Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!
   –Marcus Garvey
Even though it was 15 years ago, I clearly remember the day I walked into my annual performance review at Motorola. My boss was coming in to tell me I was getting a promotion and an 18% raise.
I told him I was leaving!
It wasn’t that I was unhappy with the work or pay. I just wanted more freedom with my time.
I had decided to start a business.
Fast-forward 13 years…
I had done really well building custom software for companies (and a few magic websites here and there on the side). The work was fun and challenging. The pay was much better than my corporate job…. and, most importantly, I had control of my time.
Or did I?
See, I could take a week off any time I wanted… and I did quite often.
But I always had to come back to the work.
Then it hit me:
I didn’t own a business.Â
I owned a JOB!Â
If I wasn’t working, there was no business.
That’s certainly not what I had set out to create. My original vision had two key components that I had not achieved:
Time for another major life change!
Just like before, I resigned… this time from my own company.
I knew that I would need a different set of skills and, more importantly, that there were attitudes and habits I had as a solo-preneur that would hold me back from building the business I really wanted.
Fast-forward two years…
It’s been a crazy ride. I have achieved things beyond my wildest dreams… and had many days where I could barely get out of bed, because I was terrified to do what needed to be done that day (I still did, though).
Most importantly, I’ve created the new attitudes and habits I needed.
When Larry asked me to write a Museletter with an update on my journey, I wanted it to be more than just my story. So I’m going to pass on the Top Three “Things†I’ve had to integrate into every fiber of my being and my business.
There’s nothing new here. Anyone who’s been through this process has to learn the same lessons if they’re going to succeed. But, trust me, there’s a whole new level of understanding that comes from having done it, not just read about it.
If there’s any one thing that has made the most impact, it’s forcing myself to work strictly by priority and nothing else. What’s more important? That email or text that just came in… or building the future you desire?
If you have problems in this area, I have a daily practice that will help:
Most people, myself included, can’t think in “big picture†and “work mode†at the same time. This allows me to do both daily, but in a focused way.
Want to know why so many entertainers are struggling financially?
They’re waiting for the phone to ring.
One of the key differences between a hobby and a business is sales. How many prospecting calls are you making each day? How many emails are you sending? How many references are you asking for?
I understand that most people don’t want to do this. But without sales, you have no business. Period. It’s just math. And you’re not going to have any sales unless you start picking up the phone.
(NOTE: If you don’t do it because you’re uncomfortable doing it… keep reading)
Want to know the fastest way to achieve success?
Find someone who’s done it and ask them to help you!
Notice I put an emphasis on done it. This is where people get burned over and over again… they don’t do their due diligence when choosing who to take advice from.
I have a simple rule: before I spend any time or money to learn from an “expert,†I find out how many hours they’ve spent doing what I want to learn. Not teaching. DOING. If they’ve surpassed the magical 10,000 hour rule, I’ll consider them.
With that in mind…
I’ve met some truly amazing people over the last two years. Some are just customers that inspire me with the success they’re having. Others are experts in related fields that have shared their hard-earned wisdom with me.
While much of what they do isn’t applicable to entertainers, there are a few skills that are sorely needed by many of the people who read these emails.
So we’re considering starting up a special program to bring some of this work to those that are interested.
Because we know not everyone on this list is an entertainer… or interested in these topics, I’ve started a special list for people who feel they might want to know more.
If you are interested, you can learn more and join the group here:
http://www.magicalwisdom.com/business
Once we see how many people sign up, we’ll decide if we’re going to do this at all.
Until next time…
Bryce Kuhlman
Founder / Creator
Wisdom Robot