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قطار کارآفرینی
در کتاب صوتی دارن هاردی با موضوع کار آفرینی خواهید شنید که:
۱- چیزی را که به خاطرش با علاقهی تمام، حتی صبحهای جمعه بیدار شده و کار کنید!
۲- طریقهای را که از همان دفعهی اول و نخستین قدم در راه کسبوکارتان، کارها را درست انجام دهید.
۳- راه و روشی که به کمک آن در زمینهی فروش، مدیریت و بهرهوریِ کسبوکارتان انسان سرسختتری شوید.
۳- واقعیتی را که با دانستن آن بیشتر از همیشه اعتماد به نفس داشته باشید.
۴- ۵ استراتژی کاربردی و کارآمد در مسیر کارآفرینی….
دارن هاردی متولد ۱۹۷۱ نویسنده آمریکایی و سخنران، مشاور و ناشر سابق مجله «SUCCESS» است. هاردی نویسنده نسخههای پر فروش نیویورک تایمز است.
هاردی اولین تجارت خود را در ۱۸ سالگی آغاز کرد. در ۲۰۰۷ او ناشر مجله و مدیای «SUCCESS» شد. این مجله به طور متوسط در هر نسخه بین ۴۰۰۰۰۰ تا ۸۰۰۰۰۰ خواننده داشت. ادامه …
شیوه های موثر کارآفرینی برا افرادی که:
میخواهید برای خودتان کار کنید ولی نمیدانید از کجا شروع کنید.
میخواهید برای خودتان کار کنید ولی میترسید.
پول کافی برای راه اندازی کسبوکاری را که میخواهید ندارید.
بین انتخاب چند کار مرددید و نمیدانید علاقه و استعدادتان در چه کاری بیشتر است.
میخواهید از کارتان لذت ببرید ولی نمیتوانید.
از جستجوی کار خسته شدهاید.
موفقیت و کارآفرینی:
دورانی که با شنیدن کلمهی “کارآفرین“، معمولاً در ذهنمان شخصی با موهای سفید یا جوگندمی مجسّم میشد گذشته است. همان شخص کارآفرینی که در آغاز با ذرّهذرّه پس انداز کردن و یا با استفاده از پشتوانهی دیگران، بلاخره شرکت یا کارخانهای راه میانداخت. این شیوه ی کارآفرینی، متعلق به قرن بیستم یعنی عصر صنعت بود، اکنون در قرن بیستویکم و در عصر ارتباطات و جهش تکنولوژیک هستیم. شکاف و فرصتی که از دوران گذار از عصر صنعت به عصر ارتباطات و تکنولوژی به وجود آمده، مفهوم کارآفرین و کارآفرینی را کاملاً عوض کرده است و شرایط جدید به ما این امکان را میدهد که با فراگرفتن نکاتی خاص، یک کارآفرین شویم، حتی با دست خالی!
سخنرانِ این کتاب صوتی فارسی، “دارن هاردی”، که بیش از ۱۰ میلیون مخاطب در سراسر جهان دارد، ثابت میکند که در زمانهی ما، کارآفرین، انسان متفاوتی است که نسبت به یک موضوع یا مورد، وسواس و علاقهی خاص و شدیدی دارد و در آن زمینه، به تلاشهایی خاص و هوشمندانه دست میزند. او با دهها مثال نشان میدهد که همین الان، فارغ از اینکه در کجای جهان هستید، بهترین زمان در تاریخ بشر، برای راهاندازی یک کسبوکار برای شماست، امّا لازم است که بجُنبید!
زمان حرکت قطار کارآفرینی همین الان است!
روش سریع رسید به موفقیت:
این فایل صوتی در کوتاهترین زمان چه چیزهایی به شما یاد میدهد؟
چیزی را که به خاطرش با علاقهی تمام، حتی صبحهای جمعه بیدار شده و کار کنید!
طریقهای را که از همان دفعهی اول و نخستین قدم در راه کسبوکارتان، کارها را درست انجام دهید.
راه و روشی که به کمک آن در زمینهی فروش، مدیریت و بهرهوریِ کسبوکارتان انسان سرسختتری شوید.
واقعیتی را که با دانستن آن بیشتر از همیشه اعتماد به نفس داشته باشید.
۵ استراتژی کاربردی و کارآمد در مسیر کارآفرینی.
تقویت مهارت فروش در ۹ قدم.
۴ پارامتر کلیدی و مهم برای مدیریت و رهبری خودتان، تیمتان و کسبوکارتان.
۱ روشِ ۳ مرحلهای برای اولویت بندی کارها.
تغییر بزرگ با ۳ تکنیک.
اصول رشد پایدار .
۶ راهکارِ مواجهه با ترس.
بایدها و نبایدهای موفقیت.
چند نمونه از نظرات چهرههای سرشناس در مورد این کتاب صوتی:
“آنتونی رابینز“(مربی، سخنران و از پرفروشترین نویسندگان جهان): “… این کتابی مرجع است برای اینکه پتانسیل نهفتهی کارآفرینی خود را بیدار کنید..”
“جان دایموند”(مدیر عامل شرکت FUBU): “… همین است! این کتاب را باید بلعید…!”
“دیوید باخ” (نویسندهی پرفروش ):”… کاش این کتاب، ۲۰ سال پیش، زمانی که من تازه سفرِ کارآفرینیِ خودم را آغار کرده بودم نوشته شده بود…”
پیشنهاد آخر را از زبان سخنران شهیر این فایل صوتی “دارن هاردی” بشنوید:
“… قبل از اینکه تصمیم بگیرید که سوار قطار کارافرینی بشید یا نه، میخوام آینده رو تصور کنید.
۲۰ یا ۳۰ سال بعد، در حالی که نوهتون رُو روی پاتون نشوندید، اون به خونهی شما نگاه میکنه و ازتون میپرسه: چیکار کردی که به اینجا رسیدی؟
شما میگید: وقتی عصر صنعت تموم شد، عصر ارتباطات شروع شد و فرصتهای زیادی به همراه آورد.
حالا شما دوست دارید چطور این جمله رُو تموم کنید؟
میخوایید بگید من از همهی شرایط و فرصتها به بهترین شکل استفاده کردم و انتخابهای خوبی داشتم که تونستم به زندگی امروزم برسم، یا میخوایید بگید: اما من این فرصتها رو از دست دادم. هیچ کاری نکردم. برای همین توی زندگیم نتونستم به هیچ جا و هیچ چیزی که میخواستم برسم.
با خرید این فایل صوتی از بانک کتاب صوتی رادیو مثبت به سوی موفقیت و ثروت حرکت کنید.
برای دانلود کتاب صوتی قطار کارآفرینی به سایت رادیو مثبت مراجعه کنید.
۱- چیزی را که به خاطرش با علاقهی تمام، حتی صبحهای جمعه بیدار شده و کار کنید!
۲- طریقهای را که از همان دفعهی اول و نخستین قدم در راه کسبوکارتان، کارها را درست انجام دهید.
۳- راه و روشی که به کمک آن در زمینهی فروش، مدیریت و بهرهوریِ کسبوکارتان انسان سرسختتری شوید.
۳- واقعیتی را که با دانستن آن بیشتر از همیشه اعتماد به نفس داشته باشید.
۴- ۵ استراتژی کاربردی و کارآمد در مسیر کارآفرینی….
دارن هاردی متولد ۱۹۷۱ نویسنده آمریکایی و سخنران، مشاور و ناشر سابق مجله «SUCCESS» است. هاردی نویسنده نسخههای پر فروش نیویورک تایمز است.
هاردی اولین تجارت خود را در ۱۸ سالگی آغاز کرد. در ۲۰۰۷ او ناشر مجله و مدیای «SUCCESS» شد. این مجله به طور متوسط در هر نسخه بین ۴۰۰۰۰۰ تا ۸۰۰۰۰۰ خواننده داشت. ادامه …
شیوه های موثر کارآفرینی برا افرادی که:
میخواهید برای خودتان کار کنید ولی نمیدانید از کجا شروع کنید.
میخواهید برای خودتان کار کنید ولی میترسید.
پول کافی برای راه اندازی کسبوکاری را که میخواهید ندارید.
بین انتخاب چند کار مرددید و نمیدانید علاقه و استعدادتان در چه کاری بیشتر است.
میخواهید از کارتان لذت ببرید ولی نمیتوانید.
از جستجوی کار خسته شدهاید.
موفقیت و کارآفرینی:
دورانی که با شنیدن کلمهی “کارآفرین“، معمولاً در ذهنمان شخصی با موهای سفید یا جوگندمی مجسّم میشد گذشته است. همان شخص کارآفرینی که در آغاز با ذرّهذرّه پس انداز کردن و یا با استفاده از پشتوانهی دیگران، بلاخره شرکت یا کارخانهای راه میانداخت. این شیوه ی کارآفرینی، متعلق به قرن بیستم یعنی عصر صنعت بود، اکنون در قرن بیستویکم و در عصر ارتباطات و جهش تکنولوژیک هستیم. شکاف و فرصتی که از دوران گذار از عصر صنعت به عصر ارتباطات و تکنولوژی به وجود آمده، مفهوم کارآفرین و کارآفرینی را کاملاً عوض کرده است و شرایط جدید به ما این امکان را میدهد که با فراگرفتن نکاتی خاص، یک کارآفرین شویم، حتی با دست خالی!
سخنرانِ این کتاب صوتی فارسی، “دارن هاردی”، که بیش از ۱۰ میلیون مخاطب در سراسر جهان دارد، ثابت میکند که در زمانهی ما، کارآفرین، انسان متفاوتی است که نسبت به یک موضوع یا مورد، وسواس و علاقهی خاص و شدیدی دارد و در آن زمینه، به تلاشهایی خاص و هوشمندانه دست میزند. او با دهها مثال نشان میدهد که همین الان، فارغ از اینکه در کجای جهان هستید، بهترین زمان در تاریخ بشر، برای راهاندازی یک کسبوکار برای شماست، امّا لازم است که بجُنبید!
زمان حرکت قطار کارآفرینی همین الان است!
روش سریع رسید به موفقیت:
این فایل صوتی در کوتاهترین زمان چه چیزهایی به شما یاد میدهد؟
چیزی را که به خاطرش با علاقهی تمام، حتی صبحهای جمعه بیدار شده و کار کنید!
طریقهای را که از همان دفعهی اول و نخستین قدم در راه کسبوکارتان، کارها را درست انجام دهید.
راه و روشی که به کمک آن در زمینهی فروش، مدیریت و بهرهوریِ کسبوکارتان انسان سرسختتری شوید.
