From Broke Teacher to Multi-Millionaire Founder! These 7 Steps WORK!
Here are the top 10 key takeaways from Mark Pentecost's journey from struggling teacher to billionaire entrepreneur that can transform your approach to pursuing your dreams.
1. Get in the game and start dreaming
Mark emphasizes that the first critical step to success is simply giving yourself permission to dream. Many people are stuck in their current situations because they've stopped dreaming altogether. He encourages starting with smaller, achievable dreams rather than overwhelming yourself with massive goals.
For Mark, it began with a modest goal of making an extra $500 per month while working as a teacher. This small but meaningful target provided momentum that eventually led to greater achievements. He stresses that no dream is too small - it's just your starting point for building a muscle that gets stronger with use.
2. Say it and see it to make it real
Verbalizing your dreams and creating visual reminders helps solidify them in your mind. Mark explains that repeatedly saying your goals out loud, even when others doubt you, helps convince yourself they're possible. This practice builds internal confidence and commitment.
He shares a story about declaring his intention to move his company to Florida long before it happened. Though others dismissed it, he was actually affirming the possibility to himself. The repetition gradually transformed the idea from intimidating to achievable. Mark believes the dreams you'll be most proud of are often the ones you're initially afraid to say out loud.
3. Live on offense, not defense
Mark describes his transformation from living reactively (on defense) to proactively (on offense). When living defensively, he was constantly responding to life's challenges—working extra jobs to cover bills, then scrambling when unexpected expenses arose. This approach left him perpetually behind.
Switching to an offensive mindset meant making intentional decisions about his future rather than just reacting to circumstances. This shift in perspective allowed him to take calculated risks and create opportunities rather than simply managing problems. As he puts it, "When you're living on offense, you're dictating. You're making decisions for you."
4. Build resilience and keep getting back up
Success requires resilience—the ability to recover from setbacks. Mark describes this as the "resiliency quotient," explaining that what matters is not how many times you fall, but ensuring you get up more times than you fall down. He frames risk in mathematical terms: as long as your "getting up" divided by your "falling down" is greater than one, you're making progress.
Throughout his journey, Mark faced numerous challenges—lawsuits, business downturns, and personal health crises including cancer. He learned that obstacles are inevitable, but with the right mindset and support system, they become temporary setbacks rather than permanent failures. Acknowledging that you'll face difficulties prepares you mentally to persevere through them.
5. Surround yourself with the right people
The people around you significantly impact your success. Mark uses a quadrant system to evaluate relationships: those who have achieved what you want and are encouraging (dream clingers); those with experience but less enthusiasm; those who are supportive but inexperienced; and "dream killers" who lack both experience and encouragement.
He recommends building a team that primarily consists of encouraging people with relevant experience. Mark compares this to coaching basketball—you need the right "starting five" on the court with you. Sometimes this means making difficult decisions to distance yourself from negative influences, even if you've known them for years.
These strategic relationships aren't just about emotional support. They provide practical guidance, helping you avoid common pitfalls and accelerating your learning curve through others' experiences.
6. Take calculated risks
Mark distinguishes between good and bad risks. Good risks are calculated, researched, and aligned with your goals and values. Bad risks are impulsive gambles without proper consideration of consequences. The one universal truth he emphasizes is that the biggest risk is taking no risk at all.
When Mark decided to leave his teaching position mid-year—giving up a secure job with benefits and walking away from a promising basketball team—it was terrifying. His income initially decreased, reinforcing his fears. But within a few months, his business took off dramatically, validating his decision.
This pattern repeated when he moved his company to Florida and purchased a golf course for his business operations. Each calculated risk, though frightening at the time, ultimately propelled his success to new levels that would have been impossible without taking action.
7. Create unique experiences, not just businesses
A standout aspect of Mark's success came from focusing on creating experiences rather than just building a conventional business. When real estate agents showed him standard office spaces, he rejected them, seeking something that would provide a memorable environment for his team and customers.
He purchased a golf course and later built a campus on a marina, turning business meetings into engaging experiences with activities like fireside chats, lantern launches, and symbolic burning of limiting beliefs. These unconventional choices differentiated his company and created stronger emotional connections within his community.
This approach transformed routine business operations into something special and created a culture where people genuinely wanted to be involved. Mark credits this as the "secret sauce" that accelerated his company's growth from $40 million to $240 million in a single year.
8. Use your existing skills in new contexts
Mark realized that leaving teaching didn't mean abandoning the skills he'd developed in that profession. Instead, he was still teaching and coaching—just with a different audience and different subject matter. This perspective helped him leverage his strengths rather than feeling like he was starting from scratch.
This insight can be tremendously liberating for anyone considering a career change. Rather than viewing a transition as abandoning your experience, recognize how your existing abilities can transfer to new contexts. Mark's background in motivating students and athletes directly translated to inspiring his business team and customers.
His teaching mindset also influenced his leadership style, focusing on developing people rather than just managing them. This created a culture of continuous growth that benefited both individuals and the organization.
9. Move from dreams to execution with incremental steps
Mark emphasizes the importance of breaking down big visions into manageable steps. When he first saw a former math teacher receive a $10,000 monthly check, it seemed impossible. But by focusing first on earning an extra $500 monthly, then gradually increasing his targets, the larger goal became achievable.
This incremental approach applies to all aspects of dream-building. Rather than being overwhelmed by the gap between your current reality and ultimate goal, identify the next logical step. For Mark, this meant starting with one night per week dedicated to his side business while still teaching full-time.
The progression of Mark's business reflects this philosophy—from network marketing to founding It Works, from Michigan to Florida, from an office to a golf course. Each step built upon previous successes rather than attempting to leap directly to the end goal.
10. Leave a legacy beyond personal success
In his final reflections, Mark reveals what matters most: using success to make a meaningful difference in others' lives. He shares a touching story about a single mother who told him his program not only helped her financially but restored her ability to dream, which in turn allowed her children to dream again.
This impact motivated Mark to write his book and dedicate its proceeds to pediatric cancer research. Despite his own cancer diagnosis, he focuses on how his success can fund research that might help thousands of children. This perspective transforms personal achievement into something much more significant.
Mark's three final truths reflect this legacy mindset: have faith, laugh more, and keep dreaming. These principles emphasize that true greatness comes not from accumulating wealth but from fully developing your talents and using them to benefit others. Success becomes most meaningful when it inspires and enables others to pursue their own dreams.