I do it too!

A few years ago, I wrote an article for Business Insider sharing my [best tips for finding time to build your business while working a job]( . After I happily shared it on LinkedIn, a skeptic commented: “I trust that your ‘tricks’ worked for you, but as a parent, weekends and evenings, and basically any free time, are pretty much nonexistant.” Let me be clear: I absolutely agree that it’s easier to find time when you don’t have kids. But that’s not the point here. Not to mention that many of my clients are parents who somehow still seem to find my “tricks” helpful. So what is the point? This is an example of a dangerous “guilty pleasure” many of us indulge in from time to time… Me included. To be honest, I’ve definitely thought (more than once)... Bill Gates had it easy because he’s a genius. I mean, come on, his professors at HARVARD said he was the most intelligent person they’d ever met! Or, here’s a popular example... Kylie Jenner, the youngest “self-made” billionaire, had advantages I’ll never have simply because of the family she was born into. The implication being that it was easier for so-and-so than it is for you. I call this a “guilty pleasure” because it helps us feel better. But it’s so dangerous because it gives us an excuse to believe that it’s harder for us , and thus maybe less possible, than it must have been for someone else. Let’s take you and me for example: Have you ever thought that maybe it was easier for me to build my business than it is for you? That it seems like I was an overnight success? That it was easier for me because I didn’t have kids, I’m a former engineer (and thus smart), etc.? Hey, I don’t blame you. And I recognize my advantages and luck too. But that doesn’t mean it was smooth sailing for me, or for anyone else you might think this about. After all, we all have our own challenges to overcome. That’s why today, I’m sharing a few easily-missed details of what it took for me to grow my business. My hope is that you’ll see there’s no shortcut for hard work and perseverance. Which means that if you’re willing to put that in too, you can create something amazing for yourself as well... 1. I coached over 1,000 clients in just a few years When I was starting out, I gave over 40 free coaching sessions within 3 months. For my first paid client coaching call, I spent three hours beforehand scripting out exactly what I was going to say on the call to make sure I didn’t forget anything. For years, running live group coaching programs with hundreds of people, I personally answered almost all of the questions myself. Why? Because I wanted to become the best coach possible so that I could create the most impactful coaching/course business possible. If you’ve seen me do live laser coaching on live streams or coaching recordings, you’ll see I’m able to answer any question on the spot and immediately help that person have a huge breakthrough by pinpointing the issue and next steps needed. This is what it took to be able to do that. 2. I invested well over a million dollars in my own growth and education. And I continue to do so, because there’s always more room to learn, to grow. Along the way, I’ve also supplemented investments in coaches and mentors by studying hundreds of books on business strategy, copywriting, marketing, sales, team management, operations, self-improvement, and more. While of course also executing on everything I learned. Yes, this business now makes millions, but it took years of study, investment, implementation—along with lots of painful failures, and personal growth to get here. 3. I spent over 3 years perfecting essentially one product Imagine it’s Saturday morning and the sun is coming up. It’s the beautiful beginning of a great weekend. Unless that is, you’ve just spent the previous night pulling an all-nighter to update your course for the 50th time. For the first 3 years of my business, the only two programs I sold were Employee to Entrepreneur and Ultimate Course Launch . (Both courses are included in my Employee to Entrepreneur LIVE group coaching program, so they were technically just one product back then.) Now, they’re widely considered to be two of the best-in-class courses in the industry. But what can be easy to overlook is what it took to get them here: Over three years of obsessing about creating the best product possible; reviewing + revising every script, worksheet, video, over and over; coaching students repeatedly through the process to make it the most robust system; and learning how to effectively communicate the value of the course so that it could help as many people as possible. Again, I’m not sharing this to bombard you with my amazingness or work ethic. I wanted to share some details—which often get glossed over—of what it actually took to grow myself into the coach and business person I am today. It wasn’t easy, but I started from the same place we all do. So wherever you are, if you’re willing to put in the work and take it one step at a time, here’s what I know for sure: It’s not harder for you than it is for anyone else. You’re simply embarking on your own version of the same journey that so many others have successfully completed before you. Use their successes as motivation and inspiration, not reasons for why they could do it and you can’t. Because as long as you’re willing to do that and put in your own work, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t too. Luisa Zhou PS - If you’d like more help from me in making it happen for yourself, here’s what I have for you right now depending on where you are in your business… 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]( If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click here to [unsubscribe]( Zhou Ventures, Inc. 54 State Street, Ste 804 #5511 Albany, NY 12207