EPISODE 27 - The Seb Rusk Show : Marie Forleo - Founder of B-School & MarieTV

SPEAKER_01 0:30

What is happening, everybody? Thanks for that warm intro, as always, there, Ian Intro. Hey, I'm Sebastian Ruskin. Welcome to the show. This week I'm really excited, and I got my buddy Marie Forlio on with us. Maria is just making some serious uh moves in the entrepreneur business world. She has built an empire to say the least. I caught up with her in San Diego uh a few months ago uh while emptying the traffic and conversion summit for my friends at digitalmarketer.com. We actually shared the same hotel floor. Uh ran to each other in the elevator as she was on her way out of town with a chance to connect. And uh lo and behold, a few months later I got uh my calendar synced up with her calendar, and here we are. Marie's an entrepreneur, a writer, a philanthropist, uh, an unshakable optimist who is dedicated to helping you become the person that you most want to be. She is a best-selling author with a book titled Make Every Man Want You How to Be So Irresistible You'll Barely Keep From Dating Yourself. Has been translated in 124 different uh languages. She is the host of award-winning Marie TV, the brains behind the business empire for a bee school and Oprah has been quoted by saying Marie is a thought leader for the next generation. But without any further introduction, friends, please help me welcome to the show, my friend Marie Forlio. Welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Thank you so much, Sebastian, for having me on. It's a pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

It really, really is so unique how you and I actually had an opportunity to meet in person finally. I've been following your awesomeness for quite some time now, and uh was in San Diego earlier this year. Um seeing the trafficking conversion summit from my friends at Digital Marketer, and word on the street was that Marie Forlio was in the house somewhere. And I thought, well, you know what? I'm bound to bump in her somewhere. I had no idea we were almost um neighbors uh in in the same hotel. So um great to bump into you. So glad uh you can work me into your crazy busy schedule.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Oh, it's an honor to be here. And um, yeah, that was a very fun event. You did a fantastic job, and I was really happy that we we bumped heads in the elevator. It was great.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

That was nuts. The world continues to get smaller and smaller, especially with social media. It's crazy. And I and then I came back here uh and I talked to my tribe. I'm very involved, oddly enough, very involved in the women's empowerment community here in Miami, thanks to my my friend Michelle Villalobos, who hosts an event called the Women's Success Summit once a month down here and has a pretty strong community. So when I got back and posted in the group that I was gonna have you on the show, um the needless to say, the women went crazy, and we've actually got um a couple of the questions um for today's interview uh from that community. So they're excited to hear back and uh we're stoked to hear that you're gonna be on the show.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

So let's get right down to it. Um let's back up a little bit um prior to B School, prior to uh your own brand. Um w how did your career begin? I read a little bit about the stock market, I read a little bit about uh Nike Dance Club. Um kind of if we could back up a little bit and in and give us an idea of where that transition took place from the workplace to actually becoming a brand and launching your own brand.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

Yeah. Well, you know, my first real job out of college was on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. And that was very exciting to me because I'm a person who has a lot of energy and I could never really imagine myself sitting at a desk. So that environment, there's literally no seats. There's these little plastic things that you can pull down sometimes, and if you actually need to just sit for a minute, but uh most people don't do that. But I loved the environment, so that was awesome. But what I really began to realize after about six or eight months when I paid attention to how I felt on the floor and some of my bosses who were wonderful people, but it felt like they were all living for these two weeks of vacation per year. You know, they earned an extraordinary amount of money, I mean, more money than I could have ever imagined at that time. And yet they felt like they weren't that happy. And when I looked at my own life, I the thought of just coming to the same place day in and day out, and the only time you really travel is that two-week vacation felt like a death sentence. So for me, I was like, you know, this isn't where I'm meant to be, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do with my life. But I feel like I have to go figure out what that is, and the only way I'm gonna find it is to go look. And uh I quit that job, didn't have anything else lined up, and really went on an odyssey to figure out how to combine what I felt were two of my strengths and two things that I was always interested in, which was always a very creative human. Uh, when I was a little kid, one of the things that I said I wanted to do was maybe be an animator for Disney. So I had this fine art background of painting and drawing and making things. But then, you know, my dad was a small business owner and I grew up with him, you know, working in the shop with him and sometimes going in on weekends and doing work with my family. And so I was enamored and loved the freedom my dad had and, you know, that he would make things and take care of customers and make them happy. And so I had that side of me that was very intrigued and uh felt like I had a knack for something on the sales and the marketing and the business side. So it was a little bit of a struggle because I didn't know, you know, how do you make those two things into a job? It didn't really seem like it was a clear-cut path. So I tried magazine publishing, which was my attempt at merging both the creative sides of my being and also the fact that there's some commerce involved. So I was on the ad side of a magazine called Gourmet Magazine, which uh was a food magazine, which is awesome because I love food and I love to eat. And my desk uh happened to be very near the test kitchen, which was cool because all the chefs would bring me, like, you know, their kind of test recipes and I'd have snacks all day. So that was great. Um, you know, after being in that job for a little bit, I really looked at the career path ahead, you know, at my immediate boss and then the big boss, which was the publisher of the magazine. And while they were both fantastic women, once again, I was like going, gosh, do I want that kind of life? Do I aspire to be that? And the answer was no. I thought they were great, but again, I just like this is not my path. And I started to get a little bit panicky. So like, God, what's wrong with me? I feel like a driven person, I'm a very hardworking person, but I don't feel like I fit anywhere. So then I thought, well, maybe I've just been too heavily skewed on the business side. Maybe I should try the editorial side of magazines. You know, that's a bit more creative, and there's art direction, there's all kinds of things that you do that are very different from the ad sale side. So I got a job in the fashion department at Mademoiselle magazine. And again, for a short time, that was great. It was exciting, it was novel, it was new, getting to go to fashion shows and dealing with entrepreneurs and people trying to pitch the magazine, all that was super fun. But I kept having that same sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I looked ahead to the editor-in-chief. Um, and I'm just being really transparent here. I saw the salary ranges of what an editor-in-chief makes, and plus that matched against what they actually do all the time. I was like, gosh, this isn't for me either. And around that time, I was online at work, probably when I shouldn't have been, and I stumbled across this article, which at the time, this is like 1999, was describing a new profession called life coaching. And this was something, this is like, again, before the year 2000. So when no one had really heard of life coaches, when that was like a thing that wasn't a thing yet. And Sebastian, I gotta tell you, something lit up in my heart like nothing ever before. And the logical part of my brain was like, this is weird, this is crazy. You're 22, 23 years old, who the hell is gonna hire you to have them advise them on their life? You haven't even lived life yet. But I couldn't deny that there was something in there that lit up like nothing ever before. So I, on the spot, uh signed up for a three-year coach training program and I started doing my studies at night while I worked at Mademoiselle during the day. Fast forward about six months, I got a call from the HR department at Conde Nas Publications, which was the umbrella company of where I was working, and they had a promotion available for me. They were gonna promote me into um the accessories department over at Vogue. So, Vogue, top fashion magazine, arguably, in the world. So I had this really real decision to make. You know, am I gonna stay on this path with a steady paycheck and health benefits and, you know, a prestigious career? Or am I gonna quit and do this weird ass life coaching thing that sounded even ridiculous to my mind, yet I couldn't deny how right it felt. So I quit my job. I went back to doing what I did to help put myself through school, which was bartending and waiting tables. And that was the start of my career.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Wow. That is uh there's so many similarities. I my the light went on for me when I was 20. I had a I had a child at 22, so the light definitely went on. And uh I became an entrepreneur uh at 23 or 24 years old, I think it was. And the light kept on going because I kept on evaluating every year my environment and going, is this where I want to be for the next 20 years? Do I really want to work this hard? Number one, and number two, if I brought in this amount of money, look at how much the company's actually making. And those it's funny how at certain stages of our life we just it's I one of my favorite quotes ever. I think it was Mark Twain that said, the two most important days of your life are the day that you were born, the day you while you figure out why you were born. Um it's definitely in an exciting time. But I think going through and having that experience, uh and correct me if I'm wrong, really shaped you and equipped you with every single tool you needed in your arsenal uh to really go and explode and build you know your the empire that it is today, right?

