Podcast Summary:

The Russell Brunson Show
Episode 69: Discovering Laws of Success From The Book That Inspired Napoleon Hill
Date: September 10, 2025
Host: Russell Brunson

Episode Overview

In this episode, Russell Brunson dives into a recently acquired, nearly lost piece of self-development history: "Allen's Working Plan, Comprising the 10 Basic Laws of Success" by Irving R. Allen—a series predating Napoleon Hill’s iconic "Law of Success." Russell shares the adventure of discovering and purchasing this book set, explores its origins and connection to both Hill and legendary marketers, and unpacks timeless lessons around opportunity, ego, humility, and entrepreneurial “cycling.” He provides personal insights about how these principles shaped his path, focusing on the delicate balance between healthy egotism and humility as keys to sustained business success.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Discovery of a Lost Success Manual

• Story Behind the Find ([02:06]–[05:50])
  • Russell recounts meeting Milton, a rare book dealer, at his son’s wrestling tournament.
  • Milton presents a trunk of rare books, including "Allen's Working Plan"—a set sold via direct mail in the early 1900s, now unattainable elsewhere.
  • Connection to Napoleon Hill: evidence suggests Hill worked with Allen and borrowed ideas for "Law of Success".
  • Russell purchases the unique set for $30,000 after failing to find another copy:

    "The end price tag for this book set was $30,000. And so that’s how much I spent to find out Allen’s Working Plan." ([05:30])

2. Who Was Irving R. Allen?

• His Legacy and Influence ([06:01]–[08:16])
  • Allen was a top efficiency consultant at LaSalle Extension University—a hotbed for great marketers; both Napoleon Hill and Dan Kennedy worked there.
  • After helping companies achieve efficiency (with major results), Allen was encouraged to write down his methods, creating the basis for these laws—almost a decade before Hill’s own work.

3. The Laws of Success: Early 20th-Century Insights Still Relevant

• Ever-Present Opportunity ([08:18]–[10:10])
  • First law asserts "opportunity is ever present, and you need to seize it," even in 1918.

    "He goes on and he talks about how people always say, like, you know, opportunity only knocks once. And he’s like, that’s not true. Opportunity comes every single day if you’re actually looking for it..." ([09:35])

  • Russell reflects on how, despite technological advances, the core challenge remains: recognizing and taking action on opportunities.

4. Positive Attitude, Optimism, and the Role of Healthy Ego

• The Controversial Law: You Must Have Ego ([10:50]–[15:18])

  • Emphasizes positive mental attitude and optimism, but also "healthy egotism" as a non-negotiable for big success.

    "To be successful, you have to have an ego. If you don’t have an ego, it’s hard to do the things you need to be successful." ([11:56])

  • Society discourages egotism, but Russell underscores its vital role in leadership, movement-building, and personal drive.

  • Andrew Carnegie’s Perspective:

    • Shared story from Dan Kennedy about Carnegie, reinforcing the need for inner self-belief:

      "No man achieves any great things in life unless in his private thoughts, he believes he is superior to all other men." (Carnegie, quoted by Brunson, [13:45])

5. The Dichotomy of Ego and Humility

• Navigating the Balance ([15:19]–[20:30])
  • Russell acknowledges the danger of becoming too full of oneself, sharing a personal account of early business success followed by a humbling failure.

    "When you succeed, you have to give credit to the people around you, to your team. But if you fail, you have to take the credit yourself. And that’s a hard thing to do..." ([19:25])

  • Cites a scriptural lesson:

    "God will have a humble people. Either you can humble yourself or he will humble you. And every time I hear that...I do not want God to humble me. That sounds horrible." ([17:20])

  • Importance of giving credit to the team in success, but taking ownership of failure as a leader.

