“The economy is not an un-mined stream with gold laying about to be scooped up.
You gotta DIG.”— Dan Kennedy
Thanks again, Mr. Kennedy for telling the truth. This week, I heard from one client who reported a $30K month. And much of this income is recurring month after month for her in a (very) low overhead industry. I heard from another who made $17K in one week, one who reported her FIRST 5-figure month, and one who just landed a huge “gig” she can’t talk about without grinning ear to ear. And, of course, I also hear from those who are scared, seeing a decrease in income, and getting discouraged. Bottom line, there will always be some business owners thriving and “CRUSHING it!” in the exact same industry, town and time frame as other business owners fighting — or failing — to keep their doors open.
There’s no mystery here, by the way. Success and failure always leave clues.
Look at those (truly) wildly successful biz owners and here is what you’ll see: They’re focused and resist shiny objects. They aren’t “always” on social media — because they are working. They have have a well planned and thought out sales process. In other words, they have a plan, they know their target, they know what they do to attract them, they know how every sale is nurtured and they know the “return path” for their clients. This, of course, takes time and effort to create, test and tweak. They are very selective in who they hang out with and ruthlessly guard their time. They know they are not entitled to your business and willing to DIG. There’s more, but this incomplete list can get your own observations going.
Conversely, look at those floundering, flailing, or failing, and here is what you’ll see: They’re scattered. In action, word and location. They do not protect their time, spend much of it on facebook and are always looking for a free event to “meet people.” They seek these groups out, start new ones and attend without ever giving a thought to whether or not “it’s working” for them. They are always “on the verge” of something big that they’ll keep hinting about but never tell you about. They do not have a comprehensive PLAN, they have TOOLS they use to “grow business” and are inconsistent in using them. They are always getting “free training” in business — often from people in their group who are still working a full time job and “hoping” to be a profitable business owner one day. They spend money on things like trademarks, headshots, new logos, and publishing their own books. They are often in different businesses year to year, or at least every other year. As with successful businesses, there’s more, but this incomplete list can get your own observations going.