SPEAKER_02 10:13

Well, I think one of the big things, I certainly had no clue what the hell I was doing. So a lot of the skill building came after, but one of the crucial things was the continuance of A, trusting my gut when I was on Wall Street that I had to quit, even though I didn't have another job lined up, that I had to quit because it was the right thing to do. I had to get out of something that wasn't working before I could find something that did. And then with uh quitting Mademoiselle and starting my own business, even though I had no clue how I was gonna bring this coaching business to life, just that again, trusting your instincts and saying, screw it, I'm gonna do this. You have to take those leaps of faith often before you have any proof it's gonna work out. But from a pure skill building and strength perspective, you know, a lot of the strengths that I now rely on daily to run and continue to grow the business. I started developing and strengthening after I quit Mademoiselle.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Sure. It's kind of that uh on the job training, but again, it's on-the-brand training I like to refer to it as. Um so you so 2001, yeah, that was like uh that was the wild, wild west, really wide open for you know, a life coach, a coach in general. Um I've I've seen some stuff you've done with Tony. I'm a huge Tony fan. Um I love what his son Jarek's doing as well, too. So speaking of coaching, how did that all come into the fold as far as you know being able to get in the mix with with Tony Robbins?

SPEAKER_02 11:39

Well, that actually came more you know, fast forward to 2009, and I had been doing my thing then for quite a while, almost 10 years at that point. Um, still nobody knew who the heck I was, and um, but I was active online. I had been creating content for quite some time, I had been coaching with clients, I was um just starting to do live events, and I did a few online coaching programs that were, you know, scaled, meaning like hundreds of people would sign up. And uh someone from Tony Robbins team reached out to me and said, Hey, Tony's doing this product called the New Money Masters. And uh he's interviewing people that are growing really interesting businesses online who are actually doing it. And um, anyway, I went through a series of questions with his folks, and they ultimately decided, yes, Tony would like to interview you and have you be a part of this program. And you know, Sebastian, I like almost lost my mind because he was uh and continues to be someone that I deeply respect, deeply admire. I think I went to you know my first Tony event when I was like 18, and he was like my gateway drug into the world of personal development and this, you know, entire universe. So I had the utmost respect and was like a little kid in a candy store jumping up and down. Um so, you know, but to answer your question more specifically, I believe it was a um a function of the fact that I had been doing the work, doing the work, doing the work. And when you do the work and you keep putting great stuff out there, people will find you. And if they resonate with your content and your approach, good things do happen.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

