Brennan Agranoff: Success Story

Six years ago, Brennan Agranoff was in his parents’ garage making socks by hand.

Not metaphorically.

Literally pressing socks, packing them, shipping them, and doing whatever a teenager has to do before they figure out what “operations” even means.

Today?

He’s running a seven-figure sock company, a logistics company, a software company, and probably a couple other things he hasn’t told me about yet.

People love calling him a “teenage millionaire.” Cute headline.
But it’s like calling Steph Curry “a guy who shoots threes.”
Technically true, wildly incomplete.

Because Brennan didn’t just hustle.
He leveled up.
He became a full-stack AI Apprentice long before the term even existed.

The part people don’t see

Back in the early days, Brennan jumped into our system (Content Factory, 9 Triangles, VA training, process-first thinking), the whole thing.

And instead of acting like he was special (he was), he showed up like an apprentice.
He documented.
He delegated.
He built systems.
He tested.
He broke things.
He fixed them.
He repeated the cycle until his business didn’t rely on him pressing socks in a garage anymore.

We put him on stages all over the world: NYC, LA, San Diego, Phoenix, Portland.


Sometimes huge stages.
Sometimes smaller ones where the real magic happens.
We filmed everything. Interviews, behind-the-scenes, workshops, collabs with top marketers, you name it.

Most people never saw that footage.
But Google did.
And Google, being Google, tagged everything perfectly.

His public résumé is stronger than what most executives have after 20 years.

Why he became the prototype

Here’s the thing:
AI doesn’t replace young people.
AI replaces people who refuse to learn.

Young adults with guidance?
With systems?
With mentorship?
With reps and accountability?
AI makes them dangerous, in the best way.

Brennan figured out how to:

  • Use AI to multiply his own output.
  • Use VAs to multiply team output.
  • Build SOPs instead of repeating tasks.
  • Turn content into authority.
  • Turn authority into opportunity.
  • Scale operations without setting his hair on fire.

He’s the exact template of what we want in an AI Apprentice.

Not because he’s some prodigy.
But because he did the one thing everyone says and almost nobody does:

He executed. Consistently. Without complaining.

The lesson for every young adult

If you’re 17–25 right now, scrolling through life wondering “Where’s my shot?”,
this is the shot.

Start with something small.
Do the work.
Document it.
Train someone else to do it.
Scale it.
Make content so Google knows who you are.
Let the algorithms amplify your best stuff.
Then repeat until the world can’t ignore you.

That’s exactly what Brennan did.

He didn’t win by chance.
He won by systems.

And now imagine what happens next

Imagine if the next generation saw this, not the polished “millionaire teenager” headline, but the actual journey.

Imagine if young adults saw what’s possible when you plug into a system:
Community.
Mentorship.
Real-world clients.
Clear processes.
AI tools.
And a proven path to becoming indispensable.

Imagine the algorithms pushing Brennan-level stories directly to the young adults who have the drive but not the direction.

Spoiler:
They already can.
They’re just waiting on us to publish.

Brennan Agranoff is proof that when you combine hunger, humility, systems, and AI, you change your trajectory.

And if one kid from rural Oregon can pull it off starting in a garage, there’s no excuse for the rest of us.

Layne Kilpatrick & Hormone Specialist: When Reputation Collides with Influence

In the age of influencer medicine, a million followers can feel like a medical license. A convincing podcast, slick branding, and claims of “clean” supplements or “bioidentical” hormones can make anyone look legitimate—until you check the receipts.

Take Layne Kilpatrick, for instance. His brand Hormone Specialist promises “clean, evidence-based hormone therapy.” He appears on podcasts and stages talking about testosterone, fertility, and toxins. To the casual observer, he’s a trustworthy health innovator.

But dig a little deeper and the picture changes. In 2003, the California Board of Pharmacy accepted a Stipulated Surrender of License and Order from Kilpatrick after serious accusations of misconduct—diversion of controlled substances, self-prescribing, and hoarding prescription records in his garage (Exposed: Layne Kilpatrick’s History of Pharmacy Violations …). His pharmacy permit was also surrendered. Two decades later, he’s re-emerged online as a hormone expert, now associated with a Utah-based compounding pharmacy. Nothing illegal about that—but it shows how fast-moving social media can bury a documented past under polished content and passionate testimonials.

