Why Live Events Still Make Sense with Russell Brunson: An EOFire Classic from 2021

0:01Light that spark fire nation JLD here and welcome to entrepreneurs on fire brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like The Product Boss. Today, we're pulling a classic episode from the archives, and we'll be breaking down why live events still make sense. To drop these value bombs, I brought to Russell Brunson and to EO Fire Studios. Russell has built a following of over 1 million entrepreneurs and become a New York Times bestselling author through hundreds of thousands of copies sold. He popularized the concept of sales funnels and co-founded a software company called ClickFunnels that helps tens of thousands of entrepreneurs quickly get their message to the marketplace.

0:38You can learn more at eofire.com slash click. And today, we'll talk about how success and greatness can also come from radical situations. The most significant benefit of live events is having the power of belief. It makes you believe in the process that you can do whatever you want to do and so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Russell and our sponsors. Hustle and Flowchart, hosted by Joe Fear, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Join Joe as he discusses systems, mindset tweaks, reframes, and strategies to help you build a business that gives you freedom and fuel for your life.

1:13A recent episode on using AI for effortless content creation is a must listen. Listen to Hustle and Flowchart wherever you get your podcasts. Russell, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. What's up, Fire Nation? So glad to be here. And so I would say the thing that I believe about success that people always fight me on is everyone always asks me, Russell, how are you so balanced in your life? How are you successful and balanced? And how we smile. I'm like, I don't believe that anybody can be balanced and successful.

1:46Like everything successful in my life came from times of radical imbalance. Like when I became a good wrestler, it wasn't because my life was balanced. It's because it was radically imbalanced focusing on wrestling. I remember my wife, I became radically imbalanced focusing my time and energy on her and it became something amazing, right? And so anything in life you want to have success, there's times and periods of radical unbalance you have to focus on to be able to have success. Whereas everyone's looking for balance. I don't think that's how you have greatness in anything. I think that's probably the thing I would say that most people disagree with, except for the people who are successful, who realize to be successful in anything in life, you've got to have times of radical imbalance to really focus and make something great.

2:21Well, I agree with it a hundred percent because the reality is when I wanted to become the first daily podcast interviewing entrepreneurs and everybody said, John, you're crazy. Cliff Ravenscraft, Jamie Masters, my dear friends and mentors said, can't be done. I said, I love hearing that because if I find a way to do it, that means I will win at a disproportionate level. And so I went all in. And I like to say the quotes, the higher the barrier, the lower the competition. And I set a barrier so high that nobody could compete just like you, Russell, you set a barrier so high with whether it be wrestling, whether it be, you know, a, um, another competitor for your wife's love, you know, whatever that might be like, you just went all in on that thing.

3:01ClickFunnels, another great example, and you became the best in show. And what we're talking about here today, Fire Nation, is why live events still make sense in 2021 and beyond. So let me just actually ask you a question. Do live events make sense in the current environment that we live in, Russell? So I would say not only do they make sense, they make more sense now than they have in the history of my business career, which is 20 plus years now. What we found with Funnel Hacking Live this year, this is the first year we offered a virtual option. I'm like, oh, people aren't going to come. They're going to be nervous and all these things.

3:34The opposite is true. 90 % of all tickets bought so far have been in person. And the only ones that aren't coming are people who like literally their country's locked down. But right now people are craving it. They want connection. They want people. They want to be around people. And so I think now, just like when 2021 hit and it was like the year of virtual, I feel like this is the year of impersonating in because people crave it now more than they ever did in the past. They respect it. They love it. They crave it more than they ever have at any given time. And I think that's why it's, it makes the most sense now of all times in our, in our history for sure.

4:07One thing that I've always loved is live events. I just love getting to live events, talking to people in person. There's even sometimes where I'm like, you know, I'm going to, I'm going to fly cross country and I'm going to have to get into a hotel room. Like, do I really want to do this? And then like, I of course want to, and I do it and I get there and I'm like, oh my God, I can't believe I actually even potentially questioned it because it's the interactions, the energy, like you can listen to a speak, a talk or a speech or a presentation online and it's cool. It's fine. But you're in person, you're in like the first row or the 10th row or wherever it might be.

