Posts Tagged ‘Growth’

Just spittin’ truth.
Okay, let’s get into it… You will try and you will fail… and that is okay. You know what… it is more than okay. It is expected. It isn’t expected because of you… this is not a reflection of your abilities, skills, or enormous brain capacity… this is just business. Welcome to being an entrepreneur

If you are not prepared to fail, get ready for it… or start filling out applications… there are plenty of people hiring all over the country.

That sounds harsh, and I’m not sorry because it is what you need to hear. This is why so many aren’t working for themselves; either they have already tried and failed, or they are scared of failure. There is no room for fear… You must overcome that. Know it and accept it… and be prepared for the potential failure and you will be fine… you will learn from said failure and look towards your next victory.

You should not go into any venture expecting failure… If you expect failure in a venture or opportunity, then you should walk away… what would you be doing it for if you expected failure. Now, if that isn’t convoluted enough for you, the idea is that you need to expect and prepare for failure in your overall business experience but not in a specific moment. In each moment, you better go all in with the utmost confidence otherwise, you’re in it for the wrong reason… but no matter how much confidence you have in your many business ventures… and I say many because you are an entrepreneur, and there will be so many opportunities that cross your path… well many of those will appear to be opportunities, but as you will learn later, they were merely illusions. But no matter how much confidence you have in said ventures, some will not make the grade… some were not well thought out from the jump while others are just going to surprise you.

Look, you never know what’s coming at you. You prep, you hustle, you build and construct, and when something inevitably cracks or crumbles, be ready… pick up those pieces, evaluate what cracked, assess the possible solutions to rebuild or determine that this opportunity wasn’t what you thought it could be and time to throw yourself into the next venture.

You are growing and so is the world around you… your business which is set in this ever-changing world is ran by you, it’s ever-changing and growing leader. Things change and what was a great idea last year may not be a great idea now… and maybe it was never a great idea, but only appeared to be based on the biased perspective you had when you were evaluating it before… Do not hold this against yourself. Sometimes you can see these things and other times you won’t. As you grow and learn, you will get inherently better at determining whether something has the longevity it needs to test time… but sometimes, even the most experienced minds don’t see it… but by that point, you are in a growing business and you have diversified in numerous ways to which one business cracking isn’t the end of the world… you just learn from it and move forward.

Always moving forward… Get Cocky… I know I am.

I strongly encourage diversification…if you know me, you know this… with that being said, you have to earn it first.

By diversification, the idea is to get multiple forms of business going and get the cash flowing in. This is awesome…like I said, I encourage this… but I also said… Earn it.

You’ve got to earn the right to spread that dough out… You’ve got to bring in that cheddar you want to throw around. It’s just that simple.

Okay… maybe it’s not that simple… the idea is that you need more than steady cash flow. You need substantial reliable steady cash flow with longevity. The money needs to be coming in and it needs to be significant. The idea is that you must have enough money coming to pay the bills and then some.

You need to get paid! This refers to you… your person… So many get their business going and put everything back into the business to keep it afloat and then try to make ends meet elsewhere… this is not the plan. Make sure you are getting paid. You must survive or how will your business survive without you… Next, you have a business that needs you attention and needs an influx of revenue to keep it running… no matter what kind of business it is that you are running, it needs money.
Okay… so, take care of yourself, your business, and then you need a significant additional revenue coming in that is flex cash… money you can afford to throw around a bit. I say that very loosely because no money is money that can be thrown around if you have any intentions of being wealthy. We will get into that another day… You want to be rich, think rich. For today, we will focus on keeping your eye on the prize.

You need to generate a substantial bank roll so you can keep your business growing bigger and bigger… give it a little time and when you’ve got it to develop into a sustainable business as well as the cash cow you desire it to be, we’ll talk about diversification. For now, focus on what you’ve got and give your all to it!

Get Cocky and Get There.

You ready for this? It’s time for a little tough love… Let’s get real.

It doesn’t matter if this is the first business you are getting off the ground or if you have multiple already out there earning for you… Key is to always know what you are getting into before deciding to partner with someone. There are many questions that need to be addressed in order to really asses whether this is an investment that you should be getting involved in.

There are the obvious ones… What’s the idea? … What are we selling/doing?

One of the most important questions is… Who am I am getting into business with? If your answer to this is, “my homeboy”… “my sister”… “my best friend”… None of those answers are the correct ones. The questions is not what is this persons’ relationship to you… It is who are they?
What is their background?
What is their experience?
What is their knowledge?
What is their drive and motivation?
Most importantly…what is their investment? Are they giving time, efforts, knowledge, money…what are they bringing to the table… That is the key here.

When someone is bringing invaluable knowledge to the table, then lesser monetary investment is acceptable. Substantial
contribution must be made by all parties.

