Going Beyond The Millionaire Mindset
Going Beyond The Millionaire Mindset
How can business owners work less and still grow successful companies?
The main reason I keep doing what I do is simple: I love it. It’s not that I have to do it; it’s that I genuinely enjoy it. People often ask, “What’s your purpose in life?” For me, it’s to enjoy life, and this is how I do it. I love creating things from scratch, growing businesses, and helping others. If I stop doing those things, it feels like I stop living. So, I continue to do them every day.
That doesn’t mean I work 60 or 70 hours a week just because I run four companies. In fact, I only work about 20 hours a week while managing multimillion-dollar businesses, including a transportation company with over 50 employees. It’s all about finding a way to achieve everything you want in life while enjoying it to the fullest. My motto has always been: Live life to the fullest.
What are the steps to align personal values with business values for long-term success?
After more than twenty years in business, I’ve realized that my personal values must align with my business values. For my life to be the way I want it, everything—my beliefs and values—has to be consistent across both areas. If I don’t maintain those values in my business, I’m a hypocrite. It’s not right to live by my values personally but ignore them professionally just because one area generates money.
When you align your personal and business values, everything flows more naturally. There are so many people out there who share our values and beliefs. Once you find those people and surround yourself with them, life gets much better because you no longer have to deal with those who don’t align with your principles.
One key lesson I’ve learned is that this world is full of abundance—an abundance of money, cars, food, and everything else. Just as there’s an abundance of material things, there’s also an abundance of people who share your values, beliefs, and morals. When you surround yourself with those people, life becomes truly amazing.
How can business owners find aligned networking groups?
When I attend networking or mastermind events, I carefully choose groups based on who’s involved. What kind of businesses do they run? Are they aligned with my values? Ethics are crucial—are they honest and good people? Faith is also important to me. They don’t have to share my exact beliefs, but I look for people who have faith in something. Faith is foundational, and I emphasize its importance in my book, Nine Secrets for a Successful Business and Life.
Faith is essential not only in a higher power but also in oneself. When people believe in themselves, they’re more likely to succeed. If I’m going to work with or partner with someone, I need to know they have that self-belief and resilience. A business partner without faith or confidence isn’t someone I want to collaborate with. Faith helps you navigate tough times, and without it, conflicts arise. It’s okay to have differences, but shared values and beliefs are key to achieving shared goals.
When should business owners delegate tasks and build systems to focus on growth?
The best decisions I’ve made in my businesses—allowing me to work less and enjoy life more—start with choosing the right technical partners. I define technical partners as those who excel at areas of the business where I’m either not skilled or simply don’t enjoy. My strength lies in scaling businesses, creating systems, and business development. That’s my superpower. So, I focus on finding partners who can handle the technical aspects I prefer to avoid.
The second key decision is building effective systems. These systems provide the leverage I need to manage my businesses efficiently. For example, while I’m great with numbers and accounting, I dislike handling daily operations. That’s why I have a skilled accountant in my transportation company. Every Monday, she provides detailed reports on expenses, revenue, invoicing, and anything requiring follow-up. This allows me to review and guide the team on specific issues without being involved in the minutiae.
Ultimately, it’s about creating a team that loves their work and treats the business as if it’s their own. This frees up my time so I can focus on being the visionary—like the Picasso of the company—setting the direction and ensuring things get done according to my vision.
How can business owners prioritize tasks that directly generate revenue?
I focus on tasks that directly generate revenue for my company and avoid those that simply consume time without adding value. For example, in my development company, revenue-generating tasks include searching for land and planning future development projects. Even if a project won’t begin for six months to a year, finding the next property is critical because it will eventually bring revenue.
In my transportation company, revenue generation involves building the right connections and selecting the right customers. This ensures our trucks are consistently running each week, allowing us to meet the revenue targets we’ve set for the year. Staying focused on these high-value tasks keeps the business on track to achieve its goals.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