واقعیتی را که با دانستن آن بیشتر از همیشه اعتماد به نفس داشته باشید.
۵ استراتژی کاربردی و کارآمد در مسیر کارآفرینی.
تقویت مهارت فروش در ۹ قدم.
۴ پارامتر کلیدی و مهم برای مدیریت و رهبری خودتان، تیمتان و کسبوکارتان.
۱ روشِ ۳ مرحلهای برای اولویت بندی کارها.
تغییر بزرگ با ۳ تکنیک.
اصول رشد پایدار .
۶ راهکارِ مواجهه با ترس.
بایدها و نبایدهای موفقیت.
چند نمونه از نظرات چهرههای سرشناس در مورد این کتاب صوتی:
“آنتونی رابینز“(مربی، سخنران و از پرفروشترین نویسندگان جهان): “… این کتابی مرجع است برای اینکه پتانسیل نهفتهی کارآفرینی خود را بیدار کنید..”
“جان دایموند”(مدیر عامل شرکت FUBU): “… همین است! این کتاب را باید بلعید…!”
“دیوید باخ” (نویسندهی پرفروش ):”… کاش این کتاب، ۲۰ سال پیش، زمانی که من تازه سفرِ کارآفرینیِ خودم را آغار کرده بودم نوشته شده بود…”
پیشنهاد آخر را از زبان سخنران شهیر این فایل صوتی “دارن هاردی” بشنوید:
“… قبل از اینکه تصمیم بگیرید که سوار قطار کارافرینی بشید یا نه، میخوام آینده رو تصور کنید.
۲۰ یا ۳۰ سال بعد، در حالی که نوهتون رُو روی پاتون نشوندید، اون به خونهی شما نگاه میکنه و ازتون میپرسه: چیکار کردی که به اینجا رسیدی؟
شما میگید: وقتی عصر صنعت تموم شد، عصر ارتباطات شروع شد و فرصتهای زیادی به همراه آورد.
حالا شما دوست دارید چطور این جمله رُو تموم کنید؟
میخوایید بگید من از همهی شرایط و فرصتها به بهترین شکل استفاده کردم و انتخابهای خوبی داشتم که تونستم به زندگی امروزم برسم، یا میخوایید بگید: اما من این فرصتها رو از دست دادم. هیچ کاری نکردم. برای همین توی زندگیم نتونستم به هیچ جا و هیچ چیزی که میخواستم برسم.
با خرید این فایل صوتی از بانک کتاب صوتی رادیو مثبت به سوی موفقیت و ثروت حرکت کنید.
برای دانلود کتاب صوتی قطار کارآفرینی به سایت رادیو مثبت مراجعه کنید.
Audiobook
First published March 3, 2015
323 people are currently reading
5160 people want to read
About the author
Darren Hardy
36 books1,102 followersDarren Hardy is today’s preeminent Success Mentor having been a central business leader in the personal growth and success industry now for more than 20 years. He has led three success television networks producing over 1,000 TV shows featuring most every influential thought leader of our times. And for eight years Darren led the rebirth of SUCCESS Magazine as its publisher and founding editor.
These positions have given Darren unprecedented access to interview, investigate and publish the stories of the most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in the world, including Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Howard Schultz, Steve Wynn, Jack Welch and many more.
Through this special access Darren has been able to uncover the strategies and methods that have powered the most successful people in the world, mixing in lessons and discoveries from his successful entrepreneurial journey and he now distills these coveted insights to mentor and empower millions of achievers globally.
Darren is also a highly sought-after keynote speaker, media contributor and the New York Times bestselling author of The Compound Effect and Living Your Best Year Ever and his The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster--Why Now is the Time to #JoinTheRide
Darren’s mission is to Positively Influence Influencers… and to be a guide for those who choose to… Be The Exception."
These positions have given Darren unprecedented access to interview, investigate and publish the stories of the most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in the world, including Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Howard Schultz, Steve Wynn, Jack Welch and many more.
Through this special access Darren has been able to uncover the strategies and methods that have powered the most successful people in the world, mixing in lessons and discoveries from his successful entrepreneurial journey and he now distills these coveted insights to mentor and empower millions of achievers globally.
Darren is also a highly sought-after keynote speaker, media contributor and the New York Times bestselling author of The Compound Effect and Living Your Best Year Ever and his The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster--Why Now is the Time to #JoinTheRide
Darren’s mission is to Positively Influence Influencers… and to be a guide for those who choose to… Be The Exception."
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
March 13, 2015
This book is a game changer for anyone owning their own business or wanting to become an Entrepreneur. I'm taking Darren Hardy's advice and listening to the audio book for a 2nd time (he says rather than reading 30 books, you should read 1 book 30x's). There was so much info jam packed into the book so in order to get all the knowledge and tips out of it, I'm working on round two. He even provides you with worksheets for each chapter so you can put the lessons into play. This is a must read! Enjoy.
May 4, 2022
انتراپرنور؛ از اون اسمهاست که فکر میکنم تو ایندهی نه چندان دور تبدیل به صفت بشه، از بس که این روزا هایپ دورش زیاده و تقریباً همه حس میکنند اگه یه انتراپرنور باشن موفقترینن!
سر همین کلمه کتاب های خیلی زیادی نوشته شده. چطور انتراپرنور بشیم؟ چطور انتراپرنور بمونیم؟ چه کارهایی لازمه؟ و غیره و غیره
این کتاب هم از این قاعده مستثنا نیست. صادق باشم شاید حدود ۴۰ درصد این کتاب واقعاً به دردتون بخوره. اگه مصمم هستین که بیزینس خودتونو داشته باشید و افرادی رو زیر دستتون اداره کنین و اگه واقعا یه "عملگر" باشید همین مقدار هم کافیه.
دارن هاردی رو دوست دارم، قبلا ازش بخش هایی از کتاب اثر مرکب رو خونده بودم و قابل قبول بود. هم حرفایی که اونجا زده بود و هم حرفایی که این جا میزد خوب و ارزشمند بودند که اگه واقعاً به کار بگیریدشون احتمالا تاثیر مثبتی روی عملکردتون داشته باشه.
فقط یه مشکلی هست که من به طور کلی با نثر دارن هاری دارم که باعث میشه کتابهاشاونجور که باید به درد من نخوره. اونم اینکه بیش از حد کتابشو دراماتیک میکنه و وقتی که میخواد یه مفهومی رو برسونه به جای اینکه تمرکز رو روی *چرایی* قضیه بذاره یه داستان خیلی احساسی و تاثیر گذار تعریف میکنه.
این شاید تو اون لحظه حس خیلی قدرتمندی رو تو من ایجاد کنه ولی فقط مختص همون لحظهاست و یه ساعت بعدش من میمونم یه سری کارا که بهم گفتن خوبه انجام بدم.
مثال بزنم، اینکه قلبتونو دنبال کنین و واقعا برین دنبال علاقتون، خیلی مهم و ارزشمنده. ولی اینکه یک نفر(مربی) لحظهی قبل از مرگش و آخرین کلمه ای که بهزبونآورده تو این خصوص بوده شاید منو تو لحظه منقلب کنه، ولی تاثیر اساسی ای رو من نمیذاره چون چراییای پشتش نیست و خیلی کِیس بِیسده. بجز این موضوع ولی در مجموع کتاب قابل قبولی بود.
پینوشت: از پشت صحنه گفتن گویا به این کار دراماتیک کردن میگن مغلطهی توسل به عواطف یا احساسات یا همون argumentum and passiones.
که زمانی بکار میره که گوینده یا نویسنده بخواد استدلالی رو بدون شواهد مبتنی بر واقعیت شکست بده و احساسات مخاطب رو قلقلک بده. (و از شگردهای زرد نویسهاست)
سر همین کلمه کتاب های خیلی زیادی نوشته شده. چطور انتراپرنور بشیم؟ چطور انتراپرنور بمونیم؟ چه کارهایی لازمه؟ و غیره و غیره
این کتاب هم از این قاعده مستثنا نیست. صادق باشم شاید حدود ۴۰ درصد این کتاب واقعاً به دردتون بخوره. اگه مصمم هستین که بیزینس خودتونو داشته باشید و افرادی رو زیر دستتون اداره کنین و اگه واقعا یه "عملگر" باشید همین مقدار هم کافیه.
دارن هاردی رو دوست دارم، قبلا ازش بخش هایی از کتاب اثر مرکب رو خونده بودم و قابل قبول بود. هم حرفایی که اونجا زده بود و هم حرفایی که این جا میزد خوب و ارزشمند بودند که اگه واقعاً به کار بگیریدشون احتمالا تاثیر مثبتی روی عملکردتون داشته باشه.
فقط یه مشکلی هست که من به طور کلی با نثر دارن هاری دارم که باعث میشه کتابهاشاونجور که باید به درد من نخوره. اونم اینکه بیش از حد کتابشو دراماتیک میکنه و وقتی که میخواد یه مفهومی رو برسونه به جای اینکه تمرکز رو روی *چرایی* قضیه بذاره یه داستان خیلی احساسی و تاثیر گذار تعریف میکنه.
این شاید تو اون لحظه حس خیلی قدرتمندی رو تو من ایجاد کنه ولی فقط مختص همون لحظهاست و یه ساعت بعدش من میمونم یه سری کارا که بهم گفتن خوبه انجام بدم.
مثال بزنم، اینکه قلبتونو دنبال کنین و واقعا برین دنبال علاقتون، خیلی مهم و ارزشمنده. ولی اینکه یک نفر(مربی) لحظهی قبل از مرگش و آخرین کلمه ای که بهزبونآورده تو این خصوص بوده شاید منو تو لحظه منقلب کنه، ولی تاثیر اساسی ای رو من نمیذاره چون چراییای پشتش نیست و خیلی کِیس بِیسده. بجز این موضوع ولی در مجموع کتاب قابل قبولی بود.
پینوشت: از پشت صحنه گفتن گویا به این کار دراماتیک کردن میگن مغلطهی توسل به عواطف یا احساسات یا همون argumentum and passiones.
که زمانی بکار میره که گوینده یا نویسنده بخواد استدلالی رو بدون شواهد مبتنی بر واقعیت شکست بده و احساسات مخاطب رو قلقلک بده. (و از شگردهای زرد نویسهاست)
December 27, 2023
A Fascinating Read
As a subscriber to Success magazine for several years, I've gained huge value from Darren Hardy and his insights over the years. This book is full of inspiration and targeted to a broad audience of entrepreneurs. I found it lacked in specific guidance (despite the worksheets and extra resources).
