When is the big payoff?
It will occur way later than you ever expected.
It will require more effort than you ever knew you had.
It will happen because no one else stuck it out as long as you have. And because no one cared nearly as much as you.
When you refuse to ever quit. That’s when the big payoff happens.
Short, sweet and to the pint! NICE!
Thanks Edwin.
I meant point…
I think you actually meant pint. A good beer will do that to you.
Thanks Mike. Is 18 years too long to wait for the payoff? That’s how long I’ve been working at this, but the payoff seems to be so elusive.
18 years is not too long. Sometimes it is a lifetime… and then we discover that the big payoff was the journey.
you might consider reading Seth Godin’s book The Dip. (after you’ve finished all of Mike’s books of course) He has some good insight into when to wait and when to quit.
Great tip Jeff. I read The Dip two or three times now. I think it may be one of my favorite Godin books. Perhaps even more than Purple Cow (did I just say that?!?!)
Adding this to my amazon wishlist (for after I’ve finished my current book)
Thanks for the motivation, Mike. And the reminder that there’s no reward for great ideas unless you carry them on the long, slow haul across the finish line yourself.
Soooooooooooooooo true.
Thanks for not selling the “Twitter Magic” theory of entrepreneurship, Mike. Too many out there tell you that Right Idea + Venture Funding = New Yacht. This is far from the truth for most entrepreneurs. I’m on my third company– which in two years has reached 10 employees and seven figures of revenue. We pretty much do the opposite of what passes for entrepreneurial “common wisdom.”
And that works.
congrats on the 3rd biz. 2 years and 10 employees…. that is FAST growth. Are you boot strapping it? (which would be AWESOME if you are, but amazing either way).
Thanks, Mike. Yes. We’re doing this weird thing– Selling. People are giving us money to use our product– or in our case, take our courses. It’s amazing what you can do when you have profitability instead of unwanted partners or debt. Way too much focus on obtaining VC or Angel funding these days, and not enough on product development, service, and sales.
But, of course, if I’m here, I’m preaching to the choir.
Started the company with a $5,000 investment and a virtual assistant. Now, we’re in the process of building our own recording and video studios.
Ahhhhhh, yes. The ultimate “angel fund”…. selling.