Borders, university degrees, and the traditional career path are increasingly becoming obsolete and irrelevant. And that's a good thing --> We'll show you why.
All that matters are the skills you bring to the marketplace and the value you can add --> We'll teach you how.
You can earn a living and spend time anywhere in the world today, thanks to modern communications and cheap transportation. You don't have to be stuck wherever you are. The world is your oyster.
In 4 days you'll learn more about business than any educational program can give you. You'll learn from real, highly successful entrepreneurs who have done it (and learn from their failures as well) in multiple industries, offline and online.
You'll get highly actionable advice and insights in building a business, marketing, sales, finding and talking to investors... and much more.
You'll make connections with extremely talented and driven young people from all over the world-- the camp always brings together people from all continents that will, or already are, doing amazing things. This will provide you with an invaluable network and contacts globally. Many past attendees have become close friends, business associates, opened many doors for other attendees etc.
Most of all-- it will be a lot of fun. Just imagine having 50+ highly energetic and talented young people from different cultures in one secluded lakeside resort. For many past attendees it truly was a life changing experience.
If you're still not convinced, consider this--
Without doubt, the world has changed over the past few years. The US and most of Europe are in debt up to their eyeballs and it's only getting worse with central bankers printing trillions upon trillions and devaluing the currency. Wealth and power in the world are clearly shifting away from the West.
As a result, freedom and liberty are getting destroyed too. Heavily militarized police forces are patrolling US cities, harassing and intimidating people. The TSA is molesting innocent travelers at airports. And increasing regulations mean that it has become illegal to even collect your own rainwater or feed the homeless.
It's bound to only get worse as bankrupt and desperate governments always follow the same playbook-- more control, more repression, more regulation, more aggression, and more violence.
It's increasingly important to make sure that your own wellbeing and prosperity depend on your own skills, knowledge, experience, and network. Blacksmith Liberty & Entrepreneurship Camp will provide you with a clear blueprint for how to do that.
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In these workshops, a carefully selected group of 50 students learns how to make money, control their time, and become truly free… guided by successful entrepreneurs and investors who have actually done it.
For six years in a row, Sovereign Man founder Simon Black, fitness entrepreneur and online business expert Craig Ballantyne, and other successful entrepreneurs have been sponsoring Sovereign Academy's Blacksmith Liberty and Entrepreneurship Series.
For four days each summer at a beautiful lakeside resort nestled in the Lithuanian countryside, students and instructors explore the concepts of liberty, entrepreneurship and investing.
The days are filled with dynamic, interactive lectures, small group workshops, presentations, debates, and practical exercises. This isn’t any fluffy, touchy-feely stuff. This is a crash course in reality… a ‘how to’ guide for breaking free, becoming successful, and achieving real freedom.
It’s a fast-paced environment… and to give you a sense of topics, past lectures have included:
The single biggest reason why most businesses fail… and how to avoid it.
How to spot opportunities and develop successful business ideas
From the beginning: How to start with an idea, make it better, and build a real business around it
How to buy failing business cheaply and turn them around for profit
How to invest into real estate and raise private capital
Copywriting: The words that sell
Show me the money: How to find investors and investment capital
Going global: the most exciting frontier markets where you can make a fortune… and HOW.
Internet fortunes: How to get started in a variety of online ventures
Personal stories: How we started successful businesses with little capital
Personal development: what are the skills you need to be developing right now… and how do you get started
It doesn’t take a genius: How to create success by working ON your business, not IN your business
Taking a quantum leap: the most important thing you can do for your personal and professional growth
Avoiding the rat race: why conventional measures of success will make you miserable, and why you’ll always come out ahead with unconventional thinking
Numbers: How to analyze investment deals
Insanity: What’s happening in the global economy and financial markets
Wealth: It’s a state of mind, not a bank balance. Why money is important, but not the most important thing.
Lifestyle design: Living where you want, how you want, doing what you want
Network Infiltration: How to become an insider with any group or organization
The PT (Permanent Traveler) lifestyle: How the entire world can be your oyster
Failure: Common reasons that people don’t believe in themselves, and why those are bullshit excuses
Communicating with the world: Practical and critical business English
Why the government is the greatest enemy to creativity and productivity
Freedom: It’s not just a crescendo at the end of a song
As you can imagine, the events are not all work and study. Every morning starts off with an optional yoga session, and every afternoon is filled with a variety of activities, ranging from group fitness to sunbathing at the lake.
