect of the Warrior's L.I.F.E Code, who’s all about helping folks break free from chaos and really embrace what it means to live incredibly full every day. With over a decade of experience, Martin’s been transforming mindsets for entrepreneurs and coaches, guiding them from feelings of overwhelm to a place of clarity and success. He’s got this killer coaching program that’s all about scaling high-ticket offers and building seven-figure businesses—often in under two years. We’ll explore his journey from hitting rock bottom during the financial crisis of 2008 to empowering others to punch through their challenges. Get ready for a serious conversation packed with insights on shifting from a reactive mindset to one of ownership and purpose, setting the stage for personal and professional growth.

Discover more with our detailed show notes and exclusive content by visiting: https://bit.ly/4kXCikL

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Freddie D. introduces Martin Salama, a thought leader in mindset transformation, known for his ability to help clients achieve clarity, confidence, and success in their professional lives. Martin's coaching program, the Warrior's Life Code, has helped numerous entrepreneurs and business leaders pivot from feelings of overwhelm to actionable success, often within a remarkably short time frame. He emphasizes the concept of living an incredibly full life every day, urging listeners to redefine their approach to challenges and opportunities alike.

Throughout the conversation, Martin recounts his personal journey of overcoming significant obstacles, particularly during the economic downturn of 2008, when he faced severe financial distress and personal upheaval. His candid reflections on hitting rock bottom serve as a backdrop to his current work, illustrating how his past struggles have equipped him to guide others through their own difficulties. He shares valuable insights on the importance of mindset, highlighting how individuals can transition from a reactive mindset to a proactive one that fosters growth and resilience.

The discussion also touches on the critical role of leadership in shaping organizational culture. Martin argues that effective leadership starts with self-awareness and the willingness to shift one's mindset. By practicing gratitude and appreciation, leaders can foster a more positive work environment, impacting employee morale and productivity. The episode serves not only as an inspiring narrative of personal transformation but also as a practical guide for listeners seeking to enhance their leadership skills and create a culture of success within their organizations.

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Takeaways:

  • In this episode, Martin Salama discusses how to shift from a lack mindset to an abundance mindset, emphasizing the importance of perception in achieving success.
  • He shares his personal journey from facing devastating financial challenges to becoming a life coach, which transformed his perspective on adversity.
  • Martin highlights that true leadership involves taking responsibility and understanding that the culture of a company reflects the mindset of its leaders.
  • The conversation emphasizes the significance of gratitude and appreciation in the workplace, encouraging leaders to recognize the contributions of their team members.
  • Listeners are encouraged to adopt the 'stop, think, respond' approach to replace reactive tendencies with thoughtful responses, enhancing personal and professional relationships.
  • Martin's coaching programs aim to help entrepreneurs achieve significant business growth by shifting their mindset and implementing effective strategies for success.

Links referenced in this episode:

Companies mentioned in this episode:

  • Bernie Madoff
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad
  • Robert Kiyosaki
  • Warrior to Warrior
  • Creating Business Superfans


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Transcript
Freddy D:

But I am the world's biggest super fan. You're like a super fan.

Welcome to the Business Superfans Podcast. We will discuss how establishing business superfans from customers, employees and business partners can elevate your success exponentially.

Learn why these advocates are a key factor to achieving excellence in the world of commerce.

We discuss the invaluable insights of business owners who have successfully implemented the strategies in the book to build their own team of devoted superfans. Gain insightful knowledge from experts who create applications to help you create passionate super fans.

This is the Business Super Fans Podcast with your host, Freddy D. Freddy, Freddy.

Hey super fan superstar Freddy D. Here. In this episode 109, we're joined by Martin Salama. Known as the architect of the Warriors Life Code.

Martin is a master of mindset transformation, helping people uncover their greatness so they can live their true life potential and embrace what he calls living incredibly full every day.

For over a decade, he's been guiding entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants from overwhelm and frustration to clarity, confidence and consistent success.

Through his signature coaching program, the Wire's Life Code, Martin empowers clients to break free from stress, scale high ticket offers and build seven figure businesses, often in under two years.

His clients consistently report powerful shifts in direction, renewed focus and a revitalized sense of purpose that gets them back on track to enjoy life again. Get ready for an inspiring and energetic conversation to help you move from chaos to clarity and start living incredibly full every day. Welcome, Martin, to the Business Superfans Podcast.

