Building your Ideal Business isn’t easy. How do you separate yourself from the competition? How do you rise above the countless options available to the market?
Well, if you’re looking for the easy route – there isn’t one. But there is a simple and direct approach: The 10X Approach.
It’s not some magic bullet…but it will almost assuredly guarantee your success. And success isn’t easy. But you shouldn’t want it to be easy. You shouldn’t want everyone to be able to do it. That just makes it ordinary. Average. And I don’t want to settle for any part of being average – and neither should you.
So here’s the 10X Approach…
- You must commit to delivering 10 times the fee in the value you provide for anything you sell.
- You must be willing to work 10 times harder and smarter than your competition.
- You must be willing to set written goals 10 times loftier than you ever have before.
- You must commit to being 10 times more knowledgeable than the competition.
- You must get 10 times more done than the competition.
I know, that sounds challenging, right? It’s supposed to. If you want to accomplish something that most people never will, you’ve got to be willing to do things that most people would never even consider doing.
The foundation of the 10X Approach is the first principle:
You must commit to delivering 10 times the fee in the value you provide for anything you sell.
If you charge $500, then you have to do your best to deliver $5000 in value. Sure, I know that most people wouldn’t pay you $5000 for something where the market rate is $500, but that’s not the point. The point is that you relentlessly work to deliver $10 in value for every $1 you charge. You give more personal attention to your people than anyone else does.
You constantly strive to do better work. You send cards on birthdays and you give gifts at Christmas. If you spend some time every day looking for ways to deliver just a little more value, to make the experience that you provide just a little better, then you’ll get to that point where you achieve #1.
And you know that the competition isn’t doing this. They’re trying to figure out how little they can get away with giving you for the fee they charge. But remember: People either want the cheapest or they want the best, and this is how you become the best.
The second component of the 10X Approach is simple, but it will weed out 99{cd266c1509fca34f59dc93da7daf12a6ee52c6401aabb2126e757d9de7c223fc} of the people who ever own a business: You must be willing to work 10 times smarter than your competition. If you embrace this, it’s a competitive advantage that the others in your market won’t step up to match.
I didn’t say that you have to work longer – just smarter. When your competition is searching online, trying to find ways to avoid work, you work. When they think they know enough, you study. You’re either getting better or worse – every day. Spend most or all of your days getting better.
In spite of what some “experts” will tell you, there is no instant path to success. Heck, even if you win the lottery, you had to get off your butt and go buy a ticket.
Take pride in working smarter. The leaders in nearly any field know more about how to be successful than their competition and they work smarter. You can do the same. It’s a decision.
The third component of the 10X Approach is one that every mediocre business owner ignores: You must be willing to set written goals 10 times loftier than you ever have before.
Most business owners make every day like the movie Groundhog Day. They get up and do the same thing over and over. They have no real goals that drive them forward.
If you’re building your Ideal Business, you can’t make this critical mistake. Why settle for mediocrity? Why be comfortable with being average?
John F. Kennedy said, “Once you say you’re going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.”
So if you’re going to build a business, why settle for anything less than great? Building a business is hard work. I’ve been there.
I remember not having enough money to fill up my gas tank when we were getting started. I remember having to go on Craigslist to try to find discounted tickets to be able to take my son to a local amusement park because we couldn’t afford them at full price.
Nevertheless, having lofty goals was the carrot out in front that kept me motivated, and it keeps me striving to learn and get better every day. Most people won’t set those types of goals. You must.
Component #4 is something I see with my clients all the time: You must commit to being 10 times more knowledgeable than the competition. The best don’t get there by accident.
I look at some of my clients and I’m amazed by how much they know. They already know how to deliver amazing results, and they’re still the first ones to keep studying. They know more about business than the rest of their industry, but they are the first to dive in and keep improving. Being the best means always staying one step ahead, and part of that is being a lifelong learner.
The final component of the 10X Approach is simply: You must get 10 times more done than the competition. Because, ultimately, no one cares what you know, how much potential you have, or how smart and talented you are. They don’t care about all your good ideas or the countless projects you start. They sure as hell don’t care about the promises you make. They care about what you do and what you accomplish.
So if you’re building your Ideal Business – one that provides a great experience for all that come in contact with it and personal satisfaction, wealth, and freedom for you – don’t focus on activity. Focus on achievement. Remember: You only get paid for done.
So are you up to the task?
Are you one of the rare professionals that wants to be great and wants to build your Ideal Business ( a that is in that top 1{cd266c1509fca34f59dc93da7daf12a6ee52c6401aabb2126e757d9de7c223fc} of all in your field?
If so – start with the 10X Approach.