"The consumer isn't a moron. She is your wife."
- David Ogilvy
"Atomic energy might be as good as our present-day explosives, but it
is likely to produce anything much more dangerous."
- Sir Winston Churchill
"Opportunities multiply as they are seized."
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War
When
I was in junior high I wrote the story below.
My teacher called me in the hallway after she read it.
She thought I "missed the point" and she didn't believe it,
at least the first part.
I had to keep telling her it was true, and when she finally -
kinda - believed me -
Oh, the look on her face...
... I still remember it...
... eyes popped open...
... yet a bizarre squint at the same time...
I was in the
principal's
office at lunch -
They didn't believe me at first either.
Finally after talking to my parents, a few cousins and with my
brother (who was part of it) -
They knew I was telling the truth.
After that
I had to see a "counselor"
For an
evaluation...
.... then "trauma therapy"
or something.
Oh - I also won a partial scholarship from this - although I
never used it unfortunately.
All from this one story.
I'm going to tell it to you now for a very different reason than
when I wrote about this years ago, and yes I honestly believe
this is along the lines of the biggest secret about the "Economy",
about "tough times" and all the other trivial (and even non
existent) stuff that people keep
bellyaching about... still!
Yes - the BIGGEST secret...
... to why my stuff won't work in your "area/business/industry"
or "for you"...
... to the crooks who "stole everybody's money"...
... to the unemployment "debacle"...
... to the immigration "problem"...
... to all
the economic "woes"...
... to why times are "tough"...
... to the housing "crisis
-
This is it right here...
My childhood was a little
different
I
should re-emphasize that before I tell you what I wrote about...
... I grew up in parts of the world that most people only hear
about on the news - when they blow up.
Even though I was born in the States (Miami, actually) we went
back and forth constantly, depending on our family's financial
situation, I know you probably already know that but sometimes
people forget...
Alright so me and my brother were shopping -
And we
weren't in a mall
It is different "there",
more like sandy streets with makeshift booths and wild animals.
Basically, picture Alladin - without Robin Williams.
The crowds were shoving and moving about, shoulder-to-shoulder
as far as the eye could see. It was hot - it was always hot - and
my brother and I were holding hands tightly as we made our way
past camels, soldiers and beggars.
I saw a young boy, my age -
With a ghostly face
I must have eaten as
much that day as he did all month.
It looked like invisible weights were dragging the skin on his face
down, and I could see the bottom of his eyeballs - the actual
eye balls - his mouth was half open as he looked around at the
different carts of food and drinks that were being sold.
He was just a few feet from me but all I had seen was his upper
torso, in a momentary gap of passing bodies I got a glimpse of
his legs. He was wearing nothing; no pants, no shoes.
Finally, he saw me
He scanned my body the way
I did his, un-alarmed, he continued walking and searching.
There was something about him that caught my eye - I still don't
know what it was - and it wasn't because he was half naked,
that's normal...
... I still don't know why I watched him...
My brother pulled my arm and nodded his head to our right, I
looked over and saw another child squatting (this one was
totally
naked) and going to the bathroom (a "number two") as he was
cooking insects in a pan. We both looked at each other with
same thought -
"That could've been us."
As we were looking at each other I got sprayed in the face with
a shot of blood.
A cow was being slaughtered a few feet from us.
Right there, in the "street", spraying hundreds of people with
intestines, brain matter and skin.
Nobody seemed to mind.
I turned to find the young boy I'd been watching.
I spotted him
But he was different - in a hurry, nervous... hiding something.
I knew there was something about him so I pushed through and kept
my eye on him.
After a dozen or so steps he got yanked by the collar, so hard that
his hand flung out from under his shirt. Food and cigarettes
dropped on the ground.
He had been caught stealing.
Within
seconds a debate broke out. About a dozen "shoppers" who had seen this got
involved - nobody else noticed/cared.
The topic of debate?
What
to do with the young thief.
Some are making the logical
argument of his age, social class, poverty -
Others unemotionally appealed for "no exceptions".
The strange part about all of this is that everybody seemed to
know what was coming -
Except us
The man who grabbed the boy, dragged him to a table - pushing
aside the handful of protesters.
He reached to grab the boy's arm, at that exact moment the kid went
crazy. Like us, he wasn't sure what was going to happen
until that very second.
Screaming for somebody to intervene, his free hand and
both his feet kicked uncontrollably. His voice was
cracking. He
wanted out.
It wasn't happening.
The best way I know of to describe this is how somebody would react if
their arm were caught under a slow moving bulldozer.
To calm the child down the man slapped his face. Hard.
Then he grabbed his wrist -
He twisted it so the boy was facing the ground, then he slammed
back of the kid's hand on the table.
That was the first time I knew what was about to happen.
My brother and I officially entered the debate.
We offered to pay, to pay double, triple - we screamed with the
others for the man to stop. He pulled out a knife-sword as we
tried to reach him, to hold us (and a few others who were on our side of the
argument) back the pro-punishers gathered and pushed us back
from the table.
The shoving and screaming continued.
Time was running out
I got on my knees and shuffled so I could see the boy's face.
His eyes were squeezed together like a vault, he hardly took a
breath between his screaming - I could actually see the back of
his throat throbbing - tears shot off his face - he kept
shaking his body trying to get loose.
He was under a bulldozer.
Fever pitch
The shouting, the pushing, the crying - even the indifference of
the passing people -
Was climaxing, I didn't think there was anything we could do.
The man's hand raised as he got ready to chop down on the wrist. I
looked at the boy's face one last time, and for some inexplicable
reason, he was calm.
Almost as a calm as the first time I saw
him.
He knew what was coming, in fact - there was no more
"coming" because this was it, it was happening that very second - how
could he possibly be calmer now than before?
He was motionless.
The blade slammed down in what felt like slow motion...
... my mouth opened more with each dropping second...
... my eyes narrowed...
... my stomach flexed...
