What my blue collar roots taught me about business
When I was in 3rd grade my mom gave me the best advice of my entire life.
She said, “Christopher - if I could go back and do my entire life over again, I would get straight A’s in school so that I could go to college and then get a good, high-paying job.”
My mom didn’t go to college.
She was a swimming pool service woman – blue collar and extremely hard working.
She was my greatest teacher. She and my dad both.
And that message about getting straight As always stuck with me.
I remember deciding as an 8 year old that I was going to get straight As.
I took it very seriously. Looking back, I was probably a very intense little boy.
Every worksheet. Every read aloud. Every test. I took them seriously.
Because my mission was clear: get straight As. Go to college. Get a good job.
I operated like this for all of elementary school.
In 4th grade I definitely got a few Bs on my report card (Mr. Rowan was not handing out any easy As).
But from 5th grade onward, it was all about straight As. I expected it of myself. My family expected it of me.
It was the baseline expectation: bring home a straight A report card.
But what’s strange is, my parents didn’t PUSH me. They weren’t impatient or demanding. They simply expected it. No drama. No fuss.
This is the power of an elegant expectation – when you (or someone else) simply expects greatness from you.
It’s All Learnable
My experience has been that people generally rise to whatever expectation is required of them.
When I was a 4th grade teacher, that’s how I taught. I EXPECTED that my students would – on average – accomplish 1.5 years of growth in 1 academic year. And they did!
I expected it of myself. I expected it of them.
I say this, because it’s how I coach my clients to this very day.
I hear from entrepreneurs all the time who say things like, “Well I’m hoping that this year I’ll finally get some traction with my sales.”
Or they’ll say “Well I’m waiting to see if this client signs on board before I take the next steps in my business.”
“Hoping” and “waiting to see” are dead giveaways that there is no elegant expectation in place. I can hear it in their voices.
When you operate from elegant expectation, here’s what happens:
You set specific goals that scare you
You expect to hit them
This means you get very real with yourself about HOW you will hit them
You always have a plan in mind for what to do next
You course correct when things aren’t going the way you want
You don’t beat yourself up because you know setbacks are part of the process
Not only will this lead to massive results, but it will make you extremely skilled.
All of this will make you wildly successful.
And it can be learned!
It’s what I teach my clients. It’s how I coach them.
Here’s how it works:
As a coach, I expect you to make good money as an independent consultant. If you’re not already, then we need to make changes in your business and in your life.
With the expectation in place, you’ll start to ask questions like, “what product am I selling?” and “how much should I charge?” You’ll wonder what specific changes you need to make in order to see more cash coming in the door.
I’ll help you answer these questions, get a plan in place, and start making immediate changes.
I created 4 ways to support you:
The GO INDEPENDENT process - I distilled 15 years of business strategy knowledge and experience into the most streamlined course for you. That means you have 24/7 access to the most powerful marketing and sales engine imaginable.
The Independence Code - I took these same teachings and compiled them into a reference manual. It’s your single source of truth for making decisions in your business.
Weekly live coaching - you’ll have questions as you move through the material. So I created a weekly live coaching call where we come together as a community to work through the GO INDEPENDENT process and the Independence code. You’ll get coached and watch others get coached on the exact topics that are most pressing in your business
Online chat - I created a space where you can network and learn with other entrepreneurs going through the same process of growth.
The standard is set. The elegant expectation is in place. And the tools are live NOW – ready to support you in growing your business into a money making machine.
If you know you need a mentor…
If you know you need to make changes…
And if you want a coach who will truly hold you to the highest, most elegant expectation in your business, JOIN NOW
Chris
PS - if you want to dive deeper into this, check out my recent podcast episode!
Thanks For Reading!
I'm on a mission to help white collar professionals find freedom through independence. Whether you're thinking about launching a business or you're already independent and trying to make it sustainable, I've got you covered with resources to help you on your way:
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