Make it BrEpic! Former Journalist Now PR Company Founder Justin Breen Reveals How Visionary Entrepreneurs Create Extraordinary Success (#77)

[00:00:05] Jeffrey Feldberg: Welcome to the Sell My Business Podcast. I'm your host Jeffrey Feldberg.

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Justin Breen is the Founder and CEO of BrEpic Communications LLC. A public relations company that works exclusively with visionaries and exceptional businesses around the world. Although BrEpic Communications is a public relations firm. Justin still considers himself a journalist, which is how he started out in his career. Justin is hardwired to seek out and create viral thought-provoking stories that the media craves and he finds the best stories when he networks with visionary entrepreneurs and executives who understand the value of investing in themselves and their businesses.

In May 2020 Justin published his first book. Epic Business: 30 Secrets to Build Your Business Exponentially and Give You the Freedom to Live the Life You Want.

The book details, 30 lessons, which he learned working with some of the top entrepreneurs in the world, and outlines how he has applied their wisdom to his company. Justin attended the University of Illinois, where he received his Bachelor's of Science in News and Editorial Journalism. In 2020, his company was a winner of the Silver Trumpet award from the Publicity Club of Chicago.

Justin resides in the Greater Chicago area with his wife, Sarah, and two children, Jake and Chase.

Welcome to the Sell My Business podcast.

I have a very special guest with us today, Justin. 

And Justin has a story that's going to knock you off your feet when you hear it, both of where he came from and what he's doing. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. So, firstly, Justin, welcome to The Sell My Business Podcast.

So, happy to have you with us. And for our first question, there's always a story behind the story and Justin would love to hear what's your story? What got you to where you are today?

[00:03:19] Justin Breen: Yeah, so, it's great to be on here. Most of my days talking to the world's top entrepreneurs and then my brain is like a sponge. You know, I just love talking to people like you think at the highest level. And then hear some interesting things and then incorporate it into my life or connect people like that to each other.

My brain can just do that very quickly. And I was just born to be an entrepreneur at the highest level. My father was 61 when I was born, my mom was 27 and my father would be 105. He was alive now. And so, he was a World War II hero who came from nothing.

He was shot down nine times in combat and gained from nothing became the president of insurance company and attorney and the Nuremberg trials. And kept a diary of his experiences fighting in World War II in the Battle of the Hurricane Forest. I don't know how he wrote it.

He was in a foxhole and rain pelting down. And I write exactly like he does, inform and entertain. There's no fluff, there's no-nonsense. It's just inform and entertain. And so, that's my dad. And then when he was in his late fifties, he was driving on an expressway and a drunk driver went across the median and hit him head-on and the drunk driver was killed.

And instantly my dad broke every bone in his body, but he survived and my mom was this nurse. So, my mom literally nursed him back to health. And most of my days talking to people like you at the highest level, and I've never met anyone in my life with more hustle than my mom

I was just born to be this person. I'm just my parents combined. And here I am.

[00:04:46] Jeffrey Feldberg: Wow. That's a phenomenal story and background, and you had some exposure to some life trials that most people will never have. How did that shape you on a couple of fronts, Justin? So, firstly having a father who had you when he was 61, I believe you said. And so, growing up to have a father at that stage in his life and then a war hero and then you combine that with what happened with the accident.

So, how did that impact you growing up?

[00:05:15] Justin Breen: You're either born to be the highest performing entrepreneur on the planet or not. And that's just how it is, because I think most people would want to have this life where you do what you like to do and what you're good at you've make as much money as you want to.

Most people would do that but if you said, oh, you have to go through almost certainly you have to go through bankruptcy or potential bankruptcy, depression, the highest-level anxiety and, possible traumatic experiences as a child or young adult, then they'd say no.

Those people stop at those four things. You don't stop at those four things. You just, you never stop. You just keep going. born be that person. And my dad, again, he died when I was 13. But he lived just long enough.

He told me all the time the cream rises to the top. So, I only partnered with the cream that rises to the top or the people that would never make excuses. No excuses is the highest level so, only partner with the cream, that rise to the top are the ones that'll make the investment to rise to the top. Period.

So, I just eliminate all the everything else. I just eliminate nonsense for my life.

[00:06:10] Jeffrey Feldberg: And let's talk about that because it was 2017 when you did something that was interesting, you really said, hey, stop the press. And you started your company, BREPIC Communications. And so, was that all about Justin? And what had you say, I'm going to start my company because you started this and we'll let the listeners hear what it is that you do in your own words.

You'll do a far better job of that than I could ever do, but let them hear in your own words, you got into an industry and into a business that was really new for you. And most people wouldn't have done that. So, what led to that?

