21 Questions for 21 Millionaires
How Ordinary People Create Extraordinary Success
Brandon Pipkin
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Brandon Pipkin
Cover design by Dzubyan Marva
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Chapter 1: The Truth About Success
Chapter 2: What I Learned From Interviewing 21 Millionaires
Chapter 3: The Methodology Behind the Interviews
Chapter 4: Who Are These Millionaires?
Millionaire 9 Theresa Szczurek
Millionaire 21 Richard Zuschlag
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Chapter 1: The Truth About Success
“I just worked real hard and the moneymaking came by accident.”
Millionaire 21 Richard Zuschlag
The success experts are wrong, dead wrong.
And in their excited frenzy to sell their highly marketed, tightly packaged, hyperbole-filled, guaranteed systems for success they are causing others to get it wrong, too.
Take back their books, CDs, and systems and get your money back from the motivational seminar. You don’t need to learn “The 15 Surefire Steps to Success,” or “The 8 Principles for Financial Freedom,” or “The 72 Secrets of Super Wealth Building,” to be successful. You don’t need written goals or the advice of a mentor and you should put your subscription to travel and luxury magazines on hold because simply dreaming about it doesn’t make you rich either.
These gurus, enlightened ones, business leaders, authors, and consultants each declare that their system is the system guaranteed to bring you the happiness and wealth you desire. They claim to have the secret. They assert that their book or package holds the key to prosperity. They share platitudes and principles that they say are absolutely essential for attaining success. And they claim that their techniques are so powerful and the results so imminent that they will revolutionize your life. Their systems, secrets, keys, platitudes, principles, and techniques are void of one important thing – the truth.
The system that was guaranteed to make you successful turns out to be a bust. The secret was something you already knew. The key unlocked wealth for the author, but not for you. The platitudes were only that and the principles and techniques were ineffective in application.
But not to be denied in your quest and hungry for success you continue your search. You run to the next guru who, unlike the last, surely must have it figured out or must have the answer for your unique situation.
“The flame of each new theory fades, only to be replaced by another ‘new and improved’ solution that promises to do what the others before could not.”1
How many hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars are needlessly wasted each year searching for wealth and happiness without finding it?
Don’t get me wrong, most of the experts believe that what they are saying is true and undoubtedly their advice has worked for some. But their “absolutely-guaranteed, works-for-everyone” systems for success are far from it.
Think about it. If there were one, guaranteed success system, why would all of the others be necessary? If one or even all of those systems worked for everyone, why are we not all retired and in Barbados right now?
After years of buying and believing what the experts were selling and only getting further into debt and more and more frustrated, I learned the truth about success by interviewing 21 down-to-earth millionaires about how and why they did what they did. What I found is that not much of what they did matches what the experts say you have to do.
These millionaires’ experiences prove that success isn’t about the planning and hoping. It’s not about reading the right book or listening to the right person’s advice or in working with a mentor. It’s not about following someone else’s blueprint and it certainly isn’t created by wanting it badly enough. Visualization, goal setting, and thinking alone won’t take you there.
It’s all about–wait, could it be? A book that is willing to share its message on page two instead of baiting you to read forty pages into its self-absorbed, incomprehensible profundity? Yes, now continue reading–WORK.
There is no plan that will compensate for work. There is no success principle that is more powerful than work. There is no desire, visualization, or goal that accomplishes anything until it is coupled with work. There is no advice that replaces action and there is no “system” to it.
“Work will win when wishy-washy-wishing won’t.”2
Not only are work and its resultant sense of satisfaction their own rewards, work also creates opportunities.
In this book I share the stories of how work got 21 millionaires where they are and how it compensated for everything else. As you read the interviews with each millionaire you’ll see how work is the “secret” to any success, no matter what your definition is. You will also see how hard work brought some of the millionaires even more success than they were thinking they would achieve.
