The 44 Master Moves of Remarkable Entrepreneurs

1. They get that the #1 way to build a global brand is one customer at a time. 2. They obsess around having an impact vs. growing their income (and so their income soars). 3. They listen more than they speak. And they deliver more than they promise. 4. They use their most valuable hours to do their most valuable work (don’t check email first thing in the morning). 5. They get that you can’t have an A-level company if you hire B-level people. 6. They are deeply aware that jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to Mastery. And so they fearlessly pour their Genius into the world. 7. They understand that what the amateur calls genius, the professional calls practice. 8. They are fanatics around building a systems-driven company. Everything has a system built around it. This ensures consistently fantastic results. And allows the entrepreneur to take extraordinary amounts of time off. [I've recorded a powerful training video that will show you how to really grow an ultra-successful company while you live a much better life. It's called "The Napa Valley Adventure". Watch it now: http://www.theremarkableentrepreneur.com/napavalleyadventure] 9. They trust their vision when everyone else is doubting their vision. 10. They provoke their teammates to do work they never imagined they could do. 11. They know that good enough just isn’t good enough. Outright perfection is their ideal. 12. They have discovered that extra hard work is Success’ true best friend. 13. They use flight time to get ahead and review their plans vs. playing Angry Birds and watching bad movies. 14. They get that progress often shows up in failure’s clothing. 15. They invest deeply in their education and development knowing that the fastest way to double your net worth is to triple your rate of learning. 16. They focus on value versus cost. 17. They hold themselves to performance + ethical standards higher than anyone could ever expect of them. 18. They make the time to think, plan and prepare – understanding that clarity breeds mastery. And there’s no point in brilliantly executing the wrong things. 19. They get that their 3 most valuable assets are their mental focus, physical energy and internal creativity. And so they protect them ferociously. 20. They are “Apple-like” in their willingness to think differently and ensure their products leave customers breathless. 21. They stick to their convictions – especially in the face of criticism. 22. They relentlessly stay true to their clearly articulated vision – even when confronted with the most heartbreaking of obstruction. 23. They adore the mantra: “How may I best serve the most people?” 24. They challenge the way they worked yesterday for the sake of even bigger work tomorrow. 25. They get that either you disrupt the status quo in your industry (and within your life), or you will be disrupted. And it will hurt. 26. They spend their days doing real work versus fake work. And getting important things done versus being really busy being busy. 27. They know that if they’re not frightened a lot they’re not achieving a lot. 28. They appreciate that Leadership’s no longer about ensuring compliance but inspiring connections, being of service and getting great things done. 29. They work hard to craft a high-performance culture, understanding that the culture of the organization stages the performance of its people. 30. They are more fascinated in building a company that will endure the generations than an enterprise that is hot for a few quarters. Iconic is their obsession. 31. They get that failure is the foundation of innovation. 32. They are acutely aware that the winning formula that made their company successful just might be the one that makes their company obsolete. And so they break what works. And stay foolish and hungry. 33. They deliver results versus voice rationalizations. 34. They view angry customers as breathtakingly great opportunities to create fanatical fans. 35. They know that if people are not laughing at your 24 Month Magnificent Obsession (More on that and all these ideas at The Remarkable Entrepreneur SuperConference 2012 in Toronto, Canada June 2+3 – see below for details to grab a seat while you can – I really want to help you win this year!), you have the wrong vision. 36. They perceive connections with their community as the main aim of commerce. 37. They are devoted to getting into their absolute best physical condition. They have zero desire to be the richest people in the graveyard. 38. They understand that the greatest gift you can give a teammate (or a customer or your child) is the gift of your undivided attention. 39. They know that logic is the dream killer. Instead, they trust instinct, creativity and passion to lead them to where they need to go. 40. They have learned that few things feel better than the pride you’ll feel on a job beautifully done. 41. They are good at starting things. And even better at finishing them. 42. They get that confidence grows via the doing of difficult things. And so they pursue discomfort. 43. They identify themselves as virtuosos. Best in World is the only place they play. 44. They bravely donate their lives to a cause larger than themselves. And – in this way – transform the world through their presence. If you’re ready to make these master moves a part of the way you work and are set to unleash the potential of your business, you definitely want to attend The Remarkable Entrepreneur SuperConference 2012, widely considered one of the most valuable and game-changing training events for business builders in the world. I’ll teach you everything I know about growing your business in these volatile times and my method to double your sales in 24 months or less – while taking a lot more time off.