I’ve had THE ENTREPRENEUR ROLLERCOASTER on my shelf for several years and also have the audiobook version. As I read the book cover to cover, I listened to the audiobook to help the words sink deeper into my mind and heart. I’ve been an entrepreneur for years and found this book to be full of practical information and relevant stories. I enjoyed the book and plan to read it and listen to it again later this year. I highly recommend it.
W. Terry Whalin is an editor and the author of more than 60 books including his recent 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed .
As a subscriber to Success magazine for several years, I've gained huge value from Darren Hardy and his insights over the years. This book is full of inspiration and targeted to a broad audience of entrepreneurs. I found it lacked in specific guidance (despite the worksheets and extra resources).
I’ve had THE ENTREPRENEUR ROLLERCOASTER on my shelf for several years and also have the audiobook version. As I read the book cover to cover, I listened to the audiobook to help the words sink deeper into my mind and heart. I’ve been an entrepreneur for years and found this book to be full of practical information and relevant stories. I enjoyed the book and plan to read it and listen to it again later this year. I highly recommend it.
W. Terry Whalin is an editor and the author of more than 60 books including his recent 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed .
September 28, 2020
دارن هاردي هميشه عاليه
اين خيلي خوب بود؛ يكبار از شخص موفقي پرسيدم چطور موفق بشم؟
گفت برو و تا ميتوني شكست بخور.
اين خيلي خوب بود؛ يكبار از شخص موفقي پرسيدم چطور موفق بشم؟
گفت برو و تا ميتوني شكست بخور.
March 13, 2015
Darren Hardy has brought us the secrets of what it takes to building and running a successful business.
This is not a 'how to' book. This is a 'You Can' book. You will learn what it takes to be a power player in any industry. And it's not all flowers and sunshine. Darren Hardy has made it clear. If you want to succeed in business, it will be a thrilling ride with scary turns and loops. But if you can embrace the fear, and have confidence in your vehicle, you will succeed.
This is not a 'how to' book. This is a 'You Can' book. You will learn what it takes to be a power player in any industry. And it's not all flowers and sunshine. Darren Hardy has made it clear. If you want to succeed in business, it will be a thrilling ride with scary turns and loops. But if you can embrace the fear, and have confidence in your vehicle, you will succeed.
July 11, 2015
I went in expecting cheesy one liners, over the top motivation with a few practical bits of advise sprinkled throughout. What did I receive?
Not so over-the-top motivation with a ton of practical insight, ideas and strategies on various topics such as sales, hiring the right team members, personal leadership skills, delegation, dealing with fear along with a few great stories from some of the worlds top entrepreneurs. If you've read other books along these lines you probably won't be blown away by anything but I believe its still worth a read. Anyone at any level of entrepreneurship can get something from this book.
Tony Rogers Jr
Author of Visionary:Making a difference in a world that needs YOU
Not so over-the-top motivation with a ton of practical insight, ideas and strategies on various topics such as sales, hiring the right team members, personal leadership skills, delegation, dealing with fear along with a few great stories from some of the worlds top entrepreneurs. If you've read other books along these lines you probably won't be blown away by anything but I believe its still worth a read. Anyone at any level of entrepreneurship can get something from this book.
Tony Rogers Jr
Author of Visionary:Making a difference in a world that needs YOU
February 17, 2015
Really enjoyed this book! Great insights and plan on how to be a successful entrepreneur.
August 17, 2020
For all the aspiring entrepreneurs.... a must-read!
December 8, 2014
Thanks Darren....a masterpiece from beginning to end....
Read
March 13, 2015Darren Hardy takes his personal experience and that of hundreds of CEOs, business owners and entrepreneurs he has interviewed over the years to deliver the most complete guide to start a new business or improve an existing one.
This book is not your typical business advice book, it is a master study guide, a workbook with plenty of extra resources in between pages, you won't be just reading a book you will work and act on it as you read.
This book shines a light for those that are new or looking into becoming entrepreneurs, it lets you know what's ahead of the curve so you can be ready for the falls or eager to reap the rewards of your business venture.
Darren shares a personal experience on hiring the right people to your team that has made a huge impact on the way I look at my team members. His no-nonsense approach at this vital step is just part of the invaluable information you'll get.
This is without discussion the best business book I have read.
Read it, study it and apply the ideas and recommendations, read it once a week for a month, then once a month for a year, as you progress in your business you will find more valuable information to apply, tie it with the DarrenDaily mentorship program, the audio version of the book and you will see a year from now........You will be unrecognizable!!!
This book is not your typical business advice book, it is a master study guide, a workbook with plenty of extra resources in between pages, you won't be just reading a book you will work and act on it as you read.
This book shines a light for those that are new or looking into becoming entrepreneurs, it lets you know what's ahead of the curve so you can be ready for the falls or eager to reap the rewards of your business venture.
Darren shares a personal experience on hiring the right people to your team that has made a huge impact on the way I look at my team members. His no-nonsense approach at this vital step is just part of the invaluable information you'll get.
This is without discussion the best business book I have read.
Read it, study it and apply the ideas and recommendations, read it once a week for a month, then once a month for a year, as you progress in your business you will find more valuable information to apply, tie it with the DarrenDaily mentorship program, the audio version of the book and you will see a year from now........You will be unrecognizable!!!
March 14, 2015
If you're considering starting a new business, you're a new entrepreneur, or even if you've been around the block a few times, The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster will reinforce your wise decision to strike out on your own.
"We've reached a tipping point in technology and it's shaking the ivory towers right down to their foundations." Yes! Now more than ever are people (the little guys) able to succeed on their own. Now is the time.
Darren Hardy fills the pages with not only heartfelt and meaningful stories, but also practical applications and action plans. Unearth your passion, find your strength, build your skill set, keep going when things get rough (because they will) and ride it out.
And get this book. If you don't, how is your life going to change?
"We've reached a tipping point in technology and it's shaking the ivory towers right down to their foundations." Yes! Now more than ever are people (the little guys) able to succeed on their own. Now is the time.
Darren Hardy fills the pages with not only heartfelt and meaningful stories, but also practical applications and action plans. Unearth your passion, find your strength, build your skill set, keep going when things get rough (because they will) and ride it out.
And get this book. If you don't, how is your life going to change?
March 2, 2015
This book was AMAZING!!! I dont know if you guys new or not, but I have two businesses of my own, and I like to focus or reading things that will help me get though the tough times, or just to over all bettering my self. This book had it all for me to the T. The man who wrote this is Darren Hardy, and wholly man if your reading this Darren I am 110% impressed thank you so much for writing this book, it has made such an impact on me. This man is a genius he has been through everything when it comes to owning his own business, and is yet so successful!!!! impressive!!!
March 3, 2015
This is the best book for anyone who is thinking of starting their own business or who has an current business. Darren provides valuable personal insight as well as those from the super achievers on how to start and navigate you business to success. Darren does not romance this he is straight forward and lets you know that their will be hard times but Darren provides a lesson plan or road mat if you wish on how to navigate through the road ahead of us all. Thank you Darren for putting this together.
November 12, 2018
اولین کتاب صوتی من!
تجربهی جالبی بود، انتظار داشتم تمرکز نداشته باشم، اما اینطور نبود! نه تنها گذر زمان در رفت و آمد رو احساس نکردم، بلکه با لبخند از آنچه یاد میگرفتم لذت می بردم!
در مورد کتاب، مطالب انگیزشی در حوزهی مهارتهای شخصی برای مو��قیت، که دانستن و شنیدنش هر از گاهی خالی از لطف نیست!
تجربهی جالبی بود، انتظار داشتم تمرکز نداشته باشم، اما اینطور نبود! نه تنها گذر زمان در رفت و آمد رو احساس نکردم، بلکه با لبخند از آنچه یاد میگرفتم لذت می بردم!
در مورد کتاب، مطالب انگیزشی در حوزهی مهارتهای شخصی برای مو��قیت، که دانستن و شنیدنش هر از گاهی خالی از لطف نیست!
March 26, 2019
For someone who has started their own business twice this book is highly relatable. If you are interested in the entrepreneurial process read this book, maybe want to start your own business, read this book.
January 28, 2015
I read this all the way through without doing the worksheets. Now I plan to go back and reread along with completing the worksheets. That's just how I roll! Looking forward to reading again!
February 7, 2019
Reading this book was really a roller coaster ride. Is this book for you? Yes it is!
Just seat back and enjoy the ride while Darren rides you through his experiences, ideas, and learnings.
Just seat back and enjoy the ride while Darren rides you through his experiences, ideas, and learnings.
October 13, 2020
Leadership in nutshell 👌🏻
December 31, 2025
reading The Entrepreneur Rollercoaster was a surprisingly personal experience. i expected only business tactics, but what i got was mindset, character, and even lessons for family and personal growth.
the book reframed entrepreneurship not just as building a business, but building yourself: habits, courage, priorities, and emotional resilience.
INFLUENCE ✏️💌
the section on how children don’t listen to what you say but copy what you do reminded me of how anyone under our influence mirrors the behaviour we model. leadership is not just instruction, it is example.
PASSION ✏️💌
the book starts by redefining passion in three forms: passion for what you do, why you do it, and how you do it (the pursuit of excellence). sometimes you may not find joy in the task itself, but the mission behind it. the standard you hold yourself to can fuel you.
IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING ✏️💌
counter-intuitively, success doesn’t naturally go to the best product, but to the business that markets best. Michelin chefs may make better food, but the biggest restaurant in the world is still McDonald’s because of its distribution and branding. (though i would argue the value for money is key here 😂)
but anyway, leaders in industries aren’t always the most talented, but they are often the most visible. quality matters, but without sales no one sees it. this reminded me to keep selling and communicating value to remain top of mind.
HIRE A-PLAYERS ✏️💌
team building was another standout. the book advises not to hire B-players just to solve fires in the moment. if you do, you might end up pouring gasoline onto the fire. it creates an even bigger fire. instead, hire A-players… because they pay for themselves. you can think of them as free, because they bring in more than what you pay them. they are worth it! plus, they attract other A-players too :)
all this to say: waiting for the right person to hire is better than settling too fast. hire like you’d choose a spouse: intentionally and thoughtfully because they shape the culture.
VITAL PRIORITIES ✏️💌
busy ≠ productive.
many people stay busy but unproductive because they scatter energy. we have to guard our priorities.
this book pushed me to identify one vital function and pour all my energy there while delegating the rest. because the feeling of overwhelm is not often caused by workload, but by unclear priorities.
we can’t dig shallow holes everywhere hoping for oil. we have to dig deep in one place to find it.
