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Mar 31
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Become Like A Chef – Share Your Secret Recipe!

By Business Coaching Creative Motivation No Comments

What is it that makes so many great chefs, well, great? Some would say it’s in their ability to take some of the simplest ingredients and make something surprisingly delicious out of it, or to bring novelty to the kitchen, introducing insane dishes and combinations nobody would have thought to invent.

Some of the greatest chefs known to man like Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Nigella (to name a few) all have one thing in common: they refuse to keep their genius a secret.

You could say that it’s somewhat outdated (and deluded) to be holding onto a secret recipe that would be kept and carried to the grave, only to be experienced by the innovator and those they deem worthy of indulging in their beautiful offerings.

Not in this day and age.

 

The True Secret is To Share

What you’ll find is that these culinary architects refuse to keep their ideas all to themselves and instead opt to share their incredible creations with the rest of the world and through whichever medium they so choose.

With a simple Google search, you can find pretty much any recipe that a world-renowned chef has ever put out there to be gobbled up by the masses.

Too lazy to read it? Well, you could probably even find them on Youtube and watch the entire process with all the direction and guidance you’ll need.

The bottom-line is this: these chefs know that they are amazing at what they do. They thoroughly understand the science behind the food and that they can, and will, do the job better than anyone else that would attempt it.

So sharing their secret recipes and even going as far as to putting the directions on display is of little detriment to what they are capable of offering.

 

Your IP Is Like Expensive Jewellery 

What would be the point in having the most gorgeous watch, or the most stunning necklace that you know people would be completely enamoured by, but always keep it hidden away in a jewellery box, afraid of it being damaged or stolen?

It’s of no real use if it isn’t shared with the world.

I have clients that tell me that they have such superb, or ground-breaking ideas, but are too afraid to show the world; in fear of their idea being stolen and copied, or worse, made into something better.

Your IP, or Intellectual Property, could be worth millions, could change lives and could launch you into stardom, but without wielding it and displaying to the world how powerful it is, you’re not doing yourself any favours. Keeping it a secret means that you are not acting on it and that in itself is a travesty.

Imagine King Arthur drew Excalibur from the stone, wrapped it up and hid it under his bed, for it to never see the light of day, again. Fearing that someone might steal it, or make a clone.

That fear will be a massive hindrance to your growth potential.

The great Zig Ziglar once came up with a fantastic acronym for fear. You can approach fear in one of two ways; you can either “Forget Everything and Run”, or “Face Everything and Rise.”

By facing your fear, you take on the promise of having your idea spread and heard by people. Those people will give credit where credit is due, especially if you are open to sharing your ideas and strategies with the world. This selfless approach is a catalyst to selfish results, if that makes sense.

Use that precious, luxurious IP of yours and wear it for the world to see. Don’t keep it hidden in your box of precious belongings, or nobody knows that it even exists.

 

Spread Your IP Like a Virus 

I’ve made reference to Seth Godin’s Ideavirus, before and will reiterate it here once again.

You need to look at your ideas as if they should be a contagious virus, to ultimately become viral; an infection that spreads to as many people as possible.

Your product, brand, or idea should spark and ignite a pandemic that has as many people know about it. It should spread like a sneeze and keep spreading until everybody is a carrier.

The same can be said about what those great chefs do. They spread their recipes and tricks like a virus to hook as many people as possible. Fully aware that they are amazing at what they do, they aren’t afraid to share their ideas for free or for a bit of money.

In the end, they win.

 

So Be As Contagious As An Infected Chef 

Your IP is only as good as the amount of people that are infected with it, to share it and spread it.

Don’t be afraid of sharing your tricks, your ideas, your business and brand with the world. Share the secret recipes that you’re keeping locked up in a safe, wear your ideas like fine jewellery and sneeze that shit all over the place like it’s Covid.

I’m basically terminal – giving away all of the advice and secrets to my success, even though it’s my bread and butter.

I know how valuable I am to my clients, to business owners and entrepreneurs and I’m more than confident in my ability to coach like Tony Robbins. I have no problem sharing.

So when you’re ready to be infected, like a zombie with an insatiable hunger for the world – hit me up.

I’d be more than glad to share my years of experience and knowledge with you. Let’s get together and not wear our masks; come and get infected with me.

Cough up a call sometime, my number is +2783 253 3339

Or sneeze an email in my direction on brent@spillly.com

I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Mar 23
Love0

Scarcity VS Abundance Mindset

By Business Coaching Motivation psychology No Comments

As a business owner, you don’t only carry the responsibility of running your own company; you often assume the role of a leader that has to bring direction, guidance and ambition to others in order to build a successful business.

You act as a role-model to staff. You influence those around you. You create impressions that last.

That’s why it’s so important to be aware of the mindset that you carry, as you come to affect not only those around you, but your own behaviour, as well.

Indeed, constraints and obstacles will have an effect on your vision and can become a nuisance to accomplishing your goals, however, your perception will ultimately shape your reality and determine whether you fail or succeed as an entrepreneur.

Why Mindset Matters

 I’ve coached many business owners over the years and while personalities certainly differ, a common theme that I’ve come across is that of the two mindsets that people have: The scarcity mindset and the abundance mindset.

There’s always a problem or obstacle to face when running a business – unfortunately, it comes with the package. Being an entrepreneur is hard-work and nobody said it would be easy, but the way that some business owners go about solving particular problems can be ineffective, to say the least, and that’s often due to the limiting beliefs that come with having a negative mindset.

Based on the way that they approach a problem, there’s a level of pessimism and cynicism that ends up blinding their thoughts and governing their decisions.

Although we’ve become somewhat desensitized to those terms, being the pessimist or the cynic is a very dangerous path to choose. It doesn’t only have a negative impact on yourself, but bleeds through to others and can be harmful to business and personal relations.So much research has been done to prove how powerful the human mind is and how our mindset, philosophy and thought-processes can affect the behaviours and the decisions that we make.

It’s important to understand that we’re not like magnets; positive doesn’t attract negative and negative doesn’t attract positive. It’s quite the opposite, actually. If you remain positive in your approach, you’re far more likely to attract positive outcomes – the same applies with being negative and attracting negative outcomes.

