Chapter Six - The Honeypot in Austin

CHAPTER SIX

The Honeypot in Austin

AFTER THE CRUISE, things moved fast. Just a couple weeks later, it was time for the Austin trip.

This was a big one. Something they called the Blitz Event. From what I understood, this was supposed to be our first taste of real sales. We’d fly down, knock some doors, get in the rhythm, and maybe even close a few deals. I was hyped. I was ready.

Only one thing stood between me and the doors: the app.

The Alta sales app was where everything happened. Leads, contracts, signings, and metrics. Without access, you couldn’t sell. Simple as that.

But they flew us out anyway.

Me and the boys hopped a plane to Texas. I was back in the sky again, feeling good. Another first, another trip. When we landed, they picked us up in a Mercedes and a McLaren.

I’m not gonna lie, that part was sweet.

I took a video. Obviously. I mean, come on. A McLaren? That’s not normal life. That’s dream bait.

Then they drove us to a mansion. Well, more like a mini-mansion, but still. Pool, hot tub, poolhouse, and a fridge stocked with White Claws, Twisted Teas, the works. It was a party pad.

This wasn’t sales. This was the hook.

I called it the honeypot in the first version of this story, and that’s exactly what it was. A sugar-coated preview of “the life” you could have if you just bought in all the way. Be an Alta boy, live like a king.

But before any hot tubs or In-N-Out, we had to talk script.

That was the first thing they asked: “Who’s got the script memorized?”

They got to me. I told the truth. I didn’t have it down yet, but I’d already started tweaking it. Building something better, my own way.

And man, they hated that.

They went off on me. You can’t deviate. You can’t freestyle. You must know the script. It’s the law. It’s the program.

I just nodded and thought to myself: “Whatever. You people are ridiculous.”

We went to In-N-Out that night, which was fine. My first time in Texas and we’re eating fast food. Then we toured a weird warehouse they were using to host events. Concrete floors, what I think were asbestos covered walls, and mystery lighting. Great start.

Our Airbnb wasn’t terrible, just small. Six of us packed in. I shared a room with Caleb. Zack and Chris doubled up. Arsh had his own space. Hyder slept on the couch. It was like a sales frat house.

Still no Blitz.

Next day, we showed up at the warehouse again for this “event.” They had free haircuts. A dodgeball tournament. A literal go-kart track. It was kind of sick, not gonna lie. But again, no selling. Just games.

And then came the team meeting.

Now this was wild.

I’m pretty sure it was Tyler who led it. He started going deep. Not into sales psychology, but personal psychology. Like full-on brain training. Repetition. Neurological loops. Subconscious imprinting. Stuff that sounded a lot less like coaching and a lot more like... conditioning.

I kept glancing at Zack like, “Yo… are you hearing this?” He’d look back just as wide-eyed. We were clocking it. This was not normal.

Then Allan got up.

Allan, good ol’ Allan, he peeled the mask clean off.

He said, and I’m paraphrasing here: “If you really want to make money, it’s not pest control. It’s real estate.”

He went on to talk about how he and the other managers all had multiple rental properties. That was the real goal. That’s where the real wealth was.

And that’s when it hit me:

These guys weren’t sales leaders. They were extractors.

They weren’t teaching us to succeed. They were showing us how to make a quick buck off other people just like they were doing. They made their first money selling bugs, and their next move was to become landlords. Not investors. Extractors.

I didn’t respect it. I still don’t.

We had some catered tacos after that. They were decent. The next day, we had barbecue. Connor paid for it, which was nice. Maybe a tax write-off, who knows?

We swam at the mini-mansion that night. Hot tub, Cold drinks, and more script practice. It was fun, I guess. It was also theater. A performance to keep us locked in.

And still, no Blitz.

On the final day, we finally made it to the city office for one last meeting. It wasn’t selling. Just another teaching session. But Jacob, one of the managers, actually taught us something useful. Real strategies. Real ideas. I was following along.

Then right before we left for the airport, they got us onboarded into the system.

Alta was finally about to begin.