We all have an identity, and we all operate from a set of beliefs. 
 

These have been built up over many years, and most of it is now operating from your subconscious – which means that you might not even be aware of them. 
 

The ego is why so people don’t like to receive critical feedback. The ego feels attacked, but the person often giving the feedback just wants to help you. 
 

The ego also wants to figure everything out by itself. So it feels guilty asking for help because it might send a ‘signal’ out that you don’t know, and the ego thinks it should. 
 

Far out, I have battled a lot with this over the years. 
 

Growing up on a farm, I always wanted to prove myself to my dad. I wanted to prove that I could do any job, and I got really angry if I couldn’t do it. So at times, I would not listen to dad as I believed I knew what needed to be done (I didn’t).   
 

I carried this into business, and for the first two years, I really thought I could figure everything out. 
 

The reality was completely different. These ended up being two of the toughest years of my life. It ended in a complete emotional meltdown for me.   
 

But then I just surrendered (it’s funny how this can happen when you reach a breakdown). 
 

In other words, for the first time ever, I did exactly what my coach told me. Usually, I wanted to do it my way (ego), but this time I put my ego to one side and trusted.  
 

And this really was the turning point for my business and my life. After that, I trusted him (he was much more successful than me), I did everything he said, and a few years later, I was running a great business. 
 

When you work on your business, you need to disconnect yourself from your ego and your past beliefs and make decisions for the greater good of the company. 

Sometimes, you may have to realise that you are not the best person to lead your company (this can be a tough decision).
 

Running your business is not about you.   
 

It’s a separate entity to you that should be treated very differently and as such, decisions need to make for its greater good (not always your greater good). And often, these decisions mean you admitting you don’t know it, aren’t the best person etc.
 

Once you learn to drop your ego, your business has a chance of reaching its potential. 
 

It takes a lot of courage for someone to do this (drop their ego). 
 

Robbo 
 

P.S. Please ensure you get a coach to help you navigate this process, as it makes it much easier. Let us know if you want to see if we can help you by emailing [email protected] and put in the subject line ‘interested’ and we can make contact. 

Farm owners are some of the richest people in the world. Many are in the top 1% when it comes to wealth.
 
In the end, you only need so much money, and many farm owners now have more wealth than they will ever spend. 
 
If you have a net worth of more than 3 million dollars, please know… you are rich.   
 
What are you going to do about this? 
 
Are you going to allow your wealth to keep growing (and risk being the richest person in the graveyard), or are you going to find ways to use this wealth for good use?   
 
I believe that wealth and money bring responsibility.  
 
Excess wealth can offer you a way to look for how you can use this to benefit your community or the world in some way. 
 
So many farm owners have a lazy balance sheet. That is, they have more than enough equity that can be used for adding value. But they fear losing it OR get too focused on simply getting bigger (often driven by an ego). 
 
If you are sitting on a massive asset and it’s not being used, then wouldn’t you also agree that this is a slight waste of resources?  
 
Using your wealth could be as simple as investing your money.   
 
Buying a house and renting it out is at least allowing someone else to live under a roof.  
 
There are also other ways to use the wealth:  
 

• Could you loan it out to someone that needs a leg up? 
• Could you help someone start or buy a business to use these funds productively (maybe it also allows you an opportunity to add value outside of your farm)? 
• Where can you donate some of your wealth to help people in need? 

Ultimately, our lives are measured by how much we give, not by how much we get, and it’s easy to get tricked into chasing even more wealth (when we really don’t need it).  Go after it for sure, but I think the trick is to link this extra growth with adding more value in whatever way you can to society. 
 
The time to give and helps others is when you are alive. 
 
Oh – if you have a large asset but lack the cash flow (asset rich but cash poor), then speak to us. This is what we do, and we are experts at helping you maximise your returns to make your asset as productive as possible. Reply to this email if you want further information about our Platinum Mastermind Program. 
 
Robbo

Peter Van Beek was an 80-year-old that would stand near a roundabout next to our house and wave to the traffic almost every day. 
 
We would often drive past him, and our kids would get so excited and wave like mad to him.  
 
He brought so much joy to our kids and many others around the Sunshine Coast. 

He passed away recently. 
 
I felt sad when I drove around the roundabout this morning.   
 
There are now hundreds of flowers in the spot where he waved. 
 
A small gesture like a wave can make other people feel so good. 
 
I will miss him.  
 
He has also been my teacher.  
 
A tiny bit of kindness goes such a long way. 
 
To treat everyone you meet as though you know them well (not like a stranger).   
 
A smile, a wave, and a kind gesture can make someone else’s day. 
 
Regards, 
Andrew 

Why do so many people resist help? 

Why are some people so open to receiving help from others, yet others reject it? 

Why do people defend what they know and struggle to remain open-minded to other viewpoints and receiving feedback to live a better life? 

The most successful and happy people I know have a huge desire to improve themselves.  They are constantly seeking feedback and looking for any help they can get to give them an edge. 

They read or listen to books regularly, attend personal and professional development courses, and ALL of them have a coach or a mentor to guide them. 

Navigating business (and life) is hard, and I can promise you it’s ten times harder if you are doing it on your own. 

