Legends, get ready for a power-packed episode! 🚀 Today, I’m sitting down with the one and only Martin Ruof—a man who went from waiting tables for Hollywood A-listers to building teams of over 250,000 people in 14+ countries and generating over $400 million in revenue. This is not just another success story—this is a blueprint for how to go from grinding in the trenches to leading an empire. If you’re in network marketing, social selling, or entrepreneurship, THIS episode will change the way you think about leadership, success, and taking action.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this BOOMSAUCE episode:
✅ The mindset shift that took Martin from surviving to thriving
✅ How he scaled a global team & trained audiences of 25,000+ people
✅ The biggest mistakes people make in network marketing & how to fix them
✅ Why relationships are the foundation of every great business
✅ How to create unstoppable momentum & take your business to the next level
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to scale, this episode is full of game-changing insights you can apply right now.
1️⃣ Your Past Doesn’t Define You—Your Actions Do
2️⃣ The Power of Building a Strong Team & Community
3️⃣ Success is About Mindset, Not Just Strategy
4️⃣ Relationships & Leadership are the REAL Currency of Business
5️⃣ Don’t Just Learn—Take Massive, Focused Action
💬 “It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you’re willing to go.”
💬 “The secret to massive success? Serve your team, and they’ll build the empire with you.”
💬 “Your mindset is either your biggest asset or your biggest liability. You decide.”
[00:00] Intro & Why Martin’s Story is a Must-Hear
[04:10] Martin’s Journey: From Hollywood’s Tables to Boardroom Tables
[10:35] The Leadership Mindset That Creates Massive Growth
[16:20] How to Build & Scale a Global Team Successfully
[21:40] Why Most People Fail in Network Marketing & How to Fix It
[28:15] Final Words & Martin’s Advice for Entrepreneurs
🔥 Challenge: DM me your #1 takeaway from this episode!
🔥 *Tag a mate who NEEDS to hear this!
🔥 *Subscribe & leave a review—it helps more legends find the show!
🎧 Listen Now on Your Favorite Platform:
▶️ YouTube: Laptop Lifestyle Dads Channel
🎵 Spotify: Listen on Spotify
🍏 Apple Podcasts: Catch us on Apple
📡 LA Tribune Podcast Network: More amazing episodes
💥 Stay caffeinated. Stay legendary. 🦘🚀
Jeff Ross (00:00) Well, good day legends and welcome back to another episode of the Laptop Lifestyle Dads show. Hey, this one's proudly brought to you in partnership with the Los Angeles Tribune podcast network. My name is Jeff Ross. I'm your host, a proud father of three energetic boys coming to you from the beautiful island of Tasmania, Australia. Hey, this is the show where we help frustrated network and affiliate marketers and online entrepreneurs break free from the grind, master AI, social selling, traction marketing,
and finally build that business that works for you instead of the other way around. Now today's guest has one of the most incredible stories that you'll ever hear. He started out serving Hollywood's elite literally back in the day he was the front of house, waiting tables and catering some of the biggest A-listers on the planet. But here's the twist. He didn't just stay on the sidelines. He took that drive, that hunger for more and built a business so powerful that he went from serving the stars
Martin Ruof (00:51)
you
Jeff Ross (00:59)
to sitting at the table with him. We're talking over $400 billion in revenue, teams of 250,000 plus across 14 countries. He's trained audiences of up to 25,000 people in stadiums worldwide. This guy knows what it takes to start from the ground up, push through and make it happen. If you've ever felt stuck, you're grinding without results, you'll wanna hear from someone who's been there, done that and built an empire.
Martin Ruof (01:00)
You
Jeff Ross (01:27)
This is the episode for you. So let's get into it. Martin Ruoff, welcome to the show.
Martin Ruof (01:32)
Well, thank you for having me Jeff, I appreciate it
Jeff Ross (01:35)
Now, I appreciate you and really looking forward to getting into this. We've got a bit of a history and a really good one and I can't wait to share that with our audience. But before we dive in, let's just talk about today's sponsor. This episode is brought to you by Shoply. If you're looking for a way to create additional streams of income without the hassle of inventory or complicated systems, Shoply's got you covered. With Shoply, you can launch your own e-commerce store within minutes. No tech headaches.
You can leverage AI powered marketing tools, sell smarter, not harder. And turn your social media into a money making machine. It's all about making money online with businesses that are simple and profitable. So if you're serious about leveling out, come check out Shoply and see if it's a good fit for you. And all right legends, let's get into it. Let's get into the gold with Martin. So, so mate, your journey has been a wild one.
from waiting tables to now being able to sit at the table with elites. Let's take us back. What was that transition like for you? What was the turning point when you knew that you were meant for more?
