Building a Business Through Collaboration with Justin Breen

SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people, mindset, entrepreneur, partner, grateful, company, question, world, talking, strategic coach, attracts, family, years, abundance, create, investment, babs, network, journalist, roi

SPEAKERS
Alastair McDermott, Voiceover, Justin Breen

Justin Breen  00:00

It’s the opposite of what most people think. And it’s the opposite of what you just asked, because and that makes sense because most people think to grow a company, you know, they have to do it themselves. And they have to put all this work in. But if you find the right collaborative collaborators and the right partners who do the things that you’re not good at or don’t like to do, then it just works very well.

Voiceover  00:21

Welcome to The Recognized Authority, a podcast that helps specialized consultants and domain experts on your journey to become known as an authority in your field. So you can increase your reach, have more impact and work with great clients. Here’s your host, Alastair McDermott.

Alastair McDermott  00:37

Before we get into today’s episode, I just want to briefly let you know about a free email course that is available at TheRecognizedAuthority.com. It’s a free seven day email course on how to become a recognized authority. You can subscribe to that just by visiting TheRecognizedAuthority.com homepage.  So today, my guest is Justin Breen. And Justin, I recently found you through Hoser connection actually, we met we met through I think it was Steve Gordon. Yeah. Who was another guest on the show here and Steve’s great guy. And yeah, Steve suggested that I have a chat with you. So I’m really delighted to have you on the show. So for the listener, Justin is the CEO of you want to BR Epic or Brepic?

Justin Breen  01:20

Brepic

Alastair McDermott  01:21

Brepic Communications and rapid network and author of the number one international best selling book, “Epic Business”. And his second book, “Epic Life” features a foreword from Peter Diamandis launches this summer. So thanks for coming on the show, Justin.

Justin Breen  01:36

I’m really excited to talk to you. I’ve been listening to several of your shows, and Michael Schein, and Louie Grenier, at some really good advice. Basically, that marketing stinks. People hate marketing, but it’s finding your own niche and finding who appeals to you and, and just just working on that, focusing on that. So I’m really excited to talk about that and many more things to

Alastair McDermott  02:02

Yeah, awesome. And so like, there’s a few different things already that I want to talk to you about. But one thing that you mentioned a lot is about putting family first putting loved ones first.

Justin Breen  02:13

Yeah.

Alastair McDermott  02:13

And I just want to talk to you about that about in the context of like, one of the things that you talk about is building a global company. So can you talk to me about the juxtaposition there because it feels like there’s a conflict between a global company, which sounds to me like this kind of huge company, and a, you know, and having lots of time to spend with your family.

Justin Breen  02:33

Yep. So I’m glad you brought it up. Because I think like this is the answer. And I just don’t think most people know how to do it. So they think entrepreneur, global company, they think like hundreds of employees, massive revenue, huge office locations around the world. And, you know, the partnership, and the two companies that I have, they’re just, they’re just collaborative companies.  So I live in Chicago, the partner, my partner for my second company, which is just LinkedIn, without the BS, it’s just an invite only connectivity platform. So He’s based in San Francisco, and the person whose company built the platform he’s in based in Toronto. So we’ve met one time in person held the launch party for the company, at Chicago Yacht Club last summer, that’s the only time we’ve met in person. So every other meeting has been on Zoom, or the phone. And the folks who have joined the company, and the members are from around the world with all all verticals, all sectors.  So that’s that’s what I mean by by global company. It’s a it’s a global audience. Without employee account without office space, I mean, there’s no need for an office. And what it’s centered around is, I’m just the dad who happens to be an entrepreneur. So I talked to at least one to two folks every week, at least one to two folks every week that has led that have led entrepreneur life destroy their family life or prevented them from ever having a family. And I’m just not, I’m just not that person. And that family first focus has led to what I actually care about, which is spending time with my family and then building network on a global level. And that has created to colla, collaborative global companies, which is one is a global PR firm, which launched five years ago. And then the new company, which is just technology, a platform technology for my brain. So invite only connectivity platform. So it’s all a byproduct of putting family first.

Alastair McDermott  04:44

So can you dig into that a bit more than because the having that free time to spend with your family? That by definition means that you are spending less time on building your business. So how are you building your business in less time?

Justin Breen  05:00

Hundred percent that’s a great question. It’s a tremendous question. And so again, dad who happens to be an entrepreneur, not an entrepreneur who happens to be a debt, and having that amount of free time, and that freedom to do what I want in terms of talking to the people I want to talk to being the buyer, you know, companies and individuals pay my firm’s, but I’m just the buyer of the people I want to hang out with. So I actually have plenty of time to create, because I’m not chasing leads and not chasing things that I don’t want to do, and I’m not good at. And again, partner for new company, I would describe him as a visionary integrator. So he’s like full backstage, helping to build the platform, onboarding new members, if I tried to do any of that, I’d electrocute myself. So I just all I do is I just stay in my zone of genius, which is talking about the company, and making sure that you know, making sure that it got started, I am good at that or throwing a launch party, I can do that.  And really, it’s, I have plenty of time, because I’m you know, I’m focused on what I like to do and what I’m good at, I’m not chasing anything, I’m just enjoying time with my family. So it’s the opposite of what most people think. And it’s the opposite of what you just asked, because and that makes sense, because most people think to grow a company, you know, they have to do it themselves. And they have to put all this work in. But if you find the right collaborative collaborators and the right partners who do the things that you’re not good at or don’t like to do them, it just works very well.

Alastair McDermott  06:37

Yeah. So it sounds to me that that part is really, really important that finding finding the right people to partner with. And so you made a decision. So first off, did you go looking specifically for a partner? Or you know, did it just kind of happen organically?