Martin Salama:

Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here with you.

Freddy D:

You've got an interesting backstory. I read about it, but I figured I'd hear it from you and share it with our audience.

You know, you went through some challenges and they were pretty steep ones that you ended up punching through. And that in turn turned around your life to where you're now helping other people punch through their challenges. Let's talk about that a little bit.

Martin Salama:

I love your analogy of punching through.

In:

It took us five years because anybody that's in business, and especially in the real estate area of it, you got so many things you got to go through so many hoops you got to jump through to make sure that everything's right. You've got to find the right land. Then you got to make sure that the feasibility makes sense. Is it worth doing it here.

And then you have to go to the township and say, okay, this is what we're looking to do. Okay, we think it's okay. Go find out what you got to do. And then architects, engineers, all that.

Every time you go back to the township, they'll come up with something else that they want you to figure out.

Freddy D:

Surprise.

Martin Salama:

banks, and this is the early:

So this whole time we're funding it, borrowing money, refinancing our home, getting investors and all this.

time it came to the summer of:

Like, what the hell are you talking about? I'm over $3 million into this. Well, things have slowed down. Little did I know what would happen in September.

A month later of:

And to tell you the truth, I was not laughing.

Freddy D:

No. I went through a train wreck myself. I had investment property, and I was selling construction management software to home builders.

All of those were running away from the subdivisions that they were denying were theirs.

Martin Salama:

Right. So you get me.

Freddy D:

Yep.

o here I am, it's the fall of:

Stopped paying my mortgage, stopped paying my car payments. Couple of months later, my son at the time was about 18 years old, turned to me, said, dad, look outside. They were towing away our car. My BMW.

I was repossessed. That's something that never happened to me before. Eventually, they foreclosed on the home.

But because we lived in New Jersey and the country was really going through this crazy foreclosures, it took them a long time before they remembered about us and came back and said, oh, yeah, we're going to move forward on the foreclosure. But I went through this depression for a while, and when I finally started to come out the other side, I said, okay, what do I want to do now?

I've been a businessman my whole Life. You know, Freddie, they don't call us businessmen anymore. They call us entrepreneurs.

Martin Salama:

Right. Same package.

Freddy D:

Continue that. Exactly. I said, do I want to continue that? I really didn't love doing it.

I was always in the sales end of it, always having to hustle for it, and I didn't love it. So I thought about it, and I said, well, what do I like doing? And one of the things I love doing was getting involved in community events.

And it was always a leader. As a leader, I was one of these guys that people would come in and say, but I can't do what you're doing.

I'm like, but I don't need you to do what I'm doing. I'm doing that. What are you good at? I asked them questions, figure out what they were good at, and say, okay, let's utilize your potential. There's.

So I looked at that. I said, you know what? That's kind of like coaching.

So I looked into it, and I decided to become a life coach and finally made the decision, went to the coaching school and said, look, I can't afford you. They said, go get funding. I said, I can't get funding. My credit is in the crapper. I said, let's come up with a number, and I'll pay you every month.

And they said, okay, but here's the deal. You don't get your certification until you finish paying. Like, that's fair.

You know, I don't want to take what I'm learning and then expect you to give me if I haven't finished. So we did that. I paid them pretty much almost at the end of the course, maybe a little after. We had a great relationship with them and moved forward.

And about two months before I was about to start the coach training, it was my 24th wedding anniversary, and my wife gave me a very interesting gift that year. She said, I want a divorce. Like, oh, man. Just when I thought I was getting up again, I got knocked down again.

And what went through my head is, why does everything keep happening to me? And now I could look back at that statement and recognize that the issue was right there in that statement.

By my saying, why is everything happening to me? I was basically saying it was everybody else's fault, looking to blame everyone else. Now I say, things happen through me.

I've heard people say, things happen for me. I think that's a little selfish thinking, oh, yeah, everything's just gonna come for me.

I believe that happens through you, and you take the responsibility for the good and the bad and the indifferent as it comes along.

Martin Salama:

It's the choices we make.

Freddy D:

Exactly right. People think, oh, if I don't make a decision, everything's fine when you don't make a decision.

Martin Salama:

Exactly.

