On this page you will find a number of insights that can if understood radically transform you and your business.
You will be introduced to Nick & Dave and those two guys might actually change the way you see your world. For that matter it might just change your life!
Before we get to those I think something needs to be acknowledged.
I want to say congratulations for making it here. It makes you special.
When confronted with truth a lot of people not as smart as you, bury their heads in the sand and switch off. The pain of the truth is too much for them.
You didn’t, that shows character. You see this informations suits a certain sort of person, who will do something with it. The first part filters out those people who are not ready for it. So again well done for being one of the special few.
Like I say on this page, you will find a few more answers and a few more questions.
Along the way, you might get an “Aha” or an “Of course”. If you do, stay with it, write it down before you continue.
Before I get to those Aha’s, let me tell you a story stolen from a book I read some 25 years ago. The book in question had been written a hundred years previous to that. It was lovingly jotted down by what can only be described as a genius. This was when a genius really meant a genius.
The story had a profound effect on me as a young man. It worked firstly as a dynamic thinking tool. Then over the years as a mental model.
It has become more and more useful for me and for those to whom I have told the story. Well, at least those who fully understand the underlying meaning.
Here it is…
Two men lost their hard-earned savings of years when the bank in which they had put their money failed.
One was troubled, leading him all the way to despair. Decided working hard and saving was of little use. So stopped making an effort and also stopped saving.
The second when he heard the news of the bank, went to work with renewed vigour. Figuring he would need to work extra hard to reclaim that which was lost and then improve his lot.
The first man continued to grumble of his woes till the end of his days and luck never found him.
The second rapidly became prosperous. Opportunity and success always seemed to find it’s way to him.
To one the circumstances of the bank had been a curse, the other a blessing.
More on that story and its meaning in just a second.
Speaking of two people did you know there are two types of businesspeople?
There is a quote by T.E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia, watch the film if you have not seen it, it is epic! And give his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom a spin).
The quote goes…
“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.”
The dreamers of the day I call Dave.
The dreamers of the night I call Nick.
Dave and Nick both want the same thing. They have very different characteristics. They go about getting what they want in very different ways. One is doomed and the other… well!
Before I tell you about both of them I want to make a quick confession. I used to be a Nick (and occasionally fall back into Nick like thinking). Nick like thinking is attractive and just when you try to get out it can drag you back in. Nicks thinking is the ruin of many business owners, managers and entrepreneurs…
Before I walk you through a few of those and tell you about Dave I want to ask you a question…
What does a perfect business look like?
I mean if you had to describe what a perfect business looked like how would you describe it?
There is a reason why I ask, in that if you are to have a perfect business you might need to know what one looks like right?
I have pondered this for many years and think I have the perfect description. But before I give you mine have a think about what it would look like for you.
While you are doing that let’s get back to Nick.
So although Nick may have his own business, may even be doing ok he still has the wantrepreneur mindset. He still dreams of Unicorns and Billions, still thinks he can be the next Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk.
While he is in his business he dreams of the new new thing. The thing that will catapult him to fame and riches beyond measure.
Nick thinks he is better and smarter than everyone. He thinks no one is as good as him, so he tries to do everything himself. Because of this, he cannot learn.
As Nick thinks he knows it all and is better than everyone else he finds it hard to juggle that much responsibility. And for that matter, that much work.
He needs constant inspiration. He has to ensure that there is always something in the near horizon to look forward to.
Nick also has the wrong type of Magical thinking. His belief is that he deserves something for nothing. That some star will twinkle and transport him to his rightful destiny.
But fair play to Nick he is a trier, he does put in the work he sows the seeds, he puts the time in the fields, he works hard.
His problem is that he never stays with it to completion, or he just does half a job, or just enough for now. So he is never there long enough to reap the harvest.
He is off on the new adventure chasing that new shiny object or silver bullet. Because of this, he is almost always back at the beginning having to sow all over again.
Nick also puts profits before people. A penny in the pocket is better than ten in the future.
He always thinks in terms of how much he can earn now. Not how he can serve his customers. So his thinking is always tactical, always short term.
He’s always on the lookout for loopholes, hacks and silver bullets. If there is a short cut, or he can for that matter cut corners, well that’s fine and dandy with Nick.
It’s not his fault he can’t help it, his Ego leads the way.
He loves to give you his opinion, he holds court like he is the king on his throne. He treats his words like each one is a pearl. He thinks he would teach martial arts lessons to Mr Miyagi. Yoda should come to him for wise counsel.
Because he has no long term battle plan he is always overwhelmed.