[00:06:47] Justin Breen: February 10th, 2017, I was working full-time as a journalist. Spent my whole life as a journalist.

And so, February 10th, 2017 had a five-minute meeting with the company's owner and managing editor and they proceeded to cut my salary in half and I'd done nothing wrong. It's just, that's what happens in journalism. Tried to find a job. Couldn't find a job over the next couple of weeks. So, incorporated a company called BrEpic April 16th, 2017.

So, over the next six weeks, while I was working full-time at half the salary, I reached out to 5,000 people to find my first five clients. One out of a thousand folks said yes, 999 no's for every, yes. So, 0.1%. And got the fifth client. It was June 1st, 2017, resigned June 2nd.

So, that was just to get the firm started. Most people can't do that. Can't do that. But I was, I was just born to be able to do that. And then entrepreneur life again, people see sunshine and rainbows, but still entrepreneur at the highest level at the very highest level.

I'm not talking about nickel and dime businesses. I'm talking very highest level of, top entrepreneur that does not overcome at least one of the following four things. Most are two or three. Some are all four, but most are two or three. And I mentioned them before, the four things are bankruptcy or potential bankruptcy, two depression, three of the highest level of anxiety you can imagine.

And four likely and or possible traumatic experiences as child-rearing adult. So, most people that's where they stop. They use those as excuses, their whole lives. They're from, pretty much from childhood they use those as excuses. Top entrepreneur on the planet. No excuses. You just get it done, period,

[00:08:16] Jeffrey Feldberg: Overnight, you switch from being a journalist, a reporter, and you went into a sales role and for every 1000 you spoke to 999 "no.". The classic entrepreneurial story, you had your one person that said yes. And you kept on going.

Most people would have stopped probably after the first, maybe 15 to 20, certainly in the first 50, and probably not make it to a hundred, but you just kept on going. So, what was motivating you to get that done Justin?

[00:08:45] Justin Breen: Yeah. So, my father came from nothing. A war hero shot down nine times in combat, many times not wearing a pair of shoes. His diary talks about that in detail and his diaries, my most cherished possession. And I'm not going to F it up for my dad.

[00:08:59] Jeffrey Feldberg: So, your father's legacy in memory of him and being the father, son, just pushing you forward to get that done.

[00:09:06] Justin Breen: No matter how successful it gets that's meaningless. I never stopped. Never stopped because at the highest level, you never stop. You always want to grow.

You always want to get better. But my dad, I will never stop and the best part about being an entrepreneur is that my kids see me. They don't, this life is even possible because most people don't even, aren't even aware that entrepreneur life is even possible because most of the world is scarcity and most of the world employee and not abundant.

I'm happy that my kids get to see me doing this at such a young age, and they can do whatever they want with that. But that's the best part about being an entrepreneur.

[00:09:41] Jeffrey Feldberg: And so, with his work ethic, which is applicable to every business owner that is listening in our community. Justin, when you were building BrEpic Communications, you had the three C's that you talk about of using and relying on those three C's to things going for your firm. Can you share with our audience what those three C's are and why they're important?

[00:10:04] Justin Breen: Here's the main C and I'm in Strategic Coach, which I'm very confident saying that it's a top entrepreneurial group in the world. I'm very thankful for that. Dan Sullivan, very confident saying he's the top entrepreneurial coaches and I like Strategic Coach so, much because he's really the closest person I met who reminds me of my dad. So, that's why there's so, much wisdom. Dan talks about the C's and to me, the number one is courage, and courage is getting in a plane like my dad without a parachute, many times.

In combat and then most people, they don't have courage because courage has to do with fear and the fear stops them. I've learned that fear is actually a good thing because that means you're excited about something And you just have the courage to push through it.

You never stop. You just keep pushing through it. Whether 999 people say "no." And it's interesting, you mentioned the sales. I haven't sold anything and I don't know. I've been an entrepreneur for a little over four years. I haven't really sold anything in at least two years. I haven't done anything, outbound.

I've become the buyer. Folks pay my firm, but I'm the buyer of only the people I want to hang out with. I don't sell anything if it's someone that I don't want to interact with, it's not the right fit. So, if it's the right fit, then they just pay my firm. And then we partner together.

[00:11:14] Jeffrey Feldberg: And we're going to talk about that because I know for me, that is a wonderful entree into your book, but before we get to your book, which is intriguing just from the title all the way through why don't you share with our listeners, what it is exactly that you do at BrEpic because you have a different take on things than what most others are doing out there.

And so,, In your own words, Justin, what do you do for clients? A business comes up to you and says, okay, please help me, Justin, what does that look like and how are you helping them?