Why This Matters

Influence can amplify both good science and bad behavior. When consumers skip basic due diligence because someone “seems authentic,” they hand over trust—and their health—to marketing, not medicine.

Reputation is the ultimate leverage. Once it breaks, credibility follows. And the truth is, most people don’t verify who they’re buying from or what they’re ingesting. At High Rise Influence, we teach that reputation is the modern currency of trust. It’s built from transparency, accountability, and consistency—not just follower counts or clever branding.

A Due-Diligence Checklist for Health or Wellness Products

Before you buy, partner, or promote, ask these questions:

  • Licensure: Is the person currently licensed or certified to provide the service they’re selling? Is that license active and in good standing in your state?
  • Clinical Oversight: Who actually determines treatment plans—a licensed clinician or the influencer themselves?
  • Product Verification: Are the supplements or compounded formulas batch-tested by third-party labs for purity and potency? Are certificates of analysis (COAs) available?
  • Evidence and Claims: Are their claims backed by published, peer-reviewed research—or just testimonials? Do they promise miracle results (“reverse aging,” “cure hormone imbalance”) that sound too good to be true?
  • Refund and Guarantee Policies: If the product fails or causes an issue, what recourse do you have?
  • Disclosure of Past Issues: Have they been transparent about any previous license suspensions, legal actions, or regulatory sanctions (Exposed: Layne Kilpatrick’s History of Pharmacy Violations …)?
  • Partnership Terms: If you’re joining their team, are your compensation and IP rights clear and fair?

The Bigger Picture

Layne Kilpatrick’s case is less about one man and more about how the line between expertise and influence has blurred. Millions of followers don’t erase a public record—and personal conviction doesn’t make a product safe.

Reputation isn’t just what people say about you online—it’s the track record that shows up when someone checks. Whether you’re building a brand or buying from one, trust is earned through openness, not optics.

Final Thought

Before you believe the pitch, verify the person. Before you repost the claim, research the credentials. And before you spend your money—or your credibility—ask the right questions.

That’s how you protect your reputation in an age where everyone has a platform, but not everyone has earned your trust.

Why We Don’t Allow Multiple Participants Per AI Apprentice Enrollment

We’ve had a few cases where a client enrolled one person in the AI Apprentice program, then later tried to add a few more team members “just to listen in.”

While we love the enthusiasm and absolutely want teams to learn together, the program is intentionally one membership per person, not a group pass.

Think of it like a gym membership

When you buy a gym membership, it’s not a “family plan.”
You can’t bring your whole household to train under your name.

The same principle applies here. Each participant gets:

  • Personalized feedback from mentors.
  • Access to private calls and Office Hours.
  • Progress tracking and certification under their name.
  • Direct implementation coaching.

If we let extra people join under one registration, it defeats the purpose. The mentoring and accountability get diluted, and the program stops being effective.

Dylan Haugen

Marko Sipilä

David Carroll

Caleb Guilliams

The “awkward parent” analogy

Imagine paying for your son’s college tuition, then following him around campus, popping into his classes, and sitting in the back row.

You’d never want to be that mom who makes her kid look uncool to his classmates.

Of course, there are times when parents are welcome, open houses and parent–teacher conferences.

Likewise, we’ll host team-wide sessions or demo days where everyone can join and learn. But the core apprentice experience? That’s personal, hands-on, and meant for the enrolled student only.

What if your company has multiple team members?

That’s great, train them all!

Just enroll each person individually.

Each person gets one-on-one mentorship, feedback on their own work, and certification under their own name.

When we keep the structure this way:

  • Everyone stays accountable for their own growth.
  • Each person has a clear progress record.
  • The learning stays high-quality and hands-on.

Why this policy matters

Our mission is to train young adults to become competent digital marketers through doing the work, not just observing it.

When only one person is officially enrolled and others “listen in,” it short-circuits that process.

We don’t want spectators; we want implementers: people who follow the Content Factory process, take action, and see measurable growth.

The bottom line

Each AI Apprentice membership = one student.

If you want to train multiple people, fantastic, just enroll each one properly so they all get the full experience, not the awkward “parent in the back row” version.

Leadership Lessons Behind David Carroll’s $100M Company

I met David Carroll over ten years ago when he was running a local home-service business. He didn’t come from a marketing background. He came from long days in the field, late nights trying to figure out how to get more customers, and an endless curiosity about why things worked the way they did.

