Jeff Samis quotes: The Profit League co-founder’s cleverest content.
“[On handling haters online] Pump the ‘hate brakes’ and smile.”
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change. Free your mind from the dungeon of dogma and popular belief. The masses are predictable because they’re programmed. I’ve built a life around being the glitch.”
“Building an internet business is a lot like coloring with crayons. (Pass me the magenta, player.) I’m serious though. Think about it: with a kids’ coloring book, you open it up, and there’s an outline of a picture. Some of ‘em even show you which color to put where. Scribble some green onto that palm tree. Shade some blue into the sky. Slam some yellow on the sun. Beige house. Brown puppy. Wham, bam… thank you, ma’am. Momma’s got another pretty picture for the fridge. Same goes for biz. Only, few realize it. Urrbody thinks you gotta color outside the lines. Break the rules. Do something that’s never been done. Hogwash! Here’s the sweat-stained truth: most people are not going to be the next Elon Musk. Or Steve Jobs. Or Sara Blakely… Spanx you very much. But so what? What’s wrong with making six-figures coloring within the lines? Doing something simple and fun? And freeing? That’s what we did. Finally! After we stopped chasing shiny sh*t. And let go of the notion that this epic life was just gonna fall into our lap. Like Ginger at a Gentlemen’s Club. Ya know? So… here’s the thing: if you want impact, income, comfort, control, security, and all those wonderful things? Stop over-everything-ing. Thinking. Estimating. Complicating. Here’s an idea: grab the same book we used, get out your crayons and get to coloring. Then frame that sh*t.”
“[On the new luxurious Vegas crib] New view, same crew.”
“‘It takes money to make money.’ Bullsh*t. Takes grit, creativity and balls. Money, like fame and alcohol, only magnifies what you’re about at your core. Starting with nothing is a gift, not a curse… if you’re really bout it.”
“Until you’re willing to wage war with mediocrity, there will always be an excuse: lack of time; distractions; doubt; fear. Some days you gotta embrace your dark side and do it pissed off! The shirt shares my sentiment. [His shirt, by the way, read: ‘F*ck Failure!’]”
“There is nothing that can’t be accomplished by two people in love.”
“The higher you climb, the farther you see.”
“Think you need to have results before you have confidence? No way, Kanye. The truth is, you don’t need permission from Nancy know-it-all or her gossiping gal pals to have swagger. ‘Nice knowin’ ya Nancy. See ya never.’ If ya curl up in the shower clutching your knees at the thought of someone challenging your skill, ideas or intentions… you’ll never get things poppin’. You gotta own that sh*t from the jump. Why? Building anything worthwhile is unquestionably tough, but if you truly commit and stay consistent, it’s damn near impossible not to get really good. Real entrepreneurs know how to be resourceful. It’s in our blood. [In this day and age] there’s no excuse for not knowing what to do. There’s resources literally everywhere. What is there to lose by being confident? There’s more at risk by being unconfident – so why not nut up? Will you gain more confidence as you get results? Fosho. Results start to stack and you’ll get in a positive feedback loop that will transform your identity and your life. But you need to be the catalyst for the loop. You need to be the one that pulls the crank to get the wheel into momentum. Once the wheel is turning, you’re in there like swimwear.”
“[On leveling up] Circle gets smaller; vision gets bigger.”
“Can you get rich quick? Highly unlikely. Although, it would depend on your definitions of ‘rich’ and ‘quick.’ Regardless. My stance is: go as fast as you can in business without taking shortcuts. In fact: I’d say? Looking for shortcuts is a good way to never make any significant money. Let alone, get rich. I mean… just think about the synonyms for shortcut: bypass, dodge, avoid, duck, ignore. Question: ever solved a problem by ignoring it? Me either. Now what’s the opposite of shortcut? Accept, embrace, seek, welcome. Like: ‘Bring it on, b*tch!’ Right? Doesn’t that just sound like a winning attitude? Damn right it does. So that’s the mentality I want you to have. That: success is a fist fight. An adrenaline-pumping, gut-wrenching, bloody-nosed battle. And whaddya gonna do? Run from it? Nah, son. You’re gonna square up… and scrap. That’s the only way to get your hand raised. And you’ll be rich in integrity and character as a result. And whatever money follows? And however fast? Well, that’ll be a nice bonus. Won’t it?”
“Clarity is a precursor to confidence. While most people scramble to learn and keep up, I’m constantly trying to discover what I need to unlearn and block out. Success isn’t as sexy as many make it out to be. It’s found through focus and relentless execution. Find what works and run the play. In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”
“Find a woman you’d be willing to die for. Then spend your life living for her.”
“[In reference to taking a private jet on a business trip] ‘A mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.’ New York to Miami in the ‘PJ.’ Working our ass off to ensure this is the only way we travel. Once you experience the luxury of saving time, avoiding TSA and not flying ass-to-ankles (I got some long-ass legs), it’s tough to go back.”
“Polarity pays. From politicians to musicians, religion to retail, currencies to coffee… fame and fortune and freaky-fast growth rarely come without strong, mixed reviews. Small businesses and laptop entrepreneurs need to remember this. Do the work you were meant to do, the way you’re inspired to do it, and never cower to criticism. If anything it’s a symptom of success.”
“[On his and Jessica’s anniversary] Nine years ago today we met; fell in love; began building an empire. The end.”
“What business are you really in? McDonald’s mogul, Ray Kroc, eventually realized it was real estate, not hamburgers. (And the rest is history.) My wife Jess and I had a similar, but slightly smaller epiphany. After a decade of ups and downs peddling other people’s products, we thought: know what our real value is? Attention! The ability to go online and get it, from just about anyone. And yet, we weren’t even monetizing it. So what’d we do? We stopped chasing teeny-tiny commissions and started leasing attention to the highest bidders: businesses. (And the rest is history.) So lemme ask you: what business are you really in? Maybe there’s a better answer than the one you’ve been using.”
“A man with dreams… needs a woman with vision… and a sidekick with fur.”
“Entrepreneurship can be a lonely road, but it doesn’t have to be. For years I built walls around myself, my ideas, my aspirations, my failures and my victories. I had done a great job convincing myself that I was stronger than my obstacles and that letting people in would only prove to slow me down. Not only was that incredibly flawed thinking, it also robbed me of the joy that comes from having others experience the journey with me. Can you make it on your own? Yes. But you’re making it harder than it needs to be and missing out on one of the best parts of the journey.”
“[Regarding a student testimony for The Profit League] Love seeing students work hard, rise up and break through barriers. Even better when you can do it while on vacation.”
“Broke is not the same as broken. There have been many times in my life where I had so much debt that just having nothing would have been an upgrade. The one thing I never let myself succumb to was the mentality of being poor. Being broke is temporary; being poor is fairly permanent. Don’t let your temporary circumstances break you.”
Related: Billy Gene quotes.
