Anthony Marsilio Talks 2X'ing His Business, Agency Life & Personal Growth | SSI EP. 16

All right, what's going on, guys? Andre Haeckel Jr. Here from client Ascension, back with another Student spotlight interview. I was just sitting here with Anthony, just talking about how I think this is like 18 or 19 and there's like now 300 some students in Client Ascension. So I got a long ways to go. But today we have Anthony Marsilio, one of the students in Client Ascension that's just such a light heart. He's just such an awesome spirit in the community, does a lot of good, and he's crushing it with his business. And so we'll talk all about that today. And Anthony, welcome to the show, man.

Thank you for having me, brother. I appreciate it.

Of course, dude. Of course. Calling from Austin, Texas. I feel like we have some other guys in the program in that area as well. So it is cool to see, like, the diversification. We have guys all over the place, but it is cool. There's definitely a hub in Austin and we talked about Florida a little bit before as well. So it's cool to see where everyone's at. But real quick for the audience listening, who are you and what are you working on currently? Yeah, dude.

So like you said, I'm Anthony Marsilio. What I'm working on right now is an e commerce agency, basically just helping E commerce brands sell more stuff on Amazon. So Amazon is just kind of a little bit arcane. Like a lot of brands crush on Facebook ads, Shopify, Influencer, all that stuff. But Amazon is a bit different and I started doing it a long time ago, so I just figured an agency would work. And it's worked so far, man.

That's cool, man. So, like, are you taking existing brands that are on Shopify and then saying, hey, like, you could open up an Amazon store and sell your products there too?

Yeah, so there's like, there's two offers. Basically, it's like DTC brands that are not on Amazon, usually they'll have a ton of branded search on Amazon. So it's like, you know, if you're a massive brand and you're crushing through your Shopify store, chances are people are going to Amazon to search for your stuff anyways. So, like, that's one part of the offer is like, hey, listen, I can help you transition and manage the Amazon channel. And then the second part of the offer is like, hey, you're on Amazon and you want to scale and you don't have the capacity. Like, my team and I will come in and help scale in that situation as well. So that's like two Pieces of it.

That's really cool. Okay, so I was going to. One of my questions is going to be like, how do. How would an E commerce brand, like, know if they should sell on Amazon? It sounds like you could just see, like, search terms. Like, like, if Lululemon's not on Amazon and people are searching for it there, they should probably be on there because their competitors are going to show up if they're not. Right?

Exactly, dude. I think, you know, branded search is one element of it, but it's also just like, tapping into the Amazon customer, dude. Like, there's. I think it's 200 million monthly prime shoppers. And what I'm seeing with brands, at least, dude, is like, some brands are selling, you know, 45% on branded, 55% without branded.

So.

So that entire, like, 55% of sales is entirely new customers. You know what I mean? So, yeah, dude, I. I would say every D2C brand specifically should be selling on Amazon. I think there was. I don't know if, you know, True classic. I think it's true classic. They're so. So they're doing like, 100 million a year, probably more by this point off Amazon, right? And they just launched in, I think it was October of last year. So, like, six months ago, dude. Wow. That just shows, man. Not like it's about every E commerce brand.

That's so cool, dude. That's so cool. Like, one thing I've always found super interesting. Now we're going off topic, but we're just gonna have fun with this one today. But, like, like, think about, like, Jeff Bezos, dude, like, he created Amazon, and, like, not only does he employ all these people and create, like, this really valuable product for shoppers that use it, but, like, guys like you that build actual businesses off of his platform, like Amazon. The reason I mentioned this is because, like, my start in entrepreneurship was with flipping shoes, and, like, I would just flip Yeezys, which were like the Kanye west sneaker brand. And I was just like, how cool is it for, like, Kanye? Like, he's making this cool shoe and he's helping Adidas and he's starting companies. But, like, guys like me are, like, starting an entire business off of just one product that he's putting out. It's just cool to think about. Yeah, so very cool, dude. I mean, what a service. And we'll dive more into that. But I'm interested to know a little bit more about, like, how did you hear about client ascension and why did you decide to join?

Yeah, dude. So I think so. How I heard about Client Ascension. Obviously Twitter had been in, like, the money Twitter space, just kind of, like, watching for a while. And I think I've been following Daniel for, I don't know, two years at this point. Year and a half, something like that. And I finally. Just One of the threads, dude, I was like, all right, I gotta join. I mean, I've seen it so many times, and it just made sense. So I joined in December. And, yeah, man, I. You know, what was the second part of the question, Andre? I know how.

Yeah, like, how did you hear about it? And then, like, why did you decide to join? And I guess the real question there is, like, what were you struggling with in. In the early stages that you're like, this is something that I feel like Client Ascension can help me with.

Absolutely, bro. So, yeah, joined in December. I had launched this agency in June of last year after quitting my job. I've been doing Amazon for, like, two and a half years, man. I launched my first brand in 2020. Uh, I accepted a job here in Austin working for, like, an aggregator. So basically, an aggregator is like a company, larger company, that buys these Amazon brands, right? So I spent eight months there, learned all the Amazon stuff, and then I was like, I can make an agency out of this, you know, I know the Amazon stuff. I don't want a job, and quit the job in June. And an agency was my plan, man. So I was doing it for six months, and transparently, Andre, I didn't really know what I was doing, dude. Like, I taught myself cold email, I bought a landing page, I taught myself Google Ads. But six months in, like, it had traction and I was living on it like, it was working well, but I didn't have, like, a real business, you know what I mean? So I saw Client Ascension so many times, man, and I was like, if I join Client Ascension, I'm going to learn everything. Because obviously the way you guys position it is, like, we've done it ourselves, like multiple hundreds of thousands per month. We know everything about running an online agency, dude. So I joined with the intention of being like, all right, I'm doing all the sales, I'm doing all the marketing, I'm doing the cold email, but it's at, like, 10%. And I want to level that up.

I want to scale everything.

I want to be efficient. And yeah, dude, as soon as I joined, I mean, basically every. Everything is, like, presented to you, like, hey, here's everything we know. Here's all the coaching calls. And, yeah, man, that was the reason I joined. It's like, all right, I'm in it six months, but I want to like excel and grow, you know, and really build that foundation of an actual business.

That's so awesome, dude. I can relate a lot to that story because I got my start and I feel like this is pretty common for a lot of people, which is interesting because it's not always best to start an agency right? For you, it made sense to go and work for another business for six months to learn like where the opportunity was, right? And for me it was the same thing. I worked at like a cold call agency for a year and I realized that instead of making cold calls, I could just do this through email. And I built my business off of that. And I've talked to a lot of guys that go from like working out of business that inspires or influences them to go out and start their own business. And then like you said, yeah, it's a business, but it's like pretty unorganized. It's all over the place. And that's typical, right? Like, that's where everyone, that's where we all start. And you're one of these guys that likes to excel and do things to like the highest level. And so you found someone in the market, like Client Ascension, that has a lot of the answers and has a lot of the experience and success. So that's really cool, man. I guess a specific follow up question to that would be like, I like, since joining the program, like what has been your favorite part about it? Or where have you seen the most growth in your business? Even doesn't even have to be related to something specific about client extension. But how has your business changed in the past couple of months?

Yeah, dude. What I guess what I would say is like, when you join Client Ascension, you're handed like all of these different elements. It's like, here's everything about operations, here's everything about advertising, here's everything about cold email, here's everything about automation or hiring or whatever. And I think I dove into like the course material. I joined like all the calls for the first. I'd say like six weeks. I was on all of them and I basically tasted every single one. And me as a business owner, I was like, okay, I can see what I'm gravitating towards and I can see what I'm not and where I'm at now. Dude, I've been in CA for like four months. I'm starting to realize that, like, maybe it doesn't make sense for me to be doing my cold email because, like, I can do it. I taught myself it, but I'm not an expert, so maybe I should hire for that. I'm working with another guy, Jordan, in the community to build out all of those operations. Like, I went through all of the course material and I was like, this is great. I know Trello. I know how to. Like, I'm familiar with Zapier, but, like, I would much rather hire an expert. So by joining ca, I was exposed to, like, all of these legitimate elements of a business opposed to previously. I was literally just a freelancer, like, throwing everything together. I was, like, paying my bills, like, I was making enough money to live. But by joining ca, dude, it literally was like, here's a real business, here's what? And especially as a sole business owner, bro, it's just me. So, like, I'm over here grinding and, like, I need to recognize what my strengths are. And I think where I'm at now, dude, like, I've over doubled my business. And specifically this month, Andre, I kind of looked at everything and I was like, all right, if I want to take that next step and really get to, like, six figures a month, like, I need to, like, pay for legitimate expertise. I need to not be afraid of spending way more on marketing hiring. It's just like taking that next level of scale, dude. So, yeah, to answer your question, actually, just to add on to that too, dude, it's just a killer community. Like, I'll just check in there, bro, and just, like, see the WINS channel or, like, work with someone in ca. I'm just like, this is a community of killers, man. So it's both of those. It's, hey, here's how you run a real business. And then, hey, here's also 300, like, online entrepreneurs that you can just relate to.

Like, so that's awesome, dude. I'm so happy to just hear you explain it that way, because that's really the intention, right? It's like the way I explain it because I'm the operations coach in there and I get questions specifically about hiring. And the most common issue people come to me with for hiring is they don't know what they're hiring for. Right. Like, before you joined Client Ascension, you probably were like, I should pro. I should hire someone for cold email. But you have no idea what that looks like, what cold email consists of. What do you need to have success? And so just going through the process, you realize, okay, now I know cold email, and I, more importantly, know it's not something I want to continue to do.

That's right.

So let's outsource it. And now you know how to outsource it because you know how to do it. And so that's really cool to hear. It's like a self discovery process in a sense as well. And so for you, just out of curiosity, like the way I look at a business is, is there's the lead gen component, the sales component, and then like fulfillment. For me my biggest focus is like fulfillment operations. Daniel, my business partner is all marketing. Dan who works with us as well, and Christian are more of like the sales. So like for you, where do you gravitate towards?

I would say it's definitely if I just look at my predispositions, dude, even before ca, it was like I taught myself cold email, I taught myself Google Ads and I find more joy in like getting a booked call, dude, and then like getting on that discovery call and like really figuring out if it's going to work or not. So I would say I definitely lean, lean towards like the lead gen marketing sales aspect. And then obviously fulfillment just has to be like built out to service the work. But it's definitely the former.

Dude, that's, that's awesome man. Yeah, not surprised. You can typically tell like it's not even just client ascension. It's like also like for me, like it's a stupid reference but it makes so much sense. Like I grew up loving to build Legos and so like the manual that you use to build a Lego is like just the same thing as an sop, right? That's right. So that, so for me I've always been operations and like fulfillment focus, if that makes sense. But anyways, another, another interesting question that I just happen to know about. Shoot through your content on Twitter and some of our conversations is like, you're a big reader, so how has that, you know, helped you to have success in business and I guess maybe like for people inclined ascension, just knowing the type of guys that are in there. If you could just pick one book, what would you recommend for them to read? Man, that's a tough one. And it's just like movies. There's definitely going to be some recency bias, right?

Yeah, dude, 100% I would say. Dude, reading is I think so about four years ago, Andre, I like, I just finished college and ever since, man, I've really just like kept that habit. So I would say that reading has helped me, man, just fundamentally at 21 years old, like build an identity of somebody that's like, interested in growth in business and success. And I really do think that's shaped my personality and like, my behaviors, bro. To like, want to be in business, to be able to like, manage my emotions, to be able to like, think long term and think about the repercussions of my actions, dude. Because I don't know, reading is like a meta skill of, of learning, right? It's like if you open a book every day, man, you're always filling your head with like, things to learn about and things to think about that are productive. So reading has really. It's been fundamental, dude. And I haven't, I haven't dropped the habit. I. I don't think nowadays I see like the I read 100 books a year kind of thing, more of a virtue signal. So I've, I've tried to really just focus on books and like extract that information for the betterment of myself. But nonetheless, man, reading is amazing. And I would say one book, dude. Oh, it's so hard. I read this one by Scott Adams. It's called how to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. And it's basically a playbook for success, man. He talks all about, like, skill development and ways to think about, about being successful and visualization and all that stuff. I've read that one like two times and I'll frequently go back to it, but. But that's a really, that's a really great one, especially for successful or people that desire to be successful.

That's great, dude. Thanks for that. And I agree completely just from my experience reading, it's like just the process of reading is where the value comes from. It's not necessarily like picking the right books. It's just like pick a book and read and that'll just open you up to all the benefits that you're talking about here. So it's super interesting. So. So that's really cool. Yeah. Because I. I just know that's a big part of your life and has attributed to a lot of your success.

I'm sure, 100%, man. I think, you know, I find myself sometimes being like, oh, I'm not reading enough. And the alternative dude that I found with myself is literally just like ending up on Instagram reels and like being entertained. And it's like I could be watching Instagram Reels for 30 minutes or I can be reading something about, you know, this one right here, it's like built to sell. How to like, remove yourself from your business and grow. It's like 30 minutes on Instagram or 30 minutes of this, bro. I know what. What's gonna make my life better.

I was, like, looking for it because it's on my. It's on my bookshelf or my desk somewhere. One of my favorite books, dude. I got a little bit of a bookshelf back here, so, you know, I indulge every but. Great, dude. This is a lot of fun. I got a couple more questions, and. And then we'll wrap it. So the next question I have for you is, like, you're a successful guy. You've had a lot of success in the program partly just because of who you are. And that's the thing I love about what you said about books, too, is like, running a business is not all about, like, having the right strategies. It's like becoming the person who's capable of running a business the right way. So especially at our stage, right, we're not running Amazons or Adidas or easy companies or True Classics. Like, we're running smaller operations, let's be honest. And that's completely okay. And so for us, it's. There's more of an emphasis on, like, being that person that can show up and. And. And run a good operation.

That's right.

A lot of it falls on us. And so, like, the fact that you prioritize personal development and education and, you know, fitting your mind with. With the right things and not, like, toxic social media content is huge. So what other advice might you have for guys incline ascension specifically to make the most out of their time in there?

Guys incline ascension, dude, I would say just get involved, like, right in the beginning. I know it's super easy. There's so many, like, courses or communities nowadays where it's like, you know, I'm gonna spend a few thousand bucks or a few hundred bucks on that info product. You get it, and then you never even, like, read it or really, like, dive into it.

But I would say mine with. With the right things and not, like, toxic social media content is huge. So what other advice might you have for guys inclined Ascension specifically to make the most out of their time in there?

Guys incline ascension, dude, I would say just get involved, like, right in the beginning. I know it's super easy. There's so many, like, courses. It's super important in the beginning of CA to just taste everything, man. It really is like, you. You. You should be going to every call just to be like, all right, what is this about? Like, what. What am I gravitating towards? Oh, it's been three months now, and I enjoy going to the Twitter calls, like the personal branding ones. Huh? There's something there. So I really feel like it is a self discovery process. And to anyone in ca, I would just say like, especially in the beginning, just taste it all, understand? Or communities nowadays where it's like, you know, I'm going to spend a few thousand bucks or a few hundred bucks on that info product, you get it and then you never even like read it or really like dive into it. But I would say it's super important in the beginning of CA to just taste everything, man. It really is like you, you, you should be going to every call just to be like, all right, what is this about? Like what, what am I gravitating towards? And like what works well for your personality? And then once you do it for, you know, four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks, whatever it is, then you can be like, okay, I have stuff to work on. Like I would say that's the phase I'm in now, dude. It's like I tasted, you know, I was on all the calls, like I went through a majority of the coursework and I'm like, all right, I got a bunch of work now, you know, like it's gonna take me a few months to. Oh, it's been three months now. And I enjoy going to the Twitter calls, like the personal branding ones.

Huh?

There's implement all these different changes in my business, but in the beginning, dude, it's, you know, you just have to learn what something there. So I really feel like it is a self discovery process. And to anyone in ca, I would just say like, especially in the beginning, just taste it all, understand like what works well for your personality. And then one is that you as a business owner like prioritize and want to work on, you know.

That's so awesome, dude. That's such great advice. Because that's what I say to these guys too is like, figure it out in the beginning. Like go to every single call and just get an idea for what is there and then use. Like you said, you just gravitate towards specific things and then that's typically a.

Sign to do it for, you know, four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks, whatever it is. And then you can be like, okay, I have stuff to work on. Like I would say that's the phase I'm in now, dude. It's like I tasted, you know, I was on all the calls, like I went through a majority of the coursework and I'm like, all right, I got a bunch of work now, you know, like it's going to take me a few months to implement all these different changes in my business. But in the beginning, dude, it's, you know, you just have to learn what.

It like go a level deeper, watch some of the content, ask some of the questions, spend more time in those topic specific channels, right? And so we're all guilty of buying books or info products that we never open or never actually dive into. But I think if you could just make it like right away just like the 5 second rule by Mel Robbins or whatever, just like just is that.

You as a business owner like prioritize and want to work on, you know.

That'S so do it right in the beginning, no hesitation and see where it takes you. Awesome. Dude, that's such great advice because that's what I say to these guys too is like figure it out in the beginning. Like go to every single call and just get an idea for what is there. And then super helpful advice. Dude, this has been a lot of fun. But the last question is or there's two more questions. But this is like the last like really thoughtful question. It's like what advice would you have for someone that is either in a job that they don't like use, like you said, you just gravitate towards specific things and then that's typically a sign they're like go a level deeper, watch some of the content, ask some of the questions, spend more time in those topic specific or just trying to start an agency or an online business in general, like basically talking to that version of yourself that realize, okay, I'm working for this aggregator. There's a real channel, right? And so we're all guilty of buying books or info products that we never open or never actually dive into. But I think if you could just make opportunity here for me to do something for myself, like where do you go from there?

That's interesting man.

You can't answer join client ascension because some of these guys are just like it like right away, just like the 5 second rule by Mel Robbins or whatever, just like just kind of snitch. I'm like, okay, that's great. This up as an advertisement, like right.

Dude, I would say it's, it's really important to understand what you're do it.

Right in the beginning, like no hesitation and see where it takes you. Super helpful advice. Dude. This has been a lot of fun. But the last question is. Or there's two more questions. But this is like the last like.

Really thoughtful they're optimizing for. Right? It's like in that Moment, understand or do your best, right? Because, you know, early 20s is weird because you're always thinking something new, like, every six months.

It's a question. It's like, what advice would you have for someone that is either in a job that they don't like, or just trying to start an agency or an online business in general? Like, basically talking to that version of yourself that realize, okay, I'm working for this aggregator. There is a real opportunity here for me to do something for myself. Like, where do you go from there?

It's interesting, man.

You can't answer Join client Ascension. Because some of these guys are just like, join client ascension. I'm like, okay, that's great. As an advertisement, like, right, dude, I would say it's.

It's really important to understand what you're optimizing for, right? It's like, in that moment, understand or do your best, right? Because, you know, early 20s is weird because you're always thinking something new, like, every six months. It's like, oh, I'm gonna be this, I'm gonna be that. I'm gonna try this business model, or I'm gonna be a lawyer, whatever it is. I feel like in the early 20s, you're always kind of for frenetically searching for something. So I would tell myself, man, just like, really try to understand what it is you want, like, out of a business. So, for example, dude, like, I launched my own Amazon FBA thing in 2020. It's tiny. It's a fidget toy business. I still have it. It's more or less automated. And what I learned from that is, like, I don't at this point, right? Like, I don't want to be growing that. Like, a little toy business that maybe gets to, you know, multiple seven figures. Like, what? Like, I just don't want to be doing that. I'd rather have something like an agency, which is a bit higher margin, a bit more active. And I made that conscious decision, bro, last year. I was like, I can live on this thing for the foreseeable future. I cannot live on the Fidget toys. So I think that's something I would say is, like, really, like, figure out what you're optimizing for and then take action. Like, do it. Like, if you've figured out, like, you want to be an entrepreneur, you want to have an agency, just go do it. Like, start learning, get on Twitter, get on YouTube and just go, man, you know?

So good, dude. So good. I love, like, a lot of the. The theme from this one. This has been, I have to say, like, it's not recency bias either. Like just my aura and, and whatever is like this has been the most enjoyable one of these that I've done so far. So like 297more of these that I have to do based on the, the number right now. So. So you might get beat out, but this one will be hard to beat. But the theme is really like self discovery and personal development. And that's so cool because I feel like those terms, like when we were just getting into the business or entrepreneurship, you hear like mindset and personal development and you're kind of just like writing those off. It's like, eh, that doesn't sound important right now. Sales and marketing sounds important, but really all it is is it all goes back to the same idea. So I love that and I'm happy you're able to share all this with us today. So last thing is just where can people watching find you, follow you, learn more from you, and even work with you? Because it sounds like you have a really great offer.

Yeah, dude, I'm just Anthony Marsilio at Anthony Marsilio on Twitter. That's where I'm active nowadays, especially because of ca men. Like back in December I joined, I was like, I got to get on Twitter. And that's. Dude, that's been one of the biggest investments for me, me personally is like the networking. I only have a few. I got like 750 or 800 followers, dude. But the DMS like just meeting people in the space. It's incredible man. So just add Anthony Marsilio is. Is where people can find me.

Awesome, man. Yeah. Last thing I'll say is like, that's so true. Like now I have like 30,000 followers on Twitter. But to be honest, like the depth that you can go with an audience of a couple hundred, like that's where things started for me. And it hasn't really and this is part due to like where my attention has gone nowadays. But like, you don't need thousands of followers to have, you know, such an impact on a platform like Twitter. So I love that you just said that and that you're, you're taking action there and having those conversations. And your DMs are active. That's the most important metric. It's not retweets or likes, it's what are the DMS look like. And so it's great man. So thank you so much for being here and showing up and spending the time and delivering value for everyone watching, including myself. And dude, we're just going to continue to watch you succeed and answer any questions that help you along the rest of your journey.

Thank you, brother. Thank you for having me. Man, this is good stuff. Oh, I'm going to be this. I'm going to be that. I'm going to try this business model or I'm going to be a lawyer, whatever it is. I feel like in.