Image by: Carter Brown
By: Giovanni Fields
Oh look at all the billionaire wannabes crowding my article like ants to a picnic. You all want to be rich, don’t you? You all want to run the greatest and most successful business ever known to man, beating out Apple, Microsoft, or hell, even Playboy.
You want to be like the “important” person in the picture above. A person that is important enough to smoke a stogie on a hot sandy beach, while still attracting the desperate attention of beautiful, bikini clad women young enough to be his granddaughter.
Well, I’ve got news for you: you probably have a much better chance at doing the above than me. Yes, yes I’m very much aware that I am not a billionaire myself, and you’re probably wondering why a man who isn’t a billionaire is giving you dire advice on how to structure your business like one. But like the old saying goes: those who can’t do—write! A least I think it goes that way. I digress…
Below are just a few pointers that I’ve deemed worthy enough to demonstrate as steps to building a solid, fruitful business. Please note that doing such a thing is no easy task, and often times takes an extraordinary mind to accomplish such a feat, so if you’ve felt lately that you’ve been looking, smelling, and feeling like a billion bucks, I’d suggest you grab a pen and pencil.
#1) Building a Business Model
Let’s just face it—in our short 200,000 years of existence, humanity has done everything there is to do. Even most refurbished business ideas are falsely claimed as “new.” There are a trillion gas stations, gym chains, and fast food restaurants—sometimes even on the same street! So let me ask…what separates planet fitness from Gold’s gym? It’s the business model, or in other words the gimmicks they offer.
While Gold’s gym caters to fitness enthusiasts, perhaps even “Lunks”, planet fitness caters to the novice and untrained. The very reason they are successful is because they have such a distinct brand—they have a particular target audience that they cater to exclusively.
In this article we’re not talking thousands, or even millions…where talking billions! And if you seriously plan on structuring your pride and joy into a gold mine, you must ask yourself this very question over and over again: What will make your business stand out and blow away the competitors?
And will you establish a proprietary right to patent this business model?
Just the other day I casually stopped into a store I often shop at called $9.99 shoes. I looked around as though I were in the middle of a desert, as I saw no forms of life inhabiting the store whatsoever—save for the foreign guy behind the counter.
Out of curiosity, I approached the counter and asked, “Excuse me, sir. I don’t mean to be rude, but where are all your customers?”
The man scowled at me and pointed outside the door and across the street at a store that bustled with life, the lines exceedingly long as though they were all riders awaiting the snug seats of their select favorite roller coaster.
I followed his gesture ,looked above the store and saw a sign that read “$8.99” shoes. You do the math…
#2) Surround Yourself With Smart, Ambitious People
Building a business is akin to putting together a giant puzzle. Each puzzle shape is different, but eventually, with time, effort and persistence, they all come together to form one grand masterpiece that is worthy of display. Humans, in this analogy, are the pieces necessary to make such a thing possible.
Yes it is possible to run a successful business on your own and yes, it would probably be a lot easier to go into business alone. But let’s face it: If becoming a billionaire was easy, everybody would be smoking cigars on beaches and speeding down roads in McLaren SLR’s. In order for a business to achieve the highly sought after billionaire status, different qualities need to come together to form a juggernaut of art that is appealing to the consumers eyes.
Despite how socially inept we may be (Yes…I’m groundlessly assuming you are as awkward as me), we need people to make us better in life. “No man is an island” and when it comes to creating a business, this applies all the more.
If you are a nit-picky, detail oriented person then you may need to get out there and find somebody who’s creative enough to expand on ideas that might shock customers into a purchase. If you’re a cash cow, supplying all the funds and revenue, you may want to find someone with a silver tongue who is able to garner you connections strong enough to expose your business to a wider audience.
The goal is to find people who compliment your business—thus, eventually, completing it. And if they happen to be smarter than you, so be it. Maybe their superior mind might rub off on you.
#3) Be Aggressive!
Want to know the reason why the shy, quiet guy never gets the girl? Well, the answer is rather simple—it’s because he isn’t brave enough to go talk to her, and worries too much about the consequences. Billionaires are in fact billionaires is because they were willing to take chances no one else would risk. High risk, high reward.
I find it appropriate to reason things accordingly and deduce the idea that what you plan on doing may have a harmful effect on your business. However, it is also reasonable to use strategy to make calculated risks that can potentially result in something immensely rewarding.
While I am not suggesting you go on a mass murder spree in the name of promoting your brand, I am suggesting you ease out of your comfort zone at least a little with every move that you make. Only by wielding the ambitious step forward can your business stay energized and progressing.
#4) Safety First
There are safety procedures available in order for you to ensure that your business doesn’t end before it begins do to your own impatience. Estimate how much you can gain and afford to lose, and if the ladder outweighs the former, proceed with that information in mind.
This is essential to maintain the foundation of your business. A man with a torn ACL can recover and return next season (Albeit Sam Bradford), but a man with no ACL can do absolutely nothing. DO NOT ruin the integrity of your business with an irrational move. If you’re enough of a bad boy or girl to follow through with a bold, calculated move, at least you’ll be able to seek refuge and recover quickly should something go wrong.
A detailed plan of execution is absolutely necessary before entering the field of combat—well, unless you want to lose a few limbs. Plan for failure and accept the consequences of your actions before you even take them. This will at least warm you up for any errors that may occur. After growing comfortable with this, proceed with your plan meticulously, and document every detail of the effect it has on the real world.
Ask questions, identify and evaluate your goals and what you’re trying to achieve. What do you want out of your business? How will these decisions affect the future of your business? Why is it necessary for you to make this particular move? You can ask yourself these questions aloud and risk people thinking you’re insane, or you can strategize these endeavors with your fellow patrons—whatever the case, proceed with ferocity and ensure whatever plan is brewed is executed crisply and precisely and with no regrets.
Never waver or hesitate toward your goals. Hesitation on the battlefield means death, and for you it would mean perhaps only millions instead of billions. That would just mean the end of the world now wouldn’t it?
Now…get out there and take those first steps toward reaching that sandy beach!
You wouldn’t happen to be Mark Zuckerberg would you? It doesn’t take a billionaire to understand the path to ultra-wealth. Share your stories and comments with us. Your secrets are safe. We promise!