Greed, Growth, and Giving Back: A Deep Dive of “Atlas Shrugged” with Josh Forti (1 of 5)

Summary

Marketing Secrets with Russell Brunson
Episode: Greed, Growth, and Giving Back: A Deep Dive of “Atlas Shrugged” with Josh Forti (1 of 5)
Release Date: October 16, 2024

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Episode Overview

In this compelling first installment of the "Atlas Shrugged" series, Russell Brunson engages in an in-depth conversation with Josh Forti to explore the intricate themes of greed, growth, and altruism as depicted in Ayn Rand's seminal work, Atlas Shrugged. Scheduled amidst the turbulent backdrop of a global pandemic and an impending election cycle, the episode delves into how the philosophies presented in the book resonate with modern entrepreneurship and personal development.

Understanding "Atlas Shrugged"

Russell begins by reminiscing about his initial encounter with Atlas Shrugged during the pandemic in 2020, which sparked a profound interest in its themes. He explains that the book's premise revolves around the idea of "producers" or "prime movers" who are the driving force behind societal progress. When these key individuals decide to "shrug" and withdraw their efforts, society begins to crumble. Russell and Josh aim to dissect these concepts and their relevance to today's business landscape.

"The premise of Atlas Shrugged is what would happen if the producers, the people that are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, what happens if they were to go on strike and shrug their shoulders and be like, 'meh,' and walk away from it?"
— Russell Brunson [13:00]

Greed: Good or Bad?

A central theme discussed is the contentious notion of greed. Contrary to the common perception that greed is inherently negative, Josh introduces the concept of "Utopia Greed" versus "Anti-Greed" as presented in the book. They explore how greed can be a motivating force that drives individuals to achieve and innovate.

Russell shares his personal journey, acknowledging that his entrepreneurial spirit was fueled by a form of greed—not in the selfish sense, but as a desire to create and build something meaningful.

"When you start seeing that it's not about money, it's about the impact, that's charity. That's love. That's like, now the mission isn't about money."
— Russell Brunson [28:56]

Transition from Growth to Contribution

The conversation evolves to discuss the transition from personal growth driven by greed to a more altruistic contribution to society. Russell recounts his experience coaching wrestling, where he realized that teaching others and contributing to their growth brought a deeper sense of fulfillment compared to the solitary pursuit of success.

Josh echoes this sentiment, highlighting the importance of shifting focus from merely accumulating wealth to creating a lasting positive impact on others.

"We start seeing the ripple effect of what we've created in each person's life, and that's where the mission shifts to people's lives and the impact."
— Russell Brunson [45:43]

Personal Reflections and Stories

Russell and Josh intertwine their professional experiences with the philosophical discussions. Russell reflects on the challenges faced by ClickFunnels as his company grew, dealing with increasing government regulations and the pressures that come with scaling a business. These real-world struggles mirror the societal collapse depicted in Atlas Shrugged when key players withdraw their contributions.

Additionally, Russell shares a heartfelt story about his father's 60th birthday, emphasizing the joy and fulfillment derived from contributing to others' growth and success.

"The greatest decades for you were coaching other people and seeing their success."
— Russell Brunson [47:53]

Intersection with Religion and Politics

The episode also touches upon the interplay between personal beliefs, religion, and political ideologies. Russell, identifying as a Christian and a libertarian with progressive social views, discusses how his faith influences his understanding of greed and charity. He contrasts his beliefs with the perspectives presented in Atlas Shrugged, where Ayn Rand advocates for a form of egoistic capitalism.

Josh adds to the discourse by relating political leanings to the themes of the book, acknowledging the complexities and polarizations in contemporary political landscapes.

"The natural man is the enemy of God... unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit."
— Russell Brunson [40:04]

Key Insights and Conclusions

Throughout the episode, Russell and Josh weave together philosophical insights with personal anecdotes, offering a nuanced perspective on Ayn Rand's work. They conclude that while greed can be a powerful motivator for growth and innovation, it must be balanced with a sense of contribution and altruism to achieve true fulfillment and societal progress.

The discussion underscores the importance of self-awareness and intentionality in one's pursuits, advocating for a harmonious blend of personal ambition and meaningful contribution to the greater good.

"Growth is the seed. It's the natural man. It's the thing we have. It's good... but we have to yield to the spirit to ensure it doesn't destroy us."
— Russell Brunson [42:16]

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This episode serves as a thought-provoking exploration of the delicate balance between ambition and altruism, inviting entrepreneurs and listeners alike to reflect on their motivations and the broader impact of their endeavors.

Transcript

[A]

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Income, emerging markets and more, Visit Global X ETFs. This episode is brought to you by Netflix. From the co director of Shrek and the visionary behind Toy Story comes Spellbound, a magical new animated adventure starring Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jennifer Lewis, Nathan Lane and Titus Burgess. With Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman. When a powerful spell turns her parents into monsters, Princess Elian must journey into the wild to reverse the curse before it's too late. Watch Spellbound Only on Netflix November 22nd hey, what's up everybody? This is Russell Brunson. Welcome back to the Marketing Secrets podcast. Today I want to share with you guys actually a really cool interview that I did back in 2020. So think back in the middle of Pandemic, all sorts of things were happening. We had a lot more free time and I remember it was the very first time I had a chance to actually read listen to the book Atlas Shrugged and afterwards I got so excited. If you were following me at the point, you know, I got really excited and Josh, 40, got excited, he messaged me so he actually flew out. We did, I think it was like a five hour long interview on Atlas Shrug which is really fun. And so I just recently reread the book and just got back, top of mind, back excited. I went back and started listening to this interview again just to kind of remember what we talked about then. And some of my thoughts and beliefs had tweaked or changed a little bit from the first time. But it was so fun. And anyway, so many cool things came from this conversation. So for the next couple weeks we're going to play some of the clips from this interview with Josh Fordy and me talking about Atlas Shrugged. I hope it's something you guys enjoy and you love. If nothing else, it'll get your mind spinning, especially as we're moving towards this election sequence and cycle and stuff. Number one. But number two, as entrepreneurs, this is a book that's got a really powerful message for producers, for prime movers, for people who are trying to change the world. And so maybe it'll inspire some of you guys to actually go and read the book. So that said I hope you guys enjoy this first episode from our Atlas Shrug series. In the last decade, I went from being a startup entrepreneur to selling over a billion dollars in my own products and services online. This show is going to show you how to start, grow and scale a business online. My name is Russell Brunson and welcome to the Marketing Secrets podcast.

[B]

We are live.

[A]

What's up, everyone?

[B]

Oh, my word. With the incredibly. I don't know if long waited. It hasn't really been that long since we planned. It was two months ago. So much expected podcast with Mr. Russell Brunson himself. How are you doing, dude?

[A]

I'm doing amazing, man. Thanks for flying all the way to Boise just for this conversation.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely, dude. I'm. This is probably the conversation I'm looking forward to most certainly in my life thus far when it comes to business and business and philosophy and everything like that. Well, it's funny your wife said thanks so much for coming out. I was like, yeah, it's certainly. Yeah. Because inconvenience to me to fly all the way out here. I will say this is my first ever in person interview like this.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We got the microphone set up.

