37,000 feet in the air… and I jumped. Because honestly, there was never going to be a better time.

Flying back to Cebu, Philippines (where I lived for 18 years) after a month in Miami with my last ever boss (a nice enough chap, but a god-awful boss), I found myself reflecting on the month’s worth of stuff I’d put up with. As my bum started going numb in the seat, I realized enough was enough.

The Decision that Changed Everything

Blink and you’d have missed it. That’s how fast the laptop came out and my resignation letter materialized in the Word doc that would change my life forever. The moment we touched down in Hong Kong and the laptop connected to the airport WiFi, I sent that letter. No ifs, no buts… and only the slightest bit of trepidation hesitation.

Betting on Myself

After all, I had nothing to fall back on. This was a great job (on paper), and I was great at it. But the time had come to bet on myself.  One month later, I was done with that boss, freed from the Rat Race’s shackles, and firmly in the “sink or swim” side of life… you’d best believe I chose the latter!

The Beginning of my Entrepreneurial Journey

After that, my entrepreneurial story began unfolding faster than that jet crossed the Pacific (or so it felt!). From a consulting business offering basic consulting work to a 380-person call centre facility in the Philippines, to today: multiple best-selling books, the Round Table Mastermind, and an address book chock full of incredible people whose entrepreneurial dreams I’ve helped become a reality.

Reflecting on the Journey

Looking back now, it seems so clear…

There’s never a perfect time to bite the bullet and go for it. But when you hit a catalyst, a breaking point, oh boy do you know it. That’s what I hit on that plane ride. But more than that, that was the moment I finally started believing in myself.

I’d been great at what I did for so long that I thought the only option was to do it for someone else. Maybe I couldn’t do it for myself? Maybe I HAD to carry on doing it for other people? But that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves obsessed with making money. However, money isn’t the ultimate goal; it’s about how we use it. 

My father always said, “Money isn’t something you should have to worry about. It’s something you should use.” This wisdom highlights a critical perspective: money should be a tool to enhance our happiness and life experiences.

The Importance of Reinvesting for Enjoyment

So, what’s the point of making money if you’re not reinvesting it in a way that allows you to enjoy it? This question hit home for me when my business allowed me to achieve a major bucket list moment.

A Dream Come True: Attending the NBA Finals

I’ve been a Celtics fan since I was 12 years old. Watching them play in the NBA finals at the Boston Garden, one of the most revered sports arenas in the world, was a dream come true. Here’s how it unfolded:

• Wednesday: I decided I HAD to go to Game 2 of the NBA finals.

• Friday morning: Less than 48 hours later, I was on a plane to Boston.

The Experience

I met up with my buddy Bryan, a friend of 25 years, who lives in Boston. He picked me up in a bright red 1975 Cadillac—an awesome car. We had an incredible time:

• Dining: We enjoyed steak by the water.

• Shopping: I treated myself to a new pair of Nike’s in Celtics colors.

• Souvenirs: Picked up a few keepsakes for the family.

• Coffee: Drank so much coffee that combined with pre-game excitement, I got the jitters.

• The Game: Enjoyed an exhilarating game of basketball.

• Celebration: Celebrated the Celtics’ 2-0 victory in an Irish bar where the whisky flowed like water.

The Aftermath

I’m still recovering from the excitement and the indulgence, but it was worth every moment. Even after reviewing the bank balance hit from pricey last-minute plane tickets, American hotels, a $1500 seat to the game, and enough whisky to drown a small village, it was all worth it.

This trip created a “core memory” for me (watch Inside Out to understand!). It’s something that will live with me forever, etched into my heart and soul.

Twelve-year-old me would never have dreamed it possible, and even ten years ago, it seemed too good to be true. And it’s all thanks to building my business the right way.

The Freedom of Sustainable Business Practices

Building a business with sustainable systems and processes means everything runs smoothly, even in your absence. Too many business owners lack this freedom, but it’s something we all deserve. The ability to make personal decisions and know your business can run without you is beyond liberating.

A Mission for Every Entrepreneur

I won’t rest until this freedom is something you have, too.

By reinvesting your money in ways that bring joy and create lasting memories, you can achieve a fulfilling balance between work and personal life. Remember, the real value of money lies in the happiness and freedom it can bring.

Every modern entrepreneur needs to know this.

You can’t crack work/life balance (no matter how hard you try). It’s BS. It’s a myth. It doesn’t exist.

Two decades in the trenches have made that abundantly clear. Work and life will always bleed into each other. Keep chasing that balance and you’ll stay caught, trapped in that messy middle place, battling forever to escape.

