We closed a deal with a guru on my Dream 100:

• NY Time Bestseller.
• Over 5 million copies sold.
• A top voice in personal development.
• Sold his first business to a Fortune 500 brand.

This isn’t like any other deal…

Because I’ve been working on this for over a decade.

It starts in 2014m when I get hired by Mindvalley at just 21 years old.

I book a one-way ticket and fly halfway around the world to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is where the Mindvalley headquarters is located.

Back then, I’m not some marketing prodigy. Quite the opposite. I’m the newest customer support rep. In fact, I hate marketing. I think it’s yucky. But after my first few days on the job, I suddenly become obsessed with marketing.

Why?

Because the senior copywriter just finishes a million-dollar launch for a famous guru under the Mindvalley portfolio. The guru is the most charismatic man I’ve seen. I watch this launch unfold right in front of my eyes. I see the sales come in, the office celebrate, and the copywriter get showered in praise.

I see this and think, “I want to be just like that copywriter.”

But I don’t stop there…

“And someday, I’m going to write copy for THAT guru…”

But there’s one big problem:

I don’t have a clue about marketing or copywriting.

It feels like an impossible dream because there are hundreds of marketers who are already years ahead of me, and I’m just getting started. All I have is a passion to learn.

So I keep the dream alive with a single word…

Someday.

Now it’s 2017, and I just leave Mindvalley. I have no leads, no clients, no nothing.

But then I get a message from a friend, “My client is looking for a copywriter. Can you do it?” I jump at the chance, “Of course! Who’s the client?”

You wouldn’t believe it – it’s the guru I dreamed of working with just a couple of years earlier.

Feeling eager and a bit nervous, I get on a call with the CEO. “This is it. This is the ‘someday’ I’ve been waiting for.” But the CEO isn’t impressed. He thinks I’m too beginner. I get rejected right away, and it hurts. It feels like the universe is teasing me, playing a cruel game I can’t win.

But I keep a spark of hope alive, thinking that one little word to myself…

Someday.

Fast forward to 2020.

My reputation as a marketer is growing, and I’m finally starting to gain traction.

I share a little post on my social media looking for a new client to work with.

Minutes later, I see a notification on my phone…

It’s from an old friend of mine I met at Mindvalley. The last time I saw him, we were drunk at a magic show in the underbelly of Kuala Lumpur, celebrating the launch of that same guru 6 years earlier…

“Sam!” he writes, “I’m heading up the marketing department for a new client, and we might need a copywriter. Are you available?”

I jump at the chance and ask, “Definitely. Who’s the client?”

When he tells me, my heart skips a beat. It’s the same guru. The one who’s already rejected me once. But this time, I’m not a ‘beginner’ anymore – I have the track record to prove it. So my buddy refers me and tells the CEO to hire me.

However…

The CEO still has doubts.

He remembers me from before and still isn’t sure I’m the right fit.

I feel the familiar sting of rejection. It’s another dead end. But my friend believes in me, and he fights for me to get the role.

The CEO reluctantly agrees…

And it’s good he did.

Because over the next year, we do great work. We build products, launch campaigns, and hit our stride together. I even get to coach the guru’s student, and the students love it. The CEO sees my marketing talents firsthand, and our relationship flourishes.

But this is when I realize if I want to earn more, I shouldn’t just be the marketer…

I should be the partner who manages everything and hires the marketer…

So I decide to get into business for myself and start partnering with businesses. We part ways on great terms. But I can’t shake the thought, “How amazing would it be to work with the guru not just as a marketer, but as a partner?”

I hear the echo of that one word deep inside my thoughts…

Someday.

This brings us to today.

I catch up with a member of the team a few weeks ago. The guru’s business is still chugging along, although it’s not like what it used to. The key players have all moved on. And he tells me…

“Sam, we don’t have someone to run this anymore, and there’s still so much potential.”

He pauses for what feels like an eternity, and then he says it…

“Would you like to take over?”

I can’t believe it.

It was over ten years ago, back in 2014, when I first discovered marketing. I hadn’t written a single line of copy, yet I had a dream that I would work with this guru someday.

And today, in 2024, over a decade later…

That someday is finally today.

I used to admire this brand when I was 21 years old.

Now I’m 31 and I get to lead it.

We strike a profit share deal with our agency’s signature offer…

Which means this deal isn’t just about creating offers and launching ads. We’re talking about reviving a legacy brand and making it connect in today’s world.

I share my vision about how we can combine direct response marketing with organic content strategies to create what we believe is the brand of the future. We talk about reactivating their YouTube channel with 60,000 subscribers and tapping into their Instagram audience with over 310,000 followers.

I didn’t think they would go for it, but it turns out, they were all in. Even the guru was in for the idea. They just needed someone to lead the strategy, and that’s what we offered to do.

I see this deal as more than just increasing sales. It’s about reinventing a brand with decades of history and making it relevant today. Our challenge is to use the guru’s story and strengths to stand out against the newer influencers popping up.

I’m confident we have what it takes. After all, this guru has been around longer than most of these influencers have been alive. We have lots of content, offers, and marketing that’s already made millions.

Now we just have to pour life into it.

There were setbacks, rejections, and moments of doubt. There were many times I wanted to give up, and there were even times when I did. But I never let go of that reckless ambition. I never let go of that one word that’s become a mantra in my life…

Someday.

It took me over ten years to land this, and the real work with this partner starts now. But it shows that with persistence and a bit of stubbornness, anything is possible. This is just the beginning of an even bigger journey with our agency, One Billion Media.

There’s still so much I want to share, so stay tuned – the best is yet to come.

This is Week 4 of building my business in public.