All In

I wouldn't consider myself much of a poker player, but I loved playing Texas hold ‘em in High School. hold ‘em is unique from other card games in that you can play the man as much or more than you can play the cards. If you are unfamiliar with the game, basically each person is dealt two cards face down, there is a round of betting and then three cards are placed face up in the middle of the table followed by another round of betting. Then another card, betting, and the last card and final bets. Basically you have two cards of your own and five cards in the middle that everyone gets to "use" to make your best five card hand. If I have completely lost you, just hang with me. I promise we're going somewhere!

The best poker players don't merely know the statistical odds of a great poker hand. They have an often innate yet finely tuned ability to read people. The most fun thing to watch in poker is someone  taking all the chips they have acquired maybe to the tune of $1,000,000 or more and pushing all in!  Putting everything on the line! There are only two reasons to go all in. Either you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt you have the best hand OR you are confident you can place enough doubt in your opponent to believe that your hand is better than theirs causing them to fold and cede the hand

Whatever the reason one thing is true, IT TAKES GUTS TO GO ALL IN!

We have talked with a lot of business owners over the years that really want their business to take off and they really desire to experience success but they can't find the courage to go all in. Some people work their business part time for a decade before finally waving the white flag and just giving up. 

To really see success in your business you are going to have to find a way to push passed whatever fear, insecurity or doubt you may be experiencing and go ALL IN! We have found that one of the best ways to get motivated to go all in can be accomplished by following these simple steps.

4 Steps to going ALL IN

1) Discover your why

We all have a why, but knowing your why and living by it is something few people take the time to do. Take the next three minutes and imagine running your business ten years from now making ten times the money and having ten times the impact in your family, community or church than you have ever imagined possible. I want you to really go there and picture what it would be like. What good could you do? What difference could you make? Do you have a picture? Have you thought of something? Write it down somewhere where you can see it often to be reminded of that vision for your life. 'm convinced we set manageable goals to avoid disappointment if we don't reach them. I love this quote by Michelangelo

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark"

2) Work backwards

Figuring out how to achieve this audacious life you just imagined is a lot easier working backwards. Start with the end result in mind and start taking baby steps back. So many times we want to build as we go which can be a dangerous way to grow. Working backwards helps you make decisions that are best for your long term vision as opposed to your short term wants and needs. Be committed to the big picture!

3) Eliminate debt

I recently read that most startups die because they didn't have enough capital raised and/or set aside to cover expenses until business took off and became profitable. One of the biggest reasons small businesses fail is personal debt. Don't fall into the trap of keeping up with the Jones's. Eliminate all bad debt and go ALL IN for your new business as a lean mean financial machine!

4) There's never a perfect time

While there can definitely be better and worse times to start a business, there is never a perfect time. Right now your challenge may be the amount of money needed; in ten years it may be the time it takes. At some point you have to take Nike’s advice and “Just do it!”. Every person is somewhat risk averse but winners find a way to get out there, face their fears and make it happen. aybe your business is up and running but you are waiting for the perfect time to hire a consultant. The truth is, you know there is no perfect time. Let’s go all in together!

I believe you're a winner!

I believe you have what it takes to get out there go all in and make it happen. 

-Tyler