Martin Ruof (02:46)
I think the turning point was really, I just hit a point where I was so frustrated and, I was waiting tables at one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles. As you mentioned, I mean, I was literally waiting on the biggest celebrities in the world, billionaires, people that would come in and spend thousands and thousands of dollars on dinner. And, know, hell, they'd spend that on a bottle of wine, you know, and
I just, kept, it was kind of like I was sort of split. On one half, I was really grateful for the job that I had, because it paid the rent, paid the bills and whatnot. But that's kind of all it really did. And I just, you know, on the other hand, I was just, I was like, I want more. And I'm looking at these people going, look at their lifestyle, look at the ability that they have, the freedom that they have to be able to just spend money.
And their stress levels just didn't seem particularly high. Now I get it. I was looking at a snapshot of their life, right? You know, and they're in a restaurant, chances are business meeting, whatever social service, you know, setting they're on their best behavior. But nonetheless, I, I didn't have that, that quality of peace of mind of freedom. And so I began to really yearn for it. And the more I yearn for it, the more I became
aware of the chasm between what they had and what I, what I had. And so, I just started asking myself some pretty, simple questions. Like, what do they have that I don't have? And when it really came down to it, it wasn't that they just have more money. They had a better opportunity. They had a better gig. And so I was like, well, what am I good at? You know, and I, and you know, yes, I, I had done acting before there's go ahead and make the joke. So you're an actor, you know, right.
working at a restaurant, must be an actor because you're living in LA. I actually did work. I actually did work as an actor, but I wasn't very fulfilled with it. And so the shift that really the catalyst was my level of frustration just grew to the point where I'm like, something's got to give. And it propelled me into seeking something different. And once I began to seek it, I began to find it.
Jeff Ross (05:08)
I love that. So you became hungry and you became curious and so you started looking for something different. Now, as I dig into this whole world of professional development and all that space, I'm starting to understand like our why needs to be something that makes us cry, right? There's not just, it's not just about the money. It's not even just about the life that your why can achieve for you. So like there's a real deep sort of why to that. So what drives you?
Martin Ruof (05:11)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Jeff Ross (05:37)
to continue to, you you're lucky if you've gone to the top of the mountain and you've had some pretty awesome success through that drive. So you've, it's not about the money. So what is it about the why that keeps you going, keeps you going into that space and keeps, yeah, keeps trying to go for bigger mountains.
Martin Ruof (05:45)
Mm-hmm.
Well,
yeah, well, that's good. mean, look, very candidly, part of it is the money. mean, absolutely. You know, great. The more money there is, there is, you know, there's obviously a higher level of responsibility, higher level of leadership. And there's also a higher level of access and freedom. Right. So part of it is the money. But drilling down into that, it's the freedom.
Jeff Ross (06:06)
Yes.
Martin Ruof (06:19)
And it's the safety, it's the security, it's the legacy, it's the ability to pass this on to our son Banks. And that's really it. When our son is about to turn five towards the end of this month and...
there has been no greater mirror held up to my face for my attributes and for my frailties, opportunities to work on myself, of growth. And so in order to provide the life that I want our son to have that I really didn't have growing up.
Jeff Ross (06:55)
Hehehe
Yes.
Martin Ruof (07:09)
the safety, the security, the freedom, the joy, the happiness, the lessons, all of it, I need to be performing at my highest level. And so that's really it. It's providing a life for our son and also for myself and for Jessie, my wife.
Jeff Ross (07:09)
Mmm.
I love that. Reflecting on a statement that I heard from Malcolm Jamal Warner just recently. Been doing some work for him and in that statement he says, bad habits are the thief that will steal your dreams. So let's talk about that for a second. So what do you feel are some of the most common bad habits that stop people from achieving their success, achieving their dreams?
Martin Ruof (08:01)
Sure. mean, you know, some I think are more on the surface like procrastination, you know, but drilling down, I think procrastination is a massive one, frankly. You know, failure to plan, right? Lack of goals, failure to set goals, have goals, which really is a failure to plan.
Jeff Ross (08:07)
Mm-hmm.
Martin Ruof (08:26)
I think those, I think those are all more surface, but you know, you drill down and you go, what causes someone to not plan? What causes someone to procrastinate? And I think it's really, it's more of like an addiction to the negativity, addiction to low, you know, to limiting beliefs and addiction to, just low, low self-worth and not understanding one's own value. If you understand your value.
then you're going to deliver that value. you believe in it you're able to readily access it or at least aspects of it, then you're going to deliver it. But if people that they don't believe in themselves or people that have very, very low self-esteem, which is really not, it's having a low opinion of yourself.
Then I think you're going to procrastinate. think you're going to find reasons to self-sabotage and you're, you know, and part of self-sabotaging is the lack of setting goals. You know, if you don't have a goal, then you're just, you're just flailing around in the dark. Right. and so you have to have a clear vision of what you want, you know, where you're going and then ideally a plan to get there. you know, now I will say this just briefly.
