We caught up with ex-Madison Avenue advertising legend, Effie Award winner and magician Dr. Ben Mack and extracted these 10 nuggets about making a very successful transition from a J.O.B. to internet entrepreneur. (He mentions that he is most proud of growing his opt-in email database from 3,200 to over 30,000 in less than 10 days)
Ben also admits he wasn’t always such a positive person as he is now…Take it away Ben!
Have you always been a positive person and felt that you could do anything to put your mind to?
BEN: No. I have not always been a positive person. Nor, have I often felt that I could do anything to put my mind to. As a kindergartener I was called a crybaby. As a teenager I felt like I was wearing girl-repellant. I became a positive person when I tamed my monkey-mind, that critical inner voice which used to never shut-up. Now, my mind is often quiet enough for me to hear intuitive whispers. When I had an unquiet mind, I couldn’t hear my intuition.
The biggest question for me now is distinguishing between wishful thinking and my intuitive whisper. I’m beginning to sense the difference in their energies and tone. What I’d like to share with you is that a calm mind makes your wishes come true. At least, that’s been my experience. I imagine you will share similar experiences.
Recent breakthrough?
BEN: My biggest recent breakthrough was being the #1 Business Book on Amazon for four days. In the process, I saw myself breaking through to a 5-figure list of double opt-ins. I grew my email list from 3,200 to over 30,000 in less than 10 days.
Role model?
BEN: My heartfelt role model is R. Buckminster Fuller, I called him Bucky when I met him at twelve-years-old. Bucky focused on solving the most important problems right now! Bucky said:
“The things to do are: the things that need doing, that you see need to be done, and that no one else seems to see need to be done. Then you will conceive your own way of doing that which needs to be done — that no one else has told you to do or how to do it.”
This will bring out the real you that often gets buried inside a character that has acquired a superficial array of behaviors induced or imposed by others on the individual.
Mantra?
BEN: My Career Mantra is, I am the message. My Business mantra, think two products ahead.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
BEN: I was inspired to become an entrepreneur because I stand for the possibility that every human have drinkable water and it appears to me that decentralizing the world powers is the fastest, most likely way to bring drinkable water to every human on this planet.
My work empowers entrepreneurs to market more efficiently and more sustainably profitable. Seriously. Concentrated power is hegemonic and the only way to decentralize world power is to empower more entrepreneurs to get bigger faster.
When did you start your business?
BEN: I started Direct Response Branding, in January 2005. However, my first business was a lemonade stand in 1972, when I was four. I wanted to buy a bike. Since then, I have had many entrepreneurial endeavors.
My last 21 months have been spent working with entrepreneurs on focusing their most profitable preferences and building them a Legend Platform, a single paged visual business plan. Entrepreneurs need a business plan. However, they need a business plan that allows for the flexibility of a non-traditional business, an entrepreneurial business plan. To maximize their entrepreneurial efforts, the Legend Platform is the blueprint for maximizing their efforts the fastest.
My last two salaried jobs paid me $180,000/year each. This year I should exceed all of my previous salaried jobs. In addition, I’m happy.
What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but, don’t feel they have the confidence to move forward?
BEN: If you want to embrace your dream, and you are wondering how to develop your confidence, you will be well-served to learn how to sell. Search for a product or service from which you have authentically benefited, and then learn to sell this product or service. I’d suggest you find a product or service you can see yourself championing in public. In addition, choosing a product or service to sell that comes with extensive training is critical to skill development. You see, once you learn the blocking and tackling of sales, you can make money following your passions .
What gives you the edge over your competitors?
BEN: I’m the best at what I do. There isn’t anyone else specializing in entrepreneurial branding that has 1/10th of my credits or breadth of success. While in Corporate America I created the yo-yo craze of 1998, taking Yomega Yo-Yos from $8mm to over $110,000,000 in a SINGLE YEAR. I’ve helped an entrepreneur grow from $120k to over $500k in two years. My proven track record gives me a huge advantage.
Approximately how much money did you invest before your business became profitable?
BEN: Zero. $0. Nada.
What sort of transition did you have when you left your full time job and you decided to start a business?
BEN: I got fired. I called around to old friends and one needed some research the very next week.
10 Responses to “From Crybaby to Successful Entrepreneur”
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October 28th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
This is a great synopsis of Ben Mack’s thoughts. Great job.
Janie
October 29th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
This was a really excellent interview! Thank you.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
[…] it was single handedly created by this guy. Check the article about 2/3 of the way […]
October 29th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
[…] just wrote this post over on the YoYoGuy blog (remember that). Check out this dude who claims he single-handedly created the 1998 yo-yo boom. “I created the yo-yo craze of […]
October 29th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I created the yo-yo craze of 1998…
was that before or after Al Gore creted the internet?
October 30th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I’ve never heard of this guy and neither has any yoyoer I’ve talked to in the last eight years. This is what my friend and National Yoyo Master Steve Brown had to say about Ben Mack on the site yoyo2.com. I’d say I’d have to agree with Steve on this one.
“Credit where credit is due. Alan Nagao created the yo-yo boom of the late ’90s, along with his small army of underpaid kid demonstrators.
This guy strikes me as the typical super-motivational-business-ninjas; he gets all his work by making up previous successes, embellishing his part in larger projects, and generally bullshitting everyone into hiring him.
Which is an art in itself, for sure. But it’s hardly laudable.”
November 1st, 2007 at 9:31 pm
For crying out loud (no pun intended) this guy was the marketing guy, people…he’s not the yoyo inventor. He won an Effie advertising award for being the brains behind the campaign.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/effie_assets/2000/510/2000_510_pdf_1.pdf
November 7th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Great interview! Ben is such an interesting person! Check out my blog to find a detailed account of his recent webinar series, an intro to his newest product “Profitable Magic”.
http://leadyourlives.blogspot.com/
Cheers,
Laura Gagnon
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
yeah, some people are complete idiots. they probably didn’t even read the first sentence where it talks about how Ben was in ADVERTISING.
gimme a break you yoyo nerds!
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
The thing is, he cannot claim that he was responsible for the boom.
The boom came when people actually watched other people use those yoyos, not because they saw them on annoying pop-ups. (and I sincerely feel sorry for those of you who actually believe that people are so stupid)
Business is a matter of teamwork. No man can single handedly create a business. Talent, actual blood sweat and tears, along with manufacturing cannot all be rounded off, and will not be rounded off. Look at the situation from every angle.