Yeah, you're damn right about that. You know, I do people said, Sebastian, what did you start my what did I start my my business with seven years ago? I said, nothing, but I had this this undying desire within me that kept continue to tell me that if you make enough noise, uh someone will come knock on your door. People find you. Um I always joke that that's true with the police too on on late Saturday nights. But um But I I've lived it, especially in this hyper-connected world now. People can literally being able to find each other is uh is almost instant. So let's let's let's get into to B-School. Um, because uh every time I mention your name, the the the very next thing um it that rolls off the person's tongue is B-school. I just saw another colleague of mine, buddy of mine uh that's a sales uh corporate sales trainer uh here. We were I'm uh I work in a co-working space here, so it's always very transient. And uh he was grabbing a coffee real quick and uh he goes, Hey, let's sit down and grab a coffee real quick. I said, Take it easy, buddy. I'm running in the studio, I gotta record uh a piece with uh Marie Forlio. She goes, Oh, he goes, Oh, you're getting some B-School up on the podcast. Again, that's the conversation uh that happens here. So I want to dive into kind of the for a little bit of this. How how did it, you know, how did you come up with it? Um where was that where was that ah, that's what it is. We're gonna call it B School, and here's how it's gonna be. Um and then the next phase that I'd like to for you to answer or help me uh help us understand is is is your launch strategy because it was so absolutely brilliant. That was the first time I've ever seen something executed with you know community efforts, but very strategic and uh and and and and some big names in the mix.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Oh yeah. So well, first of all, B School was born very, very organically. You know, I don't have an MBA besides my uh very kind of rough on-the-ground experience with my dad with a printing business. I had no concept of what it takes to start and run an online business. And I started kind of back at the ground level when you know email newsletters were absolutely novel ebooks and PDFs that was like mind-blowing. No one had ever heard that before. And so, in my own efforts to figure this world out, I would constantly go to conferences and go to seminars and try and really understand the landscape, understand what I needed to learn and who I needed to learn it from. And one thing I noticed time and time again, Sebastian, again, you have to understand, this is like when I am a young woman in my early 20s, going to a lot of these conferences, and frankly, you know, 99.9% of the people both on stage and in the audience were men. And I had just come out of that world on Wall Street. Like I had dealt with so much sexism and so much harassment, and I was like done with that. I actually, when I was back on Wall Street, short a little um aside, uh, I've always had very long hair, but I was so sick and tired of being hit on then that I cut off all my hair. I actually had a crew cut. That was one of my efforts to stop the bullshit. That didn't work. Um, so anyway, when I was going out into the world and again trying to learn about online business, um, and this wasn't true, I'm making a general statement here, so I just want to be clear on that. It wasn't every single time, but most of the time, the folks on the stages at in that error were just talking about how to extract as much profit as possible from your customers. And it felt like you would take these people who were nameless, soulless numbers and like shake them upside down just to get as much money from them as you possibly can, and then you discard them. Like that was the essence of the feeling that I got. I'm not saying that's what people said, but that's what I took away from it. And that was completely contrary to my belief and my values about what business could do in this world. And frankly, whenever I was trying to learn things, like the aesthetic of the learning environment, there was none. Like no one gave any thought to the design of the materials or what does this learning experience feel like? And then when you think about humor or energy, or is this even fun? Because business can be a dry topic, it was devoid of any soul or personality. So you couple that with the fact that I at that point was a Nike athlete. I had written and self-published a book that was geared towards women. So I had started to amass this really beautiful audience of females, not necessarily intentionally, that's just what happened. And a lot of them would ask me, like, How are you running this coaching business? How are you this Nike athlete? How are you doing these fitness videos? And you actually seem like you're happy in your scene. And I started explaining like one of the key things that you have to do no matter what your business is, is you have to understand how to market and sell effectively, especially with all these new digital tools coming onto the scene. And a lot of women look at me like, oh, I hate marketing and sales. Oh, that's the worst. Somebody else should do that for me. And I'm the idea person. And they just had so many negative associations with those two vital business functions that it was just a light bulb moment for me. I'm like, why is no one talking to the everyday business person who not only wants to start something from scratch, who doesn't necessarily want VC money, who isn't going out there to raise uh, you know, five million dollars, but who wants to start something from their kitchen table that has integrity and heart and soul. And they actually want to not just make money, but they want to make the world a better place, which was my motivation. So I said, well, why don't I teach what I wish someone would have taught me when I first started out? So that's how B School came about. B School was born out of my frustration with not having this soulful, rooted in integrity, values-driven education for small business people that was affordable, accessible, and that actually worked.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

That's yeah, and I when I saw it, I thought, wow, that was the first thing that I thought. Well, first of all, how how how wonderfully executed from the design to your brand, how it just kind of fits in with your personality, et cetera. And I didn't know you from anybody, um, but I was very attracted to the brand because I thought this is this is she's on to something here. And I continue to do my research, and so and then the next thing I know, I would see several different uh key players um promoting the product and then rolling it out um, you know, to to to their community. And of course, I you know that that's a very, I'm assuming a very strategic um, you know, uh affiliate rollout or just friends in low places. I mean, how how did that all kind of come together? Because that was one thing that really stuck in my head that I wow, she's got some players um pushing the word and getting this thing out, and then all of a sudden you're like, it's closed.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

Well, part of that, honestly, it goes back to that those beginning days. You know, when I first started B-school, I was very self-aware that, you know, I had a small but engaged audience, but I really believed in my product. I really believed in this experience. And I knew that there was no way that I'd get this experience in front of as many eyeballs as I possibly could doing it on my own. And I knew that if other people that had built trust with their audiences and if their folks were interested in starting and growing a business, with again, from a place of integrity and transparency, and that's fully aligned with their values, that of course I would be happy to pay them an affiliate commission. You know, it's impossible for me to reach and make the impact that I want to make in this world on my own. So for it started out like it wasn't some grand strategy besides like really wanting as many people as possible to get into this experience because I knew I could change their life. So that's how it started. And then over the years, you know, B-School's been around, I think, oh, over eight years now. We've graduated over 40,000 students.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

Holy jumping, Hannah. Wow, congrats.

SPEAKER_02 20:48

Thank you. And the reason that it's grown is very much in part due to our strong affiliate relationships. And, you know, a lot of people, sometimes people give flack and they'll like be very skeptical and cynical and be like, oh, they're only promoting it to make money. But one of the things they don't understand is when you're dealing with people, quite frankly, at any level, when you're dealing with people who are just starting out and have integrity, or they're bigger folks who have built a brand over time, they're not going to promote shit just for the money. No one who's smart is gonna put their reputation on the line for a quick buck. That's just not how real business owners work.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

Agreed.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

When the business owners that I'm talking about, like the kind of folks that I associate with. So, and this is the other thing. We have a closed affiliate program. I don't just let anyone promote. It's actually a full application process. Like they either have been a student or there's someone that I have such a close colleague relationship with where I know them personally. I know the quality of their work, I know everything about them that I know. And they they actually walk through B school. I walk them through it and they're like, yes, no, this could benefit my people. So, you know, whenever we hear flack, it's like, look, dude, if you had something that you believe believe can transform people transform people's lives and you have other humans who also believe that why wouldn't you have them support you?