Justin Breen  06:52

Alastair, so I’m so glad you asked that, because one, I write about that in great detail in the new book, but I’ll give you the backstory on it because I think it’s important. And then this is how it this is literally how it happened. So very grateful. I’m very grateful. I’m part of two of the top entrepreneurial groups in the world. I’m very grateful for that. One is Strategic Coach 10x. The other is Abundance 360. So I would describe the folks in those groups or, you know, the people building flying cars, literally do it the people that are creating technology that will let us live to 200-300 years old. There are some solopreneurs in there as well very high level thinkers and executors.  So last year 2021 Abundance 360 was held virtually, and I was talking in zoom in zoom, I was talking to the founder, the co founder of strategic coach who’s Dan Sullivan. I’m confident saying Dan is you know, the top entrepreneurial coach has ever lived. I mean, he’s coached 10s of 1000s of the top entrepreneurs in the world. So I was talking to him on Zoom, saying, Hey, I’m trying to find my Babs. So Babs is Babs Smith, who is the co founder, Strategic Coach, also Dan’s wife. She is full backstage visionary, and Dan is full frontstage visionary. So Strategic Coach without Babs, not a good there is no strategic coach without Babs. So I was talking to him, I go, Hey, I need to find my Babs. And he’s like, no, no, the trick is, have your Babs find you. So I’m like, oh, that’s, that’s a good idea. I’ll do that.  And Strategic Coach has a tool called an impact filter, an impact filter. So you write the things, you know, you’d write several things that need to happen in a partnership or the finding the perfect partner. And so I created that. Steve Gordon actually suggested that I do an impact filter as well for that, so credit to him. And so started selectively sending that out to people that I trusted and liked. And one of them was Mark Fujiwara, who also is in Strategic Coach 10x. We met, we met in zoom. And I send it to him and he’s like, Oh, that’s a that’s a great idea. Let’s do that. And so that’s how it was hilarious because I remember saying to him, I go oh, wow. You’re my Babs and we, we both laughed about that. But it just flows so easily because I’m a full activator. So I get it started. And Mark is a full maximizer. So he keeps it going. So like it’s like a baton handoff like I get it started handed to him and he just takes it to levels I never would have been capable of doing myself.

Alastair McDermott  09:43

That’s fascinating. What are the things you know that that strikes me is I’ve listened to Blair Enns talking and I know that he’s in strategic coach as well. And like, I know that a lot of people who are who are doing really well or who were very Successful. They’re in these mastermind groups. That’s a key part, you know, that a lot of people who we see on the surface and it looks like, you know, they’re doing their thing on their own, but they’ve actually got this support network behind them. You’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg. And, you know, it may be that, you know, they’re they’re so low in their business, although I think that’s, you know, usually they have at least in the system as well.

Justin Breen  10:24

Yeah. Yeah.

Alastair McDermott  10:26

Yeah. And, and then, you know, there’s just this behind the scenes. There’s this support network that they have. And, yeah, it sounds to me like that’s been really important for you there as well.

Justin Breen  10:37

I mean, you’re a very critical, high level thinker. And so I don’t know why my brain does this, but it does it just here’s blah, blah, blah, and turns everything into patterns. That’s just what that’s what it does. So if you have the right mindset, it creates the right network, and then that creates the right opportunity. So I just work on my mindset every day. That attracts I’m looking at Blair to see… Where’s where’s what’s Blair’s last name?

Alastair McDermott  11:02

E-N-N-S? I’m seeing if he’s a he’s not I see like to do stuff live as well. I do. Yeah. So

Justin Breen  11:09

I wonder what Blair’s is it B-L-A-I-R?

Alastair McDermott  11:11

Yeah.

Justin Breen  11:12

Yeah, he’s he’s currently Well, according to the Strategic Coach database. He’s not in there right now. But maybe he was, but I’d be curious what is cold? He is, but,

Alastair McDermott  11:19

Yeah I think he was.

Justin Breen  11:21

He was. Okay. So, you know, it’s a fascinating thing, because, you know, I was a journalist for 20 years. But really, I was an entrepreneur who happens to be a journalist, so never understood, if it bleeds, it leads or negative news or political, like, I just don’t, I never understood that. And so when I started the first company five years ago, with zero business background, like I, you don’t, you don’t get into journalism for like, employee account or office space, like you just, that’s not why we become a journalist, for the most part. I mean, maybe there’s an exception, but I doubt it. And so I kind of like skipped over the whole business owner stuff, like, it’s never been about employee account, or and they, it doesn’t, none of that stuff really mattersto me, it’s always been about purpose and sharing cool stories of the world, and then connecting cool people. I mean, that’s been my whole life.  But but it was a fascinating discovery to your earlier point, which was a really good one. And having having the people behind you in the network, is that the first couple of years of being an entrepreneur, I was talking like this, and nobody really understood what I was talking about, because that was in these groups that are, you know, and they’re fine. But you know, 250 US dollars a year or 500 a year, you know, 1000 a year, and no, no one understood what I was talking about, and Abundance 360. And then Strategic Coach 10x, they’re there 25k A year us. And the reason why I’m in those groups is because the those people actually understand what I’m talking about. They, they think with this type of abundant global mindset, regardless of how many employees they have, even if they don’t have any employees. It’s that’s immaterial. And it’s really fascinating when you find the right people. And when you’re the buyer, there’s nothing outbound. There’s no outbound marketing at all. There’s just, you know, you create value for the people who get it, and then they create value for you. And then you actually take action and build something. And it’s a lot of, it’s a lot of fun to see what happens from that and to learn from that. But it all starts with family first. And then it all starts with mindset, which attracts the right people. That’s, that’s really the foundational cornerstones of all of this.

Alastair McDermott  13:34

You mentioned there, you said when you’re the buyer, like do you mean that in the traditional sense, like when when you’re buying services? Or do you mean something else buy that?

