I thought i would share my views on developing an unshakable character… Something which I think I have achieved over the last few years.

After:

• Being sued for millions of dollars
• Loosing over $3,000,000 and loosing everything I had
• Being Made Bankrupt
• Still having $400,000 of debt
• Getting divorced
• Loosing another business
• Being Arrested
• Spending 2 years in prison
• Dealing with prison officers who are only out to make your life hell
• Getting out of jail , still in debt and people judging….

Im still here… fighting…. ;)

There isnt much that shakes me these days.. What about you ?

Let me know what you think!

All the best

Mark

Developing an Unshakable Character – Mark Lyford

I’m excited that you are taking an interest in me and the Millionaire Challenge. I really wanted to spend some time sharing with you about my background. I know that bits and pieces have been talked about here and there on the internet already. For those of you wondering how it all fits together, here are the real details.

When I was just starting out with the internet I was 17 and ready to jump in anywhere. Seriously, I had big plans and an even bigger drive to get me there. The truth is, not a lot has changed. I’ve just picked up some valuable lessons along the way.

My First Mentor

Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to find my first mentor, Harry Dann. I was young, ambitious and yes, I put an ad in a paper for a business deal. Sounds silly now, but back in 1993 this is how things were done, or so I thought. Around the same time, in fact shortly before I started conversing with Harry, I was a potential mark in a Nigerian scam. It still makes me laugh to think that I was about to fall for this, being how common they are these days. However again, it was 1993 and I was very hungry for any sort of action. Thankfully three days before I was going to fly to Lagos, my parents physically took my passport from me. Remember, I was seventeen at the time. At least one mistake sidestepped.

My relationship with Harry grew as I called him all the time for advice and to get some traction on the business deal I had advertised. Eventually in April of 1993 Harry invited me down to the Bahamas to watch him work. I knew right away that this guy was all I had imagined and I was convinced that mentoring would shape

my business life. I stayed in the Bahamas for some long trips, hanging out with Harry and seeing how he did business.

As with any good mentor, Harry helped me funnel my energy in the right places “Go where the money is” was his advice. I was back in England and hungry for the internet to make me money. I was working on these real estate sites and I wasn’t getting any traction. So Harry brought up the idea of working adult sites. At first the idea just didn’t appeal to me. I thought they were overly saturated and I didn’t think I could carve something of worth there. But Harry encouraged me and I started in the adult Internet industry.

Start in the online Industry

Now, the adult industry was a tough cookie to crack. I was being scammed left and right. I was working every waking hour trying to make it work. I was driving a cab at night to pay bills, and really working hard on these adult sites. However, it just wasn’t working.

Eventually, I came upon a site that I could really sink my teeth into. It was a membership site that promised recurring income. This was my big break. Within a few days I had a paycheck for $250! My first money made online! It was exhilarating.

From there I became the sites biggest affiliate and biggest earner. I went from four sites to 32,000 in 18 months. I had a staff of 26 people and went from that measly $250 to $2 million in a year and half! I personally went from $452 to $177,000 a month. I was living in the Bahamas now, as you can imagine, I was living the dream.

I got together with my staff in Columbus to talk over the idea of making our own site. We budgeted $150,000 and were ready to roll. We spent 10 months developing and making a fantastic product in the AVS (Age Verification Service) field.

July 18, 2001 – My first big hurdle

Our site is ready to go and we launch. Seemingly overnight the site I previously worked for was launching a legal campaign against us, accusing us of stealing intellectual property. Each and every one of the 32,000 sites we had made (and sold to someone else) was closed. And in addition, our current site was stonewalled. We truly had a fantastic product, but would have been stuck in a legal battle we couldn’t afford.

I kept the staff on for four months, trying to see our way out of the mess. Due to this whole situation, I was then completely broke I had lost £3 million and deeply in debt. The first time I went to the mountaintop and was beat down.

2002 – Bankruptcy

Living back in the UK, trying to find a way to pay my debts I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe that all that money was gone. And frankly, I didn’t really have a choice but to declare bankruptcy. Filing for bankruptcy in the UK is a little different than in the US but no matter where you live bankruptcy feels like failure. It was a whole new low for me and my ego.

Plus, the vast majority of my debt wasn’t to banks or credit cards. It was to friends and family. So even though through bankruptcy I was legally forgiven, I was morally obligated to pay that money back. In fact, my great parents had even put up money against their home. I certainly wasn’t going to let them lose their house over me!

So I needed a new game plan. Unfortunately when you feel cornered you consider options that are well outside your normal ideal. And though I had never been a drug user before, I got in touch with a friend of mine who knew how to grow marijuana.

So, like the workaholic that I am, I studied up like crazy. I started with four plants in my garage and though I never sold them, I very well could have. Then the business side of me kicked in and I thought about expansion. I took the money I could have made with those four plants and figured out that with a larger commercial space I could grow lots of plants, go through 4 rounds of growth and be good.

