the best ten dollars I never made

Throwback to 10-year-old me during an unusually cold Texas winter: I’ve been outside for so long I can’t feel my hands. Which is probably a good thing, because they, along with my shoes and pants, are crusted with cold, hard mud. And yet, I still have half the front lawn left to sod. But I trudge through it… First, because I have no choice. Asian parenting, ya know. Second, because I’m proud to be able to help set up our first home. (Unlike my baby sister, who can only waddle along after me, patting down the sods only I am allowed to carry.) And third but definitely not least, because the twenty dollar fortune my dad has promised me as “payment” is more than I’ve ever earned in my life. Which is why many hours later, proudly covered in quite a few more layers of mud, I trudge back inside and wait for Dad to finish his chores so I can finally get paid. At last, Dad comes to the living room, sits down in his chair, and holds the crisp twenty dollar bill in front of me. Smirking at my sister (who didn’t get anything), I reach for the bill… Only to have it raised beyond my grasp by my six foot two father. I’m so confused…what…just...happened? And my dad starts to explain, in his “serious teaching” voice… This twenty dollars is what you would have gotten for performing the job well. But you also trudged so much mud through the house that your mom now has even more work to do cleaning it up. So, because you didn’t do the full job well, I’m only going to pay you ten dollars. Seeing that twenty dollar fortune literally slip through my fingers…well, ten year old me was crushed. But, as my dad had probably hoped, I also learned a lesson far more valuable: If you’re going to do something… Make sure you do every aspect of it right. Many years later, here’s how that ten dollar lesson has translated into almost every key principle in my business… **None of that “fake it until you make it” b.s. [the right marketing] Instead, I have a much better piece of advice: Just own wherever you are and turn it into a strength. Then you won’t need to “fake” anything. Back when my first group program had only a few people…you bet I shared that just as proudly, if not more so, than when I had group programs filled with hundreds. **No refunds. [the right standards] This whole “1000% guarantee” is a completely misguided internet marketing practice aimed (poorly) at making more sales. Hold yourself responsible for creating the best products and marketing them in integrity, and hold your clients responsible for making smart investment decisions and actually using them…we’d all have a lot more successful courses and clients that way. (In full transparency, the exception is my two flagship courses…partially because I understand if someone is completely new to me and my ways. But also largely because it’d be a pain to change all the marketing to update the refund policy.) **No overhyped promises just for the sake of more sales…in fact, turn away clients who aren’t a good fit [the right clients] **Be unapologetic and upfront about selling…but also patient and unattached to when/if someone buys or not [the right sales] **Only create products I have a unique take on [the right products] **Create the highest quality content, whether it’s free or for my $100,000+ clients [the right quality] **Build your business in a way that allows you to do all the above [the right business] Just a few of my own examples for what “right” means to me. Hopefully you find them helpful as you build the right business, with all the right principles, for you. As always though, it’s up to you. And if you resonate with those principles and want to create something similar - your own version of course - for yourself, here’s what I have to help you… If you’re starting out building a business to replace your 9-to-5: [The 4-Step Formula I Used to Build My Coaching Business and Replace My Salary BEFORE I Left my 9-5]() If you’re ready to go from 1-on-1 work to no longer trading time for money: [How to successfully create & sell your own online course for true financial freedom](=) And, if you’re ready to scale to multiple 6- to 7-figures: [How to Go from Hustling Coach/Course Creator to 7-Figure Business Owner]() Luisa Zhou [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Unsubscribe]( Zhou Ventures, Inc. P.O. Box 2545 New York, New York 10163-2545 United States