Jan. 25, 2021

Do NOT try to out-work me. (Out-smart me instead.)

Do NOT try to out-work me. (Out-smart me instead.)

Do not try to out-work me, out-smart me instead. Over the holiday, I got a message from someone very important to me, and they're going through a good rebirth of business. This individual is experiencing some focus issues and said that one of their...

Transcript

Do not try to outwork me, outsmart me instead. I hope you're well, I'm recording this for you at five 54 in the morning, in my usual spot for early morning reflection as part of my, a little morning routine that I do over the holiday. I got a message from someone very important to me, and I'm there. Going through a good rebirth of business.
And, um, this individual is experiencing some focus issues, I guess. And they said that one of their. Ambitions was to outwork me and my mom immediate response, because I care very much about this person was pleased. Don't do that instead. Outsmart me. Um, and so I say to you, don't try to outwork me.
Definitely not from a place of ego and definitely not as a challenge, you certainly are capable of outworking me. Yeah. But I don't think it's best for you or for anyone. I think that greater benefit would come from outsmarting me. And by that, I mean, figuring out ways to get to where you want to go efficiently.
Um, I do not often get to where I want to go efficiently. For many years. I got in the habit. Of working constantly. And in some ways I like it, you know, I really do enjoy learning all I can about marketing. I like trying new stuff. I like testing stuff. I like teaching what I've learned that works and warning folks away from what didn't work.
Often with a little egg on my face and the process, because every time I'm certain it's going to be a winner, you know? Um, but oftentimes a lot of experiments don't work out. So a lot of the stuff I do is, uh, I enjoy, but it's certainly not necessary by any means. For someone to just hustle constantly. In fact, I think it's destructive.
I think it's physically destructive and I think it's emotionally and mentally destructive because there's no balance. Um, I look back on my career since 1999 and granted I do make more money than I ever have, but I also. Have spent, and that is now going into the past tense spent more time working than ever over the past few years.
I think if you were to compare my career to others who work less, you would be really surprised. I'll give you one example. I have a client. I have two clients, um, probably more than that, but two immediately come to mind that have outgrown me and, um, really nothing makes me happier. And then, well, that's not true.
I mean, my children and things like that make me happier obviously, but generally speaking from a professional standpoint, Nothing is better than when a client outgrows you, because you've done a really good job. You know, if that happens, they've achieved their goals to the point that you are no longer necessary.
How great is that? It's like, if you're a physician and your patient no longer needs you, because you're healed, you've done a great job. So. Both of these clients make more money than I do in net profit. And they both work substantially less than me. One is my friend, Brooke Castillo. I met her when she was doing around $300,000 a year.
She became a client. I gave her some advice. She listened to it. She listened to the advice of a lot of other, very smart people as well. That, and she told me in a text a couple of weeks ago, I think I've got this right. That she did 36 million in 2020. Good for her. How great is that? Brooke has committed to only working.
Oh, I forgot the amount of days. I think it's only three days a week. And then there's a limited amount of time each day. And she's had that commitment for years, only three days a week. Isn't that something not get up at three in the morning and work until 11 and hustle, hustle, hustle, and drive yourself crazy three days a week, $36 million.
Pretty good. The other person who has outgrown me, but as a dear friend, who I just loved very much is Carl White. If you don't know Carl White, you should, by the way, um, his company specializes in helping mortgage. Folks do better mortgage folk stuff. And, um, Carl works eight days a month and he sent his numbers over to me on a new year's Eve, uh, or thereabouts anyway.
And, uh, he made more net profit than me. On eight days a week. So you might be like Frank dude. Why, why are you working all of the time? Well, again, part of it doesn't feel like work. I do have to admit that, you know, I mean a lot of this stuff I would do anyway, cause I just love it. I have this compulsion.
About advertising and marketing. I want to learn everything I can about it. It's always changing. I'm fascinated with the platforms. I love learning stuff and sharing it with you. And when it helps you, I feel like I've really done some good. So a lot of it doesn't feel like work, but that if I were to be honest, all right, the reason or one of the reasons I have worked so hard unnecessarily.
In moments when I did not do it out of the sheer joy of practicing the craft is one thing and it is distraction or lack of focus. So this is why I urge you. Don't outwork me, outsmart me outsmart. Whoever you want to either surpass or model in terms of business and revenue do not outwork. You have one life, that's it.
And I have enjoyed mine and continue to more and more every day. Thank God. Uh, however, a lot more time could have been spent screwing around, which is really, really fun. So to outsmart me. The best advice I could give you is to focus. One of my friends who I really admire and like very much, and don't get to talk to as much as I would like is Jeff Walker.
I'm sure. You know, Jeff Walker, if you don't Google him, he's just, he's really like, One of the nicest dudes ever. All right. So some people who are famous, you wonder like, Hey, is this person really liked that in real life? Like, so, you know, you watch Jeff's videos and stuff, and he comes across as a super nice God he's really like that.