Evenings are a total blast as the resort turns into our private disco, complete with bonfires, karaoke and all-night dancing.
Even though there is no cost to attend, this isn't some kind of charity.
No, this is an INVESTMENT in people. And we can't think of a better use of time and money.
Think about it... how amazing would it have been to make early investments in Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Larry Page, Mark Cuban, etc. when they were in their early 20s? Not to mention tens of thousands of other movers and shakers (that most people have never heard of) who were wildly successful in making a profound impact on the world..?
We have no doubt that many of the individuals who come through our camps each year have the potential to reach this point. And we are all privileged to be part of their ultimate success... to help mentor them, work with them, and invest with them.
This is why the acceptance bar is so high. This isn't some summer party week (though there's plenty of that). This is serious business... and we want people who are not only willing and ready to learn, but also people who have the guts to go back home and execute.
We don't want to waste our time, the other instructors’ time, or the students' time, on anyone who isn't willing to step up and put what they learned to good use.
For a huge number of past students, the camp has been profoundly life changing... in a positive way. If you're not ready for this, don't apply.
With only around 50 spaces available, it’s going to be a tough competition to join. Each year the attendees seem to get better and better, and surely this year will be no different.
Perhaps the part that’s most compelling for students is being around each other.
Year after year, the groups have been getting better and better. Last year’s participants (roughly 50 students) were selected from thousands of applicants.
They hailed from 35-countries as diverse as the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Venezuela and Belarus. And it was an incredible week. But don’t take our word for it:
"The camp was an incredible experience for me. Never before have I met so many like-minded and motivated people. It was more than one of those typical ‘YEAAAAH you can do it seminars.’ I learned real tools and steps of how to research an idea and present it to investors. I know what to do now. I am going to do it. I have the confidence I will succeed with the knowledge I got.
But even more important was the shift in my mind I experienced. I am thinking bigger and I see more opportunities now. It is possible for me to start BIG ideas and I know the steps how to go through with them.
Coming to this camp was one of the best decisions in my life so far."
"Being a part of the camp has enriched my life. Not only has receiving actionable, expert advice and guidance from the instructors been of immediate use upon my return home, but becoming friends with intellectually sound individuals from around the globe has enabled me to fully appreciate the importance of a quality network of like-minded individuals. This is the start of a new chapter in my life. My future is looking brighter by the day as I now have greater control of its direction."
"Before coming to Blacksmith camp, I felt trapped in the mindset of: go to university, get a job, and work for forty years. I had the desire to strike out on my own but I lacked the knowledge and experience to take action. In four days, I met some of the greatest people of my life. People who are passionate, knowledgeable, creative, and freedom loving. Beyond that, I learned an absurd amount about marketing, getting into the mind of customers, designing companies, and presenting projects to potential investors. I learned more practical skills and important mental models in four days than in two years of university. Beyond all of this value, I left the camp with actionable information to turn the business our group developed into a real company. Absolutely amazing experience."
"Two of the most important pieces of practical advice that I received at the camp were about direct response marketing and targeting the audience. I never heard of the direct response marketing technique and did not know that it could be so effective while being very cheap and easy at the same time."
"Awesome. Outstanding. Extraordinary. Those are just some of the words that could describe my time at the Blacksmith Camp. Unfortunately, the reality is that they barely describe the amount of positive energy that we got to see at the camp. Whether we are talking about the 50 young people from all over the world, the amazing place, the sports program, the food or the entrepreneurs - everything fitted together into one wonderful team, motivated to change the world for a better. If you are wondering about visiting the camp in 2015, but are scared of the expensive flight from overseas, do not hesitate for a moment to book your trip. Not for a moment."
"Participating in the Blacksmith Camp was a really great experience. I met a lot of interesting people to share the ideas with, really enjoyed the inspiring lectures and discussions, and of course we had a lot of fun, sport activities and yoga classes!!!! So it was an informative, inspiring and memorable event…"
"It really opened my views about business and also gave me a lot of new ideas but the most important thing was that it gave me a direction about what I want to do in the future."
"The place was amazing, the food was great, and we had a lot of fun. I’m glad I met really friendly, smart and motivated people, who have interesting ideas about what to do in their lives. The phrase that perhaps stuck in my head the strongest was “nobody owes you anything”, you have to do something to earn money."
