Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

(Exit Complacency) The next level

 

First off:

I have learned from some of the best minds within my industry. I hold the highest level of respect for those that have shared their knowledge and time with me.

 

 

How does one get to the next level? I read numerous publications that feature business men and woman that seem to be doing business on a whole-other level. Their success is phenomenal.

 

I understand that comparing yourself to others is not a good thing to do, but as a competitor, sometimes I just can’t help it.

 

Some people consider me to be relatively successful however, occasionally I feel as if I’m in the minors watching the Majors. 

 

My question is: How does one find the true next level players/thinkers? We could all hire another business coach or join another civic group or country club etc. but I have a suspicion that we won’t necessarily find them there. Someone once told me that Warren Buffet was a salt-of-the-earth guy. They had the opportunity to meet him once at a business function. I was surprised by that statement. They went on to describe him as ‘what you see is what you get’ there are no overwhelming expectations placed upon you, just be you, that is why you are here.

 

The ‘next levelers’ seem to be more than willing to share their knowledge and views. They give without any expectation of gaining. They will kick your ass and tell you why afterward. They walk their talk. They are truly a rare breed and that is why they seem so elusive. Successes probably find`s them!

 

I suppose that acknowledging that there is a next level is one of the first steps in your journey to reaching it.

 

 

 

I find that comparing myself to my competitors puts me on a dangerous slope ...

I think it`s important to make your own goals and find the ways to achieve them, not address your self worth based on others.

Sometimes, a lot of things in life are luck, timing, and other factors beyond anyone`s control.

Great topic. I think there`s a lot of potential benefit to a topic like this.

First question I must ask is, are you really serious about this? It seems to me that some people only want positive affirmation not honest feedback. What do you want?

If you`re serious, how about you start by telling us where you are now. What does the current level look like?




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What the heck? "I`ve learned from some of the best minds within my industry," then "...comparing yourself to others is not a good thing..." Eh?

How can you learn anything at all without making a comparison? They know something, you don`t. That`s a comparison. They know a LOT of something, you know a LITTLE of something. Isn`t that a comparison?

When did comparing oneself to others turn into a bad thing? I didn`t get the memo, and I`d like to know the source (and reasoning!).

I`m not a financial wizard or international tycoon. But I grew up with people like that. It seems to me that the "level" of doing business almost always rests on the "scope" or perspective someone has of "the world."

I saw a statistic that may not be true, some time ago. We know the United States has a bigass economy, and there`s lots of dollars moving around every year (every day, too). But all that money, vast as it may seem, is still only a small *fraction* of the amount of money moving around the entire world banking and financial system!

How much money do you want a year? $20-million? $100-million? That`s just for you. Now consider the number of companies that have annual earnings (not profits) of $1-billion or more per year. Remember that $1-billion is 1,000 * 1 million...!

Let`s say you own a dry-cleaning business. You started it in your neighborhood, and 5 years later, you`re known in Malltown, USA. If you yourself only understand Malltown as "the whole wide world," then you`ll never even try to think about anything on a next level.

But suppose you`ve traveled a bit, around the state of Ohio. By knowing that there`s a whole bunch of cities and towns in Ohio, you`ll likely try to figure out how to have a dry-cleaning business in more than your own town. How can you be in two places at once?

Either franchise, or open up multiple locations and hire good managers. That means having Procedure Manuals, training courses, and a system to determine what`s a "good manager."

But now suppose you want to become a financial business tycoon. You`ll have to widen your perspective to now include the entire planet. How do you take a dry-cleaning company from Ohio to the entire USA, and then, overseas? Remember the 1-hour Martinizing company? What exactly is "martinizing?" Who knows...but they sprang up everywhere.

Finally, the next wider scope is to understand that your business is "just a business." It`s a single "thing" in a vast game of millions of things. You start to examine how you can diversify.

Think about the Weyerhaeuser Company, who started as a small lumber business. They grew and began to buy into, then buy out related product companies---paper, boxes, cardboard, store displays.