SUCCESS & FAILURE ✏️💌
success cannot exist without failure. the more you fail, the more you learn, and the faster you grow.
success and failure make up a pendulum; the more failure you experience, the more success you are exposed to. many swing only in their comfort zone, experiencing little failure, but also little success. so get used to failing. swing the pendulum toward risk, and take more opportunities than your competition. once you habituate yourself to fear, it becomes familiar rather than threatening.
we fear before we act, but once we’re in motion the anxiety fades. like jumping out of a plane or approaching someone new, the fear lives in the anticipation of it. the solution is immediate exposure. as Nike says: “just do it”.
PEOPLE-PLEASING ✏️💌
“would this person cry at my funeral?”
if not, why let their opinion of me rule me? even Noah was mocked. even Jesus was laughed at.
and if nobody thinks your idea is crazy, maybe it isn’t big enough. revolutions feel ridiculous before they’re accepted.
SUMMARY 🤓
overall, The Entrepreneur Rollercoaster woke me up not only as a business owner but as a future leader and parent. it taught me to pursue excellence instead of validation, to focus deeply, act consistently, and sell boldly. it reminded me to hire and love well, lead by example, and stop waiting for fear to disappear.
the book reframed entrepreneurship not just as building a business, but building yourself: habits, courage, priorities, and emotional resilience.
INFLUENCE ✏️💌
the section on how children don’t listen to what you say but copy what you do reminded me of how anyone under our influence mirrors the behaviour we model. leadership is not just instruction, it is example.
PASSION ✏️💌
the book starts by redefining passion in three forms: passion for what you do, why you do it, and how you do it (the pursuit of excellence). sometimes you may not find joy in the task itself, but the mission behind it. the standard you hold yourself to can fuel you.
IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING ✏️💌
counter-intuitively, success doesn’t naturally go to the best product, but to the business that markets best. Michelin chefs may make better food, but the biggest restaurant in the world is still McDonald’s because of its distribution and branding. (though i would argue the value for money is key here 😂)
but anyway, leaders in industries aren’t always the most talented, but they are often the most visible. quality matters, but without sales no one sees it. this reminded me to keep selling and communicating value to remain top of mind.
HIRE A-PLAYERS ✏️💌
team building was another standout. the book advises not to hire B-players just to solve fires in the moment. if you do, you might end up pouring gasoline onto the fire. it creates an even bigger fire. instead, hire A-players… because they pay for themselves. you can think of them as free, because they bring in more than what you pay them. they are worth it! plus, they attract other A-players too :)
all this to say: waiting for the right person to hire is better than settling too fast. hire like you’d choose a spouse: intentionally and thoughtfully because they shape the culture.
VITAL PRIORITIES ✏️💌
busy ≠ productive.
many people stay busy but unproductive because they scatter energy. we have to guard our priorities.
this book pushed me to identify one vital function and pour all my energy there while delegating the rest. because the feeling of overwhelm is not often caused by workload, but by unclear priorities.
we can’t dig shallow holes everywhere hoping for oil. we have to dig deep in one place to find it.
SUCCESS & FAILURE ✏️💌
success cannot exist without failure. the more you fail, the more you learn, and the faster you grow.
success and failure make up a pendulum; the more failure you experience, the more success you are exposed to. many swing only in their comfort zone, experiencing little failure, but also little success. so get used to failing. swing the pendulum toward risk, and take more opportunities than your competition. once you habituate yourself to fear, it becomes familiar rather than threatening.
we fear before we act, but once we’re in motion the anxiety fades. like jumping out of a plane or approaching someone new, the fear lives in the anticipation of it. the solution is immediate exposure. as Nike says: “just do it”.
PEOPLE-PLEASING ✏️💌
“would this person cry at my funeral?”
if not, why let their opinion of me rule me? even Noah was mocked. even Jesus was laughed at.
and if nobody thinks your idea is crazy, maybe it isn’t big enough. revolutions feel ridiculous before they’re accepted.
SUMMARY 🤓
overall, The Entrepreneur Rollercoaster woke me up not only as a business owner but as a future leader and parent. it taught me to pursue excellence instead of validation, to focus deeply, act consistently, and sell boldly. it reminded me to hire and love well, lead by example, and stop waiting for fear to disappear.
March 12, 2022
Simply and understandably written book about starting a business. It gives a really good overview of the challenges and touches on main points like passion, sales, naysayers, recruitment, culture, leadership, fear, mental and emotional resilience, etc. Provides some stories but don’t expect detailed examples. Most of the things I already know but highly recommend for people who are thinking of starting a business. The main insights for me from the book are:
There are 4 “switches” to turn on your passion: what you do (don’t romanticize the idea of being wholly passionate of what you do all the time), why you do it, how you do it, who you do it for (children, family, community, your country). It doesn’t matter, which switch you choose, as long as the choice matters to you. The switch provides you with the adrenaline you need to persevere through the tough times. If you are passionate about HOW you do what you do (the passion to be in the quality, execution, outcome) you can achieve higher opportunities and greater satisfaction. Find your enemy to motivate you fight even harder.
As a society we love myths and believing in inborn gifts and limits, is much gentler on the psyche. The reason I am not a great X is because I am not wired to be one. Thinking of talent as innate makes our world more manageable, comfortable. It takes away the burden of expectation. It relieves people of distressing comparisons. Greatness doesn’t come from DNA, there is no such thing as innate talent or genius. We all have our own unique strengths but we all can become geniuses and reach mastery in any area of our lives if we commit to the processes of constant and never ending improvement. That is why often the key to this process is passion, to drive you through these tedious 10k hours of practice so you can reach the levels that the non-obsessed won’t. Everyone has talent but ability takes hard work - Michael Jordan.
Embrace your freaky nature 5 strategies:
1. Stop being likeable. The higher you climb on the ladder of success the more people would dislike or hate you.
2. Become laughable. Embrace the laughter and have the last laugh. If nobody laughs at you, you aren’t doing something revolutionary enough.
3. Define success for yourself and not what others define and compare. Maybe success for you is just being the person you want to be (like Maria Shriver).
4. Get a grip - getting perspective on how important the opinions of other people really are, ralizing those opinions aren’t important. Don’t live for other people’s approval. According to research, most of them would not even show up at your funeral if it rains. If somebody rejects you, think whether they would be 1 of the 10 people that would come to your funeral. If not - then what does it matter their rejection.
5. Reduce recovery times. Focus your attention not on the failure but on the lessons learned and opportunities created. The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convinience but where they stand in times of challenge. Know there will be dark days, more than the good days. But the good days will be really good. You will be knocked down and it will hurt but it’s ok. Give yourself recovery time. Confucius said: our greatest glory is not in never falling but in getting up every time we do. Just try to reduce the time staying there. In order to get better you have to push yourself. If you push yourself, you are going to fall. If you are not falling - you are not pushing. Falling is part of getting better - it is a proof you are stretching and growing past your previous limits. It is confirmation you are improving.
You will be tempted to quit. But you can’t get to the end if you quit. Embrace your inner freak and ignore the crowds.
9 steps to build your sales muscle:
1. Don’t kill your customers - don’t think about your future customers as a hit list but how you can help them solve their problems. How can your product or service address their needs or fears, what problem does it solve, how to make positive difference. If it doesn’t help - you either have wrong prospect or product.
2. Get in bed with your customer - connect with your audience, feel what they feel, experience what they experience, think what they think. Try to imagine what those people worry about when they get to bed and use same language when you try to address them in reality.
3. Don’t be first aid Fred - don’t focus on what You are passionate about and what You need. Effective sales isn’t finding a need and filling it but finding a perceived need and helping someone fulfill it.
4. Sell like John Lennon - find what is most important to your prospects and focus all your effort in education on their number one need/ desire. When time comes to make the sell - make it personalized to their need. Connect your customers to expertly personalized solutions. Take time to adjust your message to meet each indivudual customer’s needs.
5. Find a relationship bridge between you and your desired client - get referred from a credible and trusted source.
6. Sell in bulk - search for influencers and people with large networks, who can potentually generate entire volumes of transactions and not just one.
7. Deliver with shock and awe. In competitive markets, things happen quickly so then you would need to be a bit “aggressive”. In real estate you might lose 1 in 5 for being too aggressive but you win the other 4. Be excited about the customers, who will admire your willingness to go big.
8. Sell to the best, forget the rest. Narrow your sights and go after your best buyers, who might be only 10% of your client base but they generate 90% of your profits. And the rest of the clients generate 100% of the headaches. How to distinguish the 10% from rest of the group - they should meet these 3 criteria: 1) easy - they are readily accesible and easy to reach, costing you little advertising, marketing and sales effort 2) fast - they have the greatest, most obvious perceived need so when presented with your solution, they see the value quickly and are quick to make a decision and purchase 3) profitable - they are the type that once converted, their lifetime value is high because of their transaction size, upsell purchases, frequency of repeat purchases, and referrals. The key to greater profits is rarely capturing more clients but capturing more valuable ones.
9. Find your dream 50 customers - narrow down even more your list with best of the best customers and focus on those key relationships. Those you dream of being in business with, who even 1-2 of them can change your world.
Feel how your customers feel, help them solve the problems that keep them up at night. Listen more, build bridges and don’t be afraid to shock and awe your way to the top.
Hire A-players to help you grow your company and attract other A-players. Make sure to provide them right opportunities, focus and offer the right support. You can afford to pay them high salaries but would be very costly to pay B- and C-players in the longrun.
You can’t shape or create culture. The culture of an organization evolves around the people, who make up the company. Culture is the personality and character expression of the people in it. The only way to shape that culture is to focus on hiring the people with attributes that you want the culture to have. 3 principles to be a master recruiter: 1) know what you want (integrity, passion, persistance, boldness, reliable, consistent, hard working): A-player would need these criteria: they are better than you, they have character, they are in love with your idea/ company. 2) know what they want; top 5 employees are looking for: great people, challenge/ exciting/ quality work, opportunity to move up/ grow, growth/ develop/ become more of who they want to be as a person, money. 3) the F(un) factor - a business has to be fun, involving, the work to mean something to your people.
The number one constraint/ bottleneck for growth is the leader. Your leadership ability is the major limit to what you can achieve in business. The aim of the leader is to lead, do the right thing and not to be liked. Usually the right thing is not the popular thing.
Identify your vital functions - just the few things that matter and concentrate on doing those and the rest - delegate. Activity is not productivity. Valuable work is different from busy work. Most probably you are spending very little time on your vital functions work. Vital functions are the key contributions to the success of the company or goal. Vital priorities are the day to day areas of focus and tasks, required to accomplish the goal.
Note down your big 3 goals that if achieved will make the best year of your life. Then identify the key behaviours that you need to do every day to support thos goals. Track your progress daily to prevent drift.