Call it the law of attraction, a self-fulfilling prophecy or whatever you choose; at the end of the day, we are affected by what we think and the mindset that we carry with us on a daily basis.

Mindset matters. It shapes our interactions and achievements. It shapes the world that we live in.

 The 4 Constraints In Business That Affect Our Mindset

 With certain clients that I coach, I often come to recognise a mindset of scarcity and take the time to figure out the best way to understand where they’re coming from, so that I can help provide a solution to their problem.

Whether it’s a matter of strategic thinking, or day-to-day problem solving, they start from a negative standpoint, saying, “we can’t do that, because…”.

Often, the “because” is due to certain constraints.

“We can’t do that, because we don’t have the people, or enough people, or the skills in our people; we don’t have enough money to afford solving the problem; we don’t have the time to tackle these issues.”

The four biggest constraints are always around resources (lack of technology, skills, etc), people, time, and money.

These constraints can be problematic, but there’s always a solution to be found. So when I coach clients that deal with these issues, I start by recommending that they forget about those four constraints.

The Magic Wand

I like to use the hypothetical scenario of a magic wand that could wipe away all of those constraints with immediate effect and ask them what they would choose to do in their business and how they would go about it.

This usually brings about different thinking and solutions that they were previously unable to imagine.

It shifts the perspective from “how do we solve that thing?” to “how do we raise the money or find the right people to do that thing?”; creating a segue that changes their stance from reactive to proactive.

This brings about new ideas and changes the approach from scarcity to one more focused on the abundance that comes with solving the initial problem.

What I tend to find during this process is that there is no real shortage of solutions to the problem they’re facing, but rather that solutions were needed around those constraints. In my experience, solving the constraints opened the door to solving the initial problem.

This approach is based around an abundance mindset – one that seeks solutions through positive thinking. It motivates and allows you to think about problems differently and find answers from a different perspective.

Adopting An Approach To Abundance

 By adopting a mindset based on abundance, you begin to change your idea of life and business, as a whole. You see the advantages within the disadvantages and constraints; you find a silver-lining in everything that you approach.

It works itself into the way that you handle, influence and work with people. You’re seen as more positive and uplifting, rather than an emotional wreck that harbours problems and struggles to find solutions.

It prevents you from playing the blame game and invites you to take responsibility and accountability.

Scarcity acts like a leech on your thought processes and behaviour, while abundance acts as a catalyst to being a better, more productive individual. Again, we’re not like magnets in the sense that opposites attract; like attracts like, love attracts love, good attracts good.

Try it for yourself. Do the research.

And if you struggle, then fake it until you make it.

Struggling to find that silver-lining? Struggling to pick off all of the leeches that drain the optimism out of you? Worry not. I’m here to assist.

If it’s becoming so bad that it has an impact on your business, then get in touch with me and let’s discuss how I can help you move forward. I’ll bring all of the abundance you so desperately need and who knows, my cheerful attitude might just rub off on you – shifting your gear from scarcity to abundance.

Call me, Whatsapp me, contact me, today:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

Mar 23
Love0

Practice What You Preach And Become Your Own Best Client

By Business Coaching Entrepreneur Motivation No Comments

When dissecting this proverb, “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”, it can be understood as a phrase that describes a person who doesn’t benefit from the products or services of their own profession and as far back as this saying goes, it remains clear how relevant it is in business today.

In my experience with coaching, I’ve come to find that the lack of internal use of services or products that a business provides is a common occurrence within plenty of industries, whether it’s a law firm, advertising agency, or media company – implementing their own solutions seems to be out of the equation.

I don’t quite agree with that logic, as every company should be their own number one client and make practical use of the services (and products) that they provide.

Salaries Are Paid, So Provide The Service To Yourself

 Indeed, it does take time, resources and plenty of effort to provide a great solution to different clients. And as a business owner, you make sure to put your best effort in when giving people the greatest possible value that you have to offer.

But, the same logic should be applied when looking at your company; clients will come and go, leaving the most consistent and important client being your own organisation.

For some strange reason, too many entrepreneurs feel as if they should outsource or pay for external involvement to solve some of the problems that they are perfectly capable of handling within their own company.

I find it quite a common occurrence in ad agencies, where they often look past their own employees to advertise and market their business by looking elsewhere – wasting energy and resources on other people to do the job. The very same thing happens in particular law firms, where legal issues are handled externally, instead of looking at their own highly qualified and capable staff to get certain jobs done.In doing the research and going through a number of case studies, I’ve come to find that some of the most successful companies that exist make use of their own services internally and take this approach quite seriously; often spending up to 20% of their total budget around providing homegrown solutions to themselves.

This becomes even easier (and obvious) to do when staff are already being paid salaries to provide these solutions for other clients.

When you boil it down, it’s simply a case of practicing what you preach. You should put your own services into practice and utilise them to advance your business, while avoiding unnecessary spending.

It becomes a bit counterproductive to spend time and money hunting down external sources to do things that your company is already highly capable of doing on its own. Every business owner should be aware of this when seeking out solutions for their organisation.

You’re technically paying for the service already, so make your own company a client and treat that client with love, respect and attention.

 

More Benefits To Becoming Your Own Best Customer

 Making efficient use of the solutions that you provide within your own business is obviously very useful and will be of great benefit, so it goes without saying that running with the idea of being your own client or customer can bring about even more promising results.

Taking the time to act as a client for your own company will give you more insight into the way that it operates.

You go from actively seeking clients to becoming one – looking at your business from a different perspective. And by using your own products or services, it will help you pick up on issues, flaws and points that could be worked on to build a better brand identity.

This brings awareness around processes or interactions that could be made better for your customers, improving delivery in different departments and discovering areas where money, time and resources can be saved.

Becoming your own customer or client allows for more involvement and understanding, which will aid you in developing a much better solution.

Give it a try, be more involved, practice what you preach and make a far greater impact.

As a business coach, I’m constantly practicing what I preach and have to ensure that it’s my duty to deliver an impactful, remarkable and informative solution to my clients.

