Are you an A level marketer in a B level opportunity? Let me show you how to change!
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Hey everybody, this is Russell Brunson and we are on my way to work today. This is the Marketing in Your Car podcast. In today's podcast, we're going to be talking about what type of opportunity are you in right now. Today, I want to talk about types of opportunities that we're in. this is something that I've never really thought about.
When I first got in the business, I just started moving forward. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know what was happening. I had an idea for this software, so I made that and I started selling it. Then I had this idea for potato gun DVDs so I made that. Then I had an idea.
I started having ideas, and then just making that stuff and trying to sell it. I had no real plan or purpose or anything. It was just things started happening. We started moving forward. I think that a lot of times happens with a lot of us in our businesses.
Last summer, my wife and I had a chance to go to Kenya for about 10 days. We were doing a project with World Teacher Trade which is a really cool charity that two of my friends, Stu and Amy McLaren started. We had a chance to go out there. It's one of the most amazing experiences while we were out there, helping build schools. It was a really cool thing.
While we were out there, there were probably I think 10 or 15 other high end internet marketers who had all donated money to build these classrooms that were all there with us. We were building schools and hanging out with the kids, and having a great time together. I remember one day, I was sitting next to Bill Harrison.
If you guys don't know Bill, he's a brilliant marketer, one of the coolest guys from a marketing standpoint. He and I sat and talked for 20 hours straight without even a break because the guy has read more books on marketing than anyone I ever met, a really cool guy. I really enjoy my time with him every time I have a chance to talk with him.
When we were in Kenya, he started talking about the type of opportunity he was in. He said, “It's kind of frustrating me. I feel like I have A level skills but I feel like I'm at a B level opportunity.” He said, “I have these friends who have B or C level skills who aren't that good at marketing or business, yet they somehow got plugged into an A level opportunity, and a couple of them just sold their businesses for $100 million.”
He's like, “Our company does well. We do $10 to $12 million a year but that's kind of the peak. We maxed out everything that's possible in our business because it's a B level opportunity. We can't really get outside of that.” He's like, “Also, the other issue is that I built a company that was based off of,” actually his brother's brand so it's based on his brother's.
He's like, “It's a business that's very difficult if not impossible to sell. The problem with that, when you build a company completely off of your face and your name, at first, it's a lot easier to get traction and make sales, and to grow a business but long term, it's harder to sell because you sell it, then the personality dies behind the business.”
He said, “I always felt like our business is like a rental. No matter what, we'll never own it to the point where we could sell it. It's like a rental home. We could make good income on it, have good cash flow but it's not something that we own and could sell someday.” Between those two things, talking about the opportunity and talking about basically we're in a rental business if it's that type of business, I really took that to heart.
I thought a lot about it. That was last summer. In January, I was at the traffic conversion event and I saw Bill again. We started talking. I told him, “What you talked about really had a big impact on me with the whole level, what type of opportunity are you in.” He asked me, “What are you doing about that?”
I said, “You know, I'm not sure yet.” I remember I had this conversation with the guys on my team. We were all there at the event together, and kind of said it looked like we're in a good business. We're at a I feel a B level opportunity.
First off, our business does well. Our best year ever, we did over $10 million so it's a really good business but I feel like our skill set, what we bring to the table is a lot more than that. I really feel like we were in the same situation as Bill where we had a B level opportunity with A level skills, and we wanted to figure out a way to increase that.
We strategically sat down and figured out with what we have right now, how could we change our business to actually make it an A level opportunity where we could apply our A level skills, and really make what we think what we're worth in what we can do. Because of that, we basically took a business that was doing $10 million a year and completely transformed it and changed it.
Some of you guys probably on the outside can see a few of the changes happening but you'll see more and more over the next six months or so, and where Dot Com Secrets is not the focus of our business. Again, I think Dot Com Secrets is a B level opportunity. Sure, it makes us $10 million a year but I think that there are bigger opportunities. That's what we're pursuing right now.
You'll start seeing these transitions and changes as we're trying to shift away from a B level opportunity into an A level opportunity where we can really start scaling it. My thought process for this podcast I wanted you guys to think about is what type of opportunity are you in right now? Just because you're in the business you're in right now doesn't mean you have to be in that.
You can change it or you can sell it, or you can move onto something different, but make sure that you're in an opportunity that can reward you sufficiently for your level of skill. If you're in a business, maybe you're doing a million bucks a year and you feel really good about that. Just by tweaking the business you're in could completely tweak how much money you're making, just by shifting the opportunity.
I want you to be aware of that because until last summer, I wasn't even aware of that. I was just moving forward in the opportunity that I'd fallen into and didn't even think much about it. I was good at making money but now that we've made a shift and we’re focusing on an A level opportunity, it gets me more excited because I can see the big vision, my team can see the vision, and we get more excited because what we’re building is ten times bigger.
Again, that's my focus for you guys. Just look at the opportunity you're in now and realize that if you're not happy or it's not what you think it could be, or it's not big enough, whatever it is, you can change. I remember two years ago on New Year's Eve, Tony Robbins put out this video. It was very inspirational for me, and it was actually the catalyst for me firing a ton of employees, shifting my whole business model around, and moving my offices, and shifting.
He basically said, “As New Year's is coming up, this is the time when people can make changes and do whatever they want.” He said, “Look, if you're not happy in your relationships, change them. If you're not happy with your weight, change it. If you're not happy with your business, change it.”
It really gave me permission, saying, “You know what, why do I have to keep doing this? If I'm not happy, I can change.” I think that that's something that a lot of people, as simple as it is, you don't give yourself permission to do that. Look at your life right now, all aspects of it.
Look at the opportunities in everything, not just business, but your relationship opportunities, your spiritual opportunities, things like that. Just look at are you at an A level opportunity in all areas of your life? If not, then change it. I'm giving you guys all permission right now to make that change because I know it's a scary thing but you have my permission to do it and my encouragement to go do that as well, and seek after the A level opportunities.
Guess what? It takes the exact same amount of effort as the B level opportunities. That's what's interesting. When Bill was talking to me, his buddy that sold his company for $100 million, he didn't work as hard as Bill is, he didn't work as hard as I'm working but the opportunity he was in allowed that.
Just realize that the conscious choosing of your opportunity is huge because most of us don't consciously choose it. Most of us just go out there, and whatever we stumble upon, that's what we start running with. I'm giving you permission right now to consciously choose the opportunities in your life, again, from relationships to business to personal life to spiritual life, whatever it is.
Consciously make the choice and then I also give you permission to make those changes because I know that a lot of times, we just need that permission. You have my permission. Go and do it. I hope you enjoy this podcast. I hope it gives you guys some inspiration.
I know that this little concept has changed our business, the direction of our business substantially and it's made what we’re doing a million times more fun and more fulfilling. I hope it will do the same for you. Thanks, everybody.