Denise Gosnell

Achieving Business Growth By Removing From Your “To-Do” List

In this chapter we are going to cover more details on how to grow your business by doing less. By removing from, not adding to your “to-do” list.

I call this Grow by Subtraction.  It’s all about implementing strategies to work smarter, not harder.  It’s about carving out plenty of time for what really matters in life while your business increases.

The concept is really quite simple…you grow faster by doing less, not more, when you do it the right way.

Pencil eraser

That may sound counter intuitive, but it works! It’s about focusing on the critical few efforts that will produce the greatest results. This working SMARTER, not HARDER. 

Why does that even matter? Let’s face it. There are limited hours in the day and there are limited days in the week. So that means the faster you can get “the right things” done, the faster you can grow your business. The faster you can move onto that next goal.

According to the Pareto Principle, 80 percent of your efforts generally only produce 20 percent of the results. The reverse is also said to be true where 20 percent of your efforts are generally what produce 80 percent of the results.

Let’s stop and think about this for a minute. This means that around 80% of what you currently spend your time on isn’t really important. Only around 20% of your efforts lead to real results in your business.

So, if you truly can produce 80 percent of the results with just 20 percent of the effort, why aren’t we doing that all the time?

It’s because of the problem we talked about in Chapter 2. We have been brainwashed by our North American business culture into believing that “hard work” is better than “smart work.” Our business leaders like the late Steve Jobs and Elon Musk make it seem like the only way to succeed is by working like absolute maniacs.

Fast typer

This has created a business culture of GRIND, GRIND, GRIND.

The normal tendency in this kind of environment is to just throw more labor or resources at a problem (either your own time or someone else’s). We just add stuff to our to-do lists and to that of our team. But this approach is flawed because it overlooks whether the action should even be taken at all.

Sometimes the better answer is to stop doing something and take a different approach instead, or to simply do nothing at all. But when we’re so caught up in the daily hustle, we often can’t see the forest for the trees. We may miss the obvious and simpler answer that is right under our noses.

And the problem isn’t just based upon the brainwashing about hard work. It goes WAY deeper than that.

To start with, there is the problem of Parkinson’s law — where the time it takes to complete a project fill to the amount of time you have given yourself to complete it.

Have you ever noticed that if you give yourself a month to complete something, it will take a month, but if you only give yourself 2 days for that same project, you magically find a way to get it done in 2 days? That is Parkinson’s law at work.

This gives us the impression we can take as long as we need, and the result is that practically everything takes longer than it should.

And let’s not forget about the guilt. Oh, the brain-crushing guilt you feel — like you’re somehow lazy  if you’re not working all…the…time… After all, we have been taught that you have to hustle —to stay crazy busy to be successful. Somehow that has become a measuring stick for our success as entrepreneurs.

It is absolutely crazy for us to feel guilty about working less hours if we get the same results in 3 days as we used to do in 6. Yet we still do it.

Guilty Quote

Sometimes, we work constantly out of habit. Do you ever find yourself on vacation or with family, and your brain is still thinking about work? Workaholism has become the respected addiction because of our business culture and that is really sad.

It’s a lot more impressive if you can use your brain to solve a problem elegantly and with less effort than it is to use a sledgehammer to make an opening in a brick wall. Wouldn’t you rather just have the ladder to climb over the wall when all you needed was to get to the other side?

You may be wondering why I am spending so much time on this issue. Things have gotten so far out of hand on this issue that I need to exaggerate it for you to really get the point.

I hope you can see just how deep this problem goes.

So, what can you do about all this? Well, you can implement a process I designed that will allow you to grow by subtraction automatically and permanently.

You grow by subtraction by focusing on the 20 percent of projects that will produce 80 percent of the results.

You make it automatic by limiting the amount of time you are willing to spend on projects, through what I call forced hyper-efficiency (which I covered briefly in Chapter 2). This automatically forces you to focus on results versus time spent.

You then make this workflow permanent by replacing your new-found free time with more joyful activities, so you never want to give them up.    

 Let’s look at each one of these in more detail.

Grow by Subtraction

The best way to grow by subtraction is to review your to-do list each day and identify the few items that are the real levers and do those first. You should then delegate or delete almost everything else. There are a million ways to do this but the key is to start prioritizing based upon what will give you the biggest result for the least amount of effort and ignore almost everything else.

Make It Automatic Through Forced Hyper-Efficiency

As a recap, forced hyper-efficiency is when you limit the amount of time you’re willing to spend on your work, so you are forced to get things done faster – without relying on your own willpower. 

You can make growth by subtraction happen automatically by using forced hyper-efficiency.

This is what happens when you’re about to go on vacation: you get a shit ton of work done in the 2 days before leaving because you know you won’t be available. It forces you to look for the least effort that can produce the greatest results. 

Effective Quote

Have you ever done that and said, “Man, I sure wish I could be that productive all the time?” Well, you can! One way to force this hyper-efficiency into your schedule on a regular basis is by limiting yourself to just 3-4 days a week “in the business”.

If you only gave yourself a day to complete something, don’t you generally get it done in that one day? It’s likely even better quality than if you had dragged it out for two weeks. The good news is that you can actually make this kind of hyper-efficiency a way of life – and be as efficient each week just like you are when you are getting ready to go on vacation.

As an example, I started taking Tuesdays and Thursdays off most weeks. I introduced the concept of “Freedom Days” in Chapter 1. I use this time to do whatever brings me the most joy and you should consider reducing your schedule too. By eliminating one or two work days, it will serve two important purposes.          

First, it will force hyper-efficiency into your schedule. It will make you be more productive on the days you work since you know you won’t be available on the other days. It will make you focus on getting faster and better results from the time that you do spend working, such as by delegating more, automating more, eliminating waste, etc.  You know…all those growth hacks that we covered in Chapter 3.

But it will also give you free time for joyful activities, whether that is working on the Someday Maybes you identified in Chapter 1, hiking or biking outside, writing a book, or anything else that you enjoy.

For all these reasons, I recommend you work less with the purpose of forcing hyper-efficiency. Yes, you read that right. As the business owner, you have total control over your schedule, and the tasks that you work on. What if you took off more time each week and forced yourself to work less in your main business – like only 35 hours per week, just to give you an example.

Most entrepreneurs work best under pressure. Is this you? In other words, a reduced schedule forces you to implement the Pareto principle automatically… …every…single….week…

Make Growth by Subtraction Permanent

It is a lot more fun to regularly work on other things you enjoy….not just when you go on vacation. Free time is a powerful source of fuel for hyper-efficiency, creativity, and happiness. It allows you to make growth by subtraction permanent because the more you enjoy your days off, the more you will want to maintain the reduced schedule.

Fun Chart

I know what you may be thinking. You may think you don’t have time to take off any work days because you are in growth mode. And it’s OK if you’re thinking that. It’s not your fault. Our whole culture keeps propagating that “just work harder” idea.