The blade landed.
The boy yelped in pain, but he also had a smile.
The man looked at the wooden table where his knife landed...
with a surprised reaction.
A few of the boy's defenders
peered to see, and then they too smiled...
... I found out why the boy was calm.
He had been watching the shadow of the man and at the last
moment he gave one final jerk and moved his arm forward, causing
the blade to miss his entire wrist so instead of cutting off his
whole hand - he got "lucky" and only had two fingers cut off.
Was it over?
The boy yanked and yanked and the man reluctantly let go - after
being strongly encouraged to... even by his previous supporters.
The boy looked at the man, who pulled his knife out of the wood
and flung the detached finger fragments off the table and into
the sand. He gave the boy a look as to say "I'll get you next
time."
It was over.
Some of the people who had gathered bought the boy the food he had
taken.
He had wanted the cigarettes so that he could sell them, and the
food was for him and his family. So this was the first time I
got to see exactly what food he was trying to take; what food was worth cutting somebody's hand
off.
So what was it that the boy was willing to risk his life over?
Snacks.
Airline snacks.
Peanuts, mainly.
Even without all of his fingers, the boy was ecstatic about the
peanuts. He tore a piece of his shirt off and wrapped his hand
AFTER and WHILE he started eating.
I have never seen anybody enjoy airplane peanuts so much, even
while strangers came and helped him with his hand, he kept
eating. He didn't even go back and look for his fingers.
He was just happy with the peanuts.
I never look at peanuts the same again.
Exactly one week later
We were leaving, coming back to the States.
As we boarded the plane we were put in the special "class" (they
don't call it that here) because we were Americans. So we got
to stay in a lobby with an A.C. (air conditioner, which you
probably won't truly appreciate until you walk miles through
100+ degree desert weather) - it also had a food bar and
servants.
My brother and I -
Went wandering around - as if we hadn't seen enough the week
before -
And we sat down next to a well dressed man on his way to
America, just like us. He was used to stopping in Saudi and the
Middle East on his way to and fro. While my brother and I sat
talking to each other, the other traveler signaled for a waiter.
He asked for...
You guessed it -
Peanuts
Actually instead of asking for them he took the ones from the
tray that was brought to him.
He opened a bag ate a few, and with a disgusted look on his face
he spit them back into the bag and threw the peanuts in the trash.
We didn't say a word - we just looked at each other.
Strange how life works out, isn't it.
He went on -
And complained about the service, the weather, the people, the
delays, but most of all - what he had the biggest problem with
at that time - was the food, specifically... the peanuts.
In fact, he took the rest of the bags from the tray the waiter
had and threw them away because they weren't "good to eat" or
"fit" for anybody.
That day I got a taste of what dumpster diving was, because we
went back and got the peanuts out... and ate them, even though
I'm allergic to them.
Here's my point?
Everyday - yes, every single day - people all over the world are
fighting, willing to give their lives for a single kernel
(literally a peanut) of America... and what do we - the people
who have been given more than any other group of people on the planet have
EVER been given - what do we do with the opportunity and
resources?
How do we react?
By complaining that it isn't enough...
... that things are "broken" and "somebody" needs to fix them
"now"...
... by victimizing ourselves because what "they" did "wasn't
fair"...
... by moping about the "economy" and a lack of opportunity...
... by maintaining that things are "tough" right now...
... by wondering what "happened to our money"...
Are you fu**ing serious?
I've talked about this in the past, and whenever I do I hear
from knuckleheads who just don't get it - so I'm going to
respond categorically to a lot of the nonsense right here in
this letter.
I should also say that I get a lot of great
feedback too, and I guess my goal would be to adjust - even
slightly - the view of certain situations by adding at least
some perspective.
And we get emails, calls, faxes - everyday about this, so from
now I'm just going to refer people to this page.
Not-so ironically, they won't read it - because it is "too
long", they're "different" or they "already knew that" -
Yeah, if only...
I'm not complaining by
the way -
Mark Twain said that we should be grateful of others'
ignorance, because without them it would be much harder to be a
genius... something like that.
So it makes things much easier for the rest of us when the
"victims" are in the dark - and voluntarily keep
themselves imprisoned there.
Who do I mean by the rest of us?
I'll get to that in a second...
Let's talk about "tough
times"
If you've never left America, you've never seen tough times -
You've never seen a "bad market".
You've never been to a "bad neighborhood".
You didn't grow up with "humble beginnings".
You've never seen a real ghetto...
... you think drive-bys and drug
dealers are bad? Try fly-bys and mercenaries.
And you sure as hell aren't a "victim" either, you were born with
more than most people will ever have.
How "bad" are things...
really?
Nobody's going to kill you if you make too much money or have
too many kids.
You aren't going to starve to death - quite the opposite since
we are just about the fattest group of people to ever walk the
Earth.
There isn't a group of armed government-hired mercenaries
combing the streets with orders to shoot you if worship the
"wrong" God.
No matter how much money/income you've "lost", it wasn't taken
from you by physical force just because of the way you look.
You weren't forced out of your home only to have another family
move in because they were "purer" than you
MAKE NO MISTAKE -
that is the "real world"
More
people on the planet are starving than aren't.
So - I ask you - do you really deserve what you've been given?
I know many people who read this aren't in America - but many
are, and the ones who moved here from another country - a place
with real problems - take my stuff and get rich.
With almost no exceptions - whenever I get one of those stupid
questions about things "working right now" or times being
"tough" it is almost always from an American.
An AMERICAN!
How
unbelievable is that - well, let me put this in context first -
We are the fattest, most well-fed (obese even) people ever -
with the highest concentration of wealth and power that mankind
has ever seen. We are born with what generations have fought to
believe in, died to protect and dared to dream about.
It is all given to us...
at birth.
We're the people the world
looks to for inspiration - for hope - to be a beacon of light as
an example of what is possible - of what humans are capable
of...