SPEAKER_01 22:07

Well you know there's a lot of you know there's a lot of people that need to take a sip of the hater aid a little bit too you know if that starts to come in and take over the equation a little bit and if you know that's not my idea then you know and that's just that unfortunately is the nature of the beast but at the same time you're exactly right and I being able to to build a brand with integrity and be able to do business with people uh unfortunately it's not a it's it's it's a dishonest it's a dishonest word but there are solid honest people with integrity um that that can um that that can contribute to your brand um and and and and both people can benefit but it is so so vital on there no people are not gonna do that uh for a quick buck on there because most of the people that you had doing it probably didn't need another affiliate deal in order to keep the lights on most likely I mean I'm I don't know it all but I'll go out on a limb right yeah no they don't I mean I'm I'm really proud we have so many we have a lot of our graduates who who come to us with these plans like please help I would love to be an affiliate because this friggin changed my life so much.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

So yeah there's a financial benefit but more for them it's like it's fun to get behind something that works.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Like how it really is. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 23:17

When you whether it's like I mean you know this is has no money attached like I'll say this uh if you've not seen this yet Sebastian I'll tell you it's the best thing and for all your listeners if y'all haven't seen the Defiant ones which is a docuseries on HBO right now about the trajectory of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, you've got to watch that thing. It is the most inspiring, fun, educational, mind-blowing docuseries experience that I've had in a while. It's great entertainment. It's like I am so happy to shout out from the rooftops. I get no money from that but there's you know there's all these times in our life where you find a great new restaurant or you find something just incredible and you want to share about it. And when it comes to business relationships I'm happy to pay my affiliates because they work their ass off to build trust to build you know to to go out and promote something full force.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

I've got uh I got the Defiant ones on my list and I figured out the other day that if I download uh the HBO app on my phone I can try it out for a month for free but my big kicker was does the HBO app go to my Google Chromecast on my TV and it totally does so I solved that. So I was like check plus I'm gonna make sure I knock that out uh this weekend. So HBO if you're listening uh call me. So uh this episode of the set rush show is brought to you by the HBO app. Yeah I totally see it absolutely hey may it maybe it may be B school one day who knows so um let's let's get to a question real quick from uh from my community. I told you I'm really involved in the w in the women's empowerment community down here and I I like women. But I'm raised in you know I was raised by women uh my mom and my sister um are primarily and I have a 16 year old daughter um that um that I've raised on my own so um I obviously have a soft space uh uh for women but I really saw the movement that was taking place uh um here uh in Miami specifically in South Florida and I continue to hear um you know about this women's success summit and I'm like why can't guys go so um I finally tracked down um the brains behind it uh my now good friend Michelle Volobos and and and I called her like the DA looking for child support literally every week and her team was like she doesn't take calls and I'm like I'm not gonna stop calling until you until you until you put me through and uh and this was like 2010. It wasn't you know there wasn't a lot of gatekeepers left but um she finally showed up at my event um one night I had a networking event locally here and she's like so you're the nut with the bowad's been calling my office like a madman I'm like yes I just want to know if you let men into these uh into these women's success summits and I literally was like I think the first two guys within this type of community but I saw and I got excited about it and I wanted to work my way onto the stage because I knew there was a huge gap and need to for these for people to know about what they didn't know about social media but I also wanted to get engaged with that community. And that's really where when I say my my my community of women entrepreneurs that's where the the base of these questions come from. All right look squirrel we're gonna answer the let's ask the question now Sebastian. Sorry ADD moment there. It's my show I'm allowed to have those right Marie of course of course you are okay uh question number one from my community who are your mentors okay so this might be a little bit of a shocker but I don't have formal mentors.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

So here's how I approach that I surround myself with people that I respect and admire and I don't like taking advice or following just one person because I think it's very very limiting. Plus I have an extremely strong personality and a very strong sense of what I want to do and what I don't want to do. So a mentorship I guess in a traditional sense type of relationship would just drive me nuts. So instead I literally just talk to the smartest people I can find and I read a lot and again like we're just talking about the defiant ones like right now Dr. Dre is like a far and away distant mentor as is Jimmy Iovine and I could just learn from them by watching their behavior watching their trajectory and observing how they move through the world.

SPEAKER_01 27:20

Would you consider Tony a mentor?

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Yes, in a sense but it's not like I would ever you know if I'm gonna text Tony or you know reach out to him it's usually to say like oh man you got a new book coming out let's do something or thank him for something that he shared or something that he did. But um I would consider him a mentor just in the way that I described it where it's someone who I admire someone I deeply respect someone who I learn from and continue to learn from and hold up as someone who has it like a place in my heart.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

Sure. Sure. No that's a great answer and a great outlook I I have the have a similar perspective on on that in that there's there is so much advice out there. And there's a lot of good advice a lot of bad advice too but at the same time if you're you know if I I feel that if you're sit it self-awareness is extremely powerful when it comes to you know mentoring yourself, right?

SPEAKER_02 28:09

Absolutely. And again, you know that person's experience while I think it's incredibly valuable to have it's just one perspective. And I think one of the most valuable things that we can do is to develop relationships over time. Like I have a lot of peer relationships where I'll bounce ideas off of them and sometimes just the fact of talking something out with someone who really understands who I am, with someone who supports who I am, who wants the best for me, just me saying it out loud is enough for me to find my own clarity despite you know what they might think or what they suggest I do.

SPEAKER_01 28:45

Yeah I always like to and I always say you know stay stay mentored up but that's I but it's it's very my approach to mentorship is is is is very similar as in it's casual. It's more of if I need something I know exactly who to go to to have a conversation about it. But I also reciprocate that I got a call last week from a friend and uh it was almost I was I was waiting in traffic picking up my daughter and I'm like oh maybe I'll call her back and I'm like ah something told me just to grab the call real quick and she said hey can we get together maybe grab dinner or a cocktail or something I'm just I I'm I'm I'm doing my day job. I got my side hustle I got my coaching clients at night but there's just a couple things that I've just I'm stuck and I'm like you said you're stuck and no one else said you're stuck and it's funny that I'm able to reciprocate this out of a conversation but I'm constantly seeking similar advice and I believe that's that's you know and that that makes for a a smooth world in my opinion is when we we're not only taking in the mentoring we're getting from our community but we're also reciprocating it too.

