When he called me out from the stage and answered my question with this (true) statement, it really ticked me off … But it was a turning point in my business life!
He was talking about content creation and productivity. You know, getting stuff done.
Sitting in the first row, I whined, “Yes, but my problem is that I have too many ideas and too little time with a dozen projects, and all of them about 80 percent complete.”
He looked me square in the eye, and said, “You, my friend, are a STARTER, not a FINISHER.”
In front of God, and the other 50 people in that room, he had announced my number one issue, put a neon flashing light around it, and hung on the off ramp in Austin, TX for everyone to see.
I was a wannabe, not a doer.
And I knew it.
And I was not happy about it.
But I heard it - loud and clear.
And I couldn’t get it out of my head.
That was Craig Perrine who called me out. He’s a nice guy, but he didn’t pull any punches either.
I was expecting some coddling. He was having none of that.
“You, my friend, are a STARTER, not a FINISHER!”
Embarrassed? You bet.
Hurt? Absolutely.
Angry? Oh, you have no idea.
Motivated? Like you wouldn’t believe. I would never, ever be called a non-FINISHER again.
And that one statement led me to earn my first $1000 online in just 3 days. But that was 10 years ago.
Now, I earn more than that in half a day…
So, how did being humiliated publicly at a marketing event motivate me to be successful?
First, I’m sure Craig didn’t mean to humiliate me. I was humiliating myself.
Stick with me and I’ll tell you the story.
I bet you’ll see a bit of yourself here. And if you do, I hope you’ll let me be the one who kicks your butt a little so you too can make that big jump to becoming successful...
From 2003 to 2005, maybe one of the longest periods of my life, I had decided that I might start doing business online.
Notice, I wasn’t fully committed, even though I thought I was.
I read, studied, listened and totally immersed myself in learning the processes behind making money online.
Learning…
But not doing…
Well, doing just enough to stay in the game, but not really enough to put myself out there and compete on the playing field.
This was not the first time I bailed on a project because of “fear of completion.”
It's Easy To Start. Not So Easy To Finish. And Really Easy To Quit
My dream was big. . .make enough money to quit my corporate consulting gig and build an online, multi-million-dollar publishing empire.
That seemed out of reach to me, even though I met people everyday who were chucking the daily grind for The Portable Empire as Pat O’Bryan was calling it back then.
Yet, I couldn’t make enough to support my habit of buying way too many ebooks, software tools and memberships. Discouraged, I was fast becoming broke.
My wife, ever the brilliant one, said, “David, when is enough? You know enough already.”
My thinking shifted because Craig Perrine had the brass to tell me the truth. And the truth was just enough to jump me into the $1000-per-week success crowd long ago.
He’s a really nice guy.
Cherubic face with fair skin and sandy blonde hair, he had a happy, go-lucky perpetual little-boy look. Soft-spoken and professionally dressed in a navy blue suit back then, you wouldn’t expect him to break your heart.
But he broke mine… and thank goodness for that.
Craig was one of the featured speakers at Pat O’Bryan’s UnSeminar in 2005 or 2006 along with Joe Vitale, Bill Hibbler, Jillian Coleman, Nerissa Oden and Ray McNally.
Known as a master listbuilder, I expected Craig to talk about the usual ways of driving traffic to your site: PPC campaigns, joint ventures, affiliate programs, working the forums, and setting up squeeze pages.
But he surprised me by talking about relationships.
Those were the Wild West days of Internet Marketing when almost anyone could build a list and use it as your personal ATM machine to extract money. Or at least, that what they said.
Focusing on relationships to build your business seemed...unnecessary.
But Craig specialized in being personal and real with his subscribers. They knew him – and his family -- because of his writing.
So, when he stepped to the stage and began talking about the inner game of marketing – you know, getting your mind right and fighting your own self-limiting demons before you try to convince potential buyers that you’ve got it all together -- I was all ears.
This was exactly what I’d been struggling with for a couple of years.
And it surprised me to hear someone so successful talking so openly about it. From my seat in the front row, I felt like he was talking to me, his newest friend.
I could confide in him … he seemed so sympathetic and gentle.
“I am so confused and scattered,” I said. “I’ve got so many projects started...”
Listen readers, I hear you.