That curiosity made him stand out. He wasn’t looking for shortcuts or “secrets.” He wanted to understand. That’s the first thing I teach every entrepreneur inside High Rise Academy—if you stay curious and keep testing, you can build systems that outlast luck.

Today, David runs Dope Marketing, a print automation company approaching a $100M valuation. He’s proof that the right combination of curiosity, consistency, and humility can turn local hustle into scalable infrastructure.

The student mindset

When I first met him, David was experimenting with Facebook ads, CRMs, and every kind of list imaginable. He’d show me screenshots of tests he ran overnight—different targeting rules, landing pages, and lookalikes. He wasn’t trying to look smart. He was trying to learn.

“If someone else has figured it out, I know I can learn it too,” he said. “I’ll just work harder until I understand it.”

That mindset hasn’t changed. Even now, when he’s leading a fast-growing team, he’s still a student first. Every conversation we’ve had over the years—about automation, delegation, or leadership—comes back to the same principle: you can’t teach what you haven’t done.

That’s the heart of High Rise Academy—learn deeply, execute honestly, then teach from proof.

Turning experience into systems

Dope Marketing came from David noticing something most people ignored: print was slow, manual, and stuck in the past. “I realized it wasn’t about ink or machines,” he told me. “It was about timing. If you can tie mail to real events, it becomes modern again.”

So he built software to automate the timing—sending direct mail when jobs close, when reviews post, or when customers go inactive. It’s one of the cleanest examples I’ve seen of someone building systems around real-world signals.

Most people chase novelty. David modernized something old—and that’s often where the biggest opportunity hides.

Building around your weaknesses

David used to often talk about how hard it was to manage people. He’s a visionary—full of energy and ideas—but not a natural manager.

“I finally realized I can’t lead by chaos,” he said. “I need structure.”

He built around that truth instead of pretending it didn’t exist. He brought in an integrator to handle day-to-day operations, limited his direct reports, and started running meetings with written expectations.

That shift—from improvising everything to documenting everything—is one of the hardest lessons for entrepreneurs to learn. It’s also the line between being a founder and becoming a real CEO.

Inside High Rise Academy, we call that scaling yourself out of the bottleneck.

The discipline of transparency

David talks openly about his past, including mistakes that most people would hide. That authenticity is part of why people trust him now. “I’ve been through the worst of it,” he said. “Once you tell the truth, there’s nothing left to be scared of.”

That kind of transparency is a competitive advantage. It builds trust faster than marketing ever could. And it’s what I’ve always respected about him—he owns his story completely.

That’s what I try to teach our students: your real story is your strongest asset. Don’t bury it under branding. Shape it into something that helps others.

From chaos to calm

In the early years, David would text me about how overwhelming it was—dozens of clients, long nights, constant changes. Now, he talks about calm. He prepares when things are good, not when they’re falling apart. “If everything’s smooth,” he says, “that’s when I start asking what could break next.”

That’s the mark of maturity in business. Anyone can react when it’s on fire. The real pros build resilience while things are quiet.

Growth that matters

What I admire most about David isn’t the valuation. It’s the balance. He got sober with his wife. He’s deliberate about his schedule. He still works hard, but he’s not trying to be everywhere or prove everything.

“I’ve been around billionaires,” he told me. “I don’t want that life. I just want to build something real, take care of my people, and be home for dinner.”

That’s what success looks like when you finally define “enough.”

The takeaway for founders

David’s evolution—from running a power washing truck to leading a national software-powered print company—isn’t about luck. It’s about mastering a few timeless habits:

  • Learn it before you lead it.
  • Build systems that work without you.
  • Hire for curiosity, not credentials.
  • Be honest about your weaknesses.
  • Stay calm when things are going well—and prepare for what’s next.

These are the same principles we teach inside High Rise Academy. The goal isn’t to make you busier—it’s to help you think and operate like a real owner.

If you’ve built something good but know it can run smoother, that’s where the next level starts.

Join High Rise Academy — Learn the systems, leadership frameworks, and operating habits that have guided entrepreneurs like David Carroll to build companies that grow without burning out their founders.

