Category: Debate

5 Beautiful Truths About Starting Your Own Business

In this article, I discuss 5 beautiful truths about starting your own businesses. I use my own experiences to share some of the most rewarding parts of launching your own company.

 

Starting a business has become more and more popularized in recent times. I remember going to India a few years back and talking with people in the country who had big entrepreneurial dreams.

 

 

However, many of these individuals were terrified of creating their own business. After poking around, I found out that the idea of entrepreneurship was extremely frowned upon in India. It was looked at as a sophisticated way of saying that you were jobless.

 

 

Not many of us are us lucky those who live in the United States or England. In these countries,  entrepreneurship is highly promoted and looked at as a very good choice for many. I found all my success thanks to launching my own businesses.

 

 

If you are on the fence about starting your own business, here are 5 beautiful truths about starting your own business that may change your mind:

 

 

1. Freedom Is A Great Feeling

 

When I started my first business, I wasn’t looking for money more than I was looking for a way to escape the 9 to 5 life. Making money in my businesses was obviously a big goal since it gave me the freedom to stay away from jobs.

 

 

When you start your own business, you have complete freedom. This can be good or bad for many people. However, most people love having control on what they want to make, how they want to make it and who they decide to bring on their team.

 

 

2. You Have Endless Potential

 

When you work a job, you’re constricted by the salary and bonuses that your employer dictates. Even if you’re the top performing individual in a certain space, you will still never earn truly what your worth. If you do the math, the company will always be making a profit off of your work.

 

 

When you start your own business, things change. You finally get the opportunity to get compensated for everything you’re worth. It’s a much riskier path, but you aren’t constricted by a yearly salary. The harder you work and the better results you deliver, the more success you will achieve.

 

 

3. There Is No Substitute For Passion

 

Starting your own business is an amazing feeling. The rush and drive you feel when building your company is absolutely exhilarating. There is no greater substitution for career happiness than being passionate about the shit you’re doing.

 

 

It would be damn near foolish to start a business if you weren’t passionate about the ideas, products or sector. Thus, going under the assumption that you build a business that focuses around your passions, you won’t have any problems putting your heart and soul into the business.

 

 

4. Everything Is More Rewarding

 

Before becoming an entrepreneur at 17, nothing really got me truly excited. Everything was cool or sick to me, but it wasn’t something that got my adrenaline pumping. When I had to deal with various challenges in my business, everything changed.

 

 

Each time I overcame a big challenge or scored a juicy deal, I felt like a winner. It was like playing in game 7 of the NBA finals and hitting the game-winning shot. When you start your own business, the successes you have along the way feel a lot better and are far more rewarding.

 

 

5. Success Is In Your Hands

 

When you work a job, you can do the best damn job possible and still get fired. The greatest part about running your own business is knowing that you control your destiny/future.

 

 

The more successful your business is, the more successful you will be. You’re not relying on someone else to write you a paycheck at the end of the month and you sure as hell don’t have to kiss any asses. Being in charge is a great feeling!

 

 

Conclusion

 

For those of you who have been on the fence about starting your own business, I hope this article was some additional motivation to start now. In this post, I shared 5 beautiful truths about starting your own business.

 

 

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My Words Of Commencement To Graduates

In this article, I share my words of commencement to graduates. Just 2 years ago, I was sitting in a classroom next to many of the individuals who are now graduating. I took a very different path than most my age did and I have some words of advice for you from what I have learned through my own journey.

 

I don’t usually do posts like this, but I thought I’d share one today. This is going to be a very personal and transparent post where I share my words of commencement to graduates. I haven’t delivered this to any University so these are just my thoughts assembled within a blog post.

 

 

Just 2 years ago, I was sitting in a classroom with many of you who have or are soon going to be graduating. A whirlwind of thoughts have been running through my mind the last few days. That could have been me standing next to you with a cap and gown waiting to pick up my diploma.

 

 

If I had stayed on that path, my parents would have been so proud. All they kept telling me was, “What will everyone in our family say when they find out that you didn’t get your degree?”