There’s no work/life balance. 

It’s just Entrepreneurial Life.

But there is a better way. A path to a calmer, more natural, less stressed life as a business owner.

So if you want to enjoy more freedom, make more money, beat burnout and quit worrying about how to stop every new idea you have from bleeding into your personal life… Here are 5 EASY things you need to do. 

1. Set Boundaries

Designate specific times for your work and personal activities. Stick to it as much as possible. Spending time on self-care is how you recharge your entrepreneurial energy. And that only ever improves your productivity for the day. Boundaries ensure that your work doesn’t consume every waking hour, allowing you to maintain a semblance of personal life even amidst the chaos of entrepreneurship.

2. Schedule Time for Your Hobbies

No, hobbies are not a luxury. Yes, you do have time for them. Saying you don’t is a feeble excuse. This is how you recalibrate your mental bandwidth and push faster and further than you imagined possible. And yes, SCHEDULE it. If it doesn’t get scheduled, it doesn’t get done. Engaging in hobbies keeps your mind fresh and creative, which is essential for innovative thinking in your business.

3. Leverage Tech

Use the right tools to make your life smoother and easier. Project management tools, communication tools, time-tracking apps – anything to help you individually, and your company. Aim to delegate and automate. That’s the ultimate one-two combo to:

• Achieve more in less time

• Reduce your leadership burden

• Become more mindful and focused

• Free up your time for that all-important self-care

By leveraging technology, you can streamline operations, enhance productivity, and create a more manageable workload for yourself and your team.

4. Embrace Flexibility

Some days you’ll spend more time on work things. Other days you’ll spend more time on personal things. Accept that. Flexibility is the hallmark of a successful entrepreneur. Recognize that the nature of your work might not always fit into a rigid schedule and adapt accordingly. Flexibility allows you to respond to the ever-changing demands of your business and personal life without feeling overwhelmed.

5. Prioritize What Truly Matters

Evaluate what is genuinely important in both your business and personal life. Focus your energy and resources on those priorities. This might mean saying no to certain projects or delegating tasks that do not align with your core goals. By prioritizing effectively, you ensure that your efforts are directed towards activities that bring the most value and satisfaction.

Final Thoughts

Abandoning the myth of work/life balance doesn’t mean succumbing to a life of constant chaos. Instead, it means embracing a more realistic and fulfilling approach to entrepreneurial life. By setting boundaries, scheduling hobbies, leveraging technology, embracing flexibility, and prioritizing what truly matters, you can enjoy more freedom, make more money, and beat burnout.

Quit worrying about stopping every new idea from bleeding into your personal life. Instead, integrate these strategies into your routine and pave the way to a calmer, more natural, and less stressed life as a business owner.

Here’s to thriving in the beautiful chaos of entrepreneurial life!

Would you keep going after 1,009 rejections?

There are no failures, there are only outcomes.

Every setback, every rejection, every ‘no’ is simply a stepping stone on the path to success.

Take Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, as an example. Before he struck gold with his famous chicken recipe, he faced a staggering 1,009 rejections. That’s right – 1,009 people told him ‘no,’ that his idea would never work, that he should just ‘give up and go home.’

But Colonel Sanders refused to see those rejections as failures. Instead, he viewed them as opportunities to learn, to refine his pitch, and to keep pushing forward. He knew that every ‘no’ was simply bringing him one step closer to the inevitable ‘yes’ that would change his life and the fast food industry forever.

The same principle applies to business and to life.

Every failure is simply an outcome, a data point that we can use to adjust our course and keep moving forward.

When we pitch a potential investor and get rejected, we haven’t failed – we’ve simply learned what doesn’t work, and we can use that knowledge to craft a better pitch next time.

When we launch a product that flops, we haven’t failed – we’ve simply gathered valuable data about what our customers don’t want, and we can use that insight to create something that truly meets their needs.

The key is to reframe our thinking around failure and success.

Instead of seeing failure as a dead end, we need to view it as a necessary part of the journey. We need to embrace the idea that every ‘no’ is simply a redirection, a chance to pivot and try a different approach.

And just like Colonel Sanders, we need to have the resilience and the tenacity to keep pushing forward, no matter how many rejections we face. We need to believe in ourselves and our ideas, even when no one else does. We need to have the courage to keep knocking on doors, even when it feels like no one is listening.

So the next time you face a failure, remember Colonel Sanders and his 1,009 rejections.

And remember that there are no failures, only outcomes – and it’s up to you to use those outcomes to create the success you want to see in the world.