What's going on, everyone? This is Steve Larsen, and you're listening to Secret MLM Hacks Radio. So, here's the real mystery. How do real MLMers, like us, who didn't cheat and only bug family members and friends, who want to grow a profitable home business, how do we recruit A players into our down lines and create extra incomes, yet still have plenty of time for the rest of our lives? That's the blaring question, and this podcast will give you the answer. My name is Steve Larsen, and welcome to Secret MLM Hacks Radio.
Hey, guys. Hope you're doing great. I hope the week's gone fantastic, and I hope that the rest of the day goes well for you as well. Hey. Listen. I grew up in Littleton, Colorado. It's a city just outside of Denver. I loved it. It was a lot of fun. It's a city right in between Denver and the mountains. It's kind of an outdoor playground. I loved it a lot. Growing up though, I was always kind of the kid who was trying to sell whatever knick-knack to whatever person. You know what I mean? I was like in the movie Hercules, that guy that was running around asking people if they want to buy sun dials. You know what I mean? I was that guy. I've always been trying to sell stuff.
What was funny about it is I never realized that I was that kind of guy, and you probably can relate with me. I never realized that I was that kind of ... There was never that introspective moment like, "Oh my gosh. I'm that guy," you know, like, "Oh my gosh. I like sales. Oh my gosh. I like business." What was funny is when I got into college, I still had not captured this persona. I had not owned who I naturally am yet. You know? I had not owned that, and so it was weird. I was in business classes, and I was going to marketing classes, and we'd be learning all sorts of crazy formulas and all this stuff, and people would ask, and professors, and teachers, and leaders, and stuff, they'd ask, "Hey, Steven. What is it you want to do?"
Deep down inside I always knew I wanted my own business. I always wanted to be able to run my own thing, but I almost ... I got my perception of what it meant to be an entrepreneur from a lot of Hollywood stories, and from a magazine articles, and from YouTube. This whole persona of what it meant to be an entrepreneur started sitting down on me. It was weird. I had a hard time accepting the fact that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, because in my mind, thank you very much, Hollywood, I was falsely believing that to be an entrepreneur it meant I had to be greedy. It meant I had to go out and I had to be this guy that was constantly wearing a nice suit. There was always a briefcase in my hand. I was walking all to a meeting always. You know what I mean? It's super ... I didn't know what it meant.
All I knew was I wanted to run businesses, and I had been doing it in college. I had started several. Several of them were actually quite successful. It was actually a lot of fun, but I had a hard time telling people ... because all the other students around me, all of their goals were always like, "Hey. I'm going to go work for JP Morgan. Hey. I'm going to go work for this. Hey. I'm going to work for ...", you know, huge, huge people. They're like, "Steve, what are you going to do?" I'm like, "Well, I am going to start a business."
I remember the funny looks that I always got, and I had a hard time, because I was excited to tell people, "Oh my gosh. This is what I want to do," but the reactions that I would get were so ... I don't even know what to say. They were negative almost, not negative, but it was always like, "Oh. You're that guy." You know what I mean? That was the like, "Oh. Good job. Go try it. Oh. Good job. Yeah. Oh. He's going to be an entrepreneur." You know? That was the mentality that I could tell a lot of people ... the reaction that I would get a lot of times.
And so, for years, with everyone, I mean everyone, with not just friends, but family, you know, my wife, parents, I mean, anybody, anybody, those closest to me, and even myself ... I had a hard time accepting the fact that I wanted to be in business for myself. I had a very hard time saying that to people I respected most. I had a hard time owning my natural desire. That's literally the entire topic of this episode. I just wanted to ... As I've gone and this secret MLM Hacks product is about to launch here in the next little bit, as things are starting to fall in place ... I mean, I've had to become more and more clear with what it is I actually want, and I had to have learned to be okay with that, not that I wasn't okay with it, but I had a hard time telling people what I even wanted, what my goals were, because I was afraid of offending someone.
