Make Life Your Business

©2017 James Peterson. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-54390-517-5 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-54390-518-2 (ebook)

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Consumer to Producer

Life Is Business and Business Is Life

Time Is Money

Product Creation (or Re-Creation)

You Are A Product In Life’s Marketplace

Product Re-Creation: Phase 1

Managing Your Thoughts

Managing Your Emotions

Managing Your Actions

You Are Your Habits

Product Re-Creation: Phase 2

What Features Do You Have?

What Features Do You Want?

Develop a U.S.P.

Appeal To A Certain Crowd

Piss People Off

Get Inside Their Head

Define Your Lines

Be Specific

Keep It Positive

Appeal To Emotions

Be Consistent

Own It

Value

The Gain vs Cost Analysis

Value Proposition

Who Are You For?

Who’s Your Dissatisfied Client?

What Do You Offer?

What Benefits Do You Provide?

How Are You Unlike The Competition?

Other Tips About Value

Branding

Logo

Slogan

Association

Final Points on Branding

Sales

The Sales Process

Product Knowledge

Prospecting

Needs Assessment

Presentation

Close

Follow Up

Storytelling

Date and Place

Reference Information

Character Desire

Conflict

Decision

Character Change

Presentation Tips

Final Sales Tips

Finances

Kill Consumerism

Become an Investor

Profit and Loss

Budgeting

Everything Costs Something

Cash Only

Check Your Account Daily

Minimize Debts

Do The Opposite of Most People

Money Is Power

Evaluate Cost Per Use

Buy Experiences

Make More Money

Systems

Customer Service

Get Out Of Your Head and Get Into Theirs

Screw Satisfaction

Making Things Right

Follow Up/Make The Call

Final Notes on Customer Service

Mental Meetings

Questions

The Environment

The Agenda

End Positively

Product Improvement/Innovation

Dream

Define

Determine

Decide

Demand

Conclusion

1. You Are In Control

2. You Are What You Do Daily

3. Be Specific

4. Add Value

5. Kill Consumerism

6. Be In Control of Your Money

7. Make Your Own Decisions

8. Be Grateful

9. It’s All About Them

10. Ask For Help

Acknowledgements

Throughout my life I’ve had the privilege of knowing some amazing people. This may be a little long, but I wanted to take a second and make sure they know just how important they are to me. First, Mom and Dad, I have no idea where I’d be if it weren’t for your love and endless support. It’s hard to put into words what you’ve done for me. I hope that I can repay you one day for all you’ve given me. I love you to the ends of the earth. To The Horsemen: Jordan, you inspire me everyday by your drive and desire to succeed no matter the challenge. Riley, you and I are so alike. Your personality and your humor are infectious and I aspire to laugh as often as you do. Danny, you’ve been the brother I never had for over 15 years. We’ve been through so much and I look forward to many more years of happiness and memories. I cherish all the memories we’ve made as a group over the years. I love you guys. Peter, my best friend and my gospel singing brother. We’ve laughed so hard we’ve cried, and we’ve made some beautiful memories, I am forever grateful to call you my brother in Christ. Nana and Papa, I’ve admired you since I was just a toddler, I hope to have made you proud by creating a life rather than just living one. I wish Papa could see me now. Ted, Tam, Tiff, Theo and Tara, we’ve been family since I was born. I love you guys in a way that only we understand. Thank you for being my second family. Abdul, thank you for teaching me so much about life just by being yourself. We are brothers forever and the journey is just beginning. Bheki, thank you for showing me what credibility looks like and being my friend no matter the time apart or distance away. I admire you more than you know. Chris, thank you for showing me what energy and enthusiasm brings to your life. I didn’t understand then, but now I get it. Troy, thank you for telling me to find a path and stick with it. I think I’ve done that. Thanks Chief. Ivo, your love for people is contagious. Every time we meet up, I’m reminded of how blessed I am to call you my friend. Thank you for being an example of God’s love. Keenan, I’ve loved watching our friendship grow over the years. You inspire me to keep learning and growing, and I thank you for that. Dustin, your childlike charm and your extreme intelligence remind me that you can achieve, and still enjoy the simple things in life. Sam, Hillaree and Jon, I connected with you instantly, your hearts are full of love and I’m grateful to have built a bond in such a short amount of time. Breann, we’ve been through ups and downs, but I thank you for your continued support and loving me like a brother. Rebekah, thank you for being such a giving soul, I cherish your never ending support and your friendship. Jenny, I’m grateful to call you my friend. Whether we thrive or struggle, you and I will figure everything out one day at a time. Katt, you’re the living representation of love and you remind me to keep my heart open. Dan, thank you for hiring me and exposing me to a great group of people. Grace, you are my sister though we don’t share the same blood. I’ll never forget scaring you in your room. I Heartagram You. Finally Mr. Campbell, for without his class I wouldn’t have had the ability to write this book. I’m forever grateful for his style of teaching and the level of caring he had for his students.

