These Skills Helped Me Make Me $10M+

Despite being an introverted nerd...and NOT a natural marketer or salesperson either.

But this book transformed my thinking:

Because the author - Brad Jacobs - knows his stuff! (I think you kinda pick up a thing or two when you’re a billionaire who’s built like 3-4 billion dollar companies. ??)

Something he said in this book totally changed the game for me:

Basically,

“If you want to make a billion dollars, first you have to learn to think like a billionaire.”

But I don’t want you to hear “billionaire” and think what we’re talking about doesn’t apply to you. Because it’s actually NOT about the number. It’s about the principle - which applies at every level!!

My thinking used to look something along the lines of:

“OMG if I want to make $100k by the end of the year, I need 3 more clients by the end of… this sentence!?”

Now, it’s good to break down your goals into doable steps, but what you want to look out for is the fear and doubt that can creep in if you’re not careful!

What this book challenged me to do – and what I want to pass on by challenging you too – is to change the way you think.?Which brings us to...

Skill #1: Learning to control (and change) your thoughts

Because while it might feel like your thoughts control you, it’s actually the other way around: YOU are in control.

So for example, when you start thinking that what you want might actually NOT be possible for you, that’s a thought you can change.

And you want to change that thought to the thing the “billionaire” (AKA successful end result) version of yourself, would think.

Maybe you're thinking, I don’t know how that version of me would think because I haven’t done that yet! I get it. It's a challenge to make that type of leap - it’s a LEAP!

But stick with me here -

Think about a time when you DID accomplish what you consider to be a big goal! How did you feel and think after having done it?

Now, think about how that type of transformation might apply to this situation…

And here's a framework to help you:

When you’re focusing on what you DON’T have, you’re not thinking from the end result you want. Because you’re just piling on stress and expectations - and all that fear and doubt! - onto yourself.

And that vibe is basically, “OMG how could I possibly do this?” ??

But when you flip it around and focus instead on what you DO have going for you, what you HAVE accomplished, every little win feels like PROOF.

In fact, this is why so much research has been done on how practicing gratitude can literally reprogram the way you think. So that it naturally feels like everything you’re doing while trying to achieve a big goal?

Is PROGRESS.

This way, you’re kind of automatically training yourself to believe that what you want is happening for you, and all you have to do is keep going.

But let’s be honest - you gotta pair strong mindset, with strong ACTION.

Because mindset alone is rarely enough to get rid of most introverts’ BIGGEST fear:

Talking to strangers. duh duh duh

In fact, that’s the main reason I held off starting my business for over two years: It just felt way too scary to put out a social media post and have people I didn’t know, see it. The horror!!

Because what if they judge me?? Or even worse, what if they reject me? What if they say something mean? That fear, was literally… paralyzing.

But this is where I have to credit another big AHA to Brad Jacobs’ book.?

Because the way he thinks about it, is completely different.

Whenever he’s looking for a new billion-dollar business to start, ‘cause that’s just what he does - you wanna know the first thing he does?

He identifies the top experts in that field and interviews them. He calls them up! So he can quickly get up to speed with what’s going on and if there’s a missing need he can build a business to address.

Which brings us to...

Skill #2: Becoming comfortable interacting with strangers

It's so interesting, because Jacobs sees these interactions in a completely different light. To him, talking to people makes everything SO much easier…not harder.

And sure, it’s probably easier to get access to certain people when you’re a billionaire…

But you’d be surprised how much people enjoy - and are willing - to share with you!

So that mentality makes this so much less scary! It’s like - hey, I’m just going to talk to people. And they are going to want to talk to me! No big deal.

And instead of making it this big intimidating thing, you’re just viewing other people as potential partners who share your values and goals.?

So now, instead of freaking out, which is what I used to do, I like to think about it like this:

How can you create a win-win situation for yourself and for the other person - whether it’s a stranger reading your content, a potential client, or a business partner??

Because the more you can do that, the more people you can connect with, the better outcomes we’ll all have, and the more we’ll all grow together.

But that being said, it’s one thing to talk to strangers.

It’s a WHOLE other thing to promote yourself to them. Right?

That’s when I turned to another amazing book:

This was one of the first books I read about building an online business, and it changed my life.