 

 

There are always what if’s in the world. Every day you are faced with hundreds if not thousands of different choices and paths you can take. I quickly snap back to reality and realize that I made the best decision ever in my life.

 

 

I decided to chase happiness over money, reputations and anything else that can be a motive for those seeking a degree. I’m not here today to say college is good or bad, but rather to share some words of wisdom with those who are moving forward in their lives.

 

 

Life as an entrepreneur has its ups and down. Just like anything else in the world, there are the good days and there are the bad days. One thing has never changed since the day I started.

 

 

I have never been happier in my life. You will be presented with so many options as you continue your journey and enter the workforce. I am here to tell you today that life is too short to be doing shit that doesn’t make you happy.

 

 

See, I could have listened to my parents and sacrificed another 2 years and tried graduating from college. However, I knew I wouldn’t be happy through the process and even after.

 

 

It doesn’t matter what you majored in and what your degree says you’re knowledgeable in, there is no greater driving force than passion. I woke up this morning at 4:30 AM excited as ever to start another day in my life.

 

 

We think we know what we really want, but then we quickly realize we were wrong all along. Most of us sacrifice our own beliefs and happiness to continue trudging along a path that we know is full of misery. My question to you is, why?

 

 

Just rewind back to 4 years ago when many of you were starting college, I knew nothing about the world that engulfs me today. I didn’t know what the word entrepreneur meant, I couldn’t tell you who Richard Branson was and I sure as hell didn’t think you could be successful without college.

 

 

After starting numerous businesses, delivering a TEDx talk, writing a best-selling book, speaking at conferences around the world, and so much more, I quickly realized that this was all possible because I had the balls to go after my passions. I encourage you all to do the same.

 

 

Try as many different things as you can. Find something that will stick and give you enjoyment. Pursue it with all your heart. I guarantee you that as long as you love what you do and give it a 110% every single day, the money will come.

 

 

Congratulations are definitely in order for you graduates. While you figure out where you’re headed next in your journey, just remember my small piece of advice. Don’t let your degree box in the possibilities that are available around you.

 

 

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10 Tips For Bringing Out The Winner In You

I share 10 tips for bringing out the winner in you in this article. Success in anything requires you to develop specific characteristics, which are shared in this post.

 

No matter what you do in life, you want to win. There is no better feeling in the world knowing that you worked hard and were able to win as a result of your actions.

 

 

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved winning. I’ve been competitive at everything I do with the goal of winning. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, there is no better feeling in the world.

 

 

Many people lack certain characteristics that other winners embrace. In this article, I share 10 tips for bringing out the winner in you:

 

 

1. Conquer Yourself

 

Before you can win, you need to develop a winning mindset. Many people fail to win because they hold themselves back from achieving amazing results. You have to conquer your own thoughts or lack of thoughts. Stop focusing on all the negative outcomes mentally and encourage yourself to achieve.

 

 

2. Eliminate The Negative

 

If you have negative habits or surroundings that are holding you back from winning, you need to put your big boy/girl pants on and remove them from your life. Our surroundings influence our decisions, mindsets and income. By putting yourself around a positive environment, you better your chances of winning.

 

 

3. Play Fearlessly

 

If you have doubts or fears, you will stop yourself from succeeding. Whether you’re playing a sport or running a business, you have to be fearless with your decisions. Do not have regrets and do what is absolutely best for the situation at hand. Sometimes you have to take a risk to win it all.

 

 

4. Face The Fiercest Competition 

 

When I was growing up, I used to play a lot of competitive basketball. I didn’t look forward to playing the teams at the bottom of our divisions, but rather the ones who were at the top. I embrace the challenge of playing the best. To truly improve and consider yourself a winner, you need to take down the best competition.

 

 

5. Take Responsibility 

 

Winners are accountable for their own mistakes. You cannot play the blame game and expect to succeed in life. If you’re trying to be successful, take responsibility when things don’t go as planned. People will respect you and you will be looked at as a winner in the eyes of others.