You must know your partner is your partner and not a scrub. Trust me there are plenty of scrubs out there who are going to jump at the chance to partner with someone who is going to front all the money and do all the work. Friends and family can quickly get you pulled into something. They are someone you trust and care for… they will get to talking one day with all good intentions. Before you know it y’all have discussed this elaborate idea and all sounds good but there is no foundation… Your partner lacks the drive and ambition that you have. You will quickly find yourself in over your head and sinking when your partner isn’t giving into this new business venture the way that you are. No matter how good the idea or potential of said venture is, it isn’t worth it if you are in alone. They have got to be in it with you.

If someone is going to come at you with an idea, they better come correct… they better come with cash in hand and be ready to put in the time and work.

I caution you against working with friends or family… It is just a caution as things need to be kept professional and many times people who are close to you can easily cross lines, even accidentally… Things can get blurry and that isn’t what you want. You need to feel comfortable and confident being able to keep things professional and calling them out when your partner isn’t putting it all in and pulling their weight.

There is a lot of ideas here that are all valid and significant for different reasons and all come together under the same principle of being cautious who you get into business with. Follow and keep up with my other posts and we will touch on some of these other concepts a little deeper. For now, they key is to not partner with an idea… don’t get into something deep with someone just because the idea seems good or plausible or because of the source of the idea… you need an investment… you need a partner to bring the cheddar and lay down some of the leg work ahead of time to give you confidence in their ability and willingness to out in the work.

You have a new concept… you need a partner… you ready to Get Cocky… expect them to Get Cocky with you otherwise… go it alone. You’ll be better off.

This is a simple enough concept but sometimes needs to be reiterated as we sometimes forget just how important it is… You are launching your own business! You are getting it going! You are the one investing time, money, and efforts into the growth! You! You! YOU!

I can’t even begin to emphasize this enough… You are the one you can count on and You are the one who needs to be ready to hurdle any obstacle in your way. This isn’t a roll of the dice… You are not hoping things will work out. You need to be confident and decisive. You need to be decisive in your choices and know the direction you are taking… You need to know what is next and where you’re going. You need confidence in not just the choices you are making but in the ability to initiate said decision. Many people come up with great ideas but when it comes to initiation of said ideas, they can sometimes fizzle out. You need no fizzle… you need more sizzle my nizzle… fo’ rizzle. Ya feel me?!

To simple words have been sang loud and proud by me and my homeboy for years now and I think they sum it all up nicely…. Get Cocky

You have got to believe in what you are doing and make it happen already. No one is going to make it happen for you nor should they. We aren’t talking about gambling…. No dice rolling… no lottery here… you want wealth and success; get it going and make it happen already! You have the potential and the ability… There is no reason to let anything stand in your way. The time is now… Your time is now! …I said it and I’ll say it again… Get Cocky.

What does your lifestyle look like? You heard the phrase, “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.” Let’s take that principle to a whole new level. You should be living the life you want, not the life you have…unfortunately, far too many people are doing this because they don’t really grasp the full scope of the principle.

You want to be rich and successful, live like you’re rich…

Okay…now, let’s dive into that…
You have to cherry pick the characteristics that help to get you to that level of wealth opposed to flaunting wealth you do not yet have. Some wealthy are just lucky… they have been born into it or inherited it or something… but many of the wealthy have become wealthy based on wise decision or success with a particular skill… The key is not where they gain their wealth but how they keep it.

The money you make, whether big or small, must be handled carefully. Far too often, people who are making less money are less careful with their money. If you are making more and a problem arises, you are more likely to be able to handle it. While when you are making less money, you have a higher likeliness of facing a struggle. The sad fact is that although, the wealthy can potentially handle said problem with more ease, they still are more careful when counting their dollars. You need to learn now to be careful with your money. You must be mindful of your spending and spend each dollar with intent now while you have less of those dollars so your bank roll can continue to grow.

You need not live a life of luxury… You aren’t there yet. Do not live beyond your means. That isn’t wise nor will it give you the wealth you are seeking and the wealth you deserve.

Make wise choices with your money. There was an employer that I worked for years ago that had the most perfect mind for money. He always seemed to know when it was time to cut his losses, invest in new areas… he saw the value in things that weren’t inventory such as an atmosphere in his stores, a basic comfortable moral amongst his staff, investments in the city around him by being involved in charities and working with many organizations around the city. He also operated under the mindset that it didn’t matter whether he spent $5 or $50, he wanted his money worth. There was an incident in which he had offered the staff a generous meal that was catered but the staff was stuck taking turns as they could not neglect their post tending to customers. As things were running a little behind, he politely requested that they give him an extra 30 minutes to ensure everyone got to eat… He offered them another $50 for 30 minutes. They politely agreed only to remain moody for that last 30 minutes and rush the last few people. Needless to say, he was frustrated at the idea that he had paid extra for his staff to be cared for only to have his staff somewhat snubbed and they didn’t stay for the full 30 minutes. As long as I have known this man, he is a man of principle a man who was going to get what he pays for… no matter how big or small. It isn’t about the money… but more the principle. For this discussion, I want you to focus on the money…

The point here is that every dollar should matter. I have had friends even family members who I watched live paycheck to paycheck. I also watched them go to the store and buy things they didn’t need and say, “ahhh…It’s only a dollar.” You say it’s only a dollar ten times, that’s $10; do that every week or every few days, that’s a lot of dollars tossed away.

