By Adam. A true kindred spirit with you and with me; a hands-on, personally engaged, entrepreneur-leader.
This business/membership organization was built by ME to be Entrepreneur-Owner-Operated. Our --- yours and mine --- ship was not designed to be captained by committee, with hired-gun executives who were not “homegrown.” Letting them all sit in the captain’s chair together made it crowded and often conflicted. That’s not a critique of anybody involved, just an explanation of a square pegs in round hole problem. The return to a captain akin to me and to Bill promises a renaissance period you will find, pardon the pun, much to your advantage. We – you and I - will now have the best of two worlds: one, a home with a thriving, resource-rich enterprise group, with great synergies, and a true “A-team” of people; two, one of us at its helm; a “homegrown” leader; a product of the product.
In addition, there is the “issue” of my influence. It waned at GKIC over past years (even as it has grown with and benefited info-industry clients including Advantage). These sorts of problems are well-described in the “must read” business book: THE FOUNDER’S MENTALITY. About a year ago, I had hoped there was a sea-change occurring, but it was short-lived. Now, as during the Bill Glazer years, I am of welcomed, significant influence and working side by side with a true-blue entrepreneur with whom I’ve had a long, evolving, effective relationship. I can already state as fact, not promise, that we are raising the main events back to World Class – you will very soon see a revolutionary reinvention of this year’s Info-SUMMIT and dynamic improvements to the 2019 SuperConference. By June or July at latest, you will see the main newsletter returned to being a true No B.S. (!) Marketing Letter driven by me. Adam, his team and I are at work, fast ‘n furious!
So, back to the Peter Thiel question: there are a number of very important truths very few people agree with me on. When I first began promoting these truths, even fewer agreed. As I said, they are (supposed to be) the bedrock of this organization and our Work for and with you. Here, now, I’ll enunciate just three:
#1: DIRECT Marketing for ALL businesses, notably including NON-Direct Marketing Businesses. The Ten Commandments of this are in the No B.S. book of that title (new edition hitting booksellers in a few weeks – but there to see in the current edition).
You may not fully appreciate how radical this was when I began its advocacy. It still is, but in the ensuing years, I and then Glazer-Kennedy and even GKIC have “spawned” many great advocates and teachers in their respective niches, essentially “spreading the gospel” by adapting it specifically to specific businesses, like Joe Polish did to carpet cleaning operators, Ben Glass did to lawyers, Marty Fort to music school owners, Robin Robins to IT consultants, etc., etc., etc. This has created a big, golden spider-web. Hundreds of thousands of business owners have been brought into it and to this approach. But there are many millions of small and midsized businesses in America alone, and most of their owners are still unaware of, misunderstanding of, or even confused by and disapproving of this approach. We are still somewhat a secret society!
#2: “NO B.S.” means something. Shared commitment and determination, by me, and the NO B.S. INNER CIRCLE, and by you, to diligently reject “fake” and unproductive and foolish “easy buttons” and charlatanism no matter its popularity, and to insist on accurate thinking based on facts, on accountability and productivity, and to focus and stay focused on what really works – to grow businesses, to differentiate, to prosper, to create security, to own great businesses that support great lives. From my side of this equation, it means straight, blunt, candid talk; vetted and reliable information and ideas, resources, experts; even unmatched transparency.
#3: You are supposed to be respected, recognized and appreciated for the importance of your contributions and for the outsized responsibilities you accept by business ownership, credited with good sense and intelligence, and championed, encouraged and supported in every way possible.
These are core values that WILL inform our Work going forward. If you’ve been profiting by what you’ve been getting, as you should be, the best is yet to come! If you’ve judged past “deliveries” to you just “OK” but not “Great” – then you haven’t seen the NEW No B.S. Inner Circle. And I assure you that even greater things are on its way. I am REALLY “all in.” Adam is all in.
We do need a little patience from you. Over the next several months a maelstrom of transition activity is taking place. Mistakes will occur. Temporary measures will bridge to more permanent practices. A new home office team put in place. Every effort will be made to minimize inconvenience to you. If there’s a glitch, we will fix it.”