Mitch Russo - Sell It First Before You Build It

Update: 2025-01-20

Description

BIO: Mitch Russo is a serial entrepreneur who built and sold his first software company for eight figures, scaled a $25M business with Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes, and was twice nominated for Inc. Entrepreneur of the Year.

STORY: Mitch bought several Amazon stores to make passive income, which he did for a while. Unfortunately, the lucky streak ended after Amazon significantly reduced the commissions it paid to its resellers, and Google changed its algorithm. Now, Mitch’s SEO pages were not working, and nobody was finding them.

LEARNING: Never start a business without knowing who will buy the product. Try to sell your product/service before you build it.

“Please do not create a product until you understand exactly what the client needs. Try and sell it first before you build it.”

Mitch Russo

Guest profile

Mitch Russo is a serial entrepreneur who built and sold his first software company for eight figures, scaled a $25M business with Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes, and was twice nominated for Inc. Entrepreneur of the Year. He’s the author of four books and the creator of ClientFol.io.

Worst investment ever

Mitch highlighted two particular investments that have left a lasting mark on his life as an investor.

The Amazon stores

A couple of years ago, Mitch embarked on an exhilarating journey to create recurring revenue by investing in businesses that required minimal participation. The Amazon stores, a hot trend at the time, became his focus. With significant investments, these stores flourished, and Mitch was able to generate a substantial monthly income of $18,000 to $20,000, almost passively.

Then the whole thing came crashing down. Two things happened simultaneously: Amazon significantly reduced the commissions it paid to its resellers, and Google changed its algorithm. Now, Mitch’s SEO pages were not working, and nobody was finding them.

The peer-to-peer accountability platform

Mitch created an earlier version of ClientFol.io called resultsbreakthrough.com, a peer-to-peer accountability platform. Mitch had to invent some technology to do it. At the time, the platform worked fantastic.

To succeed with the the peer-to-peer accountability platform, Mitch poured his heart and soul into it. He was deeply passionate about what he had created. However, the platform did not receive the response he had hoped for. Despite his belief in the platform’s potential, it remained unsold, a stark reminder that success is not guaranteed, no matter how brilliant the idea.

Lessons learned

Never start a business without knowing who will buy the product first.
Try to sell your product/service before you build it.
It’s never over until you quit.
Hire a coach to accelerate business growth and learn valuable lessons quickly.

Andrew’s takeaways

Solving a problem is not enough; you must ensure your target customer can pay for the product. Is the pain valuable enough that they’ll pay high enough prices?

Actionable advice

If you are smart and you can see what’s happening around you, you can make almost any mistake, recover from it, learn from it, and grow from it.

Mitch’s recommendations

Mitch recommends reading Crossing the Chasm, which beautifully encapsulates the power of focus.

No.1 goal for the next 12 months

Mitch’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to continue building recurring revenue through internet processes and funnels, a path he is deeply passionate about. Additionally, he is on the verge of publishing two fiction books, one of which he believes will be adapted into a movie. He is actively working to lay the groundwork for this promising future.