 

 

6. Get Help

 

Kobe Bryant has won 5 NBA championships and he is one of the greatest examples of a winner I have ever seen. Given all the greatness that he has already achieved, he is always reaching out to other successful people asking for help. If you want to be a winner, keep improving your strengths and getting help from other individuals successful at their craft.

 

 

7. Keep Emotions Out of It 

 

Winners don’t let emotions affect their decisions. Emotions can get in the way and cause you to make rash decisions. To be a true winner, you have to separate your emotions from what is at hand. That is when you can truly achieve the results you desire even when times get tough.

 

 

8. They Don’t Give Up

 

You’ll always be losing if you give up. You have to learn from your mistakes and failures without giving up. Embrace failure, learn your lessons and get back up. Winners push through the bad times until they reach the good times. Life and success is all about persistence.

 

 

9. They Are Courageous

 

You have to be brave and willing to take on the world when nobody else believes in you. Winners are successful because they are extremely courageous. They are fearless and willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. This is a mindset that takes years to develop, but this is a key to becoming a winner in the long run.

 

 

10. They Play The Game

 

You can’t expect to win or be successful unless you’re willing to play the game. You have to be a part of the action in order to earn or win. The world is filled with too many people who ‘want’ to do something, but very few people actually take the time to do it.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 10 tips for bringing out the winner in you. What are some characteristics that have helped you become a winner?

 

 

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7 Things That Don’t Come With Your College Degree

From my personal experiences in the classroom and talking to others, I quickly realized that college wasn’t as important as many claimed. ‘t this article, I share 7 things that don’t come with your college degree.

 

I went to college for about 5 semesters before realizing that it wasn’t for me. It quickly became evident that I didn’t need a fancy college degree to be successful in life.

 

 

Turns out, many other massively successful individuals seemed to agree with me. From my discussions with them, they all refer to college degrees as just another educational tool. However, nobody attributes their college degree to massive success.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share 7 things that don’t come with your college degree:

 

 

1. A Job

 

When we first enter college, many of us have this belief that as long as we get a degree, we will be entitled to any job we want. As the years go by, our hopes and expectations become far more realistic.

 

 

I know many friends who have graduated with amazing degrees from schools such as USC, UCLA and Stanford. However, these people haven’t found a job that even applies to their field of study during college. Instead, they’re working a basic job that pays minimum wage.

 

 

2. The Ability To Sell

 

Far too many people don’t realize how important of a skill selling is when they are in college. Upon graduation, they realize that their whole life is essentially a sales pitch. Whether they want that next job or new client, they have to find a way to sell themselves.

 

 

You’re not going to learn to sell in college. It’s really unfortunate considering that sales is a crucial skill to have. The better you learn to sell, the better your chances of succeeding upon graduation are.

 

 

3. Professional Experience

 

College is almost all about memorization and very little about implementation. The real world on the other hand acts in a very different way. It’s about what you can do more than what you know.

 

 

When you get out of college with your degree, it’s hard to get that job or start that successful business because you’ve been so accustomed to memorizing what you have been told. Applying what you know is a lot harder than most think.

 

 

4. An Education For A Whole Life

 

When I was younger, I always thought that as soon as someone graduates from college, they don’t need to learn anymore. However, I know today that you can never stop learning and adapting to be successful.

 

 

Your college education isn’t a finale of all the learning you need to do in your life. If anything, it’s a starting point. After graduating, you need to continue educating yourself on a regular basis.

 

 

5. Ambition

 

Ambition is something that you just can’t teach. If you’re in an industry or space that you’re truly passionate about, your passion will guide you.

 

 

Colleges don’t teach you how to be motivated or ambitious in your craft. It’s really about finding something you love and using that fire inside of you to carry out your goals. You need to develop a strong sense of ambition to be successful in the real world.