I wasn’t looking to start a new career in dealing pot. I wanted to get out of debt and I was desperate for a solution. I just wanted to pay off debts and get my feet back underneath me. I was married and had two kids, I needed some cushion. I needed a way out.

The Worst Day of my Life

So there I was working at a Pawn shop and running this pot growing space. I was not the person I wanted to be. I had started smoking my merchandise and was drinking. I’ve never been a drinker; the whole situation made me a completely different person. I was so amazingly stressed and I was extremely unhappy.

Then one night my wife is very unhappy. Something isn’t right. The truth is, nothing was right at that point. That was the night she left me. And I can honestly say, out of all the hard times – this was by far the worst day of my life. I had never had such a heart wrenching experience.

Little did I know that during this whole time, my marijuana plants were about to land me in jail. Evidently, one of the air conditioning units used in the space caught on fire and the sprinkler system flooded the entire space. Neighbors had called the police and shortly after my wife left me I was arrested for marijuana growing

Jail and New Beginnings

Though I was told I was going to get one or two years, I actually was sentenced to four years. Yet, for a year of that sentence I was out on work release and had the ability to stretch my horizons. In fact, many of the people in my life like my parents and friends were amazingly supportive throughout this ordeal.

I studied internet marketers and other great people like Frank Kerns and Anthony Robbins. I was truly moved by Kerns’ book Mass Control in particular. In fact, it was really a combination of Frank Kerns course, the research I was doing into the Quaker faith, exercising like never before, loosing 50 lbs and the support of

my family that made my life in prison bearable together. And more importantly, it helped me start to look forward to see what I could do once I left prison.

The Challenge

And that’s where the Millionaire Challenge picks up. I have had the great opportunity to work with Brad Gosse and others as I move through this journey to a million dollars in 12 months. What’s really important to me is that I show people the genuine way to make money online. I want to become one of those mentors that I have adored throughout my career. And most importantly, I want to impress upon you that the past is the past and the future is the future. I am just as ambitious as I was at 17. I am always looking forward and I believe that if you do the same only good things will come of it.

Join Me On The Journey !



Mark Lyford

Contact: Mark Lyford:

Email: mark@marklyford.com

Phone: (UK) – 44 08448 201 201

Fax: (UK) – 44 08448 202 202

Web: www.marklyford.com

Visit My Sites For More Information

www.millionairechallenge.tv

www.joinmeonthejourney.com

www.marklyford.com

www.internetmarketingpass.com

www.lyfordgroup.com

Download Mark Lyford’s – My Story

Hope you are well.. Had a great meeting with Ben Kench today.. Nice guy , knows his stuff and we are looking to share our knowledge together ! Really excited about the ideas we have…

Also watch me get energised on the video too ! ;)

Have a good day all … stick with it…. :)

Until tomorrow

I have a really short video today for you, Ive simply ran out of time and have to get an pre 1 AM finish tonight… I have a couple of really good meetings planned tomorrow…

Brad and I have just recorded out next NO BS Cast Podcast show this evening.. It went well, look ou for he HD version without all new introduction , hope good are we getting ehh ? :)

Ive had some people email me regarding investing into my next product launch, thanks to those , let me know if you are interested.

WATCH BRADS GREAT VIDEO TIP

Thats it for tonight.. Im beat…. have a good one all :)

Mark

Im planning my first BIG Product launch.. Im looking for one or two investors to make this the biggest and best it can be.

Im planning on getting the very best people I can involved, check out the video below:

If your interested in this email me on: investors at marklyford dot com

This is a first come first in offer, Im not looking for masses of money so the first people to get in get the deal… ( This is a chance to see inside a product launch dealing with some of the big guys within the industry ! )

Cheers all

Mark

Busy week ahead, great weekend, check out todays post :)

All the Best !

Mark

Ex Convict Shoots For Millionaire Status

Hi All

This press release hit about me yesterday. Check it out here :

Ex-Convict Shoots For Millionaire Status

Im already hitting google too :

Ex-Convict Shoots For Millionaire Status On Google

The story even got on to USA Today !

Check It out here on USA Today :)

Just thought I would share as I think this is potentially powerful stuff for any one utilising Press Release power.
All the best

Mark

Two videos today, hope they get you thinking :)

Busy as ever… not sure Im going to get everything I need to do done on time…. ! I love being busy and hustling,, but don’t like it when I may miss deadlines and letting anyone down.. I can only try as hard as I can though ehh…. It will all happen, just mad mad busy at the moment..

VIDEO 1

VIDEO 2

Until Tomorrow !

Stick with it !!!!

Here is my post for today… Not got too much time as its 11pm and Ive got so much more to do tonight.. Have a watch and let me know what you think !

All the best

Mark

Big day today.. The PC version of my new software is ready ( just waiting for it to be ported over to Mac now ) and I have hired my first outsourcers.. ( They start newt Monday , 8th March ! :) Also I have just submitted my first ever Press Release with PRWeb.com ! Busy times ;)

Check out today video here :

Until tomorrow all – stick with it…. if it was easy everyone would be doing it ;) !