If I were to do it all over again, I think I would embrace the importance of getting up and having a morning routine.
Ben Newman is a bestselling author, international speaker, and highly regarded performance coach whose clients include Fortune 500 companies, business executives, high-performing salespeople, and athletes in the NFL, PGA, and NCAA.
This year, 800-CEO-READ selected his most recent book, “Leave YOUR Legacy,” as one of the top 25 business books. And the Napoleon Hill Foundation and Nightingale-Conant selected Ben to help produce their latest audiobook, “Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success.”
Ben’s message has inspired thousands of people at companies around the world to do great things every day by focusing on the process instead of results and turning adversity into opportunity. He’s spoken to organizations such as the St. Louis Cardinals, the Association of Financial Advisers, Singapore, Great-West Life, the United States Army, Cintas, the University of Iowa, Wells Fargo, and Northwestern Mutual. He has shared the stage with greats such as Tony Dungy, Colin Powell, Brian Tracy, Ken Blanchard, and Tony La Russa.
Where did the idea for the Continued Fight come from?
I had to grow up fast, as I watched my mother battle a rare disease called amyloidosis. When it came time to start speaking, I recognized that each and every day is a gift, and we have an opportunity to give away our gifts to make a difference in the world.
My mother taught me the greatest life lesson, and that lesson is that it’s not how long you live; it’s how you choose to live your life. Even though my mother passed the pen of her life on to me 11 days before my eighth birthday, I recognize that my mother is the greatest prizefighter I’ve ever known. Thus, the Continued Fight was born.
What does your typical day look like, and how do you make it productive?
A typical day for me is called organized chaos. I absolutely love the opportunity to serve others, to make a difference, and to fight — the crazier the day, the better. I always say being busy is certainly better than trying to find something to do. If we can give away our gifts and serve others, it makes for one heck of a day.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I feel like our best ideas are born through experiencing things personally, meeting amazing people and hearing their stories, and identifying ways that people can continue to grow.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
I love social media! I used to be the guy who didn’t even like emailing, and now, I absolutely love connecting and building new relationships with people all over the world. Social media has led to business deals with individuals in the NFL as well as speaking engagements.
What’s one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I embrace the opportunity to get up early every single day in order to prepare myself for business. Many people have big dreams, but they forget that they have to go to work, too. By waking up early, I get to have quiet time to prepare and follow through on the daily disciplines, which give me the mental toughness to persevere and make a difference.
What was the worst job you ever had, and what did you learn from it?
I think my worst job was probably selling hot dogs at the Jewish Community Center snack bar when I was 13 years old. I still can’t believe I was being paid $3.25 an hour to have people tell me that I didn’t put enough mustard on their dogs. But when I look back on it, I recognize how important it was to learn about work ethic at such a young age.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
If I were to do it all over again, I think I would embrace the importance of getting up and having a morning routine. Luckily, I’ve become intentional with how I start my days to drive performance.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I know you’re expecting this from me because I’m a coach. Nonetheless, I think it’s so important to have a coach and an advocate. A coach will help you see things that you can’t see for yourself. A trusted advocate will help you generate new ideas and get a clear understanding of where your talents can take you.
What’s one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
The most important strategy we utilize every single day is what I call points of contact: contacting our outbound touchpoints via text message, email, phone calls, and social media to generate business. Silent businesses don’t succeed.
I’m a huge believer that you have to share your passion and belief to make a difference, and that’s how you generate business. It’s about the positive action steps that it takes. Most people are waiting for greatness to go on sale, but you have to be willing to put in the daily work that it takes to drive success.
What’s one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
There was a period in 2010 when I was paying back more commissions to the company I was representing than I was receiving. It was a trying time.
However, the experience made me more human to the audience that I was in front of, and it helped me recognize and appreciate hard work. It was during that period of time that I fell short on my daily disciplines. My coach at the time helped me reconnect to the daily disciplines, which I was already speaking to people about every day, and that helped me realize that to get back on top, I had to go back to what I had done in the past.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
I give back to various charities on a monthly basis. When you can give back to an organization that’s trying to make the world a better place, it’s an incredible use of money.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
I’m not the biggest technology guy. However, I’ve absolutely embraced the opportunity to use apps on your phone to drive business and influence. I love Hootsuite! It’s a great app that allows you to easily send messages across all your social media streams.
What’s the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Even though I’ve written six books, I’m not going to recommend one of mine. The book that has meant the most to me recently is “The Carpenter” by my mentor, Jon Gordon. It’s an absolutely incredible book with a great message that connects you to your deeper purpose.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
There are a few people who have inspired me, including Robin Sharma, Jon Gordon, Dr. Jason Selk, and John Wooden.
Connect:
Ben Newman’s Website:
Ben Newman on LinkedIn:
Ben Newman on Twitter: @continuedfight
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.