Do you have a Job or a Business?

The next few episodes will pertain to those who are ready to step up to the next level in your career.  Do you have a job or a business?  You need to get the structure in place for growth.  Let me help you turn your job into a productive business.

Most of you probably think of your sales career as a job.  However, you don’t have a boss.  You don’t have a manager.  You don’t have a salary.  You don’t have health benefits.  Something is lacking!  Nine or ten years ago I got some great advice from a good guy in the Chicago area, Rick Sparks.  He had seen me working successfully for Service Master for several years.  I was then working to get my business going.  Rick pointed out that I did well when I had the corporate structure but that I didn’t do well without the structure.  I began to internalize and understand that I’m NOT a detail person.  I’m a smart and talented sales person.  I can pick up things quickly.  But I must have a structure around me to be successful.  I went on a mission to start building that structure around myself.

Let’s back up one step before going further in this discussion.  Some of you don’t actually have a job or a business.  You have something which could be loosely defined as a hobby.  A hobby is something you do whenever you want to.  So, step one would be to convert your hobby into a job.  A job is something you do from nine to five Monday through Friday.  You have two weeks of vacation and a few sick days, but you go to work every day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  If you are not even at that level, forget about making a lot of money.  You are going to fail.  You should get a real job that has structure.  If you can’t get yourself to the point of working nine to five Monday through Friday, you are never going to be successful in business.  

So, what do you do to turn your job into a business?

#1. Pay people to make you accountable.  While I’m shooting a video, Josh Daku is right behind the camera.  If I get slack about producing content, Josh will be harping on me.  Why?  Because I pay him to put out my content every day.  He also has people working for him who edit, compile, and publish my content to all the social media channels.  If I don’t do this, Josh is going to say, “Hey, I’m trying to do my job here, James.  Can you please shoot these videos?  I need to get this done!”

I also have an assistant.  If you have talked to me in the last seven years, then you know Angela.  She schedules all my calls.  If I don’t make my phone calls, guess what?  People email Angela.  Angela is going to call me and say, “What are you doing, James?  You have calls scheduled.  I scheduled these calls.”  To pay people who make you accountable is very important!

There are two options in life if you’re going to make any money and be successful.  (1)  You get paid by people who hold you accountable.  (2)  You are going to pay people to hold you accountable.  If there is no accountability, you’re never going to accomplish much.  People are inherently lazy.  You will make more money and be more successful in any endeavor if you flip the equation – pay people to hold you accountable.  There has to be accountability.

I consider myself to be a very hard worker, very driven, and very dedicated.  However, to be truthful, I’m sure I would probably watch two hours more of Netflix every day if I didn’t have a team of people around me.  People are just inherently lazy.  We all need structure around us to move forward.

#2.  Pay yourself as an employee.  This is equally important in making your career a business rather than a job.  If you plan to start an ISO, you will have a business and a job.  You run your business called XYZ Company, LLC.  But you also become an employee of that company.  Hire a payroll processing company.  You may say, “A payroll processing company?? It’s just me!”  Right, then the company will pay you as an employee.  That will add a lot of stability to your life.  Stability will be good for your marriage, your kids, and all your relationships.  This will also set you up for growth.  You’ll be ready for the next stage when you hire an assistant or sales rep.  Make sure you are moving forward on that path.

As I’ve said many, many times, there’s one thing that drives me crazy.  I hate when people give advice that they don’t take!  Some of you listen to entrepreneurs such as Gary Bee who tell you to work your job and build your business on the side.  I know NO successful people who did that!  That’s not what they did.  They say, “I worked ninety hours a week on my business.  You should work three hours a day on yours; it will work.”  No, it won’t!  If you want to start a business, quit your job.

There is nothing wrong with having a job, being an employee.  Many times, that is the best choice.  Being in business is really, really hard.  Being a business owner is not better or more valuable.  We need employees, and we need business owners.  We need everybody!  Determine your ambition level.  If you are a Christian, what do you feel like God has called you to do?  What are you supposed to do?  That’s what you go towards.  You may need to work a job part time in the evening to pay the bills while you get started.  But your business should be the core thing if that’s what you decide to do.

Please don’t miss the next episode.  I’ll share some specific details and practical tips to build an ISO.

Read the previous article here:  http://www.ccsalespro.com/cash-discounting-opening-pitch-sell/  Cash Discounting – The Opening Pitch and How to Sell It

Read the next article here:  http://bit.ly/2DF8rdo  Choosing the Right Sales Model for Your ISO