What is “Think and Grow Rich”?

“Think and Grow Rich” is one of the most powerful books ever written regarding personal and professional development.  It is the culmination of a twenty-five-year study conducted by Napoleon Hill on why wealthy people are wealthy, why broke people are broke, and what the difference is between the two groups.  In this study, Napoleon interviewed over 500  people of wealth and power, identifying the keys to their success.  What he uncovered are thirteen timeless principles that, when consistently applied, can help anyone achieve whatever they desire in their life.

–          Improve your health

–          Develop stronger relationships

–          Build greater wealth

–          Create the life you want

Who is Tim Burgess?

Tim Burgess has taken a very untraditional path in life, but his path is one that ultimately has helped to mold and inspire who he is today.  His past has truly influenced his present, and his future, in ways that motivate him to aspire to make a positive difference in other people’s lives every day.  He deeply believes that if he can overcome the challenges that he has experienced in his life, then he can help others do the same.

Tim was the youngest of six kids in a single parent household.  Dad left when he was young and mom did all she could to support the family.  He was so much of a rebel that he ended dropping out of school after his second time through 8^th grade.  Not a great start for someone destined to make a difference in the world.  From his early teens until his early 30’s, Tim did what any grade school dropout would do, he bounced around from dead end job to dead end job.

Then in 1996, at the age of 31, Tim decided to respond to an ad in the local newspaper for what he thought would be a job interview.  When Tim showed up for the “interview” he quickly realized it was actually a recruiting meeting for a network marketing company.   What he didn’t realize at the time was that meeting was going to be the catalyst to how he would radically change his life for the better.

That meeting led Tim to an organization where he had direct access to the CEO of what was the fastest growing company in the United States at that time (the company had grown from $0 to $200 million in just 4 years). This CEO became Tim’s first mentor, and in one of their many conversations, he told Tim that he could truly become whoever he wanted to be if he only did one thing – work on himself.  In their conversation, Tim’s mentor told him to get a book called “Think and Grow Rich” and that he should study it for the rest of his life.  The mentor said that if he did that, he could have, or become, whatever he wanted.

At the time, Tim remembers thinking that this guy must be nuts.  How could he, an 8th-grade dropout, ever amount to anything of significance?  Tim struggled to comprehend the importance of the suggestion the CEO made.  But then, Tim thought for a moment and realized that the CEO had built a very successful company from scratch and was earning millions of dollars a year.  Tim thought that maybe, just maybe, he should listen to the advice of his mentor.  So, at the urging of his mentor, Tim bought his first copy of “Think and Grow Rich” in 1996 and started reading from it every day.

For the next three years, Tim worked for the network marketing company watching, observing, and listening to his mentor.  He also continued to read from “Think and Grow Rich” every day.  But in hindsight, the light bulb still had not gone on for Tim.  He was getting further and further into debt while traveling the United States for the network marketing company, always “chasing the buck.”  At one point, Tim even had to file bankruptcy.

In 1999 the network marketing company ran into issues with the federal government and ended up shutting down.  Tim went home to his wife and daughter in Cincinnati, OH and started looking for a J.O.B.  In spite of all that had happened, Tim continued to hear the advice of his mentor telling him that he could become whoever he wanted if he just worked on himself and studied “Think and Grow Rich.”  So, he continued to study the book every day.  After trying a couple of things (i.e. jewelry sales, part-time real estate) he ultimately settled on becoming a full-time real estate agent in December of 1999.

This is where Tim’s story starts to change for the better.  Something clicked for Tim when he moved into real estate full-time.  As he continued to study “Think and Grow Rich” one of his first major revelations was that he needed to stop chasing “a buck” and start serving others first and that he did!  In his first full month, he listed seventeen homes.  In his first twelve months in the business, he closed 92 transactions.  In the process of doing this, his annual income went from $23,000 to over $100,000 in just one year.  And that was just the start.  For the next several years he went on to even better years becoming one of the most productive agents in the Greater Cincinnati area and earning annual incomes over $250,000.

The next stage in Tim’s development came when other real estate agents started asking him what he did that made him so successful. So, in 2001 – 2002 he started taking on coaching clients.  What he used as his primary teaching tools were the concepts and principles from “Think and Grow Rich.”

