What makes success.....can it translate to another business

Something that I have been thinking about lately.
Most days I meet hugely successful men who are the best of the best in whatever it is that they do. I feel very fortunate to meet these gentlemen, I learn from them. It affords me the luxury to watch them, analyze them, see what the common characteristics of success(at least in the business world) really are.

Now to get to my point, and I hope I do not sound arrogant here because that is not my intent. I see that I have some of the same characteristics as these men. I am somewhat of a workaholic. While I only "work" 10-15 hrs a week(dinner dates ect) I spend 30+ hrs advertising, marketing,planning business travel,researching, responding to emails,developing connections ect.....and I love it all but may not quite as much as the "work",lol.

How do I translate my skill set to another business. How do I pick that business?....I know i hear do what you love and its not work. Well, this IS what I love. However I cannot do it forever due to age, life goals, and the risk factor of what I do.

I bring this here to this particular board because you guys will pick apart a thread to death....and I absolutely love that. I a a newer poster(but long term lurker) but am highly intrigued

there was a really good thread on a nearly identical topic on ASPD last year. It may be accessible at ERAPS.net but the site seems to be down right now lol somethings never change

I'm sure you'll get many thoughtful responses, but for me the brief learning from the previous thread, is:

1) Yes, there are many transferable skills notably the softer "people" skills. This could be helpful in a variety of fields including sales, customer service, or people/team/general management (although it is tough to find a job where you start as "boss").

2) You will need to think carefully about how to position the "gap" on your resume (assuming you do this full time)

The "hobby" business really isn't much different from any other business (aside from the legality and, for some, the morality issues), in that the skill set required for success -- understanding your business, having a well thought-out plan, putting in the hours, working "smart", doing the myriad of little things that successful people do and unsuccessful people do not do, etc -- is the same. And, whether anyone will admit it or not, it never hurts to be a good looking woman or a handsome man -- looks won't close a deal, but they can help you get in the door.

I am not as big of a proponent of folks trying to “do what they like to do”. I am much more of a proponent of “learning to like what you do”. Once you learn to like what you do, you will find that you are good at it.

Now, as to how to apply that to another endeavor? I guess you need to think of your individual attributes and things that you have knowledge of. From this side of the computer screen one could tell that you are young, you are attractive and that you have good enough people skills to entertain a bunch of old codgers who think they are something special. So, even outside of this world, men (being how they are) are probably going to give you a better reception than they would just any old hag that walks in the door.

As such, marketing some kind of product to men could be an avenue for you to pursue. IMHO, women (generally) might tend to see you as more of a threat, and your reception would not be as good. So, do you have knowledge of, or do you think you can learn about, some product that men might be the largest users of? If so, get your knowledge base up to where you know more about it than anyone you know…because at the end of the day a pretty face only gets you in the door…ultimately you have to provide goods or services. Think outside the box. It could be working the front of a hotel or fancy restaurant. It could be leasing apartments in places that primarily cater to unmarried folks. It could be selling men’s clothes. I’ve even met some high end car sales gals, who are very attractive…and would rather buy from them than some guy in a plaid blazer.

Whatever you pick, stick with it…work hard for several years. Develop your skills and your customer base. And by the time you are ready to step down from this world you should be ready to support yourself full time from the other world. I know no shortcuts to success, other than working hard. Work smart too…but work hard at it…and decide that you enjoy it…you will then find that you do.

Whats that old line -- "the harder I work, the smarter I get"?

Whatever you pick, stick with it…work hard for several years. Develop your skills and your customer base. And by the time you are ready to step down from this world you should be ready to support yourself full time from the other world. I know no shortcuts to success, other than working hard. Work smart too…but work hard at it…and decide that you enjoy it…you will then find that you do.[/font] Originally Posted by Rudyard K;14

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I have a fear that if I become "big" in my new up and coming career that my identity in this world will collide with my real identity.
For example, I love real estate and fear becoming well known publicly,although really that is the success level that I would like to achieve.

I have a fear that if I become "big" in my new up and coming career that my identity in this world will collide with my real identity.
For example, I love real estate and fear becoming well known publicly,although really that is the success level that I would like to achieve. Originally Posted by tylorblake

As much as I hate to say this (as a fellow Atlantan )....move

maybe not now but at some point when a transition to another market makes sense...

Your concern is a legitimate one.

Whats that old line -- "the harder I work, the smarter I get"? Originally Posted by pjorourke

"The harder I work, the luckier I get."

Attributed to Ben Franklin, Samuel Goldwyn, Gary Player, Donald Trump* and countless others..

*I'm guess he had his PR staff attribute it to him

As much as I hate to say this (as a fellow Atlantan )....move Originally Posted by atlcomedy

I struggle with this every day. Do I want to leave Atlanta? No not really. But the thought of looking over my shoulder for many years, just doesn't sit well.

Rudyard,
What a wonderful post! Your advice is logical and well thought-out. Thank you for putting in the effort to compose such a useful post.

Oh, wait. Why use a silly emoticon when I have an actual picture of me bowing to you?:

I have a fear that if I become "big" in my new up and coming career that my identity in this world will collide with my real identity.
For example, I love real estate and fear becoming well known publicly,although really that is the success level that I would like to achieve. Originally Posted by tylorblake

This wouldn't be the first time somebody got screwed by or screwed their realtor.

I am not as big of a proponent of folks trying to “do what they like to do”. I am much more of a proponent of “learning to like what you do”. Once you learn to like what you do, you will find that you are good at it. Originally Posted by Rudyard K

Pretty much totally agree with everything that Rudyard says in his entire post, but mainly the quoted section above, and once you find that you enjoy what you do, you will see that you were most likely given that gift to do just that. Its very rewarding in many ways over.

Honey Rose you must not do that......Rudyard will start thinking he is something special...

Why not combine the two worlds. Annie at the Agency in New Orleans seems to be doing very well with her customer service capability and her business sense. Maybe Atlanta needs the same...

Why not combine the two worlds. Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

I think that is a great idea for some. For me I couldn't have one foot in this world and one foot in the real world. When it is time to walk away I want to do so 100%.

Ansley you need to keep this world localized and, as much as possible, not so high end that your clients travel a lot.
Then, when you quit, move to an area completely away from where you p4p'd.
You could take a chance on a higher end p4p if you then moved to a market and a profession that wasn't likely to come in to contact with travelers.