Focusing Strategy 11

Ideas to Make
You Rich

“Ordinary riches can be stolen,
real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that
cannot be taken from you.”

—Oscar Wilde

Despite the negative business connotation with this chapter number, we thought it would be very reassuring and affirming to introduce you to five of our Power of Focus clients, who we’ve been privileged to work with over the years.

These individuals have successfully sidestepped various setbacks including economic roller coasters and have all become wealthy. We want to emphasize that despite the anxiety, fear and uncertainty that has created financial storm clouds and devastated previously strong nations, there are individuals from a broad spectrum of industries who have found a clear path to riches. In the pages that follow you will learn a little about their background, but more importantly we have asked them this nuts and bolts question:

“What are the five specific strategies that have contributed most to your success?”

You will notice some overlap in their answers. That’s very important to digest, because it reinforces the fact that sustainable success only requires focus in a few areas.

So, as a final “hurrah” we are pleased to share with you the twenty-five strategies that have caused these five exceptional Achievers to rise to the top of their game. We encourage you to feast on their wisdom and use what is most relevant to create your own path to riches. One final note before we pull back the curtain. Let’s be clear about the true definition of RICH.

The dictionary tells us the word rich means “having a great deal of money;” that is, enjoying financial wealth. Other terms are “of great value” and “rich in resources”. Our experience is this. When you provide great value in the marketplace, you will attract monetary riches to you. More importantly, being rich in personal resources is the key to enjoying true wealth. When you are rich in spirit, rich in character, rich in relationships, rich in faith, rich in health, rich in giving and rich in wisdom, you will know and appreciate how it feels to enjoy abundance and all its fullness.

There is one other final piece we have added to complete this special 10th Anniversary Edition. It will give you a glimpse into the future. You’ll learn about the Gamechangers—exciting cutting-edge companies who are attracting many Gen Y’ers into their unique business culture. These pioneering companies are creating new trends, seriously questioning conventional wisdom and focusing on being socially responsible, as well as profitable.

Now, let’s welcome our five exceptional Achievers who are each making a big impact in their own particular niche. We will proudly take just a little bit of the credit for their outstanding success. Beneath each of their five best strategies, we have posed a direct question. Take time to reflect on your answer. You will probably discover some gaps in your business. Remember, the advice from these Achievers was gleaned from many years of trial and error. But today they are all rich! Model their advice and you can have a brighter future, too.

#1

Sam Beckford:
The Small Business Millionaire

Easy going, humble, generous and a razor sharp marketing genius are all words that describe Sam Beckford. Strong family values are also a big part of his make-up. However, Sam’s early experiences as an entrepreneur were less than stellar. Here’s the story in his own words:

“After graduating with a business degree I naturally decided to start my own business. I thought I knew everything there was to know about business, so I took the leap. The first business failed within a year. After that I tried four other business ventures that were all mild to massive failures. After losing all of my money and money I had borrowed from family and friends, I decided to get a real job. That job lasted less than six months and I was fired. My wife had taught piano lessons through university and we had toyed with the idea of opening a music teaching studio. I initially dismissed the idea because I never believed that a business like that could make any real money. We decided that even if the business only made a modest amount of money, at least it would be better than having a regular job with rigid schedules.

“We opened the business by making fifty dollars’ worth of photocopied flyers and dropping them on the doorsteps of three thousand houses. We didn’t have money to lease commercial space so we rented space from a local elementary school in the evenings. A few months later the business started picking up a little and we were up to about eighty students. We tried looking for a permanent commercial space. One landlord of a commercial plaza met us and told us he would not rent space to us because he didn’t believe that our business would make it. He told us that we should even get into a different type of business if we wanted to be successful, like maybe opening a restaurant.

“We eventually found a cheap six-hundred-square-foot space on the second floor of a different old plaza. We decided to focus all of our energy on making our little business successful. I started reading at least one book a week to learn everything I could about being successful in small business. Reading The Millionaire Next Door, I learned that most millionaires made their money by starting boring, dull, normal businesses. That one discovery gave me the belief that we could be successful, and even become millionaires one day from our little business. The following year we opened a second location and added dance classes to our music lesson programs. We figured that if families were there taking classes anyway, we may as well offer them more classes to take. We kept learning, reading and focusing on making our business successful.

“A few years later we opened up a third location of our business. Instead of renting a space we were able to buy a small commercial warehouse condo. After that initial purchase we saw what the true opportunity of our studio was, commercial real estate ownership. Over the next ten years we were able to acquire over nine million dollars of commercial property by using various creative financing strategies. That was a pretty big leap considering that when we bought our first commercial property we had not even owned a house before.

“Also, instead of franchising our business to expand and add more locations, we started sharing our ideas with other dance and music studios.

“This turned into an even bigger business than the studio business. There are over twenty-two thousand studios across North America. A lot of them were great at teaching but terrible at business. Sharing the ideas that worked well for us helped them—and us.