These people created success not by relying on experts, gurus, or supposed enlightened ones, and they certainly didn’t read books (not even this one!) to become successful. Instead, they listened to what was guiding them internally and they worked. By working hard, no matter what the circumstances, their unique path to success was created.
These millionaires worked constantly without being fanatical. They put effort into the little things. They put their nose to the grindstone and did so, in most cases, without knowing where it would lead. They were happy just to be doing something productive.
They simply worked.
There are many forgotten virtues in our world today and one of them is good old-fashioned hard work. If I am guilty of selling anything in this book, it is the truth of how 21 ordinary people created extraordinary success through hard work.
Through this book I wish to restore the value of work in the hearts and minds of any who seek happiness – financial or otherwise.
And I’m the guy who would know.
A Little Background
Having grown up in poor circumstances, I was anxious to be successful in all areas of my adult life, especially the financial realm. I wanted to provide well for my family and repay the many acts of kindness we so frequently received from others in my formative years. For example, I remember one Christmas we received a box of toys from someone who knocked at the door and said that Santa was delayed in Kansas and had asked him to deliver a package to us.
I couldn’t wait to do the same kinds of things for other people and I thought success would come easily. But I didn’t understand the importance of work.
Aside from my time as a church missionary and some other experiences, I had not really worked. Sure, I would show up and do the job, but I wasn’t giving it my all because my expectation was that a little work would go a long way.
I was pompous enough to believe that I was smart enough, talented enough, good looking enough, and charming enough that with only a little effort and lots of belief I would be able to move mountains. I wasn’t focused on my various jobs because I was sure the right opportunity was just around the corner and everything else was temporary.
With only that little bit of work things didn’t open up and happen for me the way I thought they would and should. Circumstances didn’t align to make my path easy. Instead of a life of young fame and fortune, I was working two jobs just to survive.
Luckily, while working that second job, I was introduced to a personal development and mentorship group focused on creating success. I caught fire wanting to learn about success, leadership, wealth creation, and personal development. I was excited to learn what I was doing wrong and how I could be successful.
Learning About Success
For the next several years I spent money on tapes, CDs, books, seminars, and presentations that promised to help me think the right way and be successful. I read websites, e-zines, newsletters, and emails. I got books and audio books from the library. I digested whatever I could get my hands on. I availed myself of what the success and personal development gurus had to offer and was motivated to implement it.
I believed in myself; set goals; wrote those goals down, kept them where I would see them, and told others what those goals were; consulted with a mentor; envisioned success; dreamed big; did something every day to bring me closer to my dream; maintained a positive attitude; and all of the other things the experts say are necessary to create success. I thought success, spoke success, and dreamed success. I posted pictures of what I wanted, visualized the desired end state and planned my path working backwards.
It didn’t work.
Rather than success untold, I had debt untold. Rather than happiness, I had frustration.
I didn’t reach the success I was told I should have been able to and consequently wondered what was wrong with me – after all, it couldn’t be the experts who were wrong.
I wondered if it might be my financial circumstances that were preventing me from reaching success; maybe I needed to make more money so I could invest in the experts’ complete systems. Maybe the real secrets were in there, not in their free and low cost-information that I was using. (Note the irony here of thinking I needed to make more money before I could find out about how to make more money.)
Then I thought maybe my mindset was the problem and needed to be changed. When I still couldn’t create success, I thought maybe it just wasn’t the right time. But then I thought about the experts’ advice of “you can do anything you set your mind to,” and “you’re in total control of your life,” so again I wondered what I was doing wrong and kept searching for the secret to success that eluded me.
Adding insult to injury, I finally figured out that I was anything but good looking or charming – so much for being able to rely on those qualities to help me on my journey.
The good news, though, is that through trying to figure out what creates success I picked up on one thing: the value of work. I was finally putting in real work and that led to a perfect storm of circumstances.
