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Is It Good To Be Inspired?

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I have recently heard the word “overrated” a lot. I have even seen an article “8 Overrated Things You’ve Given Too Much Importance To In Life“

I would add one more item to that list: INSPIRATION.

So many people are “inspired” by some success stories, films, influencers, but still live their own shitty lives.

Organisations invest tens of thousands of dollars in inviting world – known authorities to give power talks to their people. So what? Two weeks later nobody remembers and they go back to their mediocre performance.

Inspiration is like dopamine – we need it, we crave it, we love it for a brief moment, and it leaves us hungry for another shot, detached and absent.

How many times have you been inspired, but nothing happened?

Probably hundreds, or thousands of times!

What price do you pay?

You reinforce the pattern: “It is OK to dream?” What’s wrong with that? Is dreaming a bad thing, when it comes to running your business? A dream, or inspiration can be extremely powerful, it can become a driving force – you finally discover what it is that you want, you are inspired by some people who have already achieved that… And that is the moment you need to stop dreaming and start acting, that is the time you need to switch your gear from “dream” to “execute”.

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Do This and You’re Bound to Fail!

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In one of the previous posts I shared with you some statistics that all of us – entrepreneurs know. To cut the long story short – over eighty per cent of business owners “get by” or “struggle to survive”.

Why is it so?

The answer is surprisingly simple – those entrepreneurs don’t realize that they are “unconsciously incompetent”.

What does that mean?

They don’t know what they don’t know and choose to never discover that! Although running a business is not rocket science and I am pretty sure that almost anyone can learn the key entrepreneurial skills, the overwhelming majority decides not to do it – and repeat the same things while expecting different results.

Many professionals assume that if they are excellent dentists, architects or fitness coaches, they will be able to develop great companies. Many people claim that if you are reasonably clever, you’ll succeed in business.

So why do so many entrepreneurs underperform and end up frustrated and sometimes broke?

Because they ignore the fact that they are “unconsciously incompetent.” Nigel Botterill, the founder of Entrepreneurs Circle – the UK-based organization supporting business owners, which I am a member of, talks about two groups: The Average Business Owner and The Professional Business Owner. The Average Business Owner does what 80% entrepreneurs do, and consequently gets the results they get, while the Professional Business Owner chooses to understand what running a business is about and decides to master the key entrepreneurial skills.

Are YOU a Professional or Average Business Owner?

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LESS is MORE – redefined!

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The overwhelming majority of us either don’t plan at all, or can’t set “the right” goals – the goals that will propel us towards more satisfaction, fulfilment and the quality of life that other people can only dream about. 

Leo Babauta, the author of the international best-seller “The Power of Less”, which I read about three years ago, encourages us to define 2-3 key goals and give them our full attention, rather than have numerous goals and little focus. 

Leo has come a long way – he shares his personal story how he managed to redefine his priorities a few years ago, describes in detail how to translate the key goals into major projects, plan daily actions and form habits that help us achieve what we want.  Thanks to the approach presented in “The Power of Less”, you’ll act with the clarity that is necessary if you want to get to the next level and avoid the “turning over the new leaf every bloody day”.

Most people don’t know what those key areas are, and, as someone has said, “they major in minor things” – give a lot of attention to stuff that actually doesn’t matter, or look for “the perfect moment”, which you and I know – will never come!

We – business owners – are in control, shape our own future and decide what we prioritize and what we don’t give a shit about!

  • What are your two – three top goals that you commit to achieving over the next few months?
  • What do you want to be proud of? 
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Are You a Winner or a Survivor?

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Imagine the Olympic final in the 100 meters dash. The eight men slowly settle in the starting blocks. Each of them has put thousands of hours of intensive training to get to the final. They have had to say “NO” to countless temptations over the last few years. They have had moments of doubt along the way. Some of them have experienced injuries and had to go through massive pain to recover.
They are motionless now – focused on the next ten seconds, which can be the most important ten seconds of their lives. Although there will be only one “official winner” – the Olympic champion, all of them have made it to the most exclusive club of the fastest men on the planet. They are all Winners. At some point in their lives, they set their expectations so high, and they have done all the work to get here. They made the decision: I’ll win!