[00:11:46] Justin Breen: Sure. So, I'm a hundred percent simplifier how my brain works as I hear blah, blah, blah, and then simplify it and turn it into patterns. That's how my brain works. So, the formula for building a successful global company is very simple. it's very simple. So, here's the entire formula. You see a problem, create solution to problem, problem solved. Successful global company.

See a problem, create solution, problem solved. Successful global company. Okay, so, that's the formula. So, I was a journalist for 20 years and created my entire business model based on how PR firms annoyed me for 20 years. Saw a problem. Created solution. Problem solved. Successful global company. my company's entire solution to that problem was on the website.

There are no tricks, there are no gimmicks. This is what my company does. The problem is hundreds of times a day, you're annoyed by useless press releases from people that you don't know. It's annoying. And the press releases are useless because they serve the client, not the journalist that's annoying and it's, and it doesn't help anyone it's annoying.

So, my firm solution to that problem is we create actual newsworthy stories, similar to what I did as a journalist. Becomes the link on the client's website, under news or blogs. So, it looked like a story you see in the Toronto Sun, New York Times, whatever, it doesn't matter. Take that link pitch to media all over the world.

Media is interested, put them in touch with the client. Problem solved. So, it solves the problem. So, clients around the world, all verticals except politics, cause it's the opposite of visionary, abundance, investment mindset. All company sizes. That's meaningless. I only partner with people with visionary, abundance, investment mindset. Those people, they don't ask, what do you cost or charge? They don't live in scarcity. They just want, is it an investment with you? Let's go. So, it just eliminates all this transactional stuff that most people are living.

[00:13:30] Jeffrey Feldberg: And it's fascinating because at the heart of it, for me, what entrepreneurial-ism is all about and being an entrepreneur, it's really finding a painful problem. Solving it for people just becoming, so, world-class at that, that you can create a market disruption and like you say, then go on and find the next problem.

Exactly.

[00:13:51] Justin Breen: Figure it out, how to sell your company for the best you waited it out, found a solution to that problem.

Now you're teaching others how to do that. There's no difference. It's the same formula you saw a problem. Create a solution. Problem solves. Successful global company. I like talking to people like you because people with your brains create these things that change the world, then my brain simplifies it.

And then it's intro media opportunity. The purpose of my life is to be a connecting superhero for every visionary, abundance investment mindset entrepreneur, and share their stories with the world. So, that's a hundred percent of my day besides hanging out with my family.

So, I worked with people with your brains and then just simplify and then and people like you are very grateful for that because they want to be able to solve the problem for others. They just don't know how to get in front of the right people to do. My brain just does it.

It's intro. It's so, easy for me. It's endlessly fun. It's very lucrative. It's simple. There's a limitless abundance to people like you. Once you find people like you, that's the beauty of it.

[00:14:46] Jeffrey Feldberg: And so, Justin, I'm sure that our listeners have the following question because you're working with successful business owners at successful businesses. You become world-class at what you do. You're working with world-class enterprises. What are these business owners doing or either not doing?

If you're to look at 10 client cases that you really help make a difference, are there some patterns that you can share with us as business owners, where we tend to just drop the ball?

[00:15:12] Justin Breen: Yeah. So, my entire brain takes blah, blah, blah, and simplifies, and it turned into patterns. So, all I do is turn things into patterns. So, thanks for using the. word patterns. So, the ultimate simplification, my favorite pattern that I've seen, this is the number one by far. So, if you have the right mindset, it creates the right networking for that creates the right opportunities. If you had the right mindset creates the right network creates the right opportunities. So, again, that's why I only partner with visionary abundance investment mindset, entrepreneurs. So, people with visionary, abundance, investment mindset, you can only be one of two types of people. Why? Because I simplify everything and see patterns, which is what you just asked.

So, people with visionary, abundance, investment mindset, one of two types of people, running high six, figure to 10 figure business, see the family and friends whenever they want to do what they like to do, what they're good at or they're going to be one of those people.

They're not they're revenue-wise, but they will be. They're not living in scarcity world. So, I've worked with multiple billionaires and I think six it's up to six now folks that are dirt broke. Why? Because they'll make the investment.

They'll find a way to make the investment. They won't ask what do you cost? They'll find a way to make the investment. so, it just eliminates 99.9% of the population, but 0.1%, there are 8 billion people on the planet, 0.1% Just like the number of people, the percentage that said yes when I first started 0.1. It's 8 million people, but 8 million people. They're the ones that actually create the technologies and the companies that employ everyone else. So, I've served the 0.1% because they are the only ones that understand what I'm talking about, and they're the only ones that are going to create the companies and invest in them that hire and employ everybody else.

So, that's how I serve the world by serving just one type of person.