[B]

I know we have professional.

[A]

I've never done.

[B]

We have literally we have a soundboard down here. We got Russell's mic. Can you guys hear us? All right. By the way, guys, for all of you listening on audio, we apologize because we're gonna ask for some comments in the Facebook feed here because we got everybody down here. By the way, you can see all the comments down here.

[A]

What's up, everyone?

[B]

All right, guys, if you are live, comment down below. Let us know where you're tuning in from. Let us know if you know Russell or if you know me or if you know both of us or what you're both looking forward to. And Russell, I'm gonna be honest with you. We're just gonna be like super chill act. We have guys, we have a live audience back here. We got Dave. Dave's over there. We got Jake and Nick. Where's where Jake go?

[A]

Jake's working.

[B]

Oh, there we go. Jake's working late over there.

[A]

Jake, by the way, designed these amazing shirts for.

[B]

Yeah, check this out.

[A]

This is my Reardon steel shirt. This is like who is John Gault's shirt?

[B]

Isn't this great? Okay. But I feel like wrestling back to back.

[A]

So that's all read to you guys. It says, I stand by. I started my life with a single absolute. That the world was made was mine to shape in the image of my Highest values and never to be given to a lesser standard, no matter how long or hard the struggle. So just like these shirts, these are custom made for tonight. And. And you guys may have a chance to get one of these. But not yet. Or yet. No, not yet.

[B]

Not yet.

[A]

When the ability. If you guys.

[B]

Oh, man. Oh, man.

[A]

Anyway, it's gonna be fun, but these are custom. We literally made these today. Cause we're like, we need some sweet shirts and for the. For the show, so.

[B]

Oh, Caleb Wolf says he got your text. You sent out text to everybody. Dude, Russell's on top of that. I sent him a mini chat. Russell on text. All right, guys, let's lay some ground rules here. So the quick backstory behind this, and it's gonna be weird. Gotta look in the camera here. Quick backstory behind this is I make a post on Facebook about, what, probably three months ago now or so, Two, three months ago. And I go, we need some epic people to interview for the podcast. Who do you know? Tag them all down below and shout out, Georgie. Georgie comments and goes, I coached Russell Brunson. You should totally interview me. And I was like, yeah, you gotta be pretty gutsy to, like, tag Russell in your comment and tell him you coached him. But then Russell comments back, george is a.

[A]

Is a Olympic wrestler. He was on the Bulgarian Olympic team. He wrestled the Boise State with me. He's the man.

[B]

So, yeah, so he. He. I call my back. I go, you coach Russell. And then Russell goes, well, yeah, he coached me.

[A]

He's awesome.

[B]

He totally interviewed him. And so I said, yeah, Georgie, of course you can. Come on, we'll do an interview. But, Russell, we got an open invitation to you if you want to come back on. And then you're like, sure, if we can talk about guns or. No, you didn't say sure. You said, can we do it about Atlas Shrug?

[A]

Yes. Yeah, because I interviewed a lot about business stuff.

[B]

And, like, I pull the microphone just slightly.

[A]

I don't. I don't do a lot of interviews because I feel like I've said what I want to say. But I just finished, literally, probably the fattest book in the history of books called Outla Shrugged, and I was geeking out on it, and I want to talk about it. I didn't have a way or someone to geek out with other than some of my friends here. And I was like, go talk about Atlas Shrugged. I'm in. And then you started freaking out.

[B]

Well, the funny thing was, is I go something to the effect of like, you want to talk about the fall of capitalism. Because of a boycott, because of a brilliant person and why socialism sucks. Yes, absolutely. I would love to do that. To which you don't give me a yes or no answer. You reply back and go, haha. Oh man, that'd be fun. I'm like, talk about an open loop, man. Come on. So anyway, I immediately messaged Russell and I'm like, you better not be. You better not be joking. Because, like, that would just be rude. Because. No, I'm totally in. So about two months go by, you had a bunch of stuff, you had some fun stuff during that time. Tony Robbins.

[A]

Yeah, Tony the Man. And yeah, it's been, it's been chaos the last couple months, not gonna lie. And we got. As we got closer and closer to election. I'm like, this is an interesting conversation post election, but I think it's more interesting before election. And so like, was it two days ago, three days ago? You're like, I will fight a Boise. Yeah, record this. What day do you have open? I'm like, only Wednesday night.

[B]

And now it was, yeah, it was Friday afternoon. I like, we were walking back and forth. You're like, dude, we gotta get this done before the election. I'm like, before the election. Oh my word. I said, all right, sounds good. Like, what time you available? And that's. I was like, you know what, I was going to ask you creatively, but I was going to ask you, how about I fly out to you? And you're like, heck yeah. So guys, that's the backstory, that's how we got here. And so this is an open conversation about Atlas Shrugged and kind of everything that encapsulates. I think we'll talk about some religion, some politics, kind of some both sides of the aisle there and open it up. So anything else you want to add to that?

[A]

The only other thing I would add is because this book, by the way, if you haven't read yet, is very polarizing. There are people on both sides of it. And I think both of us wanted to stress ahead of time that I do not believe in everything in this book. A lot of things in this book, I do believe it. And it's interesting. One thing I want to dive deeper in this conversation I'm excited for. And I told you on through Voxer, I was like, what's fascinating to me is not like this is what we should believe. What was fascinating to me is as I was reading this book and we'll get into premise of the book, those who haven't read it, but the big thing is, like, producers and going out there and creating stuff and doing things, which is what entrepreneurs do. Right. And it even gets to the part of, like, greed is good. Like, you should be greedy because it's going to create all these amazing things which then does the byproducts really good. And part of me is like, yes, yes, yes, yes. And then part of me as a believing Christian is like, I hear this message I believe in, and I hear in my mind ringing Christ talking about faith, hope, charity, and love. And like. And I feel like there are these two polar opposite things, which, by the way, when we dive into politics a little bit, like, there are two polar opposite sides. One that believes one, one believes the other. And I think that there's. There's a happy medium. And that's what I want to dive deep into is because I don't want anyone thinking like, oh, Russell and Josh, just believe this, or whatever. It's like, no, there's. There's sides of this, and I empathize on both sides. I want to talk about both of them because they're fascinating. And I think I've. Anyway, I've. I've totally writing a book about this concept, these two things. Anyway, I think it'd just be fun to kind of first time verbally ever talk about.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I'm excited for it.