Most people will never even think of setting such ambitious goals. Very few of us need such a level of competition and only a small fraction of people on the planet would endure the amount of commitment, self-discipline, and focus that is necessary to make it to the Olympic final.

What is worrying, though, is that the majority of us never actually set ANY goals! Why is that?
• In the first place, I don’t know of any educational system that would teach students how to set goals. Do you know of any?
• Secondly, even if we do try to set goals, we soon give up and go back to our “comfort zone” – the reality we know. It may not be perfect, but we have learned how to manage it and make it to the next day.

I like to think that Winners design their lives – they know very well what it is that they want, take consistent action to move forward, learn from their experiences, and fine-tune their approach until they get what they want.

On the other hand, Survivors get by and struggle to keep their heads above the water surface.

Winners focus on the future, strongly believe that they will succeed, and are ready to do whatever it takes to win the final – in their race! Survivors focus on the past and present – often taking much time to analyze and rationalize. Sometimes their real dreams and aspirations do pop up, but they quickly hush them by finding excuses: “The time is not right,” “I am not qualified enough,” “The competition is too fierce.”

Are Winners Born or Made?

I genuinely believe that anyone can be a Winner – Yes – you, too! It doesn’t matter how much, or how little you have already achieved; it is a matter of making the decision. Even if you have been in the survival mode for the last few decades, you can decide that your time has come.
Don’t settle for less than you’re worth!
Come off the bench and play your game!
Stop dreaming and start acting!

The Past Does Not Equal The Future

I love that sentence by Tony Robbins! It helped me on so many occasions – when I fouled up, when I lost some big contracts, and when I thought my love life was over.
You too can decide that the future will be different – it is never too late, no matter how young or how old you are!
You can always turn over a new leaf.
You can decide that you will be the Winner – from now on!

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What Problem Do You Solve?

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When I ask people what they do, they often tell me: “I give German classes online”, “I am a fitness coach”, or “I am an accountant”. Wow! How exciting! Do your potential clients care what YOU DO? Let me be honest and straightforward: They don’t give a s**t! The majority of business owners bore clients with technicalities rather than make them excited about getting what they want our need, or relieved – by helping them to get rid of a certain in their lives. And YES – the negative motivation – realizing what it will cost them if they don’t change is usually more effective than the positive motivation.

Remember, your clients don’t want:

  1. German classes online
  2. A fitness coach
  3. An accountant

Let me tell you more
They don’t even want to:

  1. learn German,
  2. see you in the gym twice a week,
  3. pay someone to hep them do their books!

Your Clients DO want:

  1. The stuff that being able to speak German will give them – a better job, a new partner, a more exciting life!
  2. How they will feel, what self-esteem they will have – as a result of being fit, or – eliminating the scenario related to being overweight and passive;
  3. The peace of mind resulting from the fact that their books are in order.

Your clients will spend their hard-earned cash on your products or services, because they want or need something, or because they’re fed up with something, and they want to replace it with something else.

What problem do I solve?
People don’t contact me because they would like to have coaching sessions. They choose me because they don’t have enough of the right clients, and they want someone who’ll help them get MORE of the quality clients. And that’s exactly what they get.

What Problem Do You Solve?

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Which Distinctive Category Are You Happy With?

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Every day, thousands of people set up their businesses. In many countries starting a business nowadays is actually easier than ordering a take-away pizza, and people are actually paid to do that – there are various funds and subsidies. At the same time – every day thousands of companies go bankrupt!  According to various statistics, only fifty per cent of businesses survive the first three years. So, out of the hundred companies set up today, only fifty will be on the market in three years’ time!

And out of those fifty companies:

• 1% of business owners become super successful. They own massive villas in Ibiza with infinity pools, and fly private jets.


• 4% make a lot of money. They fly business class and sport Louis Viton bags.


• 15% are getting there. They drive a Ford but hope to buy a Land Rover by next Christmas.


• 60% are more or less OK .Probably less than more, though. They keep saying that money is not the most important thing in the world.


• 20% are struggling to survive. Sooner or later, will go back to regular jobs – typically with a large debt to pay off.

Don’t take the examples too seriously! I just wanted you to imagine those lifestyles. And although both you and I know that the best things in life are for free, once you decide to set up your business – you start working towards ending up in one of the above – mentioned groups, IF you survive the first three years, that is!