Knowledge is the potential for power. It is what you do with what you know and learn. There is a big difference between learning and improving - the difference is taking action and producing measurable results.
Courage is feeling the fear and proceeding anyway. Fear is not real, despite it feels real. It is how your mind interpretes the things because fear is residing entirely in your brain. It is the mind that gives every interpretation meaning. The mind conjures up the negative emotion. 6 brain hacks to conquer fear:
1. Get real - gain perspective. Seperate reality from fantasy (eg if you stand in front of audience, it won’t attack you). Good question to ask yourself before doing anything you think you fear is “if I do this am I going to die?”. If the answer is no, then your fear is made up, grossly overdramatic and it should have no power over you.
2. It is the fear of fear you fear. The anticipation of doing specific thing is what we fear, the pre-fear. But once you are engaged in the activity, your ancient mind realises you aren’t facing a predator/ mortal threat and turns off the fear response.
3. 20 seconds of courage - you have to turn off your fear for a couple of seconds so you can do the first step and afterwards your brain will see there is no real threat and will switch off.
4. Focus on tasks not outcomes - focus on the task at hand without magnification, eg when Tiger Woods doesn’t think about the millions he can make from this successfull shot but at the shot itself.
5. Habituate yourself to fear - do the thing you fear over and over again until you train your brain that it’s no longer something to be feared.
6. Making fear and failure fun - the key to success is massive failure. Your goal is to outfail the competition. In most business whoever can fail the most, the fastest, the biggest, wins. Love failure, celebrate it, seek it, make it a game, become addicted to pushing yourself to gain more of it. That is when all resistance is removed.
Don’t miss the point - know what you want, your real goals and don’t measure your success on what others measure but on what you truly want and matters to you (maybe it is not money but relationships). Think what is most important to you: freedom, love, happiness, health, connectedness, more time with your family and friends. Live today as you want to be remembered at the end.
Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do. - Goethe
There are 4 “switches” to turn on your passion: what you do (don’t romanticize the idea of being wholly passionate of what you do all the time), why you do it, how you do it, who you do it for (children, family, community, your country). It doesn’t matter, which switch you choose, as long as the choice matters to you. The switch provides you with the adrenaline you need to persevere through the tough times. If you are passionate about HOW you do what you do (the passion to be in the quality, execution, outcome) you can achieve higher opportunities and greater satisfaction. Find your enemy to motivate you fight even harder.
As a society we love myths and believing in inborn gifts and limits, is much gentler on the psyche. The reason I am not a great X is because I am not wired to be one. Thinking of talent as innate makes our world more manageable, comfortable. It takes away the burden of expectation. It relieves people of distressing comparisons. Greatness doesn’t come from DNA, there is no such thing as innate talent or genius. We all have our own unique strengths but we all can become geniuses and reach mastery in any area of our lives if we commit to the processes of constant and never ending improvement. That is why often the key to this process is passion, to drive you through these tedious 10k hours of practice so you can reach the levels that the non-obsessed won’t. Everyone has talent but ability takes hard work - Michael Jordan.
Embrace your freaky nature 5 strategies:
1. Stop being likeable. The higher you climb on the ladder of success the more people would dislike or hate you.
2. Become laughable. Embrace the laughter and have the last laugh. If nobody laughs at you, you aren’t doing something revolutionary enough.
3. Define success for yourself and not what others define and compare. Maybe success for you is just being the person you want to be (like Maria Shriver).
4. Get a grip - getting perspective on how important the opinions of other people really are, ralizing those opinions aren’t important. Don’t live for other people’s approval. According to research, most of them would not even show up at your funeral if it rains. If somebody rejects you, think whether they would be 1 of the 10 people that would come to your funeral. If not - then what does it matter their rejection.
5. Reduce recovery times. Focus your attention not on the failure but on the lessons learned and opportunities created. The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convinience but where they stand in times of challenge. Know there will be dark days, more than the good days. But the good days will be really good. You will be knocked down and it will hurt but it’s ok. Give yourself recovery time. Confucius said: our greatest glory is not in never falling but in getting up every time we do. Just try to reduce the time staying there. In order to get better you have to push yourself. If you push yourself, you are going to fall. If you are not falling - you are not pushing. Falling is part of getting better - it is a proof you are stretching and growing past your previous limits. It is confirmation you are improving.
You will be tempted to quit. But you can’t get to the end if you quit. Embrace your inner freak and ignore the crowds.
9 steps to build your sales muscle:
1. Don’t kill your customers - don’t think about your future customers as a hit list but how you can help them solve their problems. How can your product or service address their needs or fears, what problem does it solve, how to make positive difference. If it doesn’t help - you either have wrong prospect or product.
2. Get in bed with your customer - connect with your audience, feel what they feel, experience what they experience, think what they think. Try to imagine what those people worry about when they get to bed and use same language when you try to address them in reality.
3. Don’t be first aid Fred - don’t focus on what You are passionate about and what You need. Effective sales isn’t finding a need and filling it but finding a perceived need and helping someone fulfill it.
4. Sell like John Lennon - find what is most important to your prospects and focus all your effort in education on their number one need/ desire. When time comes to make the sell - make it personalized to their need. Connect your customers to expertly personalized solutions. Take time to adjust your message to meet each indivudual customer’s needs.
5. Find a relationship bridge between you and your desired client - get referred from a credible and trusted source.
6. Sell in bulk - search for influencers and people with large networks, who can potentually generate entire volumes of transactions and not just one.
7. Deliver with shock and awe. In competitive markets, things happen quickly so then you would need to be a bit “aggressive”. In real estate you might lose 1 in 5 for being too aggressive but you win the other 4. Be excited about the customers, who will admire your willingness to go big.
8. Sell to the best, forget the rest. Narrow your sights and go after your best buyers, who might be only 10% of your client base but they generate 90% of your profits. And the rest of the clients generate 100% of the headaches. How to distinguish the 10% from rest of the group - they should meet these 3 criteria: 1) easy - they are readily accesible and easy to reach, costing you little advertising, marketing and sales effort 2) fast - they have the greatest, most obvious perceived need so when presented with your solution, they see the value quickly and are quick to make a decision and purchase 3) profitable - they are the type that once converted, their lifetime value is high because of their transaction size, upsell purchases, frequency of repeat purchases, and referrals. The key to greater profits is rarely capturing more clients but capturing more valuable ones.
9. Find your dream 50 customers - narrow down even more your list with best of the best customers and focus on those key relationships. Those you dream of being in business with, who even 1-2 of them can change your world.
Feel how your customers feel, help them solve the problems that keep them up at night. Listen more, build bridges and don’t be afraid to shock and awe your way to the top.
Hire A-players to help you grow your company and attract other A-players. Make sure to provide them right opportunities, focus and offer the right support. You can afford to pay them high salaries but would be very costly to pay B- and C-players in the longrun.
You can’t shape or create culture. The culture of an organization evolves around the people, who make up the company. Culture is the personality and character expression of the people in it. The only way to shape that culture is to focus on hiring the people with attributes that you want the culture to have. 3 principles to be a master recruiter: 1) know what you want (integrity, passion, persistance, boldness, reliable, consistent, hard working): A-player would need these criteria: they are better than you, they have character, they are in love with your idea/ company. 2) know what they want; top 5 employees are looking for: great people, challenge/ exciting/ quality work, opportunity to move up/ grow, growth/ develop/ become more of who they want to be as a person, money. 3) the F(un) factor - a business has to be fun, involving, the work to mean something to your people.
The number one constraint/ bottleneck for growth is the leader. Your leadership ability is the major limit to what you can achieve in business. The aim of the leader is to lead, do the right thing and not to be liked. Usually the right thing is not the popular thing.
Identify your vital functions - just the few things that matter and concentrate on doing those and the rest - delegate. Activity is not productivity. Valuable work is different from busy work. Most probably you are spending very little time on your vital functions work. Vital functions are the key contributions to the success of the company or goal. Vital priorities are the day to day areas of focus and tasks, required to accomplish the goal.
Note down your big 3 goals that if achieved will make the best year of your life. Then identify the key behaviours that you need to do every day to support thos goals. Track your progress daily to prevent drift.
Knowledge is the potential for power. It is what you do with what you know and learn. There is a big difference between learning and improving - the difference is taking action and producing measurable results.
Courage is feeling the fear and proceeding anyway. Fear is not real, despite it feels real. It is how your mind interpretes the things because fear is residing entirely in your brain. It is the mind that gives every interpretation meaning. The mind conjures up the negative emotion. 6 brain hacks to conquer fear:
1. Get real - gain perspective. Seperate reality from fantasy (eg if you stand in front of audience, it won’t attack you). Good question to ask yourself before doing anything you think you fear is “if I do this am I going to die?”. If the answer is no, then your fear is made up, grossly overdramatic and it should have no power over you.
2. It is the fear of fear you fear. The anticipation of doing specific thing is what we fear, the pre-fear. But once you are engaged in the activity, your ancient mind realises you aren’t facing a predator/ mortal threat and turns off the fear response.
3. 20 seconds of courage - you have to turn off your fear for a couple of seconds so you can do the first step and afterwards your brain will see there is no real threat and will switch off.
4. Focus on tasks not outcomes - focus on the task at hand without magnification, eg when Tiger Woods doesn’t think about the millions he can make from this successfull shot but at the shot itself.
5. Habituate yourself to fear - do the thing you fear over and over again until you train your brain that it’s no longer something to be feared.
6. Making fear and failure fun - the key to success is massive failure. Your goal is to outfail the competition. In most business whoever can fail the most, the fastest, the biggest, wins. Love failure, celebrate it, seek it, make it a game, become addicted to pushing yourself to gain more of it. That is when all resistance is removed.
Don’t miss the point - know what you want, your real goals and don’t measure your success on what others measure but on what you truly want and matters to you (maybe it is not money but relationships). Think what is most important to you: freedom, love, happiness, health, connectedness, more time with your family and friends. Live today as you want to be remembered at the end.
Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do. - Goethe
June 18, 2022
Very practical and useful. I've already gifted a copy to a friend, and will be reading it again.
March 13, 2015
Darren Hardy is one of the most genuine and down to earth leaders I know. He is able to relate to real world problems and assist anyone in achieving their desired outcome. He always gives more than what we expect from a mentor. This book is some of his best work and will definitely Impact any and all entrepreneurs in profound ways. On a side note Darren provides us with daily tools and techniques designed to improve the quality of our lives. I recommend checking it out for yourself at http://www.darrendaily.com
March 12, 2015
This Book is absolutely amazing so far. This is a must read for everyone who has their own business or thinking of starting one. Darren Hardy has simplified everything you need to know to succeed in life when it comes to being an entrepreneur. I love how he has small workshops in the book that help you understand what you read and he does a great job on helping us apply everything we read in our daily lives!!! PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!!
