The Sport We Call Business

Welcome to Marketing in Your Car, the podcast for funnel hackers everywhere. You're now part of a small group of underground entrepreneurs who are trying to change the world through the products and the services that we believe in. But because we don't rely on venture capitalists, we don't have financial safety nets. So we have to do things differently. We have to do things smarter. We do that through an art and a science we call funnel hacking. This podcast will give you a glimpse at the daily life of a funnel hacker. So let's get started. Hey everyone, this is Russell Brunson. Hope you guys are doing good. I'm actually taking the trash out right now. That's what that, you hear that wheeling sound? That's the trash can being wheeled. But this is gonna be a crazy week. I thought I'd hang out with you guys before I get started on it. Tomorrow's Monday morning and Monday is basically a week before Funnel Hacking Live starts. Technically it starts on Tuesday, but pre-registration starts a week from tomorrow. So tomorrow's when I get to start doing all my presentations. And yes, I wait 'til the last week to my presentations questions. And you wanna know why? Because the stuff that we were doing 6 months ago, even a month ago, has changed. So I want to make sure I have the most up-to-date content of all time at every given moment. And that's the reason why. That's one of the reasons. The other reason is I just have no time. Um, but that's plenty of time to get everything done and make it amazing. I know what I'm going to talk about. I just gotta get all the slides and examples and, um, case studies and all that kind of stuff, put it together in a really cool way. Hopefully you guys can hear me. That's kind of loud, the trash can. But I am Hold on a second, I'm gonna— oh, all right, that might be— this might be the only episode of marketing while you're taking the trash out. But I'm out here, it's cool, it's like super dark. Um, we just got new neighbors, built a house across the street. We're on a really dark street where there's not many lights at all, and the house is lit up really cool. And then the moon is like— oh, she's— see, it's like pitch black, but it's like way off in the distance right by the mountains, there's like this glowing thing that looks like misty and like foggy over it, and It's pretty amazing. Anyway, I'm excited because all the snow's been melting. We've had— we had so much snow this winter, and then it rained for like 3 days last week and it all melted, and we're back down to— I can see the grass everywhere. It's so exciting. Um, anyway, so tonight was really fun. We went to church and then had meetings after church, and then with the kids we went and played in the wrestling room, then jumped on the tramp, which was freezing cold, then jumped in the hot tub, which was super warm. And now we put him to bed. My wife's actually in there putting him to bed. I snuck out to do the trash 'cause they wear me out, those little buggers. I love 'em, but they wear me out. Anyway, so Funnel Hacking Live is like a week away, which is crazy. And it's been interesting, it's like, you know, last week we had our FAD event here in Boise in our new offices, which was like super fun. And I just have this bad habit of like booking way too many things all at the same time. It's just been fun, like, there's something with like finishing the book and then creating everything for the FAD event and creating this Funnel Hacking Live event where it's like all these concepts and things we're talking about right now are becoming so clear. I don't know if you guys have done that, we've had a chance to go through a really deep immersion, but like it's just weird all these connections that you made that don't when you're dabbling and goofing around. So I think people should go really deep when they're, you know, becoming a master at what they're trying to do and like, you know, become unbalanced for a while where you're just spending insane amounts of time But it's been, anyway, it's just been interesting. And one of the fun things that I was thinking about, my dad came in town last weekend as well, which is always awesome. And I was thinking about business as a whole, like it's such a weird, such a weird, I don't know, playground's the word that pops in my head. I don't know if that's the right word or not, but it's this weird playground where you go out to school, you know, and there's all these people, there's all these different types of kids, right? And there's like, there's the athletes over here, and then there's like the people that are in band, and there's like the drama kids, and then there's like the skaters, and then there's like, there's all these different groups at the playground, right? When you typically go out there, you go and you play with the people that fit in your mold, right? So I'd go play with the athletes. We'd play basketball, we'd play football, we'd compete against each other, we'd try to win, and that was like what drove us at recess. But I'm guessing the other groups probably didn't do that. They were, I don't know what the other groups were doing. But I'm assuming, 'cause I mean, we didn't play, games with all the kids. But, you know, as I got older, I focused on wrestling and that became my thing. And it was a deep passion of like, how do I become the best? And at first I wanted to be the best in the state. And then after I was a state champ, I was like, I want to be the best in the country. And my senior year in high school, I took second place in the country. And then I was like, I want to be the best in college in the country. And I never hit that goal. I guess technically I didn't hit the best in the country either in high school. I almost got— I was 2 points away from that. But college, I was like, I want to be an All-American. I want to be national champ. And I didn't get those goals, but I always knew like, that's the person I have to beat. I was aware of them, I looked at them, and I like, I watched their matches and I studied them, I looked what they were doing, I understood them, I understood their moves, I understood what drove them so that I could beat them. And I always was aware of the people I had to beat, you know? And that's just like, as an athlete, that was always how I viewed the world and viewed business, not business, but how I viewed things, right? I mean, for, man, you know, almost 2 decades of my life, that's what it was. It's like, here's where I'm at, who's above