I don't think you have to have a plan. I do think you have to have a goal. I think the plan will materialize if you are taking action consistently towards a goal. think the plan will unfold before your eyes, right? I think the right people, the right circumstances will materialize. The universe, God, whatever works for you is going to bring those entities into your life and those circumstances into your life.
Jeff Ross (09:53)
Hmm.
Martin Ruof (10:16)
But that's by taking action and taking action towards specifically towards something. So.
Jeff Ross (10:16)
Yeah.
Yeah, I love that. Look, I've reflect back on the last 18 months and that's definitely been my journey. Like, you know, some of the stuff that has just started to eventuate is like, where did that come from? Like, how's that even possible? So don't worry necessarily about the how, but really dig into the vision, the goal, right? It's what I'm now referencing as the law of vibration. It's like magnetism. You put two magnets together and they'll attract like attracts like.
Martin Ruof (10:34)
Right. Right.
Absolutely.
Yeah, exactly. I think it was maybe I'm misquoting, but I think it was Nietzsche. You know, he said something to the effect of if the why is great enough, the how will appear. So.
Jeff Ross (11:00)
Mmm, mmm,
love that. That's really, yeah, thank you for sharing. That's good. So let's move into some leadership stuff here. Some leadership lessons from the front line. So I always say your past experiences shape your leadership. What lessons did you take from those early days in hospitality and coming up through the levels of leadership and what influences you in the way that you build businesses today?
Martin Ruof (11:28)
Yeah, that's a great question. You know, I think some of the things that really influenced me and the things that I took away from working, excuse me, from working in in in particular and elite, elite restaurant, excuse me, is that
one is preparation. Two is presentation. Three is communication. Right. So preparation, presentation, communication, the preparation, you know, we would set up the room, set up the dining room. And there's a difference if your place setting is here, like, you know, like for right now you're I'm in. Like I'm in the camera frame of my hands, right? Well, there's a difference if, if, it's like that, right.
If this is the only like, right. So it's even different if it's like that, right? So everything is uniformed, everything. The visual aesthetic is highly important, which is presentation, but the preparation for it, you know, you are preparing the guest to have an exceptional experience, which you have to be prepared as well. Five minutes, really five to 10, 15 minutes before the, the, the.
Jeff Ross (12:26)
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (12:48)
the shift actually, the doors actually opened. Like I would arrive early so I could get my side work done. So then I had five, 10, 15 minutes to sit outside and just be by myself and you know, just kind of like get mentally, yeah, just get mentally prepped. Cause I didn't really love all aspects of what I was doing and it wasn't easy. It was a high stress job. mean, people, if you've never waited tables, do it.
Jeff Ross (13:00)
Get this right. Yeah.
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (13:14)
Do it for 60 days, you're gonna get schooled, right? So again, the preparation was important. The other part of it, the presentation, I really think that the presentation of the way I presented myself, right? Did I know the menu, did I know the food, how did I look? Was my uniform on properly, probably,
Jeff Ross (13:16)
Yeah.
Martin Ruof (13:43)
that I look at the like that I was I really looking the optimal, you know, part, the presentation of how we serve the food, the way we put down plates, picked up plates, put down drinks, picked up drinks, poured wine. mean, there's it's fine dining. There is a, you know, there's, there's, there's, I don't want to call it an art, but damn close, right? And then the communication, you know, the looking in people's eyes, understanding when someone
how someone wants to be addressed, understanding who to look at first at a table. If it's a male and a female, I could instantly tell them, don't look at the woman too long, right? Because then the guy gets jealous. It's like weird stuff, but little subtleties. But the owner of the restaurant, his name was Bruce. One of the things that he taught me is he's just like, it's all in the details. It's all in.
Jeff Ross (14:18)
Mmm.
Yeah, little things, yeah.
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (14:41)
the details and that is exactly right. That's really what I've been saying to you in terms of the preparation, the presentation, the communication. It's the subtle details that make a significant impact on the, on the overall experience of someone else. So that all leads to I'm serving, right? So I believed that I believe that, know, I was put on the serf to serve and to serve at the highest level possible for me.
Jeff Ross (15:01)
Mmm.
Hmm.
Martin Ruof (15:11)
I maxed
out working at this restaurant. I maxed out my ability to serve at a high level in the restaurant industry. And I was very good at what I did. We served an exceptional product and I was a part of that product. I became frustrated, wanted more. I walked into something that I wasn't expecting to happen because I had the desire. I had a goal for something greater, but I didn't have the plan.
that materialized in front of me. And then I had to learn how to be prepared, how to present and how to communicate, you know, properly in what I was doing. So it all just kept, you know, it all worked, it all built on itself. yeah, and I just think that ultimately, again, you know, the being an entrepreneur, for me, it was still about serving.