An Alien
Going to
any other country, would come across the US Embassy - after
seeing other countries' embassies run out of cubicles,
outhouses, sheds - or maybe, if they're lucky, out of an office
- they would see a military fortified and heavily guarded,
domineering and free-standing building that is the US Embassy.
Even this alien would be forced to wonder; "Who the hell are these
people?"
Yet, even with all this...
They'd turn the TV on...
And see that it isn't enough...
They would see the masses of voluntary victims chanting in the
streets about the lack of opportunity, the lack of money, the
lack of housing...
The mentality is real easy to summarize:
"I deserve more!"
"I don't have it and somebody else does!"
"None of this is my fault!"
They all chant in unison...
"Not my fault!"
"Not my fault!"
"Not my fault"
Here are some "questions" people ask me...
... when I talk about this.
Notice these aren't really questions, they are statements that
assume no fault of the inquisitor and that things are "bad" -
ultimately these statements aren't designed or asked to learn,
they are used to justify incompetence, invalidate ideas and
delegate blame for personal shortcomings...
This is nothing to be loyal to... a wise man once said (okay, it
was me) "don't be loyal to your ignorance."
"Questions"
"But Azam, people are losing their jobs! Look at the
unemployment numbers, just LOOK AT THEM!!!"
Yeah... so?
Okay let's talk about the
the non-entrepreneurs first, the people who actually want to
find - and keep - a "good" job...
So you lost your job?
So? If you lost a job, get another one, and try and do a better
job at your... job - make yourself irreplaceable - so that you
don't get... you know, replaced.
Ultimately if you had been
doing your job well enough, you wouldn't have been
fired/replaced or your job wouldn't have been outsourced. Heart
surgeons aren't losing their jobs, are they?
Okay, maybe the are, in which case - get better at performing or
marketing your skill.
Just get better...
Starting in late 2008 car
dealers across the country were bitching about losing their dealerships, and
countless local news stations ran stories asking "what it takes" to be
"safe" from losing a dealership.
I've seen at least five such
stories - in different states and on different networks - that summarized
the secret:
Try and increase
sales
I'm serious.
So that's the big secret;
companies need to make money?
What a concept...
... this translates so well
to all the other "victims" who lost their jobs or had to deal with shut
downs because the answer is real simple:
GET BETTER!
Or don't, and pay the
consequences.
I've had a few dealers tell
me that I don't understand (typical victim language) because there were
political elements involved in losing their dealership or agreements through
the parent company - like Chevy or Ford - that unfairly (more
self-victimizing) had them lose their dealership or whatever.
My response?
Fu** 'em.
If you're selling enough,
than you don't need them - you can start your own dealer.
Easy for you
to say Azam...
Yeah, and it is actually
just as easy to do...
Now before they go attacking
me about this and how much I don't understand or how tough it is to do (more
victim-talk) I would point to Stephanie and Sunny who have bought/owned a
dealership every other month from 2008 - 2010.
They were able to do this
because all the victims were too busy moping around to realize that the
answer - the antidote - was real simple; get better, sell more outdo others.
Yet again - why don't people
realize this too-simple truth?
Because it requires even an
ounce of objectivity - before making a change or improving themselves they'd
have to admit something painful - they would have to stop saying...
... the one thought that
summarizes the very source of their problems -
It is not my
fault!
As long as it isn't their
fault, as long as they didn't do anything wrong - as long as they don't need
to get better - as long as it isn't their fault...
They're victims.
They deserve more.
And it is somebody else's
fault.
Now for the entrepreneurs...
Lost your job?
Great - what the hell were you doing with a job anyway - you
shouldn't be looking for a job, you should be creating them.
"Yeah Azam, but nobody is hiring!"
Words like "nobody", "all", "people", "they", "everybody", etc.
are dangerous to use, because they are almost never right and it
is normally the reflection of very narrow segment of
"everybody".
But let's say that you are right and "nobody" is
hiring...
Correction: Nobody is hiring you.
Stephanie never stopped hiring. Neither did Sunny, Wendy,
Max, etc.
Everybody on our Team has
been hiring -
They never stopped
I can call at least 50-100 students and clients who are hiring,
training and bringing people on their Team right now...
... and their hires are getting rich
(regardless of what that word means to you) but they have to go through
hundreds to find that small handful of people who will perform.
The losers who don't make the cut - guess what
too many of them mutter as
they're sent home - "I told you... nobody's hiring..."
Yeah, "nobody" is hiring (or
wants to hire) YOU.
"Azam, look at the companies going under, this is the WORST
economic time we've ever had, no business can survive!!!"
One of my favorite authors
is Sun Tzu, he wrote the Art of War over 50 years ago (okay, it
was a little longer ago) and he told a story of two countries at
war, they were both relying heavily on their navy fleets.
One country had experienced
the most severe storms during their training, they had trained
through floods, earthquakes, famine - basically total chaos.
More of their men died during training than during war.
There was a public outcry
about the atrocities the trainees were going through... the
general ignored them and kept training his men under these
brutal conditions.
At the same time the other
country was also training.
Under much different conditions.
They had enjoyed one of the
best, most enjoyable and favorable water seasons (or whatever
they're called) in decades. Soldiers smiled as they
carried on their training, they gossiped, wrestled playfully and
(would have) texted their girlfriends.
The citizens were happy to
see the soldiers training in these conditions.
When these countries fought,
what do you think happened?
The answer is obvious -
The texters got raped
Big surprise huh?
Sun Tzu explained that war
is dirty, it isn't supposed to fun, enjoyable or a walk in the
park - if you enjoy the training, then you aren't doing it
right.
You don't get the weekends
off in war - you sure as hell don't get long weekends - it is
WAR.
Here was a brilliant line he used
to sum this up:
Calm seas make unskilled sailors.
What does this mean to you?
Getting rich is supposed to
be at least a little more difficult than... not... getting rich
- or just having a mediocre income.
