Episode 45: Persistence   Business is not all ups, but without the downs, you won't have the ups. In this long overdue episode Russ gets you caught up on what he's been doing these last six months: a short sabbatical from the show, a book launch, some direct mail marketing efforts and how he's been dealing with them. It takes a lot of persistence to even stay in the game in business - it's not for the lighthearted. Now, you can see from a bird's eye view some of the types of trials and...

After taking some time off, Russ is right back at it. In this episode he shares some of what he does with his Free Time with you, and then goes on to review one of the books he read during that free time, The Average Joe's Marketing Book. (Whoops! You're not supposed to read business books on your free time!) This is Joe's “how to” manual on marketing, and it's well worth reading. He covers Automating your business, free recorded messages, his own customer conversion system, referrals,...

Documenting procedures in “operations manuals” is at the core of Michael Gerber's E-Myth. Detailed instructions on how each job is carried out help highlight inefficiencies, and provide an extra layer of protection when the inevitable turnover comes. Russ discovered “Google into QB” this week because he was documenting his invoicing procedures. Rethinking what really needed to happen, Google into QB simplified the entire process. Run your business like a franchise chain, says Michael Gerber,...

One of the best ways to establish yourself as an authority in your field is to publish a book, and one of the best ways to accomplish this affordably is Dean Jackson's 90-Minute Books. Russ' latest book, Harnessing You 7 Senses is out, and Russ shares all about his incredible world-class experience working with Dean's team at 90-Minute books. He takes you through the entire process from start to finish and details some of the amazing things Dean's team did to to really make this one of the...

This week Russ went to a downtown Art & Wine Walk. The wine was good, but he didn't see a lot of art... go figure! What he did see though, was opportunity! While wandering through the shops participating in the walk, he began channeling Jay Abraham: Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got. After striking up conversations with a couple of local business owners, Russ walked away with two new Joint Venture partners; a win-win for everybody, Russ, the other business owners, and...

Dan Kennedy always says “One is the worst number.” In this episode Russ talks about what that means and how he is applying that concept in his business. It's been a rough week for Russ, and he's here to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of working towards your first million with you. He also gives you a nice preview of Dan Kennedy and his Dan Kennedy library. Dan is a prolific writer and Russ claims to have more books by Dan Kennedy than any other author – he swears it wasn't intentional,...

If you want to make that first million faster, Russ has something for you – The Wealth Factory. Garrett Gunderson, a Genius Network Member, has formed a very special company whose sole purpose in life is to manage your wealth. Of course, you say, those are a dime a dozen, and they're all out for themselves. Well, Garrett has a different approach. He is making the concept of a “family office” something that almost anyone can afford. Typically, only the ultra wealthy could possibly afford such...

Ok, seriously folks, Russ is talking about miracles? Not the kind you see at a Grateful Dead show where somebody gets a free ticket, but a real, honest to God, medical miracle. Once he finally starts getting down to brass tacks, Russ does a novel review of Breakthrough Advertising by giving a quick overview of the principles he learned in Brian Kurtz's Breakthrough Advertising bootcamp he recently attended. Russ applies the principles of mass desire, levels of awareness, and levels of...

Russ has a new sleep routine he's trying out. Why is he telling you this? If you want to do big things, you have to think of yourself as a racehorse: everything is about performance. One key component of that performance for an entrepreneur is sleep. So this episode, you get to hear about sleep: good sleep and bad sleep, things you can do about bad sleep (Don't mess with good sleep folks!), and a new routine that's working wonders for Russ. According to Russ “Between quarterly planning and my...

Ok, this one is just Russ bragging a lot about his team. Go team! I mean raises... and now a promotion!? But somewhere in there he manages to go over his quarterly operational planning process – blow-by-blow. It's Russ' “in the weeds” version of what happens when you take Dan Sullivan's 25-year planning idea and the Genius Network Implementation Card and put them both together. Russ collected a list of all of his projects (that's a lot of projects!), sorted and prioritized them, and then...

Did you know that Russ used to barefoot water ski? A lot? And before that he was a body builder. Go figure! And now he just might get to go up Mt. Whitney, CA, but he needs some new boots. He's also doing a reboot in his business, reboot 2.0: new name, logo, newsletter design, website... The abundance resulting from that reboot has earned his entire team raises! Russ talks about how he, grudgingly, came to be an employer, and how he now feels his team is his top level concern – yes, they help...

I Love Marketing! And if it wasn't for Joe Polish and Dean Jackson's I Love Marketing podcast Russ probably wouldn't be here to tell you about it and how it figures into your first million. Joe and Dean have some incredible ideas, like their Eight Profit Activators, offer the cookies, the marketing vending machine, cheese and whiskers, the self-milking cow, the 50-minute focus finder... Oh, wait, those are all Dean's ideas. Did Russ just dis' Joe? No worries, he covers, Joe's Magic Rapport...

