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Thursday, 02.09.2012 |
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| Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life |
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Product Details
Notes
INTRODUCTION
Bill Zanker started The Learning Annex in 1979 with $5,000
he was 26 at the time, and a student taking film courses in NYC
he was paying $325/month for a studio apartment
he dressed up as a clown and gave out discount cards to people
then he answered the phone and accepted the discounts
one of the keys was adding celebrity teachers to draw attendance
he got the celebrities by using guilt, telling them to give back
he offered Donald Trump one million dollars to speak for one hour
at the time, The Learning Annex only grossed $5.5 million per year
and he rarely had a class of more than a few hundred students
he had to get 10,000 attendees, which was 10x the usual number
but he managed to 31,500 attendees to the first Wealth Expo in 2004
since then, his company has grown over 400% per year
it grossed over $102 million per year in 2006
it became one of Inc magazine's fastest growing companies for 2 years
to really think big, you must discard the comforts of your own insecurities
you must never give up
every failure is a step on the way to success
over 70,000 people attended the Wealth Expo in San Francisco
and 62,500 people attended the expo in Los Angeles two weeks later
Trump then raised his price to $1.5 million
CHAPTER 1 - DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES
wealth comes from big goals and sustained action
you must take action every day toward your goals
knowledge is the key to power, so you must always be learning more
rich people are rich because they solve difficult problems
you should thrive on problems that others run away from
children are taught to stop when someone tells them no
but you have to overcome that and learn to persevere despite rejections
most people who say no are doing it to further their own ends
or they are saying it because it doesn't fit with their own beliefs
Mark Burnett used to sell t-shirts on Venice Beach
but he followed his instincts about the kind of reality TV that would work
you have to go with your gut even if it means going against the tide
if you're on a good roll, it's because of your past work
what you do today will produce results tomorrow
so don't get complacent, keep planting seeds for tomorrow
don't lose your focus when you're at the top, or you'll slip backwards
Bill Zanker bought back The Learning Annex in 2001
CHAPTER 2 - PASSION, PASSION, PASSION
work hard doing what you love
if you could do one thing in life, what would it be?
what do you get so caught up in that you lose track of time?
what you would enjoy doing even if you didn't get paid?
when have you had the biggest feelings of satisfaction?
what kinds of things put you in the zone?
if you could be somebody you admire, who would it be?
now think about your unique strengths and talents
what kinds of activities come easily to you?
focus on the solution, not the problem
don't think about how stressed you are, realize how unfocused you are
get your focus back and start thinking about how to solve your problems
business is not just about being smart
you have to be able to handle pressure
you want to thrive under pressure, not fold
be careful who you step on going up
you'll meet the same people coming down
remember that problems that may seem big to you aren't really that big
in the grand scheme of things, there are world tragedies and deaths
keep the big picture in mind and stay positive
The Formula of Knowledge is to learn from past mistakes in your industry
study the history of others and analyze what they did wrong and right
hollow compliments are not good for kids
the "self-esteem movement" of the 80's and 90's has hurt children
they were praised by parents and in school
but now they lack the backbone and strength to persevere
it might not be true that you can do anything in the world
but if you think you can win at something, you should go all out
start taking action as soon as possible and make small mistakes
make sure it's still enjoyable, don't turn it into a job
study books and learn from experienced people in the field
if you hate your job, you shouldn't be nervous about losing it
go for what you love first, not just for financial security
Bill Zanker would read all the self-help books in the bookstore
so later he brought in all those experts to teach at his seminars
CHAPTER 3 - BASIC INSTINCTS
he got two waterfront properties from Penn Central Railroad for $62M
he also bought 40 Wall Street for $1M
he recently turned down an offer for $535M for that building
in big situations, there's not enough time to be 100% logical
a blend of logic and instincts will produce the best decisions
Andy Grove said "dive deep into the data, then trust your gut"
instinct has a lot to do with timing
sometimes you think about things for years without acting on it
then you get a feeling that the time is right
sharpen your gut instinct by using it on small decisions
give your subconscious a chance to guide you
CHAPTER 4 - CREATING LUCK
sometimes luck makes better deals than talent
but some people consistently end up on the winning side
these people usually work harder than everyone else
they'll say "the harder i work, the luckier i get"
some people are luckier than others
but you can help your luck with hard work and intelligence
good luck happens when opportunity meets preparation
other people will only see the end result and think you just got lucky
but they won't see all the hard work that it took to get there
make sure you stay open to new ideas
be willing to step out of your comfort zone and try new things