SPEAKER_02 29:40

Oh yeah a hundred percent and I mean it's it's one of those things with the you know the cobbler who doesn't have shoes most of us um it's very easy to offer an outside perspective especially when you love and respect people you can often see things more clearly than they can because you have some distance and I think for all of us no matter who we are having people that uh we trust in our lives who can then be a mirror for us and give us a little bit of a clearer idea of what's happening in an outside perspective is important. But you know it always has to be a two-way street.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

For sure.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Marie what's the best advice you've ever received oh from my mom without a doubt is to always listen to that still small voice within and never betray it because it will not steer you wrong.

SPEAKER_01 30:25

Just had this similar conversation with my 16 year old who's broke up with her boyfriend for the first time. So I said yeah so it's the end of the world no it was not the end of the world because uh speaking of mentored up I've had her in a women's empowerment group that they meet once a month for five hours first Tuesday of the month for the past two years um with my friend Mina who's an old Tony Robbins girl. And uh so she's been like in this like realm of women's empowerment at between ages of 14 and 16, right? So she comes home on Sunday night and she goes so I broke up with him and I said uh why'd you do that? And she said because he's not headed in the direction that I'm going with life and I said interesting. And so I thought about it for a minute I let her she went to go take a shower and she came back downstairs and I said um you know you're in a really powerful space right now and I quickly um attacks her or uh her what I call her coach and I said um I just want to share with you that you know Kayla broke up with her boyfriend and she said that he's just not headed in the direction in life that uh that she is or she just doesn't see it. And she was like what? And it takes me like a week to get a call back from this girl and she like called Kayla immediately and had this like impromptu four o'clock on a Sunday afternoon conversation. But being in that space of listening to your gut but also those closest around you I had that conversation over breakfast with her this morning. I go typically when your family goes around like surrounds like the the the situation and they're pretty that everybody's in line with the same idea even though you're you may not be that's a good indication. And that's the kicker with life you know our family's always right sometimes right yeah exactly. Only half the time I like to say so um how how long in your opinion I I think it I think it takes 10 years to be an overnight success but how how long does it take to to build a personal brand?

SPEAKER_02 32:08

I honestly think you know it's like a lifetime. You know what I mean? Because here's the thing it's not a static piece of property. It's always evolving. You know some people come out of the gate and I appreciate what you shared as far as 10 years. You know when I look at the first 10 years of my career you know it was it it was just like a lot of stumbling around and just doing things in the dark and you know hardly anyone paying attention but you just keep going if you believe in the work. And honestly right now even though it's been over 17 years I've been doing this, I still feel like I'm I'm just getting started. That's awesome. The truth you know there's so much and so many things that I'm excited about. I'm excited about now I'm excited about the future and I feel like you know my quote unquote brand if you can call it that whatever it is right now not going to look the same in two or three years or five years. Like it's gonna evolve as I evolve and as I grow and as my ideas about the world change and I hopefully learn and become even more open to new things. So yes I think the 10 year mark is is a kind of cool benchmark. But you also want to remember too some people when they've got a lot of time on their hands and they're just hitting it hard, they might be able to achieve you know let's say what I achieved in uh who knows five or six years they may be able to come out of the gate and other people it'll take them 12 or 15. Everyone is on such a different trajectory but I think if you're looking to build a personal brand it's not the kind of thing you can really exit from it is a lifetime commitment.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

It totally is I'm well I'm gonna be the next Ryan Seacrest. I don't know if I told you that or not.

SPEAKER_02 33:43

Oh no you didn't that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Yeah so I've I've been studying following him uh like a like a book ever since I started this brand back in 2010 ever since the American Idol days his camera presence the whole nine and more more important above and beyond that is is the way that he carries himself and the way that he carries his brand you never read any scoop like the worst thing you read about him is that he tried to high-five a blind guy an idol like 10 years ago. Like that's the worst that you'll ever like here with the and now he's got the the the the the the the Kelly gig with Kelly Ryan and he's moved to New York now he's in he's in uh in in your neck of the woods and I just I thought wow what a great way and I I learned that from Tony that he always made people that he never even met his mentor may never even meet his mentor just based on following them and again that model the masters right yeah absolutely but um yeah it is an ongoing thing and I look at even Ryan's journey of starting on the air you know on the radio in Atlanta and now you know the the guy runs Hollywood now and it has and it's been probably a 15 close to close to 20 year journey thus far. But um this day and age I think that I don't think that the technology's expediting that process because we have to learn right we've we've got to get in the trenches. And a lot of that you know a lot of the 17 years if you look back there there were probably some pretty ugly years right because those were the growth years those were like the conditioning years that we look that we look at but for I look at and I've been whittling away here for seven years and I still feel like I'm I'm I'm conditioned now. Not a lot surprises me because I want it more than I really give a shit about the temporary conditions of today. Right, I guess you could say and I I I don't think a lot of entrepreneurs see that keeping your eye on the prize and being able to find you know you know Gary talks a lot about micro versus macro and it's tough to do that. But once you do you kind of you almost arrive and this is another very tough space to arrive in life and I I'd love to hear your two cents on it but it takes a long time to to get to where um if it works out great um and if it doesn't well that's okay too. It takes a long time to get there. Do you agree?

