I remember when the “hustle” myth was destroyed in right before my eyes like a sledgehammer smashing a frozen pea.
I was sitting having coffee with a multi-millionaire investor, who I’d pestered for advice on how to scale up my own business.
This man had equity shares in no less than 40 companies.
As we sat at the busy coffee shop, I asked him how could he run so many companies successfully without ‘burning out’? Doesn’t it take hours and hours every day to run 40 companies?
His answer was NOT what I ever expected . . .
He asked me,
“Justin, who do you believe earns the most money in this world? The people that work the most hours . . . or the least?”
I replied, without thinking: “People that work the most, of course.”
“…is that really true?”, was his calm response.
Then came the truth-bombs.
“Justin… wealth is created as a measure of the value you’re providing to society at large. The more people benefit from your contribution, the more wealth flows back to you. It’s a ‘value for value’ trade. Very simple. This is NOT a spiritual concept . . . it’s an economical one.”
He went on . . .
“The people who work the most hours . . . busting their asses . . . such as slave workers in parts of the world . . . work for pennies. Those who contribute the most manual labour get paid the least in this world. The facts show it.”
“On the other-hand . . .look at the wealthiest people alive. Investors, royalty, celebrities. They often contribute the least manual labour. Yet get paid the most.
This doesn’t mean they are undeserving. But they are providing value on a bigger level.
Look at this coffee shop we’re sitting in for example . . .
The employee behind the counter works the most manual labour hours. For probably under $10/hour.
It may sound harsh, yet the amount of hours worked is NOT a reflection of the quality of value produced in those hours.
Let’s take it a step up . . . there is an entrepreneur who started this company. The business owner.
He or she doesn’t work as many manual labour hours as the employee . . . yet he/she likely puts a lot more money in her bank account each month.
Because she’s provided more value to this community – by offering a place people can meet, get great coffee, and use the coffee house for their various reasons.
But let’s look even further up the value-providing chain.
This coffee shop – and all the surrounding shops and bars – are built on a plot of land.
Who owns this development? An investor put a much larger amount of risk and money into building this, so that such shops could exist.
And look at the value that investor’s contribution has made.
The local people get more shops and amenities. The local area grows its economy. The property owners have their assets appreciated.
Yet, that investor most likely put in the least amount of manual labour hours. In fact, it was none – he didn’t build the land or the shops himself! He didn’t pave the bricks! He provided opportunity for others to build on top of it and in turn distributed more value to more people.”
. . . Finally, it all started making sense in my head.
We are so quick to judge the ‘people that do the least and earn the most’ that we fail to recognize how value trading actually works.
But he wasn’t done with me yet. He could sense I had another vital lesson to learn here:
“Now, Justin . . .
From what I see of your actions, you’re trying to ‘work harder’ to get to the next level of wealth and impact in your business.
Tell me . . . do you feel entitled to more money because you work harder or longer than your perceived ‘competitors’?”
I knew I gave the ‘wrong answer’ as soon as I blurted it out of my mouth:
“Of course I deserve more! If I just outwork everyone and do more . . . more money has to come to me!”
His reply knocked my ego back into place:
“Then you have the mind set of an employee. You feel entitled based on the amount of work you do . . . not on its quality.
Value is not produced based on quantity of hours you work…but on the quality of those hours.”
My ego then took a further lashing . . .
“But your ‘employee mind set’ will lead to more problems for you. If you think like an employee would, you’ll act like one too.
Based on that level of ‘entitlement’ you feel. That means you’ll struggle to maintain the income you’ve generated already.
This is exactly why so many entrepreneurs get to the coveted 6-figure income mark . . . only to throw it all away like yesterday’s news.
Their business changed . . . but they did not. And your business can only be as big as your awareness of who you are.”
I started thinking I was talking to a ‘spiritual guru’ . . . yet it all made perfect sense in practical action terms too.
The crystal-clear clarity gained from that conversation changed my life for the better . . . which lead me to growing my fitness businesses, outsourcing it, then selling it.
…to grow another fitness facility in Europe, once again outsourced within 90 days (with over $30k/month in takings)
…to then a live events business & marketing consultancy
(holding over 300 live events around the world)
…and now, here we are. Helping coaches, experts, consultants to escape the ‘time for money’ trap & grow a REAL business that provides wealth and freedom.
It all started by changing my thinking and my view of value-trading.
To stop thinking like the self-employed freelancer with a ‘hustle’….
…and instead become the business OWNER with a system.
