How Your Inner Rebel Can Help You Succeed

Uncategorized Nov 17, 2019

One reason we make things hard is that we often believe there's a particular way things are “supposed” to be done.

We think we need a certain degree to apply for the job we want. We think we need to mingle awkwardly at cocktail parties in order to network. We think we have to join a gym to get in shape. Above all, we think we have to be stressed to the point of sleeplessness in order to be productive.

But there are many ways to do things. Just because someone else went from A to B to C doesn’t mean you have to. Can you jump right to C? Can you start at Q?

Just because convention says “this is how it’s done”—that doesn’t mean that's right.

In fact, very often that slows us down.

My friend John has a knack for seeing through all the should's and supposed to's. An ultra-creative and successful entrepreneur in the merchant services business (and now author and founder of the company True Freedom), he got his start in San Diego, when he branched off from convention and did what made sense to him.

“I was taught to market myself the old-fashioned way,” he told me, “where you print out a bunch of flyers and go door to door every Friday, introducing yourself to new businesses who could use your services. It was horrible.

“So I thought, there’s gotta be a better way. What about businesses that are just starting up? They're my target market. What if I got to them before everyone else? And I thought, how could I do that?

"I knew that in California, new businesses have to file with the county. So I went down to the courthouse and I asked for a list of new businesses. They didn’t have a list, but they had all the files in one place. So I took my notebook and pen and I copied down their info. I did this for a couple days, until on my third day, I noticed a woman entering the info into her laptop. I approached her, and it turned out I could actually buy the list from her. Jackpot. I now had a whole list of businesses who needed what I was selling – and none of my competitors even knew they existed yet.

"I got a lot of business that way," he said. "And eventually I had enough clients and referrals that I didn’t have to do that anymore.”

In fact, that was what catapulted his company to success.

John has always had a flair for originality, and it's paid off. When everyone else took lunch at 12, he would take lunch at 2. When businesses switched their marketing strategy to phone, he amped up his mailing. While other salespeople got to the office at 9a.m., he started making calls at 8.

Even when he was a kid selling Kool-Aid, he did this. Instead of standing in front of his house, John packed up his Kool-Aid mixings in his wagon and brought his business to a nearby construction site. In the peak of summer in rural Iowa, this was gold. The workers not only bought out his supply, but asked him to come back every day with more. He did, and then he expanded down the street to another building site, where another batch of thirsty workers needed a cold one.

Who knew you could franchise a 50-cent Kool-Aid stand?

The point is, you don't have to follow all the rules when it comes to reaching your goal. In fact, if that's what you're trying to do, you're probably holding yourself back.

Instead, let your own light shine.

Let's take a closer look. What are the conventions in your chosen area?

Do they serve you, or is there a better way?

What if you were to think differently? If there was an easy path to your goal, what might be it?

Keep an eye out for unconventional methods. Don't be afraid to give them a try.

Then go out, try something different, and shine.

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