Justin Breen  13:41

So. Now that man, I love it, because you really you’re a high level simplifier so So being the buyer is like so individuals or companies, they pay my firm’s, so they pay to get, you know, global PR, or they pay to be part of this network, but I’m not selling anything to them. Like, I’m just the like, if they’re not the right fit, I will not buy them being a partner, or will not buy them being in the network. So there’s nothing to sell those people. And frankly, the people I’m around, they’re all buyers to like they don’t they don’t want to sell anything, they just want to be a part of something. They want to be part of something great and be a part of other buyers. I mean, that’s really what that’s really what the PR firm Brepic is, it’s just a giant incubator of geniuses and we’re constantly introducing each other for mutual gain. The byproduct is constantly getting interested companies that want to hire my firm but and then the network is literally just a it’s just a SaaS platform for those type of people for any type of intro so

Alastair McDermott  14:43

Yeah, but so the the thing that I’m getting there is so your approach to selling is is not like hard to hold sales, but what you still actually have to sell like you still have to have revenue. So like, you know, the bills gotta get paid. So you are you are making sales. You’re just doing it in a in a different way you’re doing in a very inbound way.

Justin Breen  15:05

Well, right. And so thank you for doubling down on that. And again, being a journalist for 20 years like that’s journalists aren’t really, I guess they’re kind of salespeople know what’s really interesting is there’s a lot of folks in Strategic Coach and Abundance 360, they say I’m a good salesperson. And I’m always I’m always confused by that, because I’m not really selling anything, or at least I don’t think I am. And maybe that comes down to being the buyer. I mean, so of course, there’s there’s a check written, there’s a check written. And like, again, there’s a check written to be a part of Strategic Coach at Abundance 360. So, you know, round a 25k a year, check, it’s written, but it’s not a, it’s not a transaction, it’s to be a part of a transformational group of people. So when people and companies write checks to be part of my companies, then that’s the same thing. There’s no difference between that.

Alastair McDermott  16:10

Okay, yeah, I mean, it sounds so I’m an engineer at heart, that’s, that’s,

Justin Breen  16:16

Well, you’re in your engineer brain is like, I’m trying to compute this.

Alastair McDermott  16:21

Absolutely. Right. So so so it’s like, like, I know, you like at some point, you’ve you’ve got to, like, there’s the relationship and the transformation and, and that side of things, but there still has to be an actual transaction, there still has to be a point where, where you make an offer, and somebody accepts that offer, you know, it’s it’s not, you know, it’s not all unicorns and rainbows with no sales. There has to be there has to be that so. So but but, so it sounds to me, like what you’re doing is, there’s no hard sales pitch. You’re waiting for people to come to you. So you’re just networking at a, at an extreme level. You’re helping people. you’re networking with all of the right people and making connections and helping people. And all of that is bringing and attracting the right people to you.

Justin Breen  17:13

Well, okay, so there’s your engineering brand at a high level. So that is that is exactly that’s exactly what has happened. And then then my brain turns things into patterns. And so I’ll pattern brain what you engineer brand, okay, so, there’s four, there’s four stages that I’ve seen when folks start companies or consultancies or whatever, whatever that is. There’s four stages that I’ve seen. So one is get to get I reached out to 5000 people to get first five clients. So that was five years ago. 5000 To get five so forget to get that’s fine. Totally understandable. There are folks that actually stay there their whole lives, probably not the best place to stay, but they stayed then there’s get to give so you’re mostly getting you’re giving a little bit but you’re mostly getting Okay, so I would say most people stop at that or maybe they get to the third level. So the third level is you give to get so you’re mostly giving mostly giving but deep down there’s still you know, you’re still trying to get a little bit which is fine by the way, that’s fine. So the overwhelming majority of society stops at that that’s the overwhelming majority said.  Then you get to the fourth level I’ll be curious if there is a fifth level I haven’t seen it yet but I’ll be curious so that the fourth level that I’m at is you give to give but only to the people who get it so you give to give endlessly giving but only to the people who get it so I’m constantly giving constantly giving intros but it has to be a person who gets it because a person who doesn’t get it will not understand a person who does and then a person who does does not want to be introduced to a person who doesn’t get it they don’t they don’t want to do that. They don’t want to be a part of that. So it’s been an interesting evolution and then I found it those in those groups in those in those you know, I guess for lack of a better term networking group which Strategic Coach and abundance 360 It’s mostly gift to give but only to the people who get it because everyone at that group in those levels they they pretty much get it so that’s fun to see that evolution. If there is a fifth level that’ll be fun if it’s pure gift to give that will be an interesting maybe that is what it is. I just haven’t seen it I haven’t seen it yet.

Alastair McDermott  19:31

Okay, so I want to go back over those so first is get to get so that’s basically where you like that’s your pure outbound sales mode.

Justin Breen  19:38

Your outbound point 1% of people said yes to that go for that your whole life if you want to do that.

Alastair McDermott  19:46

What’s what’s level what’s the second one?

Justin Breen  19:48

Get to give get so you’re you’re giving a little bit but mostly you’re getting so let you want to we’ll engineer that for you. Let’s say you’re giving one intro and getting to get 10 You’re giving one then then Then you, then you give to get so 60-40. So you’re giving six to get four. And then I mean, I’m 100% give to give it only to the people who get it. So constantly interviewing people, whether they give back, that’s immaterial.

Alastair McDermott  20:17

How do you know if somebody is in that mindset is is in that gift give mindset?