With a gazillion marketers coming at you with a thousand, panting, “gotta-have-this-now” messages, you may feel like I did that if you didn’t read each e-mail or buy each tool, you’d miss the one that contained the secret.
Surely Craig would share the secret key that would unlock the vault to online riches!
He was my new friend.
We’d made a connection.
Instead, he told me what I didn’t want to hear.
It was me. All me. Nobody else. Me.
His answer really ticked me off...
No Guru, no coach, no program, no software - nothing would help me build my online business until two things happened:
- I had to DECIDE that I wanted to build a business and be committed to it, and…
- I had to become a STARTER and a FINISHER.
Remember, I had made very few sales because I had nothing to put in the marketplace.
But Craig’s admonition motivated me to make some serious changes.
The result was $1112 in three days.
That was my first $1000 week.
I’d made some money here and there, but nothing consistent, concentrated or predictable.
After spending nearly $22,000 on ebooks, programs, software, and teleseminars, and becoming discouraged and dog-tired, I began to believe that online marketing was a hoax.
The $1000 week changed that too. It was followed by another $1000 week!
That’s great, but it wasn’t life-changing money. I wanted life-changing money!
Craig wasn’t the only player in my personal drama.
Mark Hendricks was another. My first mentor, Mark helped me tremendously.
About the same time as Craig was delivering the truth, I had asked Mark, “When am I going to make money?”
In typical fashion, and like any good coach, he responded to my question with his own question.
“When will you decide?”
I was armed with two challenges, both of them containing the exact truth I needed to hear when I was ready to hear it.
And I’ll always be grateful for both of those guys. But I’m truly grateful that I was able to hear it and not run from it.
When I asked people their level of commitment today, the standard answer is that I’m absolutely committed.
But in reality, most people don’t even know what that means.
Being committed means that you’re willing to be in the game for the long haul, that you’re willing to listen to the people who’ve been there and done it before you, and that you’re willing, above everything, to be teachable -- NO MATTER WHAT.
If you fail, you learn from it and try again.
If you get discouraged, talk to someone who can help you out of it.
If you don’t know the answer to a technical issue, you learn how to use Google to figure it out.
If you’re confused about your purpose, you create a roadmap to success that reflects who you are at your core.
No matter what, you never give up. You may adjust. You may adapt. You may even get a job to improve your finances. You may even keep your job because you want more consistency in your finances.
But you’ll never give up. That’s commitment.
One of my favorite movies from the 1980s is Body Heat with William Hurt (as Ned Racine), Kathleen Turner (as Matty Walker), and Richard Crenna (as Edmund Walker).
Ned is obsessed with Matty, but Matty is married to Edmund Walker. Luckily, Edmund travels a lot, and Ned and Matty find a lot of time together.
In a scene that I’ll never forget, Ned walks into a restaurant because he sees Matty and is invited to sit with she and the man who turns out to be her husband, Walker.
This is the conversation (From Lawrence Kasdan’s 1980 screenplay, Body Heat):
WALKER
You wouldn't believe the dorkus she
was with when I met her. The guy
came to us with a business
proposition. We're always looking
for opportunities. If the conditions
are right. We're willing to take an
occasional risk, if the downside
isn't too steep. But this guy hadn't
done his homework, he didn't know
the bottom line. That's how I knew
he was full of it. You've got to
know the bottom line. That's all
that really counts...
Again Walker takes off his glasses. He holds them up to the light and then rubs them again with his handkerchief.
WALKER
He didn't have the goods, this guy.
He was like a lot of guys you run
into -- they want to get rich, they
want to do it quick, they want to be
there with one score.
He puts his glasses back on, stares at Racine.
WALKER
But they're not willing to do what's
necessary. Do you know what I mean?
Racine looks at him in silence for a moment.
RACINE
I'm not sure. You mean, lay the
groundwork? Earn it?
WALKER
No. I mean do what's necessary.
Whatever's necessary.
After that conversation, Racine was willing to do whatever was necessary. Watch the movie to find out what that was… I won’t spoil it for you. It's a great movie.
Until I was called a STARTER, I was not willing to do what was necessary!
So when people come to me frustrated, moaning about their situation, I do have a lot of sympathy for them, because I’ve been there and I understand how terrible it feels.
But the biggest gift you can get is the truth.