It isn’t easy running a business, it isn’t easy being alone at the top, it isn’t easy figuring out the right direction to take when the going gets tough, but it is easy to connect with a coach that has the ambition, drive and desire to make a difference in your life.

I am that coach and I am eager to take the journey with you in becoming the best version of yourself, so that your business will flourish.

Make life easier by contacting me whenever you’re ready:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

Feb 19
Love0

Change Quotient – Better than IQ and EQ?

By Coaching Motivation psychology No Comments

Finding comfort, stability and security are amongst our top priorities as human-beings; we seek to find solace in being as lazy as possible, sitting flat on our asses until our legs go numb.

Some of the most intelligent people on this Earth choose to sniff out the easiest possible route to take in life to get rich as soon as humanly possible. That’s why you might find some of the top-tier criminals have some of the highest IQs.

Unfortunately, a high IQ doesn’t always translate to wise decision-making.

Then there are those with extreme levels of empathy, leaning toward the wrong-end of the spectrum of EQ. Tell me something, is it a form of Emotional Intelligence to be so wound-up about something – anything – exuberating such intense levels of empathy that it translates to high-level cringe? Think extremist vegans; feminazis; simps and the like.

Too much emotion can have you crying and even throwing earth-trembling tantrums for the most irrelevant horseshit.

It goes without saying that a healthy combination of intelligence and empathy can go a long way – as a leader, an employee, a business owner… a serial killer.

But without the ability to adapt to change, they don’t hold as much weight.

 Darwin showed us just how powerful natural selection is – the innate ability to adapt to changing environments and circumstances; inevitably resulting in longevity.

Stupid dinosaurs. They couldn’t even outlive roaches.

Even roaches, crocs (not those despicable shoes) and lobsters all stood the test of time, leaving the dinosaurs but a memory forever bound to history books. What a shame.

What a shame it would be if the top of the food chain – i.e. humans – were to act so weak and powerless. Our innate ability to adapt to changing circumstances makes us amazing, capable and with the potential to evolve faster than anything else on this Earth.

In the workplace, in business, in running the world, our consistent battle with adversity is one that makes us better, stronger and far more capable then any of our quadrupedal counterparts.

As humans, we are constantly faced with hurdles and challenges that test our mettle, that push us far beyond the boundaries of excellence and history has proven this to us time and time again.

Adapting to change is etched into our genetic makeup and psyche, it’s so natural and yet we scoff at anything that rocks our boat, anything that brings about a change in flow and direction.

CQ Is the New Black

Our Change Quotient (CQ) is becoming quite trendy and a far more popular indicator of how capable people are in their work environment – whether running a business, leading a team, or being the best employee.

Being able to adapt and change when adversity rears its ugly head is becoming just as important as one’s IQ or EQ and is a powerful determining factor in our capabilities as humans.

With the Covid pandemic pillaging and destroying businesses, jobs and lives, we’re left to see the determination and power in those that are able to navigate the unpredictable storm.

This burgeoning storm, like many others, has brought about immense change in some of the best ways possible; new ways of doing business, new technologies, new competition, new roles, new services and products.It seems like we only enjoy change when it suits us; which should be all the time.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about changing completely and having to forage for a new identity from the abyss, but we should constantly strive to evolve and grow, especially in times of adversity or extreme change.

Like a tadpole taking on new features and form, becoming something bigger and stronger without losing its identity, its DNA. Or a caterpillar adapting and taking on a newer, more powerful design, one that can take on far more challenges with poise and agility.

Your ability to change is a profound gateway to more possibilities and opportunities.

3 C’s of Change

 I’ve come to find that there are three different factors that bring about change. These three factors force you to evolve, or be left behind and eaten – gobbled up like a McD’s burger in a fat kid’s lunchbox.

Two of the three factors that play a big role in our ability to make provisions for adaptation shouldn’t be the only reasons to propel us forward in life, as they force sudden change:

Circumstance forces you to take a look at yourself, your position and make quick decisions that will have you adapt and survive. Covid, as an example, has forced us to deal with circumstances we were too relaxed to pay attention to. Only when the shit hits the fan, do we take a look in the mirror and say, “it’s time for a change”.

Don’t wait for a circumstance to creep up and swallow you whole.

Crisis demands that you pull up your socks and get the ball rolling with haste, or die. We hate it when it barges in, but neglect to acknowledge that it is a reality that needs to be addressed and planned for. When you’re struck with absolutely no choice, left wondering “why am I here and how did this happen?”, you’ve been battered by crisis and often find it’s too late to gather your things and run.

Everything gets swept up into the maelstrom and you’re left with no option, but to change.

Don’t wait for a crisis and be shocked when it does come kick your door down.

And finally,

Choice is the factor that we should all strive to undertake. Like the tadpole, or the caterpillar, we should seek and choose to evolve and adapt toward a bigger, better form. We need to make the decision, the choice to bring about change and always be prepared for uncertainty. Be eager to adapt and avoid reliance on comfort.

We all have free-will, so by exercising your ability to change and by showing readiness to adapt, you will find that great benefit and strength in adversity become your new norm.

Do you want to go beyond extinction, still alive and well, way past your due date?

Well then, I have just the thing for you…

… My number and my Email address.

It will take a little bit more than just reading this to prepare yourself.

You need someone that will get you armed to the teeth and ready for war,

Ready to take on the next massive shift:

Find change, before it finds you.

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

..or just follow my mind as it dumps value all over the interwebs… @Spillly with three Ls everywhere; Twitter, Instagram, Facebook..

 

 

 

Feb 19
Love0

Vision Boards For Entrepreneurs: The Wall Of Blue Logos

By Business Coaching Motivation Strategy No Comments

Setting up an environment that carries within it a vision of success is a huge requirement for any successful business owner and in doing so, you motivate not only yourself on an individual level, but the employees and anyone that comes into contact with such a culture.

I’ve come across and use a wide variety of tactics and ways to keep entrepreneurs, staff and my clients motivated to attract better results in as many aspects of their business as possible and have found that the methods I’ll be sharing with you today are extremely powerful in creating such a great environment.

