Neil Patel has plenty of haters. I’m not one of them. But there is something I do hate about Neil Patel. I hate the fact that every freaking time I read or listen to his stuff, it makes me feel like I’m not getting anything done.
I just don’t have the time to do all of the stuff he’s talked about implementing. I can’t write a legit 5,000-word blog post once a day with all of the other stuff I need to worry about.
His ideas are so spot on and his experience so valuable that it makes me wonder how someone has the time to do everything that he’s doing and has done by the age of 32.
I listen to a few of his podcasts, and I get anxiety trying to, first of all, remember everything he’s saying, and second of all, figure out how to implement these things in our business.
But seriously, all that aside, the guy has the most serious marketing chops of anyone I’ve heard. Maybe he has no life… or maybe he has an amazing life. I have no idea.
Either way… if you’re going to go into marketing, you’d get a far better marketing education just by listening to his free stuff than you would by attending a 4 year Ivy League University and spending 200k. I’m 99% certain of that.
I’ve known of Neil Patel for awhile now, but I’m writing this now because I recently discovered his “Marketing School” podcast. I’ve gone through about 150 episodes in less than a couple weeks. I send them to my team and ask them to listen to them. The content is some of the best I’ve heard in the industry… and I’ve listened to a lot.
(Co-host Eric Siu is no slouch either.)
So… if you haven’t met Neil Patel, then here you go. If you’re a marketer, then you’ll want to know him. Mentors, people who have “been there, done that,” will help you get to where you want to go faster than you would otherwise.
Looking For a Marketing Mentor is Key
Mentors, like Neil, have a winning formula that has already been tested and proven, the essential ingredient that helped catapult them to fame and success. Adopting their strategies and implementing them to run your own business more successfully may enable you to make that big stride while eliminating the oftentimes costly and lengthy process involved in trial and error.
The cool thing is that you don’t have to pay Neil hundreds of thousands of dollars or travel to his office every day to have him become a mentor to you. He puts it all out there for free. Some paid… but mostly free. I spent a thousand bucks on one of his programs just because I felt like his free stuff added 10x that value to my business before I even came across his paid programs.
Meet Neil Patel
Again, I don’t know the dude. I’m not affiliated with him in any way and I’m not trying to push an affiliate link or anything.
But he is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in today’s digital marketing industry. He is just 32-years old.
Neil co-founded thriving companies Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics and Hello Bar, and has been instrumental in the growing revenues of big companies such as Amazon and NBC.
The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine have continued to rave about his entrepreneurial brilliance and massive online influence as a digital marketer. On top of that, he has already earned accolades and recognition from prestigious institutions and organizations in the United States, including the White House.
Neil has a great story that can greatly shape and influence any entrepreneur’s journey on the path to success.
Here are ten things you can learn from Neil, the young man who started with nothing more than a burning curiosity to turn his life around through passion, dedication, determination and a keen interest in entrepreneurship.
Learning From Neil Patel’s Wins and Losses
He made investments on a number of profitable businesses as well as projects and endeavors that resulted in major losses and disappointments. But he learned and improvised along the way to finally become one of the most successful, known and revered marketers and entrepreneurs in the world of business.
1. Tap the entrepreneur in you
Neil believes that “you don’t need a fortune to be fortunate.” He was raised in an average middle-class family but his dream of making it big by being an entrepreneur paved the way for his immense success, fame, and fortune. Even as a young man, he was always on the lookout for opportunities that could be strategically marketed so he could earn more clients, generate more sales and earn more than a decent profit.
You don't need a fortune to be fortunate - @neilpatel Click To TweetHe sold what had the most potential to sell. In his school, he sold black boxes to his classmates and when he became more sophisticated, he tapped into the booming internet market and plunged into digital consulting, earning a $3,500 monthly paycheck from a prospective client on his first venture.
2. Invest wisely
Neil made a few wrong investments when he was starting out in business, but what’s important is that he did not hesitate to make an investment in the first place. Investments are essential but knowing early on what works and what doesn’t can save you a lot of headaches and ultimately, money.
