It's not how much you want, but how much you want it!

Since you’re reading this you’re probably looking for ways to grow your business, right? Well let me save you some time by sharing a painful little truth I’ve come to know after 30 years’ developing the world’s top brands. For every 100 of you reading this sentence right now, there’s only one, maybe two, who really want business success enough to make it happen.

Most people say they want it, some even believe they want it, but the reality is that most people in the marketplace are just paying lip service to the idea of real business growth. When push comes to shove, the majority are not prepared to put the effort in and don’t have the passion to make it come to fruition.
Would you be happy with silver or bronze?

Take any of the great sports people we all know. Take Michael Phelps. Do you think he wanted those eight Olympic golds just a little bit? Do you think Anika Sorenstaam wanted to be great at golf? No. These guys wanted to be the best the planet has ever known. Mistakes are signposts not setbacks. They really wanted it. This is the kind of drive and passion that keeps them training until it hurts and then keeps them training some more. Only this kind of drive and passion can guarantee you the success you’re looking for.

This is your ‘fork in the road’ moment

There can be no doubt in your mind about whether you really want it, because if you don’t, you have no chance. For many people, it’s a ‘fork in the road’ moment when they realize they don’t want what they thought they wanted, or at least don’t want it enough to base a life choice on. What about you?

Don’t call me motivational

If there was ever a disingenuous job title it’s that of “Motivational Speaker”. Don’t get me wrong, I do think there are “inspirational” speakers, but as for motivation, there’s only one place that can come from – inside you. There’s nothing I can do or say that will increase your motivation if you don’t already have it. And by the way, when I say “motivation” I also mean “fear”. Because if you fail, you didn’t want it badly enough.

You bring the motivation, I’ll bring the informatio

I never call myself a motivational speaker. I’m an informational speaker. I figure that if you can put the key in the door of your own business every day, and have a loan from the bank (if you can still get one that is…) well that should be motivation a-plenty. Whether you are running a multi-million dollar international conglomerate, a national business, a local TV store, or even a department in an organization, you are the one who has to make it happen. But if you do have the motivation, I can help with the rest.

So if you’re still with me… let’s go

If I’ve lost 98 per cent of my readers by now, let’s call it self-selection: the field has just become a little clearer for those of you who really do want it! And seeing as you’re still with me, it might be possible that you possess the drive and desire to see this business success thing through to reality. To achieve serious business growth, there are three business areas that you have to be on top of:

1. Principles: A clear understanding that all successful brands are built on a set of strong fundamentals. I’ve narrowed it down to six fundamentals.
2. People: The people you surround yourself with are the ones who make your business strategy become reality.
3. Profit: Business is all about getting the numbers to work in your favor and if you don’t like it then become a charity.

When I talk to businesses and groups about this route to serious business growth I always finish the way I began this article: if you don’t want it enough, it doesn’t want you either.