By 2003 the interest in Tim’s real estate success led him to develop his first seminar called “The Magic Pill.”   It was a ten-hour real estate continuing education program certified in Ohio and, of course, it included many of the strategies and concepts he had been teaching his coaching clients which included “Think and Grow Rich.”  For the next few years, when he wasn’t selling homes around Cincinnati, he was traveling Ohio delivering his CE class.

Then in 2006 Tim first learned about the movie/book called “The Secret” written and produced by Rhonda Byrne.  Rhonda’s work focused on teaching the world about the Law of Attraction.  From this movie, Tim developed a deeper understanding of the concepts he had been studying for the past ten years in “Think and Grow Rich.”  The movie also introduced him to people like John Assaraf, Michael Bernard Beckwith, and Bob Proctor that were featured in the movie and book.

Tim became very interested in the teachings of Bob Proctor when he learned that one of Bob’s mentors had told him to study “Think and Grow Rich” and never put it down.  Tim learned that Bob had been studying the book every day since 1961 and that he attributes the principles from the book for his personal success.  In just a couple of years, Bob went from making $6,000 a year as a fireman in Toronto, Canada to earning over a $1,000,000 a year as the owner of a commercial cleaning business with multiple offices around the world.  Tim saw similarities in his and Bob’s success and wanted to learn more about Bob and his teachings.

In 2008 Tim went on to become a Certified LifeSuccess Consultant with the Bob Proctor organization.  He started to blend the “Think and Grow Rich” principles with the mind dynamic concepts from Bob Proctor into his coaching and training programs.  This combined material helped Tim continue to help him serve his real estate clients, as well as, his coaching clients better than ever.  Tim’s commitment to helping others continued to deepen.

One of Tim’s favorite ways to share his knowledge and love for “Think and Grow Rich” was through doing extended studies on the book.  Around 2010 he started doing a fourteen-week program a couple of times a year that would cover a chapter of the book each week.  It was during one of these programs in 2010 that Tim first met his future business partner, Alan Lindeman.

After the first two sessions, Al asked Tim about getting together for a cup of coffee which they did the following week.  Although at the time, Al was still working in the corporate world, they quickly realized that they had a common purpose of wanting to help other people become better versions of themselves.  From that meeting sprung a friendship that neither Tim nor Al could have seen at the time.

Over the next two years, Al became a regular member of Tim’s “Think and Grow Rich” book study programs.  Al had started to read “Think and Grow Rich” several times before meeting Tim but had never finished it.  Tim’s book study program gave Al the support network he needed to really understand and embrace the concepts in the book.  Tim and Al also started getting together regularly for breakfast and shared their respective experiences, knowledge, and love for helping other people grow.

Then in November of 2011, things took a dramatic change for Tim and Al.  The week after Thanksgiving Al was informed by his employer of over twenty years that they were eliminating his position.  Al called Tim the same day he learned that he was losing his job.  It was at that time that they started to explore the idea of working together to deliver training programs.  In March 2012 they delivered their first training program.  By the end of 2012, they had worked with a variety of clients that included medical offices, a jewelry manufacturer, a finance company, contractors, and more.  The programs focused on the development of organizational leadership through improved employee engagement.

From 2012 through 2016 their training and coaching programs (and customer base) continued to evolve.  Their material expanded to include leadership, sales, personal development, effective communication (including understanding personality traits) and other related material.  Their client base also started to expand to larger consumer products companies, insurance companies, and companies spread out around the United States.

A few other highlights from this time frame included:

• ▶In 2013 they become business partners when they started Maximizing Results LLC
• ▶They became certified to do real estate continuing education classes in Ohio and Kentucky
• ▶In February 2016, Tim became licensed by the Proctor Gallagher Institute for their Thinking Into Results coaching/mentoring program for leaders
• ▶Tim continued to envision the development of a program that would create a new approach to teaching the proven success principles from “Think and Grow Rich”

In December of 2016 Tim’s ten-year dream of developing a training seminar based on “Think and Grow Rich” finally started to become a reality.  The plans were put into place to deliver a two and a half day program the last weekend of January 2017 in Cincinnati, OH.  Tim, Al, and their team from Maximizing Results are looking forward to sharing a one-of-a-kind program that will help anyone that attends to learn the importance of the material that Tim has been studying for twenty-one years.

We cannot wait to see you there!