Idea for the Book
While I was seeking answers about how to be successful, I came across an idea by Robert Allen who described how passion and financial compensation are tied together. He said we all have unique gifts, talents, and interests, a passion, with which we have been endowed to bless the world. He equates the sharing of one’s passion to the playing of a unique note in the symphony of life. When we all play our notes, the symphony is rich and wonderful. When one doesn’t share their passion, the symphony of life is impoverished of that person’s sound.
Allen also asserts that when we share our passion we impact the world in such a unique and powerful way that it can’t help but compensate us financially for that contribution.
Wow, what a great thought! I immediately wanted to share it with others to encourage them to share their passion with the world and help them achieve the success that I also so badly wanted.
For years I had wanted to write a book but didn’t know what to write about until I came across Allen’s idea. The thought came to me to interview 21 ordinary millionaires to learn how they had found their passion and thus found their success. I wanted to use millionaires who were not necessarily well known to demonstrate that you don’t have to be a celebrity or athlete to live your passion and that success is closer than we think.
What is Your Passion?
I ran across one little problem with my grand idea.
On the third interview I found that the connection between passion and success might not be what I thought it was. It was a beautiful Friday morning and I was talking with Matt, a customer-turned-friend who had sold his business for several million dollars. Earlier in the interview I had asked him if he had set goals on his path to becoming a millionaire. He hadn’t.
Later I asked, “What is your passion?”
Rather quickly he responded, “I really don’t know. I’ve been asked that question before and I honestly have never sat down and thought about what am I passionate about.”
Huh?
Up to that point, based on what I had heard, read, seen, and believed, I thought success was conditioned upon finding something about which you were passionate, setting goals, and creating a plan to accomplish those goals; then pursuing that plan with discipline, focus, and determination.
Matt’s answers were contrary to all of that.
Not only did he ruin the perfect subtitle for the book (Find Your Passion, Find Your Success), Matt shattered what I thought was a surefire way to find my own success and inspire others to do the same. More importantly, though, he sent me on a quest for the truth.
From that point on, my focus in the interviews was different. Rather than trying to validate the blueprint of passion creating success and prove my hypothesis right, I wanted to hear in the millionaires’ own words, from their own experiences, the how and why they did what they did. I wanted the truth, whatever it was.
I wanted to know if the other millionaires, like Matt, didn’t really know what their passion was. I wanted to know if they had had goals and if those goals were written. I wanted to know if they used visualization, had a written business plan, or any plan at all. I wanted to know if there was a formal system they followed, such as an expert’s guaranteed system. I wanted to know if they had had mentors and who those mentors were. I wanted to know if they ever had a desire to become a millionaire. I wanted to know about their belief system. I wanted to know what advice they would give to someone looking to be successful. I wanted to know what really creates success.
In seeking the truth, I found it.
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Chapter 2: What I Learned From Interviewing 21 Millionaires
“I think at that point in time you need to dispense with everybody’s opinion and just go with your own instincts.”
Millionaire 15 Cynthia McKay
Millionaire 2 Jeffrey Luftig set out to be a high school shop teacher. He got a bachelor’s degree in industrial science, did his student teaching, and had a job lined up. Then one of his professors told him that he should get a master’s degree instead. Jeffrey thought the professor’s reasoning for doing so made sense and he trusted him, so he pursued a master’s. It was a turning point in his life and ultimately Jeffrey went on and earned his Ph.D.
After graduation, he started teaching as an assistant professor at State University of New York [SUNY] at Oswego and settled in, thinking he would work in higher education for the rest of his life. He quickly took on new roles within education, including Assistant Department Head at the University of Northern Iowa. After a time, the head of that department moved to Eastern Michigan University, and asked Jeffrey to be the technology department head there.
While at Eastern Michigan University, he got a call asking him to teach continuing education classes at General Motors in statistical methods and process control. He found out that he was the only one on his faculty who was able to do it, bringing about what he calls another turning point in his life, since it opened the door to other opportunities.