Justin Breen  20:22

Yep. So that’s your brain. It’s really interesting. So the so my firm’s I would quantify it without quantifying it, my firm’s partner with maybe point 1% of the population, so that, you know, that has nothing to do with revenue or employee count has to do with mindset. And I’ve seen three, there’s three attributes to that mindset. Visionary, abundance investment. So visionary abundance investments, so people with those three attributes how my brain is seeing what those people are. There one of two types of people. One, they’re running a high six US dollar running high six figure to 10 figure company, and certainly a certainly a consultant could do that, you know, seven figure consultancies, that’s certainly doable. So high six figure to 10 figure business, they see their family and friends, whatever they want to and they do what they like to do and what they’re good at, or, or the second group is they’re not there yet, profit revenue wise, but they will be. So the number one thing with that is they don’t ask what do you cost or charge? They say, what is an investment with you look like?  So what I see is people who think they’re visionaries, they think they live in abundance. But there’s still cost first, there’s still scarcity with cost. And a true visionary, a true person who lives in abundance only looks at things as investments, not not costs. And if you look at things as cost, you’re still give to get or get to give or get to get you’re not a gift to give, but only to the person, people who get it. That’s what I see.

Alastair McDermott  22:00

Yeah, so what’s what’s interesting about that, because I think that most most people are so so when I’m when I’m talking to people, when they’re not price buyers. So when they’re not in that, that scarcity mindset, right? They may not be in a in an abundance mindset, either. They’re kind of in this middle ground, where they know it’s an investment. But they’re not they don’t have a money tree at the back garden either. So they’re kind of, you know, they’re trying to find that middle ground. And quite typically, these are in that low six figure area. So they’re happy to make investments, but they need to see the ROI. And it sounds I’m trying to get into that, that headspace where I think that somebody somebody listening to this might be saying, you know, that all sounds well and good. But you know, like there needs to be like, otherwise we can’t we can’t there needs to be a clear ROI here. Otherwise, we can’t make that investment. Because the whole point of an investment is that the return. You know, that’s what it is.

Justin Breen  23:05

In seven, all of them that seven in five years as an entrepreneur, I’ve had the ROI question maybe seven or eight times, so one or two times a year, because at the highest level, there’s it’s not about ROI. It’s about getting connected to the right people. It’s about leveraging those connections. So you just answered your own question with what you just heard from, from people like that. So that’s why it’s only point 1%. Because they’re, they’re still not, they’re still not a give to give, but only to the people who get it. So ROI is still, it’s still I will say the people that that my firm’s partner with, they’ve already changed their world. So they’re just changing the world. And there’s a fundamental difference there world people, they care about revenue, you know, all that all that kind of stuff, material, material measurements, and then the world people that care about purpose and spending time with family. And they’ve already changed their world. So they’re not worried about ROI on they’re not worried about that. They they realize that because they’ve made great investments and partnered with the right people, the byproducts had been, all these great things have happened. So that’s why I’m a part of those groups, because they don’t, they don’t ask what do you cost or charge and they don’t, then they’re not worried about ROI. They’re, they want to get connected to the right people. And they know this is a great shortcut to that process.

Alastair McDermott  24:30

Right. And so it comes back down to the people and the connections because that’s what allowed you to to create this business because the right people came to you because that’s what you put out.

Justin Breen  24:41

So it’s the right mindset which attracts those people. So the question that you asked from the people that you heard from they have the wrong mindset. That’s the That’s not the right that’s not the right mindset for for my network. It’s not because NL NL dovetail because it kind of in cat encapsulates everything Is that people that think like that they take time away from me and my family, they take the, they take time away from my ability to spend time with my family and my time to create, you know, Global Partnership company. So I just, I just don’t focus on that. Because that’s, that’s a time waste. That’s a, that’s a creativity, waste. And most importantly, it takes time away from me and my family, because I’m a dad, who happens to be an entrepreneur, and I’m not going to let entrepreneurship destroy my family life. So focusing on the people that don’t waste my time allows me to spend time with my family. I mean, it’s the same circle, it keeps going back to the same thing. But the byproduct is the right people who do get it. They really appreciate it, because they only want to hang out with people who get it. They don’t want to spend time with people that don’t get it and are looking at ROI and worried about all that other stuff. That’s the whole that’s the whole point.

Alastair McDermott  25:56

Yeah, really fascinating. The thing is, if there is such a small percentage of those people who get it, then that means that almost everybody you speak with doesn’t get it, you know, outside of those circles.

Justin Breen  26:07

Wrong answer. So that’s a great question. But it’s the wrong answer. So most people, that’s exactly what they would say. So point one, 8 billion people on the planet 8,000,000,000.1% of eight billions, 8 million. That’s a lot of people. So and then the people who do get it introduced me to the people who do get it. So at first, you are 100% Correct, because nobody understood what I was talking about. They didn’t understand because most of the world is called scarcity. Most of the world is not live in abundance. Most people ask the overwhelming majority of the world ask what do you cost your charge. So people like me are usually aliens in our own family, community and vertical, nobody understands us, except top entrepreneurs in the world, whether you’re a solopreneur, or whether you’re running a 10 figure business. And at first, it was very confusing to me. I’m like, why doesn’t everyone think like this, and then, you know, started joining and writing bigger and bigger checks to be part of cooler and cooler rooms. And like, Oh, finally, someone understands what I’m talking about. And then those people are introducing to meet other people that understand what I’m talking about. And again, simplifying the patterns. I don’t know why my brain does this.  But so bigger investment, bigger investment leads to smaller room, but the people in those rooms are making bigger impacts. So big investments, small room bigger impact, that allows me to spend biggest investment in smallest room, which is my family where I can make most impact. So it’s the same it’s the same thing. bigger investment, smaller room bigger impact, bigger investments, I just keep writing bigger checks to be in smaller rooms. People in those rooms are making bigger impacts so I can spend more time with my family most investment, it’s the same. It’s the same formula.

Alastair McDermott  27:45

Fascinating stuff. It’s it is it is totally a different mindset. Like that’s that’s clear.