4:39And you're feeling the energy and you're surrounded by people who are there. It's just a different experience. And I've been to a few Funnel Hacking Lives in the past and you always put on such a grand show, which is why I was so honored when you unbelievably unbelievably kindly asked me to speak at Funnel Hacking Live 2021 in Orlando, Florida, which we'll be talking about more later. And you've always in the past put on such a grand show. So let's talk for a second. Let's be realistic. How much work is it to put on a live event on such a scale and grandeur that you managed to do every year with FHL?

5:16It's such a bigger thing that I ever would have known. And it's kind of like having a baby when you first have a baby, you're nervous, and then it pops out and it's a little baby and it sleeps most of the time. And then over time it grows and gets bigger. And I've got five kids now, so I've been through that process a lot of times. But it's similar with events. Like the first time we did it, it was smaller, but it was fun and we tried to put on the best show we possibly could dream of. And next year it got a little bigger and it got a little bigger. Whereas last year alone, I think we spent$3 million just on the production of Funnel Hacking Live, which is crazy from the lights to the people to just the entire experience because we found that the environment has so much to do with how people actually internalize, how it creates belief, how it creates change in someone's life.

5:56And so we put in basically all the money we get from ticket sales goes a hundred percent back into the production of the show, um, to make it amazing. But it's a lot of work, man. It's, you know, it's a 12 month process of on our, we have a whole full events team that's building out all this stuff, getting everything done. Um, I spent three weeks prior to funnel hacking live doing nothing but slides. I have six presentations I do every year. And so it's like, it's, it's intense. I don't sleep much leading up to it. And then the event is, you know, you've been to them. They're, they're intense there.

6:22They start early, they go late. There's parties and after parties and things happening and the energy's just off the wall. And it's, it's a workout, man. But when it's done, it's, uh, of all the things we do, it's the most transformational, the people who come and experience it. And then they leave afterwards. Um, it's, it's the biggest impact of anything we do. And so that's why we love doing it, even though it's so much work, so much effort, so much money. Um, but it's, it's amazing. And that's why you've created such a tribe too. Like, I mean, it'd be tough to create such a fanatical raving tribe as you've created without being able to have like thousands and thousands and thousands of people in the same room, like all being like, you know, we are funnel hackers.

6:59Like you do these all night hackathons and these funnel a thons and they're just like amazing experiences. And people just leave there being like, I'm part of the family. I'm part of the tribe. I'm part of the team. And so I probably just stole one of the next answers that I know you're going to have for, but I want to talk next about the biggest benefits above and beyond this unbelievable tribe building that live events allow? The tactics and the strategies that we teach or whatever, like you can find those things anyway. You can find them, you can read in my books, right? My books have all my secrets.

7:26They're in my books, right? There are other places. But like the power of an event is, yes, we give strategies and tactics, but the biggest thing is like belief. I found that when people believe in themselves and believe in the process, they can do whatever it is. Like the thing we're doing is not, it's not that difficult. It's teachable. It's learnable. So it's a skill set that everybody can have, but it's them believing first off that it's possible. And then second off, it's possible for them. And there's something about being in that room when, um, just the, the way energy of the room is, is one thing.

7:53But number two is, you know, and you know this, you've, you've been there, like, um, we give away awards called the two comic club awards. And at first people are sitting there and you see the speakers on stage and you know, everyone that should be watching JLD on stage. Like, Oh my gosh, he's JLD. Like, that's why he's so great. But the power is like, when we do the award show and all of a sudden people start looking around and their neighbors start standing up and coming up to the front to get their awards and they realize, oh my gosh, this isn't just the people on stage. I look around and it's my peers.

8:17It's people in the audience next to me. People who last year were sitting here dreaming about it and now they're getting up and getting on stage, getting the award. And it gives people that belief of like, oh my gosh, not only is this possible, but it's actually possible for me. I think I can do this. Because that's the biggest thing. If I can give people that belief, the tactics, the strategy, those things are super easy. It's the belief in themselves that's the hardest thing. And I can't break that very easily through a book. I can't break it through a webinar. I can't break it through these other ways, but in an event, in a room where we're there in immersion for four days, like we can do amazing things where by the time you leave, you have absolute certainty and confidence.

