1. Surround yourself with people who push you.
Many entrepreneurs get better by absorbing information. They read books by Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie, and experts who understand business. It’s good to study the secrets of success, but don’t get stuck in the learning phase. Apply the lessons and move forward.
This is where a living, breathing mentor can help you out. Nothing beats the experience of in-person tutelage, so find a teacher to inspire your growth.
“When someone pushed me to use [my strengths] at a high level, they finally came out,” Sanford says. “I put the information [into my mind], but it was pulled out in terms of getting me focused and making things happen.”
2. Instead of helping one person, aim for thousands.
Zig Ziglar once said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” It’s great advice, and there are two ways to implement such wisdom. You can help two or three people succeed now and then, which takes more time and scatters your attention. Or you can devise a plan to change thousands of lives at once.
“If I’m not thinking big enough, how many people am I hurting?” Sanford asks. “It’s a crazy way to think. We have 53,000-plus agents in eXp… We might have 300,000 in five years. Think of the size of that enterprise. I would be shortchanging all 300,000 people—along with SUCCESS Enterprises and my other businesses—if I didn’t think bigger. Not for me, personally, but all the agents, brokers, employees and customers.”
3. Don’t follow the money crowd.
Although having lots of money is nice to dream about, solving problems for other people is how you actually earn it. Sometimes it’s a long process. Develop your product or expertise before anything happens, and even then, making money isn’t guaranteed. To survive the ups and downs, your purpose should be bigger than profit.
“I’ve talked to successful people whose focus is making money, and I don’t like to be around those people,” Sanford says. “I like to be around people who want to make an impact, and if money is a byproduct of that—and it’s an important one—then that’s OK.”
As you build relationships, connect with entrepreneurs who know how to create value, not just plans to increase profit.
copy: success