What To Focus On And What To Ignore - Things That Will Move

Your Freelancing Biz Forward... FASTER!

I'm more of a principle guy...

I love to understand the principles of business, relationships, health, and even life, before I go
through strategies and tactics.

Why?

Because strategies and tactics change.

The principles behind them don't.

And just like JTL’s 5 stages of freelancing, one of the principles I follow is what I call the 4S - or
the 4 stages of life.

The Reality...

I believe we are ALL designed to get pass through these 4 stages. Unfortunately, not everyone
gets through all of it.

Probably because most people don't know these stages…

(Which is the problem).

If you don’t know the problem, how are you going to solve it, right?

Fortunately, you can avoid this problem because I’m revealing the answer right here, inside the
tribe :-)

Whether naghahanap ka pa ng first premium client mo or successful ka na, knowing this 4S will
help you get unstuck and move forward.

So make sure you ​pay close attention.

Okay?

Now, let me share what the stages are, then later, iconnect natin sya sa freelancing biz natin.
 The 4 Stages Of Life

STAGE 1: SURVIVAL

This is where we all start.

You're paying the bills, getting food on the table, and you’re trying hard to take care of yourself.

STAGE 2: STABILITY

Here you're taken care of. You got a place to live, a car to drive, you got money in the bank, and
you have a stable income.

STAGE 3: SUCCESS

You go from having everything you need... to everything you want..

You're living on your dream house, driving your dream car, you're taking vacations, and you
have an ultra fat bank account.

Most people stop here but there's still one more stage.

STAGE 4: SIGNIFICANCE

It's not about YOU anymore, it's about doing something bigger than yourself. You're making an
impact. You're leaving a legacy.

The Problem...

If you're like me…

Wherein you’re ambitious, have big dreams, and have this inner drive to help people...

For this kind of people, we have a tendency to do things that are meant for stage 3 and stage 4
people.

Pero sa totoo lang...

Karamihan sa atin dito sa tribe, nasa stage 1 or stage 2 pa lang.

This is a BIG problem.

 Here’s Why This Is A Problem...

I remember when I started doing real estate selling back in 2010…

Ang motivation ko is success (stage 3)...

This is the time where I read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and was exposed
to Real Estate selling business.

The Real Estate Industry was booming back then.

I had months where I sold P10 Million + worth of properties ng isang buwan. And as you know,
malaki laki din ang comision diyan.

As mentioned earlier, I was motivated by success so once I got the money, I started doing what
most successful people do.

Invest on assets.

I invested on the stock market, I invested on a small real estate property (townhouse), and even
invested on a small franchise sa mga MLM.

Imagine, 22 or 23 pa lang ako noon, tapos may mga investments na and may franchise pa.

Thing is…

Nasa stage 1 pa lang ako noon!

Hindi ko pa alam ang importance of consistency when it comes to generating leads. And the
importance of having a recurring source of income para maging stable.

I was trying to jump from stage 1 to stage 3 in one step.

 The Result Of The Problem?

Dahil walang consistent flow of leads… nawala din ang benta.

The following month, around P5M na lang ang sales ko… the next after that, P3M… then after
that… zero na.

Sa real estate selling business pa naman, hindi mo mararamdaman agad na nawawala na pala
yung income mo sa pipeine… unless minomonitor mo yung sales.

Long story short…

Dumating ako sa point na back to ZERO ang income ko.

- Yung investment ko sa stocks, unti unting naubos (kasi wala ng pumapasok)

- Yung property na nabili ko, naremata.
- Yung franchise, hindi ko naman din naasikaso kasi it's hard to start 2 business at the
same time.

Now I don't know your experience but can you relate on trying to go from survival to success ng
isang talunan lang and wonder why you're not moving forward?

Give And Give But Nothing On Return?

Now, sino naman dito yung feeling nila, give sila ng give, value post dito, value post doon, pero
bakit wala naman nangyayari?

I mean, give and you shall receive dapat, diba?

Well, the problem with this is… if you're trying to give to the wrong people at the wrong time,
hindi magwowork yung principle na to.

Why?

Let me share what happen after nung failure ko kanina.

So nung June 2014, I was licensed as a financial advisor then later on, became a certified
investment solicitor.

Back then, ang motivation ko naman is impact.

Kasi hindi nagwork sa akin nung success lang ang motivation ko.
I thought, I must do something bigger than myself naman.

So I started giving financial advice.

There's nothing wrong with giving financial advice, or any kind of giving, as long as you're giving
it to the right people based on what stage you're in.

Thing for me is, I did it with the wrong group of people.

I gave as if I was at the significance level na... And ang mga taong sineserve ko is yung mga
nasa survival stage din.

You see…

Trying to serve yung mga nasa survival stage while you're still surviving is like helping drowning
people, and ikaw mismo, drowning din.

Even thought the intention is good… gusto mo silang tulungan, pero ang ending… nalulunod
pa rin kayo pareho.

That's exactly what I did before.

I was giving like crazy.

I went through provinces to teach financial advice sa mga kapos palad nating kababayan...

I went to public schools, to teach public teachers na nagtitiis sa init and sa mga pasaway na
studyante kumita lang ng pera na sapat para sa pamilya...

I even taught on streets, kasi nasaraduhan na kami sa isang coffee shop...

Thing is, my business is not making any money because the people I serve have little to no
money na pang invest.