you might get a new perspective on even your existing business
stay optimistic and enthusiastic
learn how to manage your mind and your emotions
if you get angry, use that emotion to focus your efforts and energy
you still need to acknowledge the negative
but incorporate a sense of optimism into everything you do
ask yourself "what if" questions and measure your emotional response
weigh the positives against the negatives
you still need to protect yourself against the bad things
don't ignore the negatives, keep your risks and exposure to a minimum
you can't expect to be successful 100% of the time
realize that there are always circumstances outside your control
but don't let it shake your self-confidence
many people learn quickly at first, then they stop learning
the great ones keep learning for years and decades
use your work as your practice
always try to improve on your performance
make every day extraordinary no matter what your job is
CHAPTER 5 - FEAR FACTOR
as soon as you succeed, they are coming after you
you have to protect yourself, even with people who are your friends
when someone takes a cheap shot at you, don't be afraid to fire back
sometimes you can buy cheap property in a real estate depression
but it may not always be a great investment if the market is slow to recover
the reason is that you have the cost of carrying the building
and all the costs associated with putting up money early
you have to be able to wait out the recovery time to get your profits
make sure people you deal with know that you know what's up
make them respect your for your knowledge
The Trump Organization initially had no employees
and it was operated out of his studio apartment in Manhattan
but he dressed for success and acted as if he could do anything
get the best people, but don't trust them
if you don't know what you're doing, they'll rob you blind
every hire is a gamble, but go with your first impression
all the wining and dining is useless
don't hire people with negative attitudes
negative behavior can hurt a company more than a positive view can help it
watch out for people who complain about their previous job
look for people who are honest and loyal
self-confidence is good, but pretentiousness is not
you want someone who will work hard and be willing to learn
they should welcome new challenges
once you hire a good staff, you still have to manage them
it's more important to be respected and feared than to be liked
make your employees feel like part of the team
each worker must be committed to one another's success
and to the success of the whole company
a group of solo players doesn't work
don't set yourself up to be perfect, everyone makes mistakes
don't jump down the throat of an employee that makes a mistake
they'll end up playing it too safe and not taking good risks
encourage employees to think of the company's success as their own
let them find ways to bring more success to the company as a whole
sometimes you want to tip before, not after
give your employees an early bonus before a big project
when you want advice from an expert, ask your question and sit quietly
don't start to answer the question yourself or make it multiple choice
mediocrity stands in the way of greatness
find people who have the capacity to be great
and then give them the space to do it
when people do well, make sure you reward them well
CHAPTER 6 - REVENGE
if someone screws you in business, go after them
that will teach them and others to respect you
losers will try to attack winners because of jealousy and greed
don't say you don't want to get involved if it's an important matter
take revenge and make sure they pay for what they did to you
hit the bullies back hard, and they won't try to mess with you again
CHAPTER 7 - BIG MO!
William Levitt revolutionized housing construction, but he lost his momentum
when you first start out, you try lots of things and nothing works
nobody knows you and nobody believes in you yet
but with each passing day, you are slowly building up momentum
you are showing people that you aren't going away
then one day, something breaks for you and your credibility rises
as you gain momentum, things start coming faster
eventually everyone wants to be a part of what you're doing
to get momentum, you must first focus on a specific goal with passion
it takes time to become very knowledgeable about your chosen field
you may have to study things in your own spare time
getting a good mentor can help create momentum
a good mentor is someone who gives opportunities and challenges
get a job in your field as soon as you can to get real world experience
do whatever you need to do to get your foot in the door
then keep your momentum growing by always challenging yourself
one thing about momentum - when you stop, it stops
you must always keep it growing, otherwise it will turn on you
a setback can either destroy you or make you stronger
keep moving forward while learning from your mistakes
be the one who can take on big challenges that others shy away from
be flexible and adjust to bad events
then think about how you could have prepared for it better
CHAPTER 8 - NEVER TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE BALL
the best thing about being in deep trouble is learning you can handle it
focus on the positives to maintain the mindset that moves you forward
don't let the bad stuff demoralize you or distract you from your goals
who you marry can have a big effect on your ability to focus
you need to be with someone who supports your goals
he fired Carolyn Kepcher because she lost focus due to the fame
don't believe what anyone says about you, good or bad
Tim Allen uses 3 lists to maintain his focus:
1) goals he wants to achieve in his life
2) things he needs to do this year to reach his life goals
