Last night I got lucky. No, it’s not what you think (remember I am happily married) – here’s what happened- I was in San Francisco yesterday preparing for my upcoming client seminar Feb 10+11.

Anyway, I took the red-eye flight from San Francisco to Atlanta cause I am speaking this weekend at Jim Edwards’ seminar here in Atlanta.

Well, I am not much for sleeping on planes – it’s actually one of the best places for me to get work done because I am strapped in and the only other alternative to sitting and working is going to the bathroom.

Back to how I got lucky.

The person sitting next to me was a successful entrepreneur whose name you’d recognize if you read even half the number of business books I do. So I introduced myself, and to my surprise he actually knew my name and had read the manifesto. (Apparently it’s been passed around in a lot of circles outside of internet marketing which is why we still have over 100 people a day opting in to get a copy!)

We passionately shared our insights about small business, big business and where an entrepreneur fits into the process. We agreed on many things – but there was one especially important point he told me about, that he’d figured out after his second success, which I didn’t realize it until my third success.

That’s what I want to share with you today.

He said he knew he was really an entrepreneur when he started his second business – when his aspirations were to one day be the Senior Vice President in charge of acquisitions. When I pressed him to clarify what he meant – he told me that all the excitement for him comes during the startup phase and that he hates having to create all the structures and processes needed to build and grow the business. So, by his second business he decided he wouldn’t do that all himself and instead he would get the business going and then bring in the right CEO, President, and people to work it — until the business grew so successful that he only served one small role in the company — the one that was once just an idea in his head to head up acquisitions.

I was struck by how similar our experiences were because I had a similar shift when I started Strategic Profits. I knew my current role, in the content creation side and coaching successful entrepreneurs, was what I wanted to do the most and that the day to day operations, marketing, etc., would be handled by my superstar team. And it’s happened…

If you are a real entrepreneur this should sound very appealing to you. You get to do more of what you want as you build and grow. Plus, as my company continues to grow and I see our profits climbing, I also notice that my calendar is getting lighter and lighter. The company that my ideas gave birth to is now grown up enough to take care of itself without me shouldering the bulk of the day to day load – actually it has already started to take care of me.

And this gives me tremendous freedom. Which is the whole reason I am entrepreneur in the first place – to create and be free.

Two weeks ago I was reminded of how important freedom and fun are to me. Yanik Silver, Mike Filsaime, and yours truly went on a special flight called a Zero-G flight. It’s an incredible experience where you get to feel true weightlessness.

After the experience, Mike Filsaime and I were talking about how much fun we had and how important it is to make time for fun. We also promised each other we would make sure to plan a few extra fun experiences for 2007.

Think for a second. When was the last time you really had fun? Not just a giggle, but when you had a big stupid smile stretched across your face and you were laughing and feeling like you did when you were just a kid playing?

If it’s been over a month – then you’ve got to ask yourself: Why am I working so hard? What position do I aspire to have in my company? And what could I put on my ‘to do’ list that would be incredibly fun?

I’ve got more to share with you about what I was doing in San Francisco and the plane ride but I’ve got to run right now. Check back on Monday.

To Higher Profits
Rich

Hey Guys,

I hope you’re having a profitable day.

So did you finish your ‘Victory’ list – you know the one that we talked about in my last post? Where you get to relive your glory days from last year so we can carry what worked forward into 2007?

If not, please scroll down to yesterday’s post and complete that exercise before you move on to Your Next Big Question for “Making 2007 Your Best Year Ever”.

When you’re ready to continue, here’s…

Your Next Big Question!
What Were Your Biggest Disappointments Of 2006?

Looking at your disappointments from last year may not be easy for you. Don’t worry – you’re not alone. It’s not easy for many people and so they white it out of their minds. They’d rather pretend it never happened and hope for the best.

But it’s hard to build a booming growing successful business if you live like an ostrich with your head in the sand. It’s with your eyes open looking around that you’ll make this year better than 2006.

Last year happened and you have experience from it, both positive and negative…

Today you’re going to learn the next step (#2 out of the 5) that will enable you to really profit from that experience.

