Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Look yourself in the eye and say YES!

Yes, I can keep going

Yes, my future is in my hands

Yes, I am independent

Yes, I believe in what I'm doing

Yes, I have the patience to see it through

Yes, I am tenacious

There are times in a hustler's life when she is the ONLY one who believes. When he clearly understands what makes no sense to anyone else. At those times when you need a hustler hand up, find a mirror and say out loud that you are still in the game. Sometimes you'll see tears in your eyes or see a slight smile, maybe a little disbelief. But look into your own eyes, see into your heart and send a message to your mind.

Yes, you can keep hustling.

The Proper Care and Feeding of a Hustler

As a hustler, it is easy to keep going. It's what we do,what we're admired for. Another client meeting? No problem! Change the proposal (again)? Of course we can! So we run and run and email and update Facebook, never turn the phone off and just keep going. Until we can't anymore.

Until we have headaches and ugly skin, torn up nails, perturbed spouses and sad children. While we are working so hard for our success and the comfort & joy of families we must remember to take care of ourselves. All engines need fuel. Your hustling machine is no exception. Take some time and put some effort into YOU and your business will reflect your focus.

These tips are not new and I can't say that I follow each of them everyday (after all, I'm a hustler too!). I'm posting them for our mutual benefit.

1. Drink enough water, especially if you drink soda and alcoholic drinks. Those headaches might be caused by dehydration
2. Get enough sleep. Yes, I am writing this at 2am...like I said we can all do better
3. Eat a balanced diet. It's easy& quick to go through the drive thru but fried is not your friend
4. Take some vitamins, especially vitamin D. I'm up to 12 per day and it does make a difference
5. Spend 15 minutes per day with yourself. No music, no phone, no people. Give your mind a break from Hustle Analytics
6. Laugh, everyday. Go to YouTube and find a dancing baby or something

Take good care and keep hustling!

If...

IF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with Triumph and DisasterAnd treat those two impostors just the same;If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,And lose, and start again at your beginningsAnd never breathe a word about your loss;If you can force your heart and nerve and sinewTo serve your turn long after they are gone,And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,If all men count with you, but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run,Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

-Keep Hustlin'

What Motivates You?

I once asked one of my mentors why did he become an entrepreneur. "Why did you choose this industry to build your business in?" I expected him to tell me about his passion for the product, or maybe how he wanted to do his part to help others or some long, thoughtful explanation about his responsibility to the community. But his answer was none of that it was quite simple and to me, quite stunning. He stopped what he was doing looked me square in the eyes and said one word, "Greed." I was baffled. My mind raced, through every other explanation I had ever heard from any moderately successful entrepreneur and I could not recall ever hearing anything remotely similar given as a a reason for a person starting a successful business. "So you don't like doing this?" I asked "Not really, but I'm good at it and it allows me the freedom to do the things I do liketo do, like golf" he replied. In that moment I had a revelation. I had always believed (and still do to a certain extent) that being passionate about what you do what a necessary part of success, however the success of my mentor was proof to the contrary.

Looking back I still think that my mentor's success was an anomaly. I believe that in order for you to be a success you have to be properly motivated and the purest form of motivation is a genuine passion for what you do. If you hustle something you don't like, in a place you don't want to be, to people you don't want to know you can almost guarantee that it's not going to work. You have to LOVE it. If you don't LOVE your hustle, find a new one. If you can't find a hustle to LOVE, get a job. It's less stressful and pays better in most cases. But if you LOVE your hustle. If doing what you do is like breathing to you, DO IT AND DO IT WELL. Don't half-ass hustle there is no way you will become a FULL TIME MILLIONAIRE from a PART TIME HUSTLE.

You should treat all things in life that you are passionate about the same way. Be AGGRESSIVE, DECISIVE and DON'T STOP (till you get enough) sorry I couldn't resist.

-Keep on Hustlin'

Quick Quote

Just a quick quote today. More to come soon. I promise...


“The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of.”

C.S. Lewis (1898–1963)

Valuing the Hustle

The goal of the Hustler, of course, is to be able to maintain, sustain and grow your business. To that end, we must charge our clients for our endeavors & expertise.

In theory, everyone loves a bargain but part of the way clients determine the WORTH of your services is based on how much you decide to charge for them. If someone offered you a 2010 BMW for $10k, how would you react? The majority of people that I know would immediately begin asking questions - what's wrong with it, where did it come from, etc. The value that we associate with the BMW brand does not support a $10K price tag so we're naturally skeptical.

The same holds true for your business. If you are the best at what you do - hairstylist, mechanic, lawyer, consultant, musician, THE BEST - let your fees reflect what you tell your clients about your abilities. Don't give away BMW service and expertise for Kia prices!

Your clients will accept the discounted price because it helps their bottom line but they will wonder if they are getting the best service. Just as you might look in your rear view mirror driving your $10k BMW...wondering if the real owner (or the police!) would be following. Nothing that you can put your finger on, just a nagging doubt that something isn't quite right.

In trying to get new business and make ourselves acceptable to potential clients it is tempting to discount fees or offer extra services. Resist the temptation! If clients tell you that they can't afford your services, thank them and keep hustling.

Just Do It!

Do or do not. There is no try ~Yoda

If you're at your computer right now, try to move your mouse. Don't touch it! That would involve action and right now we are focused on trying. Try to raise your right foot. Just try. As much mental energy as you expend, until you take action and move something, you will remain right where you are.

Hustling requires action, constantly. Researching, writing, calling, emailing, meeting, traveling, organizing, attending, collecting, creating, inspiring, invoicing, and more. All these verbs are in the hustler vocabulary on repeat.

Trying is not in the hustler toolbox because trying doesn't move you forward. I love a line from a book I've recently finished, The One Minute Millionaire . "Trying and striving doesn't get you brownie points, only achieving does."

Don't be a trying hustler - trying to get it going, trying to meet this person, trying to find funding, trying to wait for the economy to rebound. Stop trying and start achieving. Making 1 phone call is more valuable than trying to make 100.

One of the most memorable lines in advertising could be the hustler mantra: Just Do It. Not just try it. Put on your hustle shoes and run toward your success.

See you at the finish line!