I had a hard time in college telling people what I wanted, because I was afraid that people would look at me and go, "Oh my gosh. That's a greedy guy. What? You just want money?" I'm like, "Yeah. I am intentionally trying to make a lot of money. You know? And you should be too." If it's not something that you're okay stating in a food court and publicly, start checking yourself. Why are you doing what you're doing? Are there internal desires that you have that are not being consistent with what you're saying? I guarantee you that as soon as you start to put your words in your conversation and the conversation in your head and it starts to actually line up with what is inside you, oh my gosh, you guys, stuff starts falling into place for you, because you get true. You get forward. You start to tell people, "Yes. This is what I want," and you move forward, and you start going and going.
You know, it's funny. There was an MLM I joined when I was in college. I didn't know what I was doing. I was trying. It was a good experience. I'm glad that I did it, but there was this MLM that I joined in college. I had a hard time admitting to people that I had joined an MLM. I wasn't willing to admit to myself or to others that I was in an MLM. Have you ever felt this? My guess is that you have. If you're on this podcast, you've probably had that feeling before. You know? There was even a different one that was local to where I was.
I was not a part of it, but there was the actual headquarters for a different MLM was near where I was. If I said the name, you all would know it, so I'm not going to say it. But they came out and they started trying to tell people that they were not an MLM. It confused the crap out of all their people, like, "Wait a second. What?" "No. This is not a multilevel marketing company. This is a direct sales company." They kept trying to change the name. I started noticing that all of these people started trying to do that too, that the term MLM was almost like a swear word. I get it. I know that there are people who go make a bad name, but that's true for every industry, but masking it is you merely not owning what it is you actually want to do. Does that make sense?
Okay. I went online real quick here, and I actually started looking through all the different phrases that are synonymous with MLM. What are the other things that we can call MLM without calling it MLM? Well, we could call it network marketing. It's like, okay, that's a pretty standard one. Direct sales, right? Direct selling, referral marketing. Oh. That's not MLM. Business opportunity. It's like, "What?" This one killed me. I heard this one today actually, circle of influence marketing. Circle of influence marketing? What? How much denial are you in to say that? Okay. Anyway ... I'm trying to be sensitive to this, but ... Pyramid selling. Now, that just sounds crazy.
Anyway, there's a lot of friends that I had and a lot of peoples I started rubbing shoulder with. Every time I saw someone who was in an MLM, they would go out and they would start to say, "No. No. No. It's not an MLM. It's just this." Okay. By definition, by law, if it's three tiers ... If it's two tiers, that's affiliate marketing. It just means you have a rewards system for the second tier. If there are three tiers, if there are three tiers of compensation, it is by definition an MLM, right? Multilevel marketing, multilevel marketing.
You know, I had this moment a little while ago, where ... I'm not sure if you guys ever read the book, The ONE Thing, by Gary Keller. Gary Keller is like Keller Williams, real estate, you know, massive, huge, huge, huge real estate company obviously. But Gary Keller goes through and he starts talking about how let's think forward about what your goals are. What is it that you want to be? What is it you're trying to become? What's your some day goal? What the thing that you want to be doing in 10 years?
What's funny, what's interesting, I actually, for a long time, I kind of shunned that question. I have no idea what I want to be doing in 10 years. I have no idea what I want to be doing in five years. I know it revolves around me having my own businesses still. I know it revolves around me charging the path and honestly doing a lot of the same things I am now. I'd love to have my own software company. I'd love to be able to ... It's interesting to start thinking that, like what is it that you actually want? Are the things you're doing today actually contributing to that long term goal?
There was this ... I can't remember where I've heard this. I've heard this several times though. There was this ... I think so anyways. Anyway, regardless, there was this billionaire that was getting interviewed on some .... I can't remember where it was. Anyway, this billionaire was getting interviewed, and he was giving advice. This was his advice. He said, "Okay. Think through your 10 year goal. What is it that you really want to get? What is it that you want to be? What do you want to have? What do you want to be doing in 10 years? Get really clear on it." Okay. 10 years.