Jeffrey encountered some resistance, however, when the dean of the college told him that he couldn’t be paid for teaching the classes at GM. Jeffrey taught the classes anyway and GM loved it. They asked for more classes and then for an advanced course, which they opened to other companies. A few people from Ford came. They were impressed with Jeffrey and asked him to teach the class in-house for them.
That eventually led to Jeffrey consulting full-time at Ford through an endowed chair at the university and working with renowned quality expert Dr. W. Edwards Deming for two years.
One day Jeffrey thought to himself that the cost of his children’s college education might be more than he could handle on a university salary, so he decided to replicate in the private world what he had done at the school: create a consulting practice.
He thought he would consult for a year or two, put some money away, and then go back to higher education. With that he gave up a full professorship, academic tenure, and associate dean status. The university faculty all told him he was out of his mind: “You’ve hit the epitome of where we all strive to get and you’re giving it up.”
“I didn’t see it quite that way,” Jeffrey commented when telling the story.
He started his own consulting company and it soon got out of hand as clients wanted more and more of his services. Fourteen years later he had built an international organization with six locations, 30-35 annual employees, and revenues over those years totaling $100 million.
All from the idea to consult for a year or two.
I asked Jeffrey if he ever expected his business to grow to the level it did.
“It would depend on when you asked me,” he responded.
“The day I started it, I didn’t see it as a business. I saw it as a way to do some consulting and teaching and make a significant amount of money in a relatively short period of time. But ‘significant’ changes throughout time.”
Like many of the other millionaires I interviewed, it wasn’t Jeffrey’s intention to become a millionaire or to create a large organization. His original intent was simply to provide enough money for his children to go to whatever college they wanted.
Jeffrey’s story perfectly illustrates what I learned from the 21 millionaires I interviewed because he, like most of the rest, could not have planned for the outcomes he achieved. He, like the rest, achieved what he did without a master plan, a formal mentor, or a grand vision. Instead, he and the other millionaires worked hard, took logical steps when the time was right, kept moving forward by finding and doing things that worked, and pursued his unique path to success.
Here it is in a list. The millionaires:
1. Worked hard.
2. Went line upon line.
3. Moved forward by course correcting.
4. Followed their unique path.
These are the four commonalities the millionaires share. I call them “commonalities” instead of “traits” because “trait” seems to imply something tangible and scientific; something with which you are born or can develop through conscious effort.
“Commonalities” fits better because the millionaires are not necessarily gifted with extraordinary qualities, nor was there concerted effort involved to acquire or develop these. It’s just what they did. It is only in looking back on their lives and through the interviews that it comes clear what worked to get them where they are.
These commonalities among the millionaires are so interconnected that it’s difficult to speak of one without tying it into one or more of the others, but I’ll try.
Commonalities
1. Worked Hard
All of the millionaires worked hard at each stage in his or her life.
Some had paper routes or sold things in their younger years and in their early adulthood they worked hard, as is evidenced in their educational pursuits. Twenty of them have at least a year of education beyond high school. The one who does not served in the military and now teaches at the college level. Nineteen have associate’s degrees or above, 17 have bachelor’s degrees, and 10 have advanced degrees.
When they started working after college they gave it all they had not knowing where that work would lead. In other words, none of them worked with an eye to the next step. Working hard is just part of who they are.
Concerning work Jeffrey said, “A lot of people probably have (the kind of background that I do, but) I executed on the opportunities that were presented to me.” In other words, he put in the effort; he took action where others may not have.
Another part of this commonality is that most of the millionaires weren’t concerned with whether something was the right action or wrong action, or whether they were working harder or smarter – they just did something.
In most cases they didn’t plan much or theorize either. As Millionaire 11 Mark Sanborn put it, he would “rather be splashing around in the ocean than sitting on the shore doing a strategic plan.”
Through the interviews I found an unexpected connection between passion and work. Most of these millionaires worked hard and then found their passion, not vice versa. Millionaire 18 Shawn Kane said, “I fell into the profession that I’m in now and it became my passion.”