Thanks
Sam
Thanks
Sam
March 13, 2015
This book is one that any entrepreneur should read. Even if you have ran your own business for some time now. There is so much amazing information in this book that I am on my 3rd time reading it. It has really helped me understand a few things. Who knows, maybe you can up the success of your business by giving this a read!
March 13, 2015
I thought this was the most inspiring and eye-opening book I've read. At 22 years of age, this book taught me the key basics I need to pursue my tech startup dreams in Big Data. It helped eliminate the self inflicted fears and the false misconceptions of traditional leadership or what makes a business successful.
March 17, 2015
Amazing read! Great for any entrepreneur or current business owner! It will either tell you need to know about the journey and/or what you are doing right! Make sure to read it before or during your entrepreneurship process! It will guarantee success if followed!
March 5, 2015
This book was incredible, one of the best books I've read/listened to. Highly recommend to anyone that is starting or thinking of starting a business.
March 13, 2015
I have started reading the book recently and my mind is adopting new ideas on how o kick-start my Public Speaking endeavor and so many other ventures that I have.
Thanks Darren.
Thanks Darren.
February 2, 2017
This book is "Enterpreneurship 101" - in a good way. If you're thinking about starting a business, you'll get a ton of value from having a general overview of what to expect. If you are already a successful business owner, it's always great to go back to the basics.
Hardy's real strength here is in his storytelling. The anecdotes and examples he provides make the book easy to read, and there are plenty of actionable takeaways as well.
Below are my favorite quotes from each chapter:
========== CHAPTER : 1 THE HEIGHT REQUIREMENT
When you simply refocus your mind and attention on who is being served by what you do, why and how you do it, all of a sudden your passion is re-engaged, turned ON, and the entire process becomes more meaningful.
Almost every great achievement began with someone finally getting ticked off, saying, “Enough!” and standing up to fight.
Everyone needs a worthy adversary.
A good enemy gives you a reason to get fired up.
Being successful in business requires an emotional charge. Love is great, but if that charge comes from your desire to right a wrong, fight the good fight, or seek justice, then it’s just as good as love and often even better.
What do you see as an enemy to your industry, your family, your community, or your world?
What positive outcome do you want to see realized as a result of your product, service, or business? Got that image in your mind? Now, what’s the opposite of that? What threatens that? What is the enemy of that? Who or what could stop you from achieving that outcome? There’s your enemy! There’s your epic battle.
When he was asked why he didn’t invest in Internet stocks, he held up his thumb and index finger to make a circle. He said something like, “You see this? This is my circle of competency. I only get involved with opportunities that are inside that circle. If it’s not in there, I don’t invest in it.
“If you’d rather be anywhere than doing your great work on a Saturday morning,” he says, “then you’re probably doing the wrong thing or looking at it the wrong way.”
========== CHAPTER 2: SECURE YOUR SHOULDER HARNESS
“People don’t resent you for being brave. They resent themselves for being afraid.”
We spend most of our lives pursuing success, but I’m not sure we stop often enough and ask ourselves: What does success mean to me?
If I ever felt myself getting caught up in or brought down by what other people thought of me, whether or not they approved of what I was doing (or wearing), all I had to do is ask myself if they would be one of the ten people to cry at my funeral.
All this time, nobody has really been thinking about us at all.
========== CHAPTER 3: FUEL FOR THE MOTOR
Like it or not, the one thing that matters most in determining whether your business succeeds or fails miserably is sales.
The ultimate success of a product or service is 10 percent product quality and 90 percent sales.
I believe the quality of a product or service should be what’s most important, and it should stand entirely on the value it delivers. But that’s just not how it works in reality.
The person who knows how to get, keep, and cultivate a customer gets paid the most. Period.
Every day millions of businesses fail because their owners are hiding somewhere—hiding behind to-do lists, incessant email checking, social media monitoring, mindless meetings, or unnecessary paperwork. It’s time to quit hiding and start selling.
Trust me, you know how to sell—you’ve been doing it your whole life.
Kids are masters of sales. They know how to overcome objections, push through stall tactics, handle rejection, not take no for an answer, and continue to ask for the order… until the deal is sealed (or until they have to be removed by force).
Now more than ever, the fate of your business, your dreams, and your future hinges on your ability to sell better than your competition.
“No one wants to be your next hit, Darren. They don’t want to be your next victim. And when you label them that way, you think of them that way. And when you think of people that way, you treat them that way. They know it and feel it. They can tell.”
He crossed out “HIT LIST,” and with a fast and steady hand wrote, “Families I’m Going to Help Next.”
Before I picked up the phone, I’d look at my list and I’d think about the family I was calling. What did they need help with? Were they struggling in a home they couldn’t afford? Did they need a bigger house now that they had children—one in a better school district? Were they first-time buyers overwhelmed and nervous by the thought of such a large purchase?
As soon as I shifted my perspective, my success rate improved dramatically, and my sales shot up. But the best part of all? I really began to enjoy the process. What had started out as an exercise in sheer brute force had become something I felt good about—for more than just the size of my commission.
what people were really responding to was my misdirected intention. Whereas before I had always thought of sales as a way to get something, I could now see it as a tool for giving.
HELP. How can you help? How does your product or service address someone’s deepest need or fear? What problem does it solve? How does it make a positive difference?
And if what you have doesn’t help? Then you’ve either got the wrong prospect or the wrong product.
I was working with a CEO recently, and he said, “I want my marketing message to speak what is in my heart.” I responded, “No, you don’t.” Have you ever been subjected to someone’s passionate (probably long-winded) pitch about something they’re all fired up about but that you couldn’t care less about?
Sales is not about finding a need and filling it.
Effective sales is about finding a perceived need and helping someone fulfill it.
If the customer doesn’t perceive the need, there is no need.
Pull—don’t push. Investigate—don’t present. Probe—don’t pitch. Ask—don’t assume.
I sold a $ 4 million parking space, a $ 2.8 million gym and spa access pass, and a $ 6 million closet.
in each case he discovered what was most important to each client. Take the parking space, for example. The buyer had vintage cars and had a bad experience in a previous building. John spent an hour explaining the security, safety, and cleanliness of the underground parking. “The buyer couldn’t write the check fast enough,” John said.
John finds his client’s most important desire, need or hot button and connects the solution he has to meet it.
Then, when the time comes to show the unit or “make the sale,” the same unit in the same building that’s been shown many times is transformed into something entirely new, totally different, and completely personalized to the client walking through it in that moment.
Do you connect to your customers by asking questions and genuinely listening to the answers? And if so, do you take the extra step to connect those customers to expertly personalized solutions? Do you take time to drastically adjust your message to meet each individual customer’s needs?
“Cold calls are for rookies and weirdos. Don’t be a rookie or weirdo. Find a relationship bridge.”
Aside from those first few failed candy bar sales attempts, Mark has never sold accounts one by one.
Instead of taking each sale one by one, use the Mark approach and sell in bulk, box by box. Seek out influencers, those who are connected to broader networks of potential customers.
“I lose one out of five for being too aggressive.” She paused for effect, then added, “But I get the other four!”
Spend 90 percent of your time focused on the 10 percent client type.
The key to greater profits is rarely capturing more clients. The key to greater profits is capturing more valuable ones.
“How can we sell magazines not one by one, but by the tens of thousands?”
“Who do we know who is responsible for large networks of people who yearn to be inspired, empowered, and more successful?”
If you could build a dream list, who would be on it? Narrow the universe of available prospects down to that best of the best. Often, your Dream 50 will consist of people you don’t currently even have on your prospect list. You might not have had the courage to write them down before.
========== CHAPTER 4: FILLING YOUR EMPTY SEATS
Entrepreneurs see the potential in everything and everyone, and we are happy to hire on hope alone.
An entrepreneur cannot hire on hope alone.
You need to hire evidence. You do not have the time or the resources to train or develop anyone’s skill or attitude.
You simply need to go recruit people who already have, by evidence, what you need and then place them into your organization.
The average business has about 65 to 80 percent of its operating costs consumed by salaries and wages.
If you add up the cost of recruiting, paying, training, maintaining, and severing a poorly performing employee, along with his or her mistakes, missed opportunities, and failures, the average cost of a bad hire is about 6 to 15 times the person’s annual salary.
A-players want to work where other A-players work. It’s a self-perpetuating attraction mechanism but only if you monitor and protect it closely.
You cannot shape or create the culture.
The culture of an organization evolves around the people who make up the company.
To have a high-performance culture, you need to hire and maintain high-performing people.
“The single most important thing you need to do is pick the right people and keep them. There is NOTHING more important than this.” —Jim Collins
“Your goal is to be the dumbest one in the room. Hire people BETTER than you.”
Here’s what Warren Buffett looks for: integrity, intelligence, and energy.
Are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself.
In the same way entrepreneurs like you are reinventing what it means to be in business, employees are looking at work and careers in a whole new way, too.
If you’re soliciting applicants to fill one of the exclusive seats on your ride, the headline should talk about the opportunity to work with other extremely talented, fun, passionate, and high-character people who are fired up about the great mission, challenge, and vision you are trying to realize. Explain how you invest in your people to help them grow, develop, and achieve their goals—professionally and personally. Then (maybe) footnote the compensation package.
Remember this: The bigger your dream, the more important your team. If you have small, unambitious dreams, then you only need a small, unambitious team.
========== CHAPTER 5: RIDING IN THE FRONT SEAT
I am the constraint.
They’re only as fast and disciplined and positive as you are.
people will eventually model and match your behavior, particularly the behavior of the one deemed “leader.”
Who you are, how you show up, how you act, live, and represent yourself is your greatest source of influence, and your people will, without even knowing it, mirror your lead.
You are on stage at all times.
you must look for those small intakes of breath from the quieter members of your team. And when you hear one, gently and persistently encourage that person to speak.
“Whatever you are doing in your business right now,” he told me, “your goal really is to find a way to quit it. You need to stop doing almost everything you do at the office.”
Delegation is a form of quitting. Even if you are the most well-rounded and capable CEO of all time, you are still better off delegating functions to specialists.
except the part of being the visionary leader.”
Your goal is to get enough sales going so you can quit taking out the trash and hire someone else to do it. Get more sales going, then quit doing the accounting.
You want to go from everything to nothing—except leading.
“You want to turn labor into leadership. As the founder and CEO, you should not be doing anything. You should only be leading.”
You’re the head coach, not the player.
“We are a team, not a family. It is the coach’s job at every level to hire, develop, and cut smartly so we have stars in every position.”
