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How to Succeed (or Fail) at Anything: Wishers, Worriers & Warriors

People who want success fall into three categories:

Wishers
Worriers
Warriors

Wishers want things to be different and wait patiently for that successful change to come. They believe in magic fairies.

Worriers fear the worst and imagine all the terrible things that are going to happen if things don’t change. They believe in monsters.

Warriors take action on their wishes, slay the dragons of their worries and fight for their lives. They believe in work.

Which one are you?

If you want to transform your life or business, be a warrior.

Written by Richie Norton on May 17, 2015 | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) Topics:

Inspiration

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Money VS Meaning Matrix: Where Do You Fit In?

This is the Money VS Meaning Matrix I created to help myself make decisions regarding which projects that I take on. I’ve also found this matrix to be incredibly helpful when I’m working with consulting clients—particularly those who are working with me in my Platinum Mastermind Group.

The Money VS Meaning Matrix—in a nutshell:

Quadrant 1: This is where you make a lot of money, but the work is not really meaningful to you. You’re happy you’re prospering, sure, but you find you burn out easily (and/or get bored), and you wish you were getting more deep satisfaction out of your work/life. From the outside looking in, it would appear that you’ve got it all, but on the inside, there is definitely something missing. You long to use your talents and passions to make a meaningful contribution in your industry (or another one all together), but unfortunately, you’re just too busy making money.

Quadrant: 2: In quadrant 2, you’re making money while simultaneously experiencing real satisfaction from the meaningful work in which you’re engaged. You’re happy to be living a comfortable and sustainable lifestyle, you’re fulfilled by your work, AND you’re deeply satisfied by the contribution you’re making in your industry/the world. Quadrant 2, my friends, is the sweet spot.

Quadrant 3: This is where you seem to constantly be struggling to make ends meet. The income just doesn’t ever seem to be enough for you to experience real, sustainable financial security—let alone ever get ahead. Furthermore, the work you’re doing seems meaningless. You may feel trapped, and you definitely find yourself wishing that things were very different. At times, you may even feel hopeless. You find yourself desperately waiting for a) circumstances to magically change or b) for an opportunity to come along for you to do something different.

Quadrant 4: This is where the work you’re doing is fulfilling and making a meaningful difference. You love what you do. The work fuels and excites you. But as it stands, the work is simply not making enough money to be sustainable. You may find yourself resenting money, overwhelmed and/or discouraged by the need to bring in consistent cash flow, when all you really want to do is make a difference in the world. You would give anything to be able to stop worrying about when/where/or how the next paycheck will arrive and wether or not it will be enough to keep things afloat. Meaningful work is great, but if you’re in Quadrant 4 and it’s not profitable, you likely feel a considerable amount of inner conflict or “mission drift,” because no matter how meaningful the work you’re doing actually is, you still have to be able to pay the bills.

So, where do you fit in?

Plot your current situation, then ask yourself these questions:

1. Why am I here?

2. How can I move from where I am to where I want to be?

3. Am I willing to make the sacrifice to get there (or stay there)?

4. What one thing can I do today to move myself closer to Quadrant 2?

How I can help you get there

I’m looking for 25 people who want to be making 6 to 7 figures this year…and who want to turn their expertise into an offering that creates a steady stream of the perfect high-paying clients in 60 days or less. I’m looking for people who want to be in Quadrant 2 (the sweet spot) or who are already in Quadrant 2 and would like to scale and streamline their business

If you’re a coach, photographer, entrepreneur, lawyer, therapist, designer, creative, author, speaker, trainer or anyone with a product or service to sell, etc — someone with expertise in your craft — this offer is meant for you.

Here’s the deal: I’m offering FREE one-on-one, 45-min, strategy sessions to 25 people who fit the criteria.

This offer is for action-takers, goal-setters and go getters–who are excited for and committed to, getting real results in 2015. This offer is not for people who are interested in twiddling their thumbs and waiting for life to wend its way by. If you are ready to generate real success in business and life this year, I’d love to hear from you!

Are you up to the challenge? Together, we will change your business for good at light speed.

This opportunity is for you IF:

You’re an expert, author, speaker, coach, trainer, photographer, entrepreneur, agent, lawyer, creative, therapist or have a product or service to sell and make meaning.
You’re willing and committed to implement the strategies you’ll learn.
You’re serious and committed to making $100k or more before the end of 2015.

>>>APPLY FOR A FREE STRATEGY CALL BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE<<<

Keep making waves!

Aloha,

Richie

P.S. You can do this.