Freddy D:

So I decided at that moment when she told me that, that I'm still going to go through with coach training. And I think God was tapping me on the shoulders, saying, oh, you want to do this? Great.

Let's make sure you really understand that you're at the bottom of the barrel and you're moving yourself up and be open for what you're going to learn when you go to this coach training. I went in with an open mind and willing to do anything to move forward.

And if I never coach another client again, it was the greatest money I ever spent because it changed my life.

Martin Salama:

Wow. What a story. What a story. So tell us a little bit about what it is that you do now, life coaching. Let's explain that for our listeners.

How does that affect not only individuals, but it affects business leaders and how they in turn interact with their teams and complementary businesses and all that stuff?

Freddy D:

Because it all affects it 100%. 100%. I'm a life coach. I'm a business coach. I'm a relationship coach. I started as a divorce recovery coach.

I just got through the divorce, and going through coaching at the same time helped me get through it. But let's focus on the business side of it a minute.

And the interesting thing is very often when I'm working with businesses and it's usually the upper echelons, the executives, the owners, and like, they realize very quickly that it's not the business that needs to shift, it's the leadership that needs to shift. And it's the mindset of the leaders and that they set the culture for the entire company.

Martin Salama:

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Freddy D:

So even though I call it business coaching, as we get into it, we start to unwrap and peel back the layers of what's really going on and what the core issue is that needs to be corrected, redesigned, whatever it is, to get the whole company on the right track.

Martin Salama:

Yeah. Because you look at what Sir Richard Branson says, there's no separation really, between business life and personal life.

People think there is, but really, as he calls it, it's called life and living. When you're working, you're living. When you're not working, you're living.

And so you've got problems at home that's going to come through at the office. It doesn't matter what position you're in. You can be the Janitor, and you can be the owner of the company.

It's going to come across and it's going to affect everybody in that company because you're having a bad day or a bad week, it's just going to be a mess.

Freddy D:

Exactly right. Exactly right. And how you show up is how everybody's going to think that this is the culture of the organization.

Especially when you're the top of the heap in a good way, good way, bad way. You're at the top of the heap, you're the top. What happens there comes down and goes into the trickles down to everybody else. And we talk about life.

And for me, the word life, I turned it into an acronym. After my divorce and going through coach training, I started to evolve.

As I evolved, I realized that I needed to like myself if I was ever going to love myself and if everybody was going to love me. So I went through that whole evolution, and one day I was doing something. I got to tell you, Freddie, I'm adhd.

Getting me to sit down and look straight ahead for 10 minutes is impossible. To close my eyes for 10 minutes, it's like, what the heck? And I was even doing those guided meditations, right?

So imagine a guy, ADHD doing meditations, guided meditations. And one of these days, I had this download of information. I loved my life.

I loved the direction I was going in my life, and I wanted to show other people how to do that, too. So after I finished meditating for 10 minutes, I wrote for about 2 hours. And out of it came the acronym that I created for the word life.

And it's live incredibly full every day.

Martin Salama:

I like that.

Freddy D:

And thank you so much. There's a huge difference. You could be happy without any meaning, and you could be doing meaningful things without being happy.

Happiness to me is self love, self care, even selfish. Meaningful is where the selfless comes in. What are you doing for others? It could be, what are you doing for your company?

What are you doing for your community, for the world, for whatever. What. What legacy could you be leaving? If you have both, then you live incredibly full every day.

Martin Salama:

It makes complete sense. When you package it that way, it completely makes sense.

And it's amazing how many people we've all run across, some that are missing one or two or three components of that acronym, right?

Freddy D:

Oh, yeah, 100%.

If you go into every day, open with that mindset, and you say to yourself, I'm going to live incredibly full every day, you're opening yourself up for the world to show you opportunities.

If you wake up and you're depressed and saying, I got to go to work and I've got all these things I got to get done, but I got to meet with my managers and put up with their complaining. They're going to feel that energy and they're going to get right back to you.

But if you wake up in the morning and you go, I'm so excited to get out of bed. I am so appreciative for everything I have in my life. Because you know what? Tomorrow it could be gone.