“In 2006 we bought a piece of waterfront property and built our dream home, including an exclusive coaching center. I call the property Creators Landing and I use it to show people how to expand their business, own real estate and live a semi-retired schedule. Most weeks I average fifteen to twenty hours of work per week, total. The rest of the time I spend with my kids who we home-school so we can take six or seven trips per year.

“I believe that the main reason for my success was deciding to focus on the opportunity that was right in front of me. Success is a lot closer than you think in most cases.”

Sam is releasing a book based on his amazing success, titled, The Small Business Wealth Triangle: The Ultimate Strategy to Semi-Retire Faster, Richer and Happier.

The three points of the triangle are:

1. Your primary business—how to run it profitably using very little of your own time.

2. Your alternative business—something you do for fun, you love doing and that can also be profitable.

3. Real Estate—own the building(s) that house your primary business.

Sam Beckford is a genuine self-made millionaire who lives life to the fullest, keeps business simple and is humble about his success. His honest down-to-earth approach to business and life is a refreshing change from the greed-driven financial entrepreneurs and politicians who have been creating headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. Way to go Sam!

Sam Beckford’s
Top 5 Success Strategies

Reflect on the direct questions below each strategy.

1. Think Big, But Start Small Today

“Having big dreams is good, but if you don’t have an opportunity that is small enough to apply your action to now, the dreams remain in the future. My business success, which translated into wealth, started by taking action on a small business that I started with fifty dollars and grew into a three-million-dollar enterprise. I didn’t wait until I had everything in place to start big. I know guys who are always chasing rainbows or the “big score” but never start action on something they can easily get started on, control and grow.”

Question: Are you taking focused action on your short-term goals, and are they linked to a bigger vision?

2. Decide to Give It Away Before You Get It

“The first year that I made a substantial amount of money from my business was the year I decided to give away 100,000 dollars to church and charity before I even made it. That year money seemed to flow to me naturally. Why? I had no guilt, fear of success or worthiness issues about wanting the money. The money was not just being made to enrich me it was being made to help others. When you commit to a goal that is bigger than yourself, the money flows to your effort.”

Question: Are you making a significant contribution to help others in need?

3. Develop Your Goal Magnet

“My favorite success phrase is: “Discipline is remembering what you want”. Writing goals down and thinking about them every day brings you closer to them. When I have choices of three activities I could do, I ask myself: “Will this activity get me closer to my goal or not?” If you ask yourself that question daily you will end the year with more goals accomplished than you thought possible.”

Question: Do you read your most important goals every day?

4. Learn to Earn

“If you are willing to learn more than your colleagues you will out-earn them too. I can beat any business competitor in my field because I am willing to out-learn them. Education is the one edge a small company can use to beat a bigger company that is well financed. Ten years ago when I started my business and I was competing against a much large, better financed competitor, I decided that my advantage would be to know more. I read 700 books on business, sales, marketing and anything else that would give me more knowledge than they had. Today my company is in the lead and their company is pretty much at the same place they were ten years ago. I didn’t have a monopoly on the books I read or the courses and seminars I took, I just made the decision to invest in education. Vince Lombardi, famous coach of the Green Bay Packers, once said: “The will to prepare to win is more important than the will to win”. Be willing to put in more training time and you will win more on the business field.”

Question: Do you set aside 30 minutes or more every day to read something meaningful or inspirational?

5. Become a “Get Back on Track” Specialist

“Life happens. You will get knocked off course several times, sometimes several times a day. Become an expert at springing back into action when an unexpected event stops your momentum. Never think the day is “shot” when an interruption happens. Get back into action and keep working toward your goals even when it seems like you aren’t moving.”

Question: How fast do you bounce back when a setback occurs? How could this be improved?

For more information: www.creatorslanding.com.

#2

Karen Stewart:
Changing the Divorce Paradigm

A defining moment in Karen Stewart’s life happened unexpectedly one morning when relaxing in the bathtub with her three-month-old daughter.

Her husband’s intrusion suddenly turned a happy family scene into a chilling, unwanted reality. Standing emotionless in front of his wife and daughter, he announced, “I’m not happy, Karen. You just don’t do it for me anymore. I’m thinking about moving out.” The next five years for Karen were ones of turmoil, self-doubt and roller-coaster emotions as she battled through a traumatic divorce that left her with 500,000 dollars in legal fees and another half million dollars in personal debt.

Married for over seven years with three young children, Karen felt cheated by the legal system that had drained her finances and exhausted her energy. One thought had surfaced however. “There has to be a reason for this pain, angst and hardship.” There was. Karen began to imagine what a new divorce paradigm might look like; one that was grounded in a common-sense approach to save people money, time and stress and to protect the children. In 2006, she launched Fairway Divorce Solutions, after developing The Fairway Process™ for couples. This unique system enables couples to make a clean break while protecting their sanity, wealth and children. Her book Clean Break is a must-read for anyone contemplating separation or divorce.

Karen is a fighter and a person who sees opportunity even in the worst situations. As a twenty-one-year-old ambitious entrepreneur, she authored a university paper about creating a mission statement. Here’s what it said, “My mission is to build a business by identifying an unmet need.” She had put herself through college by selling Mary Kay cosmetics. This start-up business required taking out a 2,000 dollar bank loan at 20 percent interest. Her motto was, Take the risk and be relentless!

