By: One World Publishing
While most kids were glued to TV shows, Russell Brunson was glued to the commercials. Marketing was the language he loved. He even stockpiled junk mail, gathering tips and strategies from its persuasive wording.
Russell’s other big love was wrestling. He was an All-American in high school, taking second place at nationals as a high school senior. He wrestled in college, too, and was ranked as one of the top 10 wrestlers in the U.S.
So what do you get when you combine a passion for marketing with takedown grit? In Russell’s case, you get a wildly successful entrepreneur, a New York Times bestselling author, and the highest paid public speaker in the world. (Russell recently made $3.2 million for one 90-minute speech.)
Russell’s first big success came in 2003 when he launched Zipbrander, a targeted marketing software company. Two years later, he created another company that sold instructional videos and kits for building your own potato gun. No typical college grad, Russell had sold one million dollars worth of products within a year of earning his diploma.
Along the way, Russell discovered a problem with online marketing: sales funnels were taking way too long to build, or, at least, to build well. With business partner Todd Dickerson, Russell began working on a way to templatize and automate sales funnels, and ClickFunnels was born. Today, ClickFunnels has surpassed $160,000 million in earnings and boasts over 150,000 active users.
Even as Russell’s empire grew, so did his family. Russell managed to balance his blockbuster professional success with a thriving family. (Russell is married to his college sweetheart and has five children.)
Learning from the Masters
Russell’s secret? He’d be happy you asked, because the literature he credits with much of his success is something he could talk about all day. It’s also something he could show you because Russell is a die-hard bibliophile with a collection of more than 15,000 rare books to prove it. His multi-million dollar collection includes treasures like the only known intact, signed copy of Napoleon Hill’s unpublished 1925 version of “The Law of Success.” (Most of the world knows the 1928 version that was edited by publishers, but Russell’s copy is 100% unadulterated Hill.)
Russell’s collection of Hill’s literature is arguably the most extensive in the world and includes two brilliant but never-before-published Hill works: “It Will Place You Wherever You Wish to Be Among Men” and “Secrets of Master Salesmanship.” Russell’s collection also includes works by other giants of personal achievement: P.T. Barnum, Elsie Lincoln Benedict, Orison Swett Marden, P.T. Barnum, Andrew Carnegie, Samuel Smiles, Zig Ziglar, and others.
Russell first came into contact with the world of success mindset books 20 years ago at a marketing conference. Everyone in the room but him seemed to know about a book called “Think and Grow Rich.” Russell left the conference, bought the book on audio CDs, and began internalizing the concepts that would change the trajectory of his life.
Paying it Forward
Today, he is sharing the transformative knowledge from books by Hill and others through his Secrets of Success movement. He and his team curate the most helpful knowledge and tips and share them with members through podcasts, daily newsletters, live events, and more. Members get access to Hill’s personal library, which will soon be housed in Russell’s Atlas Research Center (a facility pending construction near the ClickFunnels headquarters in Idaho).
“I have been immersing myself in these growth mindset books for two decades now, and what I have discovered about personal achievement has been mindblowing,” said Russell. “This is my chance to pay these principles forward by sharing them with people who are tired of feeling stuck or settling for mediocrity.”
The Secrets of Success mastermind brings together entrepreneurs, academics, athletes, musicians, and others who love to learn and seek excellence in all aspects of their lives—including their personal relationships. Russell credits the original idea for his movement to Napoleon Hill, who dreamed of opening a School of Success for the brightest, most driven individuals of his day. The Great Depression and challenges in Hill’s personal life interrupted that dream, but Russell is determined to carry it forward.
“I owe a big debt of gratitude to Hill for how his works have changed my life. It’s an honor to be extending his legacy and reviving the dream he wasn’t able to see through to reality in his lifetime,” said Russell.
Published By: Aize Perez
