Thank You, and Goodbye.
It was 6 years ago to the day when my wife Raylene, overdue for a week with our baby, finally decided it was time.
We rushed to the hospital and thus began about 18 hours of labor for her - and the end result was an incredible gift to our lives, which have never been the same since.
For whatever reason, I find it fitting that I write this -- the last email I'll ever send you -- the morning we're preparing for Cooper's 6th birthday party.
As you well know by now, my business partner and best friend -Kourosh Assef - and I decided a while ago that we were going to wind down SimpleWealth.
A lot of people thought it was a marketing stunt or some kind of strategy.
It wasn't.
Many of the other marketers think we're absolutely insane to be deleting a database of more than 140,000 emails that we've worked hard to build over the years. One marketer even pulled an April Fool's joke this week and announced he was deleting his email list.
This is no joke. And this will be the last email I ever send to you.
So why delete the list and wind down the company?
Really, it's simple. We've served hundreds of thousands of people over the years, after starting our company almost 10 years ago.
We've had an incredible run, and accomplished some of the most amazing events and experiences that touched lives.
However, integrity has always been a big deal to us. Authenticity is more than a buzz word.
We've always taught that you have to pursue your passion.
And for both Kourosh and I, our passions have evolved - we've learned more about ourselves, what lights us up, and we are simply practicing what we've always preached.
For me, I got tired of all the travel and being away from my family. I became annoyed with the antics and bullshit that so many people in the "online marketing" industry pull. Frankly, I was often embarrassed to be lumped into the same category as some of the circus acts that call themselves marketers and speakers.
I became tired of watching people who have never actually built a real business, in the real world, claiming to be experts and geniuses, only because they got lucky online. They can't repeat the success, because they don't know what actually creates business success. The lack of integrity pisses me off.
The speaking, training and online marketing worlds have also changed a lot in the last few years. You have to work harder just to get the same results, and there are a lot of head winds in building a sustainable business model.
We've both loved helping people and we've enjoyed so many incredible relationships and connections over the years, but we decided it's time for both of us to forge new paths. Because there are always so many ways to achieve your passion and goal.
Why not sell the list and "monetize" it?
We spoke to several people about the possibility of partnering, or having them take over our list, content and programs. But the challenge always came back to the fact that selling our list to someone else just didn't feel right.
I never hired coaches under me to do my coaching, and I have personally written every single email you've ever received from me. I've put my heart into being real, and the idea of someone else taking what I've created and trying to make money from it .. well, it just kind of made me ill thinking about it.
You didn't sign up for my list to have your name sold to someone else, so we decided that was not the right thing to do.
So that's why, in the next 24 hours, we will be cancelling our Infusionsoft account, and having our entire database deleted.
Where are we going from here?
Kourosh and I are still best friends, and as we continue to wind down our business interests, we'll remain great friends forever. Kourosh has been there at some of the toughest moments of my life, and I hope that I have been for him as well.
He's an incredible human being as so many of our clients know. I'm blessed to have him in my life, and I would have never been able to achieve a fraction of what I have without his friendship, guidance and mentorship.
We've also been blessed to have an amazing team behind the scenes that has always made us look great. Laura and Tracy, who continue to work with us, along with so many incredible team members we've had over the years, have made the journey so much more fun and smooth.
And of course, my wife Raylene and Kourosh's wife Leanne have put up with a lot from the two of us. And we're deeply grateful for their support and love over the years.
Truly, there's too many people to even thank -- but we are incredibly appreciative of so many people that have helped us along the way.
For my "what's next", I'm focusing on a business that I'm excited and passionate about. About 5 years ago, one of my coaching clients started with me just after starting her business. She needed marketing help, and over 3 years of coaching her, I fell in love with her business and it's potential.
I knew that I needed to be a part of it, not only because I could help her explode the growth, but it was doing something I really loved.
Vets To Go (www.vetstogo.com) is a mobile veterinary company that I'm building out with my business partner, Dr. Wendy McClelland. It's an awesome concept, and we're expanding it quickly here in Alberta.
How big will we grow it? I have no idea, but I'm having a great time building a fun, innovative, disruptive and sustainable company that does a lot of good for animals in the world.
If you read my blog series about the "16 Key Elements" of a great business .. this company meets every one of the 16. Nice.
So that's what I'm focusing on going forward. Kourosh and I still have some of our real estate holdings, but that's not an active focus for us these days.
So before we move on and close the SimpleWealth door, we just wanted to say thank you.
Thank you for all the support, the love, the trust and belief that you've had in us, and in me, over the years.
We're very proud of the brand we built, the experiences we created, and the lives we affected.
The last piece of advice we can offer you is this:
You get one life to lead. Don't spend it trading away your most precious moments today because you think that some day, you'll have all the time and money you need to enjoy them then.
Carpe Diem. Seize the day. It may be the last one you see, so enjoy it. Use it. Live it.
Speaking of which .. I have a birthday party to enjoy. The magician arrives in a couple of hours, and I still have to fill up the pinata with candy and fun things.
I'll pass birthday greetings on to Cooper from you, and I'll always treasure the fact you were willing to let me visit your inbox occasionally.
Focker OUT.
All my best,
Greg Habstritt Founder, SimpleWealth Inc.
P.S. If you'd like to follow what I'm doing with Vets To Go,you can go to our Facebook page here and like it (we'll be rolling out some neat stuff over the coming weeks and months):
http://www.Facebook.com/VetsToGo
My partner Dr. Wendy and I also host a weekly pet radio show - if you have pets you might find it interesting. The iTunes podcast can be found here:
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/vets-to-go-radio-podcast/id710244564?mt=2
Ciao!