3) things he needs to do today to reach his life goals
the key to making it work is discipline to do things every day
look at a problem as a game to be solved, not a burden
focus on the solution, don't dwell on how bad the problem is
come up with as many ideas as you can
don't think about why your ideas might not work
just take the best ideas and act on them
worry, fear, and indecision destroy focus
stop the indecisive internal dialogue before it starts
bad times bring great opportunities
don't confuse being focused with being stiff and inflexible
you need to constantly adjust to changing circumstances
there are many different ways to achieve success
it's usually not a straight line to get there
expect an exciting, adventurous ride to the top
CHAPTER 9 - I LOVE YOU, SIGN THIS
always have a prenuptial agreement
when you get married, you would never think you might get divorced
but 58% of marriages end in divorce
divorce is a much more intense battle than any business negotiation
a prenup gives you certainty
1 out of 10 first-time married couples get prenups
1 out of 5 get prenups before their second, third, or fourth marriages
nobody ever plans to get a divorce when they get married
a prenup is just as important to a woman as it is to a man
CHAPTER 10 - THINK BIG AND KICK ASS IN BUSINESS AND LIFE
if you focus on the top, you will get there
use discipline and determination to overcome obstacles and beat the odds
oftentimes, it takes just as much work to close a big deal as a small one
you endure just as much stress and aggravation
but if you succeed with the big deal, you can make a lot more money
most people are afraid to think big
they think they lack the knowledge, experience, and skills
when it comes to thinking big, you are your own worst enemy
anyone can think big, and the simple act of thinking big gives you an edge
once you decide to get big, you'll work at gaining the abilities you need
believe in yourself and show it in your attitude
use the big thinking attitude not just for work, but for everything in life
if you're gonna do it, do it first class with an attitude
don't ever complain about life being boring
if you want more excitement, it's up to you to go out and get it
you are what you think you are
don't define yourself by your current job or position
define yourself by what you're on the road to becoming
form the habit of drawing positive conclusions
you have the choice of your mindset, don't get negative and pessimistic
doubt leads directly to failure
nobody really knows how things will turn out
but you must believe in yourself and assume that you will succeed
nobody else can do this for you
people will take their cues from you
if you believe you can do something, others will too
many people will be jealous or perceive you as a threat
that's fine, you're projecting strength because you think big
speak like a big thinker
make sure you know what you want to say
then speak loudly and clearly with an important attitude
don't be afraid of what others think
remember that everyone who does anything is criticized
expect it, listen to it, then dismiss it
the bigger you are, the more you'll be criticized
hang out with other big thinkers
people in your environment have a great impact on you
think of yourself as someone important to know
be active in introducing yourself to others
look new people in the eye and make sure you exchange names
meet regularly to trade ideas, voice opinions, and share your goals
be choosy about your friends
only hang out with people who truly want you to be successful
watch out for those who want to make you feel bad for doing well
seek advice only from those who know what they're doing
turn your big thoughts into big actions as fast as you can
don't let excuses hold you back, excuses are a symptom of fear
plunge in and do the thing you fear the most
nobody is born with confidence, it's acquired
get into the habit of taking action
don't spend too much time planning or anticipating problems
until you start, you won't know where the problems will occur
get into action, get some experience, and solve problems as they arise
stop thinking and start doing
start with the small things and build your way up
it's not what you know, it's what you can learn along the way
your capacity to do anything is simply a state of mind
people get used to working at a certain level
but you often find that when it's necessary, you can do way more
make a commitment to do something big, and you'll find a way to do it
in any deal, use pleasure and pain
make your opponent understand their pain if they don't give in to you
and show them the pleasure if they give you what you want
most people get their biggest raises when they threaten to change jobs
look for big trends and take advantage of them
look below the surface of the quick daily events to see long term trends
this is where many of the big ideas lie
look for demographic, cultural, financial, technological, and medical trends
be careful about stalling halfway to the top
don't stop thinking big once you're comfortable and play it safe instead
keep stimulating your mind with big ideas
constantly collect new information and find bigger problems to solve
always strive to outdo yourself
don't look at what is, look at what can be
realize that big thinking can sometimes mean big setbacks
there is no success without hardship
what really matters is how you respond
use failure to your advantage
a failure is not defeat, it's a chance to learn and improve
view every failure as another step on the way to success
don't just sit there and wish things were different
persistence plus learning from mistakes equals success
get back to basics and figure out how to move forward
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