Jeff Ross (15:58)
foundations and just yeah.
Martin Ruof (16:07)
serving team members, serving customers, serving clients, right? So, you know, I tried to teach that into other people, but, you know, I think I was also very much learning it myself. And then the last, just one super quick thing I would just say is, is, you know, um, the lesson of humility, right? There's a great, there's a, there's a great saying seek humility or it will be delivered to you. And to me, to me, I was, I, I,
Jeff Ross (16:33)
Yup.
Martin Ruof (16:36)
always did my best to remember where I came from. And there are definitely moments where I really forgot that and moments where I got caught up in money and got caught up in material things and the meaning of all that or really the lack thereof, the flimsy meaning of that. But that's just part of the process. I think that's a very, very important lesson to share.
Jeff Ross (16:52)
Yep.
That's huge.
Now, look, what I'm picking up here is, and I'm reflecting on an interview I just did with Sandy Sagralata, know, three key ingredients to success in anything really is to know yourself, like to be really comfortable and understand your self-identity, the areas that you need to grow in, the strengths, the whole lot, right? That'll lead to self-worth and self-love.
like to look at yourself in the mirror and just say, yep, I love that guy and have that self love and then have to have, you know, your why, you know, that big strong mission, mission or focused why that'll pull you up the mountain that'll help you to go through the grind, go through the mess, go through the growth because learning is messy, it's chaotic and you got to embrace it, right? So you got those three key elements you can
Martin Ruof (17:45)
Yes.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Jeff Ross (17:59)
can really rise up and do anything.
Martin Ruof (18:02)
This tattoo on my arm, says it's written in Aramaic and it says to that, it says be true to yourself, right? So to that known self be true, which the core of that is to know thyself. So I agree with Sandy. think it says the name Sandy. Yeah, I completely agree with that. If you know yourself, it makes life a lot easier. Being at peace with yourself is that, is that added step of, you know, Hey man, I am who I am. Right. And, and
Jeff Ross (18:14)
Mmm.
Yeah.
Martin Ruof (18:31)
You know, think a lot of the world, hell, won't, I won't go out there. I'll say for myself, I spent a lot of my own life trying to please people and trying to be what I thought other people wanted, wanted me to be. But really that's bullshit. What it really was is I was trying to figure out how to be accepted. What do I, what do I, who do I need to be in order for your, you, whoever you are.
Jeff Ross (18:41)
Yes.
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (18:59)
order for them, whoever they are, to like me so I didn't get hurt, so I was safe. Right? And that is a swift recipe for selling oneself out, which is a surefire way to, you know, self-sabotage and create a lot of, a lot of unhappiness in your life. So what you just said nailed it.
Jeff Ross (19:04)
Mmm.
Mm-hmm.
You just,
Well, you just highlighted by my first 30 years of trying to live to other people's expectations and love it. It got so much to the point where I felt alone, right? I felt so alone that I actually did try to kill myself. Like that was where I got to, you know, that empty thought that what would be better off with because I was just, I was setting myself up for failure. And I take ownership of that, but you know, looking at the last 12 years,
Martin Ruof (19:28)
Shit.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, exactly. Sure.
Jeff Ross (19:50)
It's been very much that journey of self-identity, self-worth, self-love. And this leads me to like when you know yourself intimately, you know, into MISI, when you're intimate in that space, that gives you a stronger firm foundation to be a guide to serve others. And I love what you were saying there about, you know, your restaurant days and what was it? was preparation and it was planning and it was communication.
Martin Ruof (20:01)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Jeff Ross (20:19)
But in that journey, you've gone through your own self-worth, self-identity, and you've gone into that self-development space. And then through that, you've been able to then go help others do that in that servant-hearted leadership style.
Martin Ruof (20:26)
Yep.
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. That's what it's about.
Jeff Ross (20:36)
Yeah, yeah. Love that.
So I've got to share, you know, we actually met on a couple of dream trips. We met in Punta Cana. We met in Mexico there in 2023. And one of my most favorite memories was with you just chilling in the jacuzzi in Mexico, looking over the ocean of the Riviera Maya and talking about all things leadership and personal development. So for Martin, what was what has travel meant for you in your journey?
And why do you think it's such a powerful tool for entrepreneurs and leaders to make sure it's a part of their lives?
Martin Ruof (21:13)
Yeah, great question. I think travel is is
It's arguably one of the best ways to actually learn life. Because when you travel, typically you're outside of your home. Your home is your comfort zone. Your home is literally for most everyone, not everyone, for most people, they create a home to be as comfortable as possible. Getting outside of your comfort zone, you're faced with
Jeff Ross (21:24)
Mm-mm.
Martin Ruof (21:48)
you know, communication, how do you communicate? How do you present yourself? How well have you prepared yourself? Not to go back to those lessons, but that's, know, I really think they apply, but you also really, you're getting the best education about what life really is because you're meeting other people and you're seeing, you know, how other people live and, and what other people actually value different cultures, different communities. Um, you know, and not
Jeff Ross (22:05)
Yeah.
