“Successful people aren’t gifted. They work hard on purpose and succeed.”
What do you think? This week I’m going to talk about attributes I believe make people successful.
I believe successful people can have attributes that make them more likely to succeed. I think those gifted with natural self-discipline, ambition and drive have it easier than others at times, but I don’t think others can’t succeed. I’ve known a lot of people in life who just needed a little push. They needed someone to tell them, “get uncomfortable” and then they put in the work and saw the results. People who don’t succeed are those who don’t put in the work or are living through the vicious cycle of believing hard work is enough.
They believe if they just put in more hours, they’ll finally earn their freedom and take their paychecks. If they work harder than everyone else in their gym, they’ll earn it. If they work the classes to save on labor, they’ll be able to afford a few dollars themselves. So, here’s what they do in an effort to save money:
- They use their own cell phone for the gym instead of getting a landline. This saves them $50/mo. In return, they feel obligated to answer every call day and night. The doctor’s office and dentist office call and are met with, “<Gym name here> this is Danielle. How can I help?” It’s awkward, but they’re saving a few bucks.
- A gym owner wants to take a paycheck that matches the hours they put into their gym. So, they open new classes and start new teams. Instead of staffing them, they save $15/hour by coaching themselves. $30 tonight. $30 tomorrow night. They’re saving $150/week probably. The numbers make sense that they should now be taking home an extra $600/mo. But payday rolls around, and they can’t justify it. The account will drop too low.
The gym owner worked so many hours (both day and night) that they didn’t have time to market their gym. The normal amount of kids dropped for the month to start fall softball, basketball or Scouts. The gym owner was so busy coaching the classes, that he/she didn’t have time to ask if another day of the week or time of day might suit their schedule better. Five class kids paying $60 per month was a $300 monthly drop. If just one of those could have been retained, the gym owner could afford the landline mentioned above.
What happens when we try to save money to make money? We find ourselves running in circles trying to do it all ourselves. In the end, we’re actually doing less to grow our business. We’re trying to save money by working the front desk ourselves. As a result, when a coach calls in sick, our front desk sits vacant. Parents wanting to inquire about private lessons and birthday parties leave thinking, “I’ll call tomorrow.” Tomorrow rolls around and they’ve already moved on to something else.
So what is the attribute here that truly makes someone successful?
A successful person understands the difference between an expense and an investment.
The electric bill is an investment. Without paying it, we lose the ability to conduct business. Without staff, we lose the ability to spend the time working ON our business. Now, I’m not going to leave lights on or air conditioning units running when I’m not around. That’s just a waste. I’m also not going to pay staff to come in 20 minutes early for their shift if it takes 4 minutes to set up mats. That’s just reckless. At the same time, I’m not doing it myself because that 4 minutes I could be spending growing my business. Every second counts when you’re the owner.
So, do you find yourself saving money to make money or investing money to make money?
