What I’ve learned during the systemization process inside of Clickfunnels over the last few months.
In this episode Russell explains how to replace your own level 6 skill sets with people who have level 10 skills in one thing. Here are some of the awesome things you will hear in today’s episode:
So listen here to find out how you can find a lot more people who are better than you to run your business for you.
---Transcript---
What’s up everybody? This is Russell Brunson and welcome to Marketing Secrets podcast.
Hey everyone, I just got done. I took off early today and went and took Norah to Little Gym, which is so stinking fun. She is so cute. Now I’m heading back to the office to go get some stuff done.
But just grateful today for being an entrepreneur and having the ability to just take off and go to my daughter’s little gym thing and have fun with her and not have to worry about anything. One of the hidden benefits of being an entrepreneur.
Alright, so I wanted to talk to you guys today, and this is something that we have been talking about a lot recently. Probably because we are in the middle of it in our company, but it’s like getting the systemization in. The first time I ever heard about systems, I read the book Emyths, by Michael Gerber. I remember it was probably 12 years ago or something and at the time, I started my business and I had learned how to do everything, because I didn’t have any money, outside of programming. I never learned programming, so I hired this guy named Dorel in Romania who still works for me to this day.
So he did all the programming stuff and I had to figure out everything else because I didn’t have any skills. So I had to learn how to write copy, I had to learn how to, I didn’t do images either, I hired images. But I learned all these different pieces. Marketing and traffic and sales. It sucks when you first get started because it’s just you and you don’t have any capitol or money so it’s like you have to get really talented. I think that’s one of the big reasons why, if you’ve heard the intro to the show I make fun of people who take on VC money because they don’t have to learn any of the stuff. They cheat, they get a bunch of money and hire people and there’s never anyone on the team that actually has the skill set to run the show.
There’s got to be someone who has done everything once or else it’s hard to….I don’t know, that’s just my thoughts and feelings. So I was doing everything from writing copy, doing customer support, driving traffic, doing sales, project management, everything, it was just me and Dorel. And then someone, I think it was Talman Knudson or someone at an event mentioned this book called EMyth and I thought, oh it’s the internet market….I thought E was internet, or email, I don’t know. So I remember we were going on a trip down to Lake Powell, my wife and I, and so we’re heading out, swing by Barnes and Noble, I go in the book store, the business section and there’s this book called the Emyth and I was like, “This is the one they’re all talking about.” So I bought it.
Jumped in a car and drive 12 hours down to Lake Powell, Utah, jump on a houseboat, go in the middle of the boat, pull out my new book, learn my internet marketing, start reading and it has nothing to do with internet marketing. I was kind of disappointed at first, but I had nothing else to read, so I kept reading this thing. It was all about systemization, talked about how most entrepreneurs feel. They’re juggling this thing and this thing, juggling 10 different plates, trying to keep them all up top because you know if one falls the whole thing is going to collapse.
He talked about basically going in there and each of these things you’re spinning, create a system around it, plug some of that system in and then run with it. And then doing that through all the different things until eventually you’ve got this thing systemized.
That was kind of the gist, and I’ve never gone super deep with Michael Gerber’s stuff out side of that, I have a couple of friends who disagree with what he says. But the conception is this is brilliant. Build systems to replace the things that I’m doing. I honestly struggled with that for a long time. I think most entrepreneurs do because I think this is the whole point of the podcast. I think I know why, now that we’re doing it the right way.
I think the reason why is because you as the entrepreneur who had to figure out all this crap ahead of time, you had to figure out how to do all these things. You’re taking on like 20 or 30 different skill sets initially that you have to learn to be able to launch a business, which is hard. And some things you’re really good at and some things you are horrible at. But you had to figure out how to do it because there’s no one else doing it.
I had to learn how to write copy because I remember somebody explained it to me one time and I was like, “ugh, that sounds horrible. I hate writing.” And they’re like, “Well, you could hire them, but they’re really expensive.” And I didn’t know how to hire them, so I went, the only person I really knew at the time who considered themselves a copywriter was Joe Vitale and I went to his site and he was charging like $6 a word for email copy. I was like, $6 a word, even the little words like ‘a’ and ‘the’? I guess I gotta learn this crap.
So I had to buy books and study and practice and read and learn and it was painful but I had to do it because there was no one else who could do it at the time.