 

 

6. Lots of Wealth

 

Just because the median person with your degree makes $95,000 a year does NOT mean that you will achieve the same results. Numerous variables and factors play into ones success upon graduation from college.

 

 

In order to obtain lots of wealth, you have to be driven and very persistent. You have to do something others in a specific industry aren’t doing and you have to do it really well.

 

 

7. Happiness

 

I hear too many stories from people who thought life would be amazing if they got that college degree who are absolutely miserable afterwards. A college degree doesn’t guarantee happiness.

 

 

Before you pursue a specific concentration or point of study, make sure you actually like it.  Don’t focus on the money. Focus on your passion. If you love what you do, money will not be an object.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I discussed 7 things that don’t come with your college degree. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions down in the comments section below.

 

 

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7 Social Media Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make

From my own experiences and working with other businesses, I quickly realized that a lot of people make silly mistakes through social media on a regular basis. In this article, I discuss 7 social media mistakes you don’t want to make.

 

Social media is an amazing platform that is used by lots of people. However, many people misuse social media because they make silly mistakes. As a result of these mistakes, the conversions tend to suffer.

 

 

Social media was something I always understood. I was just really lucky to have grown up with technology and social media the way I did. The social media boom took place as soon as I really understood using the internet.

 

 

Kids nowadays understand technology even better. A survey recently showed that more kids knew how to use an iPad than they knew how to tie their own shoes. Times are changing.

 

 

In this article, I discuss 7 social media mistakes you don’t want to make:

 

 

1. Doing ‘Social Media’

 

Social media should be used to humanize your brand or services. However, too many people label social media as a marketing job. When you try to ‘do’ social media, you find it hard to get results. However, if you spend that time being social like you would in real life, social media can provide you amazing results.

 

 

2. Trying To Be Active Everywhere

 

Unless you’re a massive corporation, you don’t have any reason to be active on all of the social media platforms. You would rather do really well and convert on a few platforms than do poorly on all the platforms. For me, I found out Twitter, Facebook & Instagram were the best channels. I’ve stuck to those channels for my professional offerings.

 

 

3. Diving In Without A Plan

 

Before you dive into a social network, you really need to understand a few things. Ask yourself who your target audience is, why this is a good platform to find them and how you plan to reach them appropriately. If you’re not able to find a good answer to all three of these questions, your social media campaign will NOT be successful.

 

 

4. Inconsistent Brands From Platform To Platform

 

This was a mistake I made early on as well. Unless you’re trying to run conversion tests, you shouldn’t have different profile pictures, about me’s, links, and other information on different social media platforms. Your brand should NOT be inconsistent through different social networks. Be consistent!

 

 

5. Don’t Abuse Hashtags 

 

Hashtags are useful for two things when sending out posts. You can be funny with it or you can summarize a few topics that your post covers. However, there are too many people that make a post like the one below:

 

“50% off pizza at our store today. #Pizza #Deals #California #Marketing #Corporate #Swag #TBT”

 

Nothing pisses me off more than to see a post like this. What does your pizza deal have to do with corporate, swag, or throwback thursday? Absolutely nothing. These types of posts will quickly cheapen your brand and have you looking foolish. Avoid it at all costs.

 

 

6. Lacking Call To Actions In Post

 

You need to create a funnel out of your social media platforms. Each time a new visitor comes to your profile, you should have some sort of pre-created funnel to convert that user. Mine is pretty simple as shown below:

 

Read biography –> Click website link –> Array of ways to convert through my site

 

Not only that, but you should have a conversion funnel for each of your posts. Many people make great posts, but leave out a call to action causing them to lose out on a lot of potential opportunities.

 

 

7. Ignoring Negativity

 

On social media, people feel like they can say just about anything to you because they’re hiding behind the keys of a message board. However, as an organization, you cannot ignore rude or negative comments. I get negative comments all the time through social media. Instead of hiding or running from it, I tackle it head on. I find a clever way to tackle the comments.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Social media is something that requires a lot of patience, practice and persistence. If you manage to balance those 3 things, you’ll eventually be successful. In this article, I discussed 7 social media mistakes you don’t want to make.