First, you must start with this in mind:

As You Launch Into 2007 (it’s only January!!!) – Identify What You Did Wrong Last Year. No Pain, No Gain

It’s time for you to take out that treasured notebook or pad and begin a new list. This one steers clear of your accomplishments and focuses on what didn’t work in 2006…mistakes, missteps, failures, wrong roads, bad choices. Call it what you will, you know what it is I’m talking about.

And by the way SAVE YOUR LISTS!!!! They are the building blocks for your success. The more you put in to them, the more that comes back at you. Save them all! A treasured book of lists is really an excellent idea. You’ll see why.

Be Totally Honest with Yourself

When you begin to write up your list of disappointments, you may be inclined to just rush through them.

DON’T

The easy route here has no pay off. You know what went wrong and taking a good hard look at what happened is where the juice is. No one else has to see this list but you.

And, by the way, take a hard look not only at last year’s business activities, but your personal life, too. Lots of things go hand in hand.

Last time, we talked about taking an honest look at your situation… This is absolutely essential when building your list of disappointments and failures from last year.

You should not just be mildly honest with yourself – Mild Honesty is like lukewarm water.

Instead, go at your disappointments with gusto. If you’re ruthless in tearing your business and life apart, you’ll get a chance to find and face the core problems. You need more than a surface look. If things don’t jump out at you, look again and look harder. This really is a treasure hunt.

The harder you are on yourself at this point, the more ammunition you will have to make the radical changes that are crucial to making your life and your business better.

While you are working on your brutally honest list of disappointments and failures, it might help you to take a look at what I came up with when I did the same exercise you are doing.

What I Must Change In My Life and My Business to Make 2007 the Best Year Ever!

All of us have something we can improve upon from the last year, and that includes me.

Yeah, there were some things that I think could have gone better in 2006…

A big concern was all of the time I personally put into my coaching programs. This really turned out to be a problem for me.

I found it difficult to manage my time when working with over 750 coaching clients, working on my business expansion, entering into new partnerships and speaking all around the world.

All of this while spending as much time as possible with my two daughters Ava and Elle, and my wife Debi.

And I really don’t know how I did it… I sacrificed a lot of hobbies I enjoy – I slept less and read less. And I spent less time with friends. All in all, not too good.

But the pay-off was huge.

I am honored to have been able to help so many clients achieve and exceed their business goals in 2006.

And Strategic Profits is now set up to produce and deliver what I believe will be unrivaled in the business growth field of today and tomorrow.

So now that I have gotten Strategic Profits where it needs to be, I’m readjusting my schedule. This is bringing my life more into balance so I can dedicate more time to having fun.

Now I’m Not Claiming to be Perfect…

The facts are I certainly made some other missteps along the way last year. In hindsight, I did not do everything right.

Most people would have been happy with the numbers we did with our launch of Internet Wealth Alliance with Agora (a program we did together.)

But I thought the results were disappointing, considering the over the top track records of Agora and Strategic Profits.

And as I said before about my family life, I missed out on more than I care to admit. I wanted to spend more time with my wife and kids than I did.

I can’t undo what happened, but as you can imagine, these points are all very important to me.

How Important is All of This to You?

Taking a good look at your 2006 and building a list of all your disappointments and failures will be one of the most important exercises you do all year!

I’m serious here!

Take the time to do it right. Don’t get sidetracked – this is too important. If you face it now, you’ll be amazed at what you will find out about yourself and your business practices last year just from this one list .

Plus you will need this list, and your list of last year’s accomplishments, to be able to complete my business makeover formula so you can make 2007 your best year yet.

Your Next Big Question?

This is something that will make or break your business success and growth this year.

In fact, it is so important that without it, you are putting yourself in the position of reliving your mistakes over and over again, just like Bill Murray did in Groundhog Day.

And you’ll get to benefit from this next big question soon.

So make sure you check in with me tomorrow and make room in your notebook for another important list.

Soon you will see how these lists work together to help you transform your business and your life into that of your dreams.

To Higher Profits,

Rich Schefren
Strategic Profits

P.S. – I’m really looking forward to being able to help even more people in a different way coming up soon.

Since people are always asking me “So Rich, what exactly do you do every day?”… I’m going to let a few lucky people look ‘Over My Shoulder’ this year.

They will get to hear first-hand what I do each and every day and how I’ve used my actions to build my business into what it is today.