Business Hacks You Learned As A Kid

As a grown up in the business world, we tend to forget those critical life lessons that we learned in our younger years, which led us to the path we're on today.  Before those pesky iPhones (or smartphones), high speed internet connections, instant communications and all the other luxuries we have today...we really had to rely on our problem solving and "just do it" attitude, which is something I feel many have lost due to advancements in technology. 

So, let's dial it back about 30 years and see how our childhood relates to creating success in our business.  

CONNECTING THE DOTS:  When we were children, we loved playing connect the dots.  The only way the picture would come out right is when we followed the right path with those dots, and formed that magical picture that amazed and amused us for hours.   Connecting the dots defines the principals of marketing in today's world.  By following a set path...forming the idea, understanding your "why", defining your audience, creating the brand, marketing your values and providing unmatched service to your clients, etc....you are essentially following the same rules you did as a child, playing connect the dots.  Without learning how to do this at a young age, our minds really wouldn't understand how connecting those dots is the key to success in building your business the right way.

BASEBALL WITH A TENNIS RACKET:  I don't know about you, but I didn't grow up with a tonne of wealth, so sometimes we had to improvise with our sports equipment.  My brother and I used to play baseball in our front yard with a tennis racket and a tennis ball, hammering the ball as high as we could to challenge the other one, standing on the road, to catch the fly ball as it dropped down from the sky.   As time went on, we got a real bat... a really GOOD bat. Doing the same thing in our front yard, we noticed that the bat, although thinner and heavier then the tennis racket, could hit the ball twice as high and twice as fast.  It was the focused energy that did it, along with its weight and design.  An extreme amount of focus in your business...a niche, a geographic area, or something of the sort, is imperative to success on a massive scale.  You can't be everything to everyone, so why try to be.  Become an expert or go-to in your specific area, consistently educate yourself, build your business for long term success, and I believe the results you will see with defy your expectations.   It's all about focus.  

THE RADIO DIAL:  Remember when we used to spend so much time trying to find our favorite radio station, and while also trying to capture the best radio signal? Twisting, turning, refining....almost got it, and then...ahhhhh. Found it!  Building businesses takes the same refinement as we had back then.  Slight adjustments, or "pivots" as we call it today, can make large impact on the direction of your business.  Many people misunderstand these pivots and believe it's a 90 or 180 turn in a completely different direction.  In fact, they are not! A pivot can be ever so slight.  1, 2 or 3 degrees of adjustment can cause you to end up exactly where you want to be.  And if it's not exactly right, then you adjust again.  It's the name of the game, just like tuning the radio. 

DODGEBALL: Dodgeball is the ultimate example of how to keep away from the things that your competition throws at you.   Years ago, we would love the challenge of the enemy with the ball...strategically planning how to destroy you, the moving target, like wild animals in a forest.  Then BAM!!  The ball comes screaming towards you as you shift your self away from its trajectory.  Whoosh!! That was close.  But, they missed.  Now, the ball is in your court.  You have the opportunity to strike in a way that impacts your opponent.  You can watch them sweat, shiver, stress, in the anticipation of what you are going to do. Planning, focus, missed attempts, etc..   The whole deal!!  See the similarity to business?  While we are not trying to "attack" our opponent (aka competition), we are trying to gain market share over them, be better at serving our clients they are, design a better system, or create a better product.  The ball is either with us or being thrown at us, and its up to us to figure out how to avoid getting hit, and plan the best way  of throwing it back to stay alive (figuratively, of course).

We can relate everything we've learned in the past to something we can use in both the present and future.  The goal is to remain innovative, hone our skills in  the proper execution our plan, and never forget that our childhood are the roots of where all of these things came from.  

Michael Winestone is a real estate professional with John Aaroe Group in Beverly Hills, California.   Michael works with both Family Law and Estates attorneys in dealing with client matters pertaining to Divorce and Trust/Probate Real Estate matters.   Michael is known for his unique and strategic innovation including his proprietary conflict resolution coaching program which integrates top performing mediators, as well as having unique positioning as a licensed pilot and using aviation to maintain business efficiencies across the state.  

Michael can be reached by email at [email protected] or follow on Facebook or Twitter. 

www.MichaelWinestone.com