People Who Have Inspired Me Through Hustle

In January, I watched the annual group of “top lists” roll buy with disgust.

What utter bullshit.

If anyone’s top list of anything is as vertically driven as those then that person should just lock themselves in their closet. The reality is that as humans everything inspires, influences, and shapes us. For me this is definitely true. I come from a non-marketing background, and have been influenced by people ranging in levels of success, and walks of life. Most people that influence me I have never, and likely will never meet. I pull my inspiration from a much larger pool.

I am most impressed by people who hustle against the odds to achieve success, regardless of the level of success.

Thinking about it more I realized that almost daily I think about certain influencers, some I know personally, some I obviously don’t, and decided it would be awesome to share such as list.

And so here they are, in no particular order (because this grouping of people is as random as it gets).

My Mom and Dad

Why they inspire me:

My Mom and Dad instilled the relentless drive for success and work ethic I have now. A bit of a gift and a curse. What really inspires me about them is that they always provided for me and my sister regardless of external influences. They created their own paths, and careers out of nothing more than hard work.

Daily takeaways:

Work harder than hard

Neil Patel

Why he inspires me:

When I first met Neil he was a dick to me (I probably deserved it). The second time I met Neil he really showed me how brilliant he is (and he wasn’t a dick). Neil is someone I look at on a constant basis to exemplify the hustle it takes to make it online. He has also been willing to share the lessons he has learned on QuickSprout.com. He has followed a diversified path to success and that is what I admire most about him.

Daily takeaways:

Try new and different paths to success

Pete Cashmore

Why he inspires me:

Pete Cashmore has turned Mashable, and his own brand into one of the most valuable brands in Social Media. He jumped on social media before Youtube or Facebook were popular, or before Twitter even existed. He was truly a pioneer in the social media content space, and has continued to create a quality product over the last 5 years.

Daily takeaways:

See the possibilities in something new

Rae Hoffman

From AffiliateSummit.com

Why she inspires me:

I don’t know if someone’s story in the business and overall perspective has effected me more than Rae. She is not only an amazing online marketer, but she got to where she is through struggle, which is something I associated with right away. And now that she has success? Like any one who is truly motivate, she only wants more, which can be seen by the success of her consulting company Outspoken Media. (which she is partners with Lisa Barone and Rhea Dysdale)

Daily takeaways:

Never settle

Russell Simmons

Why he inspires me:

I group up completely immersed in hip hop culture, and there are very few business and cultural entities that I have more respect for than Russell Simmons. If you look at the history of Hip Hop/Rap’s emergence as a mainstream form of music, almost everything flows back to Simmons. He was also the industries first mogul, and major trendsetter. Mix all of that with the longevity of his success, and it is easy to see why I have so much respect for Russell Simmons.

Daily takeaways:

Be brave enough to create something entirely new

Samantha Snyder

Why she inspires me:

I have never seen someone so totally focused on the quality and time they put into their job as my wife. Her job is one that last 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week, and presents more obstacles than most. She is the person that raises my two sons (and me) and I know everyone thinks their kids mom is the best mom in the world, but I have the luxury of knowing it. She has taught me a lot about not accepting limits in what you offer someone based on perception, and always trying new an inventive things. My kids are proof of her success.

Daily takeaways:

Love what you do, and it will show in the results

Tony Wang

Why he inspires me:

Tony is the CTO of our new company, Second Step Search, and really interesting guy. He lives and works in L.A., but is formerly from China. Tony has an amazing entrepreneurial streak that inspires me daily. He is constantly thinking of innovative ideas, and has the technical prowess to also make them happen. There is rarely a phone conversation we have that we don’t come up with a new tweak to one of our offerings, or more efficient process for something we do.

Daily takeaways:

Mix your talents with your entrepreneurial spirit

Sid Rosenberg

Why he inspires me:

Sid is someone I used to listen to on sports radio when I lived in South Florida. I even got a chance to have dinner with him, and do an interview (on two separate occasions) for some blogs I was doing at the time. The thing that has always stuck we me about Sid is his resilience. Regardless of the issues he either causes, or is pulled into, Sid always sticks to his guns, never willing to make a change for anyone else. This is something I really have come to respect in the last year. There is a time and place when you have to draw a line.

Daily takeaways:

Be willing to remain genuine

Chuck Palahniuk

Why he inspires me:

Chuck is the author of Fight Club, and about a dozen other awesome reads. He is a modern day satirist, with a streak of nihlism. The most intriguing thing about him, aside from his fiction, is that he wrote his first book in his mid thirties. Before this he worked as a mechanic. After attending some writing workshops he began creating works of fiction. His first attempt at publishing, Invisible Monsters, was rejected for being to disturbing, so he set out to create Fight Club in order to disturb the publisher more. It was then accepted.

Daily takeaways:

Don’t compromise for success

Dave Naylor

Why he inspires me:

I don’t think Dave knows what a huge impact he has on me, and he will likely call me a name when he reads this. However, from the time I first got to know Dave, which was about 2 years ago, I have basically looked at every SEO decision I have ever made and asked “Would Naylor do that?” “What would Naylor do?” Pretty gross. But also pretty telling of the kind of person and professional he is. He has taught me to constantly stay alert of changes and educating myself to be the best I possibly can be. There are basically only two people I would ask SEO questions to outside of my business partners and they are Dave and the next guy on the list…

Daily takeaways:

Never settle for what I know now

Greg Boser

Why he inspires me:

I didn’t really get to know Greg until last year, but we kind of hit it off right away. His personal journey to success is very similar to mine, and I think that is part of the bond, along with the fact that we are both former musicians (not something we really discuss, but its an unspoken bond). Greg, like Naylor, has always been really open with me about giving advice, and helping me out here in the early parts of my career. I don’t know why either of them do it, but I am glad they do.

Daily takeaways:

Be willing to help new people in my industry

Jay Z

Why he inspires me:

There isn’t a single person that effects my attitude about business and marketing more than Jay Z. This has to do with both his music and his business dealings. He is worth over half a billion dollars, and all of it stems from his own personal hard work. Everything he has now came from building his own record label to produce albums mainstream record companies didn’t want to have anything to do with. This kind of attitude is the exact opposite of the tech scene which anchors itself on VC and angel investing. I look up to those that can hustle to make their own success become a reality.

Daily takeaways:

Be willing to put your own money on the line

Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker

Why he inspires me:

I’m not sure there is a person who I study more than Shoemoney. Everything he does fascinates me. He is the single best marketer I know, and I am most impressed with what he has done with his personal brand above all else. You mix these facts with another great success story, and you know the reason I religiously read his blog, and monitor his tweets.

Daily takeaways:

Build a brand

Loren and Jordan

Why they inspire me:

These two guys are amazing, and probably the most underrated businessmen and marketers I know. They have created a company that has seen INSANE growth over the last 12 months, and become deeply integrated within the SEO community. Each of them is a workaholic, which I can respect, but each of them is also a dreamer, and that is what has allowed us to get to the point we are today. You have to be willing to take risks, and mix that with hustle to get what you want.

Daily takeaways:

Be willing to take risks (like partnering with a crazy person such as myself)

Marcus Tandler

Why he inspires me:

mostly because of the above picture. No, I really love this guy. He is one of the most successful people I know, but he is also one of the more humble, and genuine. He is a reminder to me, that know matter what success I achieve, I can always be me. This is a really tough lesson to remember sometimes.

Daily takeaways:

Always stay the same regardless of success

And there you are, the most random list ever created.