[B]

Yeah. And I would just echo that as well. I think one of the things that often happens with me with my. It's just so funny. You who never, ever talks about politics, and me who doesn't know how to get on Facebook without arguing about politics colliding here. But is that a lot of times I get like, grouped into, oh, you like this reading, Therefore you believe with, like, everything. Like, you read this book or you, like, support this person, or whether it's, you know, a political figure or a book or something like that. It's like by saying that you enjoy that or that you learned a lot from it, that, like, all of a sudden, like, you suddenly believe everything in it. And that is not the case at all. And I've gotten a lot of criticism from, you know, people that are like, how could you possibly like Atlas Shrugged? I'm like, well, this is the conversation that we're gonna have. So real quick, before we dive in, I'd be curious. I want to do a poll real quick. How many of you guys have actually read the book? I'm curious to know. Yeah, hold up here. There's two different versions of it, but if you've read the book Just comment below. Just the number one, if you have read the book. The number two, if you have not read the book. I think that'll just kind of give us a poll. We got, like two, 300 people.

[A]

We'll count that as reading, too.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Either way.

[B]

Yeah. If you, like. Not if you, like, know the premise of the book, but, like, actually have read the book and, like, have a deep understanding of it or not deep understanding.

[A]

Understand the stories and.

[B]

Yeah, things like that. Because I think that'd be interesting.

[A]

So one is red.

[B]

One is red. Two is not red. More ones than I thought was going to. Russell's book is so underrated.

[A]

We're 50. 50.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I think we should take a poll at the end. What's better, Atlas Shrugged or Dot Com Secrets? That's the real question we should be asking right now. Okay, so we have a lot of people that have not read it, so we'll have to go into the premise of that. Okay, you ready to get started, dude?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Rock and roll with that. Okay, guys, we want to lay a couple ground rules, okay. Because Russell. I don't know what it's like to be Russell. Russell doesn't know what it's like to be me. But, like, I think we both have a mutual understanding that we could very easily be taken out of context here. I think the goal and then I want you to kind of expound upon this is like, we're not trying to take a side here. We're trying to have open discussion about it. Like, this could very easily turn into something that's like, why you should vote for Trump, why Biden sucks, why Biden's great, why Trump sucks or something like that, or, like, certain religion or. We're not trying to convince you of anything, really. In fact, this is honestly more of a conversation for us, and we're like, we think it'd be cool to stream it out to a bunch of people because there's a reason for me to fly out here and do that. But the purpose of this is to have an open discussion about the book, the premise of the book, like, an understanding of it. And then, like, honestly, we're probably gonna, like, be in our own little world over here, and we want you guys to, like, interact and comment and, like, engage and, like, post your questions. And we'll go back through it, obviously. But, like, the purpose of this is not to try to convince anybody of anything. It's simply to, at least from my perspective, shed a new perspective and, like, give the perspective of somebody who, for those of you that don't know who Russell is. I mean, the founder of a clickfunnel is a billion dollar company. You know, SaaS company. You have 400 employees. 400 employees. So, like, from that perspective and like, from my perspective, like to open your eyes, like a new perspective of what, like, what we like what we don't like. And like I said, more of a conversation, like, for us.

[A]

Yeah, I think it's good. And I think, yeah, like, I think a big thing that we will talk about, our goal is not to convince you of anything. In fact, I think I. I'm so convinced myself of both sides. Right. Like, I believe both these two, you know, things that seem contradictory. But I think there's a middle ground and I'm excited to explore it, so it'll move on.

[B]

Cool. So I think we.

[A]

I think we gotta talk about the premises.

[B]

Yeah, we gotta talk about the premise.

[A]

I might have a little mini statue behind me that might help.

[B]

Yeah. Okay.

[A]

So those who not read Alex Drugged. I didn't know what the premise was at first, but this is the story of Atlas. So you guys know Atlas was cursed to be able to have to carry the entire weight of the universe, entire weight of the world upon his shoulders for forever, right? And so this is where the premise of the book, like, like all of us, right, people who are listening to this, my guess is you are a producer, right. Otherwise you probably wouldn't be listening to me or to Josh. Like, I attract, I teach, I coach, I help. Producers, entrepreneurs, people are trying to change the world, right? I'm curious, how many guys have ever felt this pressure, right? Where you feel like you literally have the entire weight of the world upon your shoulders. And if you haven't, like, it's time to become a producer. That's first off. Second off, I can empathize. There's so many times you can ask Dave or any guys on my team. There's days I come in, I was like, I feel like I'm gonna crack. Like, there is so much weight to carry this around. And I think, I'm guessing Moshe has felt that it could be with your family, could be in work, could be business, like, whatever it is, but you felt the way of the world. Right. So this is what Atlas had to hold. Right. And so the premise of the book Atlas Shrugged is what would happen if the producers, the people that are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. What happens if they were to go on strike and they were to shrug their shoulders and be like, meh, in Fact. Should I read their title you gave me?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So Josh, as a gift today, gave me some amazing tiles. This is a quote from actually from the book Atlas Shrugged, talking about this. It says if you saw Atlas the giant holds the world on his shoulders. If you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling, but still trying to hold the world aloft. With the last of his strength and the greater of his efforts, the heavier world bore down on his shoulders. What would you tell him to do? To shrug. That's the things like what happens to society when us, the producers, when we cannot no longer wanna carry the way the world, we shrug and we walk away from it. And the book is a story about that. Like what happens when producers start disappearing and they start leaving, they start going on strike. You see society, what happens when the producers disappear?

[B]

Yeah, I think that's so. It's interesting because there is no one named Atlas Shrugged in the book and there's nobody named Ayn Rand in the book. And so there's concepts that she's writing about outside of that. And it's this. How do you summarize a 1200 page book?

[A]

