To the business owner
You’re successful. You’re proud of that, as you should be.
But there’s a problem. You want a truly “Exceptional Life,” and you probably see that earning six figures a year just won’t get you there. That “Exceptional Life” can only happen “if” you begin making over $1 million a year. That’s just the cold hard facts.
But if you’re like most entrepreneurs, today you’re experiencing a disconnect between your efforts and your results. Too often you’re off in the weeds, juggling 10 different things. You’re overwhelmed, distracted, and reactive. We experienced the same thing. Not focused on what moves the needle. But why is that happening?
It’s because today you’re operating at only 20% of what you’re actually capable of. Just like we were. And that’s why there’s a gap between where you are today and where you want to be. But here’s what’s interesting.
It’s not your fault. You’ve been missing one key piece of information, and it causes you to have only 5% control of yourself. Let us show you how making one small change in your life can exponentially change your results.
When I (John) turned 50, I wasn’t as successful as I thought I should be. Can you relate? But what to do about it. Then a pearl of wisdom came to me. I decided to find the “Top Book in the World on Success and Achievement” and apply it literally “word for word” to my life. That book is Think and Grow Rich. A book that’s been read by over 100 million people. It’s the top book in the world on Success by a factor of 10!
The book says there’s a “secret” to success, but it only gives you half the secret. It’s on the reader to figure out the other half. Oh, great! But because I felt the scarcity of time from being 50, I felt pressure. That pressure ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me. It caused me to really dig deep and figure out the full secret. And more importantly, a practical way to apply it.
Then my world changed.
Over 9 years, I was blessed to build a $25 million a year business. It started as a one-man operation, with no revenues, no profits. I ultimately had 175 employees & netted over $5 million a year. Previously, for the prior 20 years, I had only average, low “6 figure a year” success as a business owner.
Here’s how that impacts you…
What you made last year reflects your level of “competence” – how good you are as a business owner. That’s what I realized at 50. I was determined to begin making over $1 million a year because I wanted “The Exceptional Life”– just like you, right?
But that doesn’t happen unless you materially “up” your game, and begin operating at an even higher level each and every day. Upping your game as an entrepreneur is what our program accomplishes.
Today our 12-minute-a-day methodology is recognized as the “Top Application in the World” of the Top Book in the World on SUCCESS.
As you consider this for yourself, understand that this is ONLY for people who are serious about increasing their success in life. Where more success and achievement is an absolute necessity! For most people, more success is merely a “preference”.
If you’re the exception ...
Let me tell you more of my story, and the story of my partner, Kelly Hatfield.
John Mitchell
Read John's story below
Kelly Hatfield's story
Click to read Kelly's storyHave you ever stepped back from your life and assessed, from a big picture standpoint, how it’s going? Not a bad thing to do.
When I turned 50, I did just that. What I found was I wasn’t as successful as I thought I should be. And I didn’t know why.
I had two goals in my life. To make enough money so I’d never have to work, and to find the woman of my dreams. At 50, I was falling short on both.
As a business owner, I was blessed to always make $200,000 -$300,000 a year. But never close to a million dollars a year. On finding the girl, at 50 I had never been married. But I can tell you it wasn’t for lack of interviewing. I did a lot of interviewing. Just couldn’t find the right one.
I started my career as a CPA. By the age of 30, I became a business owner. I started out in real estate development, around a tax shelter idea. That evolved to owning a bank. Then when the banking and real estate industry went in the tank in the late 80s, I shifted gears. Probably like you’ve shifted gears a time or two.
I then started buying small operating companies. The first one was a restaurant. I know what you’re thinking. What could be a worse idea? Well, I thought the same thing. But I was able to structure it to be a no-lose situation. After owning it for three years, it was voted “Most Romantic Restaurant” in Dallas. I can tell you, it was fun to be single and owning the most romantic restaurant in Dallas.
Then I evolved into the publishing business, which was followed by getting into the automotive industry.