Introduction

The outcome is inevitable. We’re all going to have to deal with the situation one day. Every single one of us. You and I are not always going to have tomorrow. There’s going to come a time when you can no longer make a change. It will be too late. The sun will come up but you won’t be able to see it. The people around you will keep living their lives and you won’t be there to see it. This scares most of the population. This truth leaves you with two choices. You can be scared of it, ignorant to it and surprised by it when that day finally comes, or you can be aware of it, respect it and motivated by it. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the fact that one day, every one of our hearts is going to stop beating. One day, every one of us is going to take our last breath. We are going to die. And we all have a hope that it’s a long way away from now, but there’s no guarantee. It could be 40 years from now, it could be a week from now. It’s impossible to know. Why am I telling you this? Isn’t this supposed to be a pick you up, You can do it! kind of book? It is and it isn’t.

What’s important to me is to make sure you understand that you only go around this big ol’ world one time. I used to think I had forever. I put off changing on so many occasions. I thought I’ll do it tomorrow. Unlike the typical story though, I didn’t have a near death experience. What I did have was a moment that woke me up.

I had thought about writing a book for a long time. I imagined seeing it on the shelves next to the biggest names. I always wanted to extend my reach and help as many people as I could. I’ve wanted to make an impact on people since I was 5 years old. I remember sitting in front of the television set watching an old VHS tape of a Garth Brooks concert. I was captivated by his performance, just as everyone in the audience was. It was at that point in my life, at 5 years old, that I decided I wanted to affect people like that. I wanted to do for others, what that little VHS tape did for me. I thought I was going to be a singer just like him, and though I still do sing, it didn’t work out that way.

Nearly 14 years later, after finishing the required years in the education system, I started working. I was introduced to the world in a whole new way. I was making money! But it wasn’t the way I had hoped to when I was a kid. That 5 year old boy inside of me was not mesmerized, he was lost. I spent the first 8 years of my career at a job feeling unfulfilled by what I was doing. I worked at a rental car company and was hired as the closer so to speak. When you brought your rental car back after your trip, I’m the guy you would see. I would greet you, ask if everything went well and provide you a receipt. I was doing the same thing over and over. The situations would change on occasion, but at the end of the day, I felt like my time was being wasted. I was 26 years old when I finally left that environment. 8 years of my working life, gone. Though it felt like much longer.

While I feel like I spent entirely too much time there, there were some benefits. I met some people who will be my friends for a lifetime. I also had time to read. Something that I never enjoyed in school. But when you can read about the things you want, it’s amazing how your mind can change. I started picking up books about success, controlling your thoughts and emotions, how to change yourself and how to help others change. I read so many books, it’s hard to know how many it truly was. I can promise that it was over 200 in the Personal Development category. I would come home from that job and watch video of Tony Robbins, Richard Bandler, John Grinder, Grant Cardone, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar and so many others. I remember stumbling upon a book one day called The Mind Made Prison by a guy named Mateo Tabatabai.