Justin Breen  27:53

A hundred percent.

Alastair McDermott  27:55

So, if so, is your advice, then, logically speaking, extrapolating from that is your advice on that people should work on their mindset.

Justin Breen  28:05

I love it man. Right mindset attracts right network creates very opportunity to do so. And then talk is meaningless to me without providing examples. I mean, it’s it because otherwise it’s just talk. And again, I’ve been an entrepreneur for five years with zero business zero business background. I didn’t know you had to pay taxes four times a year, I still don’t know what an S Corp is. Because I think it’s funny not to know what that is. I just think that’s funny. But and then again, you’re not you don’t you know, you’re not a journalist for any of that stuff. Right. So so like, I just work on my mindset every day.  And so the first thing I do every day every single day is do a grateful journal for my wife when I’m grateful for for her the previous 24 hours. So if you think the opposite personality is me, that would be my wife. So she’s a pediatrician. She’s love warmth, empathy, rules, order, caring order, whatever that stuff is. And then so the most important thing for her is for me to say thank you to her so that’s I do that okay, so to run six days a week outside no matter the weather conditions, so we live in the Chicago area. So right now it’s pretty hot and rainy, and then it gets very cold here blizzards. Okay, I’ve done that for 20 years. And then during those runs, I’ll listen to content like this. That’s when I listened to your, your podcasts with with Michael Schein and Louie Grenier. There was really good content there and it’s just feeding feeding my brain with good mindset, good thinking. And then three, three, every Monday through Friday, I do a grateful journal on LinkedIn. What I’m grateful for that day. So this conversation will be included in that for sure. Because it’s a really good conversation. You’re really good. Host And I guess to simplify, all of that is when you’re constantly grateful it’s really hard to be ungrateful, really hard. And that gratitude mindset really attracts other folks who are very grateful to change the world, but not there. The fundamental difference.

Alastair McDermott  30:18

Yeah, really interesting. And some, like some really practical stuff there. I love going for walks on I live in a beautiful area, I’m don’t really have the, the body shape to be a natural runner, unfortunately, I’m sure it’ll be very stocky. Okay, but I, so I would love to be one of those that kind of spell to runners that you see going for Central Park and things like that.

Justin Breen  30:43

Can I tell you something funny. So I’m 45. And we like a family. My wife’s, she’s 39. And then our sons are seven and nine. Our boys are seven and nine. And so a family activity that we do is we run a lot of 5k races, five kilometer races, and my nine year old, I’m pretty decent runner, like can win age groups and stuff. And so we’ve been doing this for a couple years. And now my nine year old, he runs 21 minute five K’s he did a 2110. That’s a 648 mile for a nine year old. So he’s like world class, the local paper did a huge story on him. And I’m pretty decent runner. He’s far superior, like he’s so much better. And it’s kind of like, it’s kind of weird to see that, like a nine year old kid just destroying adults. Like he’s he finished fourth out of 304 runners that are a recent race like he’s nine. And so what you just said, like you wish you could be felt and like, I wish I could be as fast as my nine year old. But that’s not happening. It is not, it is not happening. But that’s great, great that actually, my goal now is to actually beat him in a race. I don’t I just don’t know, he’s two minutes ahead of me now. It’s incredible to watch it.

Alastair McDermott  32:10

That’s, that’s incredible. And well, I guess, like the influence of having, you know, his, his parents running with him all the time, that’s, that’s gonna be, you know, a really positive influence on that.

Justin Breen  32:21

Well, you know, the thing is to because it all again, it all comes full circle, the best part of being an entrepreneur, is that is that I get to see my children, you know, whenever whenever I want to, it’s this incredible freedom. You know, Strategic Coach and abundance 360. You know, they talk about four freedoms, so freedom of relationships, time, purpose, and money, finance. And, you know, with the relationship part, I think, a lot of entrepreneurs, consultants, this is actually interesting, I think, for your audience, for sure. But a lot of consultants or business owners, they, they, they bypass the first relationship and that’s freedom, a relationship with yourself. So they think like maybe freedom relationships with clients or, or even family members or friends or potential customers, but they bypass the most important relationship. That’s and that’s with yourself. So I’ve really, really focused on that, that it’s not a selfish thing to have freedom, a relationship with yourself, it’s actually self selfless. You can’t, you can’t really have good relationships with other folks, or know who you are, unless you know who you’re not. And you can find that out by having a good relationship with yourself. So that’s been a fundamental learning experience over the last five years is really understanding who I am and then who I’m not, and then attracting people who understand that and then, you know, the ones that don’t, that’s fine, but there’s plenty of people that do get it.

Alastair McDermott  33:58

Yeah. Fascinating, like that. So again, that’s, I think that’s kind of related to mindset as well, and self awareness and all of that.

Justin Breen  34:06

Yes.

Alastair McDermott  34:07

I want to take a hard turn to the right for a second and just get practical because I think that it would be wrong if I didn’t talk to you for a couple of minutes about PR, and how people can actually get in the press. Because I know like when I look at your site. I’m only gonna list a couple of days but your clients have been in New York Times NBC, Wall Street Journal, ESPN, CIBC, like USA Today, Fox, like I think, Reuters, I think there was 200. I tried to I tried to do Canada, actually.

Justin Breen  34:39

And you’re an engineer. So there’s actually I haven’t listed the podcast, which I probably should. But keep that. Thank you for the nice words. I appreciate.

Alastair McDermott  34:50

Yeah. So I mean, it’s incredible. Just how many different places so can you talk to me a little bit about how people can go about getting into those traditional media and kind of using that for amplification.