It's like, all right, what's up everybody? This is Russell Brunson. I've got something really cool for you today from my friend Taylor Welch. Taylor spoke at our last Funnel Hacking live because I wanted him to share a really cool concept about what he calls the Revolving Pricing method. And today he decided to sponsor the podcast to give you guys more access to this super cool strategy that you are going to love. It's something we've been implementing into our high end coaching program as well. And it is amazing. But to kind of give you some context about this offer he's making for you guys. As you may or may not know, a few years ago JP Morgan Chase did a study and guess what they found? They found that the average small business only has about 28 days of operating expenses in reserve. That's right, less than a month of cash on hand. Now, if you're like me, the idea of your business being one bad month away from disaster is enough to make your stomach drop. Am I right? Especially with how the economy's been lately. It's not the time to be gambling with your finances. So Taylor put together this book called the Revolving Pricing Method and it's awesome. It helps you turn every client you close into a long term profit machine. We're not talking about one time paydays. We're talking about creating sustainable and real Predictable income for the long haul. Now here's where it gets even better. Taylor put together an awesome, exciting, exclusive deal just for you guys, my marketing Secrets listeners. And if you go over to wealthyconsultants.com secrets, you can grab the revolving price method book and over $150 worth of bonuses. And get this all, it's at 70% off. And I promise you guys, as a customer of this, you are going to love it. So if you're serious about growing your business with real stability, this is the model you need to add into your funnels. So go over to wealthyconsultant.com secrets, grab your 70% off deal, and let's start turning your clients into long term revenue again. That's wealthyconsultant.com secrets. Do not miss out. Hey, this is Russell Brunson and I want to jump in really quick to share with you a new assessment I found out that is insanely cool. You guys know I'm obsessed with personality profiles and assessments, but this one is different because not only does it help you to understand yourself, but more importantly, especially for us who are entrepreneurs, it helps us understand our employees, our teams, and get people sitting on the right seats in the bus so they can get more stuff done. I just had a chance to interview Patrick Lencioni, talking specifically about this new assessment they created called Working Genius. And the Working Genius is awesome. Like this test, I had actually blocked out an hour to take it because I was so excited for the new assessment and it only took me like 10 minutes or less to get it done. Yet even though it takes only 10 minutes, like you can actually apply this immediately. I took it for myself. I had my team take it. And what's cool about it is from there we figured out exactly what people's working geniuses are. And that's important because if you're building a team or a company, you got to figure out, make sure that you have first off the right people, but make sure the right people are sitting in the right seats on the bus. And this is what this assessment will teach you how to do. Now, normally this assessment you can go to workinggenius.com and there's two GS in the middle. Workinggenius.com But I got you a 20% discount on the assessment, which is only 20%. So don't stress. It's not an expensive test at all. But you get 20% discount off when you put in the keyword secrets at checkout. So go to workinggenius.com again, 2G's working genius. 2G's in the middle. Workinggenius.com and then use promo code secrets. S E C R E T S at checkout. Get 25% off, but then we'll take the test again. Takes you 10 minutes. But even in a 10 minute session, you will get something that is so insanely valuable to help you understand yourself, to make sure you're working in a spot that's gonna give you the most joy, number one. But then number two, it's gonna make sure that you are with your teams, getting them in the right seats as well. So anyway, I love this assessment. Go check it [e-mail] and enter the promo code SECRETS for 20% discount. Take this test for yourself and for your team and I promise you it'll change the working dynamics amongst everybody and help your company to grow.

[B]

So basic. Basically in the book there is a main character by the name of Dagny.

[A]

Oh yes. Oh, I say the Jodie Lee jungle. You're right. Dagny's making.

[B]

For the first. Sorry, for the first 2/3 of the book, the main character is a woman by the name of Dagny. And basically she is one of the producers of society and she is not the head boss of the railroad, but she's like basically the person that runs this railroad company. And it is written what, 1950s when this was produced, so 1950. And it's basically like this forecast into the future of a government that is basically forcing super, super strict restrictions onto private businesses and like making them do things kind of like today in America, but like super, super government overreach in a lot of ways. And so Dagny is trying to keep the world afloat more or less by like getting the railroads done on time and like getting orders shipped. And I'm like super oversimplifying but like around her, all the people that she worked with, like that owned all these other companies that like she would buy copper from or, but she would buy steel from or buy the railroad track from or buy the coal from like all of a sudden like all these like head people, like imagine like people like Russell Brunson, like all his friends like to start disappearing. Imagine like Elon Musk and, and Jeff Bezos and Russell Brunson. Like all of them just like start disappearing, right? Like that's what's happening all around her and she doesn't understand like what's happening to them because just one day it's up and it's gone. And so the premise of it, the like the first 2/3 of the book is, like, showing this story of this producer who is living in this world of, like, super government tyranny, like, overreach. That's, like, super, super controlling. And she's watching all of her friends disappear and she doesn't know why. We say that's a pretty good explanation of it so far.

[A]

And every time they disappear, like ladybug and note or something that says, who is John Gault? That's the theme throughout the book is, who is John Galt? Like, who is this John Galt person that makes all the producers disappear?

[B]

And every time. And so. And Dagny has no idea who John Galt is. Right? And she doesn't even know, actually, for a while, that John Galt's actually even a real person. And so once she does find out that John Gault is probably a real person, like, John Gault becomes, like, her sworn enemy. Because she, like, doesn't know who he is or, like, what he's doing. All she knows and all she associates with is that John Gaul is taking away all these producers of society. It's making her life harder because, like, imagine you being an entrepreneur. And, like, all of your entrepreneur friends that, like, you buy stuff from. And that you send all your people to your referrals. And, like, everything you buy all your supplies from, like, imagine they're, like, all just disappearing. And you think it's because of this one guy who's, like, taking them all away. And, like, you don't know what's happening to them. Like, obviously, they become your sworn enemy. And so if, like, for the first two thirds. Ish of the book, like, that's kind of this premise of, like, painting this really, really vivid story of these. What do they call them? The great thinkers of society. Yeah, the great minds of society basically, like, disappearing and Dagny. And there's a guy by the name of Hank Reardon, I think.

[A]

Reardon Steele.

[B]

Yeah. So one of the. Like, Dagny and Hank Reardon are, like, kind of like the two major ones left right before, like, the big plot twist happens. And you're like, oh. And then you get introduced to John Galt. I want to let you explain John Galt now.

[A]

Oh, man. Okay. So that's the first two thirds of the book, by the way. There's movies. Don't watch them.

[B]

Yeah. Read a book.

[A]

So 2/3. 2/3 in the book, she starts trying to figure out this mystery of who's John Galt. She ends up finding him. And turns out that he has been going around and getting all these producers to go on strike convinces them that, like, look, it's not worth fighting for anymore. All your incentives are gone. Like, let's leave. Let's go on strike. And they. And they leave. And they, you know, John Gault's trying to get her to leave, and she's like, I can't. I have to do everything in my power. It's the last third of the book is her, you know, leaving John Galt's presence and going back and trying to figure out how to do this thing. And she's watching just the government regulations are getting harder and harder and harder and harder to the point where everyone just has to disappear. And one of the things that John Galton, the people say, like, when the lights of New York go out, then we'll come back and we'll. We'll rebuild society from the ground up after the looters and the people are gone.

[B]

And that's basically how the book ends.

[A]

Is the lights in New York goes. Go out. And then for such a long book also just ends. You're like, oh, yeah, one more chapter. Come on, just end it.

[B]

And we're never going to get it. Well, maybe.

[A]

Maybe I'll write it.

[B]

But. So, like, that's like the storyline of the book. But where I think we really both want to focus here is kind of the premises and, like, the overarching ideas that, like, the book presents and capitalism versus socialism. And I think we'll talk religion and politics and kind of everything that's in that. But I kind of want to, if it's right with you, like, I kind of want to, like, turn the conversation more like, towards us now, just kind of, like, start geeking out just about that. So, like, guys, like, we'll obviously go back. And by the way, we want, like, all your comments, if you're actually comment below right now. Like, where are you watching? Are you watching it on YouTube? Are you watching it on Think Different Theory page? Or are you watching on Russell page? Like, comment down below because you went to multiple different locations. So we have a bunch of different people tuning in for everything. So just comment down below. Like, leave your comments, leave your questions. Like, smash the like button. Love button. Like, share this out. And we're going to turn this here. All right, Russell, what's up?

[A]

Hey, man.

[B]

All right, dude. I've been wanting to. And I hate this terminology, but, like, just pick somebody's brain, like yours for the longest time and like, this book. Oh, my gosh. So give me, like, what do you like about the book? Like, what what was your favorite thing?