Why have most business owners failed at implementing the Pareto Principle before? Because they haven’t forced this into their schedules. They give themselves too much time to fall back into the old bad habits. Like we talked about earlier, “a project always takes the amount of time you have to get it done”? I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found that saying to be true. If you give yourself two weeks to get something done, it will take you two weeks of effort.

Hyper-efficiency is a sustainable and fulfilling option, if you’re willing to make some adjustments. Those adjustments certainly won’t happen overnight. But they are totally worth making.

But most entrepreneurs get so caught up in the grind, grind, grind that they miss the shortcuts that are right in front of them. We’ve gotten into the bad habit of just going through the motions like we’ve always done…Until something interrupts those bad habits… Which is often because of something dramatic or unexpected.

Let us ask you something.  Knowing what you now know…

Do you see the power of growth by subtraction and how it can actually lead to multiplication?

Do you see how crazy it is for you to feel guilty about taking time off if you find ways to get things done better and faster?

Can you see yourself using what we have reviewed to help you work smarter instead of harder, and give yourself more time for fun and creativity?

Grow by Subtraction Automatically and Permanently

As I mentioned before, you grow by subtraction by focusing on the critical few needle movers and eliminating most other things from your to-do list.

You do this automatically by putting limits in place to force you to be hyper-efficient. This automatically forces you to focus on results versus time spent.

You make this permanent by replacing the new-found free time with things that bring you so much joy that you never want to go back to the old “grind, grind, grind” schedule again. Instead of being addicted to working, you become addicted to optimizing and having fun.

Imagine what it will feel like when you can live life from a relaxed state where you have plenty of time for what truly matters to you. It’s truly a wonderful way to live your life- and is one that you deserve. 

Water canal

However, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that if you implement these principles, your problems will all magically go away.

Shit will hit the fan from time to time, like we all experienced with the Covid-19 pandemic. You will have ups and downs in business and life. These principles work even during the ups and downs of business and life.

Are you still craving to learn more on this important subject of growth by subtraction?  Check out the podcast episode that I did on this subject:

004 Denise Gosnell: Grow by Subtraction Using Forced Hyper-Efficiency – The Vacation Effect

Next, let’s dig deeper into some time hacks you can implement if you want to multiply your results even further. Those are covered in Chapter 5.

In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.

In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder.  You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.

In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily.  You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.

In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it.  This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.

In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity.  Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?

In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth.  This strategy can skyrocket your growth.

In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.

In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term.  It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.

In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve.  You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.

12 Growth Hacks That Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Use Daily

This may be the most powerful growth hacking reference article you’ll ever read for growing your business and improving your life. We’ve purposely filled this with the most powerful, yet concise principles that can transform your entire business when implemented correctly. If you take these 12 principles seriously and put them into practice, we believe they can transform your life too.

List of Hacks

If you’re reading this, we assume that you are intrigued by the idea of learning how to grow your business even faster by taking MORE time off. And we are here to tell you that it is absolutely possible, and easier than you might think.

Let me assure you that the following strategies aren’t just a rehash of what you hear everywhere else.  Let’s get started, shall we?

Growth Hack #1: Grow By Subtraction

We have been taught in the North American business culture that you have to hustle to be successful. But that’s simply not true. It is absolutely crazy to feel guilty about working less hours if you get the same results in 3 days as you used to do in 6. Yet we still do it. So how do we solve this problem of working harder, instead of smarter, when the odds are so deeply stacked against us?

A better way to approach your to-do list is to focus on doing fewer things and limiting those to activities that really matter. I call this “Growth by Subtraction.”

This means you have to become great at prioritizing and finishing the critical few projects that really matter, while ignoring or delegating everything else.  You want every minute that you’re working in your business to really count.

This may sound counter intuitive, but it works! It’s about focusing on the critical few efforts that will produce the greatest results.

Paper with to-do list

Grow by Subtraction is such a compelling resource and growth hack, that we have dedicated an entire chapter to this subject.  You can learn more about how to implement these grow by subtraction principles in Chapter 4.

Growth Hack #2: Time Hacking Tips

A time hack is a strategy that is designed to help you get through your to-do list even faster. Examples of time hacks include delegating the task to another team member, batching similar tasks together, and finding a faster way to complete critical projects. 

Calendar countdown with clock

The bottom line is that if you start planning out your daily tasks using the incredibly effective process that we recommend, you will be amazed at the results.

Time hacking and the powerful process that you can use to implement it is covered in detail in Chapter 5.

Growth Hack #3: Leverage Entrepreneur Groups

Have you ever noticed that it can be pretty lonely at the top? This is probably the biggest downside to being an entrepreneur. 

In this growth hack, we encourage business owners to seek out and join CEO/Entrepreneur Mastermind groups. The opportunity to spend time and network with other executives and entrepreneurs on a regular basis can (and will) be priceless.  

Group high-five

Don’t re-invent the wheel if there are others who are willing share ideas and solutions.

In Chapter 6, I share how I have used mastermind groups over the past 15+ years to generate millions of dollars in revenue, as well as incredible friendships and memories that I cherish.

Growth Hack #4: Effective Delegation and Outsourcing

Delegation and outsourcing are some of the greatest hacks you can leverage in your business. But most business owners do this all wrong. Thankfully there is an easy way to fix this, which we cover in great detail in Chapter 7.

True freedom comes from owning a business, not from having a business that owns you. When you master the art of effective delegation and outsourcing, you will be one step closer to having true freedom. Part of this mastery includes having a 24/7 operation, which we also cover in more detail in Chapter 7. 

Freedom Quote

Growth Hack #5: Meditate Daily

The next growth hack is to meditate daily, which may not seem like a growth hack, but it truly is.

Meditation will help you have a better quality of life. Many people think they are doing it wrong.  They continue to have too much mind chatter, too many thoughts where their mind is always racing. I was one of those entrepreneurs who couldn’t seem to shut it down.

But a lot of my entrepreneurial friends told me that meditating regularly had helped them solve some of their biggest problems. I decided to sign up to attend a meditation retreat. Meditation has since transformed my life. It answered my life-long question:

“How can I have the schedule and freedom I’ve always wanted, without sacrificing my income?”

The answer I discovered during meditation has led me down this path of creating the freedom lifestyle I had always dreamed of. Now I’m in a position to share the insight you need on what it will take to create the lifestyle business you’ve always wanted too.

You will always have break through thoughts, but you learn to watch them flow by.  Your brain will never stop but meditation allows you to slow it down. This opens the mind for new ideas and this is when the magic happens. When you can focus your attention on the silence, you stop the inner dialogue and your mind becomes clear.  It is the space between the thoughts when we find solutions to problems.

It is recommended that you mediate daily and make it a consistent practice. A 10-minute habit can make all the difference in the space between acting and reacting. It changes your brain chemistry, it changes your outlook, and it changes your happiness. Imagine a snow globe. When you shake it up it is chaotic and cloudy, but after you set it down, after a few moments the turbidity settles and we have clarity. 