And that someone must be the person who puts the truth in your face just as it was put in my face.
If you’re not willing to put in the work, to do whatever is necessary to be successful, then it’s not going to happen.
And that’s the truth.
Doing business today, online or offline, is not easy. Most people will tell you that it is.
I won’t.
The easy thing is to always give up.
Those who don’t are the winners.
They are the ones who go to the bank every week and increase their account with this week’s earnings of $10, $100, $1000, and more.
Comment below if you have a different idea about commitment or an experience that has enabled you to see the truth.
If you’ve been putting off building your online business, STOP IT NOW!
There’s no better time than right now to get started.
The key is to finish what you’ve intended to do for years - build that online income stream that protects your assets in uncertain times.
And get it done - fast.
I read something by Gaylon McDowell in Science of Mind magazine this week that hit me like a ton of bricks:
“Results matter because I believe human beings can and often do create self-delusion around intention, action and results. Sometimes people lie to themselves about where they are in consciousness because they don’t want to evaluate the results they are getting.”
...evaluate the results they are getting...
You can’t think yourself into success. You must act to be successful.
If you’re not willing to act, then this course is not for you.
But if you understand the importance of taking action in the right sequence with the right guidance on the right opportunities, then I want to introduce you to Fast Business Start Up. Click now and take a look at the immediate results our members are getting from this program!
The Novice to Advanced Marketing System is a step-by-step system focusing on Team, Training and Tools to help novice to advanced business people build a Simple, Scalable and Sustainable business.
Founded by David Perdew over 15 years ago, he recently retired and his daughter, Jen Perdew, who has been working at NAMS since 2011 purchased the business.
Jen is now the President and CEO of NAMS and comes from a customer service, operations, and employee training background.
Jen has always loved digging in and getting her hands dirty with automation and coaching. Jen's an implementer and focuses on moving her clients as quickly as possible down the path to success. and has since taken over most of the technical training in the business. NAMS is one of the most successful online communities today, specializing in training and proprietary productivity software tools.
I cannot imagine, in the least, you being the Starter and not the Finisher! WOW. You are the GURU of Online Business, mentor to many, and Insiders know the value you offer to our group.
Thanks David!
Thanks Wendy – everyone is scared at some time. And procrastination – not finishing – is just another form of fear. Thanks.
Timing could not have been more perfect David. Nailed it and me right in the center of my world. Thank you.
Miles – Glad to hear it. Just passing along what I’ve learned 🙂 David
“But the biggest gift you can get is the truth.”
I love that line. I believe that line. I love the scripture that says “Speak the truth, in love.” It is one well worth heeding for in it lies freedom for all and power.
Great blog. Thanks for sharing. “When will I decide to make money?”
I’m thinking, now
Donna –
Great. The decision part is huge. Next is the plan and the follow-through.
I found this article at the right time…It has made me realize that I have been a “Starter” for too long a time. I need to decide on what it is that I want to really accomplish with my Internet marketing business. I have always been getting ready to do it but never doing it. My goal for 2017 is to finally decide to focus on video marketing and not get all of the other temptations get in my way.
Thanks for your insite.
Donald – We have a program called Camp Clarity that is ALL about working through a process to uncover what you really want in life so your focus becomes very clear.
This, in my mind, is exactly what everyone needs to do first before they get started. And everyone going through any type of transition needs to do this as well.
Knowing what you want is the key to keeping focused.
http://nams.ws/clarity
Good luck with that.
Yikes! It feels like you are inside my head!!! I have started so many things only to fall flat on the follow through. This post couldn’t have come at a better time. Thanks David!
Glad to hear it Diana. Coming to terms with our previous “challenges” is the key to overcoming. Glad you see it and are ready to move forward…
If there is such a thing as a re-starter, then I am it. Great motivational post David, thanks. My three takeaways: Do whatever is necessary by turning knowledge into action! Be a starter and a finisher on one thing! Never give up!
Knowledge into action. I love that Faith. And re-starter? Absolutely! That’s called adapting and I adapt every day… BUT it’s important to complete version 1 of anything first, then any adaptation becomes the next version.
