Last week I had the pleasure of going to Miami to have a week-long strategic planning session with one of my favorite clients.
We had meetings from 9 am to 6 pm each day and accomplished a lot of important planning and work for the upcoming 12 months.
I always love being face to face with clients and helping them solve the problems that really matter, and that will make the most significant impact on their business, their team, and their customers.
Each day after dinner I would come back to my hotel room, and take time to reflect on the day, relax, and catch up on some email and other updates before winding down for the night and heading to bed.
My room was on the first floor of the hotel overlooking a coworking space that was next door.
When I would stand on the balcony, I could see into the coworking space.
Each night while I was there, I could see the same person sitting at their desk until very late into the evening.
Most nights, I saw them there until 10:30 pm or even 11:30 pm and it reminded me of what it was like early on in my entrepreneurial career.
I mistakenly believed that if I burned the midnight oil each and every night, that would be the thing that gave me the advantage.
Working harder.
Staying up longer.
“Grinding” every single day and every single night and weekend too.
I wish I could tell you that 4-5 years of trying it that way led to massive revenue and amazing results.
Unfortunately, it didn’t.
I was fortunate that the universe brought me the real answer to success in business in the form of a beautiful messenger, my business and life partner Rachel.
When we first started working together, she immediately challenged my beliefs about work.
She asked me why I didn’t take breaks during the day.
She asked me to go for walks in the park every week with her.
And just as importantly she used her financial brilliance to carve out extra money so I could go to events and invest in myself.
Grinding harder, burning the midnight oil, and working longer hours won’t make you richer, or smarter.
I know that’s probably counter to the messages you receive in your inbox and feed on a daily basis, but it’s the truth.
The “hustle and grind” culture that has been made so popular by “experts” actually leads you to all the wrong things.
- Consistent burnout
- Lack of results
- Focus on the wrong things
- Mental laziness
- Lack of leadership development
I find it sad and ironic that those who are seeking the true freedom that entrepreneurship can offer are attracted to and given the message that “all you need to do is work harder or longer.”
As far as I can tell that is the polar opposite of Ultimate Business Freedom.
A friend of mine said on a podcast recently that “Work is the mental effort you put into something that creates value.”
That is what entrepreneurship is all about, creating value and becoming a true servant leader of those around you.
Mental effort comes in when you have to:
- Learn how to change and improve your mindset and relationships
- Build an effective and consistent sales and marketing plan
- Learn how to build and use financial controls that lead to profitability
- And when you have to build production and quality control models
When you start to understand these four key pillars that every single business owner needs to have in order to succeed, you’ll be able to achieve the entrepreneurial life you’ve always dreamed of having.
That’s why we created Ultimate Business Freedom Live in Las Vegas this year.
It’s going to be a powerful and revolutionary event where entrepreneurs at all stages, those who are genuinely heart first entrepreneurs, get to connect with others and invest in the things that will truly move them forward.
What you’ve done so far has probably provided some valuable lessons (I know it did for me), but it’s not going to take you to the next level.
In order to truly scale your business, you have to have invest in yourself.
You have to network with other like-minded entrepreneurs who are serious about their growth too.
You’ve got to do something different than what you’re doing now because burning the midnight oil, grinding it out, and staying on the current path isn’t going to help you move forward.
It will only burn you out and discourage you.
So instead of repeating that insanity any longer, it’s time to take action.
You, your family, and your team (even if that team is the one you’re building in the future) will thank you for it.
Invest in yourself and start learning the mindsets, skills, and tools you need to achieve Ultimate Business Freedom.
To your success,
Gabe