If someone were to ask me about my business, and what was one of the worst decisions I ever made, it’d be an easy answer – I got comfortable in my success.

I’m very blessed to be able to a business owner.  For many years I trudged through the corporate world, hating it more and more every day.  I think it takes a special ability to not only go out on your own, but to make it work too.  Anyone can quit their job and start a business.  That’s probably why the failure rate is so high.  It takes a special kind of hustle to actually make it work.

I built my company from the bottom up, working a full time job while acquiring clients and teaching myself on the side.  After many years (and some prodding after reading the Four Hour Work Week), I quit a fairly high paying job and stepped out.  And I had success.  In the first year I made more than I had at my job.  Things were good.

Second year and third year were great.  Things are growing, we moved into a bigger space, hired a new intern here and there.  And I felt good.  I felt comfortable.

Ok, I became lazy.

The Easy Life

Clients were easy to acquire so I stopped teaching so much. I stopped looking for speaking gigs. I stopped filling my funnel.

Luckily for me, unlike many people, I have a great business coach that asks the tough questions.  He saw it way before I did.  A client moving on, a gig lost here, rnakings lost, a, well, over cockiness about my company’s success.

Dumb move, Will.

But he got me on track. “What are you doing to fill your funnel?” he asked.  It got me thinking. Nothing. That’s what I’m doing.  For a guy that hustles, it was a bit surreal looking internally at how I wasn’t hustling.

Do Something About It

I’m not one to wallow in failure, nor am I one to blame anyone else for a situation I find myself in.  So I’ve done something, and the results already have been phenomenal.  Just by putting the positive thoughts in place, the business is once again starting to thrive. People are calling me to speak. Bigger clients are seeking me out. More referrals are coming in.  Hustling is starting to pay dividends again.

Is your business doing well? Are you comfortable in your growth? Be careful, that could be a warning signal.  Get back up and start hustling.  You’ll be back on top in no time.

And speaking of filling your funnel, I had a great conversation with my friend Russ Henneberry last week, and he was telling me some great information about conversions, funnels, etc.  I was so enthralled by his thoughts that I asked him to speak at my upcoming class in May, and he said yes.  If you want to know not only how to fill your funnel but get more out of it, you should come.