I had been (and must confess, still am) a serial Amazon shopper. When you’re a frequent shopper at Amazon, they send you emails with offers. Whether it was luck or fate, I opened an email that suggested Mateo’s book. Best of all, it was free! I had never heard of him, but it had great reviews so I thought, why not? Now, I’m a huge proponent of you get what you pay for, so it would’ve been very easy to take this book for granted. Thankfully, I decided to open it and see what it was about. This book really opened my mind to new ideas. He suggested in the very first chapter, something along the lines of What if I told you that there’s no such thing as fact, and that everything is opinion? I was hooked. I devoured that book and it opened my eyes to a new way to look at the world and new way to process what the world was giving me. Wake up #1.

After I left the rental car job, I went to work in an environment that offered the opportunity to make a lot of money. I was excited because I felt like I had been held down up to that point. When you spend 8 years in the same position, it’s easy to get excited at the possibility of promotion, and being a leader. Little did I know about what I was getting into. I went to work at a famous tire service center. The job was physical, full of long days and very demanding. I did it for 6 months. I realized rather quickly that this was not going to help me positively affect the world in the way that I had hoped. I wanted to be a combination of Garth Brooks and Tony Robbins! Lifting tires was not going to help me get there. I was miserable on a daily basis, but I was reminded my earlier teachings. I was able to use the tools that I had learned in order to make the day a positive experience despite how rough it was.

During the time I was working at the tire center, I made the decision to finally try and write that book I had wanted to write for years. I decided that after all that I had read, watched, taken notes on and done, that now I finally had enough material, life experience and motivation to sit down and do it. I tried for two weeks. I sat down at night to write, but I was so tired. I couldn’t find the focus or the energy I needed to make this book come to life. I was watching my dream slowly slip away night after night.

One Monday, I was lucky enough to stumble upon the book The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod on Amazon and everything changed. Wake up #2. I made a decision. I wasn’t going to die mentally, emotionally, spiritually or physically before getting this book done. I started getting up earlier to write instead of writing at night. I told myself that I’d give it a week. If I wasn’t seeing any progress, I’d stop and find some other time to write. In one week, I had 7,000 words. By the end of the month I had 26,000 words. In two months, I was finished with the very book you’re holding. I had also left that demanding and negative environment at the tire center as well. I was made to help people and my hope is that the book in your hands can help you in some way, shape or form.

Now, I know that I’m not one of the big name guys that you’ve seen on your TV or on YouTube. But let me ask you a question. Would not knowing me keep you from reading a book that could change your life? Is there any other reason why you wouldn’t give me some of your time so that I could show you what I could do for you? If there’s no other reason than that, then my hope is that you keep reading. But I am going to challenge you. I am going to challenge you to be different, to stand out amongst the crowd. To be unique. To be happy and fulfilled.

The way I see it, you have four options.

You could stop reading right now. You could put this book down, and go do something else. Doing so would mean that you never get the benefits of what’s in these pages. That would be a shame.

You could read the book, but not take any action. This is almost more painful for yourself and for me as an author. You would have the tools, but choose not to use them. There’s no way that decision can help you, or positively affect anyone else around you.

You could read the book and take a little action. You would be farther along than 90% of people who pick up any book. You’d also see a little bit of the benefits as well, but you wouldn’t be reaching your full potential. You have the potential to make major changes in areas of your life that you’re not satisfied with, which leads me to number four...

You could read the book and take massive action. This is what I want you to reach, and if I’ve done my job to motivate, inspire and provide enough reasons for you to take action, you will. I hope by the end of this book, your life looks completely different than it did when you opened it.

Which one are you going to be? If you’re still reading to this point, we can rule out option 1. Well done. So, now it’s down to the other 3. Are you going to let this be just another book on the shelf? Or are you going to keep this book with you at home, in the car, at work and everywhere else you go? I can promise you that the latter will get you better results. So, if I can make a promise to you, I want you to make a promise to me. I know that may seem like I’m asking a lot of you, but just listen.

You have the opportunity, right here, right now to make a decision. A decision to make a change that could benefit you for the rest of your life. A decision that will bring you new opportunities, new experiences, and new emotions. If you are not willing to make this decision, or if change scares you in any way, then I’m going to ask you to put this book down. If you can’t commit to reading, and commit to change, then I’m asking you to give this book to someone who will benefit from it or send it back to where you got it from. You’re going to be 60, 70, 80, 90 years old one day and you’re going to be in a rocking chair with plenty of time on your hands to look back on your life. Are you going to be satisfied? Or are you going to have regrets? I would never wish regret on anyone. Regret is one of, if not the worst, feeling in the world because there’s nothing you can do about it. If you don’t want to regret the days you spend on this earth, then you need to commit today.