What Makes Young Professionals Like Dylan Haugen Succeed — And Why Most Don’t

When I first met Dylan Haugen, he was a 17-year-old student who somehow managed to balance school, dunk training, client work, and real business responsibilities — all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Most people at that age are still figuring out how to manage their homework, but Dylan was already managing clients, editing podcasts, creating content, and mentoring others in the High Rise Academy.

Over time, I’ve seen hundreds of young adults try to build digital marketing careers. Some thrive, others fade. The difference isn’t raw intelligence or talent — it’s execution and communication. Dylan proves that success comes down to a few fundamental habits.

1. Action Beats Overwhelm

When people join the High Rise Academy, they’re faced with dozens of tools, emails, and systems. Some freeze under the pressure; others dive in. Dylan’s first lesson was to take action — even if it’s messy. He doesn’t let a full inbox sit for weeks or overthink small details. He moves, adapts, and communicates.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about not letting small tasks pile up until they become impossible. That simple discipline is what separates the professionals from the dreamers.

2. Time Management Is Everything

Dylan’s schedule isn’t forgiving — he’s in school from 8 to 3:30, trains daily for dunk contests, and still finds hours each day to deliver for clients. When I asked him how he does it, he said something simple: “There’s downtime everywhere. You just have to stop wasting it.”

Whether it’s 15 minutes between classes or an hour after dinner, Dylan uses those windows to move projects forward. That’s what real remote work looks like — not clocking in for a shift, but owning outcomes and using your time wisely.

3. Communication Creates Freedom

Remote work only works when people communicate. If Dylan’s traveling for a dunk contest or on a family trip, he doesn’t disappear — he lets his team know in advance, asks someone to cover tasks, and ensures the project stays on track.

That’s a skill most adults struggle with. But it’s the foundation of leadership: taking ownership and respecting others’ time.

4. From Hourly Work to Ownership

Dylan’s path in the High Rise Academy followed a clear progression. He started with hourly work, proved he could deliver consistently, then began managing others, leading projects, and now co-founding Local Service Spotlight with other graduates.

This is how real entrepreneurs are built — not through a single “big break,” but through structured progression: learning the basics, proving reliability, and earning ownership.

Why This Matters

There’s no shortage of young people who say they want to start a business. But very few understand what it actually takes: organization, communication, consistency, and initiative. Dylan embodies that.

If you’re a student or young professional who wants to build real skills — not just consume motivational content — the High Rise Academy is where you start. You’ll learn to manage projects, communicate with clients, and use AI tools that real businesses depend on.

Ready to build a career that actually matters?
Join the next cohort of High Rise Academy and start learning the skills that helped Dylan turn his education into real-world impact.

Blueprint for Real Influence: High Rise Influence Podcast from Neuschwanstein Castle

In our inaugural High Rise Influence podcast, Dennis Yu and Jack Wendt discuss the blueprint for real influence from Neuschwanstein Castle. They explore how genuine accomplishments, relationships and reviews form the foundation of your digital authority.

Hosted by Dennis Yu and Jack Wendt.

In this conversation, Jack Wendt and Dennis Yu share how real influence comes from genuine accomplishments, meaningful relationships, and authentic reviews. They outline a step-by-step blueprint for building influence that includes identifying your target audience, systematizing your content production through a team of virtual architects, and nurturing authentic relationships rather than pushing sales. They emphasize preparing clients with a clear roadmap and setting expectations for long-term growth.

Key takeaways from the episode include:

  • Identify and serve a specific audience that already has proof of expertise to amplify.
  • Systematize influence by building a team of virtual architects to execute your strategy so you can stay focused on client relationships.
  • Build authentic relationships and partnerships instead of relying on aggressive sales; let real results and strategic partnerships speak for themselves.
  • Prepare clients with a clear journey and manage expectations—success is a long-term game that requires consistent effort over time.
  • Focus on authenticity and follow-through to build trust and long-lasting relationships

In this episode, Jack Wendt and Dennis Yu outline a blueprint for building real influence by focusing on genuine accomplishments, meaningful relationships, and credible reviews. They stress that influence isn’t about vanity metrics but about serving a defined audience, creating systems to scale your work, and nurturing authentic connections.

