I am in the unique position of having been around this industry since its infancy. I have seen giants born, raised and fallen. I am often “blessed” with a view behind the curtain of “HUGE” launches. I know numbers, people and lifestyles that are often “dressed up” for marketing purposes.
I know the truth.
This is why I am SO DELIBERATE about my own brand. This is why I REFUSE to jump on a brand that appears to be skyrocketing to the top. (Nah, I’ll wait. Let’s see what happens.) This is why I am sometimes viewed as suspicious of surface level reports or deliberately orchestrated displays of “fancy.” This is why you don’t see me DOING all of the things everyone else seems to be doing.
I’ve been there.
I SEE what moves the needle,
and what is just for show.
I don’t JUMP without knowing the depth of the water in front of me, and….
I’ve seen enough to EARN my suspicion.
Before I go on, I HONOR those who bring me behind the curtain. it is a TRUE HONOR to be there. I am deeply humbled by their trust in me, their trust in my discretion and their trust in my (most often) GUT suggestions. I do NOT fault their hustle. In many cases, I am humbled but that too.
But there are many things I am NOT willing to do,
not willing to lie down
on the altar of success. I am a bit rant-y this Sunday, but I assure you this is an INCOMPLETE list.
Every day, every month, I seem to stumble upon a new boundary, something that I am NO LONGER willing to do, tolerate or accept.
1) I refuse to LIE.
I hate a liar. I refuse to lie to you or to our members or to anyone else. AND, for ME personally this means I cannot count POSSIBILITY as REALITY. (Meaning, as one example: I cannot “claim” hopeful numbers publicly and justify it as “real” numbers, because it’s real in my mind.)
2) I refuse to be enslaved to ad costs.
I know the PRINCIPLE of wanting to spend MORE to acquire a prospect than any competitor is willing or able to spend. And I know that ad costs during the pandemic went to near historic lows. BUT in general ad costs only go up. If i am FULLY dependent on google ads or facebook ads, I am enslaved to them.
I get the PRINCIPLE of laying down $1 to make $1.50. In principle — and in fact, in practice– this works. It’s a solid strategy.
BUT, I do not believe in RELYING on ad costs as a primary driver of attention. I prefer to EARN eyeballs, vs. buy them. I find EARNED attention preferable (and more dependable) over the long haul.
3) I refuse to be enslaved to HUGE OVERHEAD costs.
I operate LEAN which is the ONLY way to create long term security. PROFIT matters, not revenue.
4) I refuse to be enslaved to tactics that I do NOT have full control of.
Recently, many book launches and product launches were brought to a FULL STOP because the author or expert was depending on a speaking tour and / or one HUGE event in order to sell their wares. And these events were cancelled.
i’m all about “OPP” (Other People’s People) and Other People’s stages and pages. But I am not RELIANT on either. They are bonuses to my OWN sweat-equity based audience building tactics.
5) I refuse to “compromise” that which means the most to me.
I.e. Family, faith, health, etc.
MY desired lifestyle is NOT one that has me working and demanding work at all hours of the day and night. MY desired lifestyle is one where fREEDOM abounds. Money freedom, yes. Money matters a LOT. And your business can produce gobs of it. Your business SHOULD be producing gobs of it. BUT…. time freedom. Location freedom. Freedom to live EACH day according to my OWN priorities. Freedom to not work with certain people. Freedom to choose my income streams. Freedom to work with people I love and respect. Freedom to disconnect. Freedom to be fully me.
On these things I will not and do not compromise. Not for ANY promise of “success.”
6) I refuse to grow my business one way hoping that ONE DAY, it will miraculously shift into what I really want.
First, this is irrational. If you GROW your business feeding it the fuel of 18-hour days and HUGE doses of advertising money… THIS is how your business will grow. It will grow MORE dependent on influxes of time and money. You don’t raise a child to be a thief hoping that one day when they’re “all grown up” they’ll shift into wanting to work for a living.
Second, it’s miserable… to go through years of doing what you don’t want to do for the PAY OFF of MAYBE ONE DAY being able to do what you love. And lastly, you are never guaranteed tomorrow or any “one day.”
7) I refuse to bend the knee… ever.
Well, that’s not true. I bend the knee at the foot of the cross. BUT, that’s it and that’s all. I am non-compliant in MOST ways and have always been so. I do not kiss the ring, drink the koolaid or follow the rules, often challenging the PURPOSE of the rules as well as the PERSON who made them. I follow ALL laws that I personally agree with, and no more.
So, as a business owner, I refuse to play “fawn over the expert,” have never asked for an autograph and refuse to pay to play. In THIS way, I get invited behind the curtain… as a peer. In THIS way, I get another view than the public. In THIS way I get to see the SET and not just the SHOW. In THIS way, I get secret phone calls about what’s really going on. In THIS way, I surround myself with giants… and in THIS way I get to grow myself.
So, what is YOUR list? What do YOU refuse to do to create “success?”