35 Fast Tips to Make This Your Best Year Yet

Remember that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts.
Keep the promises you make to others – and to yourself.
The project that most scares you is the project you need to do first.
Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.
Stop being busy being busy. This New Year, clean out the distractions from your work+life and devote to a monomaniacal focus on the few things that matter.
Read “The War of Art”.
Watch “The Fighter”.
In a world where technology is causing some of us to forget how to act human, become the politest person you know.
Remember that all great ideas were first ridiculed.
Remember that critics are dreamers gone scared.
Be “Apple-Like” in your obsession with getting the details right.
Take 60 minutes every weekend to craft a blueprint for the coming seven days. As Saul Bellow once said: “A plan relieves you of the torment of choice.”
Release your need to be liked this New Year. You can’t be a visionary if you long to be liked.
Disrupt or be disrupted.
Hire a personal trainer to get you into the best shape of your life. Superstars focus on the value they receive versus the cost of the service.
Give your teammates, customers and family one of the greatest gifts of all: the gift of your attention (and presence).
Every morning ask yourself: “How may I best serve the most people?”
Every night ask yourself: “What 5 good things happened to me this day?”
Don’t waste your most valuable hours (the morning) doing low value work.
Leave every project you touch at work better than you found it.
Your job is not just to work. Your job is to leave a trail of leaders behind you.
A job is not “just a job”. Every job is a gorgeous vehicle to express your gifts and talents – and to model exceptionalism for all around you.
Fears unfaced become your limits.
Get up at 5 am and take 60 minutes to prepare your mind, body, emotions and spirit to be remarkable during the hours that follow. Being a superstar is not the domain of the gifted but the prepared.
Write love letters to your family.
Smile at strangers.
Drink more water.
Keep a journal. Your life’s story is worth recording.
Do more than you’re paid to do and do work that leaves your teammates breathless.
Leave your ego at the door every morning.
Set 5 daily goals every morning. These small wins will lead to nearly 2000 little victories by the end of the year.
Say “please” and “thank you”.
Remember the secret to happiness is doing work that matters and being an instrument of service.
Don’t be the richest person in the graveyard. Health is wealth.
Life’s short. The greatest risk is risk-less living. And settling for average.

You Can’t Lead In Fear

Fear ruins more bright lives than you might imagine. Each of us, by virtue of our very human nature, has the potential to Lead Without Title and achieve great things that elevate everyone around us by our model of possibility. But the chattering voice of fear in our heads stops us from playing big.
A little while back I had the chance to spend 3 weeks in New Zealand. And just before I returned home, I had the opportunity to go heli-skiing. Yes, this is where a helicopter drops you off at the top of a mountain, and you ski down.
The experience was challenging, exhilarating and full of rich lessons for growth. Here are some of them, that we can apply to business and life:
1. You Don’t Grow In Normal
All I mean by this is that if you stay within your comfort zone, you don’t grow. But if you instead stretch and face fear head on by going to your limits, you’ll discover your limits will grow.
2. You Don’t Know Until You Try
It would have been easy to refuse the chance to heli-ski. I could have made a thousand excuses. But Leaders Without a Title recognize good opportunities. So I seized it. And because I tried heli-skiing, I not only grew as a skier, I added another experience to my life that will shape all I do.
3. On the Other Side of Your Fears You’ll Find Your Confidence
By doing what we’re afraid to do because it’s beyond our comfort zone, we grow in confidence. The increased confidence I have as a skier because I skied a new peak will translate to increased confidence as an entrepreneur and as a human being.
4. Life’s Short So Get In The Game
A rich life is one made up of many rich adventures. Don’t miss out on enjoying as many as you can.

17 Tips To Double Your Productivity In 14 Days

1. Turn off all technology for 60 minutes a day and focus on doing your most important work.
2. Work in 90 minute cycles (tons of science is now confirming that this is the optimal work to rest ratio).
3. Start your day with at least 30 minutes of exercise.
4. Don’t check your email first thing in the morning.
5. Turn all your electronic notifications off.
6. Take one day a week as a complete recovery day, to refuel and regenerate (that means no email, no phone calls and zero work). You need full recovery one day a week otherwise you’ll start depleting your capabilities.
7. The data says workers are interrupted every 11 minutes. Distractions destroy productivity. Learn to protect your time and say no to interruptions.
8. Schedule every day of your week every Sunday morning. A plan relieves you of the torment of choice (said novelist Saul Bellow). It restores focus and provides energy.
9. Work in blocks of time. Creative geniuses all had 2 things in common: when they worked they were fully engaged and when they worked, they worked with this deep concentration for long periods of time. Rare in this world of entrepreneurs who can’t sit still.
10. Drink a liter of water early every morning. We wake up dehydrated. The most precious asset of an entrepreneur isn’t time – it’s energy. Water restores it.
11. Don’t answer your phone every time it rings.
12. Invest in your professional development so you bring more value to the hours you work.
13. Avoid gossip and time vampires.
14. Touch paper just once.
15. Keep a “Stop Doing List”.
16. Get up at 5 am.
17. Have meetings standing up.

How To Build A Movement Around Your Business

In 10 years, we’ll look back at this time as one of the greatest periods in history to be in business. It’s never been so easy to deliver original value for massive amounts of people. It’s never been so important to show leadership in all that you do. And there’s never been a better time to grow a full-blown movement around the products and services that you offer to the people who put food on your table every night.

