Marketing Secrets with Russell Brunson - RANT: Take What You Earned, Nothing More

Episode Date: December 18, 2017

A few cool stories that will hopefully re-align what you define as what you actually earn. On today's episode Russell talks about doing what you said you were going to do instead of trying to lie, cheat, and trick your way into money. Here are some of the other insightful things Russell talks about in this episode: Why Russell gave back 8 figures to Pruvit, even though he had signed a contract to have equity in the company. And why it's important to only take the things you have actually earned. So listen here to find out why integrity is more important than money. Transcript - https://marketingsecrets.com/blog/rant-take-what-you-earned-nothing-more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to Smart Water Alkaline 9.5 plus pH with antioxidant, there's nothing to overthink. So, while you may be performing mental gymnastics over whether the post-work gym crowd is worth it, if you'll be able to find a spot for your yoga mat, or if that spin instructor will make you late for dinner again, don't overthink how you hydrate. Life's full of choices. Smart Water Alkaline is a simple one. What's up, everybody? This is Russell Brunson, and welcome to the Marketing Secrets Podcast.

Tonight, we're going to be hanging out and talking a little bit about the fact that nobody owes you anything, and you should just be grateful for the opportunity. So the big question is this. How are entrepreneurs like us who didn't cheat and take on venture capital, we're spending money from our own pockets. How do we market in a way that lets us get our products and our services and the things that we believe in out to the world and yet still remain profitable? That is the question and this podcast will give you the answers. My name is Russell Brunson, and welcome to Marketing Secrets.

Alright, so I'm going to share with you guys some stuff tonight that I don't normally share. Probably have stuff I wanted to share normally or not. Anyway, I'm going to go into that here in a minute, but I want to share one idea that's completely not related to marketing. Maybe it is, who knows. Right now, I am eating this. In fact, I don't know go into that here in a minute, but I want to share one idea that's completely not related to marketing. Maybe it is, who knows? Right now I am eating this. In fact, I don't know if you can see this. If you guys are sitting here, I'm in my kitchen. This is my dinner.

I share this because right now I'm on this How to Get Ripped Before Funnel Hacking Live Diet with Bart Miller. It's been fun. He's got me working out, doing all sorts of stuff, but then also had me eating in a very specific way. I knew that there was no way I was gonna be able to stick with it. In fact, the first day, Dave and I, Dave's doing it with me, we both went over to the grocery store and bought stuff.

And it was like 50 bucks for that one day just to eat stuff. And it was like, we just bought like, packs of chicken breasts and broccoli. And that's, you know, it was horrible. And the second day, like I brought turkey from Thanksgiving, from, you know, a little bit ago. And then Dave ran out of time to buy food, so he literally had his son go and buy him packs of deli meat. He's sitting there all day eating packs of deli meat.

By day two, we were like, we will never actually do this because this is too hard to actually live this way, which I'm sure is why a lot of people don't lose weight and probably other things in your life you don't do because it's too hard to consistently do it. We went online, we found someone here in Boise who cooks meals. And so we gave her all the macros, micros, all kinds of stuff, what needs to be. And then every day she literally makes us three meals, drops them off in the morning and they're all perfectly cooked, fine-tuned, healthy, with exactly the carbs, macros, micros, fats, proteins, everything that is perfect for what it's supposed to actually

be. So that's what I'm eating now. This is my third meal today and it's nice not to think just to grab and eat so I recommend for any of you guys and it's not that expensive like we're paying like 300 bucks a week for this which if I was to go out one day a week that's way more 300 you know for one meal week this way more than 300 bucks this is three meals a day plus keeps me all I'm allowed to mouth is what she puts into the boxes that's's it. So just a thought, um, find some cookie meals for you and do other things that are keeping you from getting the goals you want. So,

all right, so I digress. So I want to share with you guys today, uh, or tonight, um, is, um, pretty important, I think. So it, um, I wasn't sure one thing, but there's just stories I can't tell. So there's been, man, like honestly three or four situations in the last like two weeks that have been insane. It's been probably some of the hardest two weeks of my life when it relates to like the negative sides of business. And so for me it's been funny cause I've been trying to like to block it and defend it because I just need to keep moving forward and the negativity of stuff, um, can, um, keep me or you or anybody

from moving forward. Right. So I don't want to share those specific stories. Um, but the way that people dealt with them was really, I don't think right. Um, and so I'm gonna leave it at that. I'm not gonna go deeper into it. Um, but I do want to share, I want to share something that, want to share something that actually... I want to share this not to brag, that's not the point, but to show that I practice what I preach.

