Episode #91 – Willie Crawford Shares His Rags to Riches Speaking Story and is One of the True Icons in the Internet Marketing World

Willie Crawford is a veritable rags-to-riches story that some would even describe as a miracle.

He grew up on a tobacco farm in North Carolina where his family was so poor that he once wore his grandmother's shoes to school when his only pair fell apart.

Working as many as three part-time jobs, Willie attended North Carolina State University, where he was commissioned a USAF office upon graduation.

Willie went on to serve 20 years 10 months, and took part in seven wars (or conflicts other than wars... insurgency operations), traveled to 61 different countries, and learned to speak a little of 19 languages.

Six years before retiring from the military, will started an internet-based business because that was something that he could work on in his spare time no matter where his job as an aircrew member on a cargo plane took him.

Willie's online career really took off after he wrote a very successful "soul food" cookbook, and a seminar host who noticed his success, asked Willie to speak at an Internet Marketing Seminar in December 2002.

Speaking at that seminar, Willie met numerous other successful online entrepreneurs, who also spoke at that event.

Being bitten by the seminar bug, Willie went on to host six of his own seminars, and attend well over 100 such event, speaking at around 80% of them in venues around the world.

Being a graduate of John Childers' $30,000 speaker training, Willie was very comfortable speaking.

He also makes a point of constantly learning new skills.

Willie has published newsletters since 2000 which he now sends out regularly to his huge mailing lists.

He has created numerous information products, podcasted, blogged, built a social media presence that literally reaches over 10 million, and directly coached and mentored hundreds of students.

Today, Willie's primary focus is on working with offline, brick-and-mortar businesses where he helps them to generate leads through a network of websites that he has built.

In his role as the Alignable Alliance Ambassador for Niceville, Florida, Willie was voted, Niceville Small Business Person of The Year by his peers.

He was also selected for a Lifetime Achievement Award in a ceremony that also honored Dan Kennedy, Martha Stawart and Michael Gerber.

A master at search engine optimization, Willie ranks websites at the top of the search engines and then rents these lead generation website out for as much as $2000 per month.

Willie also has a course where he teaches his Rank & Rent system to other entrepreneurs.

When not working, Willie enjoys fishing out in the Gulf of Mexico, practicing karate... a sport that he has enjoyed for over 45 years, or just playing with some of his four grandkids.

You are encouraged to follow Willie TheModernMidas.com or tuning into his podcast at: YouTube.com/TheModernMidas/ You can also find Willie on FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MeWe, or Alignable just by searching on his name.