 

 

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Popular Advice Entrepreneurs Should Ignore

In this article, I share popular advice entrepreneurs should ignore. From hearing tons of advice from others throughout the years, I began understanding what was good and bad advice.

 

Whether you like it or not, you’re going to get a ton of advice and feedback from people as an entrepreneur. People somehow feel more inclined to voice their opinions when they see a new business on the rise.

 

 

I received a lot of advice. When I first started out, I was arrogant and stupid. As you can imagine, I ignored all the advice I got for a short period of time. After that, I began taking everyone’s advice and putting them into action.

 

 

Turns out, both approaches were horrible ones. Instead, I decided to take all the advice I got with a grain of salt. I get advice, break it down and see how much of it really makes sense to me before applying it.

 

 

From receiving so much advice, I quickly learned a lot about which things work and don’t work. In this article, I share a list of popular advice entrepreneurs should ignore:

 

 

Perfect Your Business Plan

 

I know some people in the startup world that have spent YEARS perfecting their business plan. Luckily, I’m extremely impatient. When I received this advice, I tried perfecting it but eventually got frustrated and decided to take action.

 

 

You don’t want to spend a long period of time on a set of documents that are going to change every few weeks. Don’t worry about even making a business plan when you’re first starting out with your idea. Just focus on putting your ideas into action and a business plan will automatically form soon enough.

 

 

Quit Your Job

 

I do a fair share of coaching and consulting with entrepreneurs from all over the world. The first thing people ask me is, “Do you think I can quit my job and go full time on this to make millions of dollars?”

 

 

My answer is always, “HELL NO!” I believe in you as an entrepreneur, but dropping everything without any sign of success is just plain foolish. You need to balance your job and your business as a side gig. Once your side gig begins growing and getting bigger than your job, you can think of quitting and going full-time.

 

 

The Customer Is Always Right

 

There is a funny thing about this. The customer is always right when they are in the same room with you, but usually wrong when they leave that wrong. Let me explain what I mean.

 

 

Customers often times don’t understand their own problems, pains and needs. They think they know, but they really don’t. Thus, they may decline an offering or offer some sort of feedback that may be completely useless to your business. As an entrepreneur, you have to be careful with how you let your customers affect your decisions.

 

 

Fix The Design & It’ll Work

 

Design is what makes things look pretty and appealing to others. However, design cannot make someone find value in your products or ideas. You can design beautiful landing pages to convert better, but those users still have to like what you’re doing.

 

 

Many entrepreneurs blame their downfalls on a lack of good design. However, if you have users that are signing up or using your product/service, you may want to focus more on the product. Don’t use a lack of design as an excuse for something that may be a bigger issue.

 

 

Never Give Up

 

I once met a guy who had a business that he was running for 12 years. I don’t know if you could even call it a business as he was still trying get this business of the ground. After 12 years, he told me he had just done over $5,000 in sales for that WHOLE time period.

 

 

I’m not trying to be an asshole, but at some point you have to make tough decisions. If you’re business isn’t working, pivot or fold the cards. As an entrepreneur, you’re only a quitter if you give up on the journey. Giving up on a business that isn’t working is just prudent and gives you the opportunity to start something new that can work. 

 

 

Conclusion

 

As an entrepreneur, you’re going to receive a lot of advice. It’s going to be up to you to take all that advice with a grain of salt. In this article, I shared some popular advice entrepreneurs should ignore.

 

 

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How To Stop Yourself From Burning Out

Burning out is a stressful problem many people have to deal with. While it’s completely unavoidable, you can do many things to prevent yourself from burning out as often. In this article, I shared tips on how to stop yourself from burning out.

 

No matter how passionate you are about a project or idea, you will burn out from time to time. It’s something that just happens. However, there are a lot of things that you can do to stop yourself from burning out quite as often.