I don't just talk about stuff, I actually believe it. I think it's important. That's the only reason I'm sharing this story and hopefully it'll help some of you guys to think about how you should deal with stuff in the future. Maybe, yeah, hopefully it'll help at least somebody out there. Some of you guys know that a couple of years ago there was a company that got launched called Proveit. I was part of the original team that helped launch that and I was the dude who wrote the

script for the animated video. I had my animators animate the whole thing and that became the campfire video for anyone who was in that company. And in exchange for me doing that initial stuff, I negotiated some equity in the company. The equity right now, looking at where the company's blown up for in the last three years, is worth insane amounts of money. Well over eight figures and probably closer to, well, it's insanely a lot. And I negotiated that ahead of time. And then, um,

I was gonna do a bunch of other things for the company. And, uh, just for some reason, some things didn't work because it was just, it was hard within the company. Um, network marketing companies and software makes it hard to do some of the funnels and things I was planning on helping with. Um, so that was kind of hard. And then, um, click phones was taking off at the same time. And so I was focusing there and just when all of is said and done, at the end of the day, I didn't do what I thought I was going to do. But what I did have is this really cool, fancy thing

called a contract that I had signed. It said I owned X percent of the company. The situation with the multiple people this week, it was not the same situation. It was something kind of like that. It was where people didn't pull their load, and then they're people this week, it was not the same situation, something kind of like that. And it was like, where people didn't pull their load. And then they're like demanding this justice, which was unjust because they didn't do anything. And it's like, it makes me so angry and frustrated. And so I was thinking about that myself. And I was like, I'm in the same situation here. Like

based on what I negotiated three years ago, I own X percent of this company. And, um, well, that's awesome. And it's worth insane amounts of money. If I'm completely honest with myself, it is not fair. Not to me, it's not fair to them. And if I was in their situation, I would, I know that in my mind I would be annoyed by me all the time. Everyone thought of me like, man, Russell got this thing and he did this little thing up front and then we haven't heard from him in the last three years.

He's been doing his own thing. He's running his own direction. And instead of just like being like, ha ha ha, I got the contract. You owe me. I went actually actively reached out to them and said, Hey, um, I don't feel like I deserve this. And, um, Brian, who's the owner of the company course, he's like, no, no, you totally deserve it. I'm like, no, I, I don't. And I'm okay with that. Like, um, I thought I was going to be doing this, this and this for this movement. And I didn't, I wasn't able to, some things were because of

technical things that didn't connect on the funnel side and some of it was because I just didn't have time and I didn't do what I was supposed to do. And I was like, it's not fair to you and I don't want someday when you sell this thing to be mad at me or angry at me when you have to give me a huge check because I didn't deserve it and I didn't earn it and I don't want it. And he was like, well, this is kind of weird. He's like, well, what do you want? And I was like, for what I did, like, I think this is kind of weird. He's like, well, what do you want? And I was like, for what I did, I think this is what would make sense.

And it's literally like me giving back eight figures worth of cash and just being like, here you go, and taking something way less. Because that's what I actually earned. And that's what I deserve. And I think he was kind of confused. And then he said, okay, and now we're making the transition, the shift away. And I'm signing away my equity in exchange for something way less because that's what I actually earned and what I actually deserve. Okay. And so that's, um,

that's what I want you guys to start thinking about and doing. Like, don't like in a situation with a business partner or a friend or an employer or like whatever it is, like get what you actually deserve, but don't get more. Like don't, I don't know. There's this weird thing in society where people think they deserve everything and it's ridiculous. It's insane. Like I wouldn't believe some of these things if they didn't happen to me over the last two weeks. But it's insane what people feel like they deserve.

Even though they don't deserve it, but because of something they feel like they did. And it's just, it's so infuriating to me. I remember I had a chance to hear this guy speak a little while ago named Nito Quibain. If you guys never heard of him, he is one of the best speakers I ever heard. I heard him probably seven or eight, probably 10 years ago now at a Dan Kennedy event. I think he's the CEO or something of Wonder Bread, a bunch of other things. He's an entrepreneur. He basically came to the country with $20 in his pocket and built this huge empire. Just an awesome dude. I guess in the speech, I'm totally in slaughter because this is a decade ago I heard it I don't remember all the details but I do remember the feeling I got in the message but he talked about how he basically got a job

as the um the I don't know what they call them in college like he was in charge of the dean of or call anyway he was in charge of this college right and uh it was his college was struggling he came in to turn it around he came in the first or first week, he worked really hard for the first week, and then he came in, they handed him a paycheck. And he said, what's this for? And he said, this is your paycheck. He's like, well, I haven't done anything yet. And they're like, well, you get paid every two weeks,

that's how it works. So they gave him the check and he sat on his desk, he's like, I did not earn that. And then he just kept working, worked next two weeks later, came in, they gave him the next paycheck, and he's like, what is this for? And they're like, that's your paycheck.