The Wall Of Logos

About six years ago, I was called in for a meeting with a very large advertising agency that was a potential client of mine and being a bit anal about time, I showed up about half-an-hour early for the interview.

Being there that early meant that I was stuck with the friendly receptionist and the various staff slowly dragging their feet into the workplace. I was offered a delicious cup of coffee and patiently waited to be summoned in.

During that time, I noticed a distinct wall of plaques behind the lovely lady and each one had a logo of some famous brand that anybody could recognise; big players in different industries all spread across this company’s wall. What I noticed upon closer inspection is that some were in colour and some were still silver in the shade of the original plaque.

Thoroughly impressed, I thought to myself, “Wow, these must be the clients that this agency works with,” which created even more anticipation to land them.

The time came and I was called into the meeting, everything went as smooth as Jazz and I bagged the opportunity to work with this amazing company. During the meeting, I brought up the glimmering wall of logos and it was explained to me that the brands that are in colour are those that they work with and already have as clients, while the plaques that are completely silver were the clients that they were aiming at getting.

An amazing idea that not only has their goals displayed for the world to see, but also one that motivates and pushes their staff towards a horizon of success.

This way of thinking left a solid impression on me and I firmly believe it to be a fantastic way that the company reminds itself and its employees that they are striving to be the best and will seize any opportunity to be huge in their industry.

The Blue Logo Approach

A few years after my encounter with the great wall of logos, I was working with another client of mine, also a large advertising firm in marketing and media, where I noticed that they had a slightly different approach to the plaque idea.

This company used what could be called the ‘blue logo strategy’, where they specifically targeted brands with blue logos as potential clients and without being confined to a single industry, these brands were all involved in multiple sectors and markets.

If you pay some pretty close attention to some of the biggest industry giants, you’ll come to find that a huge portion of them use a significant amount of blue in their logo: BMW, Unilever, HP, Intel, Facebook and Paypal (Oh! Spillly is also in blue – just putting that out there).

Making sure to tell their staff on a daily basis that those were the particular clients that they were going for, they created an environment with a concept similar to that of the wall of logos at the previous company I mentioned.  They were inducing a sense of motivation and ambition in themselves and their employees to strive towards capturing the best clients they could.

One really cool thing about that was the fact that they didn’t restrict themselves to one industry (like automotives), but to different sub-categories, like blue logos in the tech industry and the banking industry, as well.

This also didn’t necessarily mean that they were only accepting clients with a blue logo, but some of the best brands tend to have blue as a preferred colour choice. (*cough* like my one)

Vision Boards And Attraction

These methods that are used by the companies bear a stark resemblance to the law of attraction and a trick used to attract and manifest certain possibilities in one’s life and environment: something known as vision boards.

A vision board is usually a collection of images, formed into a collage to remind yourself, and others, of certain goals or ambitions that you’ve set out to achieve.

By creating such a device, you condition your subconscious to adapt and attract possibilities and opportunities that will bring about those goals, ambitions or dreams into existence.

Through having the blue logo approach or the wall of plaques, the entrepreneur and the staff all envision and fixate on particular results that they are all striving to achieve and in keeping a visual reminder, they constantly remind their subconscious minds of an outcome that needs to be delivered. This affects their behaviours, body language, communication and interactions with people in order to bring about their desires and breathe life into them.

It’s a fun way to think about who you are as an organisation, the type of clients that you want and how big you want that client base to become.

Finding a similar way to motivate yourself and your staff to excel in and achieve higher goals like this will most certainly be beneficial to your own business, including the environment and culture that it creates.

From the inside, your business will carry and develop an energy that strives for success; while from the outside, people are drawn to the high levels of ambition that you’ve put out on display – making it known that you’re on a quest to becoming a big-player in your industry.

This is a nice and easy trick to make use of and implement in your work environment and so am I.

I’ll be the best business coach you’ve ever invited into your life and business and just like those big corporate kings: my logo is blue, too.

Okay, I won’t keep bombarding you with how awesome my logo is, so if you need to know more about how I can turn your business frown upside down:

Let’s do a Zoom call, a face-to-face, a get together, a coffee:

+2783 253 3999

brent@spillly.com

I’m easy enough to find – there aren’t many bald, bearded business coaches with a blue logo out there. (Again, just putting that out there).

 

 

Feb 14
Love0

Howling at the Money Storm – “What Is Wealth?”

By Business Coaching Lifestyle Motivation No Comments

Wealth is a funny concept. There are many different ways to view it, so to get one universal definition can be just a little bit difficult.

Although it can be defined as how much you have sitting in the bank, or how well you’re doing financially; it can also extend to your levels of happiness in life, with family, comfort or your lifestyle.

In discovering the meaning of wealth, the last thing you should do is compare yourself to anybody, at all. It’s never fair to compare, as it can be so easy to find people that are far richer than you, living a better life – whether for real, or faking it on Instagram – and who are ultimately happier than you are able to be in the present.

So, How Does Spillly Define Wealth?

Great question!

I know people that many would consider ‘rich’, earning close to R500,000 a month, with the best car and access to almost anything you could ever desire; but find themselves so unhappy and miserable in their personal lives: living life divorced with two kids, with maintenance-bonded houses (some on their 2nd and 3rd properties), cars and assets that they can’t afford, private school bills, parents and siblings that are financially dependent on them.

These are people who are capable of going on over two overseas holidays a year and have lives surrounded by complete luxury, but still live on edge and in constant fear of financial insecurity.

A friend of mine is an example of this, earning a massive salary, owns the latest BMW 3 Series, and loves the extravagant lifestyle; however, as soon as Covid shattered life as we knew it, his business was struggling and he barely had 6 weeks’ worth of cash in the bank to pay for that lifestyle and all of those expenses.

From the outside, these people seem rich, but are certainly not wealthy and lack a certain level of financial freedom in their minds.

In contrast, my mother is almost 70, earns roughly R40k per month and spends around R30k every month on her lifestyle costs (car, rent, medical aid, etc), but her investments and assets give her more than her annuity every month. Her interest and rentals that she gets from her properties cover more than her monthly expenses. She is an example of what I would call wealthy – her monthly burn (expenses) is covered, while making more money than what she spends.