 

 

Doctors have said that burn outs usually occur as a result of a lot of stress. If you’re unsure whether you’re burned out or not, here are list of some of the most common signs below:

 

– Lack of motivation

 

– Exhaustion

 

– Filled with negative emotions

 

– Slipping performance

 

– Problems from work interfering at home

 

 

These are just a few of many signs that means you might be burning out. In this article, I’m going to share my tips on how to stop yourself from burning out as often:

 

 

Learn To Actually Relax

 

When I first started out as an entrepreneur, I loved working so much that I couldn’t stop. Even when I’d be out with friends, I’d be checking my phone or making client calls when I knew it was my time to just relax.

 

 

Spend some time each day or week where you actually just relax. Disconnect yourself from your work life and just do something that will relax you.

 

 

Do More Outside of Work

 

Part of the problem for me was that I didn’t do much outside of work. I only did small things such as watching television or hanging out at a friends house. The less challenging the activity was, the more pre-occupied with work I was.

 

 

Once I began doing more outside of work, I immediately saw myself less immersed in my work. I began playing lots of competitive basketball and even dabbled in some poker. This had my mind racing in other ways that didn’t involve my work.

 

 

Sleep More

 

This is probably easier said than done, but it can actually help. If you want to stop yourself from burning out as quickly, try adding a few more hours of sleep in your schedule each night/week.

 

 

Your body and minds needs enough rest to perform properly. Sleep has the potential to improve your memory and replenish important parts of your body. Use it to your advantage to prevent frequent burn outs.

 

 

Be Organized

 

One of the main reasons why I saw myself burning out in the past was because I wasn’t organized at all. As an entrepreneur, things always come up from the past whether you like it or not.

 

 

I was extremely disorganized and ended up putting old files wherever it was most convenient at that time. A few months later, I need to find that same file and I go absolutely crazy trying to find it. If you’re able to stay organized from the beginning, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache later.

 

 

Eat Healthy

 

This has probably been one of the toughest challenges I have had to take on. It’s been really hard for me to eat healthy because I’m never at home. The most accessible food for me has been fast food or microwavable dishes.

 

 

As you can imagine, that’s not a healthy solution. Turns out, my doctor told me that you can burn out faster based on the types of food you eat. The more ‘brain’ foods you eat that provide healthy nutrients to your body, the less likely you are to burn out.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Burning out is a stressful problem many people have to deal with. While it’s completely unavoidable, you can do many things to prevent yourself from burning out as often. In this article, I shared tips on how to stop yourself from burning out.

 

 

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5 Startup Lessons They Won’t Teach You In Business School

In this article, I discuss the 5 startup lessons they won’t teach you in business school. Drawing from my own experiences of managing a startup, I share further insight on this topic.

 

I am proud to say that I’ve officially dropped out of college to pursue the entrepreneurial dream. I have nothing against college, but I don’t believe college is necessary to be successful as an entrepreneur.

 

 

When building my startup and working with other college graduates, I quickly learned that a lot of important things are left out of the curriculum. No matter how amazing of a business school you attend, there are a lot of startup lessons you won’t learn.

 

 

In this article, I share 5 startup lessons they won’t teach you in business school:

 

 

1. No Book Can Help You Manage A Startup

 

Every startup is a different breed of its own. They don’t follow the ‘typical’ rules of corporations or small businesses and they feature completely different roadmaps than most companies.

 

 

Given that each startup is different, there is no pre-recorded lecture or curriculum that can teach you how to launch and manage a successful startup. These are lessons that you can only learn by hiring advisors and experiencing things on your own.

 

 

2. Building Company Culture

 

Startups are successful not because of their ideas but because of the people seeing those ideas out. The people you hire and the culture you build in your startup will eventually determine whether you will be successful in the long run or not.

 

 

Zappos didn’t do anything extraordinary from an idea standpoint. However, they built a company culture that was very different from others out there. They made sure to hire people who were hungry for success and really believed in the vision. Every startup has its own DNA but unfortunately, you won’t be learning how to create that in a classroom.