"The real value that I got from the camp was the opportunity to network with so many other people from around the world, who are fascinated by the same things I am. I think it's so cool that several of these students are going back and actually starting the businesses that they developed while at the camp."
"The Blacksmith Camp was just awesome. No exaggeration, really. For me it was one of the most informative events I've ever had, and quite exclusive. The things being discussed are truly important to know and quite exclusive."
The lead instructors for this year's camp are all successful entrepreneurs and investors who are donating their time and money to put on this event.
Note: Updates to this list will be made as August approaches and more instructors join.
Simon Black established the Blacksmith Liberty and Entrepreneurship Camp in 2009. As a permanent traveler who has been to over 115 countries on all seven continents, Simon is an accomplished entrepreneur, writer, investor, and free soul.
He is the co-founder of SovereignMan.com, one of the largest international investment and diversification websites in the world. In 2014 he also founded a $40 million agricultural fund and a boutique merchant bank.
Simon is an avid private investor, and his numerous holdings include various media websites, a baby products company, augmented reality technology, a Mongolian conglomerate, two marijuana producers, an energy supplement company, and a groundbreaking digital currency solution.
Craig Ballantyne is one of the world's foremost Internet marketing gurus, as well as one of the most sought-after fitness entrepreneurs on the Internet. As a workout routine and fat loss expert, Craig has taken his offline credibility from being published in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines, and turned it into a multimillion dollar fitness enterprise at TurbulenceTraining.com.
Craig is also co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of EarlytoRise.com, one of the most popular personal development websites in the world. He is a true master of written communication and developing strong, lasting relationships with customers. Craig has been Simon's constant partner in this camp since the very beginning.
Matthew Smith is one of the most gifted entrepreneurs you could ever hope to meet. Like some of the most successful people in the world, Matt dropped out of college. Instead of wasting away in school, he spent his early 20s learning valuable skills from the most talented people he could find.
In doing so, he developed almost unparalleled business and marketing prowess which he has used to generate vast income streams and build successful businesses. Matt is currently serving as the CEO of Stansberry Research, one of the largest financial publishing firms in the world.
J. Massey is a full-time real estate entrepreneur, investor, author, developer, sales coach and problem solver who has lived an incredibly inspiring rags-to-riches story.
J. currently owns over 100 units and has completed hundreds of real estate transactions in eight states. He's also one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet, as well as one of the most energetic and dedicated instructors.
Clifford Mee has been an online online entrepreneur for the past ten years, selling tens of millions of dollars worth of products direct to consumers. He currently resides in Koh Samui, Thailand where he also owns a restaurant.
Cliff is a three-time instructor at Sovereign Academy; his brain is probably one of the most incredibly resources you could ever hope to access, particularly when it comes to marketing products and services.
It doesn't matter where you are at in your business development... or how much you already know about marketing. You will learn a LOT from Cliff.
The camp will be held in Trakai, Lithuania from August 6 - 10, 2015.
Participants who are accepted will be accommodated in a wonderful lakeside resort. There is no fee to attend the camp. Our foundation, SOVEREIGN ACADEMY, handles everything — bus transport to the camp, lodging, food, etc.
You are responsible for your own travel to Vilnius, Lithuania (though I do occasionally offer scholarships for this). Should you require a visa, we may be able to assist.
In the past, I have given applicants detailed instructions for how to apply. But this year, I've thrown all of that in the garbage.
Life doesn't come with an instruction manual. There is no “How To” guide. You just have to figure things out as you go, learn from your experiences, and grow.
It's for this reason I’m not going to give you a long list of questions to answer, or some multi-page application.
All I ask is that you make a video. I’m not going to tell you what to say, how long it needs to be, or what information you need to cover. No instructions. That’s life.
This is your chance to persuade my team and I that you’re a good fit for the camp.
So just be real. Remember, my team and I are reviewing hundreds, potentially thousands of other videos. Demonstrate to us why we should accept YOU, and not someone else. No rules. No guidebook.
What to do:
Record a video of yourself, keeping what you've read above in mind.
Upload your video to the Internet (I don't care where... and if you want to password protect it, or make it private, that's fine).
Along with the link, please tell us your full name, age, country of citizenship(s), and country of residence (we need this information for visa purposes).
Send the link and information to: [email protected]
The application deadline is March 31, 2015... and you will be notified whether or not you were accepted by May 15, 2015. This gives you 3-months’ notice, which should be plenty of time to arrange your travel.
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