Justin Breen  35:03

Okay, so my again, my brain turns everything into patterns. It’s just what it does. And I even even the way I answer a question, I always answer it like that my brain turns it into patterns that actually that’s probably a pattern how I now answer the question that, and the style I learned in real time with these type of discussions. So thank you for helping me learn there.  So the formula for creating a successful global company is very simple. Surprisingly simple. So here’s the, here it is. So you see a problem, create solution problem solve successful global companies see a problem, create solution, problem solve successful global company, successful consultancy, whatever, however you want to frame it.  And so, I was a journalist for 20 years and created an entire business model based on how PR firms annoyed me for 20 years. So I saw problem created solution problem. So. So all I hear is the same problem from folks that have created solutions to other problems is that we’re tired of being best secret, we want to be in more news and media. It’s usually at a global level, usually, usually, but sometimes national, regional, to create more validity and credibility for brands. So see a problem, create solution, problem solve. So okay, tired of being best secret, okay. Simplify story, and then immediate connect, connect, connect, connect, connect, connect, connect, connect. It’s easy that for me, it’s like breathing. It’s not hard. It’s fun, very lucrative, endlessly enjoyable. And so so that’s one.  Two, thank you for mentioning all the traditional media, I appreciate that I was a journalist for 20 years did every media job you could ever imagine. So that’s great. Podcasts and shows like these are actually replacing mainstream media, in terms of relevance and importance for three reasons why? Because my brain turns everything into patterns. But the three reasons here’s the three reasons. One, the host is usually an entrepreneur or a consultant, not a journalist. So they’re going to someone like us is going to ask questions, engineering, entrepreneurial consultancy questions that a regular journalist, I was a journalist for 20 years, journalist is not going to ask those questions. They’re not okay. They’re not going to ask about mindset for sure. Okay.  So two, two you can do a deep dive on the subject. So 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour an hour plus, so a regular TV, radio interview, 5, 6, 7 minutes, drive by interview, so you don’t really get to learn anything. And then three, this is what I’ve seen, that’s most important. The audience might not be as large quantity wise, but it’s a far more qualified audience. So I’m guessing a regular human isn’t gonna listen to the show, maybe they will. But I’m guessing your audience is not regular humans, their high level consultants, entrepreneurs, business owners, high level consultants that, you know, want to make high six, seven figures, okay, so that’s not a regular human, for the most part. Because people like us, or aliens within our own family, community verticals, so.  So what podcasts and shows like these actually are to simplify all that is their transformational and transactional platforms for entrepreneurs or consultants. That’s really, that’s really what they are. So getting on shows like these, I argue, for people like us is as important if not more important than being in Wall Street Journal and USA day. I mean, that stuff’s fine. I’m very thankful for that my wife and I have been on today’s show, which is, you know, that’s one of the major national shows in the United States. I mean, I’m thankful for that, but a lot of its ego vanity at this point.

Alastair McDermott  38:42

So would, would you, would you suggest that, you know, people who are listening to this who are independent, typically have smaller resources? Would you suggest them that they should just focus on getting on shows like this getting on podcast getting on live stream shows, and forget about the the national and international even the regional stuff? Just don’t don’t focus on that?

Justin Breen  39:06

Well, you know, it’s that’s a fair question. What would you know, and maybe this answer is that I hope it does, but really what it comes down to for whoever whoever the person is, is like, who is your tribe? If you want to appeal to low six figure consultancy audiences get on those shows, if you want to appeal to small businesses or midsize businesses for marketing purposes appeal to those shows go and that’s that’s fine. My brain is very attracted. And those people like that are very attracted to my brain for high six figure to 10 figure changing the world entrepreneurs so you know, like one of the one of the places that did a huge story on my new company and actually has done several I’m very grateful is private wealth magazine. So I would not consider that mainstream media but it is a magazine.  So they have 2000 subscribers ballpark and average revenue per subscriber, which I don’t care about, but most people do is eight figures us. So it’s not the number, it’s the right number. And they keep doing stories on my new company, and then the PR firm. And then the editor of that is Ross Allen Prince. So in the family office space, he’s, he’s probably the top consultant in the world in the family office space. I mean, I mean, in the family office space, private wealth, he’s so he’s the editor, and he’s these top in the world. So. So there’s two things from that. Why cuz the right mindset attracts this. So there’s two things. One, he keeps doing stories, keeps doing stories on my new company, I’m very grateful. And then he’s like, Well, when you have PR, when you have PR partners, introduce them to me, because he’ll do stories on them, too. Because I only partner with people like me, otherwise, there’s no, it’s okay. So that’s one. And then two, we have a book collaboration coming out. With Ross, my partner’s name is Mark Fujiwara. And then I’m a co author, a try author, I guess, would it be try out the co author? And then in then, it’s about how to build a family office? I don’t know anything about that. But the book talks about how Brad Pitt network is that the platform for people like that to join, because that’s the way to connect with people.  So all of that is a byproduct for appealing to the people that I want to because I’m the buyer, and then they’re they they’re appealed to me. So it’s, it’s whatever audience you want to appeal to? I know, that’s a long way of answering the question. But that’s, that’s the answer it, it’s who you are, who you’re not and who you want your audience to be. And you don’t want it to be it can be whatever makes you happy. I don’t, it’s fine with me. I mean, I think to really answer your question, yes. Not focusing on mainstream media would probably be a better solution, and then focusing on the people who are actually listening and caring about what you are actually talking about.

Alastair McDermott  42:06

Yeah, I think, you know, I’m, I think part of the reason. So I’m, I’m trying to understand, like, your mindset and your thought process are very different from most people I’ve talked to. And I think, you know, the listener will agree with that. And I think that part part of this is that I’m projecting here, but I would suspect that for you, if you’re thinking about working with somebody partnering with somebody in some way that you won’t particularly care if they have mainstream mainstream media credibility, you will care about who introduced you, or what network they’re in? Would that be fair to say?