========== CHAPTER 6: PICKING UP SPEED
“I’ve figured out that every endeavor that you do has a few vital functions. All you have to do is figure out what they are and become excellent at them.”
What’s the big secret of how to get it all done? Don’t. Just do the vital functions (amazingly well) and build a great team of capable players who are excellent at the rest
I challenge you to take on the stopwatch. Once you identify what your vital functions are, start tracking how much time you actually spend doing them. You will be shocked at how little time you’re spending on the most important things, the only things, you should be spending your time on. If you make it your mission to increase that number, you’ll change your business and your life.
What’s your income goal for the year? $ 100,000? $ 500,000? $ 1,000,000? Divide that number by 2,000.
The number you get is the hourly rate you have to generate over a 40-hour week in the next year.
If you’re falling short of your income goals, it’s because you waste time doing low-value work. That’s it. That’s the only reason.
You need to delegate everything anyone else can do at a lower rate to free up every minute possible for you to do your vital functions.
“Would I pay someone (the hourly rate you just determined above) to do what I’m doing now?”
If your answer is “no,” then stop doing it yourself. It’s costing you money. You can’t afford to do it. You have to delegate.
delegation requires humility. A recognition that you aren’t the only one who can do something well, quickly, and competently. Stop being a narcissist and let go.”
And I figured out it was the 22 minutes on Sunday—that broadcast that then gets shot around the world.
But when you have too many priorities, like the lion, you become paralyzed
Vital Functions are your key contributions to the success of the organization or goal. Vital Priorities are the day-to-day or quarter-to-quarter areas of focus and tasks required to accomplish the goal.
my three Vital Functions at SUCCESS are keynote speaking to large audiences; creating, editing, and curating content; and public media representation.
Vital Functions are those few “rain making” roles you have and Vital Priorities are the important tasks you are focused on to fulfill those functions.
“No amount of money would matter. Right now, Richard has three strategic priorities he is focused on, and he will only allow us to allocate his calendar to something that significantly contributes to the accomplishment of one of those three priorities, and speaking for a fee is not one of them.”
a recurring theme in superachievers: having three (or fewer) strategic priorities.
There’s no minor project list. There’s no maybe we’ll get to this list. There’s no side project list. There are only three priorities, and everything else is thrown out so all mental, financial, and spiritual resources can be fully invested into those three, and only those three, priorities.
“People think focus means saying ‘yes’ to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying ‘no’ to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. [Success] is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things.”
Impact became the thing I measured to discover when I was on course and when I was off.
New database opt-ins.
These are the three goals that if you achieved them, would make this year, undeniably, the best year of your life.
The key is to identify the one or two key habits that are most important to the achievement of each of your BIG 3 goals.
We need to bring awareness to our unconscious behaviors, and only tracking will make that happen.
It takes less than thirty seconds to review your BIG 3 and the half dozen key habits you planned to execute each day. Check off each one:
We don’t fall off our workout schedule, our diet, our resolutions, our goals—we drift. We drift ever so slightly and slowly without realizing it.
Do what other superachievers do and narrow your list down to three big goals that, if reached, would make this the best year of your life. Then identify the key behaviors you need to do each and every day to support those goals, and track your progress each and every day to prevent drift.
You don’t succeed just by learning. You have to study, then do. We need to learn less and do more.
There is a significant difference between learning and improving, and the difference is taking action and producing measureable results.
each quarter I figure out what skill is most needed to advance my BIG 3 goals, and I then attack it. I buy the top five books on the topic, the top three audio or video programs on the topic, and sign up for (at least) one seminar focused on that skill. Then I spend the quarter studying, practicing, and tracking my improvement on that vital skill.
I was told by Brian Tracy that every dollar you invest in your personal development adds thirty to your bottom line.
they know that investing in themselves is what got them to where they are, and they know they need to keep doing it to grow and stay at the top of their game.
I’m a big believer in finding someone or something that works for you and going deep with it.
Attending the same workshop that I already knew was great, led by someone I already respected and aligned with philosophically, was far better for me than attending six different seminars.
Those new events would have done more to perplex my mind than they would have done to deepen my understanding of the existing principles of success I already knew to work.
I see people dig too many shallow holes and wonder why they never strike oil. Instead, once you dig a hole that has oil in it (find someone or something you like), keep drilling—go deeper. Mine that well for all it’s got.
Your success vitals boil down to one simple concept: Decide on a few critical things, do them more often, then get better at them.
Maybe you need to boss yourself around a little more.
========== CHAPTER 7: HANDS IN THE AIR
Most people never live up to the potential they have been given.
The results they produce and the life they experience are only a tiny fraction of what they are truly capable of. Why? What stops us? Only one thing: fear.
“If I do this, am I going to die?” If the answer is no, then your fear is made up,
Do this: Shut off your brain. Close your eyes, hold your breath (if you need to), and do what every signal of your brain is insisting you don’t do—RUN RIGHT AT IT!
Think of everything you could accomplish if you forced 20 seconds of bravery on your primitive mind just three times a day?
In most businesses, whoever can fail the most, the fastest, and the biggest wins.”
“most people figure out how to operate in a narrow comfort zone. They can only allow the pendulum to swing a small distance into pain, rejection, and failure, thus they only experience the same small degree of joy, connection, and success
I was willing to be a massive failure, and I ended up loving it. In fact, it became quite addictive because I knew it was the controlling factor in my greater success.
========== CHAPTER 8: SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
“I had houses. Too many houses. What I needed was more people. More relationships.”
The point is enjoying the ride.
Hardy's real strength here is in his storytelling. The anecdotes and examples he provides make the book easy to read, and there are plenty of actionable takeaways as well.
Below are my favorite quotes from each chapter:
========== CHAPTER : 1 THE HEIGHT REQUIREMENT
When you simply refocus your mind and attention on who is being served by what you do, why and how you do it, all of a sudden your passion is re-engaged, turned ON, and the entire process becomes more meaningful.
Almost every great achievement began with someone finally getting ticked off, saying, “Enough!” and standing up to fight.
Everyone needs a worthy adversary.
A good enemy gives you a reason to get fired up.
Being successful in business requires an emotional charge. Love is great, but if that charge comes from your desire to right a wrong, fight the good fight, or seek justice, then it’s just as good as love and often even better.
What do you see as an enemy to your industry, your family, your community, or your world?
What positive outcome do you want to see realized as a result of your product, service, or business? Got that image in your mind? Now, what’s the opposite of that? What threatens that? What is the enemy of that? Who or what could stop you from achieving that outcome? There’s your enemy! There’s your epic battle.
When he was asked why he didn’t invest in Internet stocks, he held up his thumb and index finger to make a circle. He said something like, “You see this? This is my circle of competency. I only get involved with opportunities that are inside that circle. If it’s not in there, I don’t invest in it.
“If you’d rather be anywhere than doing your great work on a Saturday morning,” he says, “then you’re probably doing the wrong thing or looking at it the wrong way.”
========== CHAPTER 2: SECURE YOUR SHOULDER HARNESS
“People don’t resent you for being brave. They resent themselves for being afraid.”
We spend most of our lives pursuing success, but I’m not sure we stop often enough and ask ourselves: What does success mean to me?
If I ever felt myself getting caught up in or brought down by what other people thought of me, whether or not they approved of what I was doing (or wearing), all I had to do is ask myself if they would be one of the ten people to cry at my funeral.
All this time, nobody has really been thinking about us at all.
========== CHAPTER 3: FUEL FOR THE MOTOR
Like it or not, the one thing that matters most in determining whether your business succeeds or fails miserably is sales.
The ultimate success of a product or service is 10 percent product quality and 90 percent sales.
I believe the quality of a product or service should be what’s most important, and it should stand entirely on the value it delivers. But that’s just not how it works in reality.
The person who knows how to get, keep, and cultivate a customer gets paid the most. Period.
Every day millions of businesses fail because their owners are hiding somewhere—hiding behind to-do lists, incessant email checking, social media monitoring, mindless meetings, or unnecessary paperwork. It’s time to quit hiding and start selling.
Trust me, you know how to sell—you’ve been doing it your whole life.
Kids are masters of sales. They know how to overcome objections, push through stall tactics, handle rejection, not take no for an answer, and continue to ask for the order… until the deal is sealed (or until they have to be removed by force).
Now more than ever, the fate of your business, your dreams, and your future hinges on your ability to sell better than your competition.
“No one wants to be your next hit, Darren. They don’t want to be your next victim. And when you label them that way, you think of them that way. And when you think of people that way, you treat them that way. They know it and feel it. They can tell.”
He crossed out “HIT LIST,” and with a fast and steady hand wrote, “Families I’m Going to Help Next.”
Before I picked up the phone, I’d look at my list and I’d think about the family I was calling. What did they need help with? Were they struggling in a home they couldn’t afford? Did they need a bigger house now that they had children—one in a better school district? Were they first-time buyers overwhelmed and nervous by the thought of such a large purchase?
As soon as I shifted my perspective, my success rate improved dramatically, and my sales shot up. But the best part of all? I really began to enjoy the process. What had started out as an exercise in sheer brute force had become something I felt good about—for more than just the size of my commission.
what people were really responding to was my misdirected intention. Whereas before I had always thought of sales as a way to get something, I could now see it as a tool for giving.
HELP. How can you help? How does your product or service address someone’s deepest need or fear? What problem does it solve? How does it make a positive difference?
And if what you have doesn’t help? Then you’ve either got the wrong prospect or the wrong product.
I was working with a CEO recently, and he said, “I want my marketing message to speak what is in my heart.” I responded, “No, you don’t.” Have you ever been subjected to someone’s passionate (probably long-winded) pitch about something they’re all fired up about but that you couldn’t care less about?
Sales is not about finding a need and filling it.
Effective sales is about finding a perceived need and helping someone fulfill it.
If the customer doesn’t perceive the need, there is no need.
Pull—don’t push. Investigate—don’t present. Probe—don’t pitch. Ask—don’t assume.
I sold a $ 4 million parking space, a $ 2.8 million gym and spa access pass, and a $ 6 million closet.
in each case he discovered what was most important to each client. Take the parking space, for example. The buyer had vintage cars and had a bad experience in a previous building. John spent an hour explaining the security, safety, and cleanliness of the underground parking. “The buyer couldn’t write the check fast enough,” John said.
John finds his client’s most important desire, need or hot button and connects the solution he has to meet it.
Then, when the time comes to show the unit or “make the sale,” the same unit in the same building that’s been shown many times is transformed into something entirely new, totally different, and completely personalized to the client walking through it in that moment.
