I came across a short video the other day that really crystallized things in my mind. It was one of those “Of course!” moments that sometimes comes out of the blue.
The video featured Michelle Pescosolido interviewing Jonathan Budd, both “gurus” in their own right.
Michelle asked Jonathan a common question that most gurus are asked (I am paraphrasing)…
“What is the biggest reason why people in this industry fail?”
The question was standard — Jonathan's response was not.
I expected him to say something like “Their WHY isn't big enough“ or “They don't give it enough time”, or even “They start with unrealistic expectations“.
These are the standard answers I've heard before, but Jonathan's response surprised (and enlightened) me!
Here is what Jonathan had to say to Michelle's question (again, paraphrasing):
“People aren't balancing their input and output.“
Before you go off scratching your head, thinking “Huh?”, let me explain.
It will make perfect sense, I promise.
The See Saw Effect
Think of your business routine as a see saw, the kind you see on the playground.
On one side is the Input, what goes into your brain through learning new skills, reading and watching videos and webinars.
On the other side is your Output, actions taken from what you learn to turn them into results.
INPUT = Learning, Knowledge, Acquiring New Skills
OUTPUT = Implementing, Taking Action, Making Money
Got the picture?
When input and output are balanced, the see saw remains level.
But when either input or output is overemphasized, your see saw becomes too heavy on one end and tilts to the ground.
Is this happening in your business?
Could this be why you're not seeing the results you expected?
In the Beginning
When you first start anything, you‘ll go through a learning phase.
This is normal. It's as it should be.
Your business hours will be used soaking up as much information as you can, acquiring skills and in some cases, remolding an employee mindset that's been set in stone since your teen years.
Your See Saw will be heavily tilted to the left, towards the INPUT side.
[But not all the way! Even in the beginning you should also be taking action on what you've learned.]
As You Become More Experienced
So what happens to your See Saw as you get more and more experience?
It should start to balance out.
Your business time will shift more towards output as you implement more and more of what you've learned.
You start a blog, you place banner ads, do some FB marketing, whatever your focus is…. they key is that your OUTPUT is increasing.
And Output is the only phase where money comes in.
No one every made money by learning a new skill and keeping it inside their brain.
What If Your See Saw Is Stuck?
It's a problem I had, which is why Jonathan's response affected me so profoundly.
I am a lifetime learner — I love to learn new things and acquire new skills.
But up until recently, I wasn't too thrilled with taking that knowledge and trying it out.
Fear of failure? Fear of losing money?
I don't know, but for whatever reason my See Saw remained tilted way to the INPUT side, with very little output.
The result, as you can guess was very little money coming in.
So what can you do if you're stuck in the Learning Phase?
1. First, recognize the problem. Simply reading this blog post may be your first step.
2. Try forcing yourself to take action. For me, I made a promise to myself (and more importantly, my wife) that I wouldn't buy another training program without getting some results from the last one.
3. Hire a coach to help. This was huge for me. I've started working with a coach who is helping me to emphasize OUTPUT in my business.
4. Don't go overboard! Learning is an ongoing process. You should continue to learn at every point in your business. But it MUST be balanced by output.
Today, I find my See Saw much more balanced. In fact, if anything it's a bit more tilted towards the Output side.
I continue to learn, but am using far more time implementing what I've learned to get some positive results in my business — more blog readers, more people on my list… and yes, more money.
A special thanks to Jonathan and Michelle — you never know when someone might come upon a short video conversation that can change the face of their entire business. Appreciate it, guys!
Your Turn
Is your See Saw balanced between Input and Output?
Do you have trouble in this area?
26 replies to "Jonathan Budd’s Simple Response That Will Make You More Money"
Awesome post, Bob.
I definitely can relate. I went through a time when I was watching webinars, reading ebooks, etc. but not taking any action. I’ve since been able to find a nice balance in between. Sometimes it’s just best to take MASSIVE ACTION!
A very well written article Bob and I like the wise response of Jonathan Budd and I was impressed! I agree with you Bob that in Business you to balance the input and the output status of your business because most of the business man nowadays are more focusing what’s the output which is making money and not looking toward to the things that needs to change or add.
That’s it, Nicholle… output = input, or better yet output > input….
