Questions and quotes for mindset renewal (January Edition)
30 quotes (ft. a 13-year-old barber and a billionaire lawyer) that will make you take your business, relationships, and finances seriously
This January, I’ve put together 30 insightful questions, each paired with lessons from some of the most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders around.
Every question tackles a common challenge, and each answer offers the wisdom you need to move past it.
Some of these statements are not universally applicable, so feel free to take what applies to you, but the chances that they all apply to you in equal measure are high.
1. When should I share my new business idea with others?
Sara Blakely says, “Ideas are the most vulnerable in the moment you have them. And it’s also people’s instincts to share the idea in the most vulnerable stage.”
Here’s what she did long before she started the women’s clothing line that made her a billionaire.
“I waited a year before I told any friends or family what I was working on because I didn’t want ego to get involved too early. When ego gets involved, you end up spending your time defending it or explaining it instead of pursuing it.”
In Nigeria, we say, “Resist the urge to shalaye [explain] because you go explain taya [exhausted].”
Give your idea a chance to succeed before you kill it with feedback.
2. How do I deal with people who don’t believe in me?
Take it from Amira Sajwani:
“I don’t listen to [doubters] because I have a father who believes in me, a husband who’s supportive, and brothers that are amazing.”
3. What should I do when I’m uncertain about my next move?
This is the first quote from Alex Hormozi in this edition.
When it comes to literal practical advice on what decisions to make during those long periods of waiting on your expectations, Hormozi nails it: “Build capacity... only people with capacity can both recognize and capitalise on [opportunities].”
4. How can I turn change into an advantage?
The entertainment industry is likely the most dynamic industry. James Keyes has made many fortunes from the film industry, and he knows how to deal with change.
He says:
The “CEO is all about change equals opportunity. If I respond to this change, and others don’t, I’m going to turn that into shareholder value. So, change can be positive if you manage it in a positive way.”
5. Do I need to stay consistent with who I’ve always been?
Sometimes, the person who started a business may not be the same person who can scale it. As Kayla Itsines says, “You are under no obligation to be the same person that you were yesterday.”
6. Why shouldn’t I put off today’s work until tomorrow?
Thomas Kehinde warns:
“What you can do for today, you don’t delay for tomorrow because tomorrow is reserved for the labour of the lazy.”
You need to know that action also compounds. It’s called momentum. For instance, the entrepreneur who does something good today has 24 more hours of progress than the one who waits until tomorrow.
7. What’s the ultimate goal for building wealth?
You’ve likely heard quotes like this about making passive income. The idea is solid, though I think many people get it wrong: passive income is generated by active assets. More on that another time.
For now, the fundamental difference between a job and a business is between trading time for money and building systems that generate value independently.
Joshua Crisp puts it plainly: “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you’ll work until you die.”
8. Should I trust others or trust myself?
Billy Ray Tailor shares this perspective:
“Believe in you. If a bird lands on a branch, does the bird trust the branch or does it trust its wings? I’ve seen many birds land on branches, but what I’ve never seen is a branch break, and the bird fall and die.”
9. Should mental health always come first in the pursuit of success?
This one is controversial, but then it’s Mr Beast: “If my mental health were a priority, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am today.”
In short, every path requires sacrifice, so choose what matters most in your present.
10. Why isn’t my business getting the attention it deserves?
Todd Johnson says, “Everybody needs you. They don’t just know who you are. So your job is to identify who those people are, get to the highest mountaintop that you can, and tell them who you are.”
11. How do I handle competition in my market?
Dean Graziosi shares a secret:
“When you’re focusing on $100k shifts, you have a lot of competition. When you raise the standard, you have zero competition because most people are trained to think small.”
12. How should I respond to critics and naysayers?
If you can, dismiss them like Codie Sanchez because “only empty hands point fingers.”
13. How should I approach each day of my life?
Tony Stephens will be the first to tell you:
“What you got left [years] is what you got left. So live each day as a life in miniature. Live it on steroids and wake up with gratitude. [Each day] is a vote of God saying this is what I got for you.”
14. What’s the point of hiring intelligent people?
Steve Jobs is legendary, so listen:
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
15. When do market leaders become vulnerable?
Mike Repole says, “When the big guy on top gets a little too comfortable, the starving entrepreneurs are gonna eat their launch.”
16. Do I need to be the smartest person in the room?
You may not.
John Morgan is a billionaire lawyer, and I think the learned fellow knows better: “I am not smart, and I know I am not smart, which is very good. But... I’m smart enough to hire people who are smart.”
17. What’s the timeframe for building lasting wealth?
James Dumoulin has interviewed hundreds of millionaires and billionaires. He says, “The richest people in the world? They think in generations, not days.
18. How do I choose which goals to pursue?
Alex Hormozi will challenge you:
“No matter what your goal is, you will suffer to achieve it. So pick a goal big enough [that] it’s worth suffering for.”
19. How do I handle rejection in sales?
Muhammad Binghatti is a billionaire realtor.
“To be successful,” he says, “you got to be a good salesman and a good salesman is able to take a no and still try again.”
20. What’s the difference between being an employee and being the boss?
Ralph Waldo Emerson made the distinction many years ago.
“The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who knows why will always be his boss.”
21. Is having a dream enough?
Not according to Thomas Kehinde.
“If you have a dream but you’re not doing anything about it yet, you don’t have a dream. No. You have a wish.”
22. How do I know when I’m truly ready to take action?
Take it from Thomas Kehinde again, “When you’re ready, you don’t delay. You don’t procrastinate anymore.”
23. Should inexperience hold me back from starting?
Adryan, a 13 Year Old Barber, says:
“A lot of people see my age and get scared, saying they don’t want a cut. I tell them, if I mess you up, I’ll fix it. Trust the process. Just take the risk, it’s always worth it.
24. Why don’t I see immediate results from my efforts?
Reid Hoffman created LinkedIn. He says, “Most people don’t think about how you compound in ten years... and that’s how you create something that’s epic. It changes industries.”
25. Does wealth have a specific look or background?
Ashley Fox affirms it doesn’t. She says:
“Wealth does not have a colour. Therefore, it looks like you, it looks like me, and it starts in the mind.”
26. What’s the most important investment I can make in my company?
Vinod Khosla states simply: “The team you build is the company you build.
27. What are the three essentials for entrepreneurial success?
Sara Blakely breaks it down: “Solve a problem, bet on yourself, and have fun.”
28. How can I ensure my business survives long enough to thrive?
De’el Woods says, “Stay [spend] small enough, long enough, you’ll be big enough, soon enough.”
29. How do I attract more success to my business?
You’ve seen Muhammad Binghatti in this list earlier, but here’s another nugget for you:
“The biggest inspiration for success is success. So success is always able to attract more success.”
30. What weakens my resolve and commitment?
Hear it from another billionaire, Tony Robbins, “Negotiation with yourself makes you weak.