The net effect of this is that the wolves are never far from his door. He always feels like he is all front and no depth. He constantly worries that it will all come crashing down. That he will come unstuck. Be found out or worse found wanting.
If he does learn anything new it will be from one of those silver bullets, or shiny objects. The things that work for the short term but never last.
But give Nick credit he is a trier, and he does have his moments. It is those moments no matter how brief that keeps him going. Unfortunately, he will always be trying.
It’s hard for me to write about Nick if truth be told. For a long time, I was Nick. I think a lot of us entrepreneurial types start out that way.
Some make the transition and succeed most don’t. You just have to look at business failure rates to know that this is true.
There is an alternative to Nick his name is Dave. I will introduce you to Dave shortly.
Before I do there is a reason why I am telling you all this. Because weaved within what you are reading is a secret. A secret to getting everything you want from your business. A simple way to get you from where you are, to where you really should be.
This secret works by combining a few of the ideas we are discussing. This combination actually works like magic. Real magic not the fake smoke and mirrors kind.
Maybe it is time to make a little confession… I have a belief that is wildly unpopular nowadays…
I strongly believe that those people who are entrepreneurial. Those who are business owners. Those that run and control businesses are societies, unsung heroes.
There I said it…
These heroes, who never get their due. Are these days often put upon as villains by the media and much of the population. Brandished with stupid names like dirty capitalists or the 1%.
Well, I for one have never felt that way. I want those who take responsibility for creating something great to do well. Because I think they deserve it. They are heroes, or at least they are my heroes.
Anyway I digress.
So where was I? Oh right, I have a question…
In business what is the difference between an amateur and a professional?
There are obviously if you were to think about it levels to it.
That is what B.E.A.S.T is all about. I know I have not really mentioned B.E.A.S.T before. We will get to that soon.
Before we do that…
Let’s talk about Dave. Dave is a dreamer of the day. HE IS DANGEROUS!
Here he is…
Before we get to better understanding Dave, I want to ask you a question or two, and maybe fill in a blank.
When you think of your business, what is your exit plan?
Is it never-ending will you stay with it until the day you die?
Will you sell it for a fortune?
Will you grow it? Expand it? Replicate it?
Will it just stay as it is?
Or…
Do you not have an exit plan?
While you are thinking about that I want to tell you about Dave…
Dave has a business and he is proud of it. It is not an empty sort of pride that is ego-driven. It is the sort of pride that comes from creating something he knows is worthwhile.
We have all done good work in our lives and we all know what that feeling feels like. That is the type of business Dave runs.
Dave is willing to rock the boat, he is not a settler. He knows that HE has to grow in order to improve. This is not a growth for growth sake mindset.
He believes that the better he becomes the better it is for everyone. Same for his business the better it is the more everyone benefits.
To do this Dave takes action on the important things.
He looks for ways he can create more and more value for his customers. For his suppliers, for his employees, for himself.
He believes in the Japanese idea of Kaizen. The constant need to look for incremental ways to improve every aspect of himself and his business.
Dave has courage because that is what it takes to consistently stretch his comfort zone.
This is a measured sort of courage. This is not thrill-seeking. He doesn’t take silly risks for the sake of it. This is calculating and calm.
He avoids the quick fixes. In fact, he prefers slow over fast because he knows his slow approach will be faster in the long run.
He has seen the guys who have been looking for quick fixes for years. His slow approach has left them miles behind. Dave is the Tortoise, (Nick is the Hare).
He values commitment he knows there is genius power and magic in it.
He knows what it means to be pre-eminent with everyone he deals with. He does for them everything that needs doing and more.
Because of this he has flipped from the tactical to the strategic mindset. He is no longer a soldier fighting the good fight in the trenches, he is a General commanding his armies.
Dave knows that his number one way to stay ahead, is to improve the quality of people he associates with. People who are smarter or wiser than him, or further down the path he is on. Those who can show him the way.
He knows that the best investment he can make is in himself and in his education. Knowing that education, improving his knowledge and skill will do him and his business more good above anything else.
Dave does not rely on getting lucky. He has a plan to get him where he wants to go. He has plans to get him past the forks in his road, the obstacles that might stand in his way, slow him down or stop him.
Dave knows how to follow his plan through to completion.
Dave is a doer, not a talker. He does his talking with his actions. He has developed the skill of fast implementation. He rapidly executes on every new idea and insight he is confronted with.
Dave is a B.E.A.S.T
Yep there is the B.E.A.S.T thing again!
Annnnyhow!
Now that you have had a glimpse of what Dave and Nick look like. Let me ask you a question, and I want you to be honest.