At the age of twenty-eight, Karen opened her first financial services company, going on to specialize in the industry for over two decades, successfully building and selling a number of financial companies. When she first started, she admitted she had no idea how to do it. She built Milestone Asset Management Group to more than 100 million dollars in assets, delivering a highly integrated investment platform for a clientele of high net worth individuals.

From the start, Karen decided to build her company very differently from the traditional industry model. She had two fundamental values that were embedded into her business culture immediately. These were: (1) Everyone on the team had to be 100 percent client focused and (2) Show integrity at all costs!

Her instructions to her team were to stay laser focused on the consumer. One way of doing that was to help them discover their genuine needs. Karen found that customers often didn’t know what their needs were. To solidify this business model, Karen was one of the first in the country to introduce a fee for services plan.

This was performance based—if the client’s portfolio does well, then we will do well, too. This also guaranteed a high level of accountability for everyone on her team. At the time, the standard business model was commission driven, lacked accountability and was profitable whether the client did well or not.

Karen demonstrated other new initiatives such as not having individual brokers owning a book of business, herself included. Instead, her company was process oriented and team centered. With the valuation now based on the total company’s performance, this would ensure a better selling price if the company was taken over or sold. Again, a very different approach compared to traditional methods.

Another unique advantage was Karen’s philosophy on hiring people. In the financial services sector, people were often recruited from other companies. Milestone focused their efforts on elite students who had just graduated from university. Being fresh out of school, they had not accumulated any bad industry habits or been steeped in a different type of culture to the one Karen had established. Training young, smart, ambitious people on a specific system built for success was a key driver in creating Milestone’s impressive growth.

Under Karen’s drive and astute leadership, the company grew rapidly. It’s interesting to note that Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a similar model that has also created outstanding growth and profitability. You don’t need to create a new mousetrap when building a business. Just figure out who’s catching all the mice and pay attention to how they are doing it!

Another important factor in Karen Stewart’s success is her ability to look at herself in the mirror and make changes when she knows they need to be made. You might have the right brand and the best client model but if something in your structure isn’t as good as it needs to be, take action.

At Fairway Divorce Solutions, Karen has already made several important adjustments to improve the structure. Responding quickly is very rare in many industries where ego and complacency start to dominate the culture and the biggest opportunities are often missed. Women business owners were rare in the industry when Karen started, making her accomplishments even more noteworthy. The extensive experience she gained in business and finance provided a solid foundation for starting Fairway Divorce Solutions. The company has expanded rapidly across Canada and the United States and is filling a huge need in the divorce settlement arena. Karen’s own dramatic story has garnered constant media attention nationally and created speaking engagements for her at major conferences. Her mission now, she says is: “I want to change the way divorce happens.”

Karen Stewart’s
Top 5 Success Strategies

1. Visualize Your Success

“I had the ability to visualize from a very young age what success looked like for me—specifically. The details do matter. The ability to see myself as a leader and entrepreneur while providing maternal direction to those that work for me, and to see the specifics of colors, size, etc., in advance of materialization is, and was, the key. I know if I can see it then I can become it.”

Question: Do you visualize your goals already completed and how it feels, for ten minutes each day?

2. Know What You Want

“The relentless commitment to set goals for the long term and short term is vital. I have always set ninety-day goals that are measurable and articulate. I revisit them daily without fail. I remove myself every ninety days from my office and routine environment to evaluate my last ninety days and focus on setting goals for the next quarter.”

Question: Do you schedule a Planning and Review Day every quarter to measure your accomplishments, make adjustments and plan the next ninety days?

3. Maintain a Non-Negotiable Value System

“In the fast and demanding world of business and life, our values can be challenged and we may find ourselves having to negotiate. My value system is my internal guide that ensures that those things that matter to me—my family, my integrity, my business, my friends and most importantly my soul—are never compromised. I know what my priorities are and so it is easy for me to say “no” when necessary.”

Question: Do you know your five most important values?

4. Create Balance and Be Present in the Moment

“I eat right, I exercise, I am spiritual and study that daily. I have fun (although not enough) and most importantly my heart is filled with love. People look at my life and often comment on how I do it. It’s simple—I am present in the moment, I am well organized, I delegate and I try not to take myself too seriously.”

Question: What’s one thing you could do immediately to have a better balance in your life?

5. Be a Lifetime Learner

“I am a sponge. I read in excess of fifty books per year. I have learned it’s not what you know, but what you know you do not know. Knowing the questions to ask is what matters. Intellect is the wisdom to know what you do not know. I have a lot to learn and I love that.”

Question: What book would help you right now? Go find it!

For more information: www.fairwaydivorce.com.

#3

Phil Carroll:
Houseboats to Billion Dollar Deals!

When you first meet Phil Carroll, the positive energy he exudes is like being caught in a magnetic field. You get pulled into his enthusiasm, passion for life and intensity of focus. This charisma is heightened by his six foot plus frame and a tanned complexion gained from living in Phoenix, Arizona, for the last ten years.

