I loved it to death (literally)

March 18th, 2014 | Bret Thomson

I loved it to death (literally)

I held on too long… and choked the life out of it…

Running on blind passion fuelled by an 8-year obsession with daily motivation books, audios, DVDs and seminars…

…I eagerly dived headfirst into my first REAL business.

Since it was my first shot at a business, I thought,

“I know, maybe I’ll start with… Trying to change the WORLD”

Made perfect sense.

My plan was to run personal development workshops for kids between 7 and 13…

…And fill them up with all the vital life-skills missing from the typical schooling curriculum.

Like:

Self Esteem
Confidence
Resilience
Communication skills
Overcoming fear
Setting goals
And so on…

Told all my friends, family (even strangers) about my vision and I got a resounding,

“HELL YEAH BRET! Sounds awesome!”

(Just like I thought).

Chest puffed out, I walked up to my boss and announced my resignation.

I thought I’d share my vision with him at the same time…

Maybe he didn’t hear me properly, or something?

He didn’t seem impressed one bit.

Weirdo.

Anyway…

For the next 3 months, I contacted every person who LOVED my idea and encouraged them to enrol their kids/s into my first 2-day workshop.

Insert: “Sound of a Cricket”

Dismal response, on all counts…

I bashed my knuckles on the doors of all the local schools…

(Surely they’ll be keen)

… But I was quickly tangled up in more red tape than even a rich politician could escape from…

You see…

Everyone LOVED my idea… But no one was prepared to pay for it.

After 4 months, my funds were dangerously low…

Go here for the full story of my marketing turnaround from $16K to $200K+ in 12months

I needed help…

I tracked down Australia’s best marketing gurus, like Mal Emery and Andrew & Daryl Grant.

These guys were the first people who told me straight…

My business model SUCKED!

They then mumbled some fluff about needing a better marketing system, or some gibberish.

Boy, weren’t they disillusioned…

Little did they know I was standing on the shoulders of great men, like…

Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Maxwell Maltz, Anthony Robbins, David Schwatz, Og Mandino, Jim Rohn, and more…

How could it NOT work?

I had determination, perseverance, confidence, stamina, vision, belief, motivation and INTEGRITY.

On top of that… it was my PASSION… So there!

I loved my business idea

I loved it… to death.

After 12months, while raising my 3 sons who were (and still are) my primary motivation, I made a total of…

$16,017 for the year

Had to move back into my parent’s house.

At 33.

And that’s when I decided to learn direct-response marketing.

Go here for the full story of my marketing turnaround from $16K to $200K+ in 12months

Today’s lesson… Don’t fall in love with your product.

You can have all the altruistic, noble, philanthropic qualities out there…

But to succeed in business… First and foremost… you need to know direct–response marketing.

Here’s your best way to start

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson

P.S. When you order, I’m looking forward to sitting down at my desk and writing you a personal message, in your new book

Why I Bribe My Kids To Read

May 12th, 2012 | Bret Thomson

The Ode Of A Copywriter

Ignore the bad singing and enjoy the message of how reading changed my life… And my ongoing dilemma of getting my kids to do what I NEVER did!

Why I Bribe My Kids To Read

Yep, it’s true.

I bribe my kids (with cash) to read books.

Good? Bad? Whatever. Nothing else works.

The idea of them reading a book… heaven forbid… outside of school hours… would cause a raucous mutiny… Thinking back, I was the same…

My only appetite for reading as a kid was Alfred. P. Newman’s “MAD Magazines”… or the occasional “Choose your own adventure” books… (Might explain some things)

So with my boys… why did I revert to bribery? Cos books (eventually) changed my life, as you’ll hear when you read on…

And let’s face it folks… as any truth-telling parent would admit… We tend to fill the voids from our own life with a caring hand of direction to our kids. True or true?

I needed to inject some outside positive dialogue into their noggins… To open their eyes up to what’s possible in life… So they can see the unlimited potential in themselves, like i see in them.

Don’t get me wrong… They get smothered with my daily positive brain droppings…But you know how that goes. I never listened to my old man till i was in my thirties (thtupid me)… So they need to hear it from someone else, i.e. Books.

And besides… wearing the “Strict Dad” hat with my hard-nosed-drill-sergeant routine doesn’t always work with my kids. So I found another way (maybe not the best way, but a way)… I got creative and bribed them.

There Is Madness To My Method.

I’ll tell you why in a sec… and… believe it or not… this relates to your marketing success too. But first…

Here’s a typical scene at our house:

I’ll whip out a $10 (or $20) note and tape it to the inside back cover… with an inch or more of the note sticking out the top.

I’ll call my boys (usually 3 or 4 times) into the room to announce the challenge…

“Okay my men, first person to read this book, cover to cover, get’s to keep the cash. I have no way of checking if you’re cheating or not. I’m trusting you.”

Then I’ll say, “You’ll have to live with your own guilt if you take my money dishonestly. And besides, I’ll be quizzing you about sections of the book anyway”

I’ll rant about the book and tell ‘em why I think it’ll benefit them. Then I’ll slap the book on the table, tell them how awesome they are, and walk away.

I’m Sure Qualified Quacks Would Preach 101 Reasons Why This Is Wrong.

Whatever.

Look, it’s getting harder to fill their minds with positive stuff these days, would you agree?

Man… I thought the X-box and PlayStation were a brain drain for kids… Pfft… that’s nothing… Facebook dominates that role now. Don’t get me started on that…

Moving on. Like I said, books changed my life. But here’s something that might surprise you…

I didn’t start reading till I was in my mid twenties. True story. Prior to that, the only reading I’d do was the “Did you know” quiz under beer bottle caps.

Oh yeah… Mr Suave, thank you.

Actually, I do remember reading one article once… about how excessive alcohol is highly damaging to your brain. Blew me away. Stunned, I was.

So I made a firm decision that day.

I Was NEVER Going To Read Again.

In time, I smartened up. The first book I ever read (by my own choice) was when I was 26, called, “Awaken The Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins.

Changed my life forever… and launched me on a never-ending journey of personal excellence. I had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge… I devoured books like a piranha let loose in a fish farm.

These days, I tell my boys…

If You Can’t See Where You’re Going In Life Then You’re Not Standing On Enough Books

Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said, “The books you read and the people you meet will determine where you are in five years.”

Friend, that’s especially true with your business…

Whether you do your own copywriting and marketing… or you get me and my word-slinging A-team to do it for you… the point is this…

You’ve gotta keep yourself educated… stay sharp with your marketing… cos things can change fast, amigo…

That’s why I created http://www.thecopywritingsystem.com

So fellow biz owners, entrepreneurs and copywriters can get weekly breakthrough insights on how to annihilate their competition with edgy marketing and copywriting power.

To open their eyes up to what’s possible in their business… So they can see their unlimited potential with effective (and affordable) marketing… like I see.

Remember… He who markets the best wins!

Just one idea… one tweak… one insight… one paragraph from a book (when actioned)… can fling you into poll position. It’s true in life… and in business.

Keep your saw sharpened my friend…

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson

P.S. Spread the love and share or comment below. Catchya