6. Entrepreneurial “Cycling” vs. Failure

• The Power of Experience and Resilience ([20:35]–[23:59])
  • Shares an anecdote from a mastermind dinner:

    "He’s like, I will never work with an entrepreneur who hasn’t cycled at least once...The first time someone succeeds, they believe they are the only reason. After they’ve cycled, they know differently." ([22:20])

  • The term "cycled" reframes failure as a necessary process for true entrepreneurial growth and humility.
  • Touches on US bankruptcy laws as enablers for risk-taking.

7. Lessons Applied: ClickFunnels and Beyond

• Leading With Both Humility and Internal Certainty ([24:00]–[27:59])

  • Russell describes changes he made launching ClickFunnels, informed by early cycles:
    • Giving credit to the team
    • Thanking God and recognizing it’s not just “all him”
    • Privately, still maintaining the inner edge:

      "In my private thoughts, though, right? If I’m going to be the person who is coming through here and I have to develop a market...I have to, inside of my mind, believe that I’m superior to all other men." ([26:17])

• The Competitive Mindset

  • Relates wrestling lessons to business:

    "I’d never let an athlete step on the mat for me unless in their mind they know they’re going to win." (Dan Gable, as paraphrased by Russell, [27:10])

  • For Russell, business is a competition where inner certainty is essential to achieving at a world-class level.

8. Exclusive Offer for Listeners

• Russell has taken notes and created a breakdown of each booklet’s insights, and offers them for free to listeners—link is in the episode description.

  "You get my notes for free. There’s a link in the description. Click on that. It'll take you to the note sheet..." ([29:10])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Healthy Ego:

  "To be successful, you have to have an ego. If you don’t have an ego, it’s hard to do the things you need to be successful."
  — Russell Brunson ([11:56])

• On Opportunity:

  "Opportunity comes every single day if you’re actually looking for it, actively trying to find it."
  — Russell Brunson, reflecting on Allen ([09:35])

• On Cycling (Resilience):

  "I will never work with an entrepreneur who hasn’t cycled at least once."
  — Mastermind attendee, as quoted by Russell ([22:20])

• Carnegie’s Maxim:

  "No man achieves any great things in life unless in his private thoughts, he believes he is superior to all other men."
  — Andrew Carnegie (quoted by Brunson via Dan Kennedy, [13:45])

• On Leadership:

  "When you succeed, you have to give credit to the people around you, to your team. But if you fail, you have to take the credit yourself."
  — Russell Brunson ([19:25])

• On Wrestling & Mindset:

  "I’d never let an athlete step on the mat for me unless in their mind they know they’re going to win."
  — Dan Gable, paraphrased by Russell ([27:10])

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 02:06 | Story of discovering the rare book set | | 05:30 | Purchases the “Allen’s Working Plan” for $30,000 | | 06:01 | Background on Irving R. Allen and LaSalle Extension University | | 08:18 | Discussion of the first law: Opportunity is ever present | | 10:50 | The importance of positive mental attitude and optimism | | 11:56 | The controversial role of ego in success | | 13:45 | Carnegie’s quote about private belief in superiority | | 15:19 | Russell reflects on ego vs. humility—personal failure story | | 20:35 | The value of 'cycling' as an entrepreneur | | 23:30 | Bankruptcy laws and risk/reward for entrepreneurs | | 24:00 | The ClickFunnels journey, applying humility and ego lessons | | 27:10 | Wrestling mindset applied to business competition | | 29:10 | Offer of detailed notes on the rare book set to listeners |

Final Thoughts

Russell’s exploration of this lost predecessor to "Law of Success" illuminates core truths about ambition, mindset, and leadership. The laws discussed—particularly about opportunity and healthy ego—remain as challenging and relevant in the digital age as they were in 1918. Interweaving personal anecdotes, historical insights, and actionable wisdom, this episode is both a treasure for personal development geeks and a call-to-arms for entrepreneurs seeking to balance confidence with humility on their own success journeys.

Listener Tip:
Grab the free notes offered by Russell in the episode description for even more granular insights from "Allen’s Working Plan."