Just never forget to keep learning (input)! 🙂
Hey Bob,
You did an excellent job of illustrating this point for people. Jonathan is a great teacher, and he is right on the money with this piece of advice. Thanks for making this so easy to understand.
You’re welcome, Ryan!
What a great response from Jonathan Budd!
I must admit that I too have been guilty of not having the balance right, but it is so difficult when you are trying to juggle so many things. I know that one of the key things I have to focus on this year is better time management as I think this is absolutely key to getting this see-saw back on an even level!
I loved Ken’s comment that as you are applying and teaching or giving away what you have learned, instinctively you are looking for more to learn (to keep the see-saw level) – so the more we learn, the more we want to learn – then all of a sudden we are leaders. How did that happen ?!! 🙂
Funny how that happens, right Nicky?
But that’s exactly why we say that it’s a PROCESS. Leaders aren’t born overnight. They develop over time.
It is hard to keep the balance, especially if you’re building your business “on the side” like so many folks who read this blog. That’s also where a good mentor comes in — to help you keep that balance, and to keep you accountable for taking action!
Well, Michelle did an excellent job with that interview Bob and I know that Jonathan never replies to answers the way most people do. What an excellent response too.
I can definitely understand what he’s talking about and I hate to admit it but I see myself in that too. I love love love to learn but I do implement what I learn as well. I just haven’t implemented as much as I should because I’ve still had some fears I’m overcoming as well. See, we all still do but what sets us apart is we realize it and we’re doing something about it.
I’ve overcome so much since starting this journey and I love what I’ve learned about myself along the way. Thanks to people like you that I look up to Bob and knowing that you still go through a lot of the same things. Not only does it make me feel not so alone but it helps me to understand that we all deal with issues or our own at some point.
Thank you for sharing this with me today. I’ve picked up the pace this year with what I intend to achieve and am well on my way with the action steps. This post just really helped kick me into higher gear. Now I’m just pumped.
Have a beautiful weekend Bob and thanks again for this share.
~Adrienne
You are one of my heroes, Adrienne! You put yourself out there, take action and say, “here I am and this is what I can teach you.” LOVE IT!
You are killing it right now… I see you everywhere! Congrats on pushing through your fears and getting your word out. You have so much to teach people with the knowledge you’ve accrued and keep accruing on a daily basis.
Thanks for sharing with us today and always. As Barbara Silva of Coaching Cognition always says… let your light shine!
JB was my first mentor as well and I adore him. He paid his dues, learning his lessons and has gone on to do great things in our world, with more to come. The fact that he brings up the “information overload” concept is important. So many folks have tried to capitalize on reducing information overload by producing more information for people. What you share above is a simple way or showing or stating that we all need a balance. There is a great deal of learning that needs to occur if you want to be successful with any career. If your career is on the internet, which is every changing then you need to study and learn more. Studying and learning more is great. It is one of my favorite things to do. The challenge then comes because folks get stuck when it comes time to implement. Hence the seesaw stuck and unbalanced. It may sound overused but I do recommend learning 1-2 things at a time and using the knowledge to unstuck yourself. If you want to blog, learn to blog. Don’t learn to blog AND use social media at the same time. Get the blog going and then add in social media or vice versa. Find 1-3 people to follow and learn from for different perspectives (don’t start with 10!) Eliminating information overload will help you grow your business. And this will help you make more money.
Another well thought out post from Dr. Bob. There’s a reason you’re a leader in our industry, especially when it comes to helping Part-Time folks maximize their time, and that is because you walk the walk and talk the talk. Great post.
VaNessa
Thanks for the kind words, VaNessa. It’s funny — you just never know when you’ll uncover that one gold nugget that puts everything into perspective. That’s what this very brief exchange between Michelle and Jonathan did for me. It just made so much sense.
Agree with limiting yourself to 1 or 2 skills before moving on. I speak from past experience, and its become one of my mantras — better to be expert at one than mediocre at many!
Hey Bob,
What a thought-provoking post! A lot of people tend to spend a lot of time learning without taking the necessary action. It’s critical to strike a balance if you want to see desired results.
Thanks for sharing this interesting perspective.
Best,
Mavis
Hello Mavis! Great to see you here.
Balance! This is the key for so many of us, in all aspects of our lives. I think I will create a sign with just this one word and tape it up somewhere I can see it every morning, because I do struggle with it.
