How to Win at Entrepreneurship

 

After failing out of high school and two colleges, I tried to enter corporate America after my Air Force enlistment was up. 

I was a technical writer and realized that cubicle life felt like a slow death. I was wildly creative and reporting every day to do a job I hated, surrounded by miserable people that had given up on their dreams was a fate worse than death. 

Oh, and I was supposed to be GRATEFUL for a 2% raise each year? No thanks. 

So I did it. I rolled the dice and six years later, am a visibility consultant, own a magazine and wrote 8 books. I have no boss, can pay my bills, and have complete time freedom. I work from home, can choose my clients, and am rapidly growing in my niche. 

Entrepreneurship is a double edged sword. 

Advantages: 
*Unlimited income cap. You can make as much money as you want 

*Time freedom, you literally create your own schedule and can take a 2 hour lunch if you want, including margaritas (I have done this and its awesome) 

*Can create the workspace of your dreams 

*You no longer have to worry about appeasing management. You are management. 

*You can create side hustles that HELP bring in more income. I derive income from advertising, 1:1 consulting, membership sites, press releases, ebooks, etc 

This is my balcony in San Diego. Its a perfect place to sip coffee and ponder my 
future marriage to Arianna Grande. 

Disadvantages:
*You have to make EVERY decision. Even the stupid shit. Its all in your hands 

*You have to create your systems, your business model and uplevel your skillset constantly

*Your first year will be a shitshow. If you don't grow and improve, your first FEW years will be a shitshow 

*You will need to face your worst internal fears head on. Poverty syndrome, imposter syndrome, fear of success, fear of failure, fear of judgement, all this shit will constantly rear its ugly head and strike at inopportune moments 

*You have to do the not fun shit like taxes, paperwork, W-9s etc. 

Here are some tips that will help you get what you need if you despise your job and every fiber of your being wants career independence:

Stay the FUCK away from the gurus. 

Most of them couldn't run a lemonade stand and will upsell you into poverty. Buy from experts only. People that are actually talented. Ever notice how the people in FB and IG ads rarely show client results? BECAUSE THEY DONT HAVE ANY. 

Invest in your business. 

Mentors, business coaches, masterminds, business groups, software, contractors are all good investments but do your due diligence. 

Get your DIY business education from TikTok, Amazon and Youtube
You can find amazing business advice from actual experts in these three places. HIGHLY recommend Rachel Pederson on Tiktok, her advice is solid. 

Work on you. 

I've interviewed a lot of millionaires. They journal, practice gratitude, have a fitness plan, work on their shortcomings and are VULNERABLE. Plus they give back to their audiences and community. 

Grow a thick skin. 

You're going to get advice from everyone. There is no shortage of untalented, do nothing losers that have nothing better to do than criticize you out of sheer jealousy. Only heed advice from legit experts and high IQ friends. Remember that every shitty comment online actually helps keep you in the spotlight. I always respond "TFTV." This serves a dual purpose of eliciting a response, AND confusing trolls. It stands for Thanks For The Visibility and makes me laugh every time. 

Switch from selling to solving. (THIS)

This is more for my service based business owners out there. No one wants to be sold to. Its grimy and feels gross. LOTS of people have a problem that you can help them solve for a fee. Once you make that mindset shift, you'll stop doing stupid shit like cold calling, pitching strangers in their Linkedin DMs, and desperately spamming for sales. (remember Itworks? UGH). 

Focus on two things: The problem and the person. Here are some examples: 

My buddy Gunny Gonzalez helps people get fitter. He will market to someone that doesnt have a healthy lifestyle and solves the issue of obesity 

My friend Sarah Max specializes in getting insurance for hard to insure clients. She will market to people that have been rejected in the past and solves the problem of uninsurability 

My buddy Cory Thompson helps mid level business owners that are up to their ears in tasks and have gaping areas of business weakness. His target market is six figure business owners that know a few areas of their business need help. The problem he solves if poor time management and lack of skillset

When you niche down on WHO you serve and WHAT problem you solve, you'll start attracting more clients. Learn the "language of pain" for your audience and create content that helps people trust you and explains HOW you solve problems. 

Ill leave you with the two best pieces of advice that I ever gave. These literally changed my life and one of them helped Dr. Loren Michaels Harris earn over $50,000. (seriously)

"Give away WHAT and sell HOW" 

"Stop pricing things at what YOU can afford" 

Good luck, if you have questions, email me at editor@shiftlifedesign.com - Rob