Phil was born to be an entrepreneur. Working a 5 am neighborhood paper route as a young teenager taught him to start early and run fast! Still in his teens, he started a flower delivery business with a specific target market—hospitals. He became the courier of choice for several flower shops and turned a nice profit.

Phil says his three greatest strengths are selling, selling and selling!

“I sold my wife on marrying me which turned out to be one of my best sales jobs. Twenty five years later, it’s still working well. I’ve always been able to sell investors and attract large quantities of capital and manage it properly and I’ve always been able to sell the banks. Selling is the lifeblood of every business—you must never forget that. Administration and everything else follows after the sale.”

One of Phil’s most famous sales that attracted nationwide media attention was the formation of Three Buoys Houseboats. His brother Randy and best friend Dave Steele were the co-founders. All in their early twenties, the three boys started inauspiciously with just two boats. Creative marketing and great salesmanship saw their start-up business soar to become the largest houseboat company in the country with investors buying thousands of boats over a nine year period. The company grew to 400 employees and 30 million dollars in revenues and attracted more than 50,000 vacationers.

To attract more business, Phil decided to create a Club Med atmosphere on the lakes by building a hospitality deck where only their own boats could dock. Some nights they turned the deck into a movie theater by having a huge viewing screen on the edge of the lake. Other times it became a dance floor. The competition was stunned because their boats were not permitted to use it. The “buzz” about Three Buoys spread fast—another example of great marketing skills.

The end of this particular venture came when the government changed the tax law for investors and the banks didn’t want to finance the debt on the thirteen Marina’s the company now owned. Phil’s view of this: “I was twenty nine years old. I learned a lot, particularly about finance and especially cash flow.” His advice to young entrepreneurs is, never take shortcuts. Take time to really learn your business. For the past twenty years Phil has focused on real estate, becoming an expert on condominium development. Phil’s early approach to goal setting was, go big or go home! Now having extensive experience, he always takes time to create a detailed business plan, thinks everything through and puts all the players in place that he will need for the project. He focuses on what he does best and enjoys most—marketing, sales and finance. Phil is well past the “10,000 hour rule”, the yardstick for mastering a specific expertise. He’s constantly learning and is passionate about his business and his family.

Now in his early fifties, Phil has opened up a great new opportunity for investors. Having survived and learned from previous recessions, the huge home foreclosure market was something he anticipated earlier than most. In 2010, he established The American Residential Income Fund whose mission is to provide affordable housing for American families. Located in Phoenix, the company is expanding into Las Vegas and Southern California. Homes are purchased in great neighborhoods at the foreclosure trustee sales, then renovated and leased to families. Investors also have the opportunity to purchase homes, with a separate Income Trust established for Canadian investors.

As usual, Phil’s business model was thought out in complete detail and he is well on the way to achieving his target of 1,000 homes. Away from business, Phil likes action activities, among them, heli-skiing, snowboarding, hockey, hiking and triathlons. He’s also an avid car enthusiast.

Phil Carroll’s
Top 5 Success Strategies

1. Pick Your Field and Stick With It

“I learned this the hard way. As an entrepreneur I had lots of ideas and I’d jump into things that looked exciting that would ultimately distract me from my main focus. My strength is real estate—particularly buying and selling large condominium properties. It’s important that you understand the industry you are in. Learn everything about it, the players, and the environment. Now my focus is in foreclosure properties. I still use the same strategies. You must see the biggest opportunities ahead of time and commit 100 percent when they arrive.”

Question: Are you focused on your best niche or are you scattered far and wide?

2. Be Flexible—Adapt Your Business Model When Necessary

“The fact is, markets change, the economy changes, even whole industries can change. You must be prepared for change. My first business ventures were set up as private companies. Then I shifted to creating a public company when the financials made sense. Now I’m back to running a private enterprise with a small team of dedicated people. This suits my lifestyle and allows me to operate with peak efficiency.”

Question: Is your current business model super successful? If not, what would make it better?

3. Stick to Your Values

“The number one priority for me is balance. When I’m out of balance, life is more stressful and I lose focus. When my relationship with my wife and children is great and I’m healthy, my business flows better. I make sure I have regular breaks with my family. This is rejuvenating. When I go back to work I can really turn on the adrenaline.

Another important value is to always be fair in your business dealings. Don’t shortchange people. It’s critical to build long-term relationships. I’ve had the same key people around me for many years—bankers, strategic partners and even people whom we’ve had a few struggles with in the past.”

Question: How much time off have you scheduled in the next twelve months?

4. Build Momentum in Every Deal

“As the deal progresses, build your energy and keep everything moving. Make sure you monitor your own weekly targets and keep people accountable for what they have promised to do.”

Question: Are you in the habit of creating momentum for yourself and your team?

5. Always Celebrate Your Victories

“After all the effort you put in to hit a major goal, it’s important that you celebrate your success with the team. I always buy something special for myself, like a new car or throw a big party. You must have fun, and we do!”