And even if it's gone, I appreciate where I am then, too, because I know where I've been and where I can get back to, and you walk out for me, I take a moleskin notebook, a nice quality notebook, and I write three things every day that I'm grateful for. It could be even the most innocuous thing. I have a great cup of coffee today, doesn't matter. Write three things you're grateful for.

And if you do it on a daily basis, the appreciation will start showing up easily and you won't see the complaining and the blaming. Now you go in and you go tell you, you have this mindset attitude of everything's great, all the opportunities are coming.

I appreciate everybody around me and I get to work with these people. Now. It's a cooperative.

Martin Salama:

Yep.

Freddy D:

Yeah.

Martin Salama:

Things start to go because now you're starting to get everybody into what I would say, my example is racing robo. If you think of a racing Robobo, you've got eight people in it.

Everybody's got a single ore, and so everybody's got to be in line, and you got to get everybody in synchronization with the mission, with the direction. Otherwise you ain't going no place. You're not even going in a circle.

And if you only got one, or you're going in circles, man, people going in zero synchronization. The boat's going like this at best.

Freddy D:

Exactly. Right. Exactly. That's where you show the difference between a leader and a boss or a manager. Right, right.

If you're able to walk in and say, I value you, I value all of you, and I value what you bring to the company. I think of a guy like Robert Kiyosaki, you know, rich dad, poor dad, and I heard him say one day, I was actually in Arizona when he said this.

I want to be the dumbest guy in my own business. I want to surround myself by people who are smarter in their area of expertise to tell me what I should be doing. Will I listen?

Maybe Maybe not, but I'm going to be open to what they say and understand it before I make my decisions.

Martin Salama:

Yeah, no, it's a very valid aspect because at the end of the day, the other way around is you've got someone that thinks that they know it all and then they start directing everybody. And everybody now is reactionary. Nobody's going proactive anymore because they're afraid of getting called out for stepping out of line.

And that transcends to everybody else in the company. They're talking to a supplier, they're talking to a prospective customer, an existing customer. You can't hide it.

The tonality is going to come across, the energy. Even if you're on the phone and I tell people, even in emails, the choice of words you pick will not be the best choice of words. Reactionary.

Freddy D:

Right.

Martin Salama:

So it's one of my quotes in a book that I wrote called Creating Business Superfans is people will crawl through broken glass for appreciation and recognition. And that's what you just said right off the bat.

Freddy D:

Exactly. It's funny what you said just now about emails. It made me think of my daughter 20 years ago. She's 37 now, so she was a teenager.

It was a time when text messaging was starting.

And I tried to explain to her that you have to be careful what you write in your text because the person reading it on the other side is not reading it the same way you're writing it. They may take what you wrote as confrontational when you didn't mean it that way.

Martin Salama:

Yep. We've all experienced that multiple times. The reality, an individual's perception is their own reality, right or wrong.

Freddy D:

Right.

Martin Salama:

And you can't. And you're not going to talk them out of it because they've got to talk themselves out of it, because that's their perception. Exactly. Right.

That text message comes across, they perceive it that way. That's how they're going to take it.

Freddy D:

Right. Exactly. I have a cousin who's 20 years older than me.

She's in her late 70s, early 80s, and when she writes a text message, it's all in capital letters. I'm like, you're screaming? She goes, no, I can't read it otherwise.

Martin Salama:

Right. You look at it as screaming, and most people do. Makes sense.

So share a story of how you transformed somebody that was going through some challenges, whether it was a business guy, an individual. The fundamentals are the fundamentals as far as I'm concerned.

And that person became a super fan of you and introduced you to the people that Were needing some of the assistance that you provide.

Freddy D:

Absolutely. As a matter of fact, would it be okay if I read a testimonial from somebody?

Martin Salama:

Absolutely.

Freddy D:

Great. So this is from Josh. When I started working with Mario, I was ready to give up all hope of living a happy life.

I thought this was my last shot, and if this didn't work, I would give up and become a tool for other people's happiness. I didn't understand that I had internal limiting beliefs and. And rational lies that were keeping me tied to my old way of thinking.

Now, it's interesting that he used the word rationalize, because I take the word rationalize and break it down into two words.

Rational lies we tell ourselves when we rationalizing that it's okay to do something, but what we're really doing is giving ourselves permission to lie to ourselves.

Martin Salama:

I've never heard of it that way.