The fallacy is that just being rich results in being wealthy.

I define wealth as passive income greater than your burn. The key is to avoid measuring revenue, but rather the burn – what you spend your money on is just as important as what you earn.

Are you bringing in more than what you spend?

Now, how wealthy do you want to be?

If your answer to that question is to be R100 Million richer in the next 10 years and you’re just an employee, then do yourself a favour and just resign today.

It’s simply not going to happen.

The chances of you succeeding as a business owner are also very low. For the most part, the odds are stacked against you. The stats prove just how few businesses last past 3 years in this day and age, especially in a BEE-regulated, post-covid environment and research has proven that most entrepreneurs have a 1 in 5 chance of succeeding.

You need to be aware of where you are in the world and have realistic expectations. It’s impossible to become an overnight success. It may seem like some may achieve such a feat, but the anecdotes tell you how they’ve been around for many years before that success came knocking.

In order to get to a stage of being wealthy, there are certain measures that need to be taken. This starts with setting a financial goal that relates to savings, or annuity structures that will eventually produce more passive income than what you spend.

Pick a lifestyle that you believe is reasonable and in harmony with what you earn.

Identify how much wealth you need and by when, then work backwards and reverse-engineer those numbers.

I’ve come up with an easy and practical equation to help find the answer to your desired wealth:

If, A = Work;

And, B = Life;

Then, X(t) = Projected Wealth by when.

We have the equation A+B = X(t)

By starting with and setting a number for your wealth and when you want to have it by, you can work backwards to plan A (cash, revenue, savings, investments) and how much B (life balance) you will get out of it.

Plan Ahead to Achieve Your Goals

 Unless your plan is to become an earth-foraging hippy, or live in an Israeli kibbutz ( which I’m sure as hell you aren’t, as you’re here right now), then understanding exactly what you need to do today in order for you to lift yourself up for tomorrow and achieve your financial goals – should be a priority.

While salary is comfort; equity is wealth. 

Always try to find what brings the most equity in your life (investments, assets, etc), try not to focus and rely on the comfort of salary.

As with my theory of work-life balance: put in the hard work now to reap the balance later on in life. Pay close attention to what will bring you a passive income, long after salary has reached its due date.

Plan ahead.

Think it through.

And if you’re feeling a little bit anxious, anxious about where you’re heading and how big your X(t) is, you know how to reach me:

083 253 3999

brent@spillly.com

I promise you: My X(t) isn’t as big as yours.

 

Feb 14
Love0

Pushing Through Sir Galton’s Wall

By Business Coaching Entrepreneur Motivation No Comments

Think about this scenario for a second: there are two people, each with an exact set of circumstances in a closed environment; both the same race, age, gender, living in the same city, with the same education and the same opportunities decide to start the same business and provide the same service, but in a period of 2-3 years only one of them does incredibly well and the other fails dismally.

Even though every person is unique and capable of doing similar things, the greatest and best business owners have an inherent drive that differentiates them from others.

At the end of the day, it’s all about who the person is that determines their success.

A Wall Of Limitation 

Around the late 1800s, Sir Francis Galton proposed in his book Hereditary Genius that individuals could progressively improve until they hit a wall of limitation, regardless of education or determination to keep pushing beyond it.

He recognised that people were limited to a certain level of skill, abilities or talent and that once coming into contact with that wall, there was no surpassing it; however, most people never quite get to that wall, instead coming to a place called the “OK Plateau”.

It’s something that I’ve noticed in coaching my different clients and there’s a lot of solid and interesting theories to back it up.

Psychologists in the 1960s discovered three unique stages that we all go through in our journey to learning a new skill or ability and that there is a stage that everybody inevitably reaches called the “OK Plateau”, where we get comfortable and stuck in the process of mastering that particular skill or ability.

This is a prominent feature in all of us and in particular, business owners.

Similar to the process of learning how to drive a car, we start off with complete and total awareness and heightened cognitive function in the way that we process and learn how to make efficient use of the new skill we’re attempting to master, while progressively getting worse at the skill with time after a certain level of understanding and control is attained.

In these three stages that psychologists have discovered, we reach a stage of relaxation and autonomy in the way that we manage a skill, leaving the final steps of mastery or expert-level status to slowly fade from our sights.

The Three Stages Of Skill Acquisition

By taking a look at these three stages, we can see exactly how we move from the unknown to the known, to doing great until a certain point and then to doing a shit job, thereafter.

The first stage, known as “the cognitive stage”, is where we begin learning with great amounts of effort and ability, using strategies and tactics to navigate the new skill in the most effective way, while keeping a high level of awareness on rectifying mistakes that we make while processing this new information.

Similar to the learning phase in driving a car, where we’re alert, aware and constantly engaged in how to best apply this skill, so that we can take the necessary steps to mastery.

Move forward to the second stage, the “associative stage”, where we make errors and mistakes, rectify them and develop better ways to use the skill efficiently and effectively. We start becoming far more adept at the skill and it starts becoming easier to handle.

Again, with the car analogy, we’re going through repetitive sequences and begin forming a sense of comfort in the way that we drive, while not needing as much attention to be paid as it becomes a bit easier for us.

In the third stage, “the autonomous stage”, we’ve come to our most comfortable level in making use of the skill that we’re learning; basically taking the step from ‘learning’ to ‘learned’. In this stage, we act through muscle memory and begin to develop habits that have us finding shortcuts and loopholes in the way we operate the skill. This is where it becomes dangerous for us.

As with driving, when we reach that stage of autonomy, we tend to feel supremely comfortable in making use of the skill, that we recognise when to change gears through sound, we engage in multitasking by listening to music, making and taking phone calls, use one hand and are capable of conversation during this important task.

It’s at this point that we reach the “OK Plateau”, becoming autopilot in our control of the skill and feeling a massive sense of comfort in how we make use of that skill.