This is the same process that happens when you meditate…you clear your brain from the scrambled activity and focus on the silence. If you are on the fence about meditation and you are a busy entrepreneur who thinks they don’t have time for it, I am here to tell you that the hardest part is just getting started. Even if you start with 5-10 minutes at a time, just do it and you’ll get the benefits of being happier, tapping into higher intelligence and creativity, and having more flow opportunities.

Once you get into it, I am sure it will quickly become your favorite part of the day. Meditation creates a sense of calm, improves your attention, and enhances your concentration.  These are all necessary characteristics to being hyper-focused on achieving your daily, weekly and monthly goals. 

Meditate

And starting each day with a clear head is putting you on the path to emotional wellbeing and achieving balance between your work and creating the meaningful life you were meant to live.

Check out this podcast interview I did with Jason Campbell, co-founder of Zen Wellness, a musician and 7th degree blackbelt.  Jason shares more about the importance of finding your “zen” and how to turn meditation into a daily habit.

005 Jason Campbell: Meditation Hacks by a Zen Master | The Vacation Effect

Growth Hack #6: Goal Setting that Actually Works

For the next growth hack, we will talk about goal setting that actually works. You are probably already good at creating both short and long term goals to reach a desired outcome. But are you being effective with how you map out your strategy to achieve your end results?

You need a way to plan out your bigger goals and break them down into the steps that will lead to real results. You may think you are already doing this, but most entrepreneurs are not doing so effectively.

Instead, you may find yourself spinning in circles, kind of like a hamster on a wheel; juggling a handful of projects and pivoting back and forth to get one task done here and another there? You will be surprised to hear that when you jump around way too much, your productivity actually decreases. Instead, focus on one or two areas and finish them, and then start focusing on the others.

An effective way to get started this way is to map out your goals at a high level, and then go deeper on each one by specifying what are some of the ways you can accomplish each of those goals.

Here’s an example of a Goal Setting Worksheet that can help you implement this methodology.

Goal Worksheet

The key is to write down your primary goal first, and then 3 ways you could accomplish that goal (in spaces #1, #2, and #3). You can then drill down further and map out 3 ways to accomplish each of those objectives. Then, you list out the next actions and delegations for each.

Let’s look at a filled out example to further illustrate how this works.

Completed goal worksheet

If you jumped around the chart and completed tasks under 1B, some under 2A, some under 3C, and maybe a few under 1A, do you think the results will add up? They won’t. You’d be jumping around too much, and it wouldn’t add up to success in any area as a result. If you want to have real success, it is important that you focus on completing everything under a particular branch/objective in the tree (such as 1A) if you want to have success with that branch/objective. This is the biggest mistake I used to make in missing my goals. If you put this method into practice, you can fix this problem once and for all.

Growth Hack #7: Automate Goal Execution

Once you have a goal setting process that works, it is important for you to automate the execution of those goals. That is the next growth hack.

It’s critically important for you to have a monthly, weekly, and daily ritual for how you prioritize your day, and how you ensure that you’re making progress on your goals in alignment with your team and working on the right things. This allows you to see what actions need to be taken to have success in a given category so your results continue to lead to the desired outcome.

The same is also true for your team. You should create quarterly goals with your team members and check with them weekly to track their results. Do a daily 5 minute check-in to be sure they are still on task. As part of your own weekly planning, jot down your action items for the week that will allow you to make progress in your own areas. And then actually DO those things you wrote down. They won’t magically get done on their own.

Now that you have shared your vision and assigned tasks to your team, what systems are in place to make sure you are meeting your goals?  Goal Setting is an important part of designing your vision, but utilizing scorecards is one way you can measure your progress. Scorecards track key indicators for business.

You can choose a methodology that works best for you but developing a scorecard metric system will tell you if something is broken. For example, if you had been receiving 10 leads per week through your website, but for 4 weeks in a row, you only received 1 or 2 leads, wouldn’t you want to know why?  Are you sure you would have noticed this if you didn’t have system in place showing you the true data? Goal setting is only successful when you are able to track your important Key Performance Indicators to tell you what’s happening automatically. When you are driving your car, don’t you rely on your dashboard to light up if there is a problem…consider business scorecards your dashboard.

KPI Scorecard

Utilizing scorecards are a time saver when you need to track your progress.  Make it a weekly habit to have your leadership team update a scorecard ensuring constant forward momentum in your business.  With today’s technology, a weekly team meeting with your “key” players to review progress on their goals plus the company scorecard is critical to growth. It will also move you one step closer to creating a freedom lifestyle and a company that doesn’t need your constant attention.

Growth Hack #8: Establish Success Rituals

In hack #8, we’ll look at how you can use success rituals to help you reach your goals automatically.

What is a success ritual? 

Metal Detector

A success ritual is when you tie your goals to a regular ritual, where you can succeed automatically, without needing a lot of willpower. For example, if your goal is to write a book, you might create a success ritual of writing 250 words per day.

That number is small enough that it is achievable. But if you do that consistently, you can look up in 4 months and have yourself a finished manuscript ready for final editing.

As another example, suppose your goal is to lose 1-2 pounds per month. You could develop a success ritual of 15-20 minutes per day of movement. “Movement” is generic enough that it can be done whether you are traveling or not, whether it is sunny or rainy, or whether it is hot or cold outside.

Look at your goals and see which ones you can make happen automatically if you just tied them to a daily or regular ritual.

The key in setting success rituals is to pick something that (1) you can easily do no matter what so it is “excuse-proof,” and (2) will add up over time to the desired result. We know this sounds incredibly simple, but this simple principle can change your life if you actually put it into action.

If you want to have the best results with success rituals, we recommend you have at least a morning success ritual after you wake up and a bedtime success ritual before you go to bed.

Some examples of morning success rituals might be exercise/movement, meditation, planning out your day, where some evening success rituals might be no technology before bed or making sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

Success rituals can be added anytime you want to have a consistent routine that adds up to real results. Success rituals can also be used for automating the achievement of your goals, like the weekly team meeting we discussed in the prior hack.

Establishing your own success rituals will ultimately add up to achieving your overall desired outcome before you know it.   

Growth Hack #9: Implement Standard Operating Procedures

A great way to give yourself incredible freedom is to clone yourself and what you know so others can carry that out even when you aren’t working.

Of course, other team members will also have a lot of knowledge that should be captured too, so it is important to capture this information and put it down in writing. The vast knowledge that you and your team have are an incredibly valuable intellectual asset of the company.

The best way to capture this knowledge is through standard operating procedures that document the ways certain tasks are performed. That is the 9th hack we are going to cover now.

So many entrepreneurs do not have written policies and procedures.  And others that do have some procedures in place still have a long way to go to grasp the benefit of this growth hack.

The best way to free yourself from the trenches of the business is to have detailed procedures for every aspect of the business so you and everyone else can be replaced.

Here is what I recommend to help you get standard operating procedures created for yourself:

Any time you find yourself training or explaining to your team, record it and ask that the team member to put it into a draft procedure.

Pick the most critical activities in the company that you and other team members do, and have those drafts created first.

Update the draft procedures each time that activity or task is being performed.

