[#002] My First Billion: I Almost Quit
16 years ago, I was doing club promotions here in Atlanta.
My angle was “Industry nights.”
Independent artists could pay $25 to perform one song.
The winner walked away with $250.
Back then, my industry name was Chill Gates.
“Chill” because I’m naturally laid back.
“Gates” because at the time, Bill Gates was the richest man in the country, and I always wanted to be wealthy.
But truthfully…
I didn’t have a plan. Just hustle and a vision.
The Invitation That Shifted Everything
One night at a mixtape release party, this dude who looked kinda familiar invited me to a “meeting.”
Said his mentors were expanding into Atlanta and looking for sharp people to grow with.
I bit. Showed up.
It was network marketing (though they never used those words).
They talked about video phones, ground-floor opportunity…
“Like being in the room when Google started.”
It was $500 to get started.
Hook, line, and sinker, I was in.
I Almost Quit… Fast
They said, “just get 2 people, and they’ll get 2 and they’ll get 2, etc, and before you know it, you’d be making millions, driving a brand new BMW the company paid for, and sippin’ piña coladas on the beaches of the world.”
I showed it to my mom, and she said it could work if I marketed myself, so I locked in.
I made my “warm market list.”
Pretty much everybody told me it was a “pyramid scheme.”
Some folks I was with every day stopped answering my calls.
Weeks passed.
I almost chalked it up as another $500 L.
But I got invited to a local conference they were having.
It was their national convention.
Showed up in a polo shirt, cargo shorts, and Jordans, surrounded by folks in suits.
But something clicked.
That room lit something in me.
That’s why I believe so strongly in live events; they can change everything.
The Pivot to Online
After the conference, I stayed in it. Started gaining a little traction.
Even got me a suit (2 suits for $99 from D&K in fact).
One of my recruits sent me a video series all about “How to build a network marketing business without home parties and hotel meetings and how to do it without chasing friends and family.”
The book was $40.
It wasn’t even a physical book; it was an ebook.
I didn’t even have a credit card; I had to keep reloading my prepaid card that I used to join the network marketing company just to buy it… and the upsells.
But it introduced me to direct response marketing and showed me I could make money online by sharing value, not hype.
I started selling that same book and earned $20 per sale.
That was my first dollar online.
I knew if I could make 20, I could make 20 million!
My First Blog. My First Brand.
That one move changed my life.
I launched a blog, MarquelRussell.com, on September 9, 2010.
It looked NOTHING like it looks now.
Started teaching what I was learning. Built my first course, My Blog Empire Pro.
Later, I met my mentor Lonnie Robinson (RIP), who helped me level up and launch Infinite Success University, a $9.97/month membership packed with value.
We built a movement called #RiseToABillion.
Did events. Gave away eBooks. Created affiliate partnerships.
Started a YouTube channel and a podcast called, I Love Entrepreneurship.
I didn’t realize it, but I was way ahead of my time.
The High Ticket Shift
Eventually, I started offering coaching.
300/month… then 500/month… which led to my first 10K month.
I later hired a mentor, paid 10K, and launched my first high-ticket offer, Lead Attraction Mastery, on June 15, 2016, for 7300 bucks.
My audience was mostly network marketers and people said they would spend that.
We did 56K in six weeks.
I told my wife (girlfriend at the time) to quit her job as a bartender.
The Rebrand and the Scale
Everything was still under my name, Marquel Russell.
But I wanted people to see this wasn’t just about me.
It was about a bigger mission AND I wasn’t alone in helping our clients create the results they were seeing…
It was our system and our team.
So in 2019, we rebranded to Client Attraction University (which became an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company)
We scaled fast…
From 10 people in a room (including my biz partner Drae and me)…To 400+ at our biggest event.
The TRUTH About Scale & The Big Fall
We grew fast. Maybe too fast.
40+ people on payroll. Big revenue… but bigger costs to make the revenue.
We were chasing scale, but lost sight of why.
It became this exhausting cycle of “what’s next?”
And an insatiable desire for more.
I had hit all my goals… Now what?
I didn’t feel fulfilled and content.
So I slowed down.
Richard Rohr calls this “The Big Fall!”
Nobody who’s experienced rapid growth and success hasn’t experienced this. I went through an intense pruning season.
In John 15:2 (AMP), Jesus says, Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit].
While the regression felt like dying, I realized that because of my fruitfulness, I had to be pruned for what was next.
One day, while going upstairs to my office, I heard the Holy Spirit
say, “You’re in your butterfly season!”
I went to do some research and here’s what I discovered:
My Personal Metamorphosis: Caterpillar → Cocoon → Butterfly
Caterpillar Stage (Hustle, Striving, Action-Driven Growth)
- The caterpillar moves a lot. It’s always eating, always consuming, always striving for more.
- It’s growing, but it’s limited, it can only move at the speed its legs allow.
- It sees the world from the ground. No elevation, just effort.
- It believes it’s making progress because it’s constantly moving, but it doesn’t realize that this stage is just preparation.
Cocoon Stage (Pruning, Isolation, Surrender)
- This is where the real transformation happens, but it feels like nothing is happening.
- From the outside, the caterpillar looks stuck, like it’s lost momentum, like it’s not progressing.
- But inside, everything is shifting. The old form is literally breaking down so something new can emerge.
- It’s dark. It’s uncomfortable. It requires complete surrender to the process.
Butterfly Stage (Freedom, Alignment, Elevation)
- The butterfly doesn’t crawl anymore—it flies.
- It doesn’t force progress, it glides with the wind (Spirit-led).
- It’s light. It’s effortless. It moves with grace instead of grind.
- What used to take so much effort (crawling) now happens with ease (soaring).
During that time, God began to show me what He wanted me to build.
That’s when Strategic Scale was born.
A space to help entrepreneurs grow whole, not just fast.
To build companies that are more profitable, sustainable, scalable, enjoyable, and sellable.
To prioritize faith, family, and freedom alongside finances.
I thought we’d just keep it simple.
Do a few million. Small team. Chill life.
But God said, “I didn’t bring you this far for you to protect yourself.”
My word for the last 2 years has been Surrender!
So here I am.
Building what God wants me to build.
This is where the billion-dollar portfolio comes in.
This vision isn’t just about revenue.
It’s about restoring communities.
Giving people access to resources.
Redefining leadership.
Transforming the education system.
LIVING legacy (because legacy is what you live, not what you leave)
Final Thought
I almost quit so many times.
When nothing seemed to work.
When I hit goals, but still felt empty.
But now I know, it was all development and training ground for my current season.
And I thank Him for it.
Because that’s how billion-dollar foundations are built.
Let’s keep building.
– Marquel
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