I believe it’s not an option anymore to do it on your own. You miss out on so much by ‘winging it’ and trying to evaluate and make every decision without the help of others. It will cost you so much more by doing it this way. 

A coach or mentor has already been there. They have navigated the terrain you are in, and they have experienced the challenges you have faced. 

They can see things you can’t and can save you thousands of hours of effort because they have already made the same mistakes. 

Take me (as an example).   

I’ve been mentoring business owners for 22 years. 

If you decided to become a coach tomorrow, wouldn’t you agree that having just a few hours with me might help you reach your goals sooner? Could I share some of my mistakes and help you avoid them? Could I help you fast track your success? 

Of course I could. 

Getting some coaching and mentoring is guaranteed to help you (if you listen and implement any suggestions). 

Ask yourself, ‘could an experienced farmer or business expert save me years of effort?’ 

So many people consider coaching as a cost without analysing the cost of NOT doing it. 

Coaching is for winners, NOT losers.  

Successful people seek coaching. 

I don’t know one professional sportsperson who doesn’t have one.   

Coaching is designed to help you see a return on any investment you make. 

It’s designed to help you become a better business leader but also a better partner, parent, sibling, child and friend.   

It will work on all areas of your life at once.   

It’s so much more than just creating a better business and making more money.   

It’s about becoming the best version of yourself. 

And you owe it to yourself to do this.  

Our next intake for coaching is coming up in June, so if you feel like it’s time for you to step up, please reply to this email, and we can send you some details. 

Farm Owners Academy has a full guarantee on our coaching program. Try us for up to three months, and if you don’t get value, we will provide a full refund.   

That is how confident we are with our coaching program. 

But if you don’t like us, please get some help from someone.   

Robbo 

P.S. if you are the smartest person in the room, you are the dumbest.  Our goal is to surround ourselves with people who have more knowledge than we do, and we put our ego to one side and ask for help

Recently I stayed in a hotel in Casino NSW. 

I travelled to have a couple of days with Our Cow, who I coach.  

It’s hard to get accommodation in Casino, and I ended up staying in a simple hotel that was three stars at best.  

I met a girl called Kylie. 

Kylie is a single mother who had been staying at the same hotel for the past three months – in a one-bedroom unit with her three children. 

She had lost her house in the recent floods and could not get insurance (her home was in Lismore, and many insurance companies don’t cover this area).   

The one-bedroom unit she was staying in at the hotel was about the same size as my living room. When I asked her where her kids slept, she told me ‘on the floor.’ She can fit two mattresses, and all three kids share this. 

One of her kids at the time had the flu, and he had been at ‘home’ for the past three days. 

I really felt for her. 

It helped me realise just how lucky we are as a family of four living in a place where our kids each have their own room and their own bed. 

When I asked Kylie how she was handling things, she replied, ‘I feel so lucky that the owners of this hotel are giving me a great rate. They are so amazing.’ Her eyes were full of gratitude and happiness that she had a place to stay that she could afford. 

She wasn’t holding onto the fact she had lost her house.   

She had a spark and a twinkle in her eyes that told me she would be just fine. 

Experiences like this make me realise just how lucky so many of us are.   

There is always someone else doing it tougher than we are.   

It really put my issues to rest. 

Kylie was going through a tough time, yet she could still find gratitude for what she had. I tried to imagine living in a one-bedroom apartment with my family of four, and I immediately felt claustrophobic.   

I have so much respect for her. 

Remember to value what you have, as there is always someone else out there right now (even In Australia) doing a lot tougher than you are. 

Robbo

A 30-minute weekly team meeting aligned to your strategic plan will do you wonders. 

Here are 15 keys to running a great meeting: 
 
1. Set a time: Make it the same time every time so that people book it in as a habit. 
 
2. Set a frequency: Make it consistent, so it’s booked in as a habit. 
 
3. Select a location: In the office, on the kitchen table, on the phone or on Zoom – make it the same place each time. 
 
4. Publish an agenda: So that the team knows what will be covered. 
 
5. Start on time: Reward the organised people, train the tardy people to be early. 
 
6. Welcome! Thank them for making the time. 
 
7. Your say: Allow everyone to have ‘their say’ on how they are feeling (1-minute maximum). This encourages participation and gets everyone involved. 
 
8. Check-in: Each person should discuss what they have completed from the previous week’s action list. Congratulate them for what they get done. If they haven’t completed items, get them to commit to getting them done and ask, “how can I/we support you on getting it done for next week?” 
 
9. Celebrate the wins: Acknowledge and recognise achievements. 
 
10. Anything to add to the agenda? This allows the team to add topics they want to be covered. 
 
11. Business/any issues: What’s happening with the business, both good and bad. It is important to get this out of the way early (there can be negatives that need to be addressed). End with positives so that the team leaves the meeting on a high. 
 
12. Training: Keep it fun and lively. Get everyone involved. A great way to get people learning fast is to set them a topic they need to work on and use it as a ‘teaching topic’ in the following meeting or meetings. 
 
13. Action items: Each person is to note down what they have committed to completing before the next meeting. 
 
14. Share action commitments: Each person should read out their commitments to the group. 
 
15. Finish on time!
 
Oh – and if everyone isn’t already, why not try a standing meeting? 
 
Have a great day, 

Andrew