Consider blocking off 2-3 days with some of your key team members with the sole purpose of creating draft procedures for the company’s most critical operations.

In terms of the actual format of the policies and procedures, I recommend something like the following:

Create procedures for the following categories of your business (which are the same categories that a business in any industry can use):

A. Marketing / Client Attraction

B. Sales / Client Enrollment

C. Delivery of Client Work

D. Team

E. Office Environment

F. Money / Business Metrics

If you are saving these files on your hard drive or an online drive, consider using a naming scheme that starts with letters, so they sort alphabetically on your computer hard drive.

Also, consider using a naming format similar to the below to make it easier to insert new procedures over time.

A. Marketing – Client Attraction

A1 Keep in Touch Strategy

A1.1 Print & Email Newsletters

A1.2 Periodic Gifts or Articles Mailed to Clients

A1.3 Birthday Cards & Holiday Gifts to Clients

Include a header and change log at the top of each procedure document, to track details about who created it, the purpose of the procedure, when it was last updated, and by whom.

SOP Guide

If you do those things, you will be way ahead of most of the other businesses out there. You can also use various types of online software platforms available today (such as Trainual) to store your procedures instead of having them on shared drives. But the important point here is to just get them done!

Policies and procedures = MORE FREEDOM. That is the hack.

Growth Hack #10: Capitalize on Systems & Automation

Once you have your key policies and procedures clearly documented, it becomes a lot easier to identify the areas that can be automated. Hack #10 is to fully capitalize on systems and automation.

There are 4 different types of automation: people automation, template automation, software automation, and hardware automation.

Let’s look at each one in more detail, including how you can best leverage them in your business and life.

Automation Chart

1. With people automation, you can either make something a habit yourself so it gets done automatically or you can have a standard operating procedure that your team can follow.

2. With template automation, you have various templates in Word documents, Google documents, email signature footers, or other file formats where you just pull them up whenever needed to reuse them multiple times.

3. With software automation, you use software to complete some part of the task for you. I was a software developer for 10 years before I became a business strategist and lawyer, so I have a lot of experience using all kinds of software automation over the years, such as:

Document automation, where you convert a template into something that gets filled out automatically by software—using a tool like Formstack.com (formerly Webmerge.me)

Keyboard shortcuts, where you hit a certain keystroke to have a certain command carried out

Text expansion, where when you type a certain phrase, it automatically replaces the text with something else—like the 6-part delegation instruction template that appears when I type the word “delegate.”

Batch processing of the same type of task, where you convert a group of selected Word documents into PDF documents.

Another example of software automation is having systems that talk to each other to perform a series of actions. Tools like Zapier make it easy for hundreds of online programs to talk to one another.

4. With hardware automation, you use physical machines such as robots to perform certain tasks for you.

I wanted to call this out as a separate category from software automation, because robotics is currently an emerging area of technology.

One of these emerging areas is a renting robots service where you can rent someone else’s robots for a period of time. This is making it easier to have access to robot technology without having to buy the robots yourself.

I know this may not apply to your company just yet, but I at least wanted you to be aware that this type of technology is becoming increasingly popular, especially in fields like manufacturing.

The bottom line with automation is that you should always be looking for ways to automate and streamline your repetitive activities across all levels of the company. When you do you can reap significant rewards.

Growth Hack #11: Optimize Your Expenses

In the next hack, we will look at how to optimize your expenses, including some ways you may not have considered before.

This important strategy should be revisited at least a few times per year so you can really optimize your profitability and growth of your business over the long term. 

Piggy bank

Here are several ways you can reduce your expenses:

       Look for subscriptions you can cancel that aren’t needed or that can be consolidated with other subscriptions.

       Periodically re-negotiate contracts with vendors. We recommend you analyze your vendor contracts at least once per year. This is a great chance to revisit what is fair for what you need, and to make adjustments if your needs have changed.

       Negotiating discounts at retail stores. You can talk to store managers and often negotiate discounts on your purchases or have them include some other benefit.

       Another great strategy you can use to cut your expenses is to figure out how to turn existing expenses into profit centers. The way this works is that you can take a look at some of your biggest expenses, and ask yourself, “Is there any part of this I could convert into a profit center, like renting out some time of any under-utilized employees to my clients or friends?”

       Another way you can cut your expenses is to find ways to reduce your taxes, such as using some creative tax planning. Here are some examples:

o   Rent your own home to your business for up to 14 days under the Augusta Rule (much like you would have rented hotel meeting space for your company.)

o   Have a home office accountable plan

o   Set up a pre-tax health insurance plan using pre-tax dollars to reduce your taxes owed

o   Move to a state with lower state income or corporate income taxes

o   Convert your entity type to a different entity type that has lower taxes

Now that we’ve covered several ways to optimize your expenses, let’s move on to the next growth hack for how to explode your revenue.

Growth Hack #12: Explode Your Revenue

If you want more profit, you have to always be aware of ways you can generate more cash flow. You need to always be focusing your efforts in the right areas.

In order to increase the revenue for your company, you can do two things.

1. You can increase the number of people who see your offers (increase traffic).

2. You can increase the number of people who accept your offers (increase your conversions).

Traffic+Conversion=Sales

If you want to see the most dramatic increase in company revenue, you should focus on increasing BOTH traffic and conversions.

Increasing Traffic

So, how do you increase your traffic? You can do so by advertising in more places, getting exposure through social media, getting more free traffic from the search engines, by using joint venture partners, and so on.

Increase Conversions

Even if you never increase the amount of traffic that you are getting to your offers, you CAN increase the revenue for your company by simply increasing your conversions.  You can often double your profits by implementing a few conversion strategies covered below.

1. Upsells: Add upsales to your sales process.  An upsale is an offer of a related product or service.  The best way to increase the effectiveness of your upsells is to make the customer feel like you are giving them the opportunity to customize their order.

Let’s say you have a website. You can make use of lead capture pages (opt-in pages) to offer the customer something valuable in exchange for their name and email address.  Then, on the thank-you page, you make them an offer to buy one of your products that is related to the free item that they just opted-in to receive.  Now that you have their email address or other contact info, you can follow-up with them over time and turn them into a customer, even if they don’t buy from that initial purchase.

2. Mail Discounts: You can mail discount coupons or other offers to your customers as part of their original order shipment, or at a later date.

3. Refer a Friend: Another effective strategy is to ask existing clients for referrals, and to make it easy for them. You can also consider rewarding customers for their referrals, such as a free gift when they’ve referred several new clients.

4. Reactivate Dead Customers: This is one of the most overlooked strategies.  You can reactivate past customers by sending them a special promotion that gets their attention.  Such as “We Miss You!” along with a discount coupon.

5. Put Offer for Related Items at Bottom of Each Receipt: This is an easy strategy that is often overlooked. Most customers will review their receipt carefully. So while you have their undivided attention, why not go ahead and offer them something else.