me? I need to find those people, I gotta figure them out, I gotta beat them. And that was what I understood. And I assumed, I always assumed that's what everybody thought, right? But I guess, I'm guessing back in the playground, the other kids, I'm guessing the band kids didn't do that, right? They hung out and they played music together and they had a good time. And then the drama kids, they made plays together and they had a good time. And then, you know, the skaters, they skated. And the, you know, I don't know all the different cliques and stuff. But everyone kinda did their thing and I always just assumed that that everyone thought the way that I did because that was the world that I, the only world I knew. It's been interesting as I've come into business 'cause for me, business was like the next sport, right? Like, I got into business right, I mean, I was learning about it in college and I was wrestling and then my senior year, I didn't hit my goals. I fell short, in fact, I didn't even qualify for the national tournament which was like, it destroyed me. And it would've destroyed me if I didn't have the next thing. For me, like, business I was dabbling in and that became my new sport. Like, it was like, okay, here's the sport here, I gotta figure out, I gotta like, and it's interesting, like, concepts of funnel hacking and stuff that I share with people. You know I always talk about how I look at people successful and I model them and I did, but it was different than that. For me it was a sport. I came in, I was like, okay, this is, I'm in a new playground, looking around, who are the kids that are winning? And I was like, okay, boom. And the people I saw at the time were like Armand Mohren, Alex Mendozian, Mark Joyner, David Frye. These are all the guys I saw who were successful. And so for me it was like, okay, what are those guys doing? And then just like wrestling, I look at them, I scout them, I watch them, I study them, I learn them. Figuring out what makes them tick and then when I understand that, then I go and I compete against them. Like we, in wrestling, I have a match and someday I'm gonna come face to face. We're gonna walk out on the mat under the lights. I'm gonna put my shoes on, it's gonna be me and them and that's it. And if I haven't done my homework, I'm gonna look like an idiot. But in business, it was weird because I would study these guys and try to figure out how to compete with them and how to be successful like they were. That was my whole thing and I was racing towards that. But what's weird in business is that we never got that moment, right? Where you step on the mat and you shake hands and you go and you find out who prepared more. It was weird, I became friends with people and our businesses grew together and I learned this cooperation stuff I'm guessing they probably taught at the playground with the kids in the band and kids in the other groups where they all played together and had a good time. And it was fun, for business it was fun 'cause I collaborated And I had that, but like in my mind, I don't know about you, but I always had like, like from day one, I never actually, I don't think I've ever publicly said this out loud, but for me, I've always been very aware of where I visualize myself in the totem pole in my market. Like where are people at? Like where, up and down, like that's just how my brain works. And when I've passed somebody, like I'm aware of that. And when I know who's ahead of me, I'm aware of that. And we go and like, When I know that, I study those people, I figure them out, and I go and try to beat 'em. That's just how I'm wired. And it's been interesting as I've gotten into, as our business has been growing, and I would say in our market, I don't think there's any businesses that are really bigger than us right now outside of a couple companies that have taken on venture capitalists, they got millions of dollars dumped into 'em, which is the equivalent of steroids. Honestly, in sports, that's cheating. But in business it's like, oh yeah, someone gave us $14 million, now we can cheat. Like, it's just ridiculous. So for me, I'm looking at them like, okay, I got these dudes who got steroids, they're cheating, but I gotta compete against them. I'm very aware, like, I mean, in my mind it's very clear, like, the companies I'm going after. And I'm— it shouldn't be too hard for you guys who follow me to know because we make fun of them a lot. But I'm aware of it, I study them, I figure out what they're doing right, what they're doing wrong, where the weaknesses are, and then we're attacking them. It's been interesting because, like, as I've been doing that, the kids at the playground who grew up, like, in band class and they grew up in drama and skaters and like all these other things. Like they're not used to it. And those are the guys I'm competing against, you know. And it's interesting because they don't handle the heat well. Like we got in a— but for me it's like this is a sport. Like business is nothing but a sport for me. It's like who do I need to beat and then we're going and we're attacking and we're gonna beat them, right? Otherwise what's the point of this whole thing? It's, I mean, yes, we're helping people and like that part is amazing on this journey, but if there's not like, that's who I need to beat, then what's the point of it? Like it's hard for me otherwise, right? And so anyway, someone that I kind of ruffled their feathers actually through this podcast, funny, interestingly enough, but they messaged me and kind of told me off because they didn't like what I'm doing because I'm aggressive, 'cause I'm not playing like they're used to playing. And what they told me is they said, you know, my dad taught me never to burn bridges. And I didn't send this back, but I wanted to. I thought, huh, that's interesting, because my dad taught me how to win, and that's all that matters to me is winning. And I told that story at the fat event, and people thought it was pretty— like, everyone was laughing. But I was like, no, like, it's like, that's how I feel. Like, like, I'm very aware of who I'm going after, and I don't publicly— in fact, Dan Usher's here, he's making some videos for us, and and I was showing the offer we're creating. There's one other person who's had more success in this, I'm not gonna say their name, but there's one person who's had more success than me in this field of where this book is, and I was showing Dan those videos, and I was like, that's my comp, that's