Something else that was interesting was that instead of trying to manufacture opportunities or exert undue pressure to make things happen, the millionaires went with the flow of where life was taking them and didn’t fight against that energy, (see the next commonality). That, however, cannot be mistaken for a lack of hard work or for being lazy.
An analogy might be this: Rather than determining where they wanted to go and then finding the right path, the right vehicle, and the right crew to take them there, they just got in the nearest vehicle and started driving in the direction that looked good at the time. Along the way, great things happened and they ended up somewhere pretty special.
Most of the millionaires didn’t work hard so that they could become millionaires. Most worked for the general objective of being successful, or to build something of value, to prove others wrong, to improve something, or to get out of something they didn’t like. Similar to Millionaire 21 Richard Zuschlag’s experience, they “just worked real hard and the moneymaking came by accident.”
These millionaires took consistent action that over time created huge results.
An important note is that because work is ennobling, it naturally improves and enhances self-esteem. As a result, most of the millionaires didn’t practice positive speech, positive affirmations, or external motivation techniques. There was no need to manufacture self-worth or convince themselves that they would be successful. They went to work and success followed naturally.
Of the characteristics the millionaires share, the most common is “doing” – not waiting until circumstances were perfect; until someone provided the right tools, the right motivation, or the right help; or until they knew enough. In fact, Millionaire 15 Cynthia McKay and others credit naivety for their success.
At every point, they just started working on what made sense in the moment, which is the connection to the next commonality.
2. Line upon Line
“Line upon line…here a little and there a little,”1 is the most accurate way to describe how these millionaires approached their lives.
“Step by step” might be another way to think of it, but that phrase isn’t as accurate since it implies a uniform progression, which is not how the millionaires did things. With the exception of one or two, they did not have concrete plans for their lives and did not start by visualizing the end and working backwards to create it. They didn’t force the moment or have a clear path on which they stayed unwaveringly.
Instead, they took life as it came and built their success little by little, piece by piece, without knowing what the finished product, or even the next step, would look like. They were happy just to be productive in the moment.
Think about Jeffrey’s story from above. He didn’t have a grand vision of what he wanted to accomplish nor did he know where each preceding step would lead. He didn’t envision himself as the head of a multinational consulting firm with satellite offices and a private plane – he wanted to be a high school shop teacher for heaven’s sake! Then he just wanted to make some money for a year or two. All of the rest of it built line upon line.
Likewise, most of the other millionaires didn’t follow a programmed path, nor did they have a vision that guided their decisions. Even those that had a vision, with the exception of one, said it wasn’t concrete and that they had to be flexible and take life as it came. Each millionaire was open to opportunities and situations as they presented themselves and weren’t locked into something that blinded them to other options.
They followed their intuition and took steps that they said seemed to make sense at the time. Looking back on it, it was in the first interview that I heard the truth about that, but it didn’t register.
Millionaire 1 Lee Carlson didn’t get into real estate because it was his passion or because he always had a goal to do it and worked backward to get there. He got into it because he learned what real estate agents made, was tired of farming and dairying, and thought real estate was a good way to make some easy money. That’s as deep as it went.
As I mentioned, the millionaires didn’t try to manufacture opportunities in life or set their own timetable for when things should happen. They didn’t dictate to the universe how they wanted things to happen. They were open to how things were happening.
The millionaires worked day-by-day and in so doing built a foundation that opened opportunities and put them in a position to capitalize on them. In Jeffrey’s case for instance, 20 years after starting on his original journey he was primed and in a position to start a company.
As with Jeffrey, each step for the millionaires built on the last in a way that they couldn’t anticipate but in a way that made the next move the logical step. Jeffrey said his education and experiences “all came together in a very serendipitous way. I could not have planned it. But that’s the way it came out.”
Moving little by little means not having all of the answers at once. Many of the millionaires, Jeffrey included, didn’t write a business plan before starting their business. Most of those millionaires who now advise others to write their goals down and have a plan did not have solid goals and plans at the time, if they had any at all.