6. Make Your Offer Irresistible: You want to make what you are offering so appealing that people feel compelled to buy it because they can’t live without it or it’s such a great value, they can’t pass it up.  You can also add a strong guarantee, such as a 30-day or 60-day money back guarantee. The longer the guarantee, the fewer returns you will have, and the more comfortable people will be in making the purchase.

7. Reduce the Costs to Deliver Your Products or Services: If you take time to analyze your costs periodically, you can usually find several way to reduce the overall cost to produce the item in a way that will not decrease the number of sales at all.

8. Raise Prices: You can always raise your prices so there is a higher profit per sale. I’ve found that many businesses wait too long to raise their prices—when the demand is high enough that customers would easily pay more.

9. Reduce the Number of Returns: One idea is to offer the customer an alternate produce or service instead of giving them a refund. Another great strategy to reduce your refund rate is to send unexpected gifts to the customer. You should also consider sending the customer a “Thank You” card separately from their initial order.

10. Add New Revenue Streams: Another often overlooked way to increase revenue is turning one-time revenue into recurring revenue by converting the product or service into a subscription.

Blue Arrows

The key take-away from growth hacks 11 and 12 is to always be mindful of optimizing your revenue and your expenses. By doing so, it will further support you and your goal of having plenty of freedom while your business continues to be profitable.

When you implement all 12 of these growth hacking strategies, you can create the freedom and business growth that you’ve always wanted, without having to pick one over the other.

Now, let’s dive into more detail on hacks 1-4 in Chapters 4-7 so you can super-charge your results.

In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.

In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder.  You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.

In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily.  You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.

In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it.  This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.

In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity.  Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?

In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth.  This strategy can skyrocket your growth.

In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.

In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term.  It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.

In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve.  You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.

Work Smarter Not Harder: You’ve Been Lied To About Business Growth

If you’re reading this, you must be intrigued by the idea of learning how to grow your business even faster by taking MORE time off.  I’m here to tell you that it is absolutely possible, and easier than you might think. 

But you have to un-learn some things you have been taught…or dare I say, that you have been brainwashed into thinking in the North American business culture.

Somehow, it has been a longstanding principle that working harder is the only way to get ahead…That you have to “grind, grind, grind” to reach that next goal…

…and that you are also somehow lazy if you take time for yourself to have fun or be creative during a work day.

There will always be an excuse and a reason for you to work 70-80 hours a week. And the only thing that will solve that excuse is when you’re in the hospital. And when you can no long work due to exhaustion, or due to sickness, right?

So be honest with yourself. Unless something happens to change this, you’re simply not going to change it on your own. 

Here’s the problem we face as entrepreneurs…  We typically work really, really hard because that’s how we get our self-worth. That’s our value, that’s our identity. We’re producers, we’re creators. We get shit done, right?

And then guess what happens when we no longer work that hard? We question our own validity, our own value on this earth. Literally, our identity is so wrapped up in hustling and working hard. 

Workaholism has become a noble outcome, a respected form of addiction.  That makes it very, very challenging to break the paradigm.

Because you’re enforcing this on yourself in your own brain, and society is enforcing it on you as well. That you’re somehow lazy, or that somehow you’re getting something that you shouldn’t get when you’re not working hard.

Everybody has linked “working” to “money”. You’re somehow doing something wrong if you work half as hard but make twice as much money. And that’s a big challenge.

The Greatest American Business Lie

The North American business culture has brainwashed us into thinking that you have to work all the time to succeed as an entrepreneur.  We’ve become addicted to “the grind” in our society, and our greatest leaders today keep propagating this idea. 

Grind, Grind Grind

The biggest lesson I want to convey is that working smarter is WAY better than working harder in almost every scenario. Wouldn’t you agree that it’s better to work smarter, versus harder?

We certainly think so, but our well-established business culture in North America and beyond seems to ignore that fact.

When something doesn’t make sense, have you ever thought to challenge the status quo to find a better way; even if it’s unpopular or uncomfortable, but you know there might be a better way to live and grow? The great news is you don’t have to because we already did and are excited to continue sharing the tools for creating your own lifestyle business.

But what is the Greatest American Business Lie? Take the likes of Elon Musk and the late Steve Jobs who are touted as the heroes in the entrepreneurial business world – from working all the time.

Here’s the problem with all that.  As long as business leaders like Elon Musk and the late Steve Jobs who are idolized by so many other business owners keep propagating that workaholism notion, it just makes it even harder for entrepreneurs to overcome the feeling of guilt if you aren’t working all the time – even if it is crazy to feel that way. 

And here’s what’s really SAD about all that brainwashing about working harder and harder to get to the next level.  That brainwashing doesn’t take into account any common sense about whether we are actually being effective with that work or not. 

And that brainwashing doesn’t build in any accountability or incentive for us to work smarter, instead of harder. It just keeps us in the mode of relying on harder work, on giving up evenings and weekends to pick up the slack – and everything that just keeps us from actually thinking effectively and focusing on results.

And honestly, that’s what really keeps people from making this change.  They’re so scared of this new way of working and what other people will think that they won’t do it. Some people are scared of failure. We’ve found in our studies, that entrepreneurs tend to be more scared of success than failure because they know what the grind is like. They know what to expect there. It’s predictable. 

And somehow, it feels comfortable in its predictability. But unfortunately, some people never change, and then they die. Or the only other people that change typically, are those that have a catastrophe that forces them to change. We want to prevent that catastrophe.

Ask yourself these questions:

Does it require a catastrophe for you to change?

And wouldn’t you be open to changing before the
catastrophe hits if we can truly show you a better way?

There are other countries who have different belief systems about work and tend to have much happier people.  For example, studies have shown that regions of the world like Scandinavia value quality of life more than they value number of hours worked.  Credible research shows that Scandinavia has some of the longest living and happiest people on the planet. 

But in the North American business culture, working harder is pretty much all we’ve ever known, which has created the business culture of GRIND, GRIND, GRIND that we covered earlier.

The problem is that we have been brainwashed into thinking that the ONLY way to grow a business and make a difference in the world is to work harder.

It’s simply not true. Look at Melitta Bentz, a housewife in Minden Germany, who invented the coffee filter and drip coffee in 1908. Melitta was searching for a way to make a cleaner cup of coffee, so she punched holes in a brass pot and used a piece of paper to create a two-part filtration system. She then put the pot on a cup, filled it with ground coffee and poured in hot water. In that one
moment, the coffee filter and drip coffee were born.

Now, more than 100 years later, we all benefit from Melitta Bentz’s original idea each time we enjoy a cup of coffee produced from pour-over and drip coffee processes. What I find equally impressive about Melitta is that she also believed in the importance of work-life balance
and provided her employees with a 5-day work week, up to three weeks of vacation per year, and a Christmas bonus. These were all quite rare in the early 1900’s.

As another example, the former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt expanded the powers of the President and our government with “deep work” that he performed from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, while pursuing personal interests after 4:30 pm. President Roosevelt was responsible for pioneering some of the greatest advancements in government services for the people, and even won the Nobel Peace Prize.