One of my biggest lightbulb moments was when he talks about how his wife’s health coaching business was struggling. So to help, he took a class on marketing - where they challenged him to focus on the customer’s dreams and fears about the topic you can help them with.?

Using what he learned, Michael wrote an email for her business that told a personal story of how she’d struggled with losing weight.?

And that single email… brought in $8,000 of new business!?

The takeaway?

THAT is the power of connecting via marketing!?

Even more impressive, and let this sink in - this story happened during the 2008 recession.?

Yet so many people were still buying health coaching!

Because no matter what’s going on, there will always be people who want help solving their problems - and are willing to pay for it.

And this blew my mind back then because it means that no matter what’s going on with the economy or the world, you will always be able to grow your business once you master your ability to connect with your target audiences through your marketing….PLUS this other skill that I’m combining here because they’re more and more intertwined these days:

Skill #3: Learn marketing and sales (the right way)

I don’t know about you, but “Sales” ALWAYS felt like a dirty word to me… like used car salesman vibes! Who wants that, right?

Thankfully, there’s a way to do sales in a way that feels good:?

And it’s actually pretty simple –

Don’t think about it as “trying” to sell. Instead, just think about it as “solving a problem.” And through doing that, serving others!

And this is not just fancy wordsmithing. Because when you think about it this way, the context of what you’re doing completely changes:

You’re not trying to CONVINCE someone to buy from you. All you’re really doing is listening to what their problem is, why they want to solve the problem, and what they want the solution to look like.

Then, if your product or service can meet that need, you just tell them about how it can help solve their problem.

And this is how I’ve personally gone from dreading and hating sales…to loving it. And selling over 8-figures in the Luisa Zhou business.

High five to creating that shift for YOU too!

Now, all of this is fine and dandy and helpful… but if you don’t have Skill #4 to make it happen, literally none of it will do you any good.

Tell me if you’ve ever done something like this (‘cause I know I have!):?

You say, “I’m going to work out tomorrow morning!”

But then, your alarm rings the next morning and…. you hit the snooze button.?

While this doesn’t seem like a huge deal, it actually has a REALLY harmful effect on you! Because what it’s actually doing, aside from getting you a little more sleep (which, let’s be honest, we could all use), is chipping away at the trust you have with yourself. So the next time you want to set a goal, there’s now a small seed of doubt there - that maybe, just like this time, you won’t actually follow through.?

So this fourth skill helps you eliminate this doubt -

Skill #4:?Build trust with yourself.

That way, you can trust that you are going to do what you say you’re going to do. And that is the coin of the realm.

Back to the working out example, here’s something I did that made a big difference for me: laying out my workout clothes the day before so it’s easier to roll out of bed, throw them on, and go work out. So it was literally - hear the alarm, put on clothes. And that created a mini “system” for me which eliminated the option of snoozing and staying in bed.?

That’s what worked for me. But the key is understanding what will work for YOU. And how you can set yourself up for success.

Having proof in my life - like with my morning workouts - that I could commit to something, no matter how hard it felt, no matter how much I didn’t want to do it - helped me a LOT when it came to creating daily content too.

It gave me confidence that I could actually do it.

As soon as I got home, had dinner, and sat my butt down on my gray swivel sofa, the first thing I would do - even if it was the ONLY thing I did before watching tv - was to write SOMETHING and post it.

And again, day by day, that built up my confidence and trust in myself!?

Because not only had I built a system that set me up for success, but I also knew I would follow it!! Because I’d proven to myself that my word is my bond.?

And ultimately, that is what entrepreneurs like Brad Jacobs and Michael Elsberg do better than most.

It starts with only committing to things you know you will absolutely follow through on. And then figuring out how to set yourself up so you CAN follow through.

Before you know it, you’re going to feel your confidence building, and your ability to try and do bigger things – which is how you grow faster and bigger.

Luisa Zhou is the creator of the Employee to Entrepreneur system, which teaches people how to turn their skills and experience into their own profitable coaching business so they can replace their salary and leave the 9-5. She's been featured in Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, Success magazine, and more. Get her free blueprint for building a profitable online business that frees you from the 9-to-5.

Thanks for reading!

I'll see you next week with a new article.

Luisa Zhou