SPEAKER_02 35:46

Yeah but I also think too it's again it's not static it's cyclical. Like there are going to be things all along the journey that work great and there's gonna be things that flop and it's gonna be a continuous journey of that. I think what happens as you continue to advance and you gain more experience under your belt is like you said, it doesn't really surprise you. So you know a devastating setback you're still gonna feel the pain but you have enough perspective to know that life happens in season. So things go downhill everything hits the fan it looks like it's all crashing to a close but if you really are mindful enough to step back, you realize it's just temporary and you're probably going to go up, you're probably gonna have some more big wins and then you know what? You're gonna get knocked on your ass again. But if you set yourself up in a smart, intelligent strategic way, meaning you're not blowing tons of cash that you don't have, you're not spending more than you make, ideally over time again, if you set it up smartly intelligently and with some wisdom, then when you do get knocked on your ass, that it doesn't take you out and it doesn't take you down. You know, that you're able to kind of step back for a second, like lick your wounds, understand what's going on and then get right back in the game.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Yeah I had a friend call me this morning and I was just having a case of the Wednesdays this morning and um she said Sebastian how many times have you and I had this same conversation over the past 20 years that we've been best friends and that immediately shifted my mindset. She's like it's it's kind of like hey listen we've been here before we may be we may even be here again. You know shitty mornings happen but um it's crazy how just uh again the self-awareness has been huge for me. I mean this self-awareness journey for the past 12 months of just really being aware and I think it it really helps us be in tune with others too that are not as self-aware. Yeah and just like you did you said something that stuck out a few minutes ago you said um um I I love and I I'm I'm a little bit more aware and I'm from a distance I can I can absorb the situation or I can absorb um uh you know a person um differently than how they perceive themselves or how they perceive the challenge or whatever they're they're currently experiencing. That was cool. Yeah you can go ahead no go for it go for it keep keep rocking baby no no that was it that was it no that that that was it I was waiting for you to respond.

SPEAKER_02 37:56

Oh so yeah it's it really is about perspective and keeping your eye on the big picture like most of the stuff that we get so upset over or that we think is such a big deal or we think is such a big loss in like five years we're not even gonna remember that shit. And in 10 years we're gonna be like what what did we spend so much time being upset about what was I stressing over like what was that thing I was so like ugh like I let myself get all out of control about it's nothing. It really is nothing the more you expand the timeline the more more you can have a sense of humor and keep your cool what inspires you gosh everything music art working out being outside cooking with friends I can find inspiration practically anywhere. Like there's not one source for it. It's really about life.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

Have it all has it has it always been that way?

SPEAKER_02 38:45

Yeah like having fun and enjoying my life is pretty much core to my DNA and if the if I ever feel like gosh this feels like too much of a grind I know I'm probably getting off in the wrong direction or I'm starting to lead down the wrong path and I need to adjust that immediately. You know, we know what's coming. We all know we're gonna die. It's not like there's any surprise and if you've done your homework and you pay attention and you've actually read some things about what people share right before they're gonna die, if they know they're gonna die, they all tell us the same thing. They tell us that relationships are the most important thing in life. They tell us that they wish they would have lived life that they wanted to live versus the life they thought everyone else thought they should live. So we kind of understand the end game and if you're wise enough you can just reverse engineer your life so when you get to that time whether you're blessed enough to like be conscious and understand that you're about to pass over or God forbid you get hit by a truck or something else. The time that you were here you really spent it in a way that you wanted to and I don't think you can underestimate especially for entrepreneurs the power of living a joyful fun life.

SPEAKER_01 39:55

Yeah because we are just passing through and we are not guaranteed anything.

SPEAKER_02 39:58

So it even more of an incentive to have that that that that thought process um another person from my my my women's uh success uh summit uh squad want to know uh what what is your hiring process uh for new team members it's really different all the time you know sometimes folks will show up in our world due to a recommendation from somebody else I know like they'll say hey I've got this superstar I know of this person who's looking for their next opportunity or something like that. So that's one way people come in. And then it's just a matter of well what's their skill set? Who are they? Let's talk with them. You know, does what they want to do and what they're capable of doing match up with a need that we have right now? If so let's check them out. If not maybe we can help them find their next gig sometimes I notice someone who's amazing in our own community or in my world and I can kind of sniff them out. That's how I found my first ever person who would shoot my videos. That's how I found my creative director that's how I found a lot of people that work with me is just keeping my eyes open and just paying attention and noticing talent wherever it exists. And then sometimes we put a call out for a job opening to our list. You know, I'll just send out an email and say hey we're hiring if you're looking for X kind of job here's the application go fill it out and uh let's see if there's a love connection.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

That's fantastic really that's uh that that's a great resource right there and that's uh that's all under the same roof.

SPEAKER_02 41:22

Yeah no it's it but I don't think that there's any one exact formula. You know you've as a business owner you've always got to keep your eyes open for great talent and develop relationships well before you need them.

SPEAKER_01 41:35

What do you feel about hiring your friends?

SPEAKER_02 41:38

Um well that's an interesting question because I consider myself very close with the people on my team I mean I just took 22 folks to Mexico for vacation like we took a company vacation together. There was absolutely no work meetings there was no agenda there was absolutely zero talk besides like funny stories of our work. And yeah so I'm very friendly with the folks that I work with. In terms of doing business with friends I think that that can get really tricky um if you're gonna do any business with friends just like if you were going to get married you have to have a business prenup. You have to address in advance what happens when the shit hits the fan so that both people go into the agreement understanding you know what you're going after and what happens if it goes sour.

SPEAKER_01 42:26

I just think there's enough people in the world that don't even have to go there. That's that's true a lot of things Gary talks about it a lot he's he's mentioned he's done he's done an episode on it too like hire your friends like that's what he's found. I mean again um but I don't I again I think there's a double sided coin there. Yeah what what what impact has has social media had on on your brand over the past 17 years and then specifically what what what has it done for um for for um B school well for me social media is just another channel to communicate with people so I don't necessarily parse it out like social media has done X, Y, or Z for me.

