How Tony Robbins made $80m selling only himself

Feeling listless, with a few grand to spare? Then you may be in the market to join Tony Robbins, America's "high priest of human potential", when he hits London in March next year and urges you to "Unleash the power within".

As well as the "firewalk experience" that famously seduced Oprah Winfrey (and led to 21 people needing treatment after a painful walk across the coals in San Jose in 2012), you'll be treated to an "exclusive briefing with Tony" and a "mini-massage" if you pay top dollar. Plenty of people will.

It's easy to be cynical, says Fortune. But there's something "undeniably appealing" about Robbins' corporate events. In one exercise, we tapped "a primal aggression that rarely makes an appearance in the corporate world", snarling and hollering I owwwwwwwnnnn you!!' at colleagues and strangers alike. It felt like a mass act of catharsis."

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Robbins is just as good one-to-one, says The Huffington Post. "A somewhat startling six-feet-seven... when he talks to you he gives you his full magnetic attention." An energetic and articulate speaker, he is "huggably nice" in person.

Robbins, 54, is a familiar face to most Americans. He burst onto the self-improvement scene nearly three decades ago with his 1986 bestseller Unlimited Power. His follow-up five years later, Awaken the Giant, was an even bigger success.

It led to "an ever-expanding series" of infomercials on personal growth "that ran for 24 hours a day in different parts of the cable universe throughout the 1990s and beyond". In 2003, The New York Times estimated he had built an "empowerment empire" worth "at least $80m by selling nothing but himself".

A good strand of his business now comes from personally coaching business leaders, who pay upwards of $1m a year for his services (see below). They certainly get their money's worth in terms of attention to detail.

As Robbins told The New York Times, "I want to change the quality of people's lives." To that end, "he aims to be in his followers' kitchen cupboards, medicine chests and gym bags, as well as their heads, coaching them to peak performance, 24/7".

A self-made man who never went to college, Robbins has perfected his transformation techniques on himself, says Playboy. "Raised in a violent household by a volatile mother addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol", he worked as a door-to-door repairman after she chased him out of the house with a knife when he was 17 years old.

Around that time, he shot up in height only finding out in his 30s that a pituitary brain tumour was responsible. His break came when he landed a job with a motivational speaker named Jim Rohn and "discovered within himself the ability to sculpt' people".

By 24, he was a millionaire, and he has never looked back. Robbins created an industry and he's still at the heart of it the true "king of life coaches".

Five steps to take if you lose your job

If you find yourself seduced by the magic of Tony Robbins, you're not alone, says Glen Plaskin in Playboy. "Bill Clinton sought his advice as president, Serena Williams relied on him to avoid on-court meltdowns, Princess Diana bared her soul to him at Kensington Palace."

Robbins is clearly an empathetic listener, but what has always singled him out is his ability to cut to the chase. "I'm obsessed with finding strategies that create real results in the shortest period of time," he says.

That may explain his popularity with business leaders, says Brian O'Keefe in Fortune. Robbins has coached many hedge-fund manager Paul Tudor Jones went to him when he was going through "a rough patch" that hit his confidence, while the founder of software house Salesforce, Marc Benioff, describes him as his greatest mentor.

Robbins' approach is based on getting to know his client intimately. But, ultimately, his message boils down to this: "It is possible to exert mind over matter, take control of your own destiny and achieve your goals. It's about changing the story' that you tell yourself."

That can be easier said than done. But put Robbins on the spot and he's an impressive performer. When Playboy asked what he tells people who lose their jobs, he replied:

"First, feed and strengthen your mind with something that inspires you. If you don't, fear and disaster is where your brain will go. Second, feed and strengthen your body. Fear

is physical: when you lift weights or go for a sprint, energy flows back into your body and restores you to certainty. Third, find a role model, someone who has turned their life around. Fourth, take massive action and keep changing your approach. Fifth, find somebody who is ten times worse off and help them. It reminds you that you have something to give and to be grateful for."