 

 

3. People Must Like You

 

Many people don’t realize how important it really is to sell yourself and your ideas. People think that a 4.0 GPA and fancy degree is just enough to get them whatever they want in life. However, that isn’t true.

 

 

People aren’t going to invest in you, work for you or partner up with you if they don’t like you. You have to sell yourself and be the type of person that others are willing to work with.

 

 

4. Success Doesn’t Come Fast

 

You read stories about how Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other startups found massive success in your textbooks. However, many key facts are left out. One of those facts being that you never really get to hear about the struggles or failures the founders of these organizations went through.

 

 

There is no formula or method to success. It requires a lot of persistence, perspiration and sacrifice. These are key things that you won’t learn in business school because they’re too focused on showing you what successful people did. However, the path to success is slow and requires a lot of grit.

 

 

5. How To Be Investable

 

One of the quickest ways to grow your business to the next level often requires money. In order to obtain this money, you must pitch your ideas to investors. More likely than not, you’ll get thrown around before anyone takes you seriously.

 

 

We hear about all the startups that get invested in, but never the ones that get rejected. It’s just the way the world works. No matter how wealthy someone is, they will NOT pull out their checkbook to write you a 6-8 figure check unless you’re able to sell the vision.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Don’t get me wrong, I think there is tremendous value that can be attained from college. However, at the same time, I think there are many important lessons that are left out. In this article, I shared 5 startup lessons they won’t teach you in business school.

 

 

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Why Bad Grades & Poor Test Scores Do Not Define You

I am sick and tired of seeing the grading system in schools killing the dreams of people. In this article, I talk about why bad grades & poor test scores do not define you.

 

Growing up, I had my moments of being a great student and being a poor student. In elementary school, I was on top of my game mainly because my parents forced me to study hard. I was at the top of my class each year and I had really good grades.

 

 

As things progressed, my grades began to drop dramatically in Junior High and High School. It wasn’t that I was stupid, but rather that I was uninterested. Boring curriculums being taught by boring individuals wasn’t a great combination.

 

 

However, I never let those bad grades and poor test scores define me. Many people categorize poor grades as stupidity, but that’s far from the truth.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to talk about why bad grades & poor test scores do not define you.

 

 

Experience Triumphs Memorization

 

From my time in school, I remember doing one thing and one thing only. Memorizing a crap ton of material so that I can hope for that big A on my next test. Eventually, that routine got old.

 

 

Instead of spending my time indoors studying the textbook inside and out, I was outside experiencing life. I learned so much from putting myself out there and getting an education through experience.

 

 

Turns out, those experiences helped more than you’d think. Where are the kids today who got all the A’s during high school? They’re in college becoming a product of society. Most likely, they’re going to get a mediocre job doing mediocre shit.

 

 

I on the other hand didn’t have great grades and I admit to that. However, I get to speak at conferences around the nation, build amazing businesses and do things most people my age don’t ever get to do.

 

 

This was all made possible because I sought out my own path in life. I didn’t become a product of the schools, instead I went out seeking my own answers. As a result, my experiences allowed me to take a path no one else usually does.

 

 

Grades & GPA’s Are All Superficial Things

 

In high school, my teachers, counselors, friends, and family members constantly reminded me how important my GPA was. When I started my own business and pitched to clients, not a single person gave one shit about my GPA.

 

 

They cared about who I was, why I was the best candidate and how I can help their business. It was all about selling myself. I don’t care if you have a 4.0 GPA and a 2,400 SAT score because if you can’t sell yourself, you’re screwed.

 

 

You think a 4.0 GPA and a 2,400 SAT score is enough to get into Harvard? Think again. Interviews play a significant role in your admission. If you think you can flash that 4.0 GPA and 2,400 SAT score on your resume and just get hired, you’re wrong.

 

 

Just because you flunk or get C’s in school doesn’t mean that you’re stupid. It just means that you refuse to be weighed down by the superficial labels schools are trying to place on your intelligence.