In all those various businesses I was blessed to typically make $200,000- $300,000 a year. But again, never close to a million dollars a year.
In my 30s, I thought big bucks were just around the corner when I found the right thing.
Then in my 40s, I shifted my focus to simply “doing my best.” That’s something I actually controlled. But that didn’t bring big success either – because I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
So when I turned 50, here’s what I was feeling.
I WAS FRUSTRATED ONLY MAKING SIX FIGURES A YEAR.
You may be feeling that same frustration today yourself.
Then a defining moment happened, three days after I turned 50. Picture this. I’m in my office kicked back, I’ve got my feet on my desk. I start to do the math.
I realize that if I don’t start netting over $1 million a year, I’ll never have enough money to have full control of my life. I’ll never have the freedom to create that “Exceptional Life” I’d always dreamed of.
For me the exceptional life was the paid for, multimillion dollar house on the lake. A life with a nest egg that gave me financial security and peace of mind. Where I could earn 4%– 5% on my nest egg and that would produce enough monthly income to cover my monthly expenses. Essentially I’d have a life where money didn’t matter. Where I could get whatever I wanted (within reason) and not have to worry about it.
And more than anything, a life of freedom, where I could get up each and every day and do exactly what I wanted to do …rather than what I had to do. Isn’t that the ultimate goal for all of us?
I wanted a life enjoying my hobbies, playing golf and playing blues guitar. For you, what lights your fire? Is it a life exploring the world – taking month-long vacations to places like Lake Como in Italy, or exploring the Galapagos Islands for a month or two?
At 50, I also wanted the opportunity to create a life with real meaning and purpose. As you get older, that becomes more and more important. Right?
And I knew that having that “life of meaning” started with having a great relationship with my significant other. Did you know it’s the most important external factor to one’s own happiness? Above everything else! So at 50, I wanted to find her and create a great relationship with that precious girl.
Secondly, I wanted to create a life of meaning by helping people less fortunate than myself, who didn’t have the advantages I had.
But the overall exceptional life couldn’t happen unless I started consistently NETTING seven figures a year. As I turned 50, this hit me like a ton of bricks. And it was clear, I had to make it happen in my 50s. The pressure was now officially on! At the time, I didn’t like the pressure. But as you’ll learn later, that pressure was pivotal.
SO I MADE A DECISION.
HARD WORK DOESN'T WORK! While it might work for making 6 figures a year, clearly it didn’t work for making 7 figures a year.
I clearly had to fundamentally change the way I created success in my life. Working 60-70 hours a week wasn’t working. But how?
Then a pearl of wisdom and enlightenment hit me. Why not find the top book in the world on success ever written. The #1 book on success and achievement. And then apply it, to the letter, to my life? The logic was so simple and compelling.
So after some research, I found that there actually “is” one book that excels over all others on this topic. It’s Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Over 100 million copies sold. The next best-selling book on success has sold less than 10 million copies. So it’s the top book on success by a factor of 10. But most importantly, this book has the unique “claim to fame” of creating more millionaires and billionaires than any other book on the planet! Exactly what I was looking for.So I read it.
But then I discover a problem. A big problem! There wasn’t a practical way to apply the book’s central content.
Normally if I read a book and there wasn’t a practical way to apply it, I would’ve given up. But not this time. The pressure from “doing the math” was kicking in. I had to find the solution now! There wasn’t a better alternative, and I knew it.
And fortunately, now the universe was cooperating with me. At roughly this same time, I had also just discovered an intriguing niche in the financial services industry. I had the perfect test case.
Over the next few weeks I developed a 12-minute-a-day methodology to apply the book’s central concept to my new business. This 12-minute-a-day methodology gave me a 21st century operating system that geared me to productivity, creativity, and happiness. To a level I’d never experienced before. I had trained my brain to net seven figures a year, by impacting my daily thoughts and actions.
THE DREAM APPEARED.
