I realize that times are still tough for many people out there. The last few years were definitely felt here as well. I won’t be one of those posers who pretend all is perfect in la-la land.
But there is a way out.
It involves busting your tail.
And in looking at new ideas for revenue growth.
I was in Sonoma this past weekend for a friends 40th.
One of the guys with us is very wealthy.
He is also young, younger than me.
Something happened in Sonoma that really made me appreciate him and learn from him.
We were on a wine tour and we were inside one of the wine caves.
They were talking about the wine making process, and the subject of the oak barrels came up.
A long discussion on the barrels, how the oak is chosen from the 3 places in the world you can get it, how much the barrels cost ($400-$1,400 per barrel), and the fact that the barrels only last for a few years.
Fascinating.
But the wealthy individual in our group saw something and went after it.
He started asking lots of questions about the barrels… even to the point he was annoying the tour guide.
…But there was a reason he was asking all these questions.
He slowly walked away from the group and got out his cell phone.
A 2 minute call and an email later he came back to join us.
Later on I was talking to him and found out that he already had a team of his people analyzing the oak barrel market in the part
of the world he lived in. They were looking at the numbers, the competition, and the opportunity.
It would take them a week or two to report back the final recommendations.
THIS is how a guy like that made sooooo many millions of dollars before he hit 40.
…He took rapid action.
…He looked at the numbers.
…He pursued the areas that he could add value and expertise. (leverage)
We will see if the business is lucrative enough for him to go into, but if it is, rest assured, he will be in business in a week or two.
He saw opportunity in something most just glanced right by.
RAPID action.
You need to take it.
I need to take it.
It is the one thing that differentiates those that will make it through the coming years on top and those who won’t.
Let me know how else I can help.
Troy
PS: As I wrote this story to a client of mine, I realize how much I need to share it. Again – 10 minutes typing
and I now have an asset for my marketing campaigns. Rapid action + leverage = profitability.
Here is the ultimate tool for leveraging your assets through massive action http://www.marketingdojang.com
Great article Troy. I can’t remember where I learned it but the life lesson was basically this:
When you have focused your subconscious on a specific goal, you find yourself noticing useful pieces of information, and people, that you otherwise would have completely ignored. When done right, it gives the person doing it the perception that “boy am I lucky!”, when in fact you are manufacturing your own luck.
Your friend seeing a business in wine barrels sort of reminded me of that. Sounds like he has trained his brain to always be scanning for interesting money-making opportunities, or more correctly , problems that he could solve for people to make money.
Bill
Most definitely agree with you Bill. Opportunities pop up out of everywhere when your mind is open to them. Usually they come from the strangest of places as well.
This guy has done very well for himself in some of the oddest of businesses. Some of the ones he runs now are as ‘un-sexy’ as it gets – but they make him a bundle.
The wine barrel business would be the same – not glamorous – but could be very profitable for the right market.
Thanks for sharing, Troy