And then there’s the world-renowned painter Leonardo da Vinci, who lived from 1452-1519 in Europe. He is often
quoted as having told one of his employers: 

Leonardo da Vinci Quote

It has been recorded in various historical journals that da Vinci would often work on a painting for 12-14 hours a day for a few days, and then take 3-4 days off to think. It is clear that da Vinci placed a high value on having time to think. As another example, during his painting of The Last Supper, da Vinci is reported to have stared at the painting for an hour, making a single stroke and then leaving for the day. It is undeniable that da Vinci’s works such as the The Last Supper and Mona Lisa have reached iconic status and that he is regarded as one of the greatest painters of all time.

Why is it that we never seem to hear our current business leaders modeling after the likes of the Melitta Bentz, President Roosevelt, or Leonardo da Vinci? It’s because the brainwashing runs so deep. It’s become a cultural norm. It’s time to change all that. It’s time to start working smarter, not harder.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Work Smarter, Not Harder laptop

But how? You have to learn how to turn down the volume on that nagging voice telling you to get back to work so you can’t hear it anymore. It won’t be easy due to the brainwashing we’ve talked about.

The normal tendency in this kind of environment is to just throw more labor or resources at a problem (either your own time or someone else’s). But this approach is flawed because it overlooks whether the action should even be taken at all.

Sometimes the better answer is to stop doing something and take a different approach instead, or to simply do nothing at all. But when we’re so caught up in the daily hustle, we often can’t see the forest for the trees. We may miss the obvious and simpler answer that is right under our noses.

Let’s look at some examples.

According to the Pareto Principle, 80 percent of your efforts generally only produce 20 percent of the results. The reverse is also said to be true where 20 percent of your efforts are generally what produce 80 percent of the results.

So, if you truly can produce 80 percent of the results with just 20 percent of the effort, why aren’t we doing that all the time?

It’s because of the brainwashing that “hard work” is better than “smart work.”

Have you ever noticed that if you give yourself a month to complete something, it will take a month, but if you only give yourself 2 days for that same project, you magically find a way to get it done in 2 days? That is Parkinson’s law at work.

This gives us the impression we can take as long as we need, and the result is that practically everything takes longer than it should.

And let’s not forget about the guilt. Oh, the brain-crushing guilt you feel — like you’re somehow lazy — if you’re not working all…the…time… After all, we have been taught that you have to hustle —to stay crazy busy to be successful. Somehow that has become a measuring stick for our success as entrepreneurs.

I’m calling bullshit on all of this right now.

It is absolutely crazy for you to feel guilty about working less hours if you are able to get the same results in 3 days as you used to do in 6. Yet we still do it.

Why?

Because of the problems mentioned before that all compound like a ton of crumbling bricks — where you simply just cave in and work more because of all the pressure.

You must learn to limit the amount of time you will spend on a company or project on purpose. This forces you to focus on the 20 percent of the effort that produces 80 percent of the results.

So how do we solve this problem and start working smarter, when the odds are so deeply against us – for all the reasons we’ve explained?

Well, you have to put constraints in place to force yourself to be more efficient. I call that forced hyper-efficiency.

Countdown Timer

One way to do this is limit the amount of time you are willing to work in your business, such as 3 or 4 days per week.

Forced hyper-efficiency helps you focus on what really matters most in your business when you start to limit the amount of time you decide you are willing to work. And by giving yourself the free time you have always wanted, you’ll find you’re enjoying life so much more that you will be motivated and learn to be more effective. One feeds the other.

In fact, forced hyper-efficiency and free time are just two sides to the same coin.

Ideally, a Freedom Day should be where you get to work on those Someday Maybes you identified in Chapter 1. You can also use your Freedom Days for business creativity, pursuing your other hobbies, just living life, and giving yourself more time to think.

It turns out that there is a double benefit to this approach:

1.      You become great at prioritizing and finishing the critical few projects that really mattered, while ignoring or delegating everything else. This hyper-efficiency is something that most people only experience right before leaving on vacation.

2.      Because of the Tuesday and Thursday free time you carve out, each week starts to have so much joy, that life begins to feel like a perpetual vacation.

Those two principles are what led me to the name,The Vacation Effect®”

Have you ever noticed that when you get ready to go on vacation, you get as much done in the 2 days right before you leave as you normally do in like a month? Why is that? It’s because you know that you won’t be available due to the vacation, so you force yourself to focus on what matters most.

By adopting the freedom mindset and working fewer days (such as 3 or 4), you will force yourself to be hyper-efficient when you do work.

It compels you to look for the least effort that can produce the greatest results.

Busy entrepreneurs who are accustomed to working 70-80 hours per week can also enjoy living “The Vacation Effect Lifestyle™.” It’s not just some pie in the sky way of life that can only work for some. 

Vacation Effect beach scene

It can work for you too, even during the ups and downs of life and business.

But you have to be willing to do things differently than you have in the past. You have to be willing to challenge the “grind, grind, grind” mentality that is so prevalent in our society today.

You have to be willing to stand for the principle that working smarter is better than harder, and there is nothing to feel guilty about if you get the same results in 3 days as you used to do in 6.

If you are willing to be bold and experiment with the principles learned about thus far, we are confident you can find your own hyper-efficient sweet spot that will work best for you.

There is something truly magical that happens when you give yourself more free time and creative space. You’ll bring so much more joy to your work because you’ll always have something fun to look forward to each week.

You’ll also get more done in less time than before due to the forced hyper-efficiency of limiting the time you spend working IN the business.

The chapters that follow will give you several strategies you can use to make a reduced work schedule your new way of life, so you can have the freedom you deserve.

In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.

In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder.  You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.

In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily.  You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.

In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it.  This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.

In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity.  Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?

In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth.  This strategy can skyrocket your growth.

In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.

In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term.  It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.

In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve.  You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.

Creating Business Freedom For What Really Matters

Before we dive into the time and growth hacks that will allow you to create a lifestyle business, it’s important to first define what it even means to have a “freedom mindset.” What is the “freedom mindset?”

“Freedom is a mindset, not a destination. You decide to have freedom.” – Denise Gosnell

What does this even mean?

This means that freedom isn’t a destination that you get to someday, after you’ve reached a certain goal. It is a decision you make – to decide that you are going to claim it – and you then build your business around what really matters to you. 

Backpack Hiker

Everyone deserves to do whatever makes them happy. The type of freedom we are referring to is when you get to choose how to spend time with those you care about and be present for all the important moments that really matter. Along with giving you plenty of time to do things on a whim – just because you want to.

Ask yourself these tough questions: 

Do you feel like you have the kind of freedom we are talking about? 

Do you have plenty of time each and every week to spend quality time with your loved ones, volunteer for causes that are dear to you or simply do the things that make you truly happy?

If you haven’t achieved true freedom yet, what is stopping you?  Isn’t freedom the reason you became an entrepreneur to begin with?

The good news is that we are going to walk you through the steps you can take right now to claim true freedom for yourself.  Today.  Right here.  Right now.

