Crossing the $100M Milestone

This past year brought me into $100,000,000 territory as a consultant, which is a great number because it represents a TON of success achieved by a large number of hardworking and very deserving people.

And it’s a signpost that we’re doing something right.

So I thought it might be useful to mention the two guiding principles that I believe most account for this success.

1. It’s always about the market.

No matter who you are, who you want to become, or what you want to sell, it’s never about you. It’s always — only — ever — about the market. Align your offer with the market’s needs and desires, iterate your message until it resonates, and serve your customers better than anyone else.

It’s one thing to ‘know’ this. But it’s another thing to organize your entire business around this principle. Most people pay lip service to the concept. But the successful ones, regardless of whether they’re selling music, books, or fighter jets, take a fanatical approach to giving their market what it wants.

2. Put time on your side.

Warren Buffet attributes his vast wealth mostly to the ‘miracle’ of compound interest.

My observation is that most successful people employ a similarly miraculous concept: the ‘miracle’ of compound effort.

If you can grow your customer base steadily, predictably, and profitably, almost nothing will stop you from massive success.

If you can’t do this, almost nothing will allow you to become successful.

I’ll take slow, steady growth over swinging for the fences any day of the week, because whether you’re selling songs, novels, or satellites, that’s how empires are built.

That’s it — put your market first, and put time on your side with relentless pursuit of steady, profitable growth.

Next stop: $1B. Who's in?