 

 

Go through the list of the wealthiest and most successful individuals in our world today. Individuals such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, Richard Branson, and Elon Musk weren’t really amazing students in the classroom. They showed their brilliance outside of these confined rooms.

 

 

Achievement Correlates To Mindset

 

If I really cared about school and enjoyed it enough to really try, I would have absolutely crushed it. I have no doubt in my mind, but the problem was that I hated every minute of it. I didn’t want to thrive in the classroom setting.

 

 

When I journeyed into entrepreneurship, I wanted to be successful more than anything else in the world. I put my mind to it and BAM, I saw myself achieving things I could have never imagined before.

 

 

School isn’t for everyone. That’s absolutely fine. It’s a shame that education in the classroom has become such a mainstream form of learning. I didn’t go to school for entrepreneurship.

 

 

I learned entrepreneurship through taking action, making mistakes and teaching myself along the way. If your mind isn’t in the classroom, don’t worry about it. Some of the most intelligent people never succeeded in a classroom setting.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I am sick and tired of seeing the grading system in schools killing the dreams of people. In this article, I discussed why bad grades & poor test scores do not define you.

 

 

photo credit: albertogp123 via photopin cc

 

5 Habits The Richest People In The World Share

In this article, I share 5 habits the richest people in the world share. Drawing from my own experiences and readings, I give you an inside perspective on what things wealthy people do exceptionally well.

 

When I was 17 years old, I started my first company. In the next two years, I’d go through a lot of changes in my life. I started making money at that age, which wasn’t the best thing for me.

 

 

Instead of spending my money wisely and investing it as I know to do today, I was wild. I bought a sports car, went to tons of Laker games and blew money in various ways. From my networking, I came across a group of wealthy individuals who held a mastermind group each week.

 

 

They were determined to teach me some things about money. One of the greatest things they shared with me were some of the habits the super-wealthy people in the world had in common.

 

 

In this article, I discuss the 5 habits the richest people in the world share:

 

 

1. They Worship Their Time

 

The one thing I’ve learned over time is that time is the greatest currency in the world. Wealthy people understand that and value their time greater than others do. That is why they are so successful.

 

 

They don’t waste time watching television or doing counterproductive things. Not only that, but they have a strong focus for working on income-generating activities. For all others tasks, they outsource or hire others to manage it for them.

 

 

2. Their Network Determines Their Net Worth 

 

Have you heard of the saying? If you divide the average income of your 5 closest friends, that will be your income. Wealthy people not only understand this model, but they make it their mantra.

 

 

Surround yourself with people who are going to make you better. When I started off as a young entrepreneur, I was pushing myself to the limits because the people around me were doing the same.

 

 

3. They Take Risks

 

Meet any extraordinary person and I guarantee you that they have taken a risk at some point in their life. However, rich people don’t just take risks. They take smart risks.

 

 

What is a smart risk you ask? Well, a smart risk is the same as a calculated risk. A risk where you weigh the pros and cons while doing everything possible to minimize the risk aspect of it.

 

 

4. They Don’t Give Up

 

97% of people work for 3% of people. Do you know what that most likely means? That 3% of the population refused to give up when things got tough. While a large group of that 97% decided to give up when things got rocky.

 

 

Wealthy people wouldn’t be where they are today without a lot of persistence. Failure and quitting are words that do NOT exist in their vocabulary. If you want to be wealthy or successful, you cannot give up.

 

 

5. They Spend Less & Invest More

 

Money is a very tricky thing to master. Most people are never able to master the concept of money in their life. The regular person increases their expenses as their income increases. However, that brings them back to average.

 

 

Wealthy people instead spend less and invest more even when their income is increasing. By doing this, they are able to create long-term assets and income streams that don’t require a tradeoff of time. In the long-run, they continue to grow their income while the regular person struggles on a month to month basis.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 5 habits the richest people in the world share. Through your experiences, what are some habits you’ve developed that have helped you greatly? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

 

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