It`s a bit expensive for me to afford, but take a look at this "Cashflow 101" game, and the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" instructional system. It`s a very good way to begin to "think BIG!" which is what scope is all about.
:-)

 

Soldu2

 

I`m with Steve. Great questions, great thread. And to quote you as above, the "next levelers" are what you describe. They are willing to share their knowledge and views. They do GIVE without expecting anything in return. Kick you ass and tell you afterward???? I don`t agree that this is their purpose or MO. However, they DO walk the talk. They are a rare breed - in the top 5% of all people. But success DOES NOT find them. They make their own success. This is what sets them apart. This is what takes them to the next level - as you say.

 

I doubt you have read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I suggest you do this soon. I also suggest you read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Business success IS NOT luck. It is planning. It is knowledge. It is experience. It is dedication. It is having a Chief Aim. It is building a Master Mind group. I could go on but I won`t.

 

Rare breed? Yes. Rare, because most people don`t have the staying power to succeed in life. There`s a thing I call "Want To." You have to have "Want To." Sticktoiveness (I made that one up). This is why most small businesses fail within a year.

 

5%. Do you really want to be in that top 5%? What are YOU willing to do to get there? What if you got a 5% return on everything you invested in? Would you be a wealthy person now? Do you get a 5% return on everything you do? What is your ROI on what you do EVERYDAY? Most people don`t know.

 

Make your investments count. Money. Time. Relationships. Friends. Whatever.

 

Think 5% and you will ge at the top.

 

R@

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog

Yes, I mostly agree.

 

Thank you.

 

Yes, I am serious. I acknowledge that there is a next level and want to get there. I do not need affirmation, just insight and objectivity.

 

The current level looks ok. I just feel that I am capable of much more. I have been successful in reaching most of my goals...and they have been somewhat lofty. I could be more specific I suppose. Let’s say that I am in the top 25% of successful people in my age group.

At this point, I am making a transition into a field that is related to my primary avocation. This new venture has the most potential of moving me forward. In relation to my drive, I am limited in other areas. Often times I drive myself into an area that is overly challenging or specialized. Friends that have known me for years describe me as hardwired, to move forward. 

 

My primary goal is to break free from `relative success` and be successful on a scale that allows me to be a philanthropist. 20,000,000 is a goal. Charting the course is the challenge. With new opportunity on the horizon I do not have the proven data to create an accurate outline.

 

Please do not take these statements out of context. This is the best answer that I can give you at this venue.

What the heck? "I`ve learned from some of the best minds within my industry," then "...comparing yourself to others is not a good thing..." Eh?

I don`t want to step on any toes.

When did comparing oneself to others turn into a bad thing? I didn`t get the memo, and I`d like to know the source (and reasoning!).

lol! 

Scope is a good word. That is exactly what I am talking about Thinking big conststently can be difficult unless 1. You are around like minded people or 2. Isolate yourself and work like a mad scientist alone.

Soldu22007-1-29 9:48:39

 

 

I have thought about this statement all weekend. On average..

My ROI is more than 5% on investments. I have no credit cards or stupid debt however, after living expenses and debt it is a slight negative. If I stopped working today I would eventually run out of money and have to start selling my investments.

 

Im not a gambler by any stretch, but will use a poker analogy. I see it as moving from a $5-$10 table to a $50,000-$100,000 table. It’s the same game just more highly skilled players with a psychological advantage. (Thats a big advantage)

I am from a very modest background to say the least.

I think what Keycon is saying has more to do with the non-financial transactions you do every day. For example, I spend "X" amount of time reading SuN topics and posting whatever I feel like writing. I don`t do it as a financial transaction. But can I examine what sort of return I`m getting for the X=time" invested?

Yes, I think so. I`m a professional writer, entering into a different field of writing. I could write a book, publish it, and sell it. But if I later find out it doesn`t say what I meant, I can`t go back and change it. An open forum like this provides me with a sort of trial publishing arena, where nothing is etched in stone.

So my return---the ROI---is an almost (not quite) subjective calculation. Is what I`m gaining in skill and experience worth 5% of the clock-time I spend in writing?

What Keycon is, I think, saying is that you`ll want to look at everything you`re doing on a daily basis in terms of whether or not it`s moving you toward a goal. How many times do you spend some amount of time "just taking a break," where you later can`t even remember what you did? Was there a return on that investment watching TV, reading a book, "vegging" on the couch?

To become part of that top 5% of people who become top-level players, you have to live your life like you mean it! Too many people more often just amble along through life, wondering what they`re going to do next.