Unless your goal is “to be more or less OK”, or you enjoy the struggle, you need to act differently than the 80% of entrepreneurs that make up those two distinctive groups!

Am I sharing those gruesome stats to scare you off?
Far from that! Although I want you to dream BIG and set yourself ambitious and super exciting compelling goals, it is important to confront your goals with reality and being aware of those stats should help you

  1. Decide which group you’ll belong to
  2. Take focused action to get there.
  3. Learn and tweak your approach until you succeed!

It is not going to be easy, but it is going to be worth it!

Decide now: Which group will you belong to?

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People Always Look for the Lowest Price

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That’s what many business owners say – especially if they don’t make enough money. It is true – the great majority of people look for promotions, special offers and hot deals. They are typically people just who can’t afford top quality products or services, which just must cost more. Nothing wrong with that. Our potential market is made up of a number of segments, and you should know which segment you’re in.

The people who look for bargains typically don’t make loyal clients. They just go where the prices are lower without giving it much thought. And there will always be someone who will be ready to offer lower prices than you! So think twice before you decide to go that alley and compete on price.

Kevin Maney, the best-selling author of “Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don’t” writes about the conflict between quality and convenience, which each entrepreneur should understand. The book is fascinating; Mr Maney gives numerous examples of products and services you and I use every day. He helps us to understand how consumers and customers make purchasing decisions. The message is pretty straightforward: Your client looks either for the lowest price or the highest quality. And you need to decide which group you are selling to. 

Most business owners think that they should be offering the highest possible quality at the lowest possible price – and they are fucked! Why? because they are too expensive for clients who want the lowest price, and not good enough for those who need top quality. Does that make sense? 

Another misconception is that everyone is price – sensitive.

Believe me – not everyone! In some situations, I am not! And I am not writing it to impress you. Let me just give you two examples:

  1. Two years ago, I was looking for a fitness coach. I wanted someone who would help me get back in shape. I contacted a few personal trainers, and all of them seemed to assume that I was looking for the lowest price. And in fact, my priority was completely different – I wanted the top quality and didn’t mind paying more! None of them even asked what I was looking for – they just assumed that it was the best deal that I was after.
  2. I decided to take my partner to Mexico at the beginning of last year. And as it was a special occasion, I wanted to make it BIG – with all the extras! The agent I was on the phone with was talking about “reasonable prices and the times of the year when it was cheaper to travel”. She didn’t ask what trip I wanted, what was important to me – if she had, she would have known that it wasn’t the lowest price!

What do your clients look for?

How do they make purchasing decisions?

What do you do to find out? 

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The Meek Shall Inherit The World.

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One of the adages I really hate! It makes me think of all the losers who are frustrated with their lives, and who waste time “rationalizing” their situation rather than get their act together, decide what they want and get it! Remember – there will always be someone who will want you to stand in the corner and patiently wait for your turn. The thing is , your turn never comes, and the longer you wait, the harder it is to get out of that bloody corner!

So cut the crap out and tell me: “How much do you want to make?” One of my favourite questions! Is running a business just about money? I don’t know – you decide if it is ALL about money, but it is definitely ALSO about money, because if you don’t generate profit, you don’t actually have a business.

My clients come from more than ten countries, and it is interesting to see or hear that our culture has such a great influence on our relationship with our wallet. I come from Poland, where the entrepreneurial drive has had its various interpretations and faces over the last decades. You would be surprised how many people have a rather critical opinion of those who want to be financially successful.

We – Poles – must be among the most creative nations when it comes to coining words referring to people who have become financially successful.

Many of my  British clients drive me crazy with their “modesty”! I haven’t worked with many US Clients so far, but the ones I have worked with seemed to be the most comfortable talking about money, and they find it quite easy to talk about their financial aspirations. They also understand that if they offer a service that helps their clients solve a certain problem, or get them what they want, it is OK to expect the adequate remuneration for that. A lot of my clients develop business based on their passions and their willingness to help others, and consequently, some of them seem to have mixed feelings about helping and charging for that help.

Well, as this post is turning into a pseudo -sociological ramble/stereotype – labelling shit, let’s get to the point:

If you want to be successful, ALSO financially successful, steer clear of the debilitating voices and opinions – coming from people who typically have not achieved anything in life, and who will try to make you feel guilty about your aspirations – including your financial goals.

