“Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself.”

HKW — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:26:21 +0000

“Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself.”
Gary Comer (1929–2006)-American entrepreneur, founder of Lands’ End

Ever since my early teenage years, I’ve had a passion for starting businesses.

The first business I ever did was selling flashing mobile stickers when I was 18.

I didn’t make alot of money, but it taught me a few things, from word of mouth marketing to seeking ‘distributor channels’ (including the guy down at the pub).

Then, there was eBay. I got into it in the early days (now it sucks, in my opinion).

I borrowed £60 and turned it into a bit over £15k within 3 months, and within 6 months, I was an eBay powerseller.

I have also done ventures ranging from building websites to investing in 1st edition books and the entertainment biz.

All of which I made a profit with.

But I also had a problem.

I grew too fast, and I got cocky.

And as I grew, I wanted a fancier website, a cooler logo, a team of staff, partners, automation, etc.

The problem was, I stopped focusing on being ‘better’ as I started to focus on being bigger.

I am a pretty competitive guy, and I like to win. But as soon as I win, which is often the case when I do something that excites me, I start to lose interest.

I’m sure this is also related to why I find it hard to just do one thing. I have too many ideas, and I want to do them all.

The problem with this approach, and I’m fully aware of it, is that it’ll be hard for me to be truly successful. Instead, as my friend Todd says, it’s the easiest way to hit ‘mediocracy’.

I do find myself thinking: “If only I stuck with this, or that… not only would I be excellent at it now, but I’d probably also be a multi-millionaire.”

And if I look at my wealthy /successful friends, ranging from web entrepreneurs to multimillion business owners, their ability to stick to what they do is a big part of their success.

Last night here in Bocas Del Toro, I realised that I must re-strategize and re-think how I am approaching my business(es).

For one, I need to cut out the (es)xcess and start focusing on THE business, until I make it work.

Next, I have to focus on being better, instead of being bigger.

The easiest way to do that would be to do what truly excites me, something that I believe in, and where my energy lies (credit to my friend Fredrick).

How would I do that?

I can think of 3 main changes I must make (besides re-evaluating what truly excites me instead of focusing on the money):

(1) focus on that one thing, and one step at a time, and
(2) get through the dip, no matter what
(3) contribute, grow and giving value to be the best.

I have a better idea now of what truly excites me, and hopefully I’ll find some way to integrate this into my life.

And I hope you will too.

Hong Kong Wong » Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself

“Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself.”

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