Martin Ruof (22:18)
just not to mention being like in Europe, for example, going into the old world. I'm a part of the new world, right? You know, but going to the old world and, you know, visiting, you know, architecture that are, you know, is not hundreds of years old, thousands of years old, thousands, you know, like it's just, it's all inspiring. And
Jeff Ross (22:42)
Hmm.
Martin Ruof (22:47)
I think that's really the thing that it takes you so outside of who you think you are and it gives you that plenty of room, runway to fill in and experience who you actually are. And so I think you'll learn a lot about yourself. And again, also just being able to experience different food.
Jeff Ross (23:07)
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (23:17)
you know, seeing impossibly beautiful landscapes like going to the Maldives or wherever Bora Bora, you know, Hawaii, you know, like anywhere, it doesn't matter, like whatever it is for that for that individual. So I think travel is incredibly important. And I think I think I'd ever traveled until I was
Jeff Ross (23:34)
Yeah.
Martin Ruof (23:45)
I want to say, I think I was in my late teens, maybe early twenties, is the first time I actually went abroad. But I moved to New York and I studied acting in New York after I graduated. Actually, when I graduated from high school, I moved to the Virgin Islands. I lived in St. Thomas for a year. I came home, was bartending, and then I got hooked up into acting and I moved to New York and studied acting. But I lived in, I grew up in Baltimore.
When I was home, that was my comfort zone, but going to St. Thomas, going to New York, I was outside my comfort zone and I learned so much. I think travel also gives you the ability to invent yourself, to either reinvent or just, it's not about reinventing. It's constantly stepping into the greater version of yourself. So you're constantly inventing who you are.
Jeff Ross (24:31)
I love that.
Mmm.
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (24:44)
stretching the expression of who you are and traveling again, gives you that breadth to really expand into that. So it's vital, it's vital.
Jeff Ross (24:53)
Yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah. That's powerful. That's why I look, I'm taking my 13 year old son to Japan for his 13th birthday. Like that's how much travel is a big part of our lives. and, and, like I've just, listen to you here, the, talk about the beauty of the world around and there's all these amazing locations. And then I was just hit with a memory of where I saw some beauty and this really out there radical location.
Martin Ruof (25:04)
Yeah.
Jeff Ross (25:21)
And in somewhere you would never think you'd find some beauty, but it was in the slums of India. So we went on an immersion trip there, India last year, my son and I, and we went into a real immersion cultural trip, and we got to go right into the slums. And one of these slums were basically these people, beautiful people they were, beautiful, living in this rubbish tip area.
and that was their job. picked out through the rubbish. But it was the smiles on the kids' faces of all the random things. know, seeing beauty in the world where us Westerners, right, if we've got a roof over our head, running water, power, food in our fridge, we're part of the top 2 % wealthiest people in the world. you're looking at, did some research into this and looking at some interesting stats.
Martin Ruof (25:58)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Jeff Ross (26:15)
16 % of the Western world, America, Australia, UK live in developed countries. So that leaves, what is that? % live in places that are like India in slums. So that puts things into perspective, right? And so like these beautiful kids in these areas of India, like the simple act of
Martin Ruof (26:23)
Wow.
Wow. Wow.
Yeah.
Jeff Ross (26:44)
get my son giving them a banana. And like this is to see the faces light up with so much joy in that, in that like, just so much beauty in that. Now I wouldn't have seen that outside of Australia or anywhere else. Like I had to go to India, you know, to go to Delhi, to experience that part of the world and the culture and to see that beauty. And so yeah, thank you for bringing that memory up. Like it just, it is amazing how much travel
Martin Ruof (26:51)
and
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Jeff Ross (27:12)
Jazz transforms you.
Martin Ruof (27:14)
Yeah, absolutely. And it also creates the memories that you'll, you'll never forget. You'll never, you know, we, we, you and I have, we've, we've trained on this. We've, we've told others this, but it's like, think back to when you were, you know, 15, what did you get for Christmas when you were 15? Like you have no, you probably have no clue, right? Like,
Jeff Ross (27:19)
Mmm.
Mm.
I think it was a saddle. A
saddle for a horse or something.
Martin Ruof (27:39)
Yeah, it's like, but you know, think back to the vacation that you did with your like, or the holiday that you did with your parents, right? You know, you remember your experiences, you don't really remember the, you know, the objects you were given some objects, like, yeah, some things leave a leave an immense impression. But most every gift you've forgotten, but you'll never forget the experiences. And here's the other thing also, you know, you talk about what
your, you know, the experience that you and your son are going to have, you know, and he's turned so here's the really cool thing. It's the gift of time.