And the way we do it - and
train others - and the way most people attempt it is basically a
short cut. Most of us forgot to go to medical school, have
rich parents or win the lottery -
We need to create a short
cut
Short cuts are ALWAYS harder
Or they wouldn't be short
cuts, they would just be "the way".
Now with that said, given
the legal, violent and highly enforced financial sanctions that MOST people
on Earth deal with when it comes to how much money they can
make, what kind of business (if any) they are allowed to engage
in and who they are allowed to sell to you -
If you have to pick ANYWHERE
in the world to start a company, where would it be?
I don't mean as a king or
part of royalty - as an average person, where do you have the most
opportunity - the highest cap, if any, to your earning
potential?
If you could go back to any
point in time, anytime in history and anywhere in the world - what would be
the single best time to be alive as a "commoner" and start a company -
Again, the answer is
obvious;
Right here, right now - in America
It is that simple, so words
like "tough" are all relative, it may seem "tough" but it
is easier
than anywhere else in the world and easier now than at any other
time -
If you really think that it is that
difficult, you're just not paying attention...
... you're an idiot...
... and incredibly thankLESS.
This is the best time and the
best place
Still not good enough for
you?
Well guess what?
It is for others...
... and I've got a novel of
success stories to prove it -
So maybe the problem isn't
the "economy", the area or America...
Maybe the problem is much,
much simpler -
Maybe
(definitely!) the problem is just you.
Okay, but what about the
number of companies going under?
This is so sad that it is
just funny, you almost have to laugh.
I'm amazed at how many
people think that ignorantly run companies and businesses are supposed to
stay in business, as if there were any period in history where most - or
even a significant percentage - of companies survived.
It isn't supposed to work
like that.
Nothing is... a small group
of Badass people are supposed to move on while almost everybody else becomes
a statistic.
But this "question" had to
do with failure rates, and since we're in the -
"Toughest of times", right?
People keep belly-aching
about things being the "worst since the Great Depression", right?
Here's the secret: most
companies suck, most employees suck.
Most of them just suck.
They don't have passion in
what they do, they don't go above and beyond to perform, the
don't focus and grow their skill masterfully - they don't fight
to provide more, to share more, to be more, etc.
They just do the bare
minimum...
... if that.
They are SUPPOSED to be out
of business.
I'm not surprised so many
companies go under I'm surprised so FEW do.
We know that roughly one of
10 companies will survive in the first two to three years.
Okay...
... but fewer people know that one
out of 10 of those survivors will be around in three to five or
five to seven years...
... of those survivors, less
than one out of 10 will be around in 10 years -
Do the math...
One out of ten -
Then one out of that ten -
Then just one out of that
ten -
This tiny group of survivors
just keeps getting smaller and smaller -
And these people are -
Survivors NOT "thrivers"
Nobody's promising they're
making ANY money, they're just still in existence, they haven't
gone bankrupt, closed doors or disappeared - and actually they
could be in bankruptcy and the government numbers (where I'm
getting all this data) would still consider them a "success".
Think about that; being in
bankruptcy still means you're a "success".
How's that for lowering the bar?
So we have to go through
thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of
companies, start-ups, businesses, CEOs, etc. before finding even a
handful - or just one - that makes any money...
... let alone just ten grand
a month...
... or 30 grand a month.
Almost nobody EVER makes money
Regardless of the "economy"
-
Even in "good" times...
... let alone "tough" times.
You may be thinking that if
I'm right, and nearly all companies are gone within ten years,
then how come nobody has noticed (actually they have, they're the
ones who keep track for historical research) and how come there
isn't a big deal made about it?
There is...
Let's go back to something
too many people reference; the Great Depression - the first one
I mean.
And let's track and see what
happens just about every 10 years, and you'll notice that you
can set your clock by it -
Every 10 years there is a cleansing:
Late 1920s
The Great Depression, enough said about this.
Recession/Depression of
the late 1930s
Almost completely forgotten, this was one of the "worst"
recessions on record, and the depression really never got
totally fixed until the war.
(Experts: The "worst" economy since since
the Great Depression...)
Recession/Depression of
the late 1940s
War ended, "Fair Deal" effects are felt...
(Experts: The "worst" economy since
since the Great Depression...)
Recession/Depression of
the late 1950s
The FED breaks free (again) surplus becomes a deficit and the
rebound from this was historical.
(Experts: The "worst" economy since
since the Great Depression...)
Recession/Depression of
the late 1970s
Vietnam, skyrocketing oil, interest went from okay (7-10%) to
are-you-fu**ing-serious (18-20%) as FED goes out of control,
energy crisis, Iran goes nuts -
(Experts: The "worst" economy since
since the Great Depression...)
Recession/Depression of
the late 1980s
FED goes crazy with rates again, oil companies price gauge,
banks and S&L "crisis" adds to CF
(Experts: The "worst" economy since
since the Great Depression...)
Recession/Depression of
the late 1990s
Dot-com bust, 9/11 coming up, stock market plummets
(Experts: The "worst" economy since
since the Great Depression...)
Recession/Depression of
the late 2000s
Totally different, and much worse than anything ever before,
seriously... yeah, seriously!
I'm serious!
(Experts: The "worst" economy since since
the Great Depression... but they're serious this time, they
really, really MEAN IT!!!)
Here's my point -
This house cleaning happens all the time
- IT MUST -
And every time it is "worse" than
before...
These companies are supposed
to go out of business...
... real estate is supposed
to take time to appreciate...
... lazy employees are
supposed to lose their jobs...
... rich people are supposed
to "get away" with it...
... hiring stupid people is
supposed to cost you..
... America is supposed to
be appreciated...
... companies are supposed
to be better...
... like Sun Tzu said -
Calm seas make unskilled sailors.
It isn't weird that
companies are going out of business, that over leveraged houses
are being foreclosed on or that bloated salaries paid to
incompetent workers are reduced/eliminated/outsourced -
What's weird is that -
It didn't happen sooner
Most companies barely profit
anyway - but they manage to squeak by and fart along - during
the calm seas... they also train under these conditions.