Thanks David,
Yes, I’ve been a starter but not always finisher for over 40 years. It is time to change and that started when I quit trying to just find ways to make money online and just stick with creating products that I was passionate about. So very soon I was be selling mugs, key chains, refrigerator magnets, and other things that are either funny and/or/ inspirational. No more bright shiny object syndrome.
Hey David,
your story is very familiar to me… I was not lucky to have any one in particular to tell me I am a starter and not a finisher… instead I had many people tel me what else I need to buy in order to succeed in business and earn enough money to survive… and so far. did not even make 0,0000000000001% of what I spent since I start to “think” to earn money online from way back 1991 when it all started… buy better computers, buy everything that was offered to me and I still do it… last month I spent more then $2000 on somethings that I trust it will bring back to reality and focus on doing… become a finisher… sorry I did not buy into NAMS yet… and probably that is a reason why I am where I am now… who knows, I may in a while.. I TRULY wanted to thank you for writing this story of yours… I will be 71 next month… and right now, this moment I set a goal to earn income by my next birthday in February… when I do… I will buy into NAMS as a celebration to the victory. THANKS AGAIN for being YOU David.
Regards, _nickc
Good luck Nick. I understand what you’re saying.
At my age of 64 I was always looking for a “quick” fix to get started. Take my word for it that does NOT work! Itried an MLM called Premier Income Plan or PIP. They have good products to sell on there but after 100 so called interested people emailed to on their auto responder system I got zilch/nada and according to my bcc to myself more than one person was sent the same email 9X! Talk about a reason to delete what was sent! I sure would! I left that company. On the internet is what is called overwhelm. You have to decide and then stick with your decision until it bears fruit. I still have not decided lol. – Gary
Thank you David, what a great post and story. I had this revelation a year ago and now I am well on my way to be a finisher, at last! It took some time to get rid of my personal default thinking, which was destructive and now have a huge vault of experience to share with the world. At 68 yrs young, my voice is going to be heard!
I have started a podcast…not sure how to make money from it but I am committed and have 12 weekly episodes live and another on the way. Maybe blogging about this will help finance it but although my listeners are increasing slowly I don’t have enough to appeal to advertisers. Thinking about Patreon…unsure of my direction.
Two years later . . . this post still holds true!
Wow. This post totally convicted me. I know I have what it takes to be a finisher. Great post and thank you for sending it out again as a reminder, and a well needed kick in the pants.
Hey, David when I first signed up (this time around is the second time or so) you kind of gave me the reality check that Craig Perrine gave you and it took me back a bit and made me have a similar experience. While I haven’t been brooding over it, it has been on my mind that maybe I don’t have what it takes to be successful and should just be working for someone else instead of trying to get my own thing going.
In fact, I came into my account tonight to quit the membership as I felt I didn’t have what it takes – I “want” to have the commitment, I “want” to succeed but who am I kidding and I started feeling like this online thing just isn’t real anymore.
After reading this short message and after doing some honest thinking I know you are right and I feel I can do much better … I just need some help, an online community who will be real and not always say what I want to hear.
Hats off to you for having the courage to not always say what people want to hear and say the things that people don’t want to hear!
My finances are crap right now for high ticket items so I will continue with this membership and ask you – What course should I start on and focus on in the membership area? I have a fair amount of knowledge but I do need to put my online learning into an organized structure and figure out things the right way.
Over the past ten years or so I have spent over 10k in courses, software, eBooks, PLR etc and have managed to get very little back because of poor consistency and obviously not being committed. If I was running a real business I definitely would be bankrupt by now.
Sorry for the lengthy message, I am putting things out in the public eye but heck why not, I have nothing to lose at this point and hopefully some important insight to gain, if that makes sense.
Regards,
Carl
Hey Carl –
There are 3 courses I recommend everyone do first. 12 Steps To Building A Better Business, Camp Clarity and now our newest course Simple Business Start Up. Those are all available in the Insiders Club Membership and you should see access there.
We totally understand the overwhelm. You’ve got to focus on 1 thing at a time and implementing that one thing. Otherwise, nothing actually moves. Feel free to post in the Insiders Club FB group. That’s part of why that group is so powerful. The community helps hold each other accountable.
David,David, such a subtle way of telling me stop perching like a chick and start soaring like an eagle. I hear you loud and clear. You have given me the impetus to sharpen my tools and keep building.
Thanks a million.