Freddy D:

Right. So he put that into the testimonial. Since I started working with Martin, I've gained positive clarity on life. I've accepted my own power and choice.

I have taken responsibility for my choices and let go of those choices that were not mine. I've decided to live in abundance and gratitude because of these changes. Martin taught me I'm happier.

I have better relationships and have more clients because I'm being my real positive self. Looking back, all I wanted was hope that I could start to heal. Needless to say, I have that now.

Martin Salama:

Wow. What a testimonial. I would classify as a solid super fan. Yeah. So let's talk about some things that, you know.

You talked about writing at least two to three appreciations of gratitude, Expressing gratitude every day.

What can a business leader or an individual at a company that is frustrated about their job, they're frustrated about where they're at in their situation. I've known a few people that got themselves terminated, and so now they're freaking out, and it was part of. It was their own doing.

Freddy D:

Right? Right, Right. Yeah.

So imagine we take what we're talking about here about appreciation, and he starts off every day saying, I've got to change my mindset. How can I do that? How can I stop being frustrated and replace it? How about if I start by looking for ways to appreciate the people that work with me?

So instead of saying, oh, I appreciate this cup of coffee. I appreciate that Mary did this report in such a great way. Right.

And then he turns around and he gives that appreciation directly to Mary and says, you did exactly what I asked you.

You went beyond what I was looking for and use that As a way of shifting that lack mentality of frustration into one of abundance and looking for the people around him that can help him grow the company and he can help them grow themselves and the company as well.

Martin Salama:

I think that goes as well for coworkers because we've both experienced where coworkers just don't get along.

They're focused on all the negative stuff of the other coworker and are pointing fingers and running into HR and blah blah, blah about this worker and blah blah, blah about that worker. And I mean it happens all the time.

Freddy D:

And let's be honest, at the end of the day, HR is not out for either one of those people. They're out for the company.

Martin Salama:

Exactly.

But the reality is those people really should take time to stop looking at the negatives, look at the positives and then walk up to that person and put your personal self aside and just express some gratitude for what they bring to the table. That will change the dynamics. It'll lower the temperature. And these people just have misperceptions of their co workers.

And like I said earlier, an individual's perception is own reality and they need to have that conversation with one another. And amazing things happen.

Freddy D:

Exactly. Right. They have assumptions and expectations. I found that expectations are nothing more than disappointments waiting to happen.

Because if you have an expectation 99% of the time you haven't communicated it correctly to the person that you have the expectation with. So they're doomed to fail.

Martin Salama:

Right.

Freddy D:

So instead if you go to them and say, I want to work this out, I want this to work, let's find ways to communicate so that we both come in with an appreciative side saying, you know what? I understand what you do is very important and very necessary. The problem is I might not understand how you do it or why you do it.

And if I did, it will give me an opening to understand how I can help you. And maybe you can help me.

Martin Salama:

Right. Because I've seen and I've experienced this. I'm bringing this up where people were pointing fingers at each other.

They're the ones making all the mistakes. Well, I'm the one saving at everything else.

And the other one says, no, they're making all the mistakes and I'm saving everybody else and say, time out. Let's turn the page. Start with a clean sheet of paper and let's look at all the positives each one brings and start emphasizing on that.

Freddy D:

Right, exactly. Look for the appreciation. Look for a reason why they're in the company. They can't be all bad. If they are, you should be getting rid of them.

But the only way to know that is to understand where they're coming from and then say, why are they all bad? Without having a conversation. You're going to get nowhere anyway.

So what do you lose by sitting down and saying, you know what, let's put our feelings aside and let's not attack each other. Let's address the things that are bothering us about each other's jobs, what they do, and how can we figure that out?

Martin Salama:

And you said a key thing there. It's not the person. You gotta take the person out of the equation like that.

Freddy D:

If you do that, they no longer feel like they're being attacked.

Martin Salama:

Right.

Freddy D:

Because that's what's happening.

Martin Salama:

You can tell body language. And when you got two co workers that aren't getting along, that affects the entire company and it affects the culture. Everybody's kind of upset.

And if it prolongs, it really becomes poisonous.

Freddy D:

Yep, yep. It's like putting a drop of poison in a pool of water.

One drop isn't going to make a difference, but every time you do something, you're putting another drop into that pool of water. Eventually it's going to be more poison than water.