[00:16:48] Jeffrey Feldberg: So, if I'm a business owner and I'm listening to our interview right now, Justin, and I'm saying, okay, I'm a pretty smart person. I can have the right mindset. I have a terrific company. I haven't gotten it to the point quite where I'd like it to go growth-wise, revenue-wise, profit-wise, whatever that may be. Based on what you've seen. Justin, what can I do for this person asking the question? What would be the top two or three things that I can do that maybe I'm not doing? I'm doing it wrong.

[00:17:15] Justin Breen: Okay. So, that's a good one. One, what I hear over and over is we're tired of being the best secret. So, they want to be in news and media to hide usually global that many times national regional level to create more validity and credibility so, that's one. Two joining the right groups of people because entrepreneurs at the highest level are usually, but not always aliens within their own family, aliens within their own community, and aliens. And then our vertical, nobody understands them except the highest performing entrepreneurs on the planet. So, I'm in two of the top entrepreneurial groups in the world.

One is Strategic Coach and then the other is Abundance 360, which in that level, I'm at 99% of the folks who are running $10 million to $10 billion companies. And I like being in a room like that because again, those are the people that are the they're the wow, that's actually happening. Wow is meaningless unless it happens. They'll find a way to get the capital that makes it happen. I just need to be in a room with people like that. And then I just work on my mindset every single day. I treat my brain like a muscle. When you work on your mindset, it just attracts the right people that will do the things.

[00:18:12] Jeffrey Feldberg: So, Justin is mindset is that the third component of that you said tired of being the best-kept secret, finding the right group of people. And so, mindset rounds that out.

[00:18:21] Justin Breen: Yeah. That's interesting that I said it third because really mindset is number one. Mindset is the most important thing. I started, my company with zero business background a little over four years ago. Zero. I didn't even know what an entrepreneur was. I didn't know you had to pay taxes four times a year.

I still don't know what an S-Corp means. I have no idea what that means. But in terms of, this, I just had the right mindset it just attracts the right people. When people like that they just hang out with other people like that. And so, again, no outbound sales, and you're just constantly getting intros to some of the top people in the world. Or people that are hungry and we'll make the investment. Even if they don't have any money, they'll find a way to make the investment to become one of those people.

[00:19:00] Jeffrey Feldberg: Let's talk about mindset and I know that mindset that could be many podcast episodes. There's so, much that we can talk about.

[00:19:07] Justin Breen: Endless.

[00:19:08] Jeffrey Feldberg: That said, though, for our community, they're asking, okay, Justin, I'm a pretty positive person. I the mindset part, but obviously things aren't connecting for me like they have with you.

So, what would be some of the takeaways from mindset and really you're your own personal experiment because you did this.

[00:19:26] Justin Breen: A hundred percent.

[00:19:26] Jeffrey Feldberg: You became successful with this. So, what did you do with your mindset to get it to the point where things started to click and in your own words, you haven't done marketing in at least a few years?

Clients are just introduced to you and they want to work with you. That's every business owner's dream. So, how did you get there with your mind?

[00:19:42] Justin Breen: You're your own experiment to your this is what I mean. You're the only one who understands what I do. You are, you literally your own experiment. You did put you're teaching other people to do. That's what I've been. Again, you're either born the highest performing entrepreneur on the planet, or you're not, I am strongly convinced of that.

But most people would choose to have this life if they can do it, but they stop with those excuses. But what you can do is you can work on your mindset, you've just work on your mindset every single day. And so, you said a million podcasts. I run six days a week outside, no matter what the weather conditions.

So, I live in the Chicago area and so, it's gets cold here in the winter and it gets very hot here in the summer. I run outside six days a week, no matter the weather. And during those runs, I've listened to mindset podcasts 90% of the time I do. Sometimes I will listen to music.

And then start my day every day with a grateful journal to my wife. That's the first thing I do every day is what I'm grateful for her the previous day. And then I end the day, Monday through Friday I end the day with a grateful journal what I'm grateful for that day to, you know, write it out.

And I'll include this in that post. But I have about 26,000 plus followers on LinkedIn. I'll say what I'm grateful for on LinkedIn. And so, when you're constantly grateful, it's hard to be ungrateful. A good part of my day, Monday through Friday, I was talking to the top entrepreneurs in the world and the one commonality with the top entrepreneurs in the world is their mindset.

That's the one commonality, that's it. So, when you're constantly around people with the right mindset, you've got the right mindset.

[00:21:06] Jeffrey Feldberg: And Justin, I know that there are listeners out there saying, okay, you're talking mindset, it's getting a little bit on the woo woo side over here. Does it really work? Is this thing for real? How do you respond to that?

