“Overnight Success”
23. Jul, 2010 
28 Comments
Not long ago I was being interviewed by a journalist from a major newspaper about my company nobankruptcy.com.au. One of his questions pertained to how it became an overnight success and how I was so smart to come up with such a business concept.
At this point I had to laugh.
Firstly, there are many ways to define ‘overnight success’, but i’ll leave that for another blog. My ‘overnight success’, if we can call it that, took a few years in the making. My ‘overnight success’ included years of working from home solo, burning the midnight oil churning over 18hour days, trying to build an income stream after I had lost a great income stream. My ‘overnight success’ had me racking my brains out developing processes and systems as I had nothing to compare or follow because I was the only guy doing what I was doing in Australia; everyday was an adventure, carving my own path instead of following an already created path.
Secondly, it wasn’t because of my (very limited) intelligence that created the business. We had to go broke (unintentionally) ourselves first. We had to use our own services first before we realized someone else could benefit from this service. The business was born unintentionally out of a very difficult situation, which incidentally, is how many other successful businesses in the world are started.
Yes, you can have what successful people have and below are what I believe are two keys to success:
1. The Mixed Bag – this bag contains the various ingredients to your success in anything you choose to succeed in. It includes the four P’s: persistence, patience, perseverance, and preparation. It also includes your undivided attention, gazelle-like focus, and extremely hard work. And of course there are the spices – vision, hope and faith. It demands belief in yourself, and belief in a higher realm/being (for me that’s God).
2. Having an Athlete’s Mindset – our middle son, Julian (pictured), is an elite athlete, and I know by being involved in the development of Julian’s sporting career what commitment and dedication is required to be at the top of your game. I’ve watched him train. I’ve watched him suffer countless setbacks as well as claim glory; but there are no shortcuts. As any athlete or coach will tell you, you do it tired. You do it hurting. You do it scared. You do it frustrated, and sometimes you do it angry. Like our friends at Nike say, you JUST DO IT and you just keep doing it and you keep going. No athlete, no matter how good they are, stops training. No athlete arrives at their mountaintop without enduring the climb first. That’s the kind of mindset that you are required to adopt.
Yes, you can become like them – the ‘overnight success’, but are you willing to go through what they went through to be as successful?
Overnight success stories take years in the making….
Question: Are you prepared to go through the things successful people had to go through to arrive at where they are today? What do you think are other vital keys to success and how did you become an ‘overnight success’?
Related posts:
My day job is founder & CEO of nobankruptcy.com.au. // My life job is to talk you into winning; motivating you to achieve, overcome, and succeed...
Yes, a lot of people (who achieve success) have the same reaction as you…”overnight you say?” I don’t know of anyone who has actually experienced it, so why do they keep using that word?? We all would like to believe that we can make it and have it all without any of the attributes and hard work you describe. Reality of course is something else. Thank you Oey for pointing out what is real and worthwhile. The real formula to success.
Thanks for your comments Cristina. Here’s another thought; lotto winners are labelled “overnight millionaires”. How many years do you think most of these winners have played lotto before they hit the jackpot? The majority: many many years. Overnight millionaires? Don’t think so!
Christian
Hi Christian,
Nice post on what being an “overnight success” really entails.
For me, I left school without any qualifications yet today run what I believe is a successful SEO and Internet marketing business. Yet it has taken many years of hard work to achieve including a loss of money and sometimes a loss of family life.
Many believe that they can “make it overnight” but in reality, this is not the case.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where patience is frowned upon and instant gratification is the ultimate aim.
I always have to tell my own clients that building your business and brand online takes time, a lot of hard work and money.
Like one of my favourite sayings goes “So many people want to experience heaven, yet none of them want to die!” You have to make the sacrifices, in order to achieve success.
Rob
Thanks for your comment Rob. The best is yet to come, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Onwards and upwards….
Christian
Hi Christian
Great post and have forwarded this to many
of my friends. I love the 2 keys especially the
2. Having an Athlete’s Mindset.
Coming from a failed business
and starting the same one again because
I believe that one day that 20 hours hard
workwill payoff, correcting past mistakes and decisions can be fixed and persevering to move forward is the only way to go.
What you said
was very true as a solo-preneur we embrace
and love and believe on what we do inspite the
odds. Yes, we stay and stick to our business even when we are
tired,hurting,
scared,frustrated, sometimes angry or sometimes we just want to strangle ourselves (joke!).
Like our friends at Nike say,
JUST DO IT and you just keep doing
it and you keep going.
I remembered my Dad whenever he counsel and in his many sermons at church,
he would mention that “when you hit the rock bottom, there is only ONE way to go, and that is to go UP.”
While everyone else around me says
whats the point of working so
hard building business you dont know
if it will succeed in the future, the more I hear this, the more
I get challenged and determined to keep going.
My husband who is in a very good permanent job regularly asks me the same question because he sees how hard I work to put too much time,money and many many more…
What do you see in your business,
is it really worth doing it?”
I always tell him the same answer –
whenever I see the faces of
the students (whether they are undergraduate
or professionals) from another country arrive
at the Intl Airport,and for them to see me waiting to welcome them in Australia,
they all have the same face expressions and reactions…just to see their faces is just priceless!
They are eternally grateful for our efforts to assist them to Australia.
Although coming from affluent families and highly educated/skilled, for them coming to Australia is a blessing, a new life and chance
to change not only their future but their families!
They have endless opportunities compared to where they come from inspite that their move here comes in a
very high price!
I am honored to be part of changing their future! Just like what Clickthru has done in our lives too…
they showed us the way to a better our future and to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And with faith one we will be out of that tunnel!
More power and God bless you and your TEAM as you continue to help others!
Charm
Great to hear you are going through the process to progress! Don’t give up, the only person that can stop you now is you! Your best days are just around the corner….
Thanks for your comments!
Christian
Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, I bookmarked it.
Everything happens for a reason… Thanks for your comments!
Christian.
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
Thanks. I’ll keep posting if you’ll keep reading!
Cheers
Christian
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