Do you connect to your customers by asking questions and genuinely listening to the answers? And if so, do you take the extra step to connect those customers to expertly personalized solutions? Do you take time to drastically adjust your message to meet each individual customer’s needs?
“Cold calls are for rookies and weirdos. Don’t be a rookie or weirdo. Find a relationship bridge.”
Aside from those first few failed candy bar sales attempts, Mark has never sold accounts one by one.
Instead of taking each sale one by one, use the Mark approach and sell in bulk, box by box. Seek out influencers, those who are connected to broader networks of potential customers.
“I lose one out of five for being too aggressive.” She paused for effect, then added, “But I get the other four!”
Spend 90 percent of your time focused on the 10 percent client type.
The key to greater profits is rarely capturing more clients. The key to greater profits is capturing more valuable ones.
“How can we sell magazines not one by one, but by the tens of thousands?”
“Who do we know who is responsible for large networks of people who yearn to be inspired, empowered, and more successful?”
If you could build a dream list, who would be on it? Narrow the universe of available prospects down to that best of the best. Often, your Dream 50 will consist of people you don’t currently even have on your prospect list. You might not have had the courage to write them down before.
========== CHAPTER 4: FILLING YOUR EMPTY SEATS
Entrepreneurs see the potential in everything and everyone, and we are happy to hire on hope alone.
An entrepreneur cannot hire on hope alone.
You need to hire evidence. You do not have the time or the resources to train or develop anyone’s skill or attitude.
You simply need to go recruit people who already have, by evidence, what you need and then place them into your organization.
The average business has about 65 to 80 percent of its operating costs consumed by salaries and wages.
If you add up the cost of recruiting, paying, training, maintaining, and severing a poorly performing employee, along with his or her mistakes, missed opportunities, and failures, the average cost of a bad hire is about 6 to 15 times the person’s annual salary.
A-players want to work where other A-players work. It’s a self-perpetuating attraction mechanism but only if you monitor and protect it closely.
You cannot shape or create the culture.
The culture of an organization evolves around the people who make up the company.
To have a high-performance culture, you need to hire and maintain high-performing people.
“The single most important thing you need to do is pick the right people and keep them. There is NOTHING more important than this.” —Jim Collins
“Your goal is to be the dumbest one in the room. Hire people BETTER than you.”
Here’s what Warren Buffett looks for: integrity, intelligence, and energy.
Are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself.
In the same way entrepreneurs like you are reinventing what it means to be in business, employees are looking at work and careers in a whole new way, too.
If you’re soliciting applicants to fill one of the exclusive seats on your ride, the headline should talk about the opportunity to work with other extremely talented, fun, passionate, and high-character people who are fired up about the great mission, challenge, and vision you are trying to realize. Explain how you invest in your people to help them grow, develop, and achieve their goals—professionally and personally. Then (maybe) footnote the compensation package.
Remember this: The bigger your dream, the more important your team. If you have small, unambitious dreams, then you only need a small, unambitious team.
========== CHAPTER 5: RIDING IN THE FRONT SEAT
I am the constraint.
They’re only as fast and disciplined and positive as you are.
people will eventually model and match your behavior, particularly the behavior of the one deemed “leader.”
Who you are, how you show up, how you act, live, and represent yourself is your greatest source of influence, and your people will, without even knowing it, mirror your lead.
You are on stage at all times.
you must look for those small intakes of breath from the quieter members of your team. And when you hear one, gently and persistently encourage that person to speak.
“Whatever you are doing in your business right now,” he told me, “your goal really is to find a way to quit it. You need to stop doing almost everything you do at the office.”
Delegation is a form of quitting. Even if you are the most well-rounded and capable CEO of all time, you are still better off delegating functions to specialists.
except the part of being the visionary leader.”
Your goal is to get enough sales going so you can quit taking out the trash and hire someone else to do it. Get more sales going, then quit doing the accounting.
You want to go from everything to nothing—except leading.
“You want to turn labor into leadership. As the founder and CEO, you should not be doing anything. You should only be leading.”
You’re the head coach, not the player.
“We are a team, not a family. It is the coach’s job at every level to hire, develop, and cut smartly so we have stars in every position.”
========== CHAPTER 6: PICKING UP SPEED
“I’ve figured out that every endeavor that you do has a few vital functions. All you have to do is figure out what they are and become excellent at them.”
What’s the big secret of how to get it all done? Don’t. Just do the vital functions (amazingly well) and build a great team of capable players who are excellent at the rest
I challenge you to take on the stopwatch. Once you identify what your vital functions are, start tracking how much time you actually spend doing them. You will be shocked at how little time you’re spending on the most important things, the only things, you should be spending your time on. If you make it your mission to increase that number, you’ll change your business and your life.
What’s your income goal for the year? $ 100,000? $ 500,000? $ 1,000,000? Divide that number by 2,000.
The number you get is the hourly rate you have to generate over a 40-hour week in the next year.
If you’re falling short of your income goals, it’s because you waste time doing low-value work. That’s it. That’s the only reason.
You need to delegate everything anyone else can do at a lower rate to free up every minute possible for you to do your vital functions.
“Would I pay someone (the hourly rate you just determined above) to do what I’m doing now?”
If your answer is “no,” then stop doing it yourself. It’s costing you money. You can’t afford to do it. You have to delegate.
delegation requires humility. A recognition that you aren’t the only one who can do something well, quickly, and competently. Stop being a narcissist and let go.”
And I figured out it was the 22 minutes on Sunday—that broadcast that then gets shot around the world.
But when you have too many priorities, like the lion, you become paralyzed
Vital Functions are your key contributions to the success of the organization or goal. Vital Priorities are the day-to-day or quarter-to-quarter areas of focus and tasks required to accomplish the goal.
my three Vital Functions at SUCCESS are keynote speaking to large audiences; creating, editing, and curating content; and public media representation.
Vital Functions are those few “rain making” roles you have and Vital Priorities are the important tasks you are focused on to fulfill those functions.
“No amount of money would matter. Right now, Richard has three strategic priorities he is focused on, and he will only allow us to allocate his calendar to something that significantly contributes to the accomplishment of one of those three priorities, and speaking for a fee is not one of them.”
a recurring theme in superachievers: having three (or fewer) strategic priorities.
There’s no minor project list. There’s no maybe we’ll get to this list. There’s no side project list. There are only three priorities, and everything else is thrown out so all mental, financial, and spiritual resources can be fully invested into those three, and only those three, priorities.
“People think focus means saying ‘yes’ to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying ‘no’ to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. [Success] is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things.”
Impact became the thing I measured to discover when I was on course and when I was off.
New database opt-ins.
These are the three goals that if you achieved them, would make this year, undeniably, the best year of your life.
The key is to identify the one or two key habits that are most important to the achievement of each of your BIG 3 goals.
We need to bring awareness to our unconscious behaviors, and only tracking will make that happen.
It takes less than thirty seconds to review your BIG 3 and the half dozen key habits you planned to execute each day. Check off each one:
We don’t fall off our workout schedule, our diet, our resolutions, our goals—we drift. We drift ever so slightly and slowly without realizing it.
Do what other superachievers do and narrow your list down to three big goals that, if reached, would make this the best year of your life. Then identify the key behaviors you need to do each and every day to support those goals, and track your progress each and every day to prevent drift.
You don’t succeed just by learning. You have to study, then do. We need to learn less and do more.
There is a significant difference between learning and improving, and the difference is taking action and producing measureable results.
each quarter I figure out what skill is most needed to advance my BIG 3 goals, and I then attack it. I buy the top five books on the topic, the top three audio or video programs on the topic, and sign up for (at least) one seminar focused on that skill. Then I spend the quarter studying, practicing, and tracking my improvement on that vital skill.
I was told by Brian Tracy that every dollar you invest in your personal development adds thirty to your bottom line.
they know that investing in themselves is what got them to where they are, and they know they need to keep doing it to grow and stay at the top of their game.
I’m a big believer in finding someone or something that works for you and going deep with it.
Attending the same workshop that I already knew was great, led by someone I already respected and aligned with philosophically, was far better for me than attending six different seminars.
Those new events would have done more to perplex my mind than they would have done to deepen my understanding of the existing principles of success I already knew to work.
I see people dig too many shallow holes and wonder why they never strike oil. Instead, once you dig a hole that has oil in it (find someone or something you like), keep drilling—go deeper. Mine that well for all it’s got.
Your success vitals boil down to one simple concept: Decide on a few critical things, do them more often, then get better at them.
Maybe you need to boss yourself around a little more.
========== CHAPTER 7: HANDS IN THE AIR
Most people never live up to the potential they have been given.
The results they produce and the life they experience are only a tiny fraction of what they are truly capable of. Why? What stops us? Only one thing: fear.
“If I do this, am I going to die?” If the answer is no, then your fear is made up,
Do this: Shut off your brain. Close your eyes, hold your breath (if you need to), and do what every signal of your brain is insisting you don’t do—RUN RIGHT AT IT!
Think of everything you could accomplish if you forced 20 seconds of bravery on your primitive mind just three times a day?
In most businesses, whoever can fail the most, the fastest, and the biggest wins.”
“most people figure out how to operate in a narrow comfort zone. They can only allow the pendulum to swing a small distance into pain, rejection, and failure, thus they only experience the same small degree of joy, connection, and success
I was willing to be a massive failure, and I ended up loving it. In fact, it became quite addictive because I knew it was the controlling factor in my greater success.
========== CHAPTER 8: SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
“I had houses. Too many houses. What I needed was more people. More relationships.”
The point is enjoying the ride.
February 7, 2021
As an entrepreneur for 9 years I loved this book. I wish I would have discovered it earlier in my career. There are things that were written that I already knew (by having been through similar issues myself and learning from them) but I still thought there were several key points that I learned from this book. It has helped me to see different areas where I can fine tune my business and I plan to work on from now on. This will be a book that I will probably re-read and come back to.
This is also a great book for just the average joe-especially one who has thought of owning a business but hasn't taken the plunge yet. A lot of the key points can be useful to a non-entrepreneur as well, basically on how to live life productively and be a good employee.
One of my favorite things that really stood out to me was the view of trying to live like you're writing your own obituary. (Only an average of 10 people cry at a funeral) So a healthy balance between work and home is always key.
Highly recommended.
This is also a great book for just the average joe-especially one who has thought of owning a business but hasn't taken the plunge yet. A lot of the key points can be useful to a non-entrepreneur as well, basically on how to live life productively and be a good employee.
One of my favorite things that really stood out to me was the view of trying to live like you're writing your own obituary. (Only an average of 10 people cry at a funeral) So a healthy balance between work and home is always key.
Highly recommended.
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