Over nine years I continually tweaked my 12-minute-a-day methodology. And over that nine years, my income went from low six figures a year to over $5 million a year. Quite a change from my 20-year history of making low six figures a year. It was a 25 times increase. I felt so blessed. I finally had the lifestyle I always dreamed of.
Even better, I could see why the transformative change was happening. By applying science to my life for the first time ever, I was actually influencing my daily actions. That was significant because, as we all know, your everyday actions ultimately determine your success and achievement in life.
Clearly I operating at a higher level than I ever had before, and it was happening each and every day. I could feel it. I felt like I had doubled my control over myself. Further, I was focused, and I mean laser focused, only on the two – three things that move the needle in my business. All distractions fell by the wayside.
And the best news was unrelated to my career. I also met the woman of my dreams from applying my methodology.
And the results really changed me as a business owner. I became fascinated by the fact that you could take two key scientific principles and apply them to your life and so materially impact your success and achievement in life.
IT AMAZED ME THAT YOU COULD MAKE SUCH A SMALL CHANGE ….YET RADICALLY CHANGE YOUR OUTCOMES.
And it only took 12 minutes a day.
I found it so intellectually interesting that I sold my company. Then a few months later, I met the former Chancellor and president at the University of Texas at Austin. I told him my story. He said “you have to teach this methodology at the University of Texas.” And why don’t we teach it together?”
And that fueled something else that was then really percolating within me. I wanted to make my “dent in the universe.” I felt so incredibly blessed by what had happened, I wanted to honor that by helping others. More specifically, I wanted to help fellow business owners. Who today struggle to cross over to netting seven figures a year, just like I did in my 30s and 40s.
I want to help fellow business owners take the next step up. To that elusive “Exceptional Life” that we hear so much about, but which few know how to achieve.
As you will see, it’s actually easier than you think. 12 minutes a day.
Kelly’s Story:
The business ownership path for me
It was slow. As certain as I was about owning my own business one day, I had fallen in love with a job in the recruiting industry. I was 22 years old. I stayed with the same company for over 13 years, moving through the ranks until I was at the top.
But there was this itch I couldn’t scratch – the idea of owning my own business had never left me. Although I was doing very well financially, I knew that if I didn’t move on and start building my dream instead of someone else’s, I’d always regret it. So, I became a business owner at 35.
Perspective
Fast forward 10 years and 3 successful businesses later. I’ve evolved tremendously on this ride called business ownership. The lessons I’ve learned along the way have shaped who I am as a business owner, leader and person. I’ll admit, sometimes I wanted off the business owner merry-go-round – the ups, the downs, the triumph of victory and the agony of defeat. Yet those were exactly the things I had asked for, when I decided to be a business owner and ultimately, what I love about it.
The decision to play at a higher level
Although I’ve seen a lot of success as a business owner, at 43 I had this feeling that there HAD to be more. I knew I was put on this earth to make a greater impact than I was making, and I wasn’t fully living up to my potential. But what did that really mean?
Then it came to me. I realized that while I enjoyed the recruiting industry, and had been very successful at it, it wasn’t my true passion. As Yogi Berra said, it was déjà vu all over again. I had that same feeling I had when I first became a business owner. Again, I knew it was time to level up, and that fear of regret motivated me to go to the highest level of business ownership, doing what I’m truly passionate about.
I knew what I loved to do. Serve others, learn, connect and impact and help others achieve their vision of success. Enter the world of podcasting and high-performance coaching.
In 2016 I launched the Absolute Advantage podcast, and my world and impact grew exponentially. As host of the Absolute Advantage podcast, I have the honor of gleaning the insight and wisdom from some of the best minds in business, regarding the process of creating success and achievement. It was through this podcast endeavor that John Mitchell and Think It Be It came into my life. And boy, did my life change for the better.
Have you ever had one of those moments where you feel like you’re in the right place at the right time? John and I connected immediately, and the concept behind Think It Be It intrigued me. Two things really caught my attention. First, this 12-minute day methodology was inspired by the greatest book ever written on success and achievement – Think and Grow Rich. John shared with me that this book has sold over 100 million copies worldwide, whereas the next bestselling book on success had sold under 10 million copies. Clearly it really was the top book in the world on success and achievement ever written. And John’s methodology is recognized today as the “Top Application in the World” of this legendary book.