Thanks for sharing your insights here, Mavis! Good to see you again!
JB has been a positive influence to me. He was my first mentor. JB has always been there for the cutting edge of business. I see the problem here and I have been in it a while ago. Learning Learning and not implementing. It wasn’t about fear, but I wasn’t leveraging. I was too busy blogging, syndicating, learning, and not focused as to where I wanted to pinpoint my business.
Since the ending months of 2011 I’ve been working on more production and now soon to be launched, my new product. Putting every aspect into action.
I am a go-giver, but had to time manage that part. I know there is that 80/20 rule and I’m following that this year. Although it has only been a few weeks, I’m rocking and rolling.
Thanks for bringing this up because it is a major problem with all of us.
Donna
Sounds like you have a good handle on your time and your balance, Donna. Congrats on your new product! Can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with.
It IS so easy to get unbalanced, right. I mean, we’re all busy and we tend to get hyperfocused on our To Do lists… sometimes we forget to step back and see where we’re going.
Appreciate your insights, Donna… good luck with your product launch!
Bob,
Your leadership is showing!
Nail meet hammer. This is the kind of stuff people need to be sharing. What the issue is and what you can do about it. I love this… “What if your see saw is stuck?” The learning curve is steep for online marketers and entrepreneurs in general. No one ever said it would be easy. But the more we keep it simple the easier it is to digest the learning curve and make it our own.
I’m often advising people to take what they have learned and give it away…or sell it. This does two things. It brings out their own leadership and it allows them to own the information. As soon as you give away what you just learned you’re ready to move to the next level.
Now here’s the kicker…as I see it. The more you give away you actually create a shift in yourself. You start looking for more information, but not just any information. You start to look for stuff that people are hungry for because you have seen the needs of the people. Then you start to tap into your own creativeness. When that happens you are truly perceived as a leader. And how did all this start…. because you gave it away.
Ken Pickard
The Network Dad
Love it Ken. I give away probably 90% of what I learn (the other 10% is for my daughter’s college tuition 🙂
I do agree that once you start this cycle, you start to see things differently. Once you help people solve one problem, you start finding others (often related) that you can help them with. It’s starts a movement with you, if you will.
Appreciate your insights here… as always, I learn a great deal from your comments!
Thanks for the illustrations! It was relayed to us in details. Very easy to understand and easy to apply. All we need is to strive more harder.
Glad you found it useful, Arjee.
What an interesting perspective – really gave me something to think about, thanks Bob! I especially liked the tip to not purchase another course without achieving results from the last – I tend to be addicted to learning too, and there’s always more to learn – but that can also be a good excuse to put off taking action. Glad you pointed that out!
Hey Alexandria, great to see you here.
YES! I was such a product junkie! Even now, the pull is strong as I love to learn. But now I am accountable to my coach and Rosemary, my business partner and dear wife who threatened me with bodily harm if I kept purchasing training courses without implementing.
They, of course are exactly right and wise beyond their years!
I think you’re right when you say that buying can be an excuse for taking action. Very true in my case.
So what turned it around for you, Alexandria?
Jonathan Budd’s Simple Response That Will Make You More Money…
How Jonathan Budd’s response to “Why do most online marketers fail?” helped to make me more money. Surprising insights……
Great post Bob. I believe you have explained this very well – whatever level of success you have you will always have this dilemna and will need to work through things to create balance in order to create and encourage growth. I’ve been in Output mode for a while so needed a little input to balnce the saddle !
Hey Neil, great having you stop by to impart your insights!
Yes, one thing I didn’t include in my post (it was too long already!) was that, as you become more experienced and start to taste the sweetness of success the see saw tends to tip to the right, with action overtaking learning. This is also as it should be, but like you said one must remember to periodically go back to basics and learn something new.
I’ve enjoyed reading about your plans over in Daegan’s FB group… exciting times!
Thanks Bob – the group and your input has helped me shape something I couldn’t quite see and has been very valuable. This post came at a great time and I believe I was meant to read it if that doesn’t sound too left wing 😉
Always good to read your thoughts and ideas !
Sounds about right, Neil…. sometimes it seems like I am led to certain posts or videos that I need to see at the time. It’s weird but it does work out that way.
Glad this information helped you in some small way.