This subject line seems like a setup to talk about some political conspiracy…but it is not.
It is my way of sharing some important “lessons from Mom” we all have tucked away somewhere…after originally sharing the same subject line back on Mother’s Day in 2014.
But I was reminded of it today…while traveling this week to two different masterminds/accountability groups I have been a member of for the past dozen years…one called Platinum Plus Mastermind and the other Genius Network.
I will prove to you through today’s recollection that we should listen to our Moms when they say things like:
- “Treat everyone like you would want to be treated”
- “Always give of yourself first and don’t be selfish”
- “Don’t pretend to be something or someone you are not”
- “Be a mensch.”
Today’s story originates from the same event in 2000 I mentioned a couple of weeks ago when I honored the passing of Paul Hartunian (one of the most colorful and impactful marketers who has ever lived) which was called the “Billion Dollar Internet Strategy Setting Summit.”
I made some lifelong friends at that event (including Paul)…reconnected with some familiar faces…and unbeknownst to me at the time, there was someone hidden to me in plain sight who reappeared 13 years later in the form of a life changing LinkedIn request…a guy named Jeff Walker.
If you don’t know Jeff Walker you may know his product, “Product Launch Formula” (PLF)–which at the time I first met him was responsible for over half a billion dollars in online sales of products and services.
It’s well over a billion now.
He’s a marketing genius and one of the real good guys in this business…he’s got a heart of gold to go along with being a “marketing badass” (and to me, “badass” is at the top of the marketing food chain). 🙂
But if not for the “Billion Dollar Summit,” (and my philosophy to respond to every email and LinkedIn request), Jeff would have simply remained just one more amazing person I looked up to in this fantastic industry without any chance of deep connection.
My response to the LinkedIn request from Jeff:
“Is this THE Jeff Walker?”
And to my surprise, I received a warm response back from Jeff saying he had followed my career for many years and he was a fan…imagine that…
Who knew?
I surely didn’t.
And where did Jeff initially meet me?
He scraped and clawed his way to Los Angeles to the “Billion Dollar Summit” in 2000 (and he also told me he had no idea how he even was able to pay for it at the time)…to learn for himself how to create a billion dollar Internet strategy.
Looking back on that now, he is one person who actually accomplished that. 🙂
He said he watched me moderate a roundtable discussion on something at that event…and was impressed.
He couldn’t believe how much I was sharing without any expectation of anything in return, since I was a paid attendee, and not technically a speaker.
This certainly sounded like something I’d do but I had little or no recollection of it at all.
Today Jeff runs circles around me in the world of online marketing.
And thankfully it wasn’t simply dumb luck that I was on my “best behavior” when Jeff was observing me.
This re-connection to Jeff on LinkedIn (yes, social media being used for good and not evil!) led to Jeff inviting me as a guest speaker/attendee to his “Platinum Plus Mastermind Group” in January of 2013 where I met and interacted with 30 of the most successful online marketers on the planet…some I had heard of and some I hadn’t…and I fell in love with every one of them.
They all just gave and gave…and still give and give…Jeff attracts the best of the best marketers with the biggest hearts.
In addition, despite most of them being a lot younger than me, they knew as much or more about direct response marketing (and how it drives all marketing regardless of channel) than I did…and I probably had 20+ years more “experience” than most of them.
I was by no means the smartest person in the room so I knew I was in the right room.
That appearance at Jeff’s mastermind led to me to joining the group as a paying member and I have never looked back.
Thank goodness some of the members encouraged Jeff to invite me to join…they created what was the origin of a “love grip” which was repeated multiple times since…and it was a good thing because technically I was not “qualified” to be a member (since I didn’t do online launches at the time and I was more about legacy media).
The result was my matriculation in what was equivalent to a PhD program in online marketing (and entrepreneurship).
I’m thinking I will have my degree in a few decades.
Reflecting this week while traveling to Jeff’s mastermind (and Genius Network with Joe Polish), I made a calculation that I have spent well over a half-a-million dollars in “tuition” over the past 12+ years on these exquisite masterminds.
If I include travel and joining other masterminds since (most from people I’ve met in those groups), it takes my total “mastermind expenditure” over a million dollars.
And it’s not an expense.
It’s a required investment in my ongoing education.
I have also made friends for life in all of the groups I am a member of, many of whom are like family to me now.
Can’t put a price on that.
Fast forward 17 years from when I met/didn’t meet Jeff in 2000 at the “Billion Dollar Summit”:
He came to my Titans Mastermind as a guest speaker and shared his knowledge and expertise for hours…and participated for 2+ days, interacting with the group that I had formed and which is, in many ways, inspired by watching him run his Platinum Plus Mastermind.
And Joe Polish joined my Titans Mastermind after I formed it and was an active participant at every meeting.
The student of masterminds (me) had learned how to do one from two master leaders, Jeff and Joe…by borrowing and adapting… and making it my own.
What goes around comes around I guess.
And the lesson is obvious.
I decided well before 2000 that my life was 100% about contribution and connection…and by staying consistent to that philosophy then (and now), people noticed then (and now).
I’m reminded of a wonderful quote from Winston Churchill:
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
And the purpose of sharing all of this with you today is not to brag or pat myself on the back…it’s about the importance of being true to yourself, always being congruent, and never having to talk about “being authentic” because your authenticity is a given.
Be scared…very scared…when you hear people teaching and preaching about “being authentic”…it’s really not something you can “learn.”
It’s simply you being you…all the time…without ever thinking about it.
And always be a mensch.
Tip of the week (and for the rest of your life):
Keep giving. Never stop giving. And if you have to think about “being authentic” or being the same person in your “front stage life” as your “backstage life,” please re-think that very carefully.
It pays to be the same person all the time because you never know who is watching…or listening.
And it may change your life.
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. You don’t need to spend a million dollars to get your own PhD in marketing, copywriting or entrepreneurship because you can lean on me to get your degree…at a fraction of the price…with the same impact.
It’s a big promise but I truly believe it.
But don’t listen to me…let me tell you what ChatGPT said…
I asked the question:
“What are the top 10 masterminds that teach direct response marketing?”
#1: Dan Kennedy
#2: Jay Abraham
#3: Brian Kurtz (yes, really!)
I’ve had both Dan and Jay speak at my events…I consider them both colleagues and mentors…Dan was my partner in “The Titans of Direct Response” event in 2014…and Jay has been part of my life since 1985 and wrote the foreword to my book, Overdeliver.
There is no shame in being third on THAT list.
Just being on the list is an honor.
More from ChatGPT when I asked it about the effectiveness of my mastermind, Titans Xcelerator:
- Description: A mastermind/coaching program tailored for direct-response marketers–specifically “the next generation” of those who want to scale their DR marketing
- Why it’s effective: It includes live coaching, hot seats, access to Brian’s network, swipe files and a community of peers doing direct marketing.
- Ideal for: Marketers or entrepreneurs [including copywriters] who already have some traction and want a serious DR mastermind environment.
Proof of its effectiveness can be found by clicking here.
On that page you will find case histories/success stories, and many more benefits of being a member of Titans Xcelerator.
ChatGPT is never fully comprehensive. 🙂
And it is offered at an affordable price, with installment plans available.
Please take a look at the full offer here.
I’d love to have you as a member.