Question: Do you have your next celebration planned yet?

For more information: www.americanresidentialhomes.com.

#4

Debbie Rotkvich: The Jewelry Queen

Born and raised on the South side of Chicago, Debbie Rotkvich is the second eldest of six children. Her father was in the insurance business. There wasn’t a lot of money but there was a lot of love in the family. At the age of twelve, Debbie’s life as a normal young girl suddenly changed. The news that her father had been murdered, rocked the household. Her mother had to work two jobs, getting up at 4 am every day, leaving Debbie to get the other kids off to school, including making the lunches.

Money was tight and if anyone wanted any extras they had to work for it. Debbie started to waitress. As a teenager, school didn’t agree with her and she found no connection with her peers. She could always talk her way into a variety of jobs and quickly became street smart. Already she had visions of creating a better life. A major motivator was to one day live in a house where she had her very own bathroom!

Debbie’s first big investment was to open up a flower shop with her sister. They took out a bank loan for 35,000 dollars, a big amount at the time. Debbie’s attitude was, “If it’s a choice between investing in someone else’s venture and betting on myself, I’ll bet on me first.” Debbie really believed this was the ticket that would change her life for the better.

Lessons were learned in the flower business. Their motto was, do everything we can for our customers. This included loaning out decorative displays free of charge and providing bow-tying classes at Christmas. The business rolled along for five years but at the end of the day the only people receiving money was the IRS. The loan was repaid and the shop was closed.

Debbie married Mike, an easy-going guy who was eight and a half years older and had a long-term career in the steel industry. They started a family but Debbie’s drive and energy soon led her into the direct selling industry. She started selling Multiples, a direct-to-consumer clothing company whose business model was based on home parties. Her immediate thought on first seeing the business and the opportunity to control how much income she made was, “I can do this, yes, I can do this!” This was the era when home parties became very popular. Interestingly, when Debbie attended some of these evening soirees with her friends, she was known as “the heckler,” and would invariably criticize the presenter and the products.

Now she is on the other end at the front of the room, selling. As a beginner, one key factor that created early success in this business for her was to follow her upline’s training instructions to the letter. Unfortunately the business changed hands and Debbie found the quality of the product deteriorating rapidly. As well, the clothes were now being sold in outlet malls at cheaper prices. The end was in sight for this venture all too soon, and it was on to the next opportunity.

Debbie’s enthusiasm and “I can do this” attitude, plus a genuine passion for helping her sales team succeed, gained the attention of a distributor who sold fashion jewelry. But Debbie was not interested. It was the same party plan model and she was looking elsewhere to achieve her goals.

However, this distributor wasn’t about to give up. For months she kept calling, almost every day. “Come and see my jewelry, just look at my jewelry,” was her request. One day, just to get this woman off her back, Debbie relented and met with her. At first the jewelry didn’t impress her, but she asked two vital questions: (1) “How much commission do you earn?” (2) “How often do you replace your inventory?” The answers were: (1) “40 percent when you build a team” (2) “twice a year.”

This was much better than the Multiples where the commissions were smaller and the clothing inventory was turned over every six weeks. Her final question sealed the deal, and it was a good one. “How stable is this company—what’s their track record?” When she was shown the brochure of the company’s recent annual convention and the awards and recognition showered on the top sales earners, Debbie was in! Under her breath once again she said, “I can do this. I know I can do this!”

Back then, the 250-dollar starter kit was a stretch financially, but that didn’t stop Debbie. The company, Lady Remington at the time, now called lia sophia, had no idea what was being unleashed on them! Debbie Rotkvich rocketed to the top, fuelled by her natural enthusiasm and vision of a better life for her and her family, including that bathroom she had always dreamed of.

It was hard work, but Debbie attracted many other inspired women and finally after several years, she hit her own six figure annual income. Momentum creates more business. Further inspired by the company president who set specific targets that would earn her six times her income, Debbie and her team were totally unstoppable!

In 2010, her business had grown to almost 10,000 people strong and had total revenues of over 100 million dollars, producing almost one third of the parent company’s revenues!

Like every entrepreneur, Debbie had her ups and downs, sometime losing key people from her team, other time fighting recession. She’s also had to confront non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a serious illness that has attempted to slow her down. Like many other champions you’ve read about in this book, Debbie is a fighter. It’s a common trait if you want to succeed in the big leagues. A few other notable pieces of advice she likes to share with her team are:

• When you get promoted to a leadership level, don’t sit back, be diligent and keep doing the things that put you there.
• Be diligent with your money, too. Debbie always saves at least 20 percent of her monthly earnings, a habit learned early when her family was going through some tough struggles.
• Financial freedom is what you get to enjoy later when you strive and thrive. In the interim you may need to sacrifice some of your time with your family. There’s no such thing as perfect balance when you are an entrepreneur. Comforting words for those who carry guilt!