If you’re still with me, then great! You’ve accepted the challenge. You’re well on your way to reaching new levels in every area of your life. But, I’ve got one last point to make. We are what we do. Our lives are shaped by the actions we take daily. You can think that you’re the best at anything and everything, but if you’re not able to physically hold your own when the spotlight is on you, then thinking you’re the best won’t do you any good. Taking action is how you see results. It’s the only way we can measure where we are and where we’re going. Do better to Be better. I’ll see you in the next section!

Consumer to Producer

You’ve been lied to. You’ve been led to believe that the way you’re living life is the way you’re supposed to live. Led to believe that the important things in your life should be getting the latest phone, binge watching TV shows and hating your job. Led to believe that disfunction in your relationships is normal. That living for the weekend after trading in 5 days of your life every week is normal. That constant distractions from smartphones about the latest news, terrorist attack or sports team is just a part of life these days.

Everything that is perpetuated by mass media is done with reason. To keep you occupied while they fill their pockets with your money. They’ve been doing this for years and as long as you continue to go along with it, you’ll continue living your life as a spectator. Living as someone who is watching their life go by instead of actually living it.

If you’re skeptical, which you have a right to be, then let me ask you a question… How much are Apple, Microsoft and Samsung getting paid to sell you the latest phone? How much are CNN, NBC and ABC getting paid to get high ratings on the latest news? How much is the NFL, NBA, and NHL getting paid from people watching the games on TV, buying the merchandise and attending the games?

I’ll give you a hint... They’re making money hand over fist. According to an article I read recently on yardbarker.com, The NFL alone made nearly 14$ Billion. Billion… with a B.

Now, let me ask you a different question… How much are you getting paid to watch TV? To go to the games? To buy the merchandise?

None.

This is a fundamental idea, and is the foundation for everything I’m going to cover in this book.

It’s time to make the switch from Consumer to Producer.

Producers are in control of the content they create. They have control over what they create, how much they put out and how often they put it out. In your case, you are the producer of your life. If you own a business, you are a producer of a product or service. I believe business is a great metaphor for life. Your life is a business, and you are now a producer of your product (You) and your service (Your Actions).

Consumers are not in control of anything except what they choose to buy. Consumers are constantly reacting. They get bombarded with advertisements, sales pitches and NEW PRODUCT! messages so frequently that it’s almost impossible for them to actually interact with anyone. Consumers are constantly looking at their phones in almost a zombie like state. They ask if you’ve seen the latest episode of their favorite TV show, while drinking their favorite alcoholic beverage or smoking their favorite substance to forget about how miserable their day was.

Until now, you may not have known any better, and that’s fine. You are not encouraged to think for yourself and come to your own conclusions. You have been instructed to listen and take as gospel, the messages that you are constantly harassed by in your life. It’s time to take a hold of your life business and start running it efficiently for fun and profit.

If you did know better and you’ve had experience reading books in this field and haven’t yet gotten hold of your life, I understand, and it’s not your fault. Many books that teach you how to improve your life are convoluted, have mixed messages and talk down to you as if you’re never going to be able to reach their level of success. You are holding in your hand, a book that was written for you with tough love, and ideas that you can immediately put into practice in your life without much trouble.

As we move on to the next sections, I’m going to be describing different areas of a business and using them as a metaphor for areas of your life. You’re going to get a business education as well as a life education in this book. Unless you understand how a well run business works, then you won’t be able to extract the points and effectively use them in your life.

Let’s begin...

Life Is Business and Business Is Life

You are now a business owner. You are the CEO. You make the decisions and you are going to have to deal with some people disagreeing with those decisions. You need to be conscious of your Profit and Loss. What Value you are offering to the marketplace. Your USP, your Sales methods and your Time Management.

That may sound like a lot of responsibility to take on, but it’s a responsibility that you’ve had all along, only nobody took the time to tell you