some of my best business advice

this list might be the most valuable compilation I’ve shared to date… Dropping some Mikimotos today… 1) Don’t be here to “serve” anybody. Instead, be here to help. It’s a completely different—and in my opinion a much more mutually beneficial—relationship and money perspective. 2) Look to the future, work in the present. My current business in all its glory (tongue in cheek) took 8+ years to build…and is still a work in progress. The only reason I have what I have now is because I kept my eye on the future (where I wanted to go) and did the work one day at a time. Even when it seemed completely impossible. 3) Master the strategies over the tactics. Tactics have a very limited lifespan. But if you master the strategies and the understanding behind them, you’ll be able to mould them to any tactic for the rest of your life. 4) Taking it even further, master the skills over the strategies. Once you’ve done that, you can truly call the shots and create your own strategies and tactics. Here’s an example… Tactic: Say xx phrase at this point in your webinar to boost conversions Strategy: Use this webinar funnel to sell your coaching/course offer Skill(s): The psychology, marketing, sales, presentation, and mindset skills that go into creating a successful webinar funnel 5) Own your audience. This isn’t new but is too important to not repeat. Don’t rely on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc.—which have clearly demonstrated time and time again that they will sacrifice anything and anyone on the altar of boosting revenue. Build your own email list. Back it up. Then back up that back up so you aren’t even dependent on any particular email marketing software. 6) If you’re not growing, you’re dying. This doesn’t need to be stressful either. Use the strengths you’ve got today—whether that’s a job that allows you to build your business without having to worry about paying the bills or a profitable revenue stream that lets you invest in future ones—to invest in your strengths for tomorrow. 7) There are no non-negotiable rules. As long as you can face your conscience, you don’t have to answer to anyone or anything else. And just because something hasn’t been done doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Obviously, all this comes with a grain of salt. Be smart with how you go about breaking the rules. Maybe learn them first so you know how to best break them (and if even necessary) for yourself. 8) It’s your business, do what you want. That includes the hours you want to work, the products you want to sell, the way you want to sell them, the people you want to work with, and the prices you want to charge. To be able to do this, build your business and your skills so that you are the prize…Because the prize doesn’t chase. It gets to command. 9) Cliché but true: Be willing to do what others won’t so you can have what others can’t. I spent about six years working hours and practicing skills the way most people won’t bother to do even in a lifetime. In fact, during those six years, I did nothing else. But because of that, my business—as does my enjoyment of it, the number of people I help, the fun I have, and the profits it brings in—continues to grow while others’ fail. 10) Have a get rich for “sure” mentality. Tieback to this often-quoted story: Jeff Bezos asked Warren Buffett: "You are the second richest man in the world and yet you have the simplest investment thesis. How come others didn’t follow this?" To which Warren Buffett responded: “Because no one wants to get rich slowly.” Personally, I don’t think with today’s tools that it’s that “slow” to succeed anymore anyways. But I do agree with that anti-“get rich quick” mentality, which I see stopping so many people before they even have a chance to succeed. An online coaching/course business is a proven, and exponentially growing, industry. So if you fail today, does it really matter as long as you pick yourself up and keep at it until five, ten years from now, you have a business and life you couldn’t even have imagined? That’s what I mean by “for sure.” Focus on the end result, and don’t let how long or what it takes stop you. Decide you’re going to get there, and the rest is simply about figuring out how. Luisa Zhou PS - If you want my help mastering the skills and strategies that’ll allow you to call the shots and build your business the way you want, here’s what I have for 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 at 6-figures ready to scale to multiple 6- or 7-: [How to Go from Hustling Coach/Course Creator to 7-Figure Business Owner]() [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Unsubscribe]( Zhou Ventures, Inc. P.O. Box 2545 New York, New York 10163-2545 United States