Debbie Rotkvich’s
Top 5 Success Strategies

1. Have a “Can Do” Attitude

“Throughout each step of my entrepreneurial journey, my mental pep talk was, “I can do this!” It’s important to note, this was sometimes said between clenched teeth when my business was slow. For example, in the early part of the lia sophia jewelry business, there were weeks when I had no shows booked. No shows (parties) means, no business. “I can do this!” was a not-so-gentle reminder to ramp up my appointments and sales presentations, something we all need to be reminded about.”

Question: When your business slows, do you remind yourself, “I can do this!”

2. Figure Out How to Duplicate Yourself

“When your business expands, you come to a point where you can’t do it all. Letting go is challenging, but essential, especially if you have a controller type personality. Focus on finding champions like I have done over the years. Train them well. Many of my leaders now run their own training events and as they continue to grow, so does my business.”

Question: Who else can you train to be a champion?

3. Lead by Example

“Strong leaders don’t sit back when they reach a higher status level in the business. Your role will shift, but don’t let your work ethic become diluted. When times are tough, that message has to be delivered clearly on a daily basis. Remember, you are always being observed by others.”

Question: In tough times, do you step up with a clear strategy that will inspire yourself and others to push forward?

4. Reinvest in Your Business

“I’ve always had the habit of putting a healthy percentage of my revenue back into the business. Don’t be greedy! Because of feeding the business, I now can run my own events for training and recognition with more than 1,500 people attending. You don’t grow to a 100-million-dollar business without reinvesting—it’s impossible.”

Question: How much and how often, do you reinvest in yourself and the business?

5. Focus on Helping Your Team Get What They Want

“Even after twenty years in the business, I still get excited watching my team members accept their rewards as their business grows. The joy in their faces and the realization that they can do this, too, is totally fulfilling. You’ve got to love your people.”

Question: Do you genuinely and eagerly help the people who are helping you to grow and succeed?

For more information: www.rotkvichroup.com.

#5

Don R. Campbell:
Creating Real Estate Riches

When Don Campbell looks you in the eye to answer your specific question about real estate, you realize two things very quickly. First, there’s an authenticity and quiet confidence, about his demeanor; secondly, you have a strong feeling that the answer you are about to receive will be substantial and accurate.

This comes from more than twenty years of learning the business. Does this point sound familiar now, after having read the previous four stories?

There’s no substitute for selecting a niche industry that allows you to maximize your natural interests and talent. The key is to master it, and that’s where all of these exceptional Achievers, including Don Campbell, have become big winners. They have taken the time to learn, hone and nurture their skills through practical day to day experience. As you have seen already, street smarts beat theories and concepts hands down.

Don lives in Abbotsford, a small town in beautiful British Columbia. In 1985, he bought his first property with a joint venture partner while working a part-time job at Sears, realizing that he could never retire on that income. What spurred his interest in real estate was the fact that a friend’s father was doing incredibly well in the market. Don made a decision to simply model what he was doing. He says, “That’s a very important lesson for everyone, to find a successful role model.”

Don’s introduction to the industry, like most new ventures, involved making lots of mistakes. “I got terrible financing and didn’t buy in a region that had all the fundamentals. We bought new. In fact we did everything we could to make this a failure and still made money. However, I learned from my mistakes and made sure I didn’t repeat them.” Sound familiar?

Don realized buying real estate offered great leverage. Even one extra property, in addition to the home you live in, can create a nice, long-term nest egg, if purchased well. Don’s three essential keys to becoming successful as a real estate investor are:

1. You need to have good systems to get the banks to say “yes” to your deal.

2. You need excellent relationships, for example, with mortgage brokers, lawyers, etc.

3. You’ve got to have follow-through to ensure deals are completed.

Another important point Don makes is you must have a clear picture of what you want real estate to do for you—help you have a comfortable retirement or create a business that can make you wealthy. He suggests a three-year “apprenticeship” before you begin to see some good upside.

However, he’s quick to counter that real estate is not for everyone. You need to be able to speak to people and build relationships with bankers, vendors and realtors. He says, “You must be able to tolerate people. You don’t have to love them all, but you must tolerate them. The number one way is to surround yourself with like-minded people. Also, you must be able to cut through the hype and the get-rich-quick schemes and obtain unbiased research. You need to know the right questions to ask.” Valid points for just about any business in any industry.

Don has consistently grown his real estate portfolio over the years to more than 286 properties, including single family, fourplexes and apartment buildings. During that time he became passionate about sharing his successful system with other people, particularity those struggling to become profitable. His Real Estate Investment Network—R.E.I.N.—is now the most trusted, unbiased educational membership program in the country, with more than 3,000 members.

By his own admission, Don is a research geek and a bit of a perfectionist. He loves poking into the latest government announcements, poring over city developments and has a keen eye for determining the absolute best places to invest. He also takes his investors on an annual bus tour to actually visit the towns and areas where the best opportunities are emerging. It’s quite a sight to see dozens of school buses that he’s rented for the day, roll into town loaded with ambitious entrepreneurs. He has people from Canada, United Kingdom, United States and Australia enrolled in his program. Don is also focused on running a research and education-based organization. He does not ask his members to invest in his deals nor does he sell property to them. This gives him a unique advantage compared to other groups who typically run investment clubs or have a high-priced “success package” to sell.