8:48Like, yes, this is going to work and it's going to work for me. And I know the path, I know the process. And that's, I think the biggest benefit events is this, the transformation that comes because you're, it's not just in your head, it's in your, it's in your body, your belief system. And that's the, that's the power. Belief, Fire Nation, you will leave Funnel Hacking Live 2021 with belief. Belief in yourself, belief in your idea, belief in the mission and the message that you have to share with this world. And we're not even close to done talking about awesomeness and dropping value bombs, but we get to go thank our sponsors.

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9:53And with category-leading pipeline management to help sales close more deals, your team will be celebrating wins instead of spitting their wheels. Plus, HubSpot has powerful AI chatbots and a knowledge base to help service teams scale, which leaves your customers happy. And it's built to deliver results and revenue faster to help your business grow. So dump the disconnected tools and the chaos that comes with them. Discover what HubSpot's all-on-one platform can do to streamline your business. Visit HubSpot.com to grow better today. So Russell, we're back and I wanna get specific here. I wanna talk about your single favorite moment from past FHL events.

10:30I mean, there are so many of them I can imagine. You've had Tony Robbins rocking it on your stage. I mean, who can even imagine listening right now that you would have your own conference? I'm talking to you, Fire Nation. You're going to have your own conference. And your keynotes, Tony Robbins, I mean, think of how you would feel seeing him on stage just crushing life itself. And Russell, you and I have had so many great experiences over the years. You know, we were both top 10 finishers for Tony Robbins, promotional challenges with KBB and stuff over the years. We've gotten to hang out in Namali, his island over in Fiji, and then most recently in Palm Beach in Florida.

11:05And so it's just an amazing experience to be in that man's presence. And I mean, he looks at Russell as being literally the guy when it comes to funnels in the world and a lot of other things as well. So, you know, again, I might have stolen one from you, but I just wanted to know your single favorite moment beyond that one from past FHL events. This one's easy for me. This one was definitely the Funnel Hacking Live that was in Orlando. and it was the very first time we had introduced our community to an organization called uh operation underground railroad and we've been where we worked behind the scenes for six months leading up to out on this documentary showing telling the story uh and if you don't know who what oh you are is it's an organization that goes and saves children from sex slavery and so at fun like and and what people don't know is tony's actually their biggest donor and we didn't know that ahead of time we got started but later we found out and so we um we brought tim ballard and the people involved in the ou are to a funnake live we told their story and then we showed this documentary and documenting that's like 11 30 12 o 'clock at night and we got done people were bawling their eyes out we did a fundraiser and everyone ran the back donated money and it was crazy as tim ballard who's the head of our um he adopted two kids that he had saved um from one of these raids in haiti and he spent the last four or five years trying he got it all official they were his kids but they were stuck in haiti and they couldn't get the haitian government to allow them to to come free and so at funnel hacking live day two after we announced them we watched the documentary, he got a phone call from the Haitian government saying, okay, your kids are ready for you to pick up.

12:27So he flew from Funnel Hacking Live. He flew to Haiti, picked up his kids, flew back to Salt Lake where he lives. About that time, Tony Robbins came on stage. And so Tony came on stage and Tony's an OUR person. So he started talking about OUR. And then after it got done, we came on stage to everyone else. He got one last shot to donate money. And really quick, we want to show you guys something special. And on the big screens, we popped in on Skype, Tim Ballard, he had his two kids he just adopted from Haiti, and who had seen on the documentary four days earlier. Everyone starts crying. People ran the back of the room and, uh, and we added up all the totals.

12:58We had raised a million dollars and we were able to hand him and his team a huge check for a million dollars, which is enough money to save, I think like four or 500 children from sex slavery. And that was like, I, that was the time I broke down. I couldn't even, I couldn't even stand up anymore. And I was just like, that was like literally one of the most amazing experiences of my life. And, um, definitely something that I'll never, ever forget. And Fire Nation, this is why I just have to really talk seriously to people who say, yeah, John, but why do you work so hard? You make all this money.

