I’m passionate about helping people to become more financially educated and financially free and it’s one of my life’s missions to do that through the businesses I own and the services I provide. Being skint is temporary and it can be changed if you put your mind to it and take control.
Just because someone may have buckets of cash in their bank, doesn’t necessarily mean their lifestyle aligns with their extended zeros! You only have to look at Warren Buffett (one of the richest men in the world, who still lives in the same house & drives the same car!) and see the frugal life he lives. And that’s ok.
In my life I have been skint and rich. I know the feeling of living from one pay check to the next when there are always more bills to pay than there is money available to pay them. Having experienced life at both ends of the spectrum, I know which one I prefer. Can you ever have too much money?
Millionaires Are Problem Solvers and Money is the RESULT
Millionaires find a problem, or an area that needs disrupting, they add value, they create and produce the solution. I’ve studied 100 millionaires and know a handful of billionaires and the commonalities of them all is they find a problem that mass people need solving that they can solve and scale so that they can make millions. Take Richard Branson who is famous for finding failing businesses and turning them around and fixing a problem – getting rewarded for doing so. I interviewed Naveen Jain ($8billion net worth) for my podcast who said if you focus solely on money you will never be rich, instead if you focus on helping as many people as you possibly can, not only will your work feel rewarding, you will get paid very handsomely for doing so. Focus on adding as much value to as many people’s lives, and you will get paid for doing so.
The important thing to realise is there is no stereotype Being a millionaire is more about being successful in your chose model and the time you have let the strategy mature and not simply flicking between all the get rich-quick schemes which come your way.
You see there are many myths about being a millionaire, how they live, what they do and what sets them apart from the rest. But it’s also important to remember being a millionaire won’t happen overnight.
You haven’t yet found the right business model and don’t embrace sales and marketing
Due to the Internet, social media and a more mobile culture, becoming your own marketeer is more important than ever. I’ve known some great and talented coaches, trainers and artists who have invested thousands in developing their skills and mastering their craft and yet their lack of interest or ability in sales and marketing prevents them from making a living. Don’t let apathy for sales and marketing be a reason for remaining skint.
No matter the business model you are operating, sales and marketing plays an essential part in advancing your position and bringing in the money. In virtually every business model, whether you run a business or work as an employee, sales and marketing is the activity that will bring in money if done well, and prevent money from coming your way if done poorly.
You may have tried a business model and found that it didn’t work or that it didn’t fit with your goals or personality. Perhaps you didn’t give it long enough and gave up when you’d incurred the costs but before you received any of the benefits. It could be that your chosen business model equates to a lower-paid job that you feel stuck in. In situations like this it’s important to commit and persist for as long as it takes to make it work. Ultimately, you’ll make the shift that will then bring in the extra income.
Stop blaming external factors and take responsibility for where you are.
If you are envious, jealous or simply dislike those who are rich then it’s probable that you actually dislike that they have the wealth that you want, and you dislike that you aren’t rich.
It’s common to criticise the wealthy, to assume that they’ve come by money easily, through luck, an inheritance or some other means that makes them unworthy of it. Bear in mind that your feelings are all based on assumptions that are likely to be unfounded and unfair.
Instead of feeling envy or jealousy, it would serve you better to seek inspiration and motivation from these people who have demonstrated through time, effort and experience that wealth can be gained in an honourable way. Lose your judgments about them and instead seek to learn from them.
Get rid of a lot of your variable costs and Cancel all the direct debits you don’t need
Obviously, the first thing you’ve got to do, get a handle on exactly where you’re at, and that is not upping it. So, if you’re going to be anything about your personal financial situation, you know, make out that you’re spending less rather than more than you are.
If lockdown has taught us anything it that you don’t need the gym. You can do a workout at home. You can do those insanity workouts on YouTube. You might spend £8-£9 a day on coffee and lunch. So, what’s that? 60 odd quid a week. I mean that’s 3 grand a year. Imagine, if you could get that back, and get it off your credit cards, and then reduce the interest.
Like I said, it’s short term. You’re teaching yourself how to behave, because you won’t get more money, or retain more money until you’ve learned to manage better what you already have. Stop going out. There’s Netflix now, 7.99 a month. Stop going out. Watch Netflix every evening. You don’t need to do all this social stuff that costs a lot of money.
I talked more about how I got out of debt in a previous blog post.
More important than the money you save is learning the behaviour to save the money.
I’m just not talking to people who don’t own a lot of money. I’m talking to people who earn a quarter of a million quid a year, but spend 300 grand a year. It’s even more common when you get a bigger house, a bigger car. Your overheads go way up, because you think you’ve got a lot of money than you realise. You’re spending it all. So, this is for wealthier as well as for people who don’t earn a lot.
I know people who earn 2,200, 2,500 a month, and they’ve got net disposable income of more than a grand a month. You know, they’ve paid off their mortgage. They haven’t got many overheads. So, this is not just talking to people who don’t earn a lot of money. Let’s be clear about that.
As Henry Ford said: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” Your mind is your most powerful asset.
You spend more than you earn and don’t take responsibility for your actions and situation
This is the most solid and time-tested fundamental of money; if you spend more than you earn you’ll end up skint, and if you earn more than you spend you’ll build wealth. Compounding applies in either case and will make investments grow almost exponentially, just as it makes debts grow too.
If you’ve got a history of spending more than you earn, the first step is to take control of the situation and stop doing it! As Warren Buffett said:
“Do not save what is left after spending. Spend what is left after saving.”
There are many ways in which Millionaires manage cash, grow cash, preserve and create wealth and capital that most people don’t even know about. I talk about these topics regularly so don’t forget to check my website for weekly blog updates.
When things aren’t as we’d like, it’s tempting to blame other people, the environment, the economy, the government, circumstances or whatever else for our situation. If you are constantly skint, it’s likely that the main reasons is you and the things you’ve done, the way you’re living and decisions you’ve taken.
Until you take responsibility and own the problem, you simply can’t take control of the situation. Until you take control, you can’t make it change.
If you find yourself at times feeling skint, and you can relate to any of these reasons then perhaps that’s a good prompt to try and fix them by educating yourself accordingly.
There are many sources of help, information and guidance out there including my podcast ‘Money’ which will help you to understand the skills and mind-set required to make, manage and master money. These apply whether you’re looking to build and grow your business as much as if you feel skint and want instead to feel wealthy or financially free. If you aren’t already subscribed make sure you do!
In fact, my recent Podcast tackles the subject of
Here’s a summary of what you can expect to hear about:
The mindset of a millionaire is a wonderful thing, and something we all wished we knew more about..and how to get one! Join Rob as he discusses all things mindset with Instagram genius, author and motivational mindset master, Natasha Grano.
– If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anybody else?
– The mindset for solving problems is simple. Are you prepared to solve this problem with continued enthusiasm?
– Authenticity is owning your strengths and weaknesses.
– Your friends, family and strangers may advise you not to go for new opportunities as they deem it to be risky. As long as you know in your heart that you’re meant to do this, and you are constantly taking feedback to move towards your goals then you are on track.
– When you wake up in the morning you need to feel alive. You want to know your mission for the day, ask the universe what your purpose for the day is.
– “Manage your emotions and you will master your life.”
– “The skillset without the mindset will leave you upset.”
