How THE GO-GIVER Quietly Shaped The Faces Of - and Why That Still Matters
When I first read The Go-Giver, something about it stuck with me in a way most business books don’t. Not because it was flashy or tactical, but because it put words to something I had already come to believe after years in real estate: the most durable success comes from giving value first, without keeping score.
Years later, when I created The Faces Of, I didn’t set out to consciously build a platform around a book. But looking back, it’s clear that the project naturally aligned with all Five Laws of Stratospheric Success taught in The Go-Giver. In many ways, The Faces Of became a real-world application of those principles—long before I ever realized how closely the two were connected.
At its core, The Faces Of was designed to give value with no expectation of return. We simply told people’s stories. We recognized teachers, business owners, farmers, students, doctors—people who were already making their communities better. There were no sales pitches. No calls to action. Just attention, appreciation, and storytelling.
And that’s where the magic happened.
Over time, the project created trust. It created connection. It created visibility—not just for the people we featured, but for the agents who led the project in their towns. The business growth that followed wasn’t forced. It was a byproduct of doing the right thing consistently.
After I wrote my book, Face Value, one of the first people I wanted to share it with was Bob Burg, the co-author of The Go-Giver. I didn’t know him personally. I wasn’t looking for anything from him. I simply felt that if anyone would understand what we were trying to build with The Faces Of, it would be him.
So I wrote him a letter. I mailed him a copy of the book. And then I forgot about it.
Weeks later, Bob reached out.
He had read the book. He understood what we were doing. And more than that—he appreciated that The Faces Of wasn’t just borrowing language from The Go-Giver, but actually living it out in a practical, scalable way.
Not long after that, Bob asked if I would be willing to send him additional copies of my book. I did—freely. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. He speaks at a lot of events, and I simply saw it as another opportunity to give value without expectation.
What I later learned brought me a great deal of joy.
Bob began holding up Face Value on stage at several speaking engagements and talking about The Faces Of as a real-world example of The Go-Giver principles in action. Over time, I discovered that several partners of The Faces Of found the project because they were his audiences.
That was never something I could have planned—or asked for.
Bob eventually allowed me to use a quote from him in our materials, something I don’t take lightly. He said:
“The Faces Of is THE best manifestation of the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success from The Go-Giver that I’ve ever come across.”
Hearing that—from the author of a book that shaped my thinking—meant more to me than any sales award or production milestone ever has.
Not long after, Bob invited me to Jupiter, Florida, his hometown, to take part in a business mastermind group. There was no pitch. No transaction. Just an invitation to sit in a room built around shared values, thoughtful conversation, and long-term thinking.
That experience reinforced something I now teach agents and business owners regularly:
When you build something the right way—when you genuinely lead with value—the right doors open on their own timeline.
You can’t engineer that outcome. You can’t hack it. And you certainly can’t fake it.
The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success aren’t slogans. They’re principles. And principles work whether you acknowledge them or not.
Looking back, The Faces Of naturally embodied those laws:
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The Law of Value: Giving people attention and recognition without asking for anything back
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The Law of Compensation: Trust and opportunity followed, often in unexpected ways
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The Law of Influence: By putting others first, influence grew organically
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The Law of Authenticity: The project only worked because it was genuine
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The Law of Receptivity: When value was returned, we learned to receive it with gratitude
Today, as I continue to grow The Faces Of nationally and lead agents through Next Boulevard Real Estate, these principles matter more to me than ever. In a noisy, transactional world, people are starving for authenticity. They’re tired of being marketed to. They want to be seen.
That’s what The Faces Of does.
And that’s what The Go-Giver taught me long before I ever realized how closely the two would be connected.
I didn’t build this project to impress anyone. But I’m grateful when the right people recognize it—not because of the recognition itself, but because it confirms that giving value still works.
And it always will.
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Brad Abernathy is the founder and leader of Next Boulevard Real Estate and the creator of The Faces Of.
