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Do You Fail Because You're Lazy ... Or, Not Lazy Enough?

by John S. Rhodes
9 replies
I am a hard working guy. And honestly, I think this is a problem...

I know several folks who do 1/3 the work that I do but they make
a lot more than I do. Don't get me wrong, I do quite well. But, I
should be doing less and making more.

My thinking often goes like this: WORK HARDER TO MAKE MORE!

But, that's such a bad way to think. I need to think like this: "I
only have a few hours per day to make $20K per month." Then,
force myself to become more efficient.

How?

* Invest in software and automation
* Ditch low paying niche work
* Do smarter JVs
* Outsource

I have plenty of cash to invest but I've been so conservative.
It's time to spend some money but spend less time. I need to
shoot for much greater efficiency. I need to maximize my time,
not buckle down and work harder.

Sidebar: What does this say about having a strong work ethic?
Does it mean that I'm trying to be lazy? Does it mean that I
am just trying to be smarter? The work ethic is part of my DNA.

~ John
#easy #fail #jvs #lazy #outsource #work
  • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
    John, I'm in the same boat as you. I work too hard.

    But here's the bigger problem, and it's the same thing as when people say,
    "You need to take action."

    That phrase is so worthless it's pathetic.

    What action? If you don't know what action to take, how do you know if
    it's any good or not?

    Well, it's the same thing with spending money on outsourcing, automation or
    whatever.

    How do you know what to spend it on?

    What do you outsource and to whom? Is there a reliable "service" where
    you can get a particular outsourcing done through? What about automation?
    What do you automate? What software is good? What's bad?

    The phrase "outsource" is the second most worthless phrase next to
    "take action." Without clear guidance on the subject, you can end up
    worse off than you are now, having spent money on something that did
    you no good at all.

    So who is the authority? Who has all the answers in regard to outsourcing
    and automation? Or is this something that is hit and miss just like everything
    else in business?

    I mean let's be honest here. You can take any business model in the world
    and there is no guarantee that it will be successful for YOU. I'd go into
    detail on that but then this reply would take 2 hours to read instead of
    1 hour.

    Point is, if you're going to work smarter instead of harder, you have to
    have a plan for doing it. You want to give yourself the best chance of
    success with the choices that you make.

    I do some outsourcing but not nearly as much as I should. Why? Because
    I've made too many bad decisions. See, they don't supply instruction
    manuals for our business when it comes to outsourcing and automation.
    You're basically on your own to find someone who is dependable. Sometimes
    you do, sometimes you don't. And the times you don't can hurt big time. I
    am speaking from way too painful experience.

    So sure, work smarter.

    Just make sure you read the "How to work smarter" ebook first.
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Bruno
      Document a system that you have that's been proven to create cash and outsource that task by creating videos and handing them off to your outsourced workers.

      You can do this by creating simple videos and uploading them to your server in a simple password-protected area.

      There's a lot of dirt cheap places to write yourself some review articles, or setting up simple blogger blogs, social book marking, etc,

      If one outsourced worker doesn't work out change the password to your tutorial videos and look for a different virtual assistant.

      Once you find an outsource worker that's working well for you, keep them, and continually build your virtual or physical team.

      See some issues are that many people don't know how to make the transition from entrepreneur to management,And many of them can't do that, But once you find someone that you can bring on to handle your management then your entrepreneur talent can blossom taking your business with it.

      Frank Bruno
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      • Profile picture of the author Daniel Molano
        Hey John,

        I probably don't make half of what you do online, or a quarter of what you make for that matter (at least not yet ).

        But the reinvestment model I have been using has proven quite efficient. I reinvest 50% of monthly net profits. That might sound a bit risky, but it has increased my profits by a lot lately. I know I've only been doing IM for 5 months, but it's working for me so far.

        What do I reinvest (outsource) it in? Content (we have talked about this before and I know you love content as well). Isn't that the single most time consuming part of the whole game? Well I think it is. Implementing it just takes a few minutes/hours.

        And if you have money to spare out of that 50%, I look for other ways to reinvest it, like third party SEO campaigns or even software development and even additions to my current products (or for future ones).

        This reinvestment model also helps me big time in learning what brings the best ROI. Have I made little to nothing out of some investmentes I've made? Yes, which I believe it to be good because I am learning what brings the best ROI, what works and what doesn't. Consider it automatic feedback for the business model.

        I hope this helps.

        Dan

        PS: This of course lessens the work load by a lot and brings a lot of spare time.
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  • Profile picture of the author AskJesusLeon
    Originally Posted by John S. Rhodes View Post

    Sidebar: What does this say about having a strong work ethic? Does it mean that I'm trying to be lazy? Does it mean that I am just trying to be smarter? The work ethic is part of my DNA.

    ~ John
    John,

    This does not mean you are trying to be lazy. I think you are just realizing as you said in your post that you are working very very hard and others are not and making more money. To be honest with you, neither extreme is good, either working too much or not enough for that matter. we must find a happy balance somewhere in the middle. Outsourcing is your friend. Give yourself time away from working and enjoy the fruits of your hard larbor. You deserve it. Godd luck...

    Remember, "Time management is really a misnomer. The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves."
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  • Profile picture of the author Business-Cards.com
    Essentially you need to work smarter. If you find ways to automated tasks related to your business you have more time market, and to find other business you can automate. If you combine your will to automate with your work ethic the sky is the limit.
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  • Profile picture of the author Amy Bass
    Spending more time working ON your business rather than IN your business is vital.