Jeff Ross (28:16)
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (28:18)
I mean, as a parent, you understand the gift of time. Like that, we ain't getting more of it, right? And so, you know, that gift of time to somewhere else, to have extraordinary experiences with your, with, know, with his dad, with, you know, with dad, like that, I mean, come on, man, come on. Like that's.
Jeff Ross (28:42)
Yeah. Yeah.
Martin Ruof (28:48)
Bravo. I'm glad you're doing that. That's inspiring.
Jeff Ross (28:50)
Thank you. Thank you, Martin. Reflecting back
to the start of this interview, we start talking about your why, right? And all of that. I know our why is very close in that space to be able to what drives us really is that gift of time, is that gift of freedom to give to our families and to be present, right? To give them those shared connected experiences so the memories that they create will last them a lifetime. But through those shared connected stories, we get to bond to become closer together.
Martin Ruof (29:04)
Yeah. Yep.
Jeff Ross (29:20)
You know, I get to help my kids receive what I didn't get and help them to understand their self-worth, their self-love, their self-identity. You know, so a lot of what we're talking about in this interview, it's very much, it's inner work, right? And yeah, love it. Thank you. let's shift gears. I want to talk, this is a social selling and AI mastery sort of podcast. And I know that, you know, AI is not your...
Martin Ruof (29:25)
Mmm.
Yeah, absolutely.
Jeff Ross (29:49)
wheelhouse, but you would have seen it from the outside looking in. So I want to talk about from that perspective. And I know that you've been in the network marketing industry for a couple of decades now, probably longer. I'm not going to try and call you out there on your age, but network marketing has changed big time in the, in over the past few years, especially. And now we've got, you know, all of these AI tools and all this automation, shaking things up even more. What I'm seeing in the, mixed of it all.
Martin Ruof (29:50)
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Jeff Ross (30:18)
is the world's becoming a very noisy place. It's becoming very, very noisy to compete against all of the voices on social media. And trust is at an all time low. So to go out there and try and connect with someone and build the trust, like I remember when I first started in 2010, like it was hard, but it was not as hard as it is today to build trust with people. So how do you see this whole
Martin Ruof (30:26)
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Jeff Ross (30:47)
AI, you know, social selling space, transforming and working in a way that serves the industry. not, you know, I understand there's all the stories out there that it's against the industry and it's making, you know, it's, and I want to talk about the negative concept. I want to look at it from your perspective and how to, what is the best way for entrepreneurs to embrace this instead of fearing it?
Martin Ruof (31:10)
Well, I mean, I think in many ways it somewhat levels the playing field because it allows people that may not my understanding of it. It allows people that may not be the greatest communicators to communicate much more effectively, right? to present, present themselves more effectively to create a better offering, you know, so, and, and maybe even to help define or refine themselves.
And I think there's tremendous power in that. I will say, ideally, the individual needs to rise to the level of the AI. So, it's kind of like, at some point, don't out yourself, catch up or you're going to out yourself, right? If you're not. But I think that's what's really incredible about it. I obviously there's extraordinary opportunity
with AI and people are earning truckloads of money utilizing AI. And I think that will only continue, it will also, clearly it's going to, at some point, gonna really call on the individual to learn what it is, to really learn their craft, obviously. So I think that, and I,
Jeff Ross (32:33)
Yeah. Yeah.
Martin Ruof (32:38)
I'm not as I'm, I'm honestly not as convinced about so about AI with like network marketing. mean, for some of the obvious things like maybe branding or, you know, communicating, getting, know, getting your offering out there. Sure. But I do think.
depending upon the nature of the actual business, the culture of the company, think, you know, nothing, nothing replaces this, right? This, this communication, but obviously, you know, I'm sure AI can help with that as well. Right. but, but, but again, at the end of the day, you know, people are going to be drawn to you, right? Relationship. That's it. Yeah. Relationship. Exactly.
Jeff Ross (33:29)
Relationship, right? It's communication,
it's relationship and coming back to, you like your lessons there from the restaurant days, it's the preparation, it's the planning, it's the communication. And I would say where AI has supported me on my own journey is exactly all of that. It's helped me to do my market research, it's helped me to do my preparation, it's helped me to do my planning, it's helped me to do my communication much more effectively than what I would have been able to do without.
Martin Ruof (33:52)
Mmm.
Yeah, and your presentation, obviously. that's so spot on, man. mean, I thank you for putting it that way because you're absolutely right. It really has. Yeah, that's that's legit.
Jeff Ross (34:07)
Yeah.
And that's where I see it really serving us. And once again, it's to highlight and I want to thank you for sharing your perspective because I wanted to to always bring this to the forefront that AI is not a replacement by any means. It's it's a tool, you know, and it's a tool for us to partner with. It's a very powerful tool. You know, it's like a Ferrari and you get a kindergarten kid behind the Ferrari, you're probably going to crash into a few walls. But
Martin Ruof (34:23)
Mm hmm. Right.
