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As a business owner and a human, we need to set goals.

Okay, let me rephrase that.

We don't need to set goals. But goals can be a super useful tool.

When we know exactly where we're going, it's a lot more likely we'll get there.

The challenge with goals—especially goals that are deeply emotionally meaningful to us—is that it can trigger our very human tendency to reject the present.

You set a growth goal for your business, and now you feel bad about the fact that you're not there yet.

You …

Before I get into this week's topic, I just want to quickly share with you the questions from last week's AMA:

• Leveraging Facebook Groups For Your Business
• Do You Need Upsells For Your Online Course?
• How To Grow Your Business In The USA As A Foreigner 

Now back to talking about success...

One of my favorite questions when I'm coaching customers or community members or team members is

What does success look like?

What are we really trying to achieve here?

What's the outcome we want?

For the longest time, I hated the word "success".

It felt like it was more an indictment.

A judgment.

Are you successful?

Are you good enough?

Are you worthy of being here?

And I always felt like I didn't measure up.

Didn't make the cut.

But then about ten years ago, someone helped me see the word "success" in a completely different light.

Not as a judgment of me, as a person.

But as a matter-of-fact statement about results out there.

Success is simply about whether you achieved what …

At the AMA (Ask Me Anything) call, Jacob asked me who's the most important hire in the company.

My answer?

It depends.

If you're starting out, and you need to grow revenue, I'd want to hire a marketer.

The most experienced marketer you can afford. A good marketer will (obviously) pay for themselves many times over.

That's the point.

For where I'm at, my most critical hire is an Integrator.

If you don't know what that is, check out the book Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman.

Chances are you're …

The other day I was doing a live AMA, and one of the questions I got asked was about jumping into a new career.

My answer centered around building on past success.

Find a way to leverage what you've already built up to stand out and acquire your first customers in your new career.

See the question and my full answer on my YouTube here.

And while you're there, make sure you subscribe to my channel ... and hit the little bell to get notified of new videos.

See you at the next AMA.

Love,
–Calv…

A lot of people will tell you you need to focus on one thing.

And I think there's merit to that.

It's just never worked for me.

I need a bit of chaos. I need to switch contexts and work on something else.

It inspires me. It gives me new insights and new energy to work on other things.

Last year I decided to embrace three new businesses. Pafei, Body Meal, and Correli Leadership Institute. And to start building my personal brand.

It's definitely been a bumpy ride. A learning experience.

But…

I got asked by a Simplero customer on a coaching call about how they needed to show up as an educator and teacher.

This was my answer:

Let me know your take.

–Calvin

As we enter the new year, a quick reminder:

Be the business owner.

Not the worker bee.

Your focus should be on vision, connecting with customers, leading the team, attracting and hiring the right people for the team, marketing, finances, and other high-level activities.

Don't get lost in the weeds.

Yes, you may need to do some of that from time to time.

But don't get lost there.

Make sure you pull yourself up every so often.

Make sure you're focused on the big important tasks that only y…

It's easy to get distracted in business.

We try something, and it doesn't quite work out, or we get push-back, and we lose sight of why we were doing this in the first place.

We get bogged down in the details.

It's important to remember the vision.

Why did you start?

What did you envision for your business?

Is that still your vision?

If so, get back at it.

Return to the vision, and keep working towards it.

Merry Christmas, my friend. I'm glad you're here.

With love,
–Calvin

I'm obsessed with the community these days.

Before the pandemic, we were already getting more and more isolated. Sitting in front of our phones, computers, and devices, working, watching movies, shopping, communicating with our friends. All through a screen.

Always looking into a screen. Rare is the moment we take to just be or to talk to a stranger while waiting for the subway or the coffee.

And then, in 2020, it all got so much worse.

It feels to me like we're longing for community. For re…