Question Featured On: Episode 2 - #AskRussellAnything

I’m going to say it’s two things, which we’ve talked about. The two things that you need to, again, there’s so many entrepreneurs I know that are in the 6 figure range, that’s fine, that’s awesome. But it’s interesting, the difference between 6 figures and 7 figures, and 7 and 8, is not you spending more time working. It’s interesting, it’s being strategic about how you’re working. The first phase for me, again, when I launch any of my businesses or I work with entrepreneurs directly, is figuring out the what and how. What you’re selling and how you’re selling it. We have to identify that.

Some people will get that fast, some it takes a long time. It took me a few years to figure out my what and how. But as soon as you figure that out, then it blows up really fast. AS soon as you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I am selling this product and I found out it’s converting through a webinar, and that’s it.” Or “I finished selling this product, we’re selling on the phones.” You figure out the what and how, then it’s so easy to scale. Then you’re just turning the heat up, but for most people they never figure that out. And thus the hustling, selling a little of this and a little of this, but not getting something that’s consistent.

Because they may know what they’re selling but they don’t know how to sell. Let’s say they’re selling this really good product, but they don’t know how to sell it. So they’re trying this, make a couple of sales. Try this and jumping from thing to thing, platform to platform, but they never get more than 6 figures or so and they’re stuck at that spot. IT’s because you haven’t figured out the what and how. As soon as you identify that, boom, it takes off. That’s the one thing.

Then number two is the characteristic that makes you successful. There’s a lot of important characteristic, but probably the best one is understanding that you don’t have all the skills you need to make this work. I am not superman. I’m only good at one thing. Luckily that one thing is getting a whole bunch of really good people together to create something amazing.

That’s, I think, the biggest skill, being very self aware. I’m really good at jumping on a mic, yelling and then dropping it, but I can’t actually focus for more than 30 seconds. Or whatever your thing is. So I need to find something to focus. One of my first mentors, Alex Mendossian, he told me every business needs a starter and finisher. You need to figure out who you are and then find the other person and partner with them.

And it’s true, I’m a great starter, I suck at finishing things. Same thing, I’m not technical, I need a techie person. It’s identifying what you’re good at and being aware of that, and then finding a team of people you can bring in, could be employees, partners, whatever. Bring in the right people that compliment what you do and that way you can grow together. And that’s probably the most important skill. Because if I said, “sales” that’s not always true. Some companies, the sales, you don’t have to be the sales person, maybe you’re someone else. So it’s kind of figuring out what you’re not and then building the right team, that’s the most important, I would say.

So is that good?