Justin Breen  42:42

100? Okay, so I will say that’s 99.9%, almost 100, because partners are still in places like Forbes, and Inc, and places like that. And it’s good to have as seen in Forbes. And it’s not one of those pay for play things. It’s legitimate article. So. But most of the time, yeah, because being in media is great. It’s being that’s great. But it’s how you leverage it. It’s more important, again, as a journalist, my whole life, been in this world my whole life. And, and then I live it from a firsthand perspective. Because new company, new book, former book, first book, first company, so constantly media, and then from a PR partnership, because I see my partners constantly in show shows like this. So I’ve seen it. And it’s and it’s the interview, this is great. But then it’s how you leverage that connectivity. It’s how you leverage that, because people like us are the ones that are actually doing something there. And then the people in your audience are actually doing something. So the right people will want to be a part of that. But it is still good to be in the Wall Street Journal. And it’s still good. It’s not bad. It’s just, you know, I would argue it’s not as important to be in platforms like these now.

Alastair McDermott  44:01

Interesting. So I have one last question for you. And this is a total curveball, and you certainly didn’t expect this one. I’m just wondering, why do you charge for your book rather than giving it away for free?

Justin Breen  44:15

No one’s ever asked me that. So good curveball, I would say that’s a knuckle curveball. To use a baseball term. I was like very difficult pitch to hit.

Alastair McDermott  44:24

In the context of the abundance mindset and attracting people and things like the pennies on the dollar that you that you make by selling your book on Kindle or whatever, you know.

Justin Breen  44:34

Oh, I don’t care I have no I’ve no idea how many books have been sold. I don’t even care about that. You know, giving stuff away for free. It’s always been I’ve always seen that’s the wrong message. So free, free our consulting call. I’ve never understood that and that goes against everything that I believe in in terms of writing bigger checks to be in smaller rooms. I mean, you don’t get a free ride. Have a free visit to the bigger room. But I’ll dovetail that because it’s a good question. And here’s here’s my found a, I don’t know if we talked about this in our previous call but when I was born, my dad was 61. And my mom was 27. So 34 year difference. I’ll just forget to answer your question. I’ll talk about my dad. And so my dad, he’d be 106 If he was alive now. He was 13 when I was 13, when he died, and so he came from nothing. World War Two hero shot down nine times in combat, many times without a parachute, get back in the plane without a parachute. Okay, so no excuses. And the memories I have of him, maybe age five to 13. When he died. Every day, it said the cream rises to the top, the cream rises to the top, the cream rises. So I just partnered with the cream that rises to the top are the people that will do whatever it takes to rise to the top. So I guess that translates to not giving away anything for free because people who rise to the top or who will do whatever it takes to rise to the top they don’t want things for free. They want to they want to write the check. So

Alastair McDermott  46:16

So it’s interesting, because that seems to contradict with the gift give mentality.

Justin Breen  46:22

I mean, if you’re worried about writing a $10, or whatever the book, I mean, that’s not a good. That’s not a good fit.

Alastair McDermott  46:29

Okay. Okay, interesting. Yeah, it’s just, I thought I saw a contradiction there. And I’m, I’m just interested in digging into that. So that’s why I asked about that.

Justin Breen  46:38

Yeah, that’s interesting. I mean, your engineer brain. I mean, for someone who gets that they’re not going to look at, they’re not good. Here’s what’s interesting about that. Here’s what’s interesting about that, is that I can’t tell you how many folks have actually purchased the book. I didn’t expect this. But they purchased the book as a litmus test whether they wanted to partner with me or not, they certainly didn’t ask for it for free. They just purchased it. And then they wound up signing with my firm. They wanted to know how my brain worked. And then I’ve I know that will happen with the second book, I mean, to have Peter Diamandis, write the foreword. I mean, he’s one of the top entrepreneurs in the world, very grateful for that. And I mean, that’s a that’s a game changing validator at the highest level. And what Peter has told me is I’ve introduced more people to abundance 360 than anyone else. So I’m very grateful to do that as well, because it gives to give to the people who get it. So that has nothing to do with spending $10 or $15, on a book that has to do with introducing, you know, someone who can invest 25 to 100k plus over a lifetime in a group. I mean, that’s right. It’s, it’s more that type of thinking. But I’m glad you asked that, because this is how I learned.

Alastair McDermott  47:54

Yeah, it’s interesting, because, like it, I think that I think that if somebody’s listening to this, and they might be thinking, you know, okay, that that what we were talking about earlier, and when you were talking about the abundance mindset on the on the gift to give their thinking, Okay, this guy, he’s not in the real world, when it comes to when it comes to earning money and revenue, like, I’ve got to pay my bills. But then, from this perspective, like you, you’re still charging and you understand that people need to pay in order to pay people need to pay for value. And I think that that’s what you’re doing here is you’re saying, Look,

Justin Breen  48:31

You get what you pay 400 for it. Yeah. So if you if you again, freedom of relationship with yourself. So if you don’t value yourself, how are people going to value you? So it’s pretty, that’s what I mean. So And here’s another interesting thing, with the PR firm, just kept raising rates, like just kept raising rates exponentially. I remember the first check I ever got for Brepic. First one ever got for br epic, it said Brevik on the check hustling? Oh, so happy. It was for $500 $500. And I’m very grateful for that. Very thankful, but that the person who wrote that check, they would never be a part. They would never be a partner. No, I’m very thankful for it but and then just kept raising rates. And then that weeded out? What do you cost or charge and then attracted, what is an investment deal look like? And so I just keep raising rates because it’s the same formula. It’s the same formula for joining those groups, bigger investments, small room, bigger impact, bigger investment, smaller and bigger impact. So the same thing, if you value yourself, then you’ll value the checks that you write to be another, you know, other groups like that.