Like actually a super nice dude all the time. Same thing with Brendon Burchard, both of those guys just ridiculously good kind nice people. Anyway, Jeff, another person rudely makes more money than me. His advantage. Has been focus, right? So if you compare Jeff's career to mine, let's say over the past 10 years, let's look at what Jeff has done.
Number one, he created product launch formula, I think probably more than 10 years ago. Number two, he focused on selling. Product launch formula from that day forward. And he's built an incredibly good business. His main thing. He sells product launch formula. It's very good. He wrote a book around that premise.
It's very good. He continues to update the course and the teachings and the methodologies. It's very good. And he's also got a couple of masterminds, which I'm sure are very good because they're always, and their renewal rates are very high. I think there was a month in 2020, I believe. It was October, but I can't remember.
Um, and so, you know, forgive me if I'm factually inaccurate here, but it's the idea that I'm trying to convey? Uh, I think there is a month where he did not work or get online. At all like zero. So, you know, Jeff lives in the middle of nowhere and likes to go do dude who lives in the middle of nowhere stuff, like, you know, go down the river and all of that.
So he didn't turn into a hermit. He just went and did Jeff Walker cool nature stuff, right. It, uh, he makes a lot of money and does not work very much. And, uh, whereas if you contrast it to me, I work all the time. And if you take my 10 year experience, uh, it is the exact polar opposite of Jeff's. So instead of let's say creating mass control, like I did years ago, it was a huge seller, very popular.
And then just reiterating that, refining it, continuing to sell it, build it as a brand. Having that be the main thing. Over 10 years, I went and tested eight zillion different business models from professional services to advertising agencies, three variations, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Every time you change course, by the way you just take on more work.
Uh, I won't say I regret any of that because a lot of it is due to an obsession with learning. I do feel like it's my job to continually figure out new stuff and share it with you. Um, no one told me it was, so that might not be the healthiest belief that I have, but I feel compelled to do it. But that focus is what is the difference, right?
Between someone like Jeff, who can go and take a month off and just screw around. And me who I think I would be insane if I took a month off and screwed around number one, but number two, I haven't really structured the business in a way that that would be the best call for me to take a month off and screw around.
So. Outsmart don't out work. It's so fashionable right now, especially among young people and now a growing number of men in their forties to pound our chests and talk about how hard we hustle and talk about how hard we're grinding. That's basically like saying here's how much of my life I'm not living.
And here's how much faster I'm going to die than I otherwise would have. Unless of course. Your version of work is something that really, really makes you happy, like doing this right now that I'm doing it six in the morning. I'm not recording this episode for you at whatever time it is now, probably around six in the morning, because I've got to.
Stacked day and I have to get this done. I'm genuinely enjoying doing this. It doesn't feel like work, but the trick here to outsmarting is really stay focused and then just find the things that actually move the needle and do more of those. When people pay 40 grand a year to become private clients, which incidentally, this is not a pitch for that.
I'm not taking any more. So please, you know, don't. Take it that way. Um, when I do have them, the number one mission is always, Hey, let's see what has worked best. And let's just do a lot more of that. So that's really, the second thing is focus on what has historically worked best. Assuming it brings you joy and you don't hate it obviously.
Right? So one of the things that I'll do with clients that I'll leave you with is a tactical thing to actually give value to you is. In reflection, let's say over the past year, um, if we were to look back on 2020, if you were, what I would like for you to do that I think would be really, really helpful is to go back through 20, 20 month by month and see what your best month was financially, which month made you the most money.
Now look at that month and see what the thing is that you were selling. All right. And then look at that month and see how you were selling it. What promotions were you running? What emails were you sending? What ads were you running? How did you do that? And then this month, do that again and figure a way to make it systemized.
I always want to say systematized, but the real word is systemized. It's hard though. Not to say systematized kind of sounds cooler. It's got more syllables systematized, but anyway, man, if you do that, I'm telling you see what worked best, see the promotions and all the activity you were doing that made it work best, do more of that and find a way to turn it into a system that doesn't require any hamster wheel activity on your part.
Ooh, buddy. You go and get a man. I'll tell you what, you don't get them. So don't out work. Frank, that's hard. Outsmart Frank, that's easy. I ended up bright to begin with really. Especially after the, the years, 1988 through like 2000 something, the 30 years of substance abuse has left me not the most intelligent.
So I think you got this, man, I believe in you quite certainly, but you know, I really appreciate you listed, by the way it amazes me. This podcast has surpassed 2 million downloads. I don't really market. It probably should. And if there's anything you want to know about. And the podcast, write us supportive ranker and help desk and say, Hey man, would you please go into greater detail about this subject?
And I'd be glad to all right. Take it easy. Don't get to work. Get to live in.