Now, what would It take for you to achieve all of that in the next six months? That's crazy. That's nuts, right? He said, "That's how billionaires think." They just go through and they do the most important tasks, and all their tasks are only focused on that one thing, no distraction, complete honesty with themselves as they do it. There's been several times, I know that you guys have probably seen the same thing before, because a lot of time the people get into MLM, it's the very first business thing they've ever tried ever, which is great. That's awesome, but part of that is someone needs to start ... the new person needs to begin owning what they really want. Some of that takes some personal acceptance. Sometimes that's hard. That's not easy to do.
There's a lot of belief involved in your own self to go and do something like have your own business, or have your own MLM position and make it successful, or start anything new, or charge the path of something that's already been proven. You know? There's a lot of belief and this level of self-confidence, and it's something that it took me a long time to go get before I felt like I could stand up in a food court and say, "Yes. I am Steve Larsen, and I want to be an entrepreneur. I am Steve Larsen." For a while it took me a long time to just to say I want to be an entrepreneur. It took me an even longer amount of time to say, "I am one." Does that make sense?
You are in MLM. You area multilevel marketer. Own the thing. The more people you're offending by saying that, the better. It's counterintuitive. It means you're actually marketing. It means you're actually doing what you should be doing, right? There's a great marketing quote, "If you don't offend someone by noon, you're not working hard enough." It's the same thing for multilevel marketing. You got to believe in yourself though while you do it. I wasn't planning on doing an episode about this. I honestly just sat down. It's been on my mind, as I've watched other people start to grow and start to gain the personal development that MLM requires and any kind of business requires, is belief in one's self, right? This total trust in what it is you know you want, not just to believe it, but to say it to other people.
There's a great quote I cannot name. I don't know ... I can't say his name, as I'm not good at other languages, besides English. He said, "Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is. Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is." It's fascinating. Ask yourself, what are you believing? What if you believed about yourself? What if you believed about your potential and your capacity, what your actual goals are. What are those beliefs? Start getting real with yourself on what those things are. Start figuring out what that goal is in the ... You know, what's nice about setting that goal our there is that it actually makes a lot of decisions for you. You no longer have to think, "Oh. Should I go do this? Should I go do that?" No, because it's not part of your original goal.
If that's not part of the thing you're going for, then decisions made for you. Don't go for it. Does that make sense? It's been one of the scariest questions I've started asking myself lately, what do I actually want? Right? That question has led me ... I mean, I most said something I'm not allowed to say yet, but it's one of the freakiest things. Me getting real with want I actually want has led me to me to do things that others are calling ludicrous, but because I am driven by my end goal, and I'm finally confident in stating what that is to myself and to others. I just legally, I don't know if I can say it yet. It'll be very exciting. Stay tuned to this podcast by the way, but I believe in this product that I'm launching that there are massive measures being take, so that it changes the MLM industry. That's the whole goal.
I'm tired of how things happen inside the whole industry. I'm tired of the whole tactic's stuck in the 90s. You get MLM, it's broken out of the box. The tactics the up line teaching aren't totally aren't totally accurate. Anyway, I'm not saying they don't work, but they're not effective. They're not efficient, I should say. Anyway, side rant, but it's been fascinating. My whole question, my whole hope, while you are actually pushing, wherever you are in the journey. If you're starting out brand new or you're far into it, or whatever it is. Start asking yourself, what do you actually want?
I challenge you, once you know what that is, number two, own it. Man, put it all over your wall. I mean, I've got quotes all over the place. I've got quotes on my desk. I've got quotes literally, all over the place just things, just trying to keep my in state. Remember the goal. I've got this goal that's constantly going through my head. It's two thousand seven hundred and I think thirteen dollars a day. If I do that, that's a million dollars in a year. $2,700 a day. I had a hard time admitting that I wanted to make that kind of money for a long time, because I had to break ways that I was was raised in. I had to break beliefs of, you know, that I picked up in school that weren't correct. I had to break beliefs of people who are well meaning, but ill informed, as far as my potential and the things I wanted to do, and you're the exact same way.