[A]

Yeah, well, let me tell the backstory. So I. So 2008 is when the market crashed last time. Right. And I didn't realize that that year over 500,000 copies were sold organically by people talking about it. Like, talking about, this is everything she's prophesying is happening right now. And so back then, I remember all my entrepreneur friends like, you have to read this book. It was the word of mouth Buzz to sell 500,000 copies of a book that's been, you know, the. The author died, whatever, 30 years earlier, you know that there's not active marketing out there. It's crazy. And everyone's talking about like, what's happened. This book has happened. Thousand eight it was just like, it's like prophecy now is being fulfilled. And so everyone 2008 was telling me to read this book. I remember buying it and I was like, this is a really, really big. And I kept trying to get it tried. It took me a while to get into. And I could never get into. I read or the first. I don't know, first two or 300 pages, like four or five times. And then finally this summer, I went on my very first trip where I didn't bring a laptop since my marriage. So my wife is very proud of me.

[B]

Dang.

[A]

And so as I was leaving the office, I grabbed this book and I picked it up and I was like, I have no computer, but I got this. And usually I bring like 20 books just because I never know what I'm going to read. I just brought one and I was like, I'm going to do this. I'm going to be forced. I'm on a lake for a week and a half with my kids and all I can do is read this book. So I brought it, got the audiobook as well. It's funny, I do the same way. I listen to audiobook and I read along way faster that way. And I started going through it. It took me a while. She does such a good job of character development. Very beginning. It took a while to get into it.

[B]

Yeah, for sure. It's like thing after thing after thing. It's so cool. Oh, yeah.

[A]

It got crazy. And so for me, it was interesting because I think if I would have listened to it 10 years ago or read it 10 years ago, I had never experienced any of the things they talk about in this book. Right now you don't have to worry about it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Better. I never experienced government regulations and things like that. Right. Or just those kind of things. And as ClickFunnels has grown from. For me and Todd to, you know, to our first. Our first member to our first thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand member, you know, 404. I don't have any employees a lot. 400 plus employees. As it's grown, it's been crazy because you would think that, like, all we'd be focusing on here inside ClickFunnels, like the next feature in the app, the next thing, you know, and like, there's a year where we had to spend entire year just refactoring the software for GDPR compliance. We have regulations that come in on taxes and this, like, just. It's constant. We're like, most of the battles we fight Clickfunnels right now is not about, like, how do we make this thing better for the customer? It's like, how do we protect our customers from the government? Like, it's crazy. And like, there's so many regulations and things. And so, like, I had been feeling this pressure. Some of you guys may see my interview I did with Tony Robbins, or not interview, but Tony Robinson intervention with me last year in Fiji.

[B]

Yeah, that was fascinating.

[A]

Oh, I'm so glad we captured that. Like, it was a really cool moment in my life. But if you listen in there, I talked about. He was like, what do you want to do? And I was like, I don't know. But I like the pressure. Like, I love the game, so I love everything I'm doing. I love the people we're serving. But, like, there's these other pressures that aren't the game, that aren't the people that are just like, they get so heavy sometimes where it makes me want to just walk away. And again, I didn't.

[B]

I.

[A]

You know, as I'm reading this book.

[B]

You hadn't read that. The book at this.

[A]

I hadn't read it.

[B]

Yeah. Okay.

[A]

As I'm reading this, where it's like.

[B]

Did you, like, did you know anything about, like. Like, you know nothing. Okay.

[A]

Okay. I didn't know Al Shark meant. I was just like, oh, it's Atlas. I didn't know. And it was like when I read this tie, like, what would you tell Atlas if this was happening? To Shrug. And I was like, oh, that's why they call Atlas Shrugged. And then I remember feeling, like, vividly feeling the pressure of this calling. Right. And how heavy it is. And there's been so many times I wish, like, okay, sometimes it'd be so nice to walk away or to shrug or whatever. And so, like, I instantly, like, when with Dagny's character. I was like, I feel it with Hank Reardon. Like, I had so much empathy and, like, understood their characters because, like, I feel that so many times, right? I just feel like Hank Rear just wanted to invent his steel and put it out. That's all he cared about, right? For me, you know, funnels are my art. Like, I can't draw, but, like, funnels are my. That's my art and entrepreneurship. That's my art. And so I just want to do my art. That's it. Like, I. He's want to create still, and it's all these other things and just like, I just. I just want to do my steel. Like, how do I, you know, I just want to do my art. How do I. What I have to deal with all this other stuff. And so as I'm reading this, I just had so much empathy for the characters because I felt like I was the characters, even though it was weird because it's railroads and stuff like that, you know, and I'm Internet. But I think that's why I really got into it. And then I got just curious, like, what happens? Like, how does this story end? Because I'm in the middle of it. And if you. Depending who's listening, you may or may not have felt some of these pressures as you grow. You feel them. Like, it's interesting, as clickfunnels has grown, we talked about, like, the. The. The pressure that. That I feel today would have crushed me five years ago, right? And it's like, you have to go through this thing. We build capacity, build handle next set of pressure and build capacity and build capacity. And nowadays, like, stuff happens daily that's just like, man, that would have destroyed me five or six years ago, you know? And so I think if you guys haven't felt that as you grow, as you continue to try to, like, get your message out and try to grow your businesses or whatever, like, the bigger you get, the more that pressure comes. Do you think so with that?

[B]

And I want to continue because it's such a good conversation, but like, with that, with the pressure, the things that are happening now, like, daily, that would have, like, wrecked you five years ago or three years ago, like, whatever it was. Do you think it's good, though, that they did wreck you back or that they would, like, is it good that at the capacity that you understood that those. You took those things seriously then, or would it have been better for you to just, like, be in this mindset? Like, I know it's not possible, but looking back, like, if you could like snap your fingers and back then would have had the mental capacity just to ignore all those things and like go up. Would that have been a good thing? Or like the fact that you went through all those things, does that help?

[A]

Going through it is what makes you worthy of the things. Right. Ready for. Otherwise it's like lifting weights. Like you try to squat 800 pounds, you're like, that's what it feels like. Right. Your legs buckle and you die. But because you went through that things, you're able to have the capacity to hold the weight. Okay. Yeah. So anyway, so I think for me that was the big thing is reading this. And so I was just like fascinating because I was like, this is kind of my story. Like, what, how does it end?

[B]

How long did it take you to get through it?

[A]

I said about two months. I got a lot of it down the boat and they got into biking for a little while. So I was like, listen to biking, biking, biking, bike. One more chapter, One more chapter. It's funny because, you know, one of the, one of the premises and they don't really say, they don't say greed is good. But there's a chapter, I think it's called Greed. And I remember if you guys have ever seen Wall Street, Gordon Geckler talks about greed is good. And I never understood that premise. Right. In the book they start talking about how, how like greed is what drives this whole thing. Is it called greed?

[B]

I'm trying to find it.

[A]

Utopia greed. Yeah.

