Andy Frisella is one of my favorite people to follow at the moment. I was first turned on to him by my good friend Drew Dillon, when he suggested I listen to Andy’s podcast: The MFCEO Project.
Andy has a pretty in your face style, which I thoroughly enjoy. If you are ok with tons of swearing and an aggressive delivery, the messages he brings are really great. Further more, last year he decided to write a few children’s books. Similar to Jocko Willink (another fantastic person to follow) they realized that the principles they are trying to teach need to be taught young. The best way to change the future is to set the future generations up for success. I personally have purchased all of his books for my kids and they deliver important lessons in a playful and fun way.
All of that being said, there are two big pieces I took away from Andy and have applied with great success in my own life.
“Win the Day”
One of Andy’s most popular podcasts is his episode called “Win the Day” where he discusses his power list and how he attacks each day. I have written about this idea in the past because I have used this method and it helped me a lot. The idea is simple, if you have a goal, instead of focusing just on that goal, you have to focus on each step to get to that goal. Before I can win the year, I have to win today.
For him he creates a list of 5 things every morning that will help him on the way to his goals. Whether it’s eating healthy, working out, reaching out to business contacts, recording a podcast, etc… it doesn’t’ matter. 5 Things that need done to get to where he wants to go. If he completes those 5 tasks, he has won the day, no matter what else gets done. If he doesn’t complete those 5 tasks, he lost the day, no matter what else got done. By keeping his day focused, he stays on the path to his goals. Each day he wins, he build momentum. If you win 5 days, then you won the week. If you win 3 or 4 weeks, then you won the month. Before you know it, you have dominated the year and on.
There are tons you can pull from this simple message, but for me, the reminder that TODAY is the day to focus on was huge. To hit your goals, you have to work on them today. You can’t get distracted. If you’re not on course, today is the day to get on course. If you are on course, you have to focus on staying on course or TODAY could be the day that you begin to stray from that path.
Buckle down and Win the Day!
“The key to building a successful business is to get one customer and give them the greatest experience of their life… Then Repeat.”
In a world that focuses mostly on getting as much attention as possible as fast as possible, this is a refreshing insight. For most when starting a business, you have goals in mind. You tend to focus on that fact that the more customers I get the more money I make. As that pressure builds, or as you become successful, it is easy to focus on bringing in as many as possible. However, the true key to building a reputation and a business that not only will be successful but will make a positive impact is to focus on person at a time.
Similar to the concepts of winning one day at a time, if I focus on making my first customer have the greatest experience ever, then they are more likely to return and more likely to talk about you. Then when I get a second customer I do the same. I don’t cut corners, I make sure I give them the golden treatment every time.
It’s easy to cut corners, discount prices, do groups, etc.. but all you’re doing is “racing to the bottom” as Seth Godin would say (yet another brilliant mind to follow). But in today’s world of social media reach, entrepreneurship, and niche markets, you must create relationships and experiences.
We see this issue a lot in my industry. Gym owners want to have as many people as possible. But as those numbers grow it becomes harder and harder to give them the experience they deserve. If you are trading quality for quantity, you are on a path to failure.
Change your focus from getting 5,000 meaningless “likes” on social media and selling mass quantities of poor quality products/services, and focus on one relationship at a time. That is the true key to success and longevity.
In Conclusion:
It’s very easy to get caught up in “more more more”, but it always starts with one small building block at a time. Before I can make a million dollars, I need to make $10. Before I can have 10,000 followers I have to earn the respect of one. Turn your eyes from quantity to quality and see how much better your life becomes.
Be good, train hard, stay safe
-aaron
Aaron Jannetti 