Their entire infrastructure
is built on a house of cards, just waiting for a solid gust to blow
everything over - they are supposed to be gone.
In real estate I saw plenty
of people buying new construction homes from the builders - they would buy
them before they were built - and when the home was done six months later,
they would sell the houses at profits of $20-$30k.
Yes the numbers are real
These people were buying
houses at full market value and selling them a few months later - without
doing any repairs (except for having the house finished) and pulling down
huge profits that would normally only be made with an extensive rehab
project.
You may find that hard to
believe, but I can assure their numbers were real, and they weren't selling
seminars or even talking to many people about it, they told me because they
wanted me to get involved, thankfully I didn't.
Eventually some of the
builders clamped down and forced these buyers to sign agreements that would
outlaw any sale of the house for up to a year after buying. The idea
was to get rid of this kind of flipping.
So check this out...
These investors would still
buy the houses from the builders, then they would hold on to them for the
full year - keeping the houses vacant the entire time and paying the monthly
mortgages for a full year... on empty houses.
At the end of the year they
would sell the houses - after buying them for full market value and paying
the mortgages for a year with NO INCOME from the houses, after all this
would sell a year later - and still make crazy profits.
Here's the question -
Is it supposed to work like that?
Is it any surprise that
almost all these investors got burned?
This examples may be a
little extreme but still too symbolic to ignore -
They were training in calm
seas.
I'm guilty of this to, when
I used to day trade and I made $900 while I was in a theater watching a
movie - I flipped out. When I made 11 grand in a day, I almost wet
myself - I'm not exaggerating, I almost did. (okay maybe I actually
did... just a little...)
But this was in the late 90s
- when everybody was making money, before the correction (yes, it was a
correction!) came. But that's not why I made the money, I made the
money because
I was genius
I was just smarter than
everybody else.
It WAS my fault.
So when the correction came
and I lost my shirt, well...
That was NOT my fault,
right?
What I'm saying is that
almost everybody trains, operates and relies on
Calm seas
So the moment anything
happens, if they are tested in even the slightest way - they'll buckle...
... run home crying to
mommy.
But nothing has changed -
NOTHING.
The game is the same, the
only difference is that they're exposed so they need to get better - which
is what they needed to do anyway.
Not depressions or recessions -
they're corrections
And they are necessary.
All this talk about being
better, what exactly do I mean?
Here's an Empire IQ test:
www.WorkWithAzam.com
It is at the bottom of that
page, a simple 10 question test. We've tweaked it since
the 90s (when we started using it) but my challenge has been the
same since we came up with -
You put just three of the 10
items in place (you can do them all FOR FREE) and you'll be
hitting -
At least 100 grand a month
... within 90 days.
I've never had anybody do at
least three and not get there.
But it won't work in your
area.
By the way, guess what's
going to happen in the late 2010s...
You're either trained and
you know what you're doing - or you're just guessing...
Which group will you be in?
The "next time" is coming.
During the Great Depression
II, I did a presentation at a summit (something I don't normally do) and
there were about 500 executives in the room, and some of the audience were
past clients and people we'd worked with in the past.
I asked how many of them had
at least three of those 10 items in place, about 50 - 70 people stood, then
I asked - just to PROVE what I'm saying and put myself on the spot - how
many noticed ANY change in their income during the "tough times"... nobody.
Then I asked - in front of
everybody - if your company grew, not just remained at the same levels, but
actually grew substantially and consistently as if nothing happened - stay
standing...
Everybody's profits were up
So it isn't just me, and it
is more than just possible.
That IQ test can change
everything.
Alright, back to the silly
"questions".
"But Azam, people are losing their homes - their HOMES
DAMNIT!!!"
They're not losing them, they still know where they are don't
they, ha ha.
Yeah, I'm making fun of the situation, what an a**hole I am.
Yes for most people who lost
their houses, that may seem tough, but at least they had
a house, and they get to stay in America, keep their freedom,
exploit opportunity, etc.
It could much worse, and most
people's financial hardship - because they lost a job or
something - could be fixed by them just getting better at what
they do.
Less TV.
Less porn.
Less gossip.
Less moping.
Less lack of gratitude.
It isn't that hard,
especially in America.
But... if
YOU'RE losing your house, and you've been on my list...
If you're losing your house - I've got no sympathy for you,
you're here so you've been getting my stuff and you have access
to it - and you've seen what others have done with it, and yet
you ALLOWED this to happen? To lose your house?
Shame on you!
That's far worse than the people who really are in the dark, you
were given a chance and this is how you take advantage of it -
you don't deserve that house, hopefully somebody who deserves it
will move in.
Look what your laziness and
lack of gratitude cost you?
Pathetic. And some of
you clowns think emailing us self-victimizing stories about why you're broke
makes a difference?
It doesn't.
Sympathy? Look
elsewhere.
My Proof Section
Is filled with people in
unreal situations; terminal illness, homelessness, mental challenges (that
is putting it nicely) - you name it, and they took my stuff and went
Badass...
If somebody did it, than
anybody can -
And I'm talking about taking
and using the FREE stuff I've made available, so you could've changed
things, but you kept yourself - no, imprisoned yourself - as a victim.
Homeless?
No problem, at least you won't be
eating my bandwidth anymore by going through stuff that you
won't do anything with anyway.
For the people who didn't have access to my stuff, yeah losing
your house can seem tough... but it still beats losing your
hand, doesn't it? And an unbelievable amount of these people
got loans they KNEW were crazy at rates they KNEW were
outrageous, they didn't care then - but now all of a sudden it
isn't their fault?
How convenient.
Before you were the savvy one to find such a "gem" in your local
market, and you patted yourself on the back for negotiating such
a highly leveraged deal... now that there is a little adversity,
well not only is it WRONG and UNETHICAL, but it is somebody
else's fault.
