10 years ago I was a very successful Marketing Manager, after studying Business Management at University then getting my Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing – I’d discovered the joys of marketing in my first year at Uni, and I knew it was something I wanted to pursue as a career – I had a very clear vision at this stage. After graduating I went on to work for some of the world’s top companies, marketing mainly technology products. I loved my work, and loved my play too – I was keen on sports, playing rugby league, rugby union and field hockey. I also found great pleasure in extreme sports – and could often be found performing aerial craziness.

Then, my life took a very unexpected turn when I destroyed 78% of my T8 vertebra in a fall on a BMX track. During the course of treatment I also discovered I had osteoporosis – quite unusual in a 29 year old male! As if this wasn’t enough, some time after I’d rehabilitated from the injury I took another bad fall – breaking my back again, also damaging my hip, rupturing my sacro-iliac joint and subsequently suffering sciatica, chronic back pain and a loss of mobility.

In probably the worst month of my life, I broke my back, got made redundant, lost my company car, my wife left me to go live back in New Zealand, I got evicted by my landlord from my cottage on the edge of a lake as her daughter wanted to move in, I had to give my beloved Old English, Mogul, away and I soon got into debt after losing my rather good salary. And oh, I had to move into a bedroom in my parents’ flat – not having lived them for some 12 years.

Losing my mobility was a very tough, bitter pill to swallow. Suddenly I could no longer play sports, and even simple walking became a struggle. I could get relief laid on my back, or sometimes that could be the most painful thing. For 3 years or so I became a virtual recluse, hardly leaving my flat at all, and eschewing any form of social life. I couldn’t sit in a chair for long periods of time, meaning I couldn’t work in an office, and manual work was not a realistic alternative due to my disability.

About 12 months ago, my obsession with computers branched out in a new direction – that of Internet Marketing, via a personal development programme that enabled me to finally break free of the shackles of depression.

As a Marketer, to discover I could earn a living from the comfort of my home with my existing skills, no matter how my physical handicap might restrict the things I can do was a true revelation – although I still to this day don’t understand why it took me so long to discover it, having been a computer addict since the age of 8 (my computer was a Sinclair ZX80, that’s all you could get back in 1980!). I could set my own hours, even work from bed if I needed to.

Even with my years of experience in Marketing, my beginning with IM was a very steep learning curve – there’s a world of difference between marketing with corporation budgets and marketing with virtually no finances at all, as I soon found out.

I took a 6 month hiatus earlier this year after the death of my Father, but am now back with a plan and a glint in my eye, keen to develop my online businesses to a whole new level. How I ended up doing the $100 Million Challenge is because of a well-timed call from one of Russell Brunson’s staff – although at the time I wasn’t ready to get back to the computer, it set the wheels in motion for my return – now I’m back, more determined than ever, and ready to excel – it’s about time, to be honest!

Best of luck to everyone else taking the $100 Million Challenge

Rob