[00:21:18] Justin Breen: There's no response to someone who thinks like that. They just don't have the right mindset. So, the highest-performing entrepreneur on the planet would never ask that question. They would never ask that. I know you're asking that for your audience, but that's no, that's what I mean. So, my directness, I’m so direct because that weeds out nonsense and attracts greatness

So, the only people that understand what I'm talking about are the highest performing entrepreneurs on the planet. Most people don't have the courage to do it. They let fear get in the way of having that courage. And I know who I am. And I know who I'm not. And so, the only people that are attracted to this again, no outbound sales, the only people that are attracted, this are the top entrepreneurs on the planet.

And without exception, those folks, when I talk to them and say, wow, you're a real breath of fresh air. You're not afraid to say who you are. And you're not afraid to say who you're not. Anyone can question this all they want to, but most of my day is talking to the top entrepreneurs on the planet, which by the way, those are big investments to be in those rooms. Not costs, big investment, everyone in those rooms, things like that. So, you can question it all you want. I just know the people I hang out with universally have this mindset universally.

[00:22:22] Jeffrey Feldberg: And so, for all you listeners out there that are wondering, what's this mindset. It just sounds so, far off the beaten path. I hope you were paying close attention to what Justin was saying because from Justin and I can validate this for myself and the circles of success that Justin is in. It's really a circular argument. If you're questioning is mindset important, then you're not going to be successful

There's no argument.

It's a mental game that goes onto the physical playing field and understanding that and knowing that.

So, if you're questioning mindset, maybe it's time to take a step back reevaluate, and do a deep dive into where is your mindset not? And where does it need to be and how that's going to bridge the gap to get you to where you want to go.

[00:23:05] Justin Breen: That was great. Yeah. I love that the mental aspect to take to the physical field. That's really good. That was very good simplification and very powerful because it all starts with mindset. If you don't have the right mindset, I don't care how successful you are in terms of what most people think of success in terms of monetary, in terms of a million employees. Nicest car. I can't tell you how many cajillionaires I've talked to. I talked to a lot of them and I'm like, oh, how's your family. How's your family. Oh, never had family. Or I've never see my family. And when they say that without exception, you hear or see if it's in a real room or even on Zoom, you can see the hurt or hear the hurt because it's the wrong mindset and they're living in materialistic land.

And so, those are some of the most miserable people I've ever met in my life. And I don't care about revenue. I don't care about office space. I've never cared about any of that. Never. And my two, 10X's in life are two things cause I'm a simplifier. And I see patterns. One 10X'ing experience in life with my family.

If you have a good family life, you have a good life period. You have a good family life. Two now work on a global level. When you do that 10 X, that you increase your opportunities for your network and yourself. So, that's it.

All this other, stuff's just landing the plane stuff,

[00:24:17] Jeffrey Feldberg: I love how you take the noise out of it. You get right to what the gold is. And before we talk about your book, I'll just circle back to its mindset. It goes back even to some of the earliest books in business, Napoleon Hill Think and grow rich.

[00:24:33] Justin Breen: I have it right over there.

[00:24:34] Jeffrey Feldberg: At the core of for most business owners, that's the Bible of business for most business owners.

When you read that book, it's all about the mindset. That's where things start. That's where things end. And then from today, it's interesting, Justin, that you mentioned gratitude because gratitude for many years, those in the know, knew that gratitude was really one of the highest forms of a feeling that you can have and now science is finally catching up and is validating that gratitude has some amazing chemical reactions in our bodies that release all of these natural chemicals and hormones and have us feel good to have us more receptive, to have us do the seemingly impossible, to it I'm possible. And interesting that you have all the emotions that you mention gratitude.

[00:25:16] Justin Breen: Impossible to I'm possible. You're really good at listening, but then taking that and then adding value to it. That's a very rare skill set, but very powerful. In gratitude to I'm gratitude's very, that's a very good one. And like I was saying before, if you're constantly grateful, it's really hard to be ungrateful.

It's really hard. There are really bad habits and really bad patterns. So, what I've done is just flip, bad habits, drug habits, and things like that as bad habits. My whole life is good patterns and good habits. So, when you just structure your life with good habits and good patterns, good mindset, then all this other stuff floats away.

It just goes away, but just have to keep reinforcing good habits and good patterns.

[00:26:01] Jeffrey Feldberg: And it's interesting, Justin, you call it patterns and habits. I call it rituals. And for me, your daily rituals. Your days become your weeks and your weeks become your months, your months become your quarters. Your quarters become your years and your years become decades and your decades become a lifetime, but it all starts with your daily, in your words, patterns or habits, or my word ritual.

So, what you do on a daily basis is so, important and most people tend to underestimate the power of habits and patterns and rituals and how that can transform our lives.