SPEAKER_02 43:05

It's just another opportunity for me to connect with humans just like email is, just like video is, you know, all of our different communication channels. So it's really difficult for me to necessarily quantify or or really put into words what it's done for me. I think what's super fun about it is being able to just have these quick chats with people in real time. I think another kind of aspect that's great, especially as it relates to the B school is our B school community. One of the things that I absolutely love about the program and it's a byproduct that I didn't intend was that these humans from all over the world, like we have students from 119 countries come together and wind up forming friendships, like lifelong friendships and going to see each other in different countries and having people to connect with who really get who they are, what they're trying to do, you know, all the kind of freaky things about them and the things that make them weird and and kind of somewhat At an oddball to most of the other world within the B school community, they're just like, you know, hey, you're with your people here.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

You know, I had a I had I had a somebody on my team a few years back, uh, a freelancer I worked with, um uh that it was quite some time ago, it was right when I we first started, was part of B school, and she had said, I had asked a unique question. I was looking for something, uh I don't know if it was a project or a or a or a person or a job to get done or something. Uh and she said, um I'll ask my I'll ask my my people um and she goes, in fact, uh I'm part of B School and there's a huge group in there I can even inquire about if anybody knows anything about pertaining to that. And I thought that was when the first light went off that I thought, hmm, these communities are really going to get interesting when it comes to associating them with brands, because just like you said, hey, all we really need to do is is is open up the uh send an email out and say, hey, we're hiring for this position and to have what would you say, for 40,000 people within that network that are targeted, that are really part of your community and would love to hear from you. Um it's funny how that resolves issues. Our community resolves issues, right? Well, I think it always has, but it's becoming easier and easier.

SPEAKER_02 45:08

Yeah, well, they might know people who know people, you just never know. And like you said, you know, that story that you were sharing, there's so many times that we've heard these stories again and again and again. It was like someone was struggling with their business, someone was hitting some kind of challenge point or hit an obstacle, and they come into the community and say, hey guys, I'm struggling with this. Anyone have any ideas? And inevitably, someone does. You know, there's someone who's willing to jump on the phone with you, so-and-so knows so-and-so, someone can help you fix it right there on the spot. Uh, I'm really extremely proud of the community that we've developed, and I have extraordinarily high standards. Like kindness is a huge value for me. So, in terms of our community in B school, it's like there's no shit talking. You can't talk bad about other people, can't talk bad about other programs. It is like a zero negativity zone. That doesn't mean that you can't have a bad day and talk about what's challenging for you, but you can't talk shit about people, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 46:01

Yeah, it's always important to people. Always important.

SPEAKER_02 46:05

Yeah, and it's just like so people can show up as their real self. They don't have to pretend to always be positive, but what it does is create this really safe space for people to be real and for people to solve problems and build each other up. And um, in this world and especially in the online world today, having that kind of highly curated, high value, high integrity, safe space to get shit done, it's virtually unheard of. You know, because on a lot of other places on social media, it's like you put something out there and then the trolls come in and why are you doing that? And then it's it's just like a waste of time.

SPEAKER_01 46:37

Yeah, to be able to have that protective space is is is is definitely key. Uh what's the best advice you can give an entrepreneur? We're all entrepreneurs are always looking for advice, but specifically, and I think this is this has been more of your your wheelhouse of your target market. You're in kind of similar to your story. You're in your job. Um I've got a friend that I'm I I this is the one that called me last week and said she was stuck. I've she's but she's got the ideal she's got a nine to five, she's hitting it hard, nine to five, comes home, she's like, I got coach, because we never meet up during the week, grab dinner, coffee, or anything, because she's always like, I go right from my job, right to my house, and start grinding away on coaching calls till like 10 or 11 o'clock at night. So um I'm constantly tasked with being asked, you know, what what advice can you give me to to ease the process, or how do I become an entrepreneur, et cetera? What do you think the best advice you have to give for an entrepreneur is?

SPEAKER_02 47:31

Well, it wouldn't be contained in one answer because uh one of the things that I strive to do with Marie TV is whenever I'm answering a question, I'm answering it for that specific person. So I'm using not only what they share with me, but also my intuition to give them very targeted, specific advice that can help them get the best possible chance of moving forward. So it really depends. Like, you know, someone who's like your friend who's, you know, grinding it out nine to five, and then she's coming home and she's cranking on coaching calls all night. For someone like her, I would suggest having a really clear next target. You know, if she's like, okay, great, I'm kind of burning the candle at both ends, I'm doing all these coaching calls. Like, what's the next big thing that for me would make the biggest difference? Is it starting some kind of group program? Is it having a live event? Like, kind of what's her next milestone and how can we start reverse engineering strategies to help her get there? Because I don't think that she's ever gonna want to just be on coaching calls nine to five, even if she could leave her nine to five job, because that's not scalable. And at some point, what if you get sick, there's no income coming in? So for someone like her, it's about creating that next step vision and then helping her bring that to life. For someone who's just starting out, however, and they don't even know what business they want to start, you know, that's a whole different set of advice. So I know I'm not giving you that one specific piece, but I think it's more realistic because there's not one magic bullet, right? There's not one strategy. If you want to be an entrepreneur and you want to be successful over the long term, you have to work your face off. You know, someone the other day, Sebastian, was like, oh, you know, can't I work and take care of myself? And why do I have to hurt myself to be successful? And I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I've never, I've never said anybody should hurt themselves to be successful. But if you think you're gonna like work two hours a day and then, you know, go to a five-hour yoga class and make a green juice and like you've never done a business before, and then you know, within a year or two, you're gonna be earning enough to take care of yourself, you're fucking sadly mistaken. Like that's insane. That's not the truth. Now, that doesn't mean that you don't eat well, that doesn't mean that you don't exercise, but you know, you've got to be really eyes wide open to the fact that the first couple years are hard as hell. But if you want this life and you want the rewards, you've got to be able to put in the effort and you've got to like love it while you're going through it.

SPEAKER_01 49:47

And if you want the freedom, which you can't, which you can't put a price tag on. So I think and I I think a lot what what happens a lot is the first thing I evaluate, and I'm not I'm nowhere near a coach at all. I just feel like I know a little bit about some something. Um and I like to I like to reciprocate when because I'm constantly all up in my network um asking questions and emailing and tapping in and trying to just figure it out. But my you know, my my the biggest thing I evaluate when someone calls me and they've got a challenge or they're stuck or whatever it is, is this are are are we being a victim right now? Because that's the number one thing um that happens, I believe, in the early days of entrepreneurship. Why isn't it happening for me yet? I can't believe it's taking this long. Uh I'm I'm sick of top ROM and I thought this was over back in the college day. You know, it's it's it's constant victim mentality instead of realizing, listen, uh, you chose a different path here. And this thing is not the this is definitely the road less traveled because if it wasn't, the entire world would be an entrepreneur. And I definitely know that it's not in everyone's blood. I'm trying to motivate my introverted 16-year-old to be an entrepreneur. And she's like, Dad, I'm gonna go get a degree, I'm gonna get a job, I'm gonna make a decent living, I'm gonna have a family, and that's what I like to do with life. I have no desire to see what you deal with on a daily basis. Yeah. So you know what?

