SO I did something batshit crazy the other week…
Out of the blue, and for no good reason, I decided to sign myself up for a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament.
If you haven’t heard of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (or BJJ), it’s a form of ground fighting/ grappling where you try and either strangle your opponent, or break their arms and legs.
It’s as brutal as it sounds, and is one of the main fighting styles in the UFC/ cage fighting.
Now, to give you a bit of a background, I’ve been in “business building mode” for the past year and a half – where after family time, almost every available second is spent on building Growth Labz.
While I used to train in BJJ 3 or 4 times a week, nowadays if I get along to a class once a week, it’s a decent week.
So it’s no wonder that I absolutely got my ass (or arse as we Aussies spell it) got handed to me.
5 fights, and I only won 1… Yikes! If that ain’t a butt kicking I don’t know what is haha
My competitors were stronger, fitter and just way more aggressive.
That being said though – entering the tournament (even though I got smashed) taught me a few things that I thought might be worth sharing…
- You won’t know until you do
One of the upsides to competing and losing is that I got to test myself against others, and learn where I REALLY stand in the scheme of things.
I learnt that even though technically I was just as good as everyone else, my timing, speed and aggression was way off.
It’s kind of like that in business right?
I run a lot of Ads for myself and for my clients, and until we actually launch something out into the market, we just don’t know what kind of results we’ll get.
But launching into the market (even if it fails) will give you information and data that a thousand textbooks or “courses” can’t and will FORCE you to see where you are and how to improve.
- Specialization is key
The guy in my division that won the whole tournament had a “go-to” strategy.
Every single time a match would start, he would pull the exact same move and every single time – he would pull out a devastating win where he destroyed the other guy’s knees or ankles (we refer to this kind of attack as leg locks).
The lesson here is that too many people (in business or otherwise) would try and be a jack of all trades or try and get better with their weaknesses, but really if you want to WIN and dominate – you should focus on what you’re good at.
I’ve seen too many businesses use website designers or general marketers to try and kick off a Facebook Ads campaign (or any other type of direct marketing) and absolutely FAIL.
If it’s possible – break down campaigns and strategies into smaller components and get people who are great at the one specific area to do the job.
For example: to put together a successful Facebook Ads campaign, you need:
* Copywriters to write what the Ads will say, and also the email followup sequence
* Designers to design the look of the Ad and get your market’s attention
* Tech people to set up what happens when the Ad gets clicked
* Facebook Ads people to take all of the above and work out the right targeting to get these ads in front of the right people
* Social Media Managers to manage the comments and the social side of running the ads
Trying to get one “all-rounder” to do all of this will NEVER be as effective as having a team of specialists do what they are good at.
http://gph.is/1PZ0RYF - Coaching can be the difference between winning and losing
Even though I lost 4 out of 5 matches, I put up a good fight each time (if I say so myself)…
I mostly held my own against guys who were bigger than me, who were fitter than me, and whose sole focus in their life was BJJ (training 5 times a week or more, compared to my once every two weeks).
The reason I was able to do so and not get totally embarassed was because of how great my coaches are.
Often when you’re stuck in the grind, stuck in the fight and struggling just to survive, a coach will be able to see what you can’t and call out specific moves that will take you to the next level (or help you avoid being strangled).
This is just as true in business as it is in a fight.
I know that sometimes I’ll smash my head against a wall day after day, only to find out after talking to my business coach that I could have easily gone around the wall or over it in 1/10th of the time.
- Sometimes you just have to say F**k it – let’s do it
Did I get my arse kicked? Yup
Do I regret it? Nope
There’s a saying in BJJ that “You either win or you learn”, and learn I did.
So if there’s something you’ve been unsure about doing, or even fearful of pulling the trigger on – go ahead and DO IT!
You might hurt for a bit afterwards if it all fails, but I guarantee you WON’T regret it!
So – let me know: What’s one thing you’ve been putting off that you’ve been unsure about doing?
Leave a comment, send me an email back or contact me some other way – would love to know!
Cheers,
Will
P.S. If you want a One Off coaching session, whether around business building, Social Media, Facebook Ads or Online Marketing – click on this link: [LET’S CHAT]
I’m not actively looking to bring on new coaching clients, but love helping businesses and talking shop – so whether it’s discussing strategies, or even sharing email, Facebook Ad or other marketing templates, would love to help however I can!