Yeah, yeah.
Jeff Ross (34:36)
You know, if you learned how to drive
that beast of a car and you'll be able to go zero to hundred seconds and zero to a hundred in what, you know, under two seconds and not crash it. Like that's the power that we've got. And I reflect on the Spider-Man quote. What is it? With great power comes great responsibility. And I love to flip that. with great responsibility comes great power.
Martin Ruof (34:47)
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Jeff Ross (35:04)
And I feel like with AI, we've got a really powerful tool that we have to be responsible with first.
Martin Ruof (35:07)
Hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's well said, man. Yeah, very well said. I like that.
Jeff Ross (35:13)
I love that.
Thank you.
Cool. So let's wrap this up, man. So, you know, just final question. So you've spoken in front of thousands of people in stadiums all around the world. You know, you've built businesses that generate hundreds of millions of dollars. What is the mindset shift that people need to make right now if they want to go from struggling to thriving in business and life?
Martin Ruof (35:24)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Yeah, that's a great question, Jeff. I feel like it's, I think it's, think the mindset shift.
I'm in my mind, I'm trying to distill it down into one simple sentence. And I don't know if it really can be, I don't know if I really can. I think that, I think, I think, we'll go back to what we started in the beginning, right? If you are where you are, you're here and you want to get to here, right? one, you've got to know what you want.
Got to know what that outcome is, the destination, the goal, right? The intention. you also got to understand what you don't want, right? Yeah. Right. Right. And what, right. What you don't want. I, I, I honest to God, think understanding very clearly what you do not want is incredibly important. It's very motivating. I did not want to continue to drive my 2001 beat up.
Jeff Ross (36:29)
Yeah, where you're at, right? Like where you're at right now and what you don't want about that.
Yes.
Martin Ruof (36:49)
dingy Toyota Corolla. I did not want to keep waiting tables. I did not want to keep getting crap from the owner of the restaurant. I did not want to keep being told what I could, what I had to wear, what I had to say when I had to show up. I did not want those things. So that was my, that was my backstop, right? Without a backstop. Well, with a backstop, it's easier to push off, right? It's easier to gain momentum. So knowing what you don't want and being
Jeff Ross (36:58)
Yeah.
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (37:19)
crystal clear about it and ideally having some emotion attached to it is a tremendous backstop to push you forward or to push off of. But you gotta know where the heck you're going. And once you have where you are and where you wanna go, what's really required is energy. It's energy, man. Yeah, yeah, it's energy. And that...
Jeff Ross (37:26)
Yeah.
Yup, momentum, yeah. Yeah. And
consistent energy too, right? Yeah.
Martin Ruof (37:44)
Damn straight, right.
Damn straight. Because at some point you're running a race. At some point you look up and you realize you're running a race. And maybe you're running a race against time. And that time, the time, the other piece of that time is you're running a race against your bills. You're running a race against something. You're running a race against a relationship. You're running a race against something. So you're constantly being driven.
Jeff Ross (37:49)
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (38:13)
to move forward and to continue to go with greater and greater energy. And I think that that's what people are really drawn to. People are drawn to others who know what they want, know where they're going, and are doing a hell of a lot to get there. We always say dogs don't bark at parked cars. They don't. If you do, run from that fricking dog, because it's probably rabid, right? So.
Jeff Ross (38:25)
Yeah.
Mmm.
Yeah.
Martin Ruof (38:41)
They chase after a moving, an object in motion. And motion creates emotion. Very simple, motion creates emotion. Don't believe me, go outside when we're done and run. Shit, run in place as fast as you can for 10 minutes. You're gonna go through a range of emotions, right? So.
Jeff Ross (38:54)
Mmm.
Yeah.
Martin Ruof (39:09)
So people are drawn to your level of energy, your level of certainty. And those are the things that become very magnetic. It becomes attractive and success is attracted by the person you are becoming, by the person you are and by the person you're intending to be and becoming. And so I said earlier, as you go out into the world and you step in, you don't have to have a plan.
but you have to have a goal. If you don't have a plan, it's okay because the plan will formulate. But what happens is God, the universe, again, whatever works for you, brings those people into your world. You said it yourself, your life today is different than it was 18 months ago. Your sphere of influence, the people you're surrounded by is different today than it was 18 months ago. I know your story, you and I.
spent a lot of time talking, you were in the trenches, you were driving, you were digging, you were hustling in the best term, in the best sense of that term, you had energy going, right? Success is people are drawn to that. And the crazy thing is, is that I believe that the world, the universe conspires to bring about circumstances and opportunities to you.
Jeff Ross (40:05)
Mmm.
Yes.