Step 1: Adopt the Freedom Mindset

It’s time for you to decide that you are willing to adopt the freedom mindset for yourself. This means that you need to be willing to look at your business and your priorities differently. It’s ok if you don’t know “how” to implement this yet. Just make the commitment that you are willing to learn how. 

Lifestyle Map

For example, wouldn’t it be nice to have 1-2 business days per week where you have nothing scheduled and get to decide what you want to do that day?

Imagine that you could spend this time doing all those things that you never have the time to get to…

But you always hope to.

You’ll be in complete control of your schedule, not the other way around. 

That is what we call “Freedom Days”, because you are free to do whatever makes you happy.

And look…You don’t HAVE to take these days off work unless you want to!

Unfortunately, the feeling of guilt and caring too much about what others think are generally the biggest obstacles entrepreneurs face when adopting the freedom mindset, but you need to learn to free yourself from the judgments of others. So, what exactly does that mean?

It means you have to stop letting other people dictate your schedule and life. Just because someone sends you an email or asks you to have a meeting on a certain day, does not mean you are obligated to say “Yes” or respond within a certain timeframe.  Why do you let the agendas of other people dictate your life?

Most of the pressure that we feel isn’t real anyway. It is in our heads. For example, do you really think that whoever sends you an email or leaves you a voice mail expects you to respond to them within a few hours? No, they don’t.

As another example, will there be dire consequences if you don’t finish your “to-do” list each day? Probably not. Your “to-do” list likely contains a lot of fluff that doesn’t really matter or a bunch of false deadlines that you are constantly criticizing yourself for missing.

I’ve learned first-hand that most of the pressure we put on ourselves is actually self-imposed, not external.

Now, it is time to choose specific days that you dedicate to your work, and on those work-days, identify specific ranges of time when you will conduct meetings or respond to emails.  If someone asks you to meet with them outside of that range, let them know that you have a conflict at that time and suggest another time that you do have available.

Why does it suddenly become an emergency for you when someone else procrastinated on a project? Identify what you think is a reasonable turn-around, based on the schedule you have set for yourself, and let them know when you can complete your portion.

Most entrepreneurs would put the requested meeting into a time slot had marked off to visit their mom, or at another time you had planned to meet some friends after work to catch up. A lifestyle entrepreneur no longer robs themselves of freedom in order to suit someone else’s needs.

After all, it is no one else’s business what you are doing at all of the other times on your calendar.  And it’s certainly not reasonable to expect you to drop everything just because someone else finally got around to sending you something after months of delay.

Everyone deserves to have free time in their schedules for what matters to them, so that means making other people fit your available time slots and your timelines if they want to work with you. 

Of course, you still have to do whatever you have agreed to do with your clients and honor your contracts – but you can still do that and implement the freedom mindset we are talking about.

Now, it is time to put this mindset in motion. You need to plan free time for yourself each week and make a commitment to yourself by keeping these times sacred. One suggestion is to give yourself one or two freedom days per week. 

Beachfront Family

One example may be to take Tuesday and Thursday and clear your calendar on these two days. Even if you don’t set aside two full business days, you can certainly start by setting aside several hours at a time for yourself throughout the week that no one else can touch.

As part of adopting the freedom mindset, you need to stop caring what other people think about your schedule, and whether others would consider you being lazy. 

You might fear losing a few clients by adopting the freedom mindset, but this generally has not been the case when put to the test by fellow entrepreneur.  And if you do ever lose clients or deals because of it, that’s OK too. You’ll be fine.  The freedom you experience from letting go of the pressure from others is completely liberating.

Most of that pressure we put on ourselves about what other people think isn’t real anyway.  Most people don’t expect us to cater to their schedules, and if we give them other options that work, they are fine with that.  Most people are reasonable and don’t expect you to be their slave.  If they aren’t reasonable, fire them as a customer or client, because they aren’t worth it anyway.

We hope you are starting to see how freedom is a mindset that you simply decide to have.  But, it’s only a mindset when you start living it.  You don’t have to wait until someday, maybe, you can get around to it when you have more time, or you have more money.

Step 2: Identify Your Someday Maybes

So many people think that someday, when they have more money, they can start to travel or do that thing they have always wanted to do.  Or someday, when they have more time, they can work on hobbies or have quality experiences with their family.

Many people even equate retirement with freedom, and unfortunately often wait until retirement to do things that would have brought them so much more joy throughout their life.  You should embrace doing what you enjoy while you are in good health and are making good money. Who is to say that you will be in good enough health or have enough money to do these “someday maybes” when you finally decide to retire?  No one wants to look back and feel miserable because of the someday maybes that they put off forever.

I think pretty much every human has said this: 

·        Someday, when I have more money I’ll travel to more places.

·        Someday, when I have more time I’ll spend more time with friends, family, and causes I care about.

Someday Maybes are future joy that you’re depriving yourself of for no good reason. Trust me, I get it. You’ve been too busy to get around to them, and the years just fly by. So, it simply hasn’t been a priority. And there is no shame in that.

But ask yourself this important question. If you don’t get around to doing those things that would bring you joy now, when will you ever do them? If you’re being truly honest, probably NEVER, unless something drastic changes. 

Someday Is Not A Day Of The Week.

 

Calendar & Coffee Mug

It is time for you to either decide right here, right now, to bring those Someday Maybes into today or give yourself permission to let them go and send them to the black hole and stop kidding yourself.

What are some of the Someday Maybes you’ve told yourself before?  Stop for a minute and make a list.

Someday when I have [more time, money, etc.] I will [do the thing].

Now, take a look at what you wrote down. It’s time to be brutally honest with yourself. When do you truly think you will ever get around to doing those things?

You may be thinking, “that’s great, but I don’t have the money right now to go on that world cruise that I’ve always wanted to take”.  That may be true, but isn’t there some part of it you can do right now?  For example, you could start planning exactly what you want that trip to look like. 

Or you could plan a smaller trip to fewer countries that you can afford right now.  The point is to take SOME action that will get you closer to it and start bringing you joy as part of the process.

We are going to help you take action on this right now and make some decisions that could bring a lot more joy into your life, or at least cut off some of the baggage you have been carrying around in these lies you keep telling yourself.

So, it’s decision time. Refer back to your Someday Maybe list and decide which ones are keepers, and which ones are the losers.

Are there any you are still undecided about? If so, what do you think is causing you confusion? As my dad used to say, “It’s time to shit or get off the pot.”

If not now, when? So just DECIDE. Is it a keeper or is it a loser?

Now that you have a list of the keepers (Someday Maybes) that are important to you, it is time to brainstorm on some ways you can start incorporating them into your life.

Assuming you have free time to work with (which the later chapters will help you do), what parts of those Someday Maybes can you start doing now (like this week, and next week)?

My recommendation is that you add a weekly recurring appointment to your calendar right now so you have at least one hour set aside for these activities each week. You can name the appointment whatever you choose, such as My Someday Maybe Time.  Then, in the description of the recurring appointment, put your list of keepers so you can refer to that list as a reminder.

