If you build it they will come

It’s finally finished, the motivational Mecca in Mechanicsburg known as The Charlie “T” Jones Conference Center.  The decision to build this facility gelled from several areas. One of our strengths at Tremendous Life Books is that we are content rich, meaning that not only are we are the premier publisher of motivational material, but we also possess  the most tremendous network of friends, colleagues, authors and speakers thanks to the ceaseless work of our founder, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. As one of our top supporters, Jeffrey Gitomer, said, “People owe him a cosmic debt of gratitude.” We also sought to capitalize on a very basic marketing principle: If you can’t get Mohammed to come to the Mountain, bring the Mountain to Mohammed. It’s much more effective for a book evangelist to bring the weary masses into our Conference Center and put on a soiree of nourishment for the body, mind, and soul, than to set up individual meetings or sales calls. The synergy of various laymen and business people sharing a book that changed their lives or turned their company around is infinite. As a bureaucratic refugee, I am also a convert to the power of small and medium-sized businesses. They drive the world, the labors of the few, driven to actively pursue their goals, with the entrepreneurial freedom to do so. I want a place where they can find refuge, an oasis in the sea of expensive venues that gouge us for every drop of electricity we drain out of the wall.  I also wanted a much more intimate setting as my personal experience is that that’s where the magic happens. Small groups of people meeting face to face accomplish tremendous things. And lastly, we built a conference center to honor two things: the people we meet and the books we read. Those who predict the future demise of books and face-to-face interaction have totally missed the boat. Books will never die and the interaction of human beings will never be replicated, I don’t care what technology we have. I’ve learned a lot in my first half-century of years as I lived all over the world and for decades sought out the next great job or title. Life isn’t about experiencing things, it’s about developing you to become the best version of yourself so you can go out and positively impact others. We had our soft launch in August. The room was packed for the opening two nights and the speaker shared how reading just 15 minutes a day changed his life and made him what he is today. September is slated to continue bringing them in. We’ve got three book signings scheduled, a training session by one of our authors, a corporate day-long retreat, and two chamber mixers. These events will bring in hundreds of people intent on sharing their tremendous experiences with each other and, of course, buying more books. I cannot even imagine the seeds that will be sown by these individuals and cannot fathom what type of harvest they will reap. But I do know one thing: I am beyond humbled to be a part of it. If you have ever supported us in any way, words alone will never be able to thank you because you are why we were able to build it and why they will come. You can check out all of our tremendous upcoming Charlie “T” Jones Conference Center events on our website. Hope to see you there!