[00:26:35] Justin Breen: So, that's good. And so, you are me evolved, meaning you've been an entrepreneur in life longer than I have, and you've been doing good habits and good patterns much longer than I have. That's what I mean, most of my days talking to people like you, and then I’m just listening then, oh, good idea.

Then I execute on that good idea. Oh, I'll just incorporate that into my life. And It's just it's like an endless learning of wisdom at the highest level. You could easily go off and live on an island by yourself and never see the world, but you would never be like that.

That would be, I'm guessing horribly boring for you. So, you have all this knowledge and wisdom. Your life really is apparently started regardless of what age you are. And then you just do something cooler. You just do something. Do something better and that's fun. That's exciting.

That's interesting. That's the patterns and habits that just, as you said, transform over years and decades in life. I don't understand why people wouldn't want to be like that. That's what I don't know. But most people aren't, I just, but I just have nothing to say to that.

That's a circular pattern. I don't care. I don't get into that. There's another circular thing. And the hamster wheel, there's no hamster wheel here. There's just directness either get this or you don't get it, period. And I just hang out with people that get it. Cause I'm not wasting my time on those circular argument nonsenses.

I'm not wasting my time.

[00:27:54] Jeffrey Feldberg: And so, the key to what you're saying, Justin, and for our listeners, I hope you're really paying attention to that because really what Justin is getting to the people that you associate yourself with and the people that you spend the most time with.

If you took the five people that you spend the most time with.

[00:28:09] Justin Breen: Yeah.

[00:28:10] Jeffrey Feldberg: You are the average of those five people you spend the most time with. So, are you like Justin? Are you hanging out with these extraordinary people? Not just in business, but in life and with family and all those things in between, or are you with people that are negative, who are bringing you down, telling you what you can't do? And that the choice is yours? Where are you? And Justin has clearly made that decision of where he's going to be. And so, Justin, that this is a nice segue into the book that you wrote. I love the title and for our listeners, the book is Epic Business: 30 Secrets to Build Your Business Exponentially and Give You the Freedom to Live the Life You Want.

So, it's a mouthful, but it's so, key and so, important in terms of what you're saying. Can you talk to us about the genesis of the book?

[00:28:53] Justin Breen: Yeah, sure. But I appreciate that. So, you know, In terms of my strength finders, Gallup Strength Finders I'm 32 out of 34 on ideation, so, almost last on ideation. I don't have a lot of good ideas, but if there's a good idea, the top three activate, maximize achieve. Good idea, execute at the highest level. Okay.

Most people write a book and it's completely meaningless because there's No meaning behind it. So, if I do something that gets done at the highest level, I'm very thankful. It's an international bestseller in six countries and Chris Voss who wrote Never Split the Difference wrote the forward.

I'm very thankful for that. And it's just the endless key that's opened up endless stores. That's really what it is. So, with that background on October 16th, 2019, which was my company's 30-month anniversary, I posted a list of 30 things I had learned in the company's first 30 months from some of the top entrepreneurs on the planet.

So, like I was saying, Listen. Oh, good idea. Incorporate that. Good idea. Incorporate. Execute. Okay.

So, it's just list of those 30 things. So, everybody's oh, you have to write a book on this. You have to write a book on this people because it was pre-COVID. They were printing out the list And bringing it to meetings.

I'm like, okay, I'll write a book. so, signed with the top micro-publisher in the US wrote the book in 43 days. Executed it. Came out in May of 2020, I still do two to three interviews every week for it. And each one of those 30 things, it's a chapter. And just like my dad's diary, there's no BS, there's no fluff, it's inform and entertain. Inform and entertain.

It's been great because it's really helped a lot of people. And, people don't know how to start. They don't know how to create a global company with zero business background.

[00:30:31] Jeffrey Feldberg: And so, Justin, did I hear you, right? That you said when you're asked to write the book, 43 days later, you had the draft of the book.

[00:30:38] Justin Breen: Yeah. So, again, activate, maximize, and achieve. I'm an entrepreneur who happens to be a professional journalist. So, that's easy for me. not hard to write a book. It wasn't hard. It was very easy. It was very easy.

[00:30:49] Jeffrey Feldberg: There's more to that. Look at, you're a journalist. I get it before you started your company, you were writing for a living, but it's one thing to write and it's one thing to write an article it's entirely different to write a book. And so, for everyone listening in, he had this put in front of him. He said, yes, I'm going to do it. And boom, 43 days later is done. You hear these stories of, oh, I got writer's block or it took me four years, never mind 43 days.

[00:31:13] Justin Breen: I hear that story every day.

[00:31:14] Jeffrey Feldberg: So, talk to us then about this activate, maximize and achieve, because it's a principle that you live by, you put it towards writing a book and being a journalist aside 43 days later. Boom. You have the book. How'd you come upon this? And what does that mean for you practically speaking, when you're taking on a task or a project or a goal?