Are you more Dave or Nick?
(None of us is always one thing or the other, but we tend to lean one way).
If you are Nick this might cut close to the bone, or be a wake-up call for you.
Because let me tell you… The way of Nick is the way of hardship and heartache. So don’t be that guy. If you are then it is time for an upgrade.
If you are more Dave, then well done, you are either where you need to be or at least making some progress towards it.
I want to let you in on something…
There is a fast track to getting from being a Nick to going full-on Dave.
That fast track is lifting your thinking from the tactical to the strategic mind.
But doing that by itself in as much as it will accelerate your progress may not be enough! You need a combination of a few other things.
Actually before I get to that I want to make something clear… If you are a tactical thinker you will almost always be at a disadvantage. At a disadvantage to those that have levelled up and are in the strategic mindset.
The strategic thinker will always out-think, out-compete, outmanoeuvre, outperform and out-earn their competition.
They can do this because a tactical thinker can only see what is in front of them. The Strategic thinker sees the whole board, the journey, the whole battlefield.
While the tactical thinker adjusts to the fight that is there in front of them. The strategic thinker (who sees everything), can adjust to the whole war and all the little battles that confront him.
Actually, as I have said strategic thinking alone is not enough but more on that later. But for Now…
Can you see why making that shift is so important? When your thinking has levelled up you get to see the whole game. It becomes almost impossible to lose.
That’s great I hear you say…
But how do you go from the tactical to the strategic mind? If it was easy everyone would make the switch right?
Actually here is an interesting observation.
After 10 years something like 95% of businesses fail. So that is only 1 in 20 businesses that succeed. I would estimate that maybe 1 in 20 businesses owners ever make the switch. The switch from tactical to the strategic mind.
Are they the same people? Well if I had to put a bet on it. I’d say those that went from survival to thriving made that transition.
So you need to know how to make that switch. That said trying to figure it out by yourself clearly does not work for most people. Just ask the 95%.
Years ago I figured out a way to almost force a persons thinking from the tactical to the strategic mindset. It is sort of like a mental crowbar that shifts your thinking from the one to the other.
Let me give you a hint…
Harry Houdini
Did you make the connection?
Harry Houdini was probably the most famous magician of his day. His speciality, was escapology. He was an escape artist.
Why am I telling you about Harry?
Well, the simplest way to go from the tactical to the strategic mindset is…
To treat every aspect of your business like you are trying to escape it.
You make every aspect of your business have the potential to work without you. It does not matter if you want to work in it or not.
It does not matter if you want to sit on a beach drinking margaritas and have it churning out cash like your own private printing press.
Or if you want to just be able to focus on doing the things you love to do, or are great at. The theory is the same. You need to think like an escape artist, or more specifically…
You need Business Escape Artist, Strategic Thinking. (B.E.A.S.T.)
Imagine this idea… You have to sell your business and you have to make it run without you. Or if you prefer you have to teach the day to day running of the business to someone else who could take your place.
To do this you would have to create plans, policies procedures and systems that work with or without you. No matter what.
Your business would have to run like a well-oiled machine, or it would not last the test of time.
You would have to solve problems that would not just solve them now (tactics) but would be solved once and for all (strategy).
You would solve the bigger picture.
There is a right way to do this and a wrong way to do this. I’ve seen what happens when this goes wrong.
If you try and escape in the wrong way everything can collapse around you.
The B.E.A.S.T approach solves that once and for all. As it has been iterated, refined and improved. It has been battle-tested time and again so it works and works like gangbusters.
So it does not matter if you want to escape your business partially, totally or not at all.
The B.E.A.S.T approach is the fastest way to growth, stability, and levelling up that I know.
Because it fixes your business in a systematical and logical sequence. It unknots the hosepipe in the right place at the right time so the water can flood through.
It does not matter what you want from your business. If you want to grow your business. Focus solely on upgrading your skills. It does not matter if you are looking to replicate your business. Or sit back and profit from your business. It even doesn’t matter if you want to package it up and sell it for a fortune. The process is the same.
The B.E.A.S.T process is the only way to go. Everything else is just a sideshow.
If you want to go from being Nick and to becoming Dave in double-quick time.
If you want to go from the tactical to the strategic mind. If you want to level up your thinking and open a whole new world of possibilities. If you want to Rapidly Grow Your Business, escape your business, replicate your business, or package up your business and sell it for a fortune. Whatever it is that you want B.E.A.S.T solves it.
So…
If you want to Be A B.E.A.S.T
You need to
Click HERE