This becomes dangerous for business owners and entrepreneurs in particular, as they become relaxed and lose the original sense of focus that they had in the early stages of starting their business. Once money is flowing, the workload is easier to manage and control and learning becomes a thing of the past; the growth and potential of the business becomes stunted.

Everything becomes easier, so you take your foot off the gas and decide to coast, rather than keep pushing towards the wall of limitation; to the point of true potential that you possess.

Don’t Stop At Mediocrity

During this crucial stage, it’s so important to keep away from the mediocrity that comes with being highly-autonomous and in a perpetual mode of being in autopilot mode.

The psychology shows that it’s possible and highly rewarding to push past that plateau and strive towards even higher levels of success. Once you’ve learned how to drive, it doesn’t quite end there, as professional or expert-level driving is a skill that can also be added to that existing repertoire.

 

In the same way, business owners should take themselves above and beyond to the next level and become experts in their field, instead of resting and relying on a state of comfort.

By refreshing yourself, you can push through the limitations that you’ve made for yourself and create an environment of exponential growth and dominance in more than one field, expanding yourself to better and even more promising rewards.

Many entrepreneurs in that stage can often begin developing a nasty bias, known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, where they believe they are the absolute best at what they do, absent of the skills and talents necessary to actually launch themselves past the stratosphere. It’s absolutely crucial to become aware of the limiting self-belief that you actually load on yourself and begin the process of learning and education all over again.

Don’t stop at a point that you think is ultimate success, as it’s more than likely that you haven’t even reached that wall of limitations, just yet.

Your journey just begins when you find autonomy, ease and comfort in the skill you’ve developed. That’s when you take on the next chapter, the next level and enter new arenas to conquer.

I know that I, myself, haven’t quite reached my wall of potential, so I’m still constantly learning and open to as much new information as possible.

In taking this stance, I want to learn exactly what it takes to convince amazing people like yourself to take me on as a business coach – what it will take to make you my client, so I can be pushed even closer to my wall of limitation, while helping you reach yours.

Teach me! Show me the way to your pocket, I mean your heart. (Just Kidding!)

 

This is how you can find me; catch me; cook me; and enjoy me:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

I take Whatsapps, Calls, SMS, Emails, DMs (that’s what the kids call it, right?).

 

 

 

 

 

Feb 07
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Seeking Out Talent And Culture In Hiring New Staff

By Business Coaching Interviews Motivation No Comments

In most businesses you’ll find a lot of emphasis put on skills and experience during the hiring process and in selecting the most ideal candidate to employ.

As a coach that works closely with business owners and entrepreneurs, I always recommend that my clients widen their scope a little bit more and pay attention to a few important aspects to consider when employing new people into their businesses.

We know that skills and experience are tried and tested – it gets the job done and gets the position filled – but, it isn’t enough to find employees that can really make a true impact.

 

Talent, Culture And A Paradigm Shift 

If you’re building a business that requires people, which most businesses do, one of the most important processes will be your ability to find and hire quality people and retain them for a long time.

It’s certainly a crucial part of running a business, but what tends to happen is that most businesses will only interview for both skills and experience – which, we can all agree, is a bit outdated.

Skills refer to what the person studied, learned and whether or not they can do what it takes to produce results in their field; while experience refers to what jobs they’ve had, how long they’ve been in the workforce, which businesses they’ve worked for and what they’ve been exposed to in those environments.

It’s easy to measure these two attributes, as you can check who they’ve worked for and the duration; you can take a look at their body of work to get a sense of what they’re able to produce; and you can check their character through references.

But what often tends to happen is that when these people join the business, there comes a realisation that they’re not a good fit, culturally speaking and that they don’t have the right talent often required by the business. Talents can be considered one’s ability to do things naturally, their ability to learn and ability to take and adapt to criticism.

These attributes need to be paid far more attention when choosing the right staff and during the hiring process to get the best out of the people that help operate the business.

 

Incorporating Value Into Your Business Through It’s People 

The first step that needs to be taken is to identify what your business culture is and what your company values are and being aware of this will allow you to have a stronger sense of the people you require to complement your business.

In the second step and during the interview process, you need to figure out how to test the culture and value that the person can bring to your business – figuring out whether they’re a great fit and that the candidate and company will comfortably dovetail; you need to ensure that you’re inclusive of both talent and culture.

I’m not saying that you should discard the current factors that are looked for in potential employees, but to pay more attention to attributes that might bring extra added value to your business. Make use of all four (culture, talent, skills and experience), rather than the traditional two.

If you had to do a proper test for these pieces, you could make the final decision as to how you would implement them: my suggestion being 25% for talent, 25% for culture and 50% for skills and experience – you decide what becomes more important in the right fit for your company.

By taking the traditional route, you could run into the risk that you employ someone who can do the work, but can’t communicate; or that can do the work, but doesn’t want to learn more; or who can communicate really well, but doesn’t want to do as much work.

You’re trying to find people with a natural ability to learn and adapt to new processes, that take on challenges and learn from them; what you’ll find is that talent and culture can’t really be taught, where skills and experience absolutely can.

More often than not, you can teach people the skills of the job that need to be done, but the ability to be a self-starter, to be autonomous, high-performing and to have a strong work ethic – are all things that can’t be taught; they either have it, or they don’t.

 

Honesty, Hunger, Humility, Happiness

 The email delivery powerhouse, SendGrid, applies a healthy combination of what they call the “4 H’s” when hiring new staff and it’s worked wonders for them.

There are 4 cards and each one is rated from 1-5 to measure where they fit in with those attributes in the company. It makes the hiring process a lot easier and you’ll find more emphasis put on talent and culture, rather than just skills and experience.

In the workplace, you should look at employees that bring, or have a sense of:

Happiness;

Hunger (enthusiasm);

Humility;

Honesty.

These are obviously not the be all and end all in measuring who should or should not be an employee, but it is a pretty good start.

 

The Rotting Banana In The Car 

A story that is etched into my brain, which gave me a nice chunk of insight into how skills and experience don’t necessarily correlate with values, talent or culture is the rotting banana story.

A few years back, I had a national key accounts manager that sat in on an interview with a potential employee that he considered hiring. The interview went well, I thought she had all of the necessary skills and experience for the job, so naturally thought that she’d be a great fit.