When the investment turned out to be a mistake and an obvious waste of money, he let it go and made adjustments. It took him several bouts with disappointing turnouts before “cracking the code.” His investment in his online venture Crazy Egg gave him a break, which turned profitable in no time.
3. Education is important
Neil knew what he had to face when he competed in the market, so he invested in education. He took classes and went to college where his first online marketing businesses started to take off after one of his key class presentations. He educates readers, entrepreneurs in particular, in his multiple blogs online including his section in INC magazine.
He blogs about content writing and how creating quality blogs and articles that bring value to readers, consumers and even clients give any entrepreneur an edge over the competition. At the same time, he teaches about successful online marketing that grows businesses and helps them advertise their brands to an infinite audience on the web that can be tapped with an effectively planned and executed strategy.
4. Don’t settle
Neil is a firm believer of his own philosophy, “No matter how successful you already are, you can always improve yourself a little further.” He was already doing financially well on his first online ventures including Crazy Egg, but he didn’t stop there. Despite costly trial and error, he was able to invest in other startups and online ventures that later on proved to be much profitable.
No matter how successful you are, you can always improve yourself a little further. - @neilpatel Click To Tweet5. Know what will sell
Neil, even as a child, was already scoping what would potentially sell to consumers. He studies the market and responds to his target consumers’ needs by getting into the appropriate ventures so he can offer them what they had been demanding. Before Neil delved into online consulting and other online marketing ventures, he made sure he knew the pulse of his target market.
6. Get funding from investors
Most entrepreneurs may not have enough funds to finance a venture, but if the venture is worthy enough not to die a natural death, some investors may take notice and voluntarily offer to share the profit pie by shelling out money to fund the business. Some investors may not voluntarily offer their “raft” to your project, so you may need to take the initiative to send proposals to your potential investors. A little extra work goes a long way to sustain your business especially when your funds are limited.
7. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Even though his investments in online consulting raked in incredible returns in terms of profit, Neil did not limit his investments on one particular niche. He also invested in different ventures in various industries. He ventured into stocks, realty, web domains and multiple physical commercial establishments.
8. Maintain visibility on the web and make connections with your target market
Neil Patel is constantly blogging and sharing his entrepreneurial strategies to his millions of followers. He is virtually visible and reachable at the touch of a button, ready to communicate and interact with his target market. Aside from that, he conducts regular speaking engagements where he can educate other entrepreneurs, as well as advertise his brand and attract more business opportunities for his companies.
9. Empower other entrepreneurs
Marketing is about building relationships with people and Neil is a champion of that. One of his endearing characters is his genuine desire to share his success with others especially to budding entrepreneurs who have the vision and the passion to change the course of their future. In his blogs on Quicksprout, Neil gives authoritative guest posters to teach other businesses how to thrive in marketing.
He educates marketers, for instance, on managing and improving their email marketing through quality content and effective newsletters complete with charts and graphics to illustrate step-by-step instructions on how to accomplish it. If you can establish a great relationship with your target consumers, your opportunity to grow your market and enhance your profit is infinite.
10. Don’t lose your motivation
Starting a business is as hard as running your business on a daily basis. If you’re not motivated enough, quitting or shutting down what you started is an easy way out. Neil’s story is proof that not everyone who is successful in their venture got where they are without getting bruised and beaten along the way.
Neil started out cleaning toilets and picking garbage on his first job. He’s lost investments trying to find the best formula for success. If he wasn’t motivated, he would have settled on his first winning venture that gave him a decent life and stopped investing. But he didn’t. He took risks and pushed through.
In the end, his vision, dedication, and determination to achieve what he initially set out to do became his beacon that steered him throughout his incredible journey to become the renowned entrepreneur that he now is. His contributions to digital marketing are incredible and worth celebrating for by every entrepreneur that benefits from them.
If you’re still hesitant to go out there and start your business, don’t be. Neil did not come into the marketing world equipped with all the necessary tools to succeed. In fact, he started with nothing. But he succeeded. As he advises anyone who wants to venture out in the same path with reluctance or doubts, “The past is your lesson. The present is your gift. The future is your motivation.”
Haters are going to hate. I’m just not one of them. If I had any reason to hate Neil Patel… it’s simply because I can’t keep up with him. 🙂