P.P.S. Here’s that link again. Go here: http://bit.ly/strategizewithrichie

Written by Richie Norton on March 11, 2015 | Permalink | Trackbacks (0)

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TSE 033: Over Come Fear, Take Action and Start Something Stupid with Richie Norton Jun 04th 12:50 pm
[…] Richie’s post Money VS Meaning Matrix: Where Do You Fit In? […]
The Power of Starting Something Stupid w/ Richie Norton Mar 04th 9:59 am
[…] Richie’s post Money VS Meaning Matrix: Where Do You Fit In? […]

Startupland: How to Ask Your Friends for Money—And Stay Friends – The Story of Zendesk

Such a privilege to receive a review copy of Startupland: How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business. This book takes you on an incredible journey about what it takes to create a startup and succeed. In fact, this is “the real story of what it takes to risk it all and go for broke,” the story of Zendesk by Mikkel Svane.

Startupland is that rare book every entrepreneur wishes they’d read years ago. Mikkel Svane tells a story that will grab you by the hand and give you an honest look at what it takes to launch a successful business. Read Startupland to be inspired, entertained and to help you discover practical ways to turn your idea into a global business.

Below is an excerpt from the book about raising money from friends and family and how you can ask your friends for money–and stay friends!

Hat in Hand

So, without any other options, we did something I never originally wanted to do, but what so many founders find themselves doing. We went to friends and family and asked them to invest. I now realize it was a last desperate action. Truthfully, I didn’t realize how desperate it was at the time. But think about what a terrible thing this is to do! There was a greater chance we would fail than succeed. And here I was asking my friends for money that could be lost, that would likely turn into nothing, that almost assuredly (statistically at least) would be wasted. Why was I risking this? What would become of these relationships if things deteriorated? I wasn’t taking the long view. But I didn’t try to sell anyone either.

“You are going to lose this money,” I said to these potential funders. “Think about it like a lottery ticket. There’s a much better chance that you’ll get nothing out of it.” Still, we made this friends-and-family fundraising round a formal process, working with a lawyer to draft the documents and creating a presentation in which we pitched the idea. I invited potential investors in to meet with us. In these discussions I made it clear that they would have no control or influence over how we ran the business. (They had no experience with what we were doing, so giving them any power could only bite us in the ass.) They would be completely blind as to what was going on.

And yet, despite all of this, these people, family, friends—maybe fools—wanted to invest anyway. I was surprised by the level of interest but also so heartened. They wanted to invest because they believed in us. They believed in the crazy idea that we could make something out of nothing.

It’s also just as true that we were really lucky with the timing. The climate for individual investors was perfect. We were still months away from the credit crunch in 2008. Real estate in Denmark was crazy hot. People had equity in their houses, and they had disposable money. They saw this as another opportunity.

My old friend Michael Hansen, the big-hearted, bigmouthed so-called king of Denmark, invested a bit. My friend Joachim, a television producer, invested and told his boss, who also invested. In fact, his boss wanted to invest more than our round allowed. Word spread, and it was fun to see so much interest. Most people put in around $10,000 to $15,000; the biggest investment was around $30,000. We even turned away some people. Some of our family members really had no idea what we were talking about; they just wanted to help and be supportive. We couldn’t accept that kind of money. And we had what we needed.

How to Ask Your Friends for Money—And Stay Friends

The first rule of asking your friends for money is never to ask your friends for money. The second rule of asking your friends for money is never to ask your friends for money. OK, got it: You should never ask friends for money. That is, unless they have way too much money. In that case, knock yourself out.

If you really are so desperate that you need to raise money from friends and family, make it clear that they will never get it back.

Set expectations low. Make it like a lottery ticket.
Don’t use the Zendesk case as an example. We’re the exception. Make it into a Scratchcard lotto game—something that is fun, but most likely just a waste of money.
Don’t give any influence in return. People are unsophisticated in this area. They don’t know how to run a business, invest aggressively, or take risks. They may not realize that a big portion of the investment basically goes to your own salaries. Don’t provide insight into the business. If you succeed, the last thing you want on your cap table (or roster of major shareholders) is a bunch of unsophisticated investors with influence.
Prepare yourself mentally for disappointing a lot of people. Even if you have succeeded in setting expectations low, you will still disappoint people. Even though they believe they can afford to lose the money when they invest, their financial situation may be very different twelve or twenty-four months out. And you may ruin a lot of relationships.
Prepare yourself for that—and don’t do it if you cannot live with that.

Excerpted with permission of the publisher, Wiley, from Startupland: How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business by Mikkel Svane with Carlye Adler. Copyright (c) 2015 by Zendesk, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is available at all bookstores and online booksellers.

More info at www.startupland.com.

Written by Richie Norton on January 14, 2015 | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) Topics:

Book Review

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Richie Norton

Hi! I’m Richie. Welcome to my blog. I write on business (money), lifestyle (meaning & family) and how to start stuff (freedom). Life is family: Natalie (click for her top podcast) and my four boys (one of whom moved to Heaven) and our three foster kids who are back with bio mom. I’d love to connect with you on Instagram Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

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