Martin Salama:

Right.

Freddy D:

If you can understand that your contribution to the pool could be positive or negative. And if you always come up with appreciation and opportunity, you will bring it out for everybody else.

They won't do what you say until they see that you're doing it yourself.

Martin Salama:

Instead of putting poison in, you're putting oxygen.

Freddy D:

Exactly.

Martin Salama:

That's how I look at it. So let's talk a little bit more here about how do you work with leaders?

Freddy D:

Okay. I think a big part of it has to start with understanding what the leader's mindset is going in.

So if I find that someone has a reactive type of personality where everything that's coming their way, they're going to react to, which is who I was. What I learned about myself going through my divorce was that those were my default tendencies.

I had to be willing to say, just because they're my default tendencies doesn't mean they can't change.

I had to learn how to respond instead of react and understand that every conversation I was having with anybody was a confrontation and I was going in on the defensive, taking everything personally and being ready. You remember that guy that says, let's get ready to rumble? Well, that was me. It was my mindset.

Everybody that was going to come to me, they were going to attack me. So I had to understand that, wait a minute, it's not them, it's me.

And they're coming to attack me because they already know I'm going to be on the defensive, so I've got to start to diffuse the fire before it happens. And how do I do that? By responding instead of reacting. And it didn't take overnight to do it took a while.

And as a matter of fact, I took what I learned and put it into my coaching program in my book, which is called Warrior to Warrior. Okay, go from somebody who worries about everything to a warrior, somebody who could go through adversity and come out stronger.

I took an example that my kids learned in school when the firemen came to teach them about fire safety. And the fireman says, there's three words I want you to know when you're in a fire situation. Stop, drop and roll.

Stop what you're doing, Drop to the floor and roll away from the smoke. I said, you know what? That's who I am. When I get into a tense situation, I'm ready to freak out and run to the door. And it could be the fire door.

Martin Salama:

Right.

Freddy D:

So instead, I taught myself, and then I put it together and teach my clients, stop what you're doing. And before you react the way you've done 99 times out of 100 to start the confrontation, stop, don't react.

Think instead of think about what they're saying to you. Are you taking it personally? Will it change your life? Is it about you or is it about them?

Is it about another situation and that you're just assuming it's about you and then respond? And the think part could be easier saying, you know what? I need to think about that a minute.

Now you're letting them know that what they're saying has value, and you're not just attacking it on surface value.

Martin Salama:

Right.

Freddy D:

And then when you come back and respond, now you're saying, okay, I get it. Most people will realize the day after that they screwed up and that they reacted.

Martin Salama:

Yep. Sent that email, sent that text message. And then you go, oh, rats, what.

Freddy D:

The heck did I do? So I said, okay, if you can figure out that the next day you screwed up, stop. Think about how you could have done it differently.

And here's the most important part. Go back to that person and apologize. Not expecting anything back in return with a true apology of, let's figure this out now.

Martin Salama:

Very important advice, because we've all done it, and we've all done it. That's good advice, because it's the same thing in sales I teach people.

Before you start chasing that prospect, if you're chasing, what are they doing? They're running. I'll use the example go dating. You're trying to attract the attractive individual and you start calling and pursuing them.

They're running. Do you want to reverse it? And you want to become attractive so they're coming to you.

What you're really advising is if you stop and think before you react and then react appropriately, you become much more attractive. Because their expectations are that you're going to react the way you've always reacted and you react differently.

They're going to go, whoa, did that just happen?

Freddy D:

Right, right, exactly. It turns it. It's a stop dropping role to stop think and respond.

Martin Salama:

Very good advice. Very good advice.

Freddy D:

Thank you. And it took me a long time to get it down and it takes a while for my clients to get it too.

And I tell them every chance that it happens is a learning experience. It's not a failure. It's a way to understand how to do it better the next time.

Martin Salama:

It's like failing forward. At least you're failing forward, you're improving versus failing backwards, where you're sinking yourself deeper into the hole.

Freddy D:

Exactly right.

Martin Salama:

Let's talk a little bit more about the programs that you offer.

Freddy D:

What would you like to know?

Martin Salama:

I mean, is it just there's no set program or you have a structured setup?

Freddy D:

Yeah, so I have a few different programs. One is helping people shift their mindset from lack to abundance.