So then we get to this point where we’re trying to systemize things and we start bringing people in and I think the biggest problem most of us have, is we assume that the people we’re bringing in will have all of the skills we have acquired to get this thing off the ground. I think that’s why I’ve always been frustrated. I bring people in and I’m like, “You can’t do this. Yeah, you’re good at this one part, but you’re horrible at all these other things.” We try to find rock stars to replace us, which is not easy at all.
What I’ve been learning through this new process, this systemization we’ve been doing with James P. Friell, is it’s less about that and more like figuring out all the pieces and bringing in people who are just amazing at that one piece. So what’s going to be weird, how do I say this the right way, because I don’t want to make it sound offensive, because it’s not even a little bit? I feel like for me and for most entrepreneurs, we probably get to level 6 or 7 skill set at a whole bunch of things, that gets this idea off the ground. So that’s kind of where we’re at.
The goal is not to bring in someone that’s the same thing. It’s picking each one of those skill sets that you’re a 6 at, you take that apart and find a 10 level person and plug them into just that one thing. The problem with that, in our mind as entrepreneurs because I know how we all think is, did you say it’s going to take 10 people to replace what I’m already doing. Yes, but those 10 people will be able to do level 10 of what you’re doing, not level 4 or 5 or 6 or whatever you’re doing right now. So it’ll actually become better, but it takes more people to do it. There’s not anyone who writes copy and do customer support.
Even though you had to do that, they are not going to do it. You’ve got to find a level 10 support person, a level 10 copy person, a level 10 funnel person, a level 10 designer, all those pieces you plug them in and be okay with the fact they don’t do all the stuff you did. They’re just going to do that one piece, but they’re going to do it way better than you.
If you try to give them 2 things or 3 things, they’re going to suck at all of it and they’re going to way worse and you’re going to get frustrated and annoyed and fire them. It’s like, understanding that, their level 10 skill set is going to replace your 6, now you get 10 people and all the sudden, now it becomes magic.
I’m looking at what’s happing right now in my business. I’ve always been, I’ve had an amazing team and I’ve been building this team for a long time, and it’s been good. But as we’re specifically trying to replace me on things that I currently do, which I do a lot of things, I still do a lot of things. I’m trying to now do, pull myself out of those pieces and it’s been scary. But I’m trying to find level 10 people at each spot, plug them in and now it’s like, they take what I did and make it better.
I think that most entrepreneurs are probably level 10 at one thing. I think I would say I’m level 10 at one thing, so I’m keeping that piece because I love it, but the rest of it, we’re getting other people. Anyway, I hope that gives you hope, because I know that I’ve systemized stuff in the past, I always get frustrated because I think I would try to give people 3 or 4 things, “Hey you’re going to write copy and do this and do this.” And they can do one or two and the other ones make them struggle and just, they were never able to be rock stars, and it was my fault. I didn’t let them shine, whereas now, stepping away from this and realizing to just have them focus on that one thing.
Just because you did 10 doesn’t mean they should be. In fact, it’s going to hurt themselves and you and everyone. I think that’s part of the problem, not the problem, I guess the opportunity of the entrepreneurship. We have to master 10 things to get this thing into orbit. As soon as you get to that million bucks it’s like, okay, now I just bought my freedom. Now it’s time to take this cash and replace myself with level 10 people.
At first it’s going to be scary because you’re going to spend all your cash on these level 10 people. But if you get level 10 people, then the cash will dramatically increase. If the cash does not dramatically increase, it means you didn’t find the level 10’s.
Anyway, I hope that helps. It was kind of a big aha for me recently. Just watching, I went to go with Norah and I did a little meeting with my team and I’m looking at, that’s the person who replaced this part of me and that person plays that part of me, and that part of me. I look at all these things and I’m like, all of them are better at those things than I am and it’s just so great and I get to go play with my daughter now and they’re doing their piece of brilliance and I can go spend time with my daughter.
Pretty special, pretty cool. That’s the goal, at least that’s been the goal for me. I’m finally getting and I hope that gives you guys some faith and some hope, especially those who have tried to systemize, have tried to replace yourself and tried to hire people and have been frustrated. I get it, and maybe this little piece that I got over the last day or two will help you as well. So I hope that helps. I’m going to get back in there and build some funnels. Thanks everybody and we’ll talk to you guys soon. Bye.