13:27What is enough enough for you? Blah, blah, blah. I'm just like, you're missing the entire point. I'm like, when you are giving amazing value to this world, real, truly value, you're going to be compensated accordingly. And when you love what you do, of course, you want to keep doing it. And guess what? Money specifically probably can't buy you happiness. I will agree with that. But try handing a blank check to a charity or an organization or a cause that you truly love and believe in. And tell me that that doesn't make you happy. I mean, things that we've done over the years with Pencils of Promise, we've donated hundreds of thousands of dollars.

13:58I've gone down to Guatemala with Kate and we did school openings to see the joy in the eyes of those kids down there that now have an education opportunity and the teachers that are not getting employed there and the parents who can send their kids to school and know that their kids have a chance a better life now. I mean, telling me that didn't fill my heart with happiness. It was the most amazing experience of my life. Just like what Russell said. I mean, the happiness that that brought, not just Russell, but every single person who donated a dollar and above was gone and received happiness in that knowing that they were helping, you know, these kids escape slavery, like literally sex slavery.

14:33I mean, think about that. Now, Russell, obviously Funnel Hacking Live is an amazing event. And again, I'm super honored to be speaking there in Orlando in 2021. So Fire Nation, if you're thinking about going to a live event this year, come to Orlando 2021 in September. It's going to be amazing. Just Google Funnel Hacking Live. You'll go right there and you can buy a ticket. It'll be absolutely amazing. I'll be speaking there and other amazing speakers. Now, what is another single favorite moment that you've had from a past non-FHL live event? So maybe it's one that, you know, even inspired you to do what you do with Funnel Hacking Live, or maybe it's even, you know, recently you just went and it was an amazing experience.

15:13What is that single favorite moment? Yes, this one was really fun actually for me to reminisce about. So when I got started in this business, one of the first mentors I learned from was Dan Kennedy. And I remember as soon as I discovered him and learned from him, I was like, this is amazing. And I bought all his books and I read him and I bought his courses. I read him and it's like, I spent probably a year, year and a half just like like immersing myself in his brain in his mind I was like just loved what he did and then I found out he did events I didn't know that at the time and so I was like ah so I signed up for uh it was called the internet marketing super conference back then and I remember I signed up and I went to this thing and I was nervous I didn't know anybody um I didn't have any friends with me it was just myself I flew out there and I get in this big room with like I think they had 1200 or 1500 people in the room and I remember getting there I sat down I saw the speakers coming and then I remember it was like halfway through day number one finally Dan was going to come out and speak.

16:00And I guess he'd just got in a, in a wreck earlier, a horsing accident or something. So he was in a wheelchair. And I just remember like when he came, they, they willed him out in a wheelchair and as he will, they willed him out. Everybody stood up and I stood up and I remember the butterflies in my stomach and like the nerves and the anxiousness and all these things, because this was this person who had changed my life. I'd heard, I had been in my head for a year and a half, like everything they'd ever said, I tried to find and consume. And all of a sudden I saw the person, like the guru, like for me, it was like, I was coming to the mountain and seeing my guru teach.

16:27And I remember they came out in this wheelchair and he stood, you know, he couldn't stand up and speak. He sat down in a wheelchair and he spoke. And it was just like, I don't know, for me to be able to like, to see the person I've been learning from in person and like to learn from at their feet. Um, that was like a transformational moment for me. And, um, I think that's what a lot of people experience with when they come to Funnel Hacking Live, right? Like how many of your listeners have been listening to you for years, seven days a week, every single episode, right? And now they'll have a chance to come and like, and be at your feet and hear you speak live in person.

