I get asked all the time, “What’s the secret to your success?” People want to know how I was able to start my agency with only $10,000 and grow it into the 14th largest advertising agency in the country with annualized billings closing in on $3 billion. CMO’s, presidents, chairmen and even founders ask me daily how my agency is continuing to win great brands while other agencies are struggling in this volatile economy. So I decided to spell it out for you in a series of blog posts where I describe my path to achieving success.
The first thing you need to do is to have vision. Dream BIG and create something great to aspire to. For me, it was a burning desire to build a business solutions firm that happened to do advertising that would revolutionize the way brands communicated their message and sold their products and services. Once I had my vision firmly planted in my mind, I focused on it with relentless passion and intensity. I did not let anyone or anything shake my vision and faith in the fact that I could achieve what I desired.
Once you have that vision established, take time everyday and imagine how it will feel when you accomplish your goals. Let yourself feel the happiness and excitement of having your vision come true. Then, you must be willing to do what you’ve NEVER done before to get what you want. You must be willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to achieve success: your time, your comfort, your pride…whatever it takes.
Too many people whine and complain about what they don’t have and make up excuses about why they don’t have it. But it’s real simple: they don’t have it because they have been unwilling to step up and sacrifice what it takes to get it!
I got to where I am because I understood at an early age that I had to make great sacrifices to achieve my goals. So, while my friends were out partying, I was busting my ass activating my plan for achieving success. While my friends were hanging out at clubs picking up “hot chicks,” I was burning the midnight oil at my office thinking of ways to grow my brands’ revenue, profit margins and market share, because I knew that their success would lead to my success. While all those around me were buying their first homes, I was reinvesting my money into my business while living at home with mom and dad. I was teased for driving an old clunker while my friends were cruisin’ around in newer, flashier cars. Was I jealous? Of course. Was I envious? Of course. But I had a bigger plan.
For years, I sacrificed to get ahead…setting goals, exceeding them, and then setting my sights even higher. I defined a clear vision for where I wanted to go, followed my passion, and flat out worked harder and harder to get ahead.
My path to success was SACRIFICING whatever it took to fulfill my dreams and having the courage to take action. If you do the same, you too can be on the path to success.
