15d • 🎉🏆💰Wins
Sales is a Grind. Entrepreneurship is a Grind. But I Can't Imagine Doing Anything Different.
Years ago, I'm sitting in a corporate sales training with 30+ top reps, managers, VPs, and the COO.
We're talking mindset, attitude, behaviors—and burnout. How to prevent it. How to snap back from it.
The trainer looks at me: "Robert, you're the top producer year after year. Always positive. How do you do it?"
Caught me off guard. Here's what I told them:
"Sales is a freaking grind. Every day we wake up, get dressed, walk out the door—for what? A barrage of rejection, objections, excuses. Any normal person would quit by lunch. Those of us who stay? We're literally asking for this punishment every single day.
I've wanted to throw in the towel hundreds of times. How many 'NOs' can you hear before you start believing nobody wants what you're selling?
The key: You need a reason greater than yourself.
For me, I grew up poor. Drugs, alcohol, toxic environment everywhere. I needed something more. Early on, it was about the money—how much, how fast.
Eventually that changed. Now I see the tremendous need in our communities for what we provide.
Imagine having the cure for cancer but never sharing it.
If I ask 100 people and only 5 need it, I don't see 95 rejections—I see 5 lives saved. Obviously a stretch, but you get the point.
Not everyone needs our stuff. But if we stop at number 95 and give up, who helps those last five?
Those last five are why I get up each day with a smile. I'm making a difference for 5 people today.
Yes, sales is a grind. Yes, we get our teeth kicked in daily. Yes, some days we question if it's worth it.
Those are the days you need a reason greater than yourself. Without it, you won't make it."
Been the "Sales is a Grind!" guy ever since.
Fast forward to now.
I made the conscious move from top national sales leader to entrepreneur. Oh, how little I knew.
New truth: Entrepreneurship is a GRIND too.
Different challenges. Same struggle. More real than ever.
The rejection isn't external anymore—it's internal. Doubt. Hesitation. Negative feedback loops that never end.
What had I done? I was at the top. Making more money than I thought possible in a lifetime.
And I almost forgot my "Why."
I officially started this adventure three years ago. Eager. Excited. Had I found my true calling?
I love everything about training, coaching, serving others. Seeing their achievements manifest in real time. Watching them realize they had what it takes all along—they just needed help unlocking it from within.
But what had I done? I went from being "The Guy"—the go-to with knowledge and wisdom that only 20+ years of time and mistakes can produce—to being the new guy again. The one needing all the help. Trying to find where I fit in.
Do I even fit in?
I felt like I was drowning. Struggling to learn everything. Making more mistakes than I could track. Daily doses of doubt and negative self-talk on repeat like a bad record constantly skipping.
But I don't give up. I keep pushing forward. Some days it's two steps forward, one step back. (Progress!) Other days it's one step forward, two steps back. (Still progress?)
So how's a person supposed to get ahead? Where are my damn cheat codes? Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start?
Over the last decade, I've spent tens of thousands on coaches, courses, gurus. Almost as many hours donated to programs that promised the next greatest solution—only to find they looked like every other course spewing the same generic AI regurgitated crap.
So what's the solution? What's the freaking key?
Here's a secret: If you go looking for it, you won't find it. You can wait for someone to bring it to you, but that's not happening either. You can't buy it anywhere.
The real secret? You don't have to do any of that. You already hold the key.
Your key is unique to only you. Just like your fingerprints—no other person in history has ever had YOUR fingerprints. Neither does anyone hold YOUR key to success.
You just have to believe it. Find that reason greater than yourself. Find the courage to look deeper into yourself than you ever thought possible. Face your biggest fears head-on.
Only when you're ready to face yourself in the mirror with the courage of a lion and determination of a badger will you unlock your own key to success.
Think it's impossible? You're right. Think it can't happen for you? You're right.
Most of us can't do it alone. You have to find help. A coach, mentor, books, YouTube—hell, even Wikipedia is better than nothing.
Here's another truth: It's all going to take time and resources. These will inevitably lead to failures and setbacks.
But those aren't all bad. Learn from them so you don't make those mistakes again.
Picked up a shitty coach? Yeah, me too. It's going to happen. You just keep going. Finding a good coach is like trying on a secondhand tailored suit fitted to someone else.
You keep trying them on until you finally find that ONE. Hidden away in some unsuspecting place, you see it calling out to you.
You walk over, pick it up, try it on... Whoa! This one freaking fits!
As you're taking it off, your heart races. You feel pride and accomplishment for sticking it out. Hours of sifting through racks, almost losing hope. But you didn't give up.
Until you see it... the price tag flips by your periphery as you pull your arm from the sleeve. You pause, slowly draw your hand down to the tag, flip it around in anticipation of how much you're going to save.
You saved your last $150 for this suit. The price: $2,500.
Now you have a choice. Throw the suit back and walk out with nothing.
Or ask yourself: "How freaking bad do I need this?"
Not everyone will need to go through all that to find their "perfect-fit" coach. But for many of us, this is exactly how it plays out.
The only failure in life is giving up.
Earlier this year, I found myself on the edge of that slippery slope. Trying to decide whether to keep going, pivot, go back to the corporate world, or... what? Everything sounded like giving up.
I knew this journey wouldn't be easy. I knew there would be obstacles. When I set out on this path, I had to ask myself one tough question: What's the worst thing that could happen, and am I okay with that?
Now I ask myself: "Has that worst thing happened yet?" If the answer is NO, then get my ass up off the floor and out the door—because this isn't over yet.
Shortly after that realization, I came across a YouTuber talking about ADHD and productivity. Something drew me in. I started watching more content, bought a couple mini courses, found myself really intrigued.
There was something different about him. Something resonating with me. During checkout, there was a questionnaire asking if I wanted to schedule a call.
Sure, but I'm not signing up for anything! Long story short... I signed up.
I had found my tailor-fit suit! But here's the catch: the suit is $8,000.
Look, I'm not afraid to spend money on a good coach. Hell, I'm one of the highest-priced coaches I know. But I made some REALLY BIG mistakes last year that cost me really big piles of money. Now I'm essentially starting over.
Spending $8K on a coach wasn't in the budget. At all.
So I did what any self-respecting man would do... I got real. I shared the truth, open and honest about what happened. We talked for quite a while, getting to know each other. At the end, we worked out a deal.
And NO—before you ask—I didn't ask for a discount. Wasn't looking for sympathy or a handout. We were two businessmen having a conversation, learning about each other, ultimately deciding if we wanted to make this work.
Isn't that what sales is all about?
I saw something in this person I could connect with. He saw something in me he could trust and connect with. So we went to work to find a way. And we did.
It's been a while now, and I can honestly say without hesitation: This has been the best decision I've made for myself and my company.
With my coach's support and guidance, I've accomplished more in the past few weeks than I have all year.
Not that this year lacked value—it absolutely had value. But I was unfocused. Sporadic. Chasing every shiny squirrel that crossed my path.
Here's the point:
Success doesn't come overnight. Can't be taught or caught. Can't be won alone.
My Success Formula: s∫U × cc² × E ↻ ss
Success isn't a number to count or achievement to tally. It begins with the strength (s) of your self-worth (U), multiplied through connection and contribution (cc²), amplified in exchange (E), and completed in shared significance (ss). It always returns, reinforcing the belief that you are worthy.
Sales & Entrepreneurship is a Grind. But I can't imagine doing anything different.
P.S. Signed my biggest deal ever yesterday. 🤯
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Sales is a Grind. Entrepreneurship is a Grind. But I Can't Imagine Doing Anything Different.
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