Smart entrepreneurs (and even people working in companies need to think and perform like entrepreneurs within their jobs if they want to excel) do the following 4 things to grow communities of fanatical followers around their brands:

1. They understand that every moment in front of a customer is a moment of truth. You either live the values your advertising sells. Or you don’t.

2. They avoid “Copycat Syndrome”. Starbucks and NIKE and Zappos and Google became iconic because they were unique. Not because they tried to be a better clone of a successful competitior.

3. The best entrepreneurs never lose the human touch. Yes, technology’s an awesome lever to build relationships and scale your business. But ultimately, people do business with human beings – not companies.

4. The best entrepreneurs grow movements by asing themselves “how may I best serve the most people” vs “how may I make the quickest money doing the least effort.” Helping people get to their dreams via the superb product you offer still remains the single best marketing strategy in this uncertain work of business we play in.

11 Obsessions of Remarkable Entrepreneurs

Recently I delivered a three-hour presentation for the Entrepreneurs’ Organization in Vancouver. I was really delighted to share my ideas on what it takes to be a world-class entrepreneur. The productivity habits of best entrepreneurs, and ultimately how you build a fast growth company while actually cultivating a better lifestyle. A lifestyle where you have more fun and more balance.
And I wanted to share the 11 Obsessions of Remarkable Entrepreneurs with you. Because I shared a lot of the ideas with them and I wanted to offer them to you so you can multiply your profits, build a truly great small company while creating a truly exceptional lifestyle.
The 11 Obsessions of Remarkable Entrepreneurs
1. Remarkable Entrepreneurs understand the quality of the practice determines the caliber of the performance
The Pro Athlete Protocol: Prepare Yourself Mentally, Physically + Emotionally
2. Bureaucrats talk about people and problems, Remarkable Entrepreneurs talk about possibilities and solutions
Focus on results and get things done. What’s the opportunity here? How can we leverage this situation. Focus on possibilities. Results. Results. Results.
3. Remarkable Entrepreneurs understand they are paid not just to work, but they are paid to be scared
The best entrepreneurs play out on the edges and take calculated risks. Challenge the way you performed yesterday. Take calculated risks.
4. To have what only 1% of the entrepreneurial population have, you must be willing to do what only 1% of the entrepreneurial population are willing to do
The best entrepreneurs do what’s difficult, what causes them to stretch and what requires commitment. Be committed. Be willing to do what the few do. Develop the leaders around you. Go into silence. Work on your customer experience. Have acute clarity on your 90 day goals. Work on your goals. Build relationships and trust. Persist.
5. Bureaucrats are threatened by change, Remarkable Entrepreneurs are inspired by change
The best entrepreneurs understand that a change is required to get to the next level of profits, success and fulfillment. Go through the confusion to get to the clarity.
6. Bureaucrats have jobs, Remarkable Entrepreneurs have crafts
Develop your talents and make a dent in the universe. Do something you are proud of. Elicit the best within you. The best entrepreneurs aren’t in it for the money, they’re in it for the pride they feel on creating world-class products and doing genius-level work.
7. Remarkable Entrepreneurs understand an addiction to distraction is the death of creative production
The best entrepreneurs understand the key in business is to shift out of complexity + busy-ness to simplicity + focus. Focus on the few high leverage activities that will get you to where you want to be.
8. Bureaucrats wait until they get the energy, Remarkable Entrepreneurs understand that to get the energy you must first do the work
When you do the Work You Will Receive The 3 Entrepreneurial Gifts:
1. Release of more motivation 2. Release of confidence 3. Release of energy
9. Remarkable Entrepreneurs understand the bigger the dream the more important the team
Leadership is about influence – moving people to action by your example. Leadership is about impact – less talk more results. Leadership is about inspiration – grow other leaders
10. Remarkable Entrepreneurs populate their lives with people whose lives they want to be living
Surround yourself with people and environments that inspire you. Obsessive attention to excellence. Create worlds that inspire you.
11. Remarkable Entrepreneurs are obsessed fundamentally with giving
Ask yourself not what can I get, ask yourself who may I help. Business is about producing unusual value for as many people as possible.
Make Your Business Awesome.

Do What’s Most Difficult

We attempt to structure our lives to avoid our fears but that’s about as intelligent as straightening the deck chairs on the Titanic. The best way to overcome a fear is to face your fear. As a matter of fact, every time we do something we’ve been avoiding, we take back the power that seemingly scary or difficult thing had over us.
Every Leader Without a Title and world-class Productive runs toward what they are most resisting versus toward the exit door. They feel the fear of tackling a game changing project and do the project anyway. They acknowledge the sweaty palms before the high-stakes presentation, and give the presentation anyway. They experience the runaway heartbeats accompanying asking for the biggest order in the history of their company, and they ask anyway. And that’s what makes them great.