On a deeper level, it's about helping them shift from self conscious to self awareness. When you're self conscious, it's your ego getting in the way. It's negativity, it's blame, it's fear. Okay. All those negative things.

And when you're self aware, it comes from humility, self worth, and self love. If you shift there, everything else will start to fall into place.

Another thing I've been doing is working with clients, specifically mostly coaches and consultants to help them get to a seven figure business within two years, guaranteed. So how I do that is I put in what I call a risk reversal strategy. So I'm going to get you to a million dollars.

Is it worth it to pay me $100,000 if you get there? Yeah, but I don't have it now. Good. I don't want it now. What I want is a small amount now on the information that's going to get you going.

And then I don't want you to pay me again until you have results. So then you're paying me on Results.

How much of a super fan, raving fan would I have if they don't, they don't have to pay me again until they're successful. I'm going to keep staying there until they get successful. I won't give up on you if you don't give up on you.

Martin Salama:

That's an important statement right there. Because a lot of people give up on themselves, right?

Freddy D:

And when they do, I'm like, I'm in their face in a kind loving way saying, why are you giving up on yourself? They have to understand it's a three legged stool. The first leg is having the right systems in place. The second leg.

It doesn't matter how much you believe in me and my program, if you don't believe in yourself, you're not going to take the information I'm teaching you and coaching you and putting it into process because you're holding yourself back. So a big part of it is bringing in that lack to abundance mindset.

And then the third one is teaching them to be scalable so that they don't have to do everything themselves and understanding something I learned I've been doing for a long time. But then I read a book by a gentleman named Dan Sullivan called who Not How. You know that book?

Martin Salama:

I've heard of it. I haven't.

Freddy D:

Who not basically says I wake up in the morning, I said how am I going to do this? How am I going to do that? You're asking the wrong question. The question is who am I going to get to do this for me?

As I talked about Kiyosaki before him saying I want to be the dumbest person in the room. I say the people that know how work for and with the people that know why. So it's the same thing.

You want to surround yourself with the people that know how to do the things you need them to do and they're happy to do it.

Martin Salama:

Right?

Freddy D:

Because that's their expertise, that's their zone of genius. And you stay in your zone of genius.

Martin Salama:

No, well said. Because you're maximizing time because that's the most expensive commodity in the world.

You can be a multi trillionaire and you can't buy more of it and you can't buy it back.

Freddy D:

That's right. So that's the other program I have going on right now is helping people get there.

And they don't pay me the next level until they're getting a 2 to 1 return on their investment. Then they don't pay me again until they're getting a 5 to 1 return on their investment.

The final payment comes when they get to 10 to 1 and they make a million dollars. So they're very happy to finish paying me the hundred thousand.

Martin Salama:

Yeah, I'd pay 100,000 and get a million dollars all day long.

Freddy D:

Exactly. And they don't keep paying me when they pass a million.

But by then we've built a partnership, a relationship where we're looking to ways to do business together. We're going to be in masterminds together, true masterminds, Napoleon Hill style masterminds.

Growing ourselves, growing our businesses and helping others grow theirs as well.

Martin Salama:

Great. Yeah, read a few of Napoleon Hill stuff, some of the old guys, but they're the solid guys.

Freddy D:

Yep. Outwitting the devil. Love that one, Martin.

Martin Salama:

It's been a great conversation and can't believe how fast the time has flown by. But how can people find you?

Freddy D:

I've made it very simple, Freddie. Connectwithmartin.com it's that simple. You go there, you could find out some free gifts I've got.

You can download them for free, you can buy my book, you can set up an appointment to talk to me and see how we can work together.

Martin Salama:

Excellent.

We'll make sure that's in the show notes for our listeners and great conversation and definitely would like to continue the conversation down the road and have you on the show again.

Freddy D:

Oh, thank you so much. It'd be my pleasure. I've enjoyed every moment with you.

Martin Salama:

Thank you.

Freddy D:

Hey business super fans. Superstar Freddie D Here.

Before we wrap, here's your three a playbook power move to attract ideal clients, turn them into advocates and accelerate your business success. So here's the top insight from today's episode.

Your business breakthrough starts the moment you stop reacting to everything and start responding with clarity, ownership and purpose. So here's your business growth action step today.