The second thing that caught my attention was this 12-minute day methodology was science-based. In fact, Time Magazine had done a cover story on the science behind this methodology. The methodology teaches people how to influence the two factors that differentiate the mega-achievers from everyone else. Control of self and focus.
So, as we discussed the details of this 12-minute day methodology on the podcast, we made on agreement on air. I would implement Think It Be It into my life. Then I’d circle back with John to share my results (you can listen to our first encounter here.)
The results I saw
I implemented Think It Be It into my life and was blown away by the results. By investing just 12 minutes a day in myself, my life started to change quickly- and went from living a so-so life to an “Exceptional life.” My businesses improved – revenue and profit increased significantly because I was focused on the most valuable priorities.
My health improved and those last few pounds I’d been trying to lose melted off from noticeably more discipline. My relationship improved because I was present and engaged, rather than just on auto-pilot.
My productivity went off the charts, and I was getting more done than I ever thought possible. I was focused and on a mission. I had re-programmed my brain to be laser focused on the few things I knew moved the needle.
I was introduced to business ownership in the 10th grade, through the Diversified Education Club of America (DECA). I won the “Small Business Prospectus” competition, was hooked, and knew that one day I would own my own business.
Why did that happen?
Because for the first time ever, I was applying “SCIENCE” to my life. I was deliberately, and with intention, influencing my daily actions …and thoughts. I came to appreciate the obvious. That the ultimate determinant of success in each area of my life was my “everyday actions and ongoing thoughts.”
John shared a great example with me. Let’s say you want to lose weight. How do you achieve success at that? It’s by impacting your everyday actions and ongoing thoughts regarding what you eat and exercising.
I saw that that same concept applied not only to my health, but to success in my career as well as success in my marriage. It was so obvious, yet I had never fully appreciated it at a conscious level.
What playing at a “higher level” meant …
Regarding my career
I discovered something particularly interesting when I applied this 12-minute day methodology to my career.
Three things started to happen. First, my business plan was so easy to implement because it was so top of mind.
Secondly, I was focused solely on what moved the needle every day. All distractions fell by the wayside.
And thirdly, the most significant thing happened. My unique “strategy for success” started moving forward much quicker than it ever had before.
By what I was feeding myself each day, my subconscious mind was constantly challenging and refining my strategy for success. I felt this momentum pulling me and my strategy forward, much quicker than it ever had before. What an impact that was.
So not only was I operating at a much higher level on a daily basis regarding my ongoing thoughts and actions, I now had a methodology for constantly refining and improving my direction. That combination showed up in the best way possible – a substantial boost in my annual income.
I came to appreciate something profound. I could do life like everyone else 23 hours and 48 minutes a day. But for 12 minutes a day, I was doing something radically different than everyone else. Applying science to my life, to up my success. Something I’d never done before.
Where I am today…
A desire to help you achieve the same results.
I became an owner and partner at Think It Be It because I was the perfect fit for John, and where he wanted to take Think It Be It. We have the exact same vision and passion.
The reason I wanted to be a part of this is because it’s “radically different” than anything else in the success and human achievement field.
Everything else out there focused on increasing a person’s success and achievement are strategy based. But the problem everyone has in achieving a greater level of success and achievement is not “lack of strategies.” Rather, it’s lack of being able to implement those strategies in their everyday lives, so they show up in a person’s ongoing actions and thoughts.
Because that’s ultimately where the rubber meets the road. When those great strategies show up in your thoughts and actions automatically, without thinking – that’s the game changer. And that’s why I wanted to be a part of Think It Be It.
My passion today is helping you implement Think It Be It into your life and providing high-performance coaching. I know this will move the needle for you, and take you to the next level, just like it did for me and I look forward to working with you.