Like many authentic business owners, Don is also a philanthropist. His number one contribution is to Habitat for Humanity, who build homes for people who are homeless or struggling to find a place of their own. Don donates all of the profits from his many bestselling books to Habitat. He and his members have contributed more than 800,000 dollars to help those in need. To date, REIN members have collectively purchased well in excess of 29,000 properties valued at more than 3.3 billion dollars, with close to 220 properties being added every month.

Over time, Don has become the go-to person for anything real estate. He is constantly approached by the media to be interviewed for insights into the economy and news about where markets are expanding or shrinking. His monthly membership workshops provide cutting-edge research to keep his students in the driver’s seat.

Don’s other useful suggestions that are noteworthy and essential for creating a successful, sustainable business include:

• Become the guru in your niche. Court the appropriate media; make them your friends.
• Give up control—focus on what you do best. (again, sound familiar?)
• Your reputation and integrity are two of your most important assets.
• Provide so much genuine value that you will attract people to you.

Don loves to travel, London, England, being one of his favorite destinations. He’s also an avid Manchester United soccer fan (same as author Les Hewitt), and also enjoys tennis and hiking. As a big music lover, Don and his wife Connie love attending concerts and listening to great bands such as Irish rockers, U2.

Don Campbell’s
Top 5 Success Strategies

1. Choose Your Friends Wisely

“Create a Mastermind of like-minded people who are more successful than you. Surround yourself with positive, forward-looking staff, friends and peers.”

Question: Do you have a powerful Mastermind Group? Note: If not, send an email to info@thepoweroffocus.ca and we will send you a free audio on how to create your own Mastermind Group.

2. Avoid Plateaus

“Challenge yourself to continual incremental improvement in everything you do. Waiting for major leaps of improvement before you take action will hold you back—continual incremental improvements will get you where you want to be. To use a baseball analogy, keep hitting singles and doubles and you will end up in the Hall of Fame. If you swing for a home-run every time you’re at bat, you’ll end up being the strike-out king. Choose the better way.”

Question: Are you consistently persistent or playing the stop/start game?

3. Never Be a Generalist

“Focus on finding a specific niche you’re passionate about. Provide that niche with unique and useable tools so that they can maximize their passions. The wider your target market, the more competition you will have and the more difficult it will be to stand out from the crowd.”

Question: Are you a real authority in your chosen market or a minnow in a huge pond?

4. Keep a Long-Term Outlook

“Sadly, many people focus on the dream of “getting rich quick”. This is a symptom of our society. However, true wealth is created by focusing on long-term relationships NOT squeezing every last dollar out of every transaction. This is even more important in an uncertain economy.”

Question: Are you focused on quick returns all the time, or are you building a sustainable, profitable future?

5. Have Fun and Be Serious

“This sounds like a contradiction in terms, however it is not. Fun, although not often discussed in business textbooks, provides you with a vibrant enthusiasm to continue through the rough spots. This sense of fun will be picked up by your clients and prospects will be drawn to you. Fun does not mean being silly, it means to be relaxed and enjoyable to be around, even while you are being serious. When you can provide serious information to your niche in a fun and entertaining fashion, people will line up to do business with you. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, from industrial sales to software development, the key is the same—be someone people are drawn to.”

Question: Are you too intense, unapproachable or even boring at times?

For more information: www.donrcampbell.com.

If you would like to hear free in-depth audio interviews
with each of our Five Exceptional Achievers, please email us
at info@thepoweroffocus.ca or call 403.295.0500

Gen-Y and Social Entrepreneurism:
The Way Forward

Andrew Hewitt, age twenty-nine, is a Gen-Y young man who is purpose driven and describes himself as a social entrepreneur. (In case you are wondering, yes, he is related to author Les Hewitt, who happens to be his proud father.)

Andrew’s journey started when he was twenty-one years old. He had witnessed hoards of his talented university friends striving for success in high-status careers, only to find themselves numbed by meaningless work routines at heartless corporations. Saddened by this, he spent several years researching why 70 percent of student graduates are dissatisfied with their jobs only five years after graduating. This is an alarming statistic.

He discovered that one reason these young men and women were not happy in their work was because their natural strengths were not being utilized. In fact, many didn’t know what their real strengths were. In addition, most had never clarified what their dream career would look like. Instead, the focus had been on getting a degree at all costs. To them, that nice certificate proved you were intelligent and somewhat disciplined.

Andrew himself almost made the same mistake during his four years at university. The first two were all about studying to become qualified. As he puts it, “I was totally degree focused.” Then halfway through his studies he began to notice there were lots of extracurricular activities available to him. Various business clubs, regional and national conferences he could attend and scholarships he could apply for, to intern overseas. This was a revelation!

The last two years of his studies became “experience focused,” resulting in wonderful opportunities to travel and meet other like-minded students, locally and internationally. He also got to meet many successful CEOs and business owners, broadening his knowledge and experience even further. The result was an acute awareness of what he really wanted to do after his university education was completed. He realized it was definitely not going to be cooped up in a cubicle working for some faceless mega corporation!