[00:31:35] Justin Breen: Yeah, that's a really good question. I usually get really annoyed with landing the plane questions cause I'm flying the plane. Much like my dad was flying the plane in combat, but that's a really good one. And I basically ignore anything unless it's in my zone of genius.

Unless it's in my unique ability, that's another Strategic Coach term, but my zone of genius is the purpose of my life is to be a connecting superhero for every visionary, abundance, investment mindset entrepreneur, and share their stories to the world. So, to be a connecting for every visionary abundance, investment mindset, entrepreneur, and show their stories of the world.

So, if it's something is in that zone of genius, I activate it, and maximize it and achieve it without exception, it gets done. It gets done. And as a journalist or an entrepreneur who happens to be a journalist, I wrote two to three stories on deadline for 20 years. Every day. So, it's a deadline, get it done.

Get it done. Get it done. Get it done. Get it done. There's no procrastination. There's get it done. There are no excuses. There are results and that's why I like talking to people who are all over the place with ideas, and then I just simplify it and then maximize, achieve, amplify very quickly and activate it very quickly.

Can just do it. It's so, easy for me. And it's a really good collaboration. Everyone wins in that.

[00:32:49] Jeffrey Feldberg: It was interesting, Justin, that is so, topical here at Deep Wealth, where people go through our nine-step roadmap, our 90-day system. of how do you capture the maximum value for your liquidity event? And really when you think about it, you can break that down into your three words. Well, you want to activate, you want to maximize and you want to achieve.

And so, for our listeners, we're having just a tip of the iceberg, a peek into Justin's life here in terms of his rituals of what has helped build him success in a very short period of time that we can then take away, listen to what he's saying. Take that away and begin to apply that to ourselves and this activate, maximize and achieve.

It's a philosophy. It's a way of life that we can adopt for ourselves as we approach, not just a liquidity event. But anything in our business life and in our personal life. And so, Justin, is this something that you see in the circles that you travel in? The people that you're interacting with? Maybe they use different words, but it's more or less the activate, the maximize, and achieve?

[00:33:49] Justin Breen: So, at the highest level, there are no excuses. There's only activation. There are no excuses, only investment. And so, your program is 90 days.

There's literally no difference between what you're talking about and what I'm talking about. So, that's what I mean. And then I simplify everything and I see patterns. So, the pattern that you're doing is the same pattern that I'm doing and it's for the same type of people.

They just want results. So, when you serve people that only want results and they're not going to quibble about costs. And you just got results. So, it's I always laugh because it's fascinating to me that the entire world does not operate like this, but we're basically taught from day one and there are exceptions to this, but we're basically taught by the educational systems to think the opposite of this.

So, you're ingrained with 18 to get a master's degree, 24 years you get a medical degree. Like my wife's a doctor. When did she get out of medical school? 28? Your entire childhood is based on the opposite for the most part. So, you just have to unlearn everything that you've been taught.

And again, that's the best part about being an entrepreneur is that my kids who are seven and eight they get to learn that this life is possible. And then I get to teach them, give them this mindset from a very early age, so, they don't have to unlearn what they've learned.

[00:34:53] Jeffrey Feldberg: And so, right when you go with a typical mainstream in terms of what you learn or really what you don't learn.

It just goes to a completely different way of life and how you look at things and just the whole philosophy. And so, what's wonderful. And I really understand where you're coming from.

When you can speak to people who broke through. Have positively changed people's lives have made a difference. Have benefited themselves after helping people. It's a game-changer. And so, Justin, I'm wondering as you look to your life experiences so, far, and you think about your two children when they're, where you are at your points in life.

What would you want to be telling them in terms of, hey, here's my experience. Here's what I want you to take away from this of what I learned over the years that made a difference for me, as I hope it will make a difference for you. If you had to boil that down, as hard as it may be into two or three things that was easy.

Okay. Let's hear it.

[00:35:49] Justin Breen: Be a good dad. Be a good dad. That's it.

[00:35:51] Jeffrey Feldberg: And why be a good dad? What in being a good dad? What does that mean for you?

[00:35:55] Justin Breen: So, maybe I oversimplified that, but, if you're going to be a dad. And again, I lost my father when I was 13, so, I know what it's like. And my dad was a great, not a good dad. He was a great dad. So, I know what that's like. All my best friends with the exception of my wife who's not an entrepreneur. All of them are the highest performing entrepreneurs on the planet who would never let entrepreneur life destroyed their family life. They would never do that. They would never do that. And I would never do that. And before COVID I saw my children more than any dad I've ever met and now I just see them more.

