Bright Ideas # 52 – Lessons from the Big Dogs 

I just got back from the most amazing four day seminar—the Glazer-Kennedy Info Summit in Atlanta. Whew! My brain is still reeling.

I’m half surprised nobody’s noticed any gray matter leaking from my ears.

If you’ve ever been to one of these multi-day intensives, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean. Between the 10-12 hours of presentations each day and the networking, I’m entirely overloaded—but in a good way.

I learned a ton about marketing and growing a business, both online and off. I got to see the work of some of the world’s top copywriters. And I had the chance to hear from and meet more millionaires than I can count on both hands (how often do you get to do that?!).

Now my mind is absolutely overflowing with new ideas. So I’ve got my work cut out for me for the next few months to be sure. And although I learned lots of specific techniques I can put to use, there were some other important lessons I took from the seminar.

The biggest is that I was reminded of a few of the major differences between people who are successful and those who aren’t. So I thought I would share these ten important insights with you…

1) Successful business owners know there is always something more to learn. They make a point of reading books, taking classes, attending seminars, and looking at what others in their industry (or other industries) are doing.

Or, in the words of Jim Rohn, “Rich people have big libraries; poor people have big TV’s.”

2) They understand the power of delegating and outsourcing. You’d be hard pressed to find a millionaire who’s made it there all by themselves. Most have at least one assistant (virtual or in-house), if not teams of people they can use.

3) Powerhouse business-owners are stingy with their time. Sure, we’ve all heard the phrase time is money. But when was the last time you calculated the value of every minute of your day? Or looked at how much time you actually spend being productive (checking emails and surfing the Web don’t count)? Once you do, I guarantee you’ll think twice before chatting on the phone with friends during your workday.

4) They stay focused on the things that actually make money. You’re just not going to find a $2000/hour consultant doing their own filing or bookkeeping or Web design. Not when those tasks can be hired out at a fraction of the cost. Instead they stay focused on tasks that generate revenue or grow their business.

5) Millionaires take massive action. Because massive action produces massive results. By the same token, a little action produces small results. And no action at all…well, I don’t think I even have to go there.

6) They don’t think in terms of failures and problems, only learning experiences and opportunities. A guy at the seminar from Hungary had been looking to expand his business using a membership newsletter charged to a credit card each month. The problem was that people in Hungary don’t have credit cards. But he turned this into an opportunity by finding a way to give all his customers a credit card.

7) They are always looking for the next idea or deal. Most millionaires don’t ever stop and rest on their laurels. Instead they are searching for ways to expand their current market share or break into new markets.

8) Successful entrepreneurs often don’t want to be involved in the day-to-day aspects of running a business. But they also know they can’t expect their business to start running itself. So they create processes, set up explicit expectations and create systems to manage workflow and keep employees and contractors on track.

9) Savvy business owners pay attention to the numbers so they know when to cut their losses. And they don’t get personally attached to ideas. When something’s not working, not making money, or not helping them meet their goals, they have no qualms about making a change.

10) Millionaires don’t just go about running or growing their businesses willy nilly. They have goals. And they make plans to reach those goals. Which is why they become so successful.

If you want to become highly-successful, then the best thing you can do is mimic those who have already made it big—starting with these ten ideas.

Don’t forget to be stingy with your time. Make sure you spend at least as many hours working on your business as you do working in it. Find time to learn something new, read a book, or sign up for a class. Take massive action. And by all means get thy self to a seminar forthwith. It can change your life—and your business.

©2002-2006 Success Stream. All Rights Reserved. www.success-stream.com

Do you have a marketing, advertising or writing question you’d like to have answered? Email me and you might see the answer in a future edition of Bright Ideas.

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