I had a really interesting chat with a client last week about why we don’t always do what we know we should when we run our own business. I told him why I think this occurs by relaying the story below from when I was an employee. 

Many years back, I was a sales executive with Telstra and had a monthly sales budget (I needed to make $120k of new sales every month). 

What motivated me to achieve this budget was simple; If I didn’t reach it, my job was in jeopardy, and if I did reach it, I was rewarded with bonuses (which multiplied each time I exceeded my target).  

Catching the train to work one morning, I was listening to a CD by Brian Tracy.   

He said, ‘Why don’t you go to work today and ask your boss; what it would take for them to pay you twice as much and give you a promotion?’  

I remember the excitement and fear that built up inside me when I heard this. Could I really go and ask my boss this question?  

I decided to face my fears and booked a meeting with the boss that day. 

I swallowed, smiled, and with a nervous touch to my voice, asked, ‘What will it take for you to pay me twice as much as you do now and give me a promotion?’ 

Steve (my boss) looked quite shocked at this question.   

After what felt like ten minutes of silence (but was probably only thirty seconds), Steve replied, ‘Andrew – give me 200% of your sales budget for the next six months and I will double your pay and ensure you get a promotion within the company.’  

I was so excited; I could hardly believe it could be so simple. Finally, we confirmed the agreement in writing, and my 6-month goal was set to begin the following week. 

Six months later, I achieved my goal and was so pleased when my boss honoured his side of the deal, and I received a 100% pay increase and a promotion.  

Within two months of taking the promotion and with growing confidence, I decided to quit my job and start my own business as a coach.

And this is where the trouble started.   

Like most people, I started my business journey full of excitement, believing I would now ‘live the dream.’ 

The problem was, I didn’t have anyone giving me a set target, nor did I have a structure that said, ‘make this X calls, and you will get these results.’   

I didn’t have a plan describing what activity I would do to get results.
  
If I didn’t do the work, there was no one to tell me my job was in trouble because I wasn’t doing the work. 

There was no one to keep me accountable, ensuring that I hit my budgets and goals.  As a result, that first year in business was one of the toughest years I have ever been through.   

My plans completely backfired.   

Like many people, I went into business because I wanted the freedom to do what I wanted in my own time.    

The truth is, running your own business sounds great, but it can create a BIG PROBLEM. By taking advantage of this freedom, I almost went broke in the process. 

I see the same scenario being played out all the time.   

Farm owners can move from being an employee, where they have a set of KPIs and objectives, to running their own business because they want the freedom to live a great life.   

The problem is, they, like me, don’t hold themselves accountable and therefore don’t do the things that MUST be adopted to run a successful company.   

We ALL get caught up doing the things that are EASY but not $$ productive and then wonder why we haven’t achieved the initial dreams we set out with.

Did you know that people who are held accountable are 90% more likely to achieve their goals than people who aren’t?   

That is why I decided to invest in accountability from my 2nd year.   
I couldn’t afford it but knew that was the exact reason I needed to do it.  
My first accountability mentor knew what KPIs I needed to set and what activities I needed to do. 

Very quickly, my business had positive results because I was doing the right things again. I was back on track. Nine years later, I still invest in accountability and always will. There are three types of accountability in my life;

I believe a psychological shift happens when people move from Employee to Business Owner.  

We need to re-create our role as if we are still employees, i.e. write our job description and put some KPIs around our role.  

We then need to get someone to help us review this and help us stick to it. The results will come quicker than you can imagine.

Have a profitable week, 

Andrew

19 Tips From 22 Years of Coaching… 

Have a great week,

Robbo

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