This is when it got interesting. Instead of simply thanking her, finishing the interview and letting her be on her way, he insisted that he walk her to her car.

I was expecting him to come back up to the office saying how brilliant she is and that we should pull the trigger and hire her. To my surprise, he said without hesitation, “we’re not hiring her.” I thought why not? She has the right talent, skills, a great network and ticked all of the proverbial boxes.

He said that I had to see the state of her car; that a black, rotting banana peel sat on the front seat and was just baking in the sun, probably emitting all sorts of foul odours. He was horrified at the state of her car and said that it meant she was disorganised, messy, can’t keep her head clear, that she doesn’t represent herself well in front of clients and that she’s put on a really good sales front for the interview and that deep down the car is a reflection of who she is.

I thought to myself, “that’s madness”, then he asked me if I saw her nails, which he pointed out were half-painted and half-worked. He firmly said, “she doesn’t take care of herself.” He pointed out that you want someone in sales that takes care of themselves, as they also represent you, or the company and judging by the state of her grooming and car, she’s not a good culture fit for the company.

This taught me the valuable lesson of always paying attention to how well potential employees take care of their car and of themselves. Sure, some people might have an off-day, but those small things can tell you a lot about a person and how they would fit in with your company.

Just in case you were wondering:

I keep myself well-groomed, healthy and fit and know how to best represent you and your business.

So if you’re in need of a great business coach, that also rocks up fresh and energetic – get in touch.

 

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

 

Shit! This just reminded me that I need to go get that damn banana out of my car.

The joke is on you, because I have a kickass motorbike, just so I can avoid bananas.

Jan 24
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Learn, Leverage and Love – The 3 Ls That Make Up Spillly

By Coaching Entrepreneur Motivation No Comments

“Spilly” was a nickname given to me by friends and classmates back in highschool, way before I had any idea that I would be delivering speeches to industry giants like WPP, or becoming a successful business coach to remarkable clients from all across the globe.

Around 2008, I had created my first Twitter profile and unsurprisingly came to find that the name ‘Spilly’ (with two Ls) was already taken. I was left with two choices, either change the name completely, or simply add an extra letter to the nickname and keep it.

Thus, Spillly was born. An intriguing new moniker which would later have me remembered by some of my best clients as “Spillly with 3 Ls”. The bright side was that these three L’s would come to support my coaching beliefs and ultimately contribute to and shape my presentations forever.

So I formulated Learn, Leverage and Love. It made perfect sense as a general rule for squeezing the best out of any burgeoning business. And by definition, these three concepts carry a profound ideology that will shape and develop any business in a wonderful and convenient way.

 

 

Learn, Learn and Learn Some More

One of the key personal values that I hold is to learn as much as possible and to keep growing through learning. This will not only be a way to complement an already developing skill-set, but will also enhance the ability to use information as effectively as possible.

Learning and education go hand-in-hand with creativity and I’ve come to find that too many creative business owners have trouble growing without having a keen interest in delving into the unknown. This can contribute to a lack of awareness and foster a sense of insecurity in oneself, making it difficult to adapt and diversify their business.

Lifelong learning carries many advantages to any business owner and can enhance multiple aspects of their life, including stronger self-motivation and inspiration, the discovery of new interests, an improved professional life and a major boost in self-confidence.

By cultivating your abilities and knowledge, you gain new perspectives and see far more solutions than problems, allowing you to control and navigate all the many situations and curveballs that life throws at you.

Part of my process is not only to educate, consult and guide my clients, but to nurture and nourish decision-making throughout their business-growth path. This starts with a framework that gives them the ability to set clear objectives and achieve them through the various learning pieces that I provide.

 

Leverage Yourself Upwards Towards Success

As important as learning is, without leveraging what you have learned, you run the risk of diminishing the value of that precious knowledge you’ve come to accumulate.

The powerful quote by entrepreneur Derek Sivers, “if all it took was knowledge, we’d all be billionaires with six-pack abs,” encapsulates exactly what this concept is about. Action needs to follow knowledge, or what would be the point in all the information you have stored up in that incredible brain of yours?

It’s too easy to sit with the knowledge of doing something great, like becoming the next Jeff Bezos, but not many people take action to usher it into reality.

Being able to apply knowledge in a practical way is just as important as accumulating it. Without practice, perfection simply can’t exist. Applying what you know and learn will help leverage your skills and ultimately, contribute to exponential growth.

 

The word ‘leverage’ has a few definitions in the dictionary and for the purpose of this section, it means to “use (something) to maximum advantage.” By using your knowledge to its maximum advantage, you leverage and yield far better results for your growing enterprise.

A study done in Bethel, Maine proved that by making practical use of learning, the level of information retention for future use becomes much higher. Where simply learning the information gave retention rates of 5-20%; by engaging in discussion and teaching others, results of 50-90% were achieved. Which proves just how important applying that knowledge can be.

Many entrepreneurs have an amazing array of skills and abilities, but often struggle to apply them in the right way. That’s where I come in. My goal is to foster those skills in my client, helping them make use of it in a sharp and effective way, creating an awareness of their hidden potential.

Situations often arise in which my clients try to leverage too many things at once, making their load heavy and difficult to operate, which gives me the opportunity to help them focus on using the right tools, at the right time.

Sometimes leveraging your time, resources and ambitions can be necessary in developing a strong business and becoming a successful business owner.

 

Love Until It Hurts and Then Love The Pain

The title might sound somewhat masochistic, but love for your work, environment and for yourself, can be extremely rewarding to your business. Effectively, making you a better entrepreneur and leader.

As cliche as it may be, you need to love what you do and enjoy every outcome that your business brings with it. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to love the product, the staff,  the clients, or the long hours that you put in, as it can often be difficult to enjoy every single element of running a business. There will be great days and there will be days that drive you to the brink of insanity. The idea is to find joy in every moment and focus on the elements that bring you a sense of happiness and pleasure.

Hold onto the various things that bring you satisfaction, then delegate and outsource the rest to people that can grow your business. You need to enjoy the journey you’re on, making it bearable and not a burden.