[B]

And then anti greed. So Utopia greed and then anti greed.

[A]

So what's interesting is because we're taught, all of us are taught that greed is bad, right? Like that's just like you shouldn't be greedy. Like that's a, I think a principle that's instilled in most of us. But then I think about, for me, when I started this business, why did I start this business? I want to make money.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's greed, right. You think about any of us, like we go through a phase in all of our lives that greed is the driving factor. Right. When I wanted to become a good wrestler, I wanted to become like, I want to become wrestlers. Greedy. I went and got coaches and spent all my time and I was a very selfish time in my life. Not as bad, but it's a very greedy time. Right. Kids, when they're first born, like, I love my kids, they are so not in a bad way, but they're greedy. It's about them, Right?

[B]

Right.

[A]

And it's this growth phase where growth, you have to be greedy during the growth phase. Right. When you're trying to learn, you're being. You're sucking things in, you're learning and you're not contributing it. You're just learning, you're growing. And. And it was interesting because as I'm going through this, I'm like, the greed is what got me into business, right. And it's what got these things started. And then the byproduct of that is jobs were created. And things like all the byproduct of it is like, I think in the book, how it justifies, like Hank Reardon going after. He wanted to build it, still make a bunch of money, created tens of thousands of jobs and changed the world and changed all these things. And so the premise in the book is that greed is this driving force that gets you. Gets you moving. And it is like, if you think about any aspect of your life, from sports to education to business to everything, like, it starts with greed. Now we'll go deeper in this. I don't want anything that I'm just into this further because there's a transition point we'll talk about in a minute. But there's a transition point from greed, from growth to contribution that happens. But that's in the book where I start talking about that. And I remember I was on the green belt here in Boise riding my bike with James P. Frel, listening to this when I'm reading that, listening to that chapter. And I was trying to think like, is this true? Did I get started because of greed? And it's like, yeah, I didn't start a business. I want to change the world. Eventually that happened. But it wasn't greed was the driving force that moved me forward. I think it moves all of us forward for such a long time. And as I was listening, as I'm riding my bike, I'm like, yes, I understand this. And then the other half of me was like, I started thinking about my spiritual upbringing. Right. I'm very Christian. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I. And I start thinking about Christ and his teachings, which are like, honestly, the opposite. That. Right?

[B]

It's like really the polar opposite.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which. It's funny, whenever you say that people are like, you know, Jesus was a socialist. I hear that a lot. I'm like, he need to read the Bible. But anyway.

[A]

But like, I think definitely is way more liberal leaning.

[B]

Right? Right. And I think that that's where Republicans conservative, like, traditionally on that side of the aisle, like fiscally Republicans get into trouble is like, we're like, yeah, we're Christians, but, like, we want to get rich. And like, they never talk about, like, all the stuff that, like, people like to use Christianity, I feel like, as a, like, when it's convenient and they.

[A]

Don'T, we call it cafeteria Christians.

[B]

Right?

[A]

They pick and choose the things off the menu they want.

[B]

Right. And then, then they go through and do it. So I definitely want to dive further into that. But continue. Continue.

[A]

Yeah, hey, it's Russell Brunson. And if you're anything like me, you understand that in business, time isn't just money, it's everything. When you're trying to build your dream team, the last thing you want to do is waste time sorting through a mountain of resumes. But what if I told you there's a smarter way instead of searching for candidates you can match with them instantly? Thanks to Indeed. Indeed is the hiring platform you absolutely need in your corner. We're Talking about over 350 million visits each month from all around the world. That's a huge pool of potential talent. And here's the best part. Their matching engine connects you with the right candidate in no time. Imagine skipping the busy work and going straight to the people who fit your job description. Like a glove. Sounds like a dream, right? And it's not just about saving time. It's about getting results that matter. In fact, 93% of employees say Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites. And that's pretty incredible. And I want to tell you, I've been through the hiring process myself. There were times it was slow and frustrating, and I wish I'd known about Indeed back then. It would have made everything so much easier. But here's where it gets even better. Indeed is constantly learning and improving. With over 140 million qualifications and preferences feeding their matching engine every day. The more you use it, the better it gets. It's like having a personal hiring assistant who's always on top of things, making sure you get the best of the best. So don't wait around. Join the 3.5 million businesses worldwide. They're already using Indeed to find top talent fast. And here's something special just for the listeners of the Marketing Secret show. You can get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com clicks. Just head over to Indeed.com clicks right now and let them know you heard about it on this podcast. Trust me, you're not going to regret it. Terms and conditions may apply. Need to Hire then you need indeed. What's up, everyone? This is Russell, and fall is officially in the air, which means crisp mornings, pumpkin flavored everything. And my favorite part is switching out those shorts and T shirts for these cooler weather essentials. Right now, I'm all about finding the perfect cozy cashmere sweater and a sharp leather jacket. And for that, I've got one word for you. Quince. Quince offers affordable, high quality essentials that belong in every wardrobe, whether you're upgrading for the season or just adding some timeless staples. Think luxurious Mongolian cashmere sweaters starting at just $60. Yes, you heard me right. I know that because I literally just bought two. And pants that are so comfortable you'll want to wear them everywhere. What I love most about quints is how they cut out the middlemen. They work directly with responsible factories using premium materials, which means you get incredible pieces for 50 to 80% less than other luxury brands. And let me tell you, now that I'm officially wearing some of their gear, it feels every bit as high end as the designer stuff, but at a fraction of the price. In fact, that sweater I told you about earlier that I snagged, it's super soft. It fits perfectly. It looks like I paid hundreds of dollars, but nope, it was just 60 bucks. If you're ready to upgrade your fall wardrobe without breaking the bank, head on over to Quince.com clicks for free shipping and 365 day return policy. That's Q U I N C E.com clicks seriously, free shipping and a whole year to return. You've got nothing to lose and a whole bunch of really cool cashmere to gain. So go treat yourself to some wardrobe upgrades [e-mail] clicks. So that that started this question in my head though, of just like, so is greed bad then? Or is it good? Or like, where does it fit in the whole grand scheme of things? Because it is something that's instilled at all of us from birth, right? When you're born, you're a baby. If you didn't have greed, you would just die, right? It's me, like, I need some food. I need food. I need love, I need shelter, which makes you cry, which creates people coming to you like it's greed. Is this driving forces instilled in humans from birth, right when we come here. Greed is what helps us survive the first part of our life. And at first I was having this conundrum. I was like, is this book evil? But I am like, all the good things in my life that happened happened Initially, because of Seed of Greed started me on motion, started me in momentum. And then I started thinking, if you have read the Expert Secrets book, which.

[B]

If you haven't, you haven't.

