Transcription
I have to figure this out because it killed the business. I could fail. I can feel the nerves at the end of my fingertips and in my face. Are you built for it?
What's up guys? Welcome back. I hate this. I hate kicking off the video like, "Welcome back, guys." Like, who am I, a talk show host? Guys, I'm going to teach you the problem-solving skills that has made me hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. It's probably one of the most attributable skill sets that I have that I've developed over the years that has enabled me to build businesses and navigate the complex dynamic of business and entrepreneurship and survive the test of time.
I say this all the time: more than 90% of businesses fail and close up shop within the first five years. I'm sure there's a lot of reasons for that, but one of the biggest reasons is that problems come, guys. Entrepreneurship, business, is not this passive environment where it's built for people to come and be comfortable and have businesses and it's this rosy picture of how things happen. A lot of people get into the game thinking it is, and then they find out very quickly when massive problems come smashing into their business. And that has been true for me from when I was 23 years old with less than two years of sobriety, and I started my very first business. I started a sober living house. I didn't know. I got access to a building, we bought a property, I started putting this model together. I was 23 years old. I dropped out of high school, guys. 15, was on drugs and alcohol till I was almost 22. I was less than two years into recovery and sobriety from my own addiction. I started this company, and the town sent me a cease and desist letter saying that I was violating zoning, I was violating fire code, all this crazy stuff. That ended up in this multi-year saga where it was me versus the town. I moved locations, and it was me versus this local businessman. It was covered by the news, and I thought I was dead. I thought it was the end of the world. I would have debilitating anxiety. So much so that I would lose sleep. It would crush my appetite. Like, I would be like, "Oh my god." And I remember what that was like.
There's been many, many, many situations since that I have gone through that I've had that same feeling of like, "The, I think it's over. I think this is the kill shot. I don't know how to get through this problem." And I think it's those moments that you guys, so many of you guys, are guaranteed to come up against, but you're ill-prepared to get through to the other side. And when they come, you guys look out and go, "Yeah, getting a job or Plan B sounds a hell of a lot better than making it through whatever this massive problem is." And guys, that is not it. If you were going to be in business, you have got to understand that you're number one. Even when you have employees, you have a team around you, you're number two, the second highest in command, the second top brass of the organization gets to look at you and go, "What are we going to do, boss?" And you're number one. You have to figure it out. This is sleepless nights staring at the ceiling, staring at the wall, going, "What the hell am I going to do?"
And so, the skill set that I have perfected over time is how to navigate those situations. Now, with almost 20 years in this game, having built massive companies, hundreds and hundreds of employees, eight figures plus in revenue, nine figures in company valuation, done nine-figure transactions, the one thing that remains true is that when shit hits the fan, I am the general that gets us through to the other side. How do I do that? How do I explain to you guys how to perfect the skill set of problem-solving when it feels like the world is over?
Guys, you have got to start and put pressure on the situation. You just start to relentlessly execute. 12, 14, 16 hours a day making phone calls, seeking answers, looking up information, modeling different scenarios, thinking about who can help you, thinking about what the problem is, just you whiteboarding the problem. You literally put it in front of you like it's a Rubik's Cube that you're just obsessed with figuring it out. And now, I've been through this so many times, guys, that when shit goes wrong, as much as I don't want to face major business problems, I know that I'm going to. And so, I kind of smile my way through it. I still get, "I have to figure this out. It's highly urgent." My stress is through the roof a little bit until I get to the solution. But, once everything clicks into place and I'm like, "Ah, I made it to the other side." I know that the process I just went through probably killed a lot of people that are trying to compete with me. 'Cause so many people can't deal with that level of stress and pressure. You have to stay cool, calm, and collected. You can't lose your head. Calmer minds always prevail. I have had so many times where I've gone off the deep end with, "OH MY GOD, BRO," or gotten angry or overly worried, overly upset, overly the situation, whatever the problem is, is messed up, and the person that's causing the problem, the situation causing the problem is actually wrong, giving you every justified reason to get angry and to get upset. That doesn't serve you. A lot of people get lost in that. The other thing that happens is you'll get frozen in paralysis. Analysis paralysis is a term that is coined that describes that where it becomes overwhelming, so you do absolutely nothing. Your ability, folks, to take on stress and pressure and stay cool, calm, and collected. Don't let them see you sweat. Continue to work through it and find solutions is literally the ultimate test, the ultimate skill set to what is going to define how successful you are going to be in your business or career. Stress and pressure and the ability to navigate it is everything.
