Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joey Klein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Joey, appreciate you joining us today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?
Inner Matrix Systems (IMS) is a seminar company. Until 2019, we produced solely in person events. In March 2020 when the entire world shut down, our business ended overnight. We canceled events and scrambled to support our clients. Our business is in the business of supporting people through difficult times and we were also trying to navigate the unknown ourselves. I’m proud to say that our team was able to pivot and create a new digital offering within a matter of weeks. This was possible because we did a few key things during this time that can help any leader during difficult or uncertain times.
1. We got clear and reminded ourselves of our vision. Before any of this happened and COVID-19 ended our business – What was the vision and specific outcomes we were looking to create? Where were we headed? Vision and intended outcomes should NOT change, regardless of circumstance. Getting clear on where we were headed, instead of focusing on what was happening, allowed us to move forward clearly and definitively.
2. We asked ourselves what the opportunity was in this situation that we could leverage? Instead of getting lost in what was happening and allowing ourselves to create stories about what it could mean, we looked at it from a place of opportunity and how we could serve.
In this specific example of pivoting our business during COVID-19, our vision never wavered. Because we looked at this from a place of opportunity, we were able to be creative and collaborative to find a solution. It also opened up a whole new way to serve our clients. We are thrilled to be able to offer virtual seminars and classes as well as our in-person offerings. COVID-19 gave us the time and space to figure out how to produce virtual offerings that really supported people, something that probably wouldn’t have happened (at least for some time) if we were still traveling and putting on in person events.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Joey Klein, and I am the founder of Inner Matrix Systems (IMS), a company that focuses on training high achievers inside the art and science of personal mastery. We do that by employing our proprietary training systems inside of training, aligning, and rewiring emotions, thought strategies, and the nervous system to create the real life results and outcomes that people are looking to achieve for themselves.
What the heck does that mean, right? Put simply, I created a training system that supports people to get out of pain (whether that’s stress in your relationship, overwhelm in your career, fear with your finances, or any place of challenge) and create a life better than they could ever imagine. We do that through weekend seminars and weekly classes, both in person and virtually across the globe.
Our training is designed for high achievers. We define a high achiever as any person that wants a life better than the one they are currently living, and is willing to take action towards that outcome.
When I started my business, I cared about two things:
1. How can I support people as efficiently and effectively as possible to get out of the pain and suffering they know in their lives? And,
2. How can I support people to create a life better than they could imagine?
These two questions have been the driving force in launching and growing IMS. I am committed to answering those two questions better and better until we’re serving millions of people.
Personal development is becoming more mainstream because businesses (and humans in general) are realizing that people don’t execute well when they are in a constant state of stress. The nature of our world today is a breeding ground for stress. It used to be that personal development was thought of as “woo woo” or only for people that couldn’t hack it. But now people are realizing that their well-being and emotional states aren’t something to put on the back burner because living in a state of anxiety, panic, and overwhelm can cause health problems. I’m so proud to say that our training has supported thousands of people to shift these fear based states and access a place of genuine joy, freedom, and inspiration. And I’m so happy that both companies and regular people are prioritizing their well-being and are more open to personal development and the many benefits of mastering oneself.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
Building a business and a team can be daunting. I love the quote by Peter Drucker, “Culture eats Strategy for breakfast.” And that’s so true. People are the greatest asset to any company and crucial to creating culture. When building and managing a team, it’s imperative to communicate the vision for the company and make sure everyone is on board and committed to that vision. Once that’s established, putting your people first is crucial to having any chance of attaining that vision. Creating a company culture that understands that there is no “work life” and “personal life” because we all only have just the one life, goes a long way in motivating and caring for your team. Asking questions like – What inspires you? What do you care about? What type of life do you want to live? What type of person do you want to be? -gives you insight into how to best support them. I’m a big believer that if you support your team and create opportunities that positively impact not only their professional lives, but their personal lives as well in a meaningful way, they are more likely to be with the company long term. Putting your people first doesn’t mean that you completely ignore your bottom line. Putting your people first may sometimes mean making very tough decisions. Sometimes, a person isn’t meeting the objectives of his/her job and either needs to shift roles or transition out of the company. Sometimes, layoffs must happen to maintain viability. Putting your people first means having difficult conversations in a genuine and transparent manner, and being honest with them. High morale comes from trust. And trust comes from transparency. In a nutshell, being clear on your vision and putting your people first is what builds culture and boosts morale.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had a tremendous mentor in my early days that I still really admire. In fact, I utilize many things I learned from him and owe so much of my success to him. But one thing he always used to say to me, “you can sleep when you’re dead,” had to be unlearned. When I first heard “you can sleep when you’re dead,” I took it as permission to burn the candle at both ends. At the time, I was in full-time training as a martial artist, supporting a full practice of one on one clients, and traveling the world studying with my mentors. and teaching for them. This schedule was intense enough, but in addition to my jam-packed life I was building what would become IMS on the side. I slept a total of 4 hours on a good night, and in reality was often getting just a few hours consistently. I was young so I was able to execute in this way for quite some time. But it finally caught up with me and I ended up getting chronically ill. I would be in bed for a week after traveling or teaching at a program. I had totally blown myself up and really did a number on my immune system. If I had continued on in this way, I could have permanently harmed myself. It took me almost a full year to heal myself. This illness, while debilitating, forced me to adopt a new way of being. I now prioritize my self care, almost above anything else. I teach nearly 40 programs per year, traveling all over the US, and I feel great! But it’s because I am committed to caring for myself in an intentional and focused way that I’m now able to do even MORE than when I was only sleeping a few hours. I am obsessed with my nutrition and movement schedules. I make my internal training imperative each day. And I get at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Prioritizing myself and my health has made it so that I’m even more available to my clients, team, and people I care about, and can bring the best of myself to them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theinnermatrix.com/freebook
- Instagram: @therealjoeyklein
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeyKleinIMS
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyklein/