Russell Brunson on The Real Secret Behind “Overnight Success”

When you see this guy's smile on Instagram or his ads that you see all over that I love, when you see that smile right there, if you're watching on YouTube, that is the most genuine real thing behind the scenes.

I think that all of us have to be okay with the worst-case scenario.

We are about to talk to one of the greatest marketers alive.

If you're waiting for the day that you're gonna like feel comfortable, it's probably not gonna come. At least hasn't for me yet.

He's the co-founder of ClickFunnels, a company that I love. My dear friend, Mr. Russell Brunson. I just, I geeked out this weekend of looking at patterns and I spent 2 days with Tony and we talked about where the world could go in an amazing place over the next decade and where the world could go in a not so amazing place. And the conversation we had was not to be a conspiracy theorist or not to be negative and not to say, but we would rather prepare for the downside than have to react to it. And prepare if it doesn't. Do you ever think about that? And if things do go in more of a recession, like if things do get harder, what's some of the things that you fall back on? Or what's some advice you would give people in that preparation versus reacting?

A couple things. Number one is like, I think that all of us have to be okay with the worst-case scenario. That is the the thing that causes the most fear is like, we know back here in the back of our mind, like, there's worst-case scenario, and we're like too scared to look at it. It's like, I'm not gonna look at it. And so like, we just have this constant fear. Um, when I consult people who are like on the brink of bankruptcy, or things could fall apart, and they always want like, Russell, give me some secret so I can fix everything. Like, what I always have to do is stop and like look at that thing. I'm like, you have to become completely okay with the worst-case scenario, or else you're never gonna be able to move forward.

Wow.

Sit down. Like, what's the worst-case scenario? I lose my house. I would lose my— and like Write those things down and look at that. Like, okay, I have to be okay with that. And if you are, it's like oh. And usually it's not that big of a deal. We look back like I lose my house. I would have to like da da da da da. What's worst case scenario? I'd have to downsize. I'd have to like. It's like okay. Is that that bad? Like you move to a smaller house. Like who cares? You like oh you go through bankruptcy. Like that's the reason why the founding fathers gave us this gift is go through bankruptcy. It's happened to the greatest entrepreneurs of all time. You're gonna be like and like oh that's true. And like since you're okay with that, it's like oh. It's not that big a deal, and then you can actually move forward. That's the first thing. Second thing is, I try to, like, I have this conversation with my team every time it gets hectic or stressful, or like we're stressing about the big event or the challenge or something messed up, or, you know, we're not profitable this month or whatever. Like, and like I was stopping, I'm like, real quick, like, I just want you guys to realize, like, none of this actually matters. This is all just a game to entertain ourselves while we're sitting around waiting to die. I'm like, the only things that actually matter are like relationship with my wife, relationship with my kids, like my relationship with God. Like, that stuff matters. All the rest of this doesn't matter. Like, this is just like to entertain ourselves. And you realize like this is just a game, and if I lose it all, like, it doesn't really matter. Like, that helps put things in perspective of like, whoa, maybe I should go home and go spend time with my wife or my kids. And be like, I need to go to the soccer game, or I need to go to the thing. Like, because that's the only thing that actually matters. Everything else is just a distraction to entertain us.

So seriously, I knew you'd have a good twist on it because I heard a lot of this talk when COVID first happened. And then there was also this abundance of cash everywhere. And then people were like, oh no, I think we'll be okay. And then inflation started going up. I'm like, oh, I think it's bad. And then people kind of got used to the inflation, not that they like it. And I'm surely, I know there's some people listening right now that are hurting. You're not liking it. I'm not saying you are, but I just started hearing whispers again, like, no, it was holding off because there's gonna be a Great Depression and a war. And like, I'm hearing it and I get, I'm getting feedback in like through social media, like, Dean, what do we do if there's a war? What do we do if there's a depression? And what amazing advice. Worst case scenario is usually still okay. And the lessons you learned in the worst case scenario, right? And secondly, I love that it's just a game. Like, really. And if you look at it that way, some of— some people have survived through the most stressful things in life by, by looking at it that way. Contribution is a big part of your life. How has contribution helped you work harder, be a better man? Is there something that you would love to put a little plug on contributing? Maybe you wish you would have done it sooner. How do you look at it?

Yeah, it's funny. Um, actually, the first time I went to UPW with Tony, he talked about the 6 human needs, right? He talked about 4 needs of the, of the body, of the personality, and the 2 needs of the spirit, which were growth and contribution. And like, that— like, there's something about that when he said growth and contribution, these are 2 needs of the spirit. It got me like just the wheels in my head spinning. And I realized that like for most of us, like we go through a phase of growth, right? Where like we're growing, we're learning, and like you're, you're trying to become better and you go through this phase and eventually you get to the spot where like you can't keep growing. Like you hit, you like, you, you cap out or whatever it's called. Like you can't keep growing until you shift to contribution. And that's the next phase of growth, which is giving back and giving to other people. When you start like getting obsessed with contribution, like you have to work harder on the marketing to get more money to contribute more. And like, It's this weird backwards hack that like doesn't seem like it's like a Facebook algorithm secret we can share with you yet. It's like this weird thing that'll elevate your vision and your drive and all those things that actually make everything else grow.

You really need to— I always think of it as like a lighthouse. A lighthouse is a guide, right? You know, ships either steered away from it or that's how they found shore, right? I always think we have a lighthouse or we have this compelling future we're running towards. When you get to the lighthouse, when you get to your compelling future, if you don't run it out 100 yards and drop it off and then come back and stare at it, if you don't have the next thing to chase, you lose that smile, you lose that joy. It just becomes the thing you do. It, it becomes numbing. And one of the things I love about contribution is there's always someone else who could use some help. You've worked with so many new people and new entrepreneurs your whole life too. How do you share to get over the fear of starting small? You know, someone was in another business or they're in a career that they're the go-to, they're the expert. Now they're coming over in this new field. It's like, oh my God, I'm gonna sell this, my information, and how, and what's a funnel? And, and what if they say no and I gotta ask for the money? Oh, and I gotta get a following. What do you What do you help people— how do you help people get over the fear of starting small?

I think that what people think is that like starting online is gonna be the same thing. Everyone's gonna see me, and if I mess up, they're all gonna know. But the coolest thing about the internet is that when you mess up, nobody actually knows. No one can see it. I think that's the biggest thing you have to understand is that nobody sees behind the scenes what's actually working or not working, and they have no idea. So you just put it out there. If it doesn't work, like, just change it. They don't know. Like, it's, it's a lot more, you know, behind the scenes than you'd ever think. And so I think That'd be a big part of it. The second thing is like, you gotta be like willing to be consistent with it. That's the, the only way you fail is if you stop. Think about good TV shows. It's like nowadays, like you don't go and watch a new TV show when the very first episode comes out, right? Everyone kind of waits and like you wait for, for season 3 or 4. If everyone's still talking about it, like, okay, this is worth it. And then you go back and you'll go binge watch all of them and catch up. And he said the same thing's true right now. There's so much content being published out there that like the people who are consistent are the ones who win. 2 things happen when you're consistent is first off, as you keep doing it, you'll start to find your voice. Like you'll become better and better at talking about the thing and you actually get better. But second off is if you do it long enough, then it gives your audience time to actually find you. And so, and I remember when I started thinking about this, when I launched my first podcast, which was, it was called the Marketing Your Car Podcast, I would record myself driving every single day in the car. And for the first like 40 or 50 episodes, like I was really, really bad. But I also had no subscribers. And so nobody actually heard the really, really bad ones. But it gave me a chance to like, to find out like how I talk and how I tell my stories and like how I'm going to like make this my own. And so by the time like I started figuring it out is when people started finding it. And then it's like at that point they're like, oh, this guy's really good. But I wasn't for the first 40 or 50 episodes. Right. But I think that's the biggest key is just like at first you're going to be upset because no one's paying attention. But also it's like no one's paying attention. So it's okay to like not be that good. And you just keep doing it and doing it. And if you do that long enough, then your audience will have a chance to find you and you'll have a chance to find your voice. And when that intersection hits, that's when, you know, that's when this whole thing will take off for you. But it takes time. You know, both you and I did this for a long time before we had success, but it was because we were willing to be consistent with it. So I think if people like say, okay, I'm gonna be consistent, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna write a newsletter once a week for a year, and I'm gonna go and, you know, talk, do Facebook Lives or Instagram or whatever, some kind of publishing external to get people to join my newsletter. You know, 3 or 4 or 5 times a week for a year. If you do that, in a year from now, like, man, you will be able to present or speak however you want to do it. Your audience will have a chance to find you, and then at that point it becomes a lot easier.

