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I was on a plane yesterday, flying back to Denver from Philly.
I love to watch movies on planes. I watched Disclosure Day (it was a 7 out of 10). But I also sat there in silence for about an hour. I wanted to let my mind recalibrate after such a busy trip.
In my hour of stillness, I started journaling about today’s article, and this is what I came up with.
Today’s issue is a bit higher level and not as technical as usual, but it is a nice break on how much your thinking determines your future. Here are 3 hard earned lessons that have made me successful in business.
LFG. 🔥
1. You Can’t Make Everyone Happy
I have always struggled with this one. I am a people pleaser. I feel intense anxiety if someone is mad at me, or if I even think someone is mad at me. I make up stories in my head about why someone is upset, even when they haven’t said a word or had any reason to be.
This has gotten much more manageable as I’ve gotten older, especially as my sobriety and spirituality have grown stronger. Yet, the impulse to want everyone to like me is still there.
In business, you will not make everyone happy, no matter how hard you try.
In a lot of ways, trying too hard will upset people in and of itself. No matter what you do, some people will be unhappy with you.
For example, with all the recent changes at Copyblogger Academy, a few customers were confused. I did my absolute best to take care of everyone. I even had one customer who had been given a full refund along with full access to all my materials months ago, and for some reason, he was the person most upset.
What can you do about it? You take these experiences, learn from them, and use them to get better.
You must learn to let these discomforts roll off you. What other choice do you have?
2. You Must Surround Yourself With Smart People
Years ago, I listened to “How to Get Rich,” a long form podcast lecture by Naval Ravikant. In the podcast, he talked about leverage. He said there are four types of leverage:
Media
Code
Labor
Capital
He argued that labor (meaning hiring people) is the worst form of leverage, and that in today’s age, the best thing you can do is use media and code to build one person enterprises. That is a simplistic summary, but that is it in a nutshell.
This podcast changed my life. I have listened to it probably 50 times and still listen to it for constant reminders. However, I feel this particular section is completely wrong.
The most important thing you can do as a business owner is get smart people on your team.
I would even argue that the biggest mistake young entrepreneurs make is being afraid to spend money on top talent or thinking they can do it all themselves to save a buck.
Nothing will replace competent people. Not AI, not automations, and not working harder.
You need smart people on your team, in your network, in your community, and in your social circle.
Nothing will have a more immediate impact on your business, your life, and your overall well being than the caliber of the people you surround yourself with.
The ultimate life hack is to constantly surround yourself with high character people and ruthlessly cut low character people from your life. This is your one and only life, so don’t let the sentimentality of old relationships bring you down. I am not saying to kick people to the curb or treat relationships as purely transactional. What I am saying is that you become the caliber of the people you surround yourself with, so don’t waste your life with people who drag you down.
3. Your Personal Brand Is A Huge Asset, Treat It Like One
I have always hated the term “personal brand.”
I am a person, not a brand. I have no interest in branding myself as a particular thing. I am complex, complicated, and nuanced, like all people are. I love:
The Eagles
Muay Thai
Hiking with my family
Sobriety and spiritual growth
Viking history
World War II history
Skateboarding and watching skate videos with my son
Foxes
Sweet potatoes
It is not reasonable to only be someone who creates content on business, or whatever your “niche” is.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t use these tools to build a community around your name and likeness.
Every day, dozens of people reach out to me on LinkedIn and other platforms. They tell me I seem like a laid back, cool dude, or that I make business seem approachable, or that they love how much I support my wife and her business.
The point is, people want to hear what you have to say. You are a unique person with your own life experiences, insights, and viewpoints on the world. There are others out there who want to hear from you and learn from you. Don’t rob the world of your ideas and gifts.
Share freely, and reap the rewards.
I have generated so much value from my personal brand that it is hard to even explain. The relationships, deals, revenue, and exposure have completely changed my life.
This newsletter in particular is probably the greatest asset I own, even though it only generates about $25,000 a year (though it is growing nicely).
You would be amazed at what happens if you simply create content, ignore short term results, and keep at it over the course of years.
It will change your life in the same way it changed mine.
In Conclusion: Press On
The best kept secret in business is that all these frameworks, hacks, and shortcuts are complete nonsense. The only way I have figured out to be successful is to simply keep at it, trust the process, and grow 1% a day.
I will end this issue with something I think about a lot. A woman named April, whom I met in a gym in Florida when I was first getting sober, told me something that always stuck with me. She said my consistency in showing up every single day at the same time by myself was proof that showing up is half the battle.
The ultimate lesson is to keep showing up.
You cannot lose if you do not quit.
Love you guys. Talk to you next week.
Tim
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AI isn't replacing humans. It's making the good ones better.