So we go from taking credit for something until it stops
"working" then not only is not your doing, but it is somebody
else's fault?
Convenient indeed.
I know that's not everybody,
but the "not my fault" mentality isn't scarce...
"But Azam, you don't
understand my market is different, I've tried your stuff and it
didn't work - everybody here knows that our area is different -
I knew this would happen!!!"
OMG!
You mean you tried my stuff
- my stuff - and "it" didn't "work".
I knew it, my scam is up,
now everybody's going to know that my stuff doesn't work -
you've ruined me!!! AHHHHHHHhhhhhh! (My screams fade
as I banish into oblivion)
People that say this are...
How do I put this nicely....
Oh - I got it - they are all
-
Fu**cking idiots.
So eager to quit, they're
looking for an excuse to pounce on so that they can justify
their own incompetence - some will claim that I'm arrogant for
saying that... well -
"I tried it and failed.
Conclusion: no mortal can do it."
So who is being arrogant?
Look - I've knocked myself
out (actually it wasn't that hard, but it sounds hard) getting
testimonials, success stories and examples of Badassery from
around the world - there is NO area on the planet - no unique
market or "area" where we don't have a pile of Badass students
and clients making a KILLING.
And this is all before,
during and after the Great Depression II - so if you think
you're "doing my stuff" and you're not getting rich (I
really mean
that: getting RICH) then you're either not really using my stuff or you're
doing it wrong.
I'm saying this on record: I
have never - NEVER NEVER NEVER, not a SINGLE TIME - worked with
an individual or company that did not see the outrageous results
I promise - as long as they follow our Policies - all it takes it 10-15 hours a week doing exactly what
we go over.
NOBODY has ever followed our
training and Policies and FAILED - NOBODY.
And have mountains of proof
to verify all the crazy sh** I say...
Some don't want to hear that -
It is much easier to blame
the material, me, their area, the economy, etc.
But know that is all
they/you are doing -
Blaming somebody else.
Not impressive.
Wait a second Azam - are you
saying that it isn't -
Your fault Azam?
Good made-up question.
After all this talk of
taking responsibility shouldn't I take the blame for something
"not working"?
Absolutely, and I do... if it ever happened.
Like I said there is NOT a
single example in the world (and I'm talking from China to
California, Mumbai to Montana - Isreal to Illinois and Dubai to
Darfur... yeah I'm serious) of my *exact* Policies being followed
and results not following - not a single example.
I'm not saying people don't
try, expect instant gratification that they don't get and then
they quit - that has happened, I'm talking following through
consistently for the 10-15 hours a week (at the max. if you're
starting out) and not seeing results.
All over the planet, by the way -
In places where they don't
even have electricity, I've outlined this all and made it very
easy to find, verify and look more into.
So there is no excuse for
that "my area/business is different" BS.
But I'll keep going with
this -
"Azam, my area is different."
"Azam my business is different."
"Azam, I don't think this works for me."
In my experience this avenue
of thought is such an incredible hindrance that I've outlined a
special section to cover each of these items... this is pasted
from section I share with my Alliance Project group...
Three of The Dumbest,
Least Productive And Dangerous Things You'll
Ever Say, Think, Be Taught, Hear Or - Worse Yet -
Believe...
And the
real reasons why you'll put faith in them.
This is a quick primer to help you get past
these self-imposed hurdles, you put this stuff
in your head and you'll quickly learn that not
at all prisons have bars - and you won't even
notice the one that you've put yourself in.
These are great ways to avoid taking blame and
still being able to maintain that you are
'working hard' to make things happen for you.
You'll notice that these are almost never
questions, but rather statements, and the burden
of delivery (the blame) is placed on somebody or
something else - words like this, it and
that are used instead of me or
I.
Dangerous indeed.
So
let's get started with first the generic
sentences, then the source behind these
saboteurs and then a discussion of each.
'That
doesn't work for anybody.'
The
real source of this is incompetence.
This excuse is used to justify, even glorify,
quitting - the idea that 'I can't do this so
nobody can.' Instead of trying to better
oneself (which requires the blame to be placed
on you) all focus is on the impossibility of the
task. This is necessary in order justify
quitting, but instead of saying 'I haven't
figured this out, it is too hard, so I am just
going to quit!' it sounds better to blame the
task.
I
often use the story my mother told me of a
monkey trying to reach fruit in a tree. He
tries all day long and does everything he can
think of to get to the fruit. He tries resting
before he jumps, he tries getting a running
start and he even tries getting another monkey
to help - all for naught as he never reaches the
fruit. Finally, as he is walking away he
mutters to himself the following...
'The fruit is probably spoiled anyway...'
Therein is the moral - if you don't 'figure this
stuff out' you are going to hate it and
you are going to hate anybody who talks about it
let alone does it. Incompetence breeds
contempt. We are all like this, but most of us
don't want to admit it. People that try their
hand at business and fail, will often walk away
like the monkey saying 'This doesn't work for
people anyway...' instead of looking at what
they did and why they were the cause of
the problem.
Don't
be like that, and don't let others around you
(agents, investors, etc.) influence your opinion
- when you hear something like this ask yourself
if they are truly educated and speaking from a
successful 'I did it, here is what I learned'
perspective or a 'I tried it and failed, and
here is why it wasn't my fault' perspective.
'That
doesn't work for me.'
The
real source of this is low self esteem
and laziness. This excuse is used to
justify inactivity. This is the idea of
'That may work for John and Jane, but not for me
because (Insert Excuse Here).' People in this
category spend more time distancing themselves
from those you have done it; 'Sure, Azam can do
it because he already has money.' Other
examples usually include something about how
much money, time, experience, family
commitments, spousal support, etc. that somebody
else has that you don't have - or vice versa.
