“The magic you’re looking for is in the work you’re avoiding.” – Anonymous
During a talk I gave at WLU business school last night, a student asked:
“How do you know which business model will work when there are so many possible options?”
And, whether you want to start a business, or just have a successful career (or, a successful anything, for that matter), the same answer applies.
Here’s what I told him:
Damn near all of them can work.
Building an organic following through social media can work.
Running paid ads to a sales funnel can work.
Podcasting and monetizing through sponsorships can work.
Service businesses can work, online courses can work, software can work, agencies can work, even fxcking Skool communities can work.
They can all work.
The catch?
They all take time to work.
Time as in years, not weeks or months.
(even Rogan didn’t make money until year five of his podcast)
Which means you’re gonna have to choose one and stick with it…
And then keep sticking with it…
Ignoring the urge to jump ship to whatever shiny new business model the gooroos are peddling this month…
Allllll the way through the slow, stubborn startup phase, showing up day after day, feeling like nothing is happening and you’re pushing a rock up a mountain with the wind at your face and the summit nowhere in sight…
Not knowing if you’re ever going to make it, wondering if all of your work will ever someday finally pay off, or if you should just pack it in…
…And maybe you should pack it in because there are no guarantees of success but also maybe you shouldn’t because other people have done it and if they’ve done it then dammit it’s possible and why not you?
There is no shortage of bodies on the way up that mountain.
But make no mistake, some have reached the top.
And if you talk to any of them, they’ll all tell you the same thing:
This s#*t takes time.
And every time you jump ship from one model to another, you reset the clock.
So, choose your path…
(preferably one that you enjoy, that feels natural to you and suits the skill set you’re developing)
…And stick to it.
For years.
Godspeed.
– T
P.S. Two notes:
1. The same principle applies to career success, relationship success, even success in training and/or spiritual practice.
2. Choose one and stick to it doesn’t mean “blindly put your head down and keep doing the exact same thing even if it’s not working.”
It means continuously improving and optimizing and course-correcting within the model / path you’ve chosen…
…And, only switching streams when the current is very clearly flowing in a new direction (not when a shiny new opportunity catches your eye).
Hope that helps.
More here.