Ah, such good advice. And if you think about it, the next year is going to go by in a snap, right? If you have kids, like, it's like your child's 3, then they're 9, and then they're 14, and then they're going off to college or—

During their senior year.

Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, it's like, How did that happen, right? And I think I love that Bill Gates used to say it. I know Tony says it. A lot of people say it. We all overestimate what we can do in a year or 6 months, and we underestimate what we could do over the next 5 or 10 years. And that consistency, you know, are there some people who come out of the gate and hit home runs? Of course. But it's way less than anybody thinks. It's a point of half a point of 1% of the lucky gone viral on your first thing. Mostly When you look behind the curtain, you look at all the people we get to hang out with. Some once a year we get together with a lot of people in our space and they put in a decade behind the scenes. Everybody thinks overnight success, 10 years worth of, worth of consistencies. And I love the thought of the newsletter and do not be afraid to start small. Just kept doing it. And the cool part about doing it is you said something and I want to add one more piece to it. You find your voice. But as you find your voice, guess what happens? People who want to hear that exact voice find you. So you don't have— I'm not talking to Russell's crowd. He's not talking to mine, even though we have similarities and overlaps on a lot of what we do. There's some people that want to listen to Russell or learn from him or from Tony or from anybody in our space. So the more you do it, the more you get comfortable, the more people go, that aligns with me. And that's where growth really happens.

You're gonna get people that do not like you. There's tons of people who hate Russell Brunson. They think he's annoying, he talks too fast, he, he sells too much, he's too high, whatever it is. Like, there's people that hate me, but the upside, there's people that love me. Your people hear your voice and they're going to come to you, and you have a chance to serve them and change their life. And like, that's what makes it all worth it.

Is there still something in the invisible, or something that you had to fight for years, that invisible self-doubt or that invisible voice or the fear? Is there still something you have to shift or worry about when no one's watching?

It's interesting. Like, I, um, you know this, like, you see me in private circumstances, like, always people seem like, oh, I'm the guy that's— but like, in my real world, I'm very introverted and I get shy and awkward around people. Um, it's funny because like, even though I go to church, I, I don't talk to many people there. And then all everyone at church like follows me, so they see me on stage, like, they see Big Russell and they see me, they're like, Like, that's the same you. Like, yeah, just— and so, like, it's interesting because, like, for me, I've done podcasts on this where I talk about the fact that I feel like I'm an introvert in extroverts' calling. And so for me, like, that's a real thing. It's hard for me to, like— like, I love the creation of it, then, like, to go on stage or to go share something or to go do a Facebook— those things still intimidate me. And people don't believe it because they're like, oh, you look like you're so good at it. It's like, no, like, I have the anxiety and, like, the same things you guys are feeling. Like people, every time I'm backstage before I go on stage, I get so nervous and people are like, you still get nervous? I'm like, are you kidding me? Like, this is not like, I don't know, maybe Tony Robbins walks on stage and is like, oh, but for me, like, it's like, it takes a lot for me to get out of. And so a lot of the work I do is on that, like for myself, like trying to like, okay, you're gonna be in front of 5,000 people. You've got 11 presentations. Like, you gotta like, you know? And so I don't know, I think, A lot of people are waiting for that to go away so they can go, they can serve people. And you have to understand, like, at least for me, like, I've had to do it in spite of that and through that. But I think when you do it that way, man, it's so much more fulfilling. 'Cause you're like, man, that was not easy, but I did it and I'm gonna keep doing it. I feel like the day that I'm not nervous or not, like, it won't be worth it anymore. Like, there's something about that anticipation, excitement, and nerves and fear, and then like conquering that. And you're like, oh, I did. Like, that's the— That's the big win. So if you're waiting for the day that you're gonna like feel comfortable, it's probably not gonna come. At least hasn't for me yet.

Winners do it with a headache. I'm scared, I'm an introvert, but I'm still gonna walk out on that stage. Ah, go live. People in my family might think I'm nuts for trying to do my own thing, but I'm still gonna go live, put myself out there. Oh my God, people are gonna say, are you really sure? I'm gonna do it anyway. Those that succeed have a bigger purpose, a bigger why than the negative side. Hmm.