18 shocking lessons learned over lunch.

Recently I had a late lunch with 2 great men and after I was thinking about all the things I learned.

I am sorry, you couldn't be there but maybe this is the second best thing.

Here are 18 shocking lessons to upgrade your:

? Mind ? Money ? Business ? Marketing

(thank me later)

Let's get into it.

1/ LOCATE THE DEMAND

You can’t make money if no one wants what you’re selling.

? Don’t chase dead markets

? What are people fired up about?

? Always follow demand

Go where the money flows, avoid droughts.

2/ BE THE BEST

No one remembers second-best unless you're a certain Ukrainian sharpshooter.

? Get insanely good at your craft

? Become world-class at what you do

? Don’t meet standards, set the standard- if you’re not manically obsessed about it, why bother?

Don't do for a day you wouldn't do for a lifetime

3/ BE IRREPLACEABLE

Do the things AI can’t.

? Build relationships that matter

? Empathy will be your ally in this AI epidemic

? Be someone they can’t afford to lose

Can’t replace you = paid what you're worth.

If they can tell you what to do, they can tell someone else and pay them less, or worse, pay for a software or AI to do it!

4/ BIG PROBLEMS = BIG MONEY

You get paid based on the problems you solve.

? Solve issues that make people sweat

? Be the go-to for a specific, painful problem

? Stop wasting time on low-value tasks

Bigger problems = bigger bank accounts.

My Tip: Solve rich people problems, they pay better

5/ QUICK WINS? ? THINK TRENDS

Fast trends = fast cash.

? Spot trends early and jump on them - you only want to be two weeks ahead or people won't get it or worse won't pay you for it.

? Move quickly before they fizzle out

? BUT, don’t bank on trends as your long-game

Cash in while a trend is hot, then move on.

6/ LONGTERM WINS? ? THINK NARRATIVES

Play the long game. What’s the narrative?

? Identify big market shifts

? Build around what’s likely to last

? Look at slower, steady narratives

Narratives aren’t as sexy as trends, but they're reliable.

7/ WORK OVER REWARD

As cliche as it sounds:

? Grind daily after you have done your research and know it is a growing market

? Delay gratification

? Don’t stress over instant results

? Be willing to work for extended periods with zero reward

8/ DON'T DEVIATE

Commitment beats EVERYTHING

? DO NOT burn the boats - start something that has better odds to win while you have security

? Set one goal and lock in

? Stay focused when sh*t hits the fan

When it gets tough, remember “This is where most people quit.”

ALSO REMEMBER THAT SOMEONE WHO RUNS TO EVERY BUS STOP OFTEN MISSES MORE BUSES THEN THE ONE WHO CHOOSES ONE BUS STOP AND WAITS>

9/ STOP SELF-SABOTAGING

These ‘innocent’ little habits are compounding.

? Cut out things you KNOW aren’t serving you

? Don’t waste money on unimportant items

? Sort your life out before setting shiny goals

Instead of setting a goal to earn $20K/mo...

Ask yourself what a $20K/mo kind of person looks like.

What traits do they have?

10/ REPUTATION > EVERYTHING ELSE

Your name is your strongest asset.

? If in doubt OVER-DELIVER

? Trust is built over time but can be lost in minutes ?

Always go above and beyond

Reputation = Business insurance.

11/ NURTURE = YOUR LIFELINE

Think “connection over sales.”

? Make them thirsty for more

? NURTURE NURTURE NURTURE

? Give them value longggg after the sale

Happy customers = salespeople who never sleep.

12/ PURPOSE = STAMINA

If you don’t know why you’re doing something, you’ll burn out.

? Don't think HOW, THINK WHO. Who do I need to be, who can i find that has done it for years?

? Align your work with your values

? Let purpose drive everything you do

When your work has meaning, it’s NOT work.

13/ FALL IN LOVE WITH L'S

You’re going to fail, a lot.

? Get comfortable with messing up

? Use losses as learning tools

? The more you fail, the more you grow

DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO LAUGH WHEN YOU FAIL.

To realize that every failure only makes your story greater. Your wins, sweeter.

14/ SET YOURSELF UP FOR W'S

Make it hard to lose by making it easy to win.

? Remove distractions and temptations

? Set up systems that keep you on dialed

? Be the architect of your environment

? Automate where possible leave it to chance?

15/ IF YOU HAVE TO HIRE< HIRE THE RIGHT FOLKS

You can’t do everything, so don’t try to.

? Find people whose skills you lack

? Don’t be afraid to outsource

? Surround yourself with people better than you learn to trust people so you can stop micro-managing.

16/ TAP-IN TO DEMAND

Don’t wait for demand, tap into it now.

? Social media is everything for business

? Focus on content that can’t be ignored

? Make your product a “need”

Social media & a solid offer > everything else.

17/ BE REAL

It’s not what you know, it’s who knows YOU.

? Network with intention

? Don’t be fake, make friends than engage

? Surround yourself with people who lift you up

Network > Nett Worth

18) Extend your time horizon.

Take a simple idea, to extreme lengths, and do the ordinary so often over so much time that it becomes extraordinary.

Why?

Cos your competition will never be able to compete against this kind of timeline.

Like fitness in your 50's, you can't fake it or buy it.

you must work for it.

And few are willing to work smart, hard and for a long time.

Thanks for reading!

I am rooting for you.

Maybe next time, you can join us for a power lunch and get the entrepreneur's advantage first hand, so to speak.