I remember some of the critical remarks I heard when I made it very clear that I wanted to have a prosperous business. “You’re turning into a workaholic”, “Watch out, or you may lose something much more important on your way!”. At some point, I just stopped listening to them, and I “fired” some of my “friends”!

If others want to live by some noble truths, like “The Meek Shall Inherit the World”, let them – they have their reasons, needs and visions. Nothing wrong with that. But don’t let them stop you from creating YOUR WORLD!

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How Many Clients Did You Get Last Week?

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That is in fact one of the questions my I ask my Clients. It is straightforward and challenging, but that is what most of my Clients want: MORE of the RIGHT Clients. That simple question help my Clients stay focused and on track. The truth is that if you want a sustainable and profitable business that will give you the lifestyle you want, you need to ensure the constant in-flow of clients. Nigel Botterill, the founder and CEO of Entrepreneurs’ Circle, highlights the importance of, what he calls, the rhythmic acquisition of customers. I like the word “rhythmic”! In short – you need to make sure that you have a constant “queue” of people who can potentially become your customers.

If I were to put my finger on one single essential skill we – business owners need to master, it would be getting and keeping customers!

The world is full of entrepreneurs who have everything – great passion, adequate products or services, but who fail – because they don’t have enough of the right clients. I am sure you know such people!
Ensuring the “client pipeline” should become your number one priority.

If you belong to one of the two very populous groups of business owners – the first – who “are not good st selling”, or the second – who “believe that marketing doesn’t work”, you are in trouble!


You may say that there are businesses that are always busy and have enough of or more customers than they can handle, and you are right! I know two owners of renovation companies whose calendars are full at least six months ahead, but both you and I also know that those are rather exceptions than rules.

The overwhelming majority of businesses need more of the right clients all the time!
There is the theory that “quality will always win”, and that if a business provides high-quality products or services, people will recommend them. It is true, but that is a relatively passive approach. I know from my experience that clients are less ready to promote you than you may think. Even if they value your products or services, they are too busy with their lives to think about promoting you!

Ironically, many of the most profitable businesses have nothing to do with top quality. The world is full of companies that make millions selling crap!

So you have a choice: To take it personally and complain about all the injustice in the world or take care of your marketing!

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So, What Is It That You REALLY REALLY want?

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If you decide to be my Client, you’ll ask this question during our first session. The question seems very simple. Come on, everyone knows what they want! Is that true? In fact, this short question proves to be one of the most challenging ones for so many people! Why is that?

First, In many cultures, such questions are regarded as “selfish” or “inappropriate”. So many of us live to fulfill certain roles that we never discover what we want our lives to be about. It is always about meeting other people’s needs – your parents’, your partner’s, your boss’s, your children’s… For some strange reason, our societies condition us to make some of the key decisions: what is “right”, “responsible” or “mature”. From a very young age, we are moulded to “fit in”, and follow the linear sequence: school – studies – workDon’t get me wrong – I am not against certain social rules that create advanced democratic systems, in which we and other people can function harmoniously. I just hate the fact that we are so frequently discouraged from thinking what we WANT, and we’re expected to be satisfied with what we “SHOULD” or “OUGHT TO” do.

Second, we are expected to be “realistic”. Again and again, we hear: “Stop dreaming”, “You can’t do that”, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. So many times we hear that we are too old to dream and that we “should be serious”. People around us just can’t wait to offer their advice, and put us down by making us begin to self-doubt and undermine our confidence. Consequently, we either stop setting any goals, or aim really low, well below our REAL possibilities. From a very young age, we are moulded to “fit in”, and follow the linear sequence: school – studies – work

Third, we have never learned to set goals! They teach us so much useless stuff, which can be googled in three seconds, but they don’t tell us how to set goals, and that it is actually good to set goals. This skill doesn’t appear in any “standard” curriculum. Isn’t that ironic?

The good news is that we – entrepreneurs can achieve whatever we want and the sky really is the limit. The only limitation is your answer to the simple question: “What is it that you really really want?” and readiness to pay the price for achieving that.

So What Is It That YOU Really Really Want?