Write down one moment where you typically react in frustration and replace it with a simple stop, think, respond strategy to shift energy and strengthen your leadership presence. If today's conversation sparked an idea for you or you know of a fellow business leader who could benefit, share it with them.

Support the show with the donation and grab the full notes in the show and grab the full breakdown in the show notes. Let's accelerate together and start creating business superfans who champion your brand.

We hope you took away some useful knowledge from today's episode of the Business Superfans podcast. The path to success relies on taking action. So go over to businesssuperfans.com and get your hands on the book.

If you haven't already, join the accelerator community and take that first step in generating a team of passionate supporters for your business. Join us on the next episode as we continue guiding you on your journey to achieve flourishing success in business.

Support the Business Superfans Podcast

Thank you for considering a contribution to the Business Superfans Podcast! Your generosity fuels our mission to inspire and empower entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and business owners like you. Every dollar helps us bring on incredible guests who share not only actionable strategies for creating superfans through Total Experience (TX) but also insights to accelerate business growth and achieve sustainable success.

By supporting our show, you’re not just helping us produce meaningful content—you’re investing in a community-driven to thrive. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering impactful episodes packed with tools and inspiration for building businesses that flourish.

Together, we’re transforming challenges into opportunities, sparking innovation, and creating a network of superfans championing your success. We’re incredibly grateful for your generosity and excited to have you with us on this journey.

Thank you for helping us make a lasting impact. Your support means everything! 💡✨

L. Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)
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About the Podcast

Business Superfans
Interviews with global experts sharing actionable strategies to grow a sustainable business through superfans.
Welcome to the Business Superfans—the podcast show where real experts share real growth strategies to build a profitable, sustainable business.

Hosted by Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)—bestselling author of Creating Business Superfans® and a global business growth strategist with 35+ years of experience—this podcast brings you candid conversations with experts in leadership, marketing, sales, customer experience, stakeholder engagement, finance, HR, SaaS, and AI innovation.

Each episode delivers actionable takeaways to help you grow revenue, deepen stakeholder loyalty, and build a business that scales—powered by superfans.

You’ll hear from:
- Founders and CEOs who’ve built loyalty-first companies
- Sales and finance leaders driving measurable results
- HR pros building thriving internal cultures
- AI tool creators redefining engagement and automation
- Customer experience experts turning everyday interactions into lifetime advocacy

Whether you're leading a small business or scaling a growing company, you'll gain proven frameworks to attract ideal clients, energize your team, grow profitably, and create lasting impact.

🎙️ New episodes drop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Subscribe now and build the kind of business people believe in, talk about, and champion as their own—while creating a lifestyle you love and a business that makes you smile.
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About your host

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Frederick Dudek

Frederick Dudek, author of the book "Creating Business Superfans," and host of the Business Superfans Podcast. He is an accomplished sales and marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in achieving remarkable sales performance results in global business markets. With a successful track record in the software-as-a-service industry and others. Frederick brings expertise and insight to help businesses thrive., he shares invaluable knowledge and strategies to create brand advocates, which he calls business superfans, who propel organizations toward long-term success.


Born in rural France, Frederick spent summers on his grandfather’s vineyard in France, where he developed a love for French wine. As a youth, he showed a strong aptitude for engineering and competed in drafting and design competitions. After winning numerous engineering awards, he became a draftsman working on numerous automotive projects. He was selected to design the spot weld guns for the 1982 Ford Escort car. That led to Frederick joining the emerging computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) industry, in which he quickly climbed the ranks.

While working for a CAD/CAM company as an application engineer, an opportunity presented itself that enabled Frederick to transition into sales. It was the right decision, and he never looked back. In the thirty-plus years Frederick has been selling, he has earned a reputation as the go-to guy for small companies that want to expand their business domestically or internationally. This role has allowed him to travel to over thirty countries and counting. When abroad, Frederick’s favorite pastime is to go exploring for hours, not to mention enjoying some of the local cuisine and fine wines.

Frederick is a former runner and athlete. Today, you can find him hiking various trails with his significant other, Kiley Kaplan. When not writing, selling, speaking, or exploring, he is cooking or building things. The next thing on Frederick’s bucket list is learning to sail and to continue the exploration of countries and their unique cultures.