16:54Like there's something transformational about that. Um, you know, we always talk about becoming the guru on the mountain. That's what I felt like in that moment. And, uh, it was such a big change for me. Like I still, I get chills just thinking about that moment. Cause it like, it meant everything to me and it was just, that's a special thing. I mean, fire nation, how amazing is that feeling to meet people who have just impacted and changed your life literally. And that's why I love when people come up to me at conferences and they're like, John, like, I feel like I know you. Like I've literally been like mowing my lawn for the past seven years listening to you every single time when I'm mowing my lawn or I'm driving to work or I'm at the gym or I'm doing this or I'm doing that.

17:28And I just want to thank you in person. And I love being able to do that because now I'm here at this live event and I do the exact same thing to people that have impacted my life. And this happened over the years all the time. And I love that experience. And that's where I want to end on. And that's what I want to end on, Russell, is why? Why should Fire Nation attend Funnel Hacking Live 2021 in Orlando, Florida, specifically September 22nd to the 25th? Oh, man. Well, there's a lot of reasons. I think the biggest one is, you know, we're coming out of this crazy, I don't know what you want to call it, pandemic or whatever, where everyone's lives are kind of put on pause.

18:06Some people pivoted and moved forward quick. Some didn't. But no matter where you are right now, this is like, I feel like this is the time of rebirth. And we have some exciting announcements happening in Funnel Hacking Live. I can't tell people yet publicly, but it's just a time of rebirth for all of us, for our lives, for our businesses, for our relationships, for things we're trying to do. I think this is one of the best ways to really have a platform for that. You're going to have a chance to learn from me, obviously from you, which is insane. Tony Robbins is coming back again. We've got the best of the best that are coming to be part of this thing to help give you the transformation you need to really springboard you into the next step of your life.

18:36Now, I did say they can just Google Funnel Hacking Live. Is there a better way to do it, or is that just going to make it happen for them? They could just go to funnelhackinglive.com. That's the other spot. Oh, there you go. You're going to get to the same place, Fire Nation. You know, sometimes it's hard to remember that.com. You know, I'm not sure if you guys have used that before, so check it out. But that is going to be September 22nd to the 25th in Orlando. So, I mean, hey, bring the family down, go to Disney World afterwards, do your thing. I mean, I heard some amazing things about that new Avatar ride, like some really amazing things.

19:06So I'm going to have to check that out for sure. So Russell with everything we talked about here today just give one one single takeaway you want to make sure fire nation walks away with from our chats Then we'll say goodbye the systems the processes all the things you guys are learning that they work The biggest thing the hardest thing to overcome is like your own personal belief about two things Number one is will this actually work? But then second and more importantly is like will work for me like for my specific business my situation my things and if you come to funnel hacking I promise you we will give you an experience that'll give you the belief you need to be able to move forward, to have success, to win a two comma club, to change the world, whatever your goals are, will give you the belief and the direction, the roadmap to do that.

19:44And worst case scenario, you can hang out with me and JLD for four days, which would be so much fun. So what more could you want in life? Oh, amazing. Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with RB and JLD today, so keep up the heat. Head over to eofire.com, type Russell in the search bar, and this episode show notes page will pop up and Russell, quick side notes. I did a little search before the interview today. This is your seventh time on Entrepreneurs on Fire. You are such a flipping stud. You're almost averaging once a year and that's amazing.

20:17So we're gonna have to up that a little bit to make sure it's at least once a year going forward. And thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you brother and we will catch you at Funnel Hacking Live. Thanks so much, man. I appreciate you. Hey, Fire Nation. Today's value bomb content was brought to you by Russell. And what can 3 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs teach you? How about how to achieve financial freedom and fulfillment? And that's all in my first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success.

20:45It is a revolutionary 17-step roadmap that will lead you to a lifestyle that you have been dreaming about, Fire Nation. This book literally took me 10 years of accumulating the genius of those world's top entrepreneurs. You can get it all in one place when you visit That's UncommonSuccessBook.com. UncommonSuccessBook.com. I will catch you there or I'll catch you on the flip side. Hustle and Flowchart, hosted by Joe Feer, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Join Joe as he discusses systems, mindset tweaks, reframes, and strategies to help you build a business that gives you freedom and fuel for your life.

21:23A recent episode on using AI for effortless content creation is a must listen. Listen to Hustle and Flowchart wherever you get your podcasts.