What I love about e-commerce is how well it showcases our individuality as people! There is a business for pretty much ANYTHING you can think of. Whether it be jewelry, apparel, or even the knowledge industry that is booming as of late, there is something for everyone.
But amidst all of that, diversity is a common goal that we all hold. Financial freedom. Maybe that looks like having extra grocery money at the end of the week or being able to work from home so you have more time with your family.
The road to that freedom isn't easy, and unfortunately, it's not always laid out perfectly. But it's all about choosing your hard, and the truth is there are some common things you can implement in your life today that will result in uncommon successes!
Today, I had the opportunity to chat with John Lee Dumas about finding financial freedom and becoming the AMAZING entrepreneur I know you're capable of becoming. John is the host of the popular podcast, Entrepreneurs On Fire and the author of the new book “The Common Path To Uncommon Success.”
Our conversation was so uplifting, and I can't wait for you to take part in it!
John Lee Dumas Shares Love For Entrepreneurship
John Lee Dumas grew up in a small town, and once he turned eighteen entered the military on a scholarship. For the next eight years, he served as a cadet and in the active reserves. It was after his time in the service that he found himself at a crossroads.
He had no idea what he wanted to do or where his passions lay. He went to law school, dropped out, joined corporate finance, and even tried his hand at real estate until he finally had enough. Nothing made sense until he actually started educating himself.
John committed to pouring himself into reading books by successful authors and entrepreneurs. Finally, he hit a spark of interest. He discovered a love for podcasts and noticed that there weren't any scratching the itch he was looking for.
He then decided to fill it himself and start a daily podcast interviewing various entrepreneurs. His podcast has been wildly successful, generating over 20 million dollars in revenue since its inception. John's love for the industry is infectious and his wisdom in the industry is unparalleled.
How John Lee Dumas Built Such A Successful Podcast
Growing a podcast is no easy feat, especially one as popular as Entrepreneur On Fire.
I asked John how he was able to build such a lucrative business while not having access to many different entrepreneurs at the beginning of his journey.
His goal was to have a different guest for each day except no one had heard of his name, brand, or podcast before. The first thing he did was settle on his niche. Then he googled “best entrepreneur conference” of whatever year it was to get an itemized list of different speakers. It was a goldmine because it had a list of all their contact information as well as the topics that each individual spoke on.
And the beauty of reaching out to these entrepreneurs was that appearing as a guest on his podcast was a significantly lower commitment opportunity because they just had to hop on a call! This method has been working for him ever since!
John Lee Dumas has found that the theme behind the people he interviews is that they have each become the best solution to a real problem. This is so essential to his success because people want the BEST solution, and they'll do whatever it takes to find that.
What Separates A Good Entrepreneur From The BEST Ones Out There?
The answer to this question is really quite simple. The best entrepreneurs out there have put in the work.
Take John, for example. There are plenty of entrepreneurial podcasts out there doing wonderful interviews with amazing people. But John didn't want to set the bar there. Instead, he committed to creating amazing content daily and worked his tail off to make it happen!
In his book, “The Common Path To Uncommon Success”, John Lee Dumas narrowed down the foundational principles that result in success. His book is broken up into three segments, the first point being to identify your big idea, the second being how entrepreneurs implement that idea into their daily lives, and a step-by-step guide to financial freedom and fulfillment.
The Message Behind The Title
Using the phrase “common path” was a very intentional move on John's part. The truth is that none of the core foundational principles mentioned in the book are secret or novel. They are daily habits that anyone can adopt.
But be sure not to make the mistake of assuming the work is easy. It's not! Building a business comes with a lot of dedication and sacrifice, but the same can be said for being broke.
The point is, you have to choose your hard!
I loved having John on the podcast this week, and I know you’ll find so much value from his new book and by checking out his podcast so be sure to do that. He’s got some great stories to tell!
Top Takeaways From John Lee Dumas
- You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with.
- Read books about people that you want to be like!
- Once you read books, start listening to their podcast, and maybe you can even create a podcast and have them on and be your guests
- Take it a step further and join their masterminds. Get to know them on a personal level.
- When you get into a market, it's so important to find a void that you can fill!
- Put in lots of reps versus trying to find your one perfect thing. You don't have to be perfect. I say this all the time because it's soo true!
- Most people die without knowing what their zone of genius is. So I think you should find out what it is.
- The path to success is common with lots of reps and work.
- It's hard to be broke. And it's hard to be successful.
- Which hard are you going to choose? The choice is yours!