Start thinking through the believes that you have about yourself, and your potential, and the things you can do, and get real with them. Call it MLM. Don't sugar coat it. Whatever it is, your dream, the industry you choose, the thing you're going for, if you're not clear about what it is you actually want, don't expect anyone else to be clear in helping you. Does that makes sense? I hope that makes sense, what I'm trying to say. If you're not excited, no one else is going to be excited for you. You're the only person who cares about your own success, not that other people don't care about you, but you're the only one who's actually going to drive it. You know what I mean? No one's going to call you accidentally and be like, "Oh. We've got 100 people who want to come join your down line."
That happened to me about two or three days ago. Someone emailed me, again, wanting to bring several thousand people of their down line into mine. It's like, "Oh my gosh." It's because of the stuff that I do, the stuff that works. I never, ever, ever, ever tell you guys what MLM I'm a part of on this podcast, for that reason. That's not the purpose on it. I am not here to recruit. I am here to share the tactics. I'm here to share the mindsets. I'm hear to share all of the different pieces, and the methods, and the marketing, the automation that I use to actually automate my down line. To make a sustainable, duplicatable down line, actual passive income.
I think my first check in MLM was like 13 bucks. I was like, "Oh my gosh. My tactics have got to switch, because this is not ... I'm not doing this." Anyway, I'm not bagging on anyone who's doing that. I'm just saying there's other ways, and there's much better ways, thanks to technology. Anyway, I hope that's making sense though, what I'm saying. Be real with what industry you're in. Don't try to sugar coat it. If you're in MLM, be freaking in MLM. If you know what your goal is, stand up and shout it from the rooftops, "This is my goal. Get it out of the way. That's what I'm doing, right?" I wish it had not taken me so long.
As I was growing up and I started doing this stuff, I wish I had been more confident in what my goals were. I was so nervous about what other people were going to think about my goals. I was so nervous about my ambitions and what other people were going to say about them. It's stupid. Don't do it. Get clear with it on yourself, and then get clear with those around you, and your friends, and your family, and your loved ones, and your spouse. If anyone around you asks, "Be real, clear, open, and honest."
Steven Larsen, what is your goal? I want to make a lot of money, so I can be heavily involved in philanthropy. That's my goal. There's numbers attached to that, and there's timelines attached to that, and I'm trying to break them all, and I'm trying to go as hard as I can, and push hard, and everything, but that's the goal, make a crap load of money and do a lot of humanitarian work. I had a hard time for a long time accepting that that's what I was trying to do, which is stupid, right? A lot of people would hear that and go, "That's a great goal." Well, I don't know why, but I was really embarrassed to say that. You know? I don't know how, but I want to change the world. You know? Anyway, just get clear with yourself and your goals, especially if you're brand new inside of business in general, or trying stuff new, or whatever it is, you can't lean on the approval of other people for very long. That's going to let you down real quick.
Anyway, I'm starting to rant now. I usually do not get on a soapbox like this with these episodes, but anyway, regardless, hopefully it's been harmless. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed this. If you have, you know what would be really nice? I got onto iTunes the other day. I would love it, if you wouldn't mind, go over to iTunes and leave a review. I would love to know ... I do read them. I got on iTunes the other day, and there's a whole bunch on there. I was like, "Whoa." This podcast has only going for like two months. This is super cool. What month is it? Three months I think. Anyway, regardless, I would love a review if you guys wouldn't. Open, honest feedback. I read it, good or and, I would just love to hear what you have to say, so anyways, hope you guys are doing great, and I'll talk to you later. Bye.
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