1 Man, 40 Million Trees (Persistence Wins)

India is a very large place.  It is the 7th largest country in the world and 1.4 billion people live there.  It is very easy to focus on the “bigness” of it and forget it is made up of individual people, each with their own dreams.  For example, there is a man named Jadav Payeng who belongs to the Mising tribe in Assam, India.  When he was 16 he planted 20 bamboo shoots in a sandy area near where he lived to give shade to the animals that lived there.  Buoyed by the success of his plants, he then made the pivotal decision to create a forest, from scratch.

Sounds impossible, right?  Maybe even a bit crazy?  Well, here is the thing.  Jadav proceeded to plant around 40 million trees over the next 30 years, creating what is now known as the Molai forest.  It is 1,360 acres with Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros, deer, and rabbits prowling the grounds. 

What was once a desolate patch of land has been transformed into a huge wildlife refuge.  All from the actions of one man who was willing to commit to taking consistent action for however long it took to accomplish his goal.

One of the biggest reasons that I see entrepreneurs win is because they are willing to make the same commitment.  Not to build a forest from scratch of course, but do whatever it takes to achieve their goals by daily effort.  Just like you can’t build a forest in a day, you can’t change your life without putting in the work.

Success takes time

Staying on the forest theme, did you know that larger species of bamboo plants start very slowly?  The plant focuses on its root system for a few years and does not grow very much above ground.  Then, in the fifth year, the plant can grow as high as 80 feet in just six weeks.  80 feet!  Entrepreneurship can feel like this in the beginning.  You are putting in all of this work and it doesn’t really look like anything is happening.

On the business acquisition side of things, the first deal in your portfolio can follow this path.  You are doing tons of research, looking at a lot of different deals.  A deal will get close to being done then it falls apart.  Then a couple more possible deals fall through.  If you don’t have the right mindset in place it is very easy to get frustrated and quit.  Those who resist this urge are handsomely rewarded when they finally close that first deal and their life is changed forever.

No Hacks

One of the great things about technology is that you can communicate with people instantly and compress timeframes for a lot of tasks that used to be labor-intensive.  The downside is that people think that technology makes everything faster.  Including building wealth and achieving your goals.  I hate to be the lone voice in the wilderness but success is never given to you.  It must be earned.

If something is going to take a lot of effort (and business acquisition does for sure) it is very important that you get clear on what you are trying to accomplish.  Then get focused on that one thing relentlessly. 

Embrace The Journey

Once you do this, the trick then becomes how to stay focused.  The key is to embrace process thinking.  Understand that things are going to take time and this is the starting point for a success mindset.  Yes, I wish that success was faster but it isn’t.  It takes what it takes.  Better to accept this now and get to work.  I did a quick video to flesh out this concept for you and you can watch it here:

It took me 4 years to get my portfolio to the point where I had serious leverage.  Now don’t get me wrong, your life will change after your first deal.  But business acquisition is not a get-rich-quick scheme.  That fact should get you fired up because it makes it a special accomplishment and most people are not willing to pay the price.  I know that you can do it if you choose to.  

When thinking about that choice ask yourself one question:  “Isn’t passing wealth to your children worth the price?”  I think it is.  That is why I get up every day excited about working hard to get what I want, while at the same time having the freedom to spend time with my kids.  I can tell you the journey to becoming an Acquisition Ace is worth it if that is the path you choose for success.

Have a great rest of your week!

As always, if you want to compress time frames and have me coach you on every part of the process of buying a boring business (or acquiring a portfolio of them), book a time to chat with me here: Calendar 

Ben, I Want to learn more…

If you feel that you are constantly working "in" the business instead of "on" the business and feel that your goal of financial freedom has led you to a prison of your own design.

You are not alone, I used to be there as well.

I have 6 companies and counting and work less than 20 hours a week on them - COMBINED.

It is not rocket science and I can help you do the same for your business.

Choose a time on my Calendar and we will get to it.

Onward,

Ben

PS - Coaching compresses timeframes. If you want help on finding the perfect deal for you, book a time on my calendar here to explore becoming an Acquisition Ace: Calendar

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