I’ve watched friends go to concert after concert only to be wondering how to get gas money the day before payday. Years ago, I had a roommate that would get paid Friday; by Monday, he was trying to figure out how to make it through the week. The idea is simple… each dollar should matter.

If the dollars matter now while you have less of them, you will be much better equipped to manager your business as it grows. You will have lots of responsibilities that are all dependent upon your ability to manage things well.

You’ve got your whole life to party and go to concerts and whatever else it is that you’re spending your money on. The most important key you can take away from wealthy people about staying wealthy is to focus your attention on your business, investing, and watching your dollars. They can’t disappear if you’ve got your eye on them.

There is a great photo of Jay-Z when he had $600,000 listed as his net worth…. He was just getting started building himself and his brand. He was wearing a sweater and three enormous gold chains; the cost of each was probably quite ridiculous along with several large rings on his fingers… There is a later picture of him when his net worth is listed around 5 billion… he is wearing a long sleeve shirt with a single thin gold necklace and no other jewelry. He stopped focusing on the appearance of wealth and redirected his attention to actual wealth. He is known for spending money… But that is no longer his focus as it was when he was young. Learn from this. Focus on building your wealth, not appearing wealthy.

It is time for the harsh reality… building a business based upon a passion that drives you is of course a beautiful idea. It truly is… but your dues must be paid if you wish to be paid. If you want to have a successful viable business, you must get to work. The hustle is an endless process at this early stage of your business’s growth.

You must be able to give everything you’ve got to your business. It is merely a dream… so let’s make this dream a reality. Even though your business is based upon a passion that drives you, it is not going to a simple and fun process in the beginning. It is going to be grueling and tedious.

I was recently listening to an extremely successful entrepreneur that is also well followed for his teachings of business. He has expressed for a long time that teaching is one of his big passions. This is a man whom I have an abundant amount of resect for. Something he said really got me thinking. As I mentioned, I have a lot of respect for him and have learned a lot from him myself…. with that being said… He said, “Do not follow your passion” …. To me, this contradicts some of the ideals that I believe in. The more I sat and pondered what he was saying, the more I began to come to terms with the fact that although we may not agree on everything, there are truths in what we are both saying.

He expressed that until you are paying your bills, you have not yet earned the right to follow your passion. Let’s build on that… I agree that until you are paying your bills, you do not have the right to rest. Bills are debt that you accrued. You owe these debts. You have a responsibility and a legal obligation to get these taken care of. Not to mention, the inevitable lifestyle comfort and just basic needs that come from paying your bills. In addition, you need to be able to fund your business venture, the expenses and overhead.

I still believe your business should be driven by your passion because I don’t believe you are going to give all you’ve got to something you don’t believe in.

With that being said, I 100% agree that you haven’t put in your dues and haven’t earned the leisure yet. This is going to be a battle and a struggle. You may spend endless hours at your computer pounding the keys trying to get your brand off the ground. Ten… twelve… fourteen hours a day pounding the keys… whatever it takes. No matter how much love sitting at your computer, you will stop loving it. You have got to be prepared to handle this.

I do feel it should be based on a passion you have although while fighting for this, it may not feel like your passion… it may not feel fun; it may be painstakingly grueling. You must dig deep and fight for it.

I have said it before and I will do so again… Anyone can do this, but most don’t want to. Are you ready for it? You prepared to fight? You ready to get paid… there is no rest until you get that cash rolling in.

Get Cocky and let’s get that money rollin’ in.

I spoke previously about the idea of taking a moment to figure out what it is you want to do. I truly believe that is a vital step as it is important to know what it is you want.

Hopefully, you have taken that step…Now, that you have thought and marinated on your idea and goals… It is time to get there already. The problem is that far too often, people will get in the way of their own success. You can’t hold back. You have got to dive in already. If you are going to sit back and over think this process and continue to question every aspect of your future and the success of your business, then you will never have a business that you need to concern yourself with.

I want you to take that moment you need to really think about what you want to do with your future and with your business, but at the same time, I need you to be decisive… You need you to be decisive. Ultimately, this is for you and your future. Give it ample thought but make that decision and let’s get it going.

Be confident…not only in your decision but also in the success of your future.

If you have your idea, get working on your business model and your game plan to initiate said model. You need not sit back and question how to implement it… You know what to do… Get it done.

This is going to be a continuing thing that is vital to the success of your business; it needs to start now. Your business will need you to continue to be decisive as it grows.

Trust in yourself; trust in your business. Be confident and get it going…. Simply put,

Get Cocky!