The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster Summary Author says the first moment of the entrepreneur roller coaster is right now, and it’s a choice. One that only you can make. You’re standing at the ticket booth. You can choose to seize the moment and pass through the turnstiles, or you can turn and walk away.
The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster By Darren Hardy
Book : The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster By Darren Hardy
The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster Summary
The Author says on the entrepreneur roller coaster you are going to experience failure, setbacks, disappointments, and obstacles. All these things are mandatory, and yes, they hurt. But it’s also okay that they hurt—you’re human, after all. Rejection, failure, and letdowns hurt humans. It’s okay, and it’s part of the deal. You will get knocked down, repeatedly. The difference is in how long you take to get back up.
The Author says there will be people who recognize the opportunity, who stand up, take notice, and take action. Why not you? People far less smart, capable, talented, or hardworking will stand up. People with lower education, social standing, or family connections will take notice. Hey, even people not as nice, kind, or generous as you will take action. People all around you will become millionaires before your very eyes. Why not you? You could be one of those new millionaires. What’s stopping you?
Learning to accept rejection and to face getting knocked down isn’t just about growing a tough skin. Getting knocked down also makes you stronger and better. It’s good for you.
As Michael Jordan famously said, “Everyone has talent, but ability takes hard work.” Are you willing to put in your 10,000 hours? And will you believe in what you choose to pursue every minute of those hours? Are you willing to work harder, be more focused, have deeper concentration, and do it longer, more regularly, and with more discipline and vigor than anyone else?
YOUR NUMBER ONE JOB
The Author say from the first glow of your computer screen in the morning to the last loose end you tie up before heading home, you need to be selling. You don’t get to hide from it. In fact, there is no place to hide. Whether your business has one employee or one thousand, you have to sell.
Nothing matters until you sell something. Nothing. You can vision cast, dream board, draft fancy business plans, meet with consultants, design a nifty logo, get pretty business cards and letterhead made, but there is no business until a sale happens. A sale tells you if you even have a business.
It doesn’t matter how environmentally friendly or socially conscious your product is. It doesn’t matter how important your cause or critical your mission or how awesome your culture is. If you don’t sell enough, you’ll be out of business and fast. There are no bailouts for small businesses or entrepreneurs. There are no safety nets on this ride. Your only insurance policy is to go sell something.
GET IN BED WITH YOUR CUSTOMER
If you want to master one skill that will skyrocket your sales success, learn how to ask better questions, not how to do a better presentation. Ask questions, find answers that serve as solutions, and then (only then) build your presentation or sales message around the answers you receive.
If you’re the type of person who’s always thought of “sell” as a four-letter word, this is good news for you. You can now replace that with another four-letter word: HELP. How can you help? How does your product or service address someone’s deepest need or fear? What problem does it solve? How does it make a positive difference?
Stop hiding and start selling. You know not to put your prospects on a “hit list” but to climb in bed with them instead (metaphorically, of course!) so you can feel how they feel and help them solve the problems that keep them up at night. Talk less, listen more, build bridges, and don’t be afraid to shock and awe your way to the top.
Filling Your Empty Seats
No matter who you are, or how big your company is (or isn’t), there is nothing easy about finding the perfect people to join you on this ride. And unfortunately for us entrepreneurs, it’s even harder. We are notoriously terrible at hiring people. Truly awful.
When it comes to recruiting and hiring people to occupy a seat on your roller coaster, you can’t hire enthusiasm. You need to hire evidence. You do not have the time or the resources to train or develop anyone’s skill or attitude. Trust me, you’ve got too many other things going on!
A-PLAYERS ARE A-PLAYER MAGNETS
The Author says whenever I ask top business leaders what they attribute the success of their businesses to, invariably they say it’s the great team of people they have surrounded themselves with. This is not some self-effacing answer. Great leaders know that businesses are nothing but a group of people brought together to accomplish a mission.
A-players want to work with other A-players! This is why organizations like Apple, Google, Virgin, and the like continue to attract A-players. A-players want to work where other A-players work. It’s a self perpetuating attraction mechanism but only if you monitor and protect it closely.
Your people are your most important recruiting tool. Get an A-Player on board, then have them call all their A-Player friends. Promote your A-Player to the world of other A Players looking to join an A-Team.
Recommended Reading