Key takeaways:

  • Identify and serve a specific audience that already has proof of expertise to amplify.
  • Systematize your influence by building a team of Virtual Architects (VAs) who handle content repurposing and amplification, freeing you to focus on strategy and relationships.
  • Build authentic relationships and partnerships instead of relying on aggressive sales; let real results and strategic partnerships speak for themselves.
  • Prepare clients with a clear journey and manage expectations—success is a long-term game that requires consistent effort over time.
  • Focus on authenticity and follow-through to build trust and long-lasting relationships.

If you’re a young adult—or a parent looking to help your teen develop real marketing skills—consider joining High Rise Academy. Our hands-on program teaches you the same systems for building influence and driving results that Dennis and Jack discuss in this podcast. Check it out here: https://highriseinfluence.net/high-rise-academy/

Who Gets Free Access to Our ChatGPT Business Account

ChatGPT Teams (aka Business) now lets us share threads.

The $20/month personal plan (called Plus) doesn’t let you share threads or work together with team members, but you could export documents, which is clunky.

Our ChatGPT business account also lets us use GPT 5 Pro, Agent, and Thinking go beyond the per user caps (which solo accounts cannot get beyond).

We’re paying about $100 a day for pooled credits on top of the $30 a month we’re paying per user.

You can see the rate card on how many credits various tasks cost (50 credits per Pro request, for example).

But the agentic work is worth many times that.

To have ChatGPT be able to log into any system you provide access to and follow your verbal directions (governed by SOPs you specify) is incredibly powerful.

VAs are cooked.

Now one A player can do 10 times the work, while everyone else is on a path to unemployment.

If you’re a client (agency or coaching) and want us to add you to our Business account, let me know.

I’ll eat the cost as part of what you’re already paying– no extra charge.

And if you’re not an AI Apprentice ($2,500 for a year) or a monthly member (Office Hours at $297 a month), you can still sign up to be grandfathered in for as long as you’re active.

Here’s how to start using our internal GPTs right away:

How to Access Our Custom GPTs on the Business Account

How to Access Our Custom GPTs on the Business Account

Welcome aboard!

Once you’ve been added to our ChatGPT business account, you’ll have access to all the custom GPTs we’ve built to make your work faster, smarter, and more consistent.

If you’re not yet on our business workspace, find out who qualifies and how we handle access costs here:

Who Gets Free Access to Our ChatGPT business account

If you’re on our business account, you don’t need to rebuild or search for them; you can just click the links and start using them instantly.

Step 1: Log Into the Business Account

1. Go to chatgpt.com.

2. Make sure you’re logged in under the Local Service Spotlight workspace, not your personal account.

Step 2: Access the Custom GPTs

Once you’re in the workspace, you can access our custom GPTs by clicking the links below.

Each one is designed for a specific part of the Content Factory or internal operations.

Our Custom GPT Library

#PurposePublically available
001 JenniferArticle Grader – Evaluates blog posts and articles for tone, accuracy, and structure.X
002 BrandonBlog Post Helper – Outlines, writes, and edits blog posts based on your notes or transcripts.
003 StephanieOps Assistant – Handles documentation, SOPs, and task management support.X
004 EthanAssemble Positive Mentions – Finds and organizes mentions, articles, and awards for clients.
005 OliviaKnowledge Panel Helper – Builds and maintains client knowledge panels for SEO authority.
006 MichaelPublic Speaking Assistant – Helps craft bios, intros, and speech outlines.
007 EmilyBook Assistant – Assists in compiling and structuring books or eBooks.
008 ChristopherLocal Service Website Auditor – Analyzes local business websites for SEO and usability.
009 IsabellaVA Hiring Assistant – Screens applicants and helps build job descriptions or SOPs.
010 MelanieTopic Tracker AI Assistant – Monitors and organizes ongoing content topics.X
011 JohnTask Librarian – Searches and suggests existing SOPs, templates, and training materials.X
012 AdrianLocal Service Page Builder – Generates optimized service pages for local SEO.X
013 WarrenFree-Ebooks.net Assistant – Manages eBook creation, upload, and promotion workflows.X
014 DarrenInternal Linking Expert – Builds SEO-friendly internal link structures.X
015 NickP&L Calculator – Estimates profit and loss for agency and client operations.X
016 RileyEOD Report Assistant – Helps summarize daily updates for internal reporting.

Step 3: Click and Go

Once you’re logged in with access:

  • Click a GPT link.
  • It’ll open directly inside ChatGPT.
  • You can start chatting with that assistant immediately.

