Quiz: How is the “growth factor” affecting your career, business, and success?
Surrounding yourself with growth is the great success lubricant. If you want less friction, easier money, and a fast track to accomplishing greatness, you must immerse yourself in growth. Unfortunately, this principle is often overlooked, and people spin their wheels in low-growth cities, waste their time with dull friends, and torpedo their future by working at the wrong company.
Pop quiz! How is the “growth factor” affecting your career, your business, and your success? Take the quiz at bottom to score your own growth situation.
Growth and Potential
To sum up, think of growth like this:
If you’re surrounded by growth…you’re in a growing business, in a growing city, and hanging out with friends who are growing, your houses are appreciating…you can probably be a slacker and do awesome things in life. If you’re a Grinder fueled to achieve greatness, you’ll explode.
If you’re not surrounded by growth…your company is in cost control mode, your city is old and stagnant, and your friends are happy be stuck in their same old job…well, even if you’re awesome, you’re going to struggle. You’ll be fighting to swim upstream. Everything will be more of a challenge than it needs to be.
Are you on easy street or fighting upstream?
Unless you want to stagnate and sit in the same office chair for the rest of your life, read on… I’m going to assume you are full of energy and aspirations. You want more. You are obsessed with becoming great. But are you in the right situation to achieve your goals? Maybe not…
How do you get into a better situation that matches your vision?
Surrounding yourself with growth greases your chances of hitting it big. It reduces your risk, connects you with right people, and fuels your enthusiasm.
By the way…if you like the concepts in this article, be sure to check out my bestselling book Leave the Grind Behind.
Attaching Yourself to Growth
If you’re joining a business, becoming a consultant for someone, or investing in an area–you should look for one thing: growth.
For example, if you are considering two job offers, a massively important selection criteria for you is to determine which company is growing faster. Shrinking companies have problems. Steady-state companies have problems. And yes, growing companies have a lot of problems. But they have good problems.
Getting in a business environment that is growing can teach you massive amounts about how to scale a company up. It can teach you effective marketing and sales.
And since the company is growing, you will be more indispensable and more likely to be called upon to take on more and more responsibility. Exchanging your time for percentage pay (awesome) is massively more likely.
Additionally, you’ll find many other side benefits. Employees are generally happier, money flows more freely, ideas and brainstorming are embedded in the culture.
The same goes if you’re consulting. Don’t take any consulting customer. Work with those who are growing. You’ll be less likely seen as a cost or more likely seen as an asset. You can grow your consulting business with a growing customers.
» Get My FREE Course – Start a Business and Profit This Year [ Start Now Free! ] «
Sinking Your Future with Shrinkage
Have you ever worked for a company that is downsizing or constantly controlling costs? All of the growth benefits I just described above flip on their head.
People are in foul moods. Layoffs are common. Employees are competitive, bitter, and gossipy. Everything is a cost waiting to be cut. You may get more work and more responsibility, but that’s just because your coworker got fired. You are taking that on in exchange for more money or a promotion.
Sure, you can learn great tools for keeping a business lean in this environment, but it’s hardly worth it.
Joining a Startup or Small Business
A great step many people can take toward being in business for themselves is to join a startup or very small business. Go for growth. Companies that are struggling or are literally at Day 0 represent considerable risk. Unless you’re in a position to risk a lot of time and money, step into a startup that has some track record of growth under its belt.
As you progress down your success path and become more and more of a Grinder, you’ll be able to take bigger risks. But if this is your first step, consider the big picture. As Tony Robbins would say, most people overestimate what they can do in 1 year, but underestimate what they can do in 10. Take those words and work your way toward creating your own awesome business. If you work in a big corporation today, get closer to your goal by working for a growing startup.
Growth and Investing
Growth applies to many other facets of life, including investing. For example, if you’re investing in real estate, consider the long-term potential of the geography. Are there reasons for people to continue to move in? Can new home building keep up? Are there good sources of jobs?
Many real estate investors focus on cash flow, which is the monthly money they’ll receive from a property. But while this is great passive income, it won’t make you rich. If you buy houses in growing areas that not only cash flow but also appreciate, then you will become rich.
I have a great friend who is an expert investor. After spending years picking better properties than others in our circle in terms of cash flow, yet seeing everyone else get richer, he decided he needed to make a big move. He needed to pack up, sell all of his places, and move halfway across the country to apply his knowledge in a geography that was growing.
It’s big moves like this you have to be willing to take.
» Get My FREE Course – Start a Business and Profit This Year [ Start Now Free! ] «
Growth and Potential
To sum up, think of growth like this:
If you’re surrounded by growth…you’re in a growing business, in a growing city, and hanging out with friends who are growing, your houses are appreciating…you can probably be a slacker and do awesome things in life. If you’re a Grinder fueled to achieve greatness, you’ll explode.
If you’re not surrounded by growth…your company is in cost control mode, your city is old and stagnant, and your friends are happy be stuck in their same old job…well, even if you’re awesome, you’re going to struggle. You’ll be fighting to swim upstream. Everything will be more of a challenge than it needs to be.
Growth Quiz
How do you rate? Evaluate your situation and make a big play if you want big results.
[wp_quiz id=”4738″]