Martin Ruof (40:30)
I've said
this, I said this a long time ago. It's like, you know, they always say opportunity knocks. Yeah, there's truth to that. But here's the real deal. You are the opportunity. So if you, if you're the opportunity, other people come knocking to you, but you're only the opportunity if you are an action and doing something and going somewhere with certainty, with intention, with action.
Jeff Ross (40:36)
Hehe.
Mmm.
Martin Ruof (40:59)
then other people are, you're the opportunity that other people are coming and knocking on. It's very, very powerful, man. It's just a subtle shift, but people are like, I'm gonna wait for my opportunity. Garbage, be the opportunity. You are the opportunity. Go out and be it. And then more opportunity will be drawn to you. And you think, you think it's happening, you think it's happening to you, but rather you are happening to other people.
Jeff Ross (41:12)
Yes,
Martin Ruof (41:29)
Perfect example, Swift. I mean, Taylor Swift, her heiress tour generated well over, I think it was like, I don't know what it was. It was like way over, it like $1.3 billion in revenue. And what did she give out? $55 million. That's what her team earned. 55 million. That's opportunity.
what everybody has the ability to do. may not be called the heiress toward it may not generate 1.3 billion, but it doesn't matter because it always builds on itself. And you know, as long as you're not sitting still, it doesn't mean never take time and relax. I don't mean it that way. But if you're building something, you're you're constantly you're you're basically constantly doing it right. It's constantly evolving. So there's always that
Jeff Ross (42:10)
Yeah.
Yeah, it's part of
you.
Martin Ruof (42:26)
Yeah,
yeah, absolutely, absolutely. So I think that's really it. think, you you gotta have energy, but you gotta know what you don't want and you gotta know what you do want. And then you just gotta be, and I think that you really said the magic word, which is consistency. That's the other thing, going back to one of your first questions that people don't do, they are inconsistent. And if you are inconsistent, it's really difficult to get momentum, right?
And it's really, it's really, I think that's it. It's just difficult to create momentum and you're constantly like,
Jeff Ross (43:04)
It's
okay to pivot and adjust as long as the mission stays the main mission.
Martin Ruof (43:09)
Yeah, you have to pivot. You have to adjust. It is an inevitability. That's just being flexible. But ultimately, yes, you still are staying true to the end objective, right? So yeah, what's his name? Napoleon said, all I see is the objective. Everything else, all the obstacles must give way. I mean, that's called will, right?
Jeff Ross (43:23)
Yeah, the mission matters most.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Martin Ruof (43:39)
will like everything will bend to my will. There is that I believe I believe in that. And I also believe that there are times that you just still have to go. That's not working pivot. But it but still you're like, but I'm still going here. We're just going to take a slightly different route. So yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jeff Ross (43:59)
Yeah, we're just going to take a little bit of a detour and come back to it.
Yeah. No, I love it. I there's a masterclass just in itself in that last five minutes. So thank you. Well, let's call it a wrap. So legends, that's an absolute powerhouse episode. We have covered some serious golden nuggets today. And Martin, thank you for breaking down how to build that global business mindset and what it takes to go from
Martin Ruof (44:09)
Yeah, thank you.
Jeff Ross (44:27)
waiting on tables to be where you are and sharing all of those leadership lessons that have transformed your journey. Really appreciate you.
Martin Ruof (44:35)
Yeah, my pleasure. appreciate you having me on and congratulations on all your success. Well earned, well deserved.
Jeff Ross (44:42)
Thank you, thank you for that recognition. Okay guys, well here's the thing, information alone won't change your business, won't change your life, action will. So take one thing that you've learned from today and apply it. I know I'll be going back through this episode, there's loads of gold in this and that's why I actually love podcasting, right? I get to interview amazing people like Martin and just glean from them, be a sponge. So make sure that you do the same thing.
You know, just listen to this episode, find that one thing and go and apply it. Hey, also tag your mates and make sure you tag me in your wins. I want to help celebrate you. And if this episode gave you some value, share it with a mate who needs to hear it the most. You can find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcast, and we're also partnered up with the Los Angeles Tribune Podcast Network. All right, legends, before we sign off.
You know I've got to hit Martin with a classic dad joke. So Martin, I've been playing around with AI to help me to come up with some unique original ones. This is the one has come up with today. So why don't kangaroos make great network marketers?
Martin Ruof (45:40)
You
I don't know why.
Jeff Ross (45:56)
because they keep jumping from opportunity to opportunity. I thought that was so relevant.
Martin Ruof (46:00)
Ha ha ha ha.
Whoo! boy!
Hell yes!
Jeff Ross (46:09)
That was pretty
relevant. I had no idea where this episode was going to go, but I had that joke planned and there you go. Love it. All right guys, well thank you very much. Stay caffeinated, stay legendary and we'll catch you on the next episode.
Martin Ruof (46:12)
There you go. my very good.
Thank you. See you.