Another version is 'I tried that, I did what you
said, but it didn't work for me.' In this case
no reason is given, it 'just didn't work',
right? The reason why there is no reason
is because it would either be an excuse or a
shortcoming of the person involved. The line of
'I tried that and...' presupposes that - in the
case of my material - you understand the
material enough to know what to say, how to say
it, how to respond and the overall highest and
best use objectives. I've heard this from more
clients and employees than from students, but
whenever there is a problem and I make
suggestion that is responded to with 'I tried
that and...' I'm almost certain that what they
'tried' was a version of my material versus
their own egos adding nonsensical and untested
ideas of their own.
Upon
any further scrutiny I normally find that they
may have a piece or two of the ingredients, but
in general they royally screwed something up
without even knowing it. But instead of looking
at that, it is always easier make the excuse
that 'It didn't work' instead of asking or
thinking 'I wonder what I'm doing wrong.'
This
is why you are 'getting smart' and not
participating at all - it doesn't work for you.
It may work for everybody else, but you're
special; your situation is different. Again
this is used to justify inactivity and
non-participation - instead of focusing on how
to get better or bridge the gap between yourself
and what others are doing - it doesn't work so
you don't have to be bothered with getting
better or the pains of improvement.
A
better way of putting this 'I'm not willing to
do the work required to increase my skill, so I
won't get the results others are.'
'That
doesn't work in my area / business / industry.'
This
the the Mack Daddy of all the excuses I have
heard, the real source of this is lack of
intelligence. This is used justify, glorify
and even promote all of the above; quitting,
inactivity, incompetence, laziness and lack of
implementation just to name a few. Ironically
this is normally prefixed with a compliment -
something like 'That is a great idea, but...' or
'Wow, that's a great way to sell knives, but...'
In
real estate I used to hear this quite a bit;
'That works great in the car business, but not
in real estate' or 'That works in Texas, but not
California because (Insert Excuse Here)' In my
experience, the Californian 'investors' are so
hopelessly lost about their market that nothing
will convince them that something 'works here'.
Like many others they'll piss away opportunities
to make fortune upon fortune, meanwhile
complaining that 'things are different here
because...'
Good
news for you though, because from now when you
hear that you'll know there is plenty of low
hanging fruit wherever they are.
Much
of my success has come from taking an idea,
practice or piece of common knowledge and
applying it to another industry - one where
people commonly tell, and are told by, each
other 'that doesn't work in the (BLANK)
industry.'
When
you hear or say things like 'What does that have
to do with real estate?' Or 'That doesn't apply
to me because I don't have a T.V. commercial...
a loan... good credit... employees... etc.'
You
are making a mistake.
You
are letting your current ignorance stand in the
way of future enlightenment.
The
big secret I am sharing with you here is that
any moron can find reasons why something doesn't
work, isn't connected or doesn't apply.
Ironically, it is these same people that will
pat themselves on the back and claim they are
'smart enough' to realize the lack of a
connection. Another way a shallow ego feeds
itself; it tells you to reward yourself for
stupidity.
This
isn't my opinion by the way, and although that
has been suggested after I go over the following
there is no question. This was taken from the
New American Heritage dictionary:
in·tel·li·gence
(ĭn-těl'ə-jəns) - The measure of
an individual's ability to apply gathered data
and information; determined by the capacity to
find meaning and applications for related and
seemingly unrelated units of knowledge.
The definition again, with choice
words in bold.
The measure of an individual's
ability to apply gathered data and
information; determined by the capacity
to find meaning and
applications for related and
seemingly unrelated units of knowledge.
So the ability to find the
meaning and connection in items is what makes
you smart. In other words, the more you say 'My
area is different, my business is different,
that doesn't work in my market or industry
because...' the less intelligent
you are.
The more you say stuff like that,
the dumber you are.
It is worth noting that a failure
to see a connection is a shortcoming on your
end, not something to be loyal to. Increasing
your ability to make these connections is what
makes you more intelligent; smarter. Ignoring
connections, invalidating them or halting the
process of even trying to make a connection - is
a result of your lack of intelligence; your
stupidity.
It is dangerous to be so loyal to
your ignorance.
Sadly, many will never see it
this way - but they don't have the benefit of
the explanation I just provided, right?
Check this out:
"To ask an insightful question... a capacity
to remember. To
relate domains that may not seem
connected at first."
- Bill Gates
(on intelligence and
brilliance)
|
"Azam, people are
losing their life savings"
For most people, that may
seem tough. But for you, you're learning to make money, so
if you misplace some - just make more, but first let's talk
about "normal" people.
They hired somebody to
invest their money, too many of them have forgotten that - most
of these people are referring to their 401k or something like
that where they gave a portion of their income - directly or indirectly - to
some big-wig investor or institutional-investor-type to invest
their money.
In other words...
they HIRED
somebody.
They CHOSE to give their
money - usually to a complete stranger - and basically said -
"Here's my money, I don't know what to do with it and I don't
have any better ideas so I'll TRUST you to invest and grow it.
You'll be paid based on how much money that you make me...
... you'll never hear from
me, talk to me or have me acknowledge you in any way, just take
the years of research and education you have invested and put it to work
for me...
... and you better not screw
up or I'll raise HELL!
... Oh and by the way I'm
too lazy and unwilling to research this myself or educate myself
about it right now, but if you don't make me rich, I'm going to
bitch and complain about how you 'stole' from me..."
Plus -
"Even after I complain about
you screwing me over, just to prove that I don't learn or even
want to,
I'm still going to continue to hire you or people like you, I'm
not going to take the time to learn about this myself - NO! -
instead I'll keep doing the same thing until I die (probably
broke) but I'll be expecting a totally different result."
"But Azam, greedy Wall
Street bankers stole from us, and our children! The
bailouts have ruined us!!!"
The bailouts are awesome.
But I know people disagree,
so let's get this straight -
A country is so
pro-rich-people that even if the companies are the WORST in the
world and fail to make even a penny of profit, we'll GIVE them
money?