One of the most important things you can do as an entrepreneur is to get a coach. The number 1 best entrepreneurial coach in the world is Dan Sullivan at Strategic Coach. After going on a long rant about economic factors beyond his control, Russ gives you a quick rundown on some of the amazing value you can get from Strategic Coach. If you aren't yet ready to join Strategic Coach, then this is where you start. The following links will get you some of the most valuable resources you could ever...

After geeking on stats, Russ found that his business name was confusing prospective clients (and current clients too, lol!), but a confused prospect usually doesn't buy. So, in order to clear up the confusion, Russ decided to try a new name for his tutoring business. He walks you through his entire process from start to implementation – implementation is ongoing. You'll get to hear what consultants and marketers had to say on the subject, and what the number one priority should be in choosing...

Have you ever thought about starting your own podcast? How about a podcast episode on podcasting? In an episode reeking of Seinfeld's Kramer and his coffee table book about coffee tables, Russ explores his favorite podcasts and provides some commentary on what he finds compelling in a podcast. He then gets into a discussion of his strategy and the moving parts behind this podcast. Finally, Russ closes with your wish list for starting your own podcast: the recording studio that you already...

Too many projects? What do you do when you start feeling overwhelmed? Time to take an inventory and make a project list. A project list can help you put it all in perspective: prioritize and compartmentalize. It can help us identify opportunities for delegation and consolidation (Russ' latest project is set to save him at least $4K a year – guaranteed... money in the bank!). Dan Sullivan, Ben Hardy, and Mary Ellen Tribby all get shout outs in this episode. Dan and Ben for Who, Not How... on...

Live to 970!? Are you kidding!? This time, Russ talks about his plan for living to 970. A key part of that plan is Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy's Who, Not How. Russ talks about how he's narrowing his “to do” list down to only the things he loves to do. We expect only doing things he likes should help him live to 970. Then, Russ goes into more detail about his plan to live to 970 in his second ELF Coaching Ten-Minute Talk, and we've got the exclusive here for you! That's right, you'll get to...

Timothy Paulson and Joe Polish literally wrote the book on consumer awareness guides: Piranha Marketing, available at Nightingale-Conant (see link below). This time, Russ talks about the thought process behind why a consumer awareness guide is a good idea, also known as The Eight Profit Activators by Joe Polish and Dean Jackson (see link below). The consumer awareness guide is meant to educate and motivate prospects to meet you - profit activator number three. We also get the inside scoop on...

This episode starts with a serious discussion of business planning styles, and slowly degrades to a review of the (positive) effects brain surgery can have on your life. Ok, but really, Russ discusses his business planning style, and the more formal “business plan” process. How to avoid paralysis by analysis, and when it might just be time to get your act together. He also reviews a great tool for the avid business planner, LivePlan. There's some hints at a big change coming up in his...

If you want to grow it really helps if you have a plan. Linear growth will not keep you ahead of inflation. Your growth NEEDS to be exponential! In this episode, Russ introduces his Exponential Growth Formula. The Exponential Growth Formula will give you a path to the growth you want... custom tailored to you and your business. And Russ is not just talking about it here. He's offering to do YOUR Exponential Growth Formula for free to the first ten people who email him at...

How to win friends and influence people. That's right! Good ol' Dale Carnegie gets a shout out in this episode. Russ talks about using networking to increase your referrals, and improve your business. We discuss Joe Polish's Magic Rapport Building FormulaTM, Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People, and Robert Cialdini's Influence, and how you can use those ideas to increase your revenue and make your first million. Oh, and in this episode you also get to find out what Russ'...

In part two of our interview with Brian Kurtz, author of Overdeliver, we discuss list segmentation, RFM, and romancing your clients. Brian also talks about list selection and his 41/39/20 concept for list, offer, and copy, as well as the importance of multichannel marketing. (Here's a hint: “In business, one is the worst number.” -Dan Kennedy) Brian leaves us with a great tool he picked up from Perry Marshall called the MAVE 2.0 which will help you maximize your media presence in the most...

Brian Kurtz, author of Overdeliver, pays us a visit. This interview went so long that we had to break it up into two episodes! In part one, Brian shares stories from his time at Boardroom Inc. as one of the top direct marketers in the country, and what he's he's up to now at Titans Marketing. He ponders the fastest way to make your first million, and we discuss how he overdelivers with his book Overdeliver and all its amazing extras. Get Overdeliver AND the extras!