SPEAKER_02 50:59

That's her, and you know, that's what she should do until she decides otherwise. And she might not. It's like my mom thinks I'm absolutely bonker. She's like, I don't know where you got this from, I don't know where you came from, I don't even know for me. And I think that that's also another really important thing to realize. And here's what I'd like to say to that though, Sebastian. So for anyone listening, like the folks on my team who I work with, who are primarily women, they aren't the entrepreneurs in a sense, because I'm the one who's responsible for paying all the bills and taking care of everything and keeping the lights on. But they are very entrepreneurial. Those guys and gals, they would crumble going to, they don't want to go to a cubicle every day, right? That's not the lifestyle they want. So I just want to make sure that everyone listening, it's not better to be an entrepreneur than not to be an entrepreneur. The best thing in the world is to be you, is to understand your DNA and to understand how you thrive. And I often tell people this: like some people will sign up for B School, Sebastian, who quite frankly come out the other end realizing, I don't want to do this. But you know what happens? They get such great marketing skills and business understanding that they can join a company like mine or a company like yours, earn a great living, and thrive in a startup environment without having to be the boss.

SPEAKER_00 52:13

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 52:14

So I think there's room for everyone, but I do think it's important to really understand what position that you want to play and then go all in on it.

SPEAKER_01 52:23

For sure. So what's next for your brand?

SPEAKER_02 52:25

You know, I don't know. I mean, the way that I work, I always have things that I'm cooking up. So, for example, one of the big things that's cooking right now is I just sold my next book. So over the next few months, um I'm gonna be deep in actually writing and bringing that book to life, which I'm really excited about. And we're constantly working on B-School, we're working on new programs. We have a program called Start the Right Business, we have a copywriting program called The Copy Cure. Um, so we've got a lot of irons in the fire, but I'm also the kind of person who likes to keep things open because one of the things that I've seen over the past, let's say, five years, especially, is nothing stays the same. And if you lock yourself in too tight and there's no white space and there's no room for inspiration or serendipity or new things, you get stale fast. So for me, there's enough known quantities like the book, like the next season of B-School. We just started a vlog called Unplugged, you know, all these fun things to play with that are new and exciting. And I also want to leave room for things that you just don't know because you can't predict are coming up.

SPEAKER_01 53:30

Not even a little bit. Not even a little bit. I was like to say, we we plan, God laughs. Um so um if the the the best way for people to connect with you um online, obviously your website, marieforlio.com and uh your YouTube channel, uh Facebook, um, Twitter, et cetera. And is B School open right now, or is it what No?

SPEAKER_02 53:51

So here's the deal. So one thing I want to mention. So if you go to MarieForlio.com, which you should, there is a fantastic audio called How to Get Anything You Want. It's about an hour long. It's totally free for anyone listening right now that's just like, shit, you know what, I really like this, or this was really good for me, but I feel particularly stuck. That free audio training, no matter where you are right now, it will help you start to really unpack whatever's stopping you and help you create a strategy and move ahead. So I'd encourage anyone who actually enjoyed this conversation to go to marieforle.com and download that. Um, in terms of B School, at this point in the game, who knows that might change in the future, but it's only open once per year. But if you go to join bschool.com, you'll get your name and email on that list. And then the moment we're ready to open up, which is always around February, we'll let you know. So you can um get in on the scholarship contest. We always do awesome scholarships, and it's just a really fun time of the year.

SPEAKER_01 54:47

Oh, the anticipation. Well, uh, ladies and the gents out there uh that uh that that are listening, uh, you heard it right uh from the rockstar herself on how you can connect with Marie and get in the mix. Put the B school on your 2018 calendar. Uh it's July right now, it's time, it's mid we're midway through here, so start uh putting uh your game plan together and and if musical may very well be uh uh a fit for what you're doing. Well, I really appreciate you uh taking time out of your busy day to to to hang out with me for a few minutes. And for us, I feel like we we we we spent the past half hour together. I feel like we've gotten to know each other uh a little better too through just based on on our interviews. So I look forward to uh to staying in touch with you. Do you ever make it down to Miami at all?

SPEAKER_02 55:29

I do sometimes. I have been there in a bit, but Miami is one of my favorite cities, so awesome.

SPEAKER_01 55:33

Well, I am definitely gonna have to connect you with my friend Michelle Via Lobos down here, and uh uh you have a lot of fans within that uh women's empowerment community, so I'll have to definitely make that connection uh for you. But oh, next time I'm in the Big Apple, I'll uh I'll look you up too. I really appreciate your time. I I I I love what you're doing, and uh you've got my support from here on out, that's for damn sure.

SPEAKER_02 55:53

Thank you so much, Sebastian. It was an honor to be here, and thanks for taking the time. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 55:57

It's my pleasure. We'll talk to you soon.

SPEAKER_02 55:58

All right, bye.

SPEAKER_01 55:59

Well, we know what that sound means, and uh just like that, another episode of the Seb Rush Show podcast on Social Buzz on Air is a wrap. Another big thanks to my buddy Marie Forlio for joining me today. We really hope you enjoyed the interview and you're leaving this uh episode with more knowledge than what you showed up with. Make sure you subscribe to us in the iTunes Store, leave us a review and a couple stars, we'd really appreciate that. You can do the same thing in the Google Play Store for Android users. If you like this episode, please share it with whatever podcasting app you may be utilizing. Uh-huh. Make sure you connect and stay in touch with Marie. More information at Mariefolio.com. Well, I'm Sebaster Rusk signing off from our studio here inside Business Miami. We'll talk to you next time.