Instead, he relocated to Costa Rica, as he enjoyed the tropical climate there and the slower pace of life. His purpose today is crystal clear—to create a paradigm shift in education. An integral component of this is to help young people fix a gap in their awareness, to clarify their greatest strengths and find their dream career. In alignment with this purpose, he is sourcing companies who are using business as a force for good. They are purpose-driven rather than profit-driven, as well as being socially and environmentally conscious.

These companies are called Gamechangers. They are the new breed, creating their own paradigm shift in how we look at business and the world. Compared to many of the autocratic, hierarchical, shareholder-first style corporations, these vibrant new companies have different values and very different missions. They are attracting many young people because of their focus on meaningful work, an enjoyable, flexible working environment and genuinely wanting to give something back to society.

Andrew recently launched a new company to better define and identify these organizations. It’s called The Gamechangers 500. If the Fortune 500 was the benchmark for success in the twentieth century, the intention is for the Gamechangers 500* to become the benchmark for the twenty-first century. These are heart-centered organizations that are not only successful at making money, they are also focused on making the world a better place. These companies are redefining the rules of business around fun, fulfillment and fairness to all life.

There are many amazing young people in our world today. Despite the constant negativity we are surrounded with, compounded by politicians and news media, there is a new surging consciousness pioneered by young leaders who are both super-focused and excited about their future. In the process, many aging corporations are being dragged into the same way of thinking; some screaming and kicking for sure, others rejuvenated by a compelling new vision. Not surprisingly, others have already fallen by the wayside, dinosaurs who never noticed the changes occurring. Unfortunately they were content to remain in their old routines and allow complacency to destroy their future.

Do not allow yourself to slumber,
the future is now and it’s happening fast!

Below, you will find a list of some of the most exciting Gamechanger companies.

Do check their websites to learn about their unique cultures, the people they hire and the vision they are focused on creating. Apple Inc. and The Virgin Group of Companies are two of the Gamechanger giants that have pioneered the way forward with visionaries, Steve Jobs and Richard Branson. There are many more following in their footsteps that may soon be household names, too. Learn from how they operate. If you are not one already, maybe Gamechanger is the title you’d like to be listed under. Onward and upward!

Gamechanger Companies

To know if your organization qualifies as a Gamechanger, or to look inside those listed below, just visit the website www.gamechangers500.com.

• Khan Academy
• Okabashi
• Kiva
• Ideo
• Jamie Oliver
• Elevate Studios
• Lulu Lemon
• Achievers (formerly I Love Rewards)
• Whole Foods Market
• Better World Books
• Tesla Motors
• Zappos
• Mind Valley
• Bloom Energy
• Café Gratitude
• Toms
• Google

Happy exploring!

Note to Parents: If you have high school or college-age children, make them aware of this Gamechanger phenomenon.

Great News AHEAD!

Here’s an insight to boost the younger generations who may be concerned about finding a good job. In the next two decades, the majority of the jobs haven’t even been invented yet.

Think about it. The computer revolution only really started forty years ago. Think of all the incredible innovations that have occurred since, and the millions of jobs created as a result. In the 1970s we had no fax machines, cell phones or iPads. The environment wasn’t creating headlines and spawning new careers and opportunities, like it is today. Electric cars were limited to the children’s toy variety and high speed land and air travel was still a dream for many.

There’s one thing about the human mind; it is limitless in its ability to create better and smarter ways of doing things that affect our world. And the human spirit is what creates dreams and the desire to see change happen. The good news is, history proves this has never diminished, despite major tragedies and numerous setbacks.

So take heart, young leaders of tomorrow—your future is bright. Just follow the signs.

“The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart, this you will build your life by, and this you will become.”

—James Allen

Insights

As authors, we have all been privileged to have been surrounded by great teachers, role models and mentors. Undoubtedly, the wisdom of these people has had a profound influence on our awareness, our success in life and our ability to overcome difficult challenges.

The five exceptional Achievers you have read about in this chapter all started with humble beginnings. Through their own vision, enthusiasm and persistence, they not only are enjoying the fruits of their labor today, they have all made a significant difference in people’s lives and continue to do so. You will discover true joy in mastering your talents and the ability to offer valuable products and services to a world that is full of companies and individuals who need your help.

The beauty of this is, you eventually rise up to be the mentor and graduate from being the one who was mentored. It’s “pay it forward” at its best! So enjoy the journey. Use the most relevant ideas from these five Power of Focus superstars, plus any of our own, to help you reach your next major objective.

In the next few pages, we have some Final Words to launch you on your way.

Action Steps

Carefully review the twenty five strategies from our five exceptional Achievers. Answer the accompanying questions to help you unlock their best ideas.

1.

2.

3.

Choose three from the list of twenty-five and write them below.

1.

2.

3.

My best next action for implementing each of these strategies for my own business or career are:

1.

2.

3.

Now focus and follow through!