Aloha! Tom Gaddis, here. I built a six-figure business from the ground up, and I love that I get to share my strategies and hard-earned secrets about how to put in the work and make your ideas a reality.
As I reflected on the success I’ve had in the past few years, I came up with three musings to share with you. These three thoughts really reframe the mindset you need to find success. You won’t find a quick fix, a super secret formula, or one specific “aha” moment that will change the trajectory for your business. So-called internet “gurus” might tell you this, but they just want you to give them your money. No one-size-fits-all solution will give you the secret to success.
Building a successful business that fits the lifestyle you want will always take work, but you can take one step at a time to see your ideas grow into profitable business ventures.
I learned these nuggets of wisdom based on my experience as an entrepreneur and business owner, and I hope they will help you on your entrepreneur’s journey, too. The principles might even help you as you go about your everyday life and interact with the people around you.
So, without further adieu, and in a bit of a different format than usual, I present my three thoughts.
By the way, if you want to hear this in podcast form, simply follow this link.
3 Important Thoughts about Building a Successful Business
I’ve gained these bits of wisdom from my experience over the years:
- Right Thinking is More Important than Results
In poker, just because you get the best hand when you start doesn’t mean you win by the end. Just because you’re ahead and all your money’s on the table doesn’t mean you won’t lose the hand. You have to have the right strategic thinking.
To me, the term “right thinking” means that if I can view situations through the lens of reality, not just through what I wish them to be, I’ll have better emotional results. If I truly see and understand myself, I can see other people for who and how they are.
I have a tendency to view myself in the best light, and I think highly of all my intentions (even when they aren't always good), but I don’t always give others the benefit of the doubt. I expect that others should give me their best and interact with me in a good way. If an interaction goes sour, I need to recognize that I don’t always see situations clearly.
The more realistically I view situations, the better I can handle them and make good decisions about how to move forward.
If I’m in a business deal with someone who I think acts in shady ways, I can prepare emotionally for an incident where they behave in an untrustworthy manner. Perhaps I can avoid the deal, altogether. But accurate evaluation of others starts with knowing myself. Then, I can see the reality of the situation, not what I wish it could be or what someone else wants it to be.
More often than not, you’ll have success, but sometimes… you won’t. In fact, you may have a few unsuccessful tries in a row. You have to adjust, at times, but keep evaluating your mindsets to make sure you make correct and sound decisions.
If something disappointing happens in my business efforts, I remind myself that if I continue to think correctly about what I’m doing, eventually something will work.
- Take Something that Works and Adapt It
How can I take a good idea from someone else and do it in a different way that suits my business? I adapt it to another medium. As they say, an amateur borrows, but a professional steals.
Look for ways you can incorporate something that works for other people into what you do by taking the idea and applying it in a different format or with a different platform. You have to use some creativity and think about how it might translate.
For example, I got the idea to share “three thoughts” because I subscribe to an email newsletter from Justin Golf. On Sundays, Justin sends out a special edition of his letter, titled, “Three Things on a Sunday Morning.” He doesn’t have to think about what he’s going to write on Sundays because he has this planned format he fills each week.
I noticed that this strategy works really well for a content creator, but I actually want to point out another lesson, too. I constantly learn from what other people do and how they use other mediums to communicate. I want to know if I can find a way to translate methods they successfully use into the mediums I use. So I take an idea, put my own spin on it, and see how it fits into the ways I interact with my audience.
Because I have my medium and my audience in mind, I get a fresh perspective and get to create new methods of sharing my work.
- Always Be Consistent
Doing something small consistently will have more power than trying to do a few big things sporadically. I used to think that I had to go big or go home. I thought I had to do as much as I could in the shortest amount of time.
Instead, my experience has shown me that doing small things consistently makes the real difference.
Write a letter a day to your email list. Put out a blog post every other day. Produce a weekly podcast. Read from a book about success every night. No matter what, do it consistently, even if it seems small and random. These habits will help you develop the discipline you need to handle harder issues.
The small, consistent habits and efforts have the biggest impact on my life and business… AND they make the biggest difference in the shortest amount of time.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these tips about success in a different format than my regular posts. I especially hope they help you as you set goals for the upcoming year.
Check out my FREE guide on turning any product, idea, or skill into a huge, successful cash cow!
For more secrets the so-called “gurus” won’t tell you about making money online, check out my podcast.
