At age 12, Russell Brunson was inspired to become an entrepreneur after watching an infomercial about making money. Over the years, he faced massive personal and professional setbacks, from losing 60% of his staff to battling infertility, financial struggles, and nearly going to jail. But instead of giving up, he turned each failure into a lesson, tweaking his approach and ultimately co-founding the multi-billion-dollar company, ClickFunnels. In this episode, Russell shares with Ilana how he transformed his toughest setbacks into the foundation of his thriving business, offering powerful lessons on resilience, success, and the impact of authentic relationships.

Russell Brunson is a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and digital marketing expert. He is widely recognized as the co-founder of ClickFunnels, a leading marketing software company that helps businesses worldwide boost conversions and drive sales.

In this episode, Ilana and Russell will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction 

(01:54) The Infomercial That Turned Him Into a Young Entrepreneur

(05:29) What Wrestling Taught Him About Overcoming Failure in Business

(07:55) Launching His First Business, The Potato Gun

(09:52) Russell’s Rollercoaster Journey to His First Million

(14:25) Key Lessons from His Toughest Year

(21:27) The Birth of ClickFunnels

(26:61) Finding Fulfillment in Helping Others Succeed

(28:58) Leading ClickFunnels Through Its First Major Crisis

(34:18) How Serving Tony Robbins Led to Lifelong Mentorship

(37:32) Building Lasting Relationships with the Dream 100 Strategy

(42:45) The Emotional Story of Russell’s Fertility Journey

(44:38) Why Vulnerability in Business Can Lead to Unlikely Success 

(46:51) Tips for Building a Winning Team That Drives Your Success

(49:58) Turning Your Pain into an Asset

Russell Brunson is a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and digital marketing expert. He is widely recognized as the co-founder of ClickFunnels, a leading marketing software company that helps businesses worldwide boost conversions and drive sales. Over the past 19 years, he has built a community of over a million entrepreneurs and authored New York Times bestsellers, including DotCom Secrets and Expert Secrets. 

Connect with Russell:

Russell’s Website: www.russellbrunson.com 

Russell’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellbrunson/ 

Russell’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/russellbrunson 

Resources Mentioned:

Russell’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@russellbrunson

The 12 month millionaire Droplets: Vincent James's Unmissable Revelations by Vincent James: https://www.amazon.com/month-millionaire-Droplets-Unmissable-Revelations/dp/B0CXJGPXNN 

Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty: The Only Networking Book You'll Ever Need by Harvey Mackay: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Well-Before-Youre-Thirsty/dp/0385485468 

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