Alastair McDermott  49:40

Yeah, yeah. A really, really interesting. I think, you know, your mindset, it comes across. And you mentioned, I’m really grateful for that. You know, I think that you’ve probably said that about 10 times during the course of this 100 times. So, I think, you know, it’s really clear, I think you’re one of the most interesting characters I have spoken to you on this show. Because of because of your mindset on that. So yeah, I think this will be, I think this will be an interesting one, just get people’s that get the cogs turning. I do,

Justin Breen  50:13

Can I say something real quick? I know it real quick. Because, like, again, people like me are usually aliens, but there is like, there is some type of human in me. I mean, probably because I’m married a pediatrician. But like, so you understand, like, I started first company, after job salary was cut in half, I couldn’t find a job. So reached out to 5000 people while I was working full time and Half Salary with zero business background. So now, you know, now, you know, working partnering with all these amazing people. You know, I mean, the coolest people on the planet, and then most importantly, get to see my family. I mean, and again, my dad died when I was 13. My youngest brother, he died when he was 29. He’d be 40, almost 42 now, and you know, it, it’s and you know, I’m married, literally the nicest person I’ve ever met ever. So that’s why I keep saying it. Because, you know, and then again, I talked to one to two entrepreneurs a week that have let this life destroy their family completely, or prevented them from ever having a family. So I’m just very grateful that I have this life. I mean, because it certainly could have gone the other way very easily. But it didn’t. So that’s why I keep saying it. Because, you know, I’m just very thankful for the life I have very thankful.

Alastair McDermott  51:43

Yeah, yeah, that really comes across. So okay, I’m afraid they got to wrap it up. Because we’re running. We’re running out of time already. So I have some questions. You know, I always ask people, What is the number one tip that you give to somebody who wants to build their authority?

Justin Breen  51:59

Do what you like to do and what you’re good at?

Alastair McDermott  52:00

Yeah, that’s great. Do what you like to do and what you’re good at? Is there a business mistake or failure that you’ve experienced yourself that you can tell us about what you learned from it.

Justin Breen  52:11

So at the end of 2018, I’d made more money than I ever had in one year, I think quadruple quintuple the amount of money I’d ever made as a journalist. And I’d never been more miserable in my life. So I’m like, well, that doesn’t make any sense. So leaned heavily on my wife started seeing a therapist, talk to all these entrepreneurs. And then one of them is one of my mentors, he’s gave me great advice that I think will be valuable. He’s like, Well, every entrepreneur I know has gone through something like this. And you’ll go through it again. But the most important thing is what you learned from it, and then realize it’s gonna happen again, but it’ll be fine. So I mean, that’s just entrepreneur life. So I’m actually glad I went through that, because I learned a lot. I learned a lot from it.

Alastair McDermott  52:53

Cool. Is there a business book or resource that’s been really important for you that you would recommend?

Justin Breen  52:59

I’m guessing you’ve never had this as an answer to your question. But “Man’s Search for Meaning”. Viktor Frankl,

Alastair McDermott  53:05

I think I think I have had that as an answer before from somebody.

Justin Breen  53:09

Really? Wow, I’d like to meet that person.

Alastair McDermott  53:14

Trying to remember, is it is it an episode that we’ve put out? Yeah, so I think I have an I 100% agree with you. Really important. Yeah.

Justin Breen  53:22

Yeah. And do you read fiction at all? That’s the number one. That’s the ultimate. The one I’m reading now is “The Choice” by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, she was an arch, also a survivor of the Holocaust. From a female perspective. I’m not done with it yet, but it’s really good. But those two Man’s Search for Meaning and then the choice have nothing to do with business, but everything to do with  You know, I know you prep me for that question. I’m glad you did. I have not read fiction in 15 years. I have if anyone would like it, by the way, they can email me if you want to put my contact info. I have a giant list of nonfiction books that I recommend. And I’m happy to send it but no, I there’s so many cool things in nonfiction that are real that I don’t read fiction.

Alastair McDermott  54:09

Okay, cool. All right. Well, what I might do is like a link from you afterwards, when we can link to that in the show notes.

Justin Breen  54:17

Okay.

Alastair McDermott  54:18

So where can people find you if they want to learn more?

Justin Breen  54:21

Justin Breen on LinkedIn B as in boy, R E E N is a no and then the everything. Bredpicllc.com B-R-E-P-I-C llc.com.

Alastair McDermott  54:33

Cool. And they can also look for “Epic Business”, which is your first book and what’s the second book called? That’s coming out soon.

Justin Breen  54:40

Epic Life. Epic Life. So that one should be out late summer. Epic Life.

Alastair McDermott  54:45

Cool. We’ll probably be out by the time this episode airs. So

Justin Breen  54:50

Great. Awesome.

Alastair McDermott  54:51

We’ll link to that in the show notes as well. Awesome.

Justin Breen  54:53

Thank you so much. Tremendous interview.

Alastair McDermott  54:56

Justin. It’s been a pleasure to have you on so thanks for coming on.

Justin Breen  55:00

I really enjoy this. I’d really love how you really think about your questions and then double and sometimes triple down on on your questions. Good stuff.

Alastair McDermott  55:10

Super, thank you so much.

Justin Breen  55:11

You’re welcome.

Alastair McDermott  55:15

Thanks for listening. If you gained any insights or tips from this episode, please leave a review. It would really help us out. And it’s very easy to do. Just click on the review link in the show notes on your device and it will bring you straight to a page with options for the device that you’re listening on. Thanks. It really helps. It’s much appreciated.

Voiceover  55:36

Thanks for listening to The Recognized Authority with Alastair McDermott. Subscribe today, and don’t miss an episode. Find out more at TheRecognizedAuthority.com