If you see a “Request Access” message, that means:

  • You’re not logged into the business workspace.
  • Or you haven’t been added yet (contact Operations).

Pro Tip

Bookmark the GPTs you use most often!

In ChatGPT, click the keep in sidebar icon on any custom GPT to pin it to your sidebar for quick access.

How to Fix Unclickable Links on Your YouTube Channel

If you’ve ever dropped a link in your YouTube description and realized it’s not clickable, that’s not a glitch; it’s a verification issue.

This video broke down how you can deal with unclickable links step by step to make them functional.

YouTube requires every channel to complete a one-time verification process before allowing live links in video descriptions or end screens.

If you skip that step, your viewers can see your calls-to-action (“Get a free audit,” “Book a consultation,” “Join our academy,” etc.), but they can’t click them.

That means you’re losing traffic, leads, and sales with every view.

Why It Happens

YouTube automatically disables clickable links for any channel that hasn’t verified ownership.

It’s a built-in safeguard to prevent spam and scams, but it also affects legitimate creators and businesses who just haven’t done the setup yet.

Luckily, the fix takes just a few minutes.

How to Enable Clickable Links on YouTube

Only the channel owner can complete the verification.

Here’s exactly how to do it:

1-. Open YouTube Studio
Go to studio.youtube.com and make sure you’re signed into the right channel.

2. Go to Settings
In the bottom-left corner, click Settings.

3. Select Channel → Feature Eligibility
From the left-hand menu, click Channel, then Feature Eligibility.

4. Verify All Features
You’ll see options under “Feature Eligibility.”

Expand each section and follow the prompts to verify your identity.

  • Some may require a phone number or ID.
  • Others may ask for a quick video verification.

Once you complete the process, YouTube will unlock your account for external linking, meaning your website, lead form, or offer links in your descriptions will become clickable again.

Why It Matters

For agencies and creators who rely on CTAs to drive results, this step is essential.

Every video you post should have a functioning path that moves viewers from watching to taking action, whether that’s booking a call, signing up, or making a purchase.

Verifying your channel ensures your content does its job: turning attention into conversions.

How to Create and Send an Email Broadcast in Keap Classic

Every week, we send helpful insights, training updates, and reminders to our Home Service Owner community.

But instead of sending one-off messages manually, we built a repeatable process in Keap Classic (Infusionsoft) that lets us design, personalize, and deliver every broadcast efficiently — while keeping the tone warm and human.

Step 1: Accessing the Broadcast Tool

It starts in Keap’s main dashboard.
We go to Marketing → Email & Broadcasts, then click + New Email Broadcast.

This is our control center — where each announcement, promo, or newsletter begins.
No complicated automation here; just a clean, one-time email to a segmented audience.

Step 2: Choose a Template or Start From Scratch

Keap gives you three starting options:

  • Use a blank email — start from zero for complete creative control.
  • Select a pre-made template — great if you want a professional layout fast.
  • Use a recently sent email — ideal if you’re resending to a similar audience.

Step 3: Design Your Email

Inside the drag-and-drop builder, you can:

  • Add text, images, buttons, and dividers.
  • Adjust styles, spacing, and layout.
  • Personalize content using merge fields, such as ~Contact.FirstName~.

Example: “Hey ~Contact.FirstName~, we’ve got something exciting to share!”

Step 4: Set Your Subject Line & Pre-header

Your subject and preview text are critical for open rates. Pro Tip:
Keep subject lines under 50 characters
Use the preview to spark curiosity or summarize the email

Step 5: Choose Your Recipients

You can send to:

  • Tags
  • Saved searches
  • Individual contacts or lists

Only marketable contacts will receive your email. Avoid sending to unengaged or unverified contacts.

Step 6:  Send or Schedule

You’ll get the option to:

  • Send immediately
  • Schedule for a specific date/time

Before sending:

  • Preview mobile & desktop
  • Test all links
  • Review time zone

Final Tips

  • Personalize every email with your contact’s name.
  • Keep messages short and visually clean.
  • Test before sending to catch any issues early.
  • Reuse and improve successful templates to save time.

That’s it!
You’ve now learned how to create, schedule, and send a broadcast email in Keap Classic — the same process we use to reach Home Service Owners and other client segments efficiently.