[A]

You must make money. Come on. No, but in the Beginning Expertise book, I talk about this concept as well, where as an expert, there's two phases we go through. The first is a growth phase, right? Like, I want to be an expert in whatever you go through. And you're. You're a consumer, right? Consuming everything, and that's greed, right. And then there's this transition point where eventually you keep trying to grow, grow, grow, grow, right? Trying to learn everything going there. I'm listening to the podcast, I'm reading all the books. I'm growing, growing, growing. And eventually there's this point I remember feeling in multiple parts of my life in wrestling. I felt it in business, I felt it where you can't continue. It's hard. Your ability to grow through consumption slows to almost like a halt where you can't continue to grow. And so for me, it's like, for my. I've shared the story. I think I share it in the book. With wrestling, it was like, I was a really good wrestler. I was a high school state champ. I took second place in the nation. I was an all American. And my senior year, I got invited to go to a wrestling tournament in my wrestling or not wrestling wrestling camp. My coach is like, hey, do you want to come coach wrestling this summer? And I was like, why would I do. Like, I. Like, what's in it for me?

[B]

Before you go on here, I want to ask something. Is this. So you're riding your. Riding your bike chopper, like, wrestling with this whole greed thing. Is this the first time that you've thought about greed in this way? Like, it's not the first time. So, like. And this is how long this is what, six months ago?

[A]

Not even that. Probably. Probably through maybe four months ago.

[B]

So you've built most of clickfunnels of what clickfunnels is today. And now this is the first time, like, you're really sitting down and, like, wrestling with this idea of, like, greed and is it bad, is it good? Like, what's the balance there? And stuff like that.

[A]

Yeah, that's fascinating. Yeah, it never crossed my mind, really. And then I started, like, it became a thing where, like, it bothered me. Cause I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, I don't want to be a greedy. Like, you know what I mean? Right. And I don't think I am but, like. But I was stuck. I couldn't figure that out, right? And so already went into the wrestling story. Cause I think set it up. But my senior year, so again, I had been growing as a wrestler. I was going to camps. I was getting coaching. And it was greedy, right? I was sucking up everyone's brain power.

[B]

I could.

[A]

And I became a really good wrestler because of it. And then my coach asked me to go coach at wrestling camp. So I say, yes, go to the wrestling camp. And I remember he's like, okay, I need you to teach my best moves cheap. Like, I'm really good at tilts. So the wrestlers are that I'm really good at cheap tilts. And he's like, teach these kids how to do cheap tilt. And I was like, okay. Like, So I walk out, like, 30 kids. I'm like, hey, you do this. Like, you just do it like that. And they all grab. They all look at me, and they go, try. And they try to do cheap tilt. And they all just fall apart. And, like, you're dumb. It's not that hard. I'm like, get back in. Come back in. No, you did it all wrong. Tell you, I show them again, like, go do it. They go back out. Nobody can do it. And then also, I'm like, gosh, like, they're missing something. What is this? I haven't come back in. I start breaking down. Like, hey, move to work. Like, your hips have to be here. Your legs have to be here. I start walking through all the things, and as I'm doing that, I start realizing, like, oh, the reason why I'm able to do this is because of this. And I started realizing what I was doing as I was teaching people, as I taught it to people. Then the kids started doing it, and they got better and better. And also I started realizing, like, oh, my gosh. Like, this movement works because of this. And now I was aware of the situation. Now I was able to make these tweaks and stuff on my own. And I realized that by coaching other kids, that was the next level growth. It was the shift from selfish greed growth to contribution. And so after that, I started coaching camps every year. And that's how I started. I went from, like, slowing down my progression to, like, all of a sudden, it sped back up again by shifting from growth to contribution. Okay? And so I think the same thing happens in business, right? I got in business because that seed of greed is in us. It gets us moving, gets us into momentum. And some people never get out of that. Some people live Their entire lives chasing greed, and they die. And it's. It's a tragedy, right? But I think for most people, there's this transition point. I don't know where it happens. Happens different spots for everyone, where all of a sudden you realize you make the money, you start the business, and you realize how unfulfilling that is, right? You're tapping out. You're like, I'm not growing anymore. Like, I thought I wanted money, but I don't. I want growth. Like, that's what we're here on this planet for, is to get to grow as humans, right? You don't get that. All of a sudden, you realize the money's not fulfilling, but then you start help. You start seeing the other people you're contributing to, how you're helping. And then it shifts to like, you know, we hear people talk about, like, it's my business about impact. It's about growth. It's about helping other people. And like, that's that transition. That's charity love. That's pure love of Christ. Right? It's that transition. Agreed. Is the seed that gets us moving. Right? And so there's this. There's this, like, this handoff. It doesn't happen all the time. And. Yes. Are you guys cool if I get, like, share scripture stuff? Because, like, all this stuff is scriptural. Like, it's not just.

[B]

They don't get to decide. Russell. It's my podcast.

[A]

I wrote down some scripture. Like, this is a scripture. So. Because it illustrates this point, like, I think it's so good also, I just.

[B]

Want to say Russell Voxni, and he said that this is the first episode of a podcast that he's ever prepared for. And I just feel like when you said that, I'm like, ha. I was the first for something for Russell. Let's go.

[A]

I want to be ready. Okay, so this is the scripture. It says, for the natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam and will be forever and ever. And I'm stopping there. Okay, so natural man is the enemy God, Why is that? We're born. We have this greed inside of us. So the natural human is the enemy of God because we're chasing after greed, right? But. But God gives us that seed because it's what creates momentum, it creates motion, it creates us doing something. Right? And then it says in here, it says, for the natural man's enemy, God has been for the fall of Adam will be forever and ever. And then this is. This is the transition point. Unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit. So he'll be eat like if he's greedy forever, right? Forever. Unless he yields the enticings of the Holy Spirit and putth off the natural man and becometh the saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord and becometh of the as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord sees fit to inflict upon him, even as the child does submit to his father. So growth is the seed. It's the natural man. It's the thing we have. It's good, right? God gives it to us because it gets us to do stuff, gets us to learn. It gets us to not die in our crib because we need love and attention and bed fed, right? It gets us off our butts, off the couches. Us being producers, it gets us moving. And if we're not careful, though, the natural man will destroy us. You see so many people who have made tons of money and they destroyed themselves in their lives because they don't do that second thing, which is unless he yields the enticing Holy Spirit. That's the thing saying, this is not about money. This is about the impact. Look at the people. You're changing and it shifts, right? If you make that shift. And all of a sudden, now the senior Crane is not about greed. It's like, oh, my gosh. Like, I remember for Clickfunnels, like, when I had that transition, it's like when I started seeing Brandon and Caitlin Poland, I started seeing the ripple effect of their business. I started seeing, and I can name hundreds of people, like, person after person after person. I was like, this isn't about money. This is about the ripple effect of what we've created, each person's life. And like, now that's charity. That's love. That's like, now the mission isn't about money. Like, we don't care about them. Like, we keep score with money. But, like, that's the mission is the people's lives and the impact. And I think that's that transition where it's like, greed is the thing that gets us moving. But if we don't have that, I think that's happened in the book we talked about. Like, you said this in my house earlier. Like, a lot of people book seem like they have a miserable life. And it's like, yeah, because they never yielded to the spirit. Like, they never made that shift. It was all greed to the point where they let everything collapse as opposed to, like.