who I'm going against, that's who I'm competing against, that's who we have to beat. And he's like, I thought you guys were friends. I'm like, oh, we are friends, but like, But it doesn't matter. I was friends with people on the wrestling mat, but when it comes to the sport, like, I have to win. Like, I'm going after them. Like, I'm not sitting around and trying to be nice. Like, my goal is to win, like, flat out, and I want to make sure that everyone understands that. Like, and what's cool is, like, during this process I'm making friends and all those kind of things, but it's a sport for me. Very clear-cut. This is a sport, and I have people I'm competing against, and I'm gonna win. And it's interesting because These other people aren't used to that, and they're used to that like they've never been under the, under the lights, you know, with, with your, your shoes tied up, and it's you and them and no one else going head-to-head. And I am, I'm used to, I love it, I thrive off, like I need it, I desire it, like it, I crave for that. And so it makes this game interesting because the way that people are beating us right now is through the most part venture capitalists, like steroids, right? And so it just drives me more. It's like, yes, okay. You're gonna cheat with steroids, that's fine, I'm still gonna win. I'm gonna take you down and then we're gonna choke you out and we're gonna turn you on your back and you're gonna get pinned. And so that's how I view business. I just want, I don't know, I wanna instill some of that to all of you guys. I know a lot of you guys out there were athletes, like you were the kids on the playground who went through that and experienced it and like that's your drive. Some of you guys it's not. You have to understand when you step in the business world, like that's who you're playing against. You're playing against athletes, people who that's their goal. So when I come in, like when you come into your business and you look at your market, like you need to be fully aware like where do you sit on the totem pole? Like are you JV? You varsity, first team, second team? Where in the state are you? Where in the country? Because if you're not aware of that, then like it's kind of, it gets, like how do you win if you don't know who you're playing against, right? Somebody told me the other day, they said, it was after the FAD event, they said one thing I discovered from being around you the last 3 days is how aware you are of all the competitors in your market. And I thought it was interesting 'cause I am very, very aware. Like I know what they're all doing. I'm watching them. And the things I like, we use, and the things we don't, we counterattack against them. And you'll see more and more of that throughout this year as we are aggressively going after our competitors. And we're gonna surpass them through raw talent and skill instead of venture capitalist cash, which is amazing. You know, I wrestled kids that were on steroids before, and it's interesting. They come out, they have big muscles, they huff and they puff. And usually the first 30 seconds to a minute, they're really strong. But what I found with the big dudes on steroids is when you choke them and you snap their head down, you block the blood. There's a carotid artery in their neck, and if you squeeze that and you block the blood to their carotid artery, instantly, within a second, they go down and their muscles become weak and they become soft like jelly. And the stronger they were, the weaker they become. That's what I found. Not that you guys care, but like, when I wrestled big people, that was— I cannot outmuscle this person. I can't take them down, so I have to get their head below me. We do a front headlock. We're going for a choke to cut the blood off the brain. Not long-term, but just for a second or two. As soon as you do that, all your muscles lose energy. They stop. You fall, and then we attack and we win. And it's similar. So anyway, that's just— there's some— what's the book? The Art of War. This is the art of war by Russell Brunson. Like, that's the strategy. That's how it works. I talked before in a podcast about how you know when your opponents break. Like when you're out there wrestling someone, you're pushing them, like you feel, you physically feel them break. Like their energy stops, their posture, their whole body like stops. And that's when you attack harder and faster and bigger. And that's how you beat people that are bigger and stronger than you. And so that's what's happening. And I hope you guys are enjoying watching it. I'm having so much fun competing. And I don't know about you, but I love seeing the underdogs win. I love seeing the dude who's got better technique beat out the guy on steroids every single time. And calling my shot, that's the plan, that's what's happening. And I hope for you guys you do the same thing. Become aware of who your competitors are. And you don't have to be jerks about it. I'm probably too jerky sometimes. I apologize for that in advance. But be aware of it and understand that. And run this like a sport. If you do that, that's how you're gonna win. Because this playground, nobody cares. Nobody cares. Like, oh, we're, you know, I grew up in band, I grew up in drama, I grew up in whatever. Like, okay, well, you're still competing against the athletes, and the athletes want to win. They're gonna win. And so be very aware of that going into it. And when you're inside of it, like, start shifting your mindset to understand that, and it'll become fun. It becomes a game, becomes a sport. I always tell people like, this is like, it's like one of the greatest sports ever, and, and it's exciting. So that's all I got for tonight. That said, I'm done. It's freezing cold out here. I'm gonna go inside and get warm. And for those of you guys who are gonna be following Hiking Live every week, I will see you guys soon. I cannot wait. Appreciate you all, and I will talk to you soon. Thanks so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at our funnel hacking projects. You can also watch the Funnel Hacker online reality show and watch us build and launch funnels live at www.funnelhacker.tv. If you'd like to come hang out with your fellow funnel hackers, come join our Facebook group at www.projectclickfunnels.com. Oh yeah, and don't forget, you can get a free MP3 player with the first 257 episodes preloaded at marketinginyourcar.com. Join us next time, and remember, you're just one funnel away from your dreams.