As the late, great Steve Jobs once said, “the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

By showing a great deal of love in running your business, you become a better performer and make better decisions. If you bring love on your journey, there can be many other benefits and most of them can be attributed to the concept of “flow”.

Coined by Hungarian Psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the concept of flow refers to, “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it”. This love and pleasure in what you’re doing yields powerful results in many different areas.

Do your absolute best to enjoy the process of building something new and meaningful;

Love to learn new things;

Love strategizing and achieving your goals;

Love the competition and competing in the market;

Love your day;

Love yourself for being brave, dangerous and a brilliant business owner.

 

I Leave You with This:

The 3 Ls that I make strategic use of are backed by years of research and a strong understanding of how business owners think. By applying my concepts, you will be one step closer to becoming a powerful and successful business proprietor, making it easier to do what you do best.

It’s my passion to help shape and develop extraordinary people in their journey to grow phenomenal businesses and to provide business owners with what they desire and deserve – whether building a business that brings them millions in profit every month, or one that allows them to have more time for leisure and themselves.

If you’d like to have a chat, or get together for a strategic coffee, feel free to contact me any time on 083 253 3999, or feel free to shoot me an email at brent@spillly.com

 

Jan 24
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Retirement On The Horizon – The Perfect Time To Start a Business

By Business Coaching Entrepreneur Motivation No Comments

Aging is so much fun, isn’t it? Getting slower and sluggish with far less energy to spare; finding irritation in the small things (like bread crumbs on the counter); or arthritis and other health issues paying you an unsolicited visit with no indication of when they’re leaving.

It can be a bit of a bitch, but wouldn’t you say it’s the best time to become an entrepreneur and start a business? I believe so.

You might be asking, “Spillly, what drugs are you taking?”

I might tell you that I’m snorting… the beautiful, fresh air outside and getting high on some life.

Because, with age comes a wonderful, novel perspective on life and the ability to move swiftly into the future with all of that hard-earned knowledge, expertise and a network worth its weight in gold.

 

Are You In Your 50s, Yet? Hurry, There’s So Much Potential! 

When you reach an age going past 40, you’re sitting on a goldmine of potential that could see you making your very own business and conquering a whole new dimension of your reality.

As time goes by, sure, you’re becoming more tired, have a greater aversion to taking risks and seek the comfort you’ve been waiting so long for.

But, you’re now in your prime – able to see and cut through the bullshit, know exactly what it is that you don’t want and have a strong network of people that can propel you to extreme heights far quicker than when you were in your 20’s.

You’re well-connected, you’ve got the wisdom and the knowledge of seeing it all. You know what you want in life and have a better idea of how to get exactly what you’re looking for.

The biggest difference between that age bracket and someone in their early 20’s and 30’s is that of the deadline. There is a due-date and it lingers over you, like the grim reaper; it waits patiently for your demise, eager to present you with an invitation to death, itself.

I don’t mean to be morbid, but when you’re young, you feel as if you’re bulletproof, unbreakable and like you’re going to live forever; the understanding that there is a time-limit, one where everything slows down, tends to be but an afterthought.

When you’re young, you can start a business, crash and burn in 5 years and get right back up to go for another round (ah, those were the days – limitless stamina and a soaring libido).

Also, your risk profile is far different to that of someone older – without a family to support, with heaps of energy, with self-delusion and minimum responsibilities, you’re far more at ease when taking a route to a successful business; where failure is an option.

However, when you’re in your 50’s, you become far more aware of the fragility of life and the pressure that it comes with. Time is of the essence, you have a blatant deadline looming, but most importantly, you have the right tools and means to get you going way faster than anyone else.

 

The Asset of Age

 In reaching an age beyond your 40’s, your risk profile tends to change in a number of ways.

When taking the early steps into your 30’s, there was a different kind of pressure – one to settle down and find comfort in a spouse. Taking on more risk, you get a bond for a home, get dogs or pets, have cars to maintain and bills to pay (medical aid, insurance, etc.).

Your time is spent and you’re unable to put in the energy to now create a business with all of these responsibilities that need your constant attention.

Fast forward a few more years and as the age of 50 draws nearer, you’ve found ease in navigating and delegating those tasks. Life becomes a little bit easier. Which is why it proves itself to be the perfect time to introspect, to look at yourself and how valuable you are.

You know exactly what you don’t want; you have a strong network of people that you can rely on, work with, sell to, get referrals from; you’re aware of the deadline and that you need to execute your idea well and to the best of your ability – these are the perfect tools to start a business. To become a successful entrepreneur.

Your age is ultimately an asset that can be used to bring about far more benefits than if you were to retire and give up on everything that you’ve accumulated.

A Lesson For The Youth To Take Away

I always say that I’d much rather back a 50-year-old entrepreneur over one half his/her age. They have all the right attributes and assets to see a successful business through.

This doesn’t mean that it should be limited to that age. There’s a lesson to be learned there and if you’re young, then take into consideration the deadline; look past your perceived invincibility and come to terms with how short this life can be.

IF you can apply the pressure and put in the hard-work, then you can make something powerful with a shelf-life that can withstand a nuclear threat.

As the great Jazz composer, Duke Ellington once said, “I don’t need time. What I need is a deadline”.

Face that deadline head-on and put the pressure on max.

Apply as many life-lessons from the older-generation as you can and reap the benefits, rather than wrap yourself up in the same repetitive cycles.

Being old can be extremely beneficial – sure, it won’t be as easy to accumulate all the network and credibility that someone that age has, but you can approach it from a place that pushes for strong connections, credibility and trust from the people that will ultimately carry your business.

If you’re above the age of 50, keen to get started on a business, become an entrepreneur, ready to squeeze your network for what it’s worth:

Hit me up! Let’s talk. Let’s get right into it. I’m here to nudge you in the direction you’ll need.

I also don’t discriminate. I’m no ageist. So if you’re still young and know that you need the guidance, the motivation and a plan to get you on track to success in your business, feel free to contact me, anytime:

+2783 253 3339 brent@spillly.com