And if you're going to be a dad, you'd be a dad. And like I saw my father for the first 13 years of my life. He was home all the time and he was a great dad with a lot of wisdom. That's what I'm giving to my kids. if, and when they have kids, they can do the same thing. All this other stuff's meaningless without that.

[00:36:44] Jeffrey Feldberg: It's so, nice how, again, you separate. To what's important for you pass it along to our listeners. Now you mentioned COVID. By the time this episode airs, I'm hoping, and we're all hoping we're really beyond it and the new normal, whatever that's going to turn out to be is with us.

So, let's look back for a moment and take a look at the pandemic. From your experience, Justin, with mindset and your wisdom, some of your takeaways from the pandemic?

[00:37:14] Justin Breen: Yeah. That's another good question. When COVID when it started and again, mindset attracts the right network. Creates the right opportunities. Okay. That's the ultimate simplification for me. So, right when COVID started, I have about 50,000 followers in social media. So, when it started, I go this'll be the greatest opportunity for people with the right mindset, the greatest opportunity.

That's what happened. Because people with the right mindset, even if they lost a hundred percent of their business, okay. My entrepreneur life, those four things, figure it out. No excuses, only investment. So, they pivoted or created new businesses, whatever, no excuses figure it out. In terms of what my firm does they invested heavily So, last year was by far, the best year my company ever had, and this year will be even better. Why? Because they have the right mindset that attracts the right networking, creates the right opportunities. And so, I saw that right away when COVID happened people with the right mindset and, I have several non-negotiables moving forward.

And one of them is I'll never visit another new client in unless it's I want somewhere I want to go. There's no reason to do it. And it's interesting because there were a couple of rooms where I really want to be in person: Strategic Coach and Abundance360.

But for the most part, there's no reason to go anywhere. There's no reason to go anywhere. And people that are wanting to go back to in-person only, when there was a horse and buggy, a horse and buggy, and then there was this thing called a car that was invented.

Most people didn't go back to the horse and buggy. So, you went to the car. Now there are electric cars. You go to the next thing. So, you don't go back to the horse and buggy, cause all that did was have a lot of poop on the road. So, you evolve from that. That's my favorite analogy with that one.

[00:38:53] Jeffrey Feldberg: And I'm with you on that. Yes, there are some terrible things that came out of the pandemic and my heart out to people who were negatively impacted and affected. But there are always two sides to a coin and so, many wonderful things out of the pandemic. I'm with you, Justin. I that as society moves forward, we don't forget what we pandemic.

We take good with us that into the normal as we move forward in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

[00:39:20] Justin Breen: Totally agree.

[00:39:21] Jeffrey Feldberg: So, Justin, as we begin to wrap this podcast, I have one question that I ask every single guest. And the question is this. I want you to remember the movie Back to the Future. And in the movie, you had the magical DeLorean car, which can take you back to any point in your life. And Justin, imagine now that you look out your window and the DeLorean car is there, the door is open, it’s welcoming you to come in and you can go to any point in your life. It could be when you're a young child or a teenager or a young adult. Whatever it may be. What would you tell yourself in terms of lessons learned or life wisdom, or do this, or don't do that? What would that be?

Yeah, that's an excellent question. In April, my mom rented out a movie theater and had a little party in there. So, watched Back to the Future for my birthday.

And I've seen that movie a million times. It was very interesting to see the movie as an adult. And it came out in 1985. So, I was eight then. So, it's always interesting to see a movie as an adult and then reliving how you feel.

I started this company was zero business, zero. I got a full academic scholarship to a Big 10 University, got a 32 on ACT. I have some type of a brain, I guess I do, but I would go back to college because I literally took zero entrepreneurial classes.

Didn't know what an entrepreneur and one thing again, telling my kids this is that I'd go back to college and take actual entrepreneurial classes taught by actual entrepreneurs. Not some hack that's been a professor for 30 years and has never left the ivory tower.

There you go straight from the source and Justin, and I appreciate you sharing that with us. Well, as we wrap up the interview and I'll put this in the show notes, if our listeners would like to get in touch with you online, Justin, what would be the best place?

[00:41:05] Justin Breen: Sure Justin Breen on LinkedIn would be great. B as in boy, R E E N.

[00:41:10] Jeffrey Feldberg: Terrific. And again, for our listeners, I'll put that in the show notes to make it an easy point and click for you. And so, as we wrap up this interview, Justin, thank you so, much for spending part of your day with us, sharing your wisdom, your story, and your insights. And as always, as we close this out, please stay healthy and safe.

Welcome to the Sell My Business Podcast. I'm your host Jeffrey Feldberg.

This podcast is brought to you by Deep Wealth and the 90-day Deep Wealth Experience.

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[00:45:24] Jeffrey Feldberg: Are you leaving millions on the table?

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