Hi, it’s Hilary, and I could tell doing a triathlon was going to be easy.
After all, I was a competitive swimmer all through high school and into college. Plus, I run a few times a week to keep in shape.
The only thing to add is biking. How hard could it be – it’s literally as easy as riding a bike…right?
This would be so much fun!
Oh, I was not prepared. Maybe it was my then-20-something brain tempting me with overconfidence.
While training for my triathlon, cycling humbled me. I could finish the distance on a bike, but I was always behind the pack. And I would often fall, knocking over (and sometimes bloodying!) the cyclists next to me.
And running – wow – it turns out there are some really fast runners out there.
The swim is the shortest part of the race, so my ‘advantage’ didn’t actually put me far out front.
So I lowered my expectations. By the time race day came around, all I wanted to do was finish.
Goal #1: survive.
And guess what? I exactly achieved my #1 goal: I barely survived!
My time was pretty darn mediocre.
Since I consider myself an athlete, I was actually pretty embarrassed.
Later, I was talking to my friend Craig about it. Craig is a Super-Athlete. He’s an ultra marathoner, meaning he runs 100-mile races – and wins.
He asked, “What were you thinking about when you were in the race?”
I said, “Thinking about? Dude, I was just trying not to stop. I just wanted to get across the finish line.”
“There’s your problem.”
I looked at him, annoyed. “What are you thinking about when you’re racing?”
(This is the part I’ll never forget…)
He said, “I have every mile marker timed. I’ve always got a runner I’m pacing with, and I’m trying to expend less energy than him. I know when I’ll need calories and hydration. I have a plan, and my plan is to run every race faster than the last. My plan is to win.”
*mind blown*
I had been planning to just scrape by, but Craig was planning to WIN.
This shows up with our business owner clients, too.
So many business owners, maybe even yourself, get into business just to see if you can make a little money.
You’ve got something you can do, something you can sell, and you muster up your courage to see how much of it you can sell.
You go ‘all in’, but you don’t realize you’re already in survival mode.
Unfortunately, it never even crosses your mind to determine how much money you need to pay yourself as the business owner to cover your needs AND wants.
This is how your pricing and business model needs to be determined, not from what you think the market will pay.
And you do sell stuff! But you’re on a treadmill just ticking up the speed, working more and more and never really enjoying the financial or time freedom business is supposed to give.
So, if this is you, be honest. Did you get into business just to ‘make it’? Or did you have a plan to win?
If you’re having an aha moment right now and identifying with this story, don’t get discouraged!
You can always step back and redesign your business goals and framework.
The point is to PLAN TO WIN by knowing your income goal and reverse-engineering your business plan from there.
So, what does that look like on a practical level? Just start.
Start with a percentage of revenue you feel comfortable paying yourself. Maybe that’s 10% of revenue right now, maybe even less, but pay yourself something.
Set up a separate bank account (an Owner’s Pay account) and transfer that percentage of revenue into your owner’s pay account each month.
Do that for six months and see how much you transferred. If your business is still operating and making profits, see if you can increase that percentage.
The key is to assign a purpose for the dollars coming in from your business and remember you deserve to be paid well from your business.
“That sounds amazing, Hilary, but I want someone to do this with me.”
It’s okay to ask for help – I asked Craig for help going from just surviving a triathlon to actually pushing for the win (I actually ended up winning my age group once).
And now, I want to help you win, too.
Our brand-new masterclass “How to Make 2022 Your Most Profitable Year Yet” starts on Tuesday, February 22nd.
You’ve probably had some good success with money up to now in your business… but are you winning with money as much as you want?
Probably not as much as you could.
That changes in 2022. I want to show you how to implement your Money Operating System® to go from surviving to actually winning with your profits.
You don’t have to settle for mediocre results or even good but not great results with your business.
You can win – and I can show you how.
Save your seat for our masterclass. I can’t wait to see you on February 22nd!
To your prosperity,
Hilary
P.S. – Growing a profitable business is much easier than training for a triathlon, especially with the right coach. If you want to make 2022 the year you move ahead of the pack with your profits, this is for you.