Again…

There's a perfect place and time to help yung mga struggling din financially. But you have to be
on the right stage to effectively do that.

At the end of the day, we can only give what we have.

So how can you help others if you can't help yourself, right?
 What To Focus On (And What To Ignore)
Friendly note: The following may sound so simple but its not easy.

SURVIVAL STAGE

What do you think our main focus during this stage?

Main focus​: Get your first premium client. All you need is to have enough to pay the bills and
put food on the table.

This is also the best time to...

- Build your confidence by learning by doing (sounds familiar)?

The key to building confidence is by doing first, then get confidence - not the other way
around.

- Keep your promise

When you keep your promise, you build your reputation. And that could lead to potential
referrals or long term deals for your existing clients.

- Build good habits.

We are creatures of habits. Whether we have a good one or a bad, their both habits.

Do your best to build good habits.

What to ignore:

- Using Social Media to get distracted

- Shiny shimmering business opportunities.

- Business opp experts just to feel the hype again

- Too much planning (and not enough acting)

- Walang katuturan na networking

- Everything that will distract you from getting that first premium client.
Remember, ITS OKAY TO THINK SHORT TERM AT THIS STAGE because you're fixing a
short term problem.

STABILITY STAGE
(This is what I always skip most of the time)

What does it take to make a business stable?

Main Focus: ​Positive Cashflow.

Get another retainer (ideally a more specialized work based on your specialized skill, for higher
pay).

Or have an ongoing strategy to get new projects every month, lalo na kung ayaw mo ng
long-term clients (funnel).

You see, businesses fail not because you're not working enough or you're not getting clients, its
because they ran out of CASH.

That's why once you go pass through survival stage, you want to quickly secure your cash flow
every... single... month.

Other things to focus:

- Know how much you really need? (Pwede ka na magplanning dito ng medyo long term).

- Have a mentor. Someone who is doing what you want to do, and living what you want to
live.

- Network. Invest in yourself financially by going to legit, networking events (hindi lang
yung mga events na bebentahan ka lang).

- This is also the best time to sit down and write what does success look like to you.

What you don't want is to work so hard and when you reach the top, you realize you
climb the wrong mountain. (I prepared a questionnaire for you about this below).

What to Ignore:

- Unconscious browsing in Social Media. (Instead na connecting, chismis ang nakikita).

- Shiny shimmering new biz opp
 - Biz opp experts.
- Thoughts of "okay na yan," because you'll be starting to get comfortable once you get
retainer clients. But remember, nag umpisa ka pa lang.

Remember, our bills, hunger and basic needs doesn't stop in a month. This is why it's important
to have a stable income.

SUCCESS STAGE

Remember, you have to define what success look like to you. Kanya kanya tayong version of
success.

How are you going to arrive to your destination if you don’t know where to go?

Main Focus​: Scale by going deep or going wide.

Go deep​ means partnering with a company for some kind of revenue share or equity deals. ​Pag
natulungan mo maggrow yung company, maggrow din yung income mo.

Go wide​ means serving more clients. This is where you want productize your service para
systematize yung fulfillment ng service mo. And pag systematize ang fulfillment, mas madali
itrain yung mga tao na gagawa nito for you.

Other things to focus:

- Build a team because we cannot do great things alone.

- Build systems to streamline your process.

.
- Serve bigger and better clients. (In my experience, the biggest leaps in my income came
not from changing WHAT I do, but WHO I do it for).

- Learn how to negotiate better deals.

- Think LONG-TERM and mastermind with other successful people.

What to Ignore:

- Wasting TIME. It’s your most valuable asset during this stage.
- Doing ordinary stuff that you could delegate.
- Unconscious browsing in Social Media. (Instead of using it to grow your business).

Most people stop here and wonder why they’re stressed, unfulfilled and exhausted.
Why?

Because we are not put here on earth just to live for ourselves. We are here to love and serve
others.

At this stage, nakuha mo na lahat, so pag money pa rin ang motivation mo, pano na?

SIGNIFICANCE STAGE

This is where we all want to be.

Main Focus​: Do something bigger than yourself. It's not about money anymore. It's about
impact.

NOTE: We are all different. For some people, "impact" means loving your wife, providing for

😁
your kids and being the best mom/dad and wife/husband for them, or even supporting a church.
As long as you do your part to make this world a better place, it's fine

Other things to focus:

- Create a movement

- Think about how to make our world a better place to live in

- Spreading your message

- Help people in the Survival, Stability, and Success stages

- Teach or mentor

What to Ignore:

- Wasting TIME. It’s your most valuable asset during this stage

- Doing ordinary stuff that you could delegate.

- Unconscious browsing in Social Media. (Instead of using it to spread your message).

- MOST IMPORTANT: Ignore critics and bashers. Hindi sila nakakatulong.

At this stage, what's important is to live and fulfill your purpose in life.
 The Next Steps...

What you'll see below helped me get unstuck and move forward faster. So fast that I get
unstuck as soon as 24 hours. Because life gets easier when you're honest with yourself.

Here are some questions to know exactly where you are and where you want to go.

1. Where am I now (based on 4 stages of life)?

2. What do I need to focus on to get pass through this stage?

3. What do I need to ignore?

4. Am I bettering myself or am I stagnant?

5. Where am I stuck?

6. Where do I feel like you need help?

7. What do I wish someone would just "come along and take care of it for me?"

8. How will I get this?

Hope this simple framework helps you as much as it helps me in this freelancing journey.