[B]

Yeah, so one of the things about the book. And I'm. I'm sitting on the plane, like, on the way over here, and I'm like, how do I articulate this? Because that's always the hardest thing. Like, you have this idea in your head, and you're like, how do I get it out? And explain in a way that somebody else can be like, yes, I understand that, but, like, most. And I'm gonna go kind of political here for a second. I'm gonna, like, bring it back too specific to the book. So, like, I am pretty vocally a conservative, right? I'm a blatant Trump supporter, very much so conservative when it comes to everything fiscal. But I call myself a libertarian because I actually think that I lean left on a lot of social issues. Like, I am. I think the government should stay out of gay marriage, right? There's a lot of things that I lean left on, but when it comes to money and finances and things like that, I lean to the right. But, like, the reason I lean to the right and I typically go with the right is because, like, I like what the left is trying to do in concept, right? It's like, okay, there's a bunch of, like, people that are really, truly in need. Like, I agree. Like, we need to help them. The problem is, is that the way they go about doing it I, like, so radically disagree with. It's, like, against everything I stand for, right? I'm like, it's not that I disagree with what you want to do is that I disagree with how you want to do it. What's interesting is, I feel like in this book, I feel like it's, like, the opposite. I actually don't agree with why they're doing it. Like, this concept of, like. I mean, Hank Reardon says it, like, over and over again. Like, everything that I do is for profit. That is it. That is. It is not for you. Even to his friends, right? Like, he took a bullet for John Galt, right? Like, he gets shot, and, like, John Galt thanks him for it. He goes, you know, I only did it because it's what I wanted to do, right? Like, literally, like, saves the guy's life. He's like, so it's like, it's all about what he wants it only for him, and that's it. It's like, profit and money and dollars. It's not about everything that he helps. And I'm like, I disagree with that premise. Like, I don't. But the what that leads to, I actually do. Like, and I feel like it's flipped Compared to, like, the world that, like, I'm living in now, it's like, half the stuff that the Democrats or I hate to. I don't need politics so bad. But, like, left and right. The left. Yeah, the left. Guys, we're going to say left and right. Generalized here. All right. Oh, my gosh. But, like, generally speaking. And so when it comes to, like, the whole. The whole greed issue, I'm like, it's interesting to hear your perspective. Like, because I never. Even throughout the book, I'm like, greed is a bad thing. And, like, hearing your perspective and like.

[A]

Like, you know what it says.

[B]

I'm like, okay, like, I understand what you're saying. But, like, what? Like, is it greed or is there some other driving? Like, if I were to ask you a year ago, right? When were you in, like, the heart of clickfunnels? Like, a year and a half ago, Two years. Like, there was a time of your life with all you. I don't know, all you do is click funnels. But like, when?

[A]

Like, six years of my life. But, like.

[B]

But you know what I mean? Like, wasn't there, like a year or two period in there? Like, in the growth phase where there's like 100% of everything you do is like, click on, click on. Closeness felt like you were going nonstop. It feels like you're a little bit more balanced now. Maybe not, but, like, from the outside perspective, looking at us anyway, like, during that time, like, of growing clickfunnels, but, like, before you read that, would you have described yourself as greedy?

[A]

No.

[B]

What would you have described yourself as? What's that word?

[A]

I don't know. That's a good question. Like, I was always trying to create stuff. Like, it's art for me, right? So it's like, I was trying to create stuff, but I think initially I was creating for myself as opposed to, like, oh, my gosh, I create this for myself. But look what happens.

[B]

To what point was that shift for you, though?

[A]

I think it. I mean, you can actually, you can see in my marketing, by the way. And by the way, for those who are greedy capitalists who only care about money, like, it actually is a better marketing way, too. Like, my marketing went from, for all.

[B]

You greedy capitalists out there, switch to being a contributor, make more money.

[A]

Well, think about, like, my marketing is always like, here's Russell. Here's how much money my funnel made. Here's how much, you know, it was me talking about me all the time. And I realized it's like this. Like, who cares about Me, like I don't care about me. Like, let me show you what this person. Let me show you all the results of the people we're serving, what's happening there. Which first off is a better marketing. Second off, it's that transition transition where I was literally like, everything I've accomplished is stupid. What they're doing, that's the real what we're doing. That's the thing that's amazing. That's the spiritual side of it. That's the thing where it's the thing that got you into motion now is doing good in the world. And when you start seeing that, it's like, oh my gosh, that's so much more fulfilling and so much more exciting. And you know, people ask me last six years, like, why do you keep getting up? Do you need more money? I'm like, no, like getting up. But I can tell you 100 stories of people who literally like the ripple effect of like how many lives they've changed because I did my thing right. Like Jamie, we, we made a documentary of the two comma club and Jamie Cross has this whole partner where she's bawling her eyes out and she said, where would my family be if Russell wouldn't have fulfilled his God given calling? And like every time I see that, I start balling myself Mike. Like that's why eventually you start doing it. Right.

[B]

But when did that shift happen?

[A]

I don't know. It wasn't like a day that just happened. It just. It just the energy of it shifted. Right. It was just. It was like, I don't know, it was just. It gradually kind of happened. What's that? Yeah, Dave, Dave, come on in. Dave's got.

[B]

Dave's here. Dave, take the mic here.

[A]

This is. Honestly, I think this has been one thing.

[B]

It's been fun for me to watch Russell from. From the sidelines here. Yeah. I think honestly it was your dad's 60th birthday and I don't even know.

[A]

Three or four years ago probably, but it was. Is the reflection on that and it.

[B]

Was the difference from having your hand raised versus because you remember you. Yeah.

[A]

So much better.

[B]

Storyteller. I'll see the thought, but I'll let him finish. Thank you, Dave.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

Guys, we have a live audience here.

[A]

So my dad turned 60 and we have our little family reunion every year we do. And so it was during his birthday and I remember my mom, my mom gave him $60, 60, 10, 6 $10 bills and so gave him one at a time. So.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

The first decade was like, 1 to 10. Like, tell us something you remember about that. He's like, I don't remember anything back then. The second one, he's like, 10 to 20. That's when I was a wrestler. Like, you know, so much fun for me. And then 20 to 30, it was like, okay. That's when, like, I was starting my business, trying to figure things out and trying to get our family stable. 30 to 40, like, that's when my kids were wrestling and I was. I was coaching him. And then 50 to 60 kind of went through everything. And then after it was done, I asked him, I said with that, of all the decades, like, what one was the best for you? Thinking in my world, like, the best was going to be, like, when he was a wrestler. Because I was, like, for me, the greatest part of my life was, like, when I was wrestling and my dad said, the greatest decades when I got to coach you. And I remember. Yeah, I remember. I forgot. I forgot that story until Dave said that. But I remember coming back and telling Dave and other people that, like, I always thought, like, the best part was being the All Star. My dad. The best part was, like, coaching other people and seeing their answer there.

[B]

Dave, huh?

[A]

Which was really cool.