I hope you’ll decide to step into true freedom today, and that you’ll also bring your Someday Maybes into the now.  Remember, someday is not a day of the week.

Step 3: Create Your Epic Life Plan

Now that you have an idea of some of the activities you’ve been craving in your life, it’s time to create your Epic Life Plan.

I am sure you have created strategic plans for your business before, but how many strategic plans have you actually created for your overall life?

If you’re one of the few entrepreneurs who already has a detailed life plan that rivals the strategic plans
or business plans you’ve created before, then congratulations!

But if you’re like many other business owners, join the club. How in the world are we so smart at certain business skills, yet so dumb in other areas of life? Think about it. Doesn’t it make logical sense to have a detailed written plan for what you want your life to be, just like you do for your business?

Of course, it does.

Well, the good news is that today is the day you will finally treat your overall life with the same care and attention as you do for your business. If you truly want to become a lifestyle entrepreneur, this is a crucial next step.

In just 10 short minutes from now
, you can have a rough draft of your very own epic life plan. And if you already have one created, you can take a few minutes and refine it. Make it epic a life that would be fulfilling on every level.

Epic Life Plan

Answer the following questions:

·        Am I truly happy with my life?

·        If I died right now, would I be satisfied with how I’ve lived my life, or would I have a lot of regrets?

·        Are you happy with what you wrote above or are there aspects you’d like to change?

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’re probably doing a pretty good job in some areas (like unlimited growth potential) and neglecting others (like time freedom).

If you haven’t quite claimed the freedom that you deserve as an entrepreneur, let this be your wake-up call. Don’t wait for a disaster to strike first. Remember that freedom is a mindset, not a destination you get to someday.

Today is the day to claim that freedom once and for all.

Your epic life plan should touch on the following categories:

1. Life Purpose

2. Career

3. Time

4. Money

5. Relationships/Community

6. Wellness/Health & Fitness

7. Home Environment

8. Adventure/Fun

Write down what you really want to have in each of these categories of happiness. Then think through the biggest obstacles that are most likely to stand in your way of achieving your plan. Once you know the biggest obstacle, you can identify the best way to overcome it and include those actions in your plan.

As you fill in what you want your epic life to look like, don’t forget to include the keepers from your Someday Maybe list. You want to make sure those activities you’ve always wanted to do are included in your plan.

Step 4: Design Your Business Around Your Life

Now that you’ve created a first draft of your Epic Life Plan, it’s time to start designing your business around your life. After all, the money you make and the time you spend growing your business…

…are only as valuable as the freedom that they give you to create a meaningful life!

Vacation Time Is Calling

Why did you go into business for yourself in the first place?

Was it to make a lot of money?

Or was it to challenge yourself, grow, and do something that you found meaningful in your life?

Many entrepreneurs tend to lean toward the second option…

And growth is wonderful…

But if you’re not careful then growth can quickly overtake your life…

…and it eventually forces your business to become your life.

But you really can have growth in your business AND plenty of free time, without having to pick one over the other!

You can actually get more done in less time if you limit the amount of time you’re willing to work in your business.  It forces you to become super-productive, like you are when you are about to go on vacation. 

When you implement the concepts covered in the chapters that follow, you will have the tools you need to transform your entire way of life for the better. 

Now that you understand the freedom mindset, have identified your Someday Maybes and have created your Epic Life Plan, it’s time to put these in motion.

You may think you don’t have time to do so, but Chapters 2 – 8 will show you how to implement several time and growth hacks to make this possible.

In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.

In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder.  You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.

In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily.  You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.

In Chapter 4, you will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it.  This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.

In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity.  Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?

In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth.  This strategy can skyrocket your growth.

In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.

In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term.  It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.

In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve.  You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.

The Ultimate Guide To Creating A Lifestyle Business

The Ultimate Guide To Creating a Lifestyle Business is a road map of principles, concepts and tools that busy entrepreneurs can embrace to build a lifestyle business without sacrificing business growth. Most entrepreneurs form their own companies for the freedom it promises, and then don’t make “free time” a priority because they are too focused on growth mode. 

What if we can show you that don’t need to pick one over the other?  It’s a pretty powerful notion – are you ready to dive in and learn more?

The concepts introduced in the following chapters will focus on working smarter, not harder and introduce you to our hyper-efficiency model of growing your business by taking away from your “to-do” list. In addition, we will offer some great time hacking tips you can incorporate into your work routine to get you closer to enjoying the freedom you deserve.

Lifestyle Photo Collage

A lifestyle entrepreneur is a business owner who has plenty of freedom to do what they want while their business continues to grow. They have learned how to plan their business around their life instead of the other way around, and fully reap the rewards of their success.

Why Create A Lifestyle Business?

As a busy entrepreneur, the money you make and the time you spend growing your business are only as valuable as the freedom that they give you to create a meaningful life.

Do you realize it is possible to have growth in your business AND plenty of free time, without having to pick one over the other? In fact, working less and having more free time is actually one of the key ingredients to growing your business.

Have you ever noticed how you become super productive right before you go on vacation, when you get a month’s worth of work done just two days before you leave? Right?  Have you ever said to yourself, “Man, I sure wish I could be that productive all the time?”

Well, the secret we have discovered is that you CAN be that productive all the time. By incorporating some time and growth hacks into your daily routine, you can literally take a week vacation every single month if you want to.  

Learn How To Design Your Lifestyle Business

If you would like to create a freedom lifestyle and are willing to embrace the mindset it takes to make a change, then keep reading. The concepts covered in the following chapters will show you how to create a freedom lifestyle for yourself.

What You’ll Discover

Follow along and discover how to create that lifestyle business you’ve been dreaming about. By introducing some key strategies to your routine and including some business growth and time hacks, you will be on your way
to working a 4 day work week or less, without feeling guilty!

In Chapter 1, you will explore the true meaning of business freedom and how to create it in your own life for what really matters.

In Chapter 2, you will learn the principle of work smarter not harder.  You have been lied to about business growth in the past and will be shocked once you discover the truth.

In Chapter 3, you will discover 12 different growth hacks that lifestyle entrepreneurs use daily.  You can use these growth hacks yourself for faster growth and a better life.

In Chapter 4, your will learn how to achieve business growth by removing from your “to-do” list, not adding to it.  This principle is called “Growth by Subtraction”, and when done correctly, it leads to “multiplication”.

In Chapter 5, you will discover several ways to use time hacking to double your productivity.  Are you ready to “Get Shit Done” faster than you ever imagined?

In Chapter 6, you will unlock the closely held secrets to leveraging entrepreneur groups for fast business growth.  This strategy can skyrocket your growth.

In Chapter 7, you will learn all about delegating tasks effectively. Hint: Most business owners do this totally wrong.

In Chapter 8, discover how you can create a 4 day work week for yourself that is sustainable long term.  It’s easier to accomplish than you might think.

In Chapter 9, you’ll learn the recommended next steps for creating the freedom lifestyle that you deserve.  You’ll also learn the best resources (including a business growth coach) to support you in this process.