Over the last few months, I’ve seen a number of stories in the news saying “success is not all about hustle… what we really need is a balance”. Because of this, I felt inclined to define, and get very clear about, the “Wealthy Speaker” interpretation of hustle.
At The Wealthy Speaker, we actually call it focused hustle. Here’s my definition:
Consistently performing the tasks that are aligned with your long term goals. Following every lead, down every avenue, while avoiding squirrels.
Here’s the caveat: Your long term goals may, and should, include a level of balance that works for you. Nowhere in our definition of focused hustle does it say that you should, or need to, work 24/7.
Actually, in my Wealthy Speaker 2.0 book, I make it very clear that to me life balance is the only reason to be an entrepreneur. Why else go through the trial and tribulations of being self-employed if you don’t get the freedom that goes along with it? By having focused hustle, you can move your business forward and have the freedom and balance you crave.
So, when people ask me, “what is the key to getting booked a lot in the speaking business?” or “What is the secret to having a full calendar?”
I tell them focused hustle.
Success in the speaking business is all about the small consistent everyday actions that result in the big wins.
For example, let’s say you collect 4 or 5 business cards after your last speech from people who thought you’d be good for another group. Those are leads that should be followed up within 24 or 48 hours before the lead turns cold. But sometimes, we get back from a trip, and we’re tired. Sometimes we don’t get to the follow-up as quickly as we should, and things fall by the wayside. If you have focused hustle, that doesn’t happen. You understand how important those leads are and you hop all over those leads on the plane on the way home.
You just “get r done!”
One of the poster children (I use that term loosely) for focused hustle is Ryan Estis. When he first got into the business, he sat at his kitchen table every day for a year smiling and dialing. He made the calls. He identified groups that needed a speaker and then hustled to book the business. Having been a sales leader from corporate, he was fastidious about working the sale, tracking the numbers and ensuring that he stayed on target with his goals.
Now that doesn’t mean that Ryan, who now books 70 events per year at a mighty high fee, hasn’t had to adjust to maintain life balance. He has worked incredibly hard to strike the happy place between earning a 7-figure income and having a life!
He’s told me about friends of his who speak 200+ times per year. To me, that just sounds icky. How can you possibly have self-care and meaningful relationships while on the road nearly every day?
The goal is to focus when we hustle so that we can maintain our health, our families, our community and our well-being. Without those things, what’s the point?
So for those thinking that hustle is overrated, I challenge you to move into #FocusedHustle to make 2019 your best year ever! We’ll be talking about this a lot at our Accelerate LIVE 2019 event in Cape Coral, Florida next month! There is still time to register and join us!