Yet people bitch - when
money is being GIVEN AWAY - because it isn't given to the right
people?
Don't hate the people for
being "too big to fail" become "too big to fail' yourself.
America is all about rich
people, if you're not in that group, you need to figure out how
to get there - or just realize they'll always be on a different
level because they provide and contribute more than you do.
"But Azam there is no
money, a credit freeze means my lenders aren't approving any of
my buyers! Nobody's financing anything anymore and there
is nothing we can do about it!!! And business loans are
IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
So "nobody" is making it
happen, huh?
Nobody. Really?
Or is it just you - I mean
the "economy"?
See below for the answer to
this...
And about business loans, no
business has ever failed because they didn't have enough loans,
they didn't have enough sales... don't try and figure out how to
get loans, figure out how to get sales.
"Azam I've tried
everything and nothing works, blah, blah, blah!!!"
Translation: you deserve
more and it isn't your fault.
You're just throwing away
peanuts...
... because they aren't
"that good"...
Okay, Azam this is
where you tell me how rich you are, right?
Not exactly.
In fact, I don't even talk
about how much I'm doing/making. Instead I talk about
others.
In fact, if I did talk about
my lifestyle - you'd hardly be envious. I work 80+ hours a
week, I've never in my life gone on vacation and I don't use
pictures of my houses or cars to prove how "cool" I am...
No Vacation?
Yeah, you know why?
Because I'm always on
vacation -
America is one giant
vacation.
Some examples...
Let me explain to you what
some people have done during these "tough times" -
Remember when Joe the Plumber was moping about socialism,
Israel, Obama's whatever... remember that? That was a tough
time, right? Oh yeah, and plus his area was really decrepit,
wasn't it? Well at the same time, in the exact same area (even
the same city) another plumber was implementing some Badassery and
got his company to over 100 grand a month...
Millie (on our Team here) just did an interview with Esquire
about a the modeling company her and Stephanie started - in less
than one year that company was one of the top five modeling
companies in America - I did an audio with them and how they're
routinely pulling out over $30,000 a day with just this one
model...
I'm about to do an audio interview with a young lady (17 years
old) whose parents sponsored her into our Alliance Project - and
how she is using four signs and doing over 13 grand a month -
with four signs and that's it, no talking to anybody, no meeting
people
- nothing... and that 13 grand is from just one model... she is
implementing four others... (oh yeah, she's in Hawaii, you know
- where NOTHING WORKS, right?)
In January of 2009 a young man and his
fiancé were nearly broke,
living an apartment and working at a sporting goods store... he
got with us, put some Badassery in place and by that June he was
doing over $150,000 a MONTH - owning theaters, Subways and
airports...
Max and Sunny have done over $5M in the first quarter of 2010
from Dubai IPOs and real estate, I've gone over this in depth in
an Episode so I won't get into the details here - but my point
is that this area is considered fu**ed by the economy...
I wrote an email about
something like this a few months ago, and I'm leaving out most
of those examples right now - so I'm not mentioning JJ (another
17 year old) doing over two grand in 20 minutes by handing out
flyers with me (we did that on camera), a student spending five
days and bringing in 10 grand a month on autopilot from then on,
another student getting his first five grand wired to him, etc.
etc.
My point is that if you're
properly trained you really can go into any area and sweep up
because you are dealing with people...
Who are used to calm seas
In fact, they are dependent on them...
They need those calm seas...
... they only know how to
make money under the most friendly and ideal circumstances known
to man.
Anything else -
And they are fu**ed.
What's worse is that many of
the trainers, teachers and business "gurus" -
TEACH THIS
At seminars and in books.
Advice: don't listen to
anybody who needs calm seas to profit.
Make them prove they've
trained and performed outside of calm seas.
And about all those examples
-
Am I bragging, yes -
but about OTHER people (NOT me)
And I could keep going...
... but the fact that I'm talking about others proves a few
things, doesn't it?
First, this isn't talent - and it sure as hell ain't about "Azam".
This is about understanding a specific skill set that almost
nobody in the world understands or even has the opportunity to
learn. A set of such remarkable skill that nearly everybody
(billionaires included) will clamor for your attention to learn
more about or benefit from.
Something that everybody wants to be able to do - yet almost
nobody ever will.
The ability to successfully, regularly and fearlessly grow a
company is something that can change your life.
It makes you immune to "recessions", "depressions" or "the
economy" - you no longer stand for nothing (and no longer
eagerly ready to fall for anything)
You become a Badass
And it is the "real world" -
People are doing this day in and day out...
All over the planet, they
don't ask for - or even want - weekends off, they don't wonder
about their next vacation; they're always on vacation, their passion
carries them...
... their drive, ambition
and refusal to blame others makes them unstoppable.
They understand that -
America is for dreamers
They don't don't deserve it
- none of us do.
They are thankful and their
gratitude is expressed through action NOT just words or bumper
stickers.
Don't get me wrong I think
education is one of the -
Most important
things in the world
And the biggest reason
people have problems is because they aren't given the
opportunity.
But you don't get to say
that.
Neither do I.
It has been given to us,
disproportionately.
I know that all of this is a
huge -
Marketing sin...
... if I cared about selling
you stuff most people would say I would spend more time
identifying with your problems and making a common enemy of
"them"...
... I'm not into that.
The enemy (in America at
least) is ignorance, laziness and Thanklessness.
More dangerous than guns,
more deadly than terrorism and more addictive than crack.
People are dying
-
actually dying - for our
peanuts...
So when you hear somebody
in America complaining about the "economy", opportunity,
money problems, what-the-fu**-ever... they're throwing peanuts
away... just like that guy in the airport...
... don't be like that...
... don't pollute yourself
and those around you...
... be distrusting and even
scornful of calm seas...
... because they allow us to
accept less of ourselves...
... addicted to wasting our
potential and blaming others for it...
Summary: don't throw the peanuts away.
I hope I've helped.
- Azam