So when a problem arises, what a lot of people do is they get frozen. They freeze. Oh, when you have a problem in front of you and you're not executing, it is absolutely the natural response to feel overwhelmed and feel anxious. The only way to treat that anxiety is to get out there and just start swinging. Just start putting pressure on the situation, moving forward, putting one foot in front of the other, trudging your way through the problem. It feels like you just have headwinds hitting you and you're fighting against the current of the universe, and you're just trying to make it through to the other side. And in that moment, God is testing you. The universe is testing you, 'cause only a select few of chosen ones will continue to persevere and make it through the other side. So many people die in that process. They're not meant for what's on the other side of it. They're not meant to break through to that next level and that next level and that next level. You guys think this is weird belief system amongst people that they think that the progression of moving from this level to that level to the next level, to the next level, is supposed to be this smooth process. Yep, I built this and now I'm elevating. Every single time, you're going to go from here to here. It is going to test your ability to survive. The universe wants to know, the market wants to know, the game wants to know: Are you built for it? Do you have what it takes to survive at the altitude of stress and pressure of what it requires at the next level? And every single time you level up, the tests will come.
So, you have to tap in. You have to dig down deep and go, "I'm not going to quit, no matter what." And this idea of like this prideful ego-driven thing that people like, "Oh, I never want to quit. I'm always in it." Then you're not in the same game I'm in. I've had stress and pressure to the point where I can feel the nerves at the end of my fingertips and in my face. I can't eat. I can't sleep. All I can do is pace. All I can do is obsess. I have to figure this out. If I don't, this could kill me. It could kill the business. I could fail. And that is the right of passage to the next level. So, thank God for the test. Thank God for the test days. Thank God for the problems. When you're in them, you have to know that this is what is required. It is always a test, and it always a period where the universe, God himself, is going to put all that on you to see how bad you you said you want it. Your words, homie. You said you wanted the next level. You're the one that came up with these goals. You're the one that came up with this vision. You're the one that said, "I want more." And then the universe comes in and says, "Yeah, do you? Let's see how much you need it. Let's see how much you're willing to take and what you're willing to work through and persevere, and can you survive? 'Cause not everybody's welcome at the next level." That's what they don't tell you. It's not just this open season of high-level success that's open for everyone. That's why people at certain levels of success highly respect each other because we all paid a price to get here, and the rest of you haven't yet. You haven't done it, and it comes at every single level up, guys. I can't implore that upon you enough that you have to pay that price. Or you have to settle and tap out.
And the dangerous thing is when you run out of the next goal, the next goal, the next goal, the complacency will lead to its own form of stress, anxiety, depression. When you know that it asked everything of you and you consciously chose the softer, easier, weaker path because you didn't want to tackle problems of that size, you're going to regret it later on. So, you're kind of screwed one way or the other. Life kind of sucks whether you do or you don't. It's going to be hard. It's going to suck. You're going to want to quit. It's going to be miserable, but at least you know you tried. You at least you know that you gave it everything you had to give. And if it doesn't work and you do fail, you can fail with pride and you can fail with the most important thing in life, honor.
The other hand, if you don't, maybe circumstances are a little more comfortable, but you have to live with the worst thing that is possible. "What if? What I could have been. I could have been a contender. What life could have been if I hadn't have taken the easier, softer path because I'm a coward?" That ain't it. That ain't it. You're better off to go out on your feet swinging, 'cause the most important thing in life is that you can get up, stand in front of that mirror, and look at you, and be okay with yourself.
Guys, I love you. I really appreciate you paying attention and watching this video as I share some of the life lessons that I've garnered over the last, you know, 20-something years in this game and living a very crazy life. I assure you that this is what it took to get to this level of success. Anyone on the internet that tells you otherwise is not doing you any favors, and they're lying to you. It's not meant to be easy. It's supposed to be hard, difficult, and challenging, and thank God it is. Imagine if everyone could be successful. It would have no value. So, listen. Make sure smash a like on this video, leave a comment, let me know your experience and your thoughts down below, subscribe to the channel, and if you want to connect with me directly, in the description of this video is a link. I'll see you there.