    What would have happened if the guy who came up with McDonalds decided he was going to save money by doing all the burger flipping himself? Would he have a huge international corporation? Nope.

    He took the time to develop a system that anyone could follow to get the job done so he could duplicate it over and over again.
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    I see it this way:

    If you are working hard and aren't making what others are making then you are doing it wrong.

    There is SO much people online who think that way and that is why they are failing. The best way to work less and earn more is to follow what these successful people are doing who are working less and earning more.

    Their business online is based on ONE thing and that is this:

    AUTOMATION.

    Their business is automated and working for them while they are offline and doing something else.

    If you want to work less and earn more, PM me through the forum and I will show you what I do and I am a full time internet marketer.

    I would love to help out.

    Tal
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    What an excellent subject heading and topic. I remember back in 1999 when the late Cory Rudl was hammering into my head to do three basic things:

    1. Automate
    2. Outsource
    3. Taking care of the customer (and the competition will take care of itself).

    I can relate to your post John because I have a very strong work ethic but I've also automated and outsourced a lot more. I think I'm finally learning to be "lazy enough".

    @ Daniel: you're on the right track, when I first started out I reinvested nearly 100% of my profits back into my business and it really helped with sustaining growth.

    RoD
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    • Profile picture of the author John S. Rhodes
      STEVEN wrote:
      Point is, if you're going to work smarter instead of harder, you have to
      have a plan for doing it. You want to give yourself the best chance of
      success with the choices that you make.
      That's right. Working smarter is the key, no doubt. I need to look for
      even more efficiency. I don't really need bigger opportunities. I mean,
      really, I teach people about all the opportunties. I make cash from all
      that I teach. It comes down to doing those things faster and smarter.

      I also like that you're reinforcing the idea of having a plan. I can run
      faster and faster on the treadmill, but it doesn't mean I am getting
      any closer to the door...


      FRANK wrote:
      Document a system that you have that's been proven to create cash and outsource that task by creating videos and handing them off to your outsourced workers.

      You can do this by creating simple videos and uploading them to your server in a simple password-protected area.
      I love the idea of creating videos. Again, I do this all the time for my
      coaching students. Why not do the exact same thing so that I can
      outsource the work? I've heard this advice before but I sincerely
      appreciate the reminder. It's golden.


      Dan wrote:
      What do I reinvest (outsource) it in? Content (we have talked about this before and I know you love content as well). Isn't that the single most time consuming part of the whole game? Well I think it is. Implementing it just takes a few minutes/hours.
      I like that you're focusing on setting a reinvestment goal. You take
      a percentage of your profits and plow them back in, even if you need
      to take some risks. That's the spirit.

      Regarding content, you KNOW that I love it. And, I have many models
      for making piles of cash from it. I just need to scale up.

      There's another subtle point here. I make a lot PER MONTH right now.
      However, it takes hard work and dedication. I'd like to start "farming"
      whereby I plant seeds, water them, then enjoy the fruits. I can make
      money (lot's of it) per month, but it takes work. I'd rather plow profits
      back into the business so I can focus on other things.


      AMY wrote:
      Spending more time working ON your business rather than IN your business is vital.
      I'm pretty sure you've said this before. It's great advice...

      I'm re-engineering my business with my brother. We're doing fine but
      I want to do better. I want to help more people. The only way to do
      that is improve. It's the point of my posting. :-)


      Tal wrote:
      There is SO much people online who think that way and that is why they are failing. The best way to work less and earn more is to follow what these successful people are doing who are working less and earning more.

      Their business online is based on ONE thing and that is this:

      AUTOMATION.
      Priceless advice. I once heard...

      Plan --> Capture --> Model --> Automate or Delegate

      The idea is that you plan to improve, then you gather up the
      right data to make the fixes required, then you map out the
      execution of the plan with the data you captured. Once you
      have done that, you "get rid of the task" with automation
      (e.g., software, scripts) or you have someone else follow the
      recipe to get it done.

      So, AUTOMATION is sound advice. I need to look for more
      ways to automate. Thanks.


      Rod wrote:
      1. Automate
      2. Outsource
      3. Taking care of the customer (and the competition will take care of itself).
      No doubt about it, this is great advice. I especially like the third
      item. Focus on customers not competitors. Unless people are
      stealing directly from us, hurting our bottom line, I ignore them.
      However, I never forget who keeps the cash flowing...

      Thanks to all who responded.

      If other folks have advice, fire away. Keep it comin'.

      ~ John
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      Important message from John S. Rhodes:
      I think you're awesome.

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      • Profile picture of the author Daniel Molano
        Originally Posted by John S. Rhodes View Post

        Dan wrote:
        What do I reinvest (outsource) it in? Content (we have talked about this before and I know you love content as well). Isn't that the single most time consuming part of the whole game? Well I think it is. Implementing it just takes a few minutes/hours.
        I like that you're focusing on setting a reinvestment goal. You take
        a percentage of your profits and plow them back in, even if you need
        to take some risks. That's the spirit.

        Regarding content, you KNOW that I love it. And, I have many models
        for making piles of cash from it. I just need to scale up.

        There's another subtle point here. I make a lot PER MONTH right now.
        However, it takes hard work and dedication. I'd like to start "farming"
        whereby I plant seeds, water them, then enjoy the fruits. I can make
        money (lot's of it) per month, but it takes work. I'd rather plow profits
        back into the business so I can focus on other things.
        That's the idea, I'll let you know how the content sources I told you about work out.

        - Dan
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