He's like, I didn't earn that. He put it down and he kept trying it, his job, his role was to transform the university and he kept doing that, kept trying and it took him a while cause it's a big thing to do and eventually I can't remember, a year, two years, three years later, whatever it was, he transformed this university and had this big impact. And at the time, like I think somebody said, come in his office and he had this stack, um, you know, five or six inches tall of these envelopes and someone said, wait, what's that big stack? He said, uh, those are the paychecks that he'd give me, but I haven't

earned them yet. So I'm not going to like, they're, they're not mine. And I remember hearing that and just being like, like, that's the right attitude. Like, I don't know, as opposed to the other situations where it's like, you try to like slip your way in and then if you don't get what you want, you try to sue somebody or you try to like get a contract signed and try to sneak, and then you stop doing what you're, you you you committed to doing or whatever that thing is it's just like it's insane to me and like I said it's happened four times four times in the last probably six weeks yeah dang the people have done that where they're where they feel like they deserve something and so they're threatening to sue or they feel like they deserve something and uh because they had a

contract they didn't actually do what they committed to do and they all these things and it's just so frustrating it's like that's not how I want to be remembered I remember remember as a person who actually earned like I got what I earned and I showed up and I did what I said I was gonna do if I didn't say I was gonna do that I didn't take what I contractually signed to because the contract said because I know inside of my heart that I broke the contracts I didn't do what I said I was going to do. Okay. And so, um, I don't want somebody who wants to come in and try to get what's not mine through threats and through all

these, like, it's just ridiculous. Okay. I want to be the kind of person who someday I can tell my kids, I can tell my grandkids, hopefully someday, you know, a thousand years from now, someone's going to watch this podcast. Someone in my posterity make, wow, great, great, great, great, great, great grandpa Brunson. Um, He was a man of integrity. He actually did what he said he was going to do. And when he didn't earn something, he didn't contractually trick somebody like, oh, well, we've got a contract. So it kind of sucks. Like, yeah, no, I freaking gave it back to him because I didn't earn it. And I took what I did earn. And I hope that, I don't know, I hope that rings true to some of you guys. If it does, it'll be worth the rant for tonight.

So I hope it does. And if you haven't heard Neil Quibain speak, I bought a bunch of his stuff back in the day. I wonder if I can find that presentation where he talked about that because it was so impactful to me just to hear that and realize that that's how we should be working. Just because the rest of the world shows up to work

and falls asleep and gets a check every two weeks, us, the people who are producers who are moving forward, that's not how we should look at things. We shouldn't be okay with that. When our team's doing that, we should be okay with that when people around us are doing that. We need to earn what we earn and go out there and do the thing. That's the goal. If you do work your butt off and you do do the thing, you do earn the money, then be proud of it. Like don't hide it. Be embarrassed. Like you actually worked your butt off and you deserve it. Um, but don't do the other way around where you, where you trick, cheat, scam, lie, whatever it takes, um, to get what you think is yours because it's not yours.

You don't actually deserve it. Okay. You should just be grateful for the opportunity. And so that's where I'm leaving this one off. I'm grateful for the opportunity to prove so that's where I'm leaving this one off. I'm grateful for the opportunity Prove It gave me. I'm excited. It's funny, I should be so sick to my stomach about this but I have no issues. I'm so excited to be giving back this equity and exchanging it with something that's really

cool that's a good fit. Anyway, it's good and I feel good about it and I'm going to sleep really, really good tonight because of that. That's what really matters. Hopefully, that helps somebody. Hopefully, my great, great, great, great, great grandkids are watching this and they straighten up when you hear it because it's important. That's all I got.

Thanks, you guys, for listening. I appreciate you all and have an amazing day. Bye. Want more marketing secrets? If so, then go get your copies of my two best-selling books. Book number one is called Expert Secrets. You can get a free copy at expertsecrets.com. And book number two is called Dotcom Secrets, and you can get your free copy at dotcomsecrets.com. Inside these two books, you'll find my top 35 secrets that we've used to become the fastest growing non-VC backed

SaaS startup company in the world.