Line upon line also means not being fanatical. Although the millionaires worked hard and enjoyed building their businesses, most of them struck a very good balance between work and family. A few were even heavily involved in volunteer positions at church or in coaching their children’s teams.
Additionally, moving line upon line means that the millionaires were not what you might call “risk-takers.” Sure, some of them took risks, and some talk about having to put yourself out there to be successful, but most started their businesses in small and simple ways and moved a little bit at a time so the hazards were minimal.
The millionaires also weren’t looking for their big break or the big next step. They “executed on the opportunities” as they were presented without knowing at the time that they were opportunities; it was only in hindsight that they recognized their significance. In the moment, they didn’t know where a decision would lead, only that that it made sense to take it.
Even those who were good at planning and goal setting, like Millionaire 9 Theresa Szczurek and Millionaire 20 Rob Emrich, moved line upon line.
Szczurek left a corporate job to start her own business because it was the next logical step, not because she had always planned to do it. And although she had an intention to start a business, she and her partner had to go line upon line to discover what that business would be.
Emrich felt moved to do something and along the way it grew and morphed into many other things. He also talks about the need to be flexible with plans and goals.
None of these 21 ordinary people became a millionaire by doggedly pursuing their original plans.
“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”2
Maybe it was the lack of rigid plans that gave them the freedom to take advantage of opportunities that came up. And when they took advantage of something that didn’t turn out so well, they had the next commonality working for them.
3. Kept Moving Forward by Course Correcting
These millionaires casually mention that they made a lot of mistakes and found a lot of things that didn’t work.
They didn’t dwell on them, though. They added that information to their knowledge base and moved forward trying something else.
These are average people. They are not proficient in everything they do. None of them has the Midas touch. For examples refer to Millionaire 1 Lee Carlson’s discussion on farming and dairying, Millionaire 5 Heidi Ganahl’s discussion on The All American Girl Gone Wrong, Millionaire 6 Steve Rosdal’s discussion on scrimshaw, Millionaire 7 Vance Andrus’ discussion on failed businesses, Millionaire 14 Doug Krug’s discussion on starting from nothing multiple times (you get the point). But they keep doing something and that is what propels them forward. If it’s the wrong something, they correct for it or move on to something else.
These millionaires understood that failure is for a moment, not forever. Millionaire 18 Shawn Kane said, “A failure to me is not a failure. It’s a challenge to learn a better way to do something.” Millionaire 19 Judith Briggs said, “I look at failures as learning experiences.” Millionaire 8 Barry Hamilton remarked, “I had failures and successes early on in life. I think it taught me to continue to pursue things that I liked and if I didn’t quite get there and failed, it didn’t mean I was a failure. It just meant that it wasn’t meant to be and I needed to go to the next one.”
Also, the millionaires weren’t super intelligent people who sensed the shifting winds and made their moves ahead of the market. They weren’t opportunists who seized the next big thing. It was much simpler than that; they followed intuition and changed when necessary.
By working hard, moving line upon line, and course correcting, a unique path to success and in life opened up for each millionaire, which is the next commonality.
4. Unique Path
Like all of the millionaires, Jeffrey’s path was unique. He, like the others, followed his instincts and did what made sense to him, not necessarily what made sense to or had worked for others.
He didn’t listen to those who said he was crazy to leave higher education. He didn’t have a formal mentor who provided him with a proven path. He didn’t consult the experts’ advice to avoid mistakes and make the right next move.
No, he just made what seemed to him to be the right move at the time and it worked out. It worked out because he knew better than anyone else what his unique circumstances, needs, interests, skills, and background were – a common story among the millionaires.
These millionaires’ experiences are why I say the success experts miss the mark by encouraging a guaranteed pattern for success. Your path is not my path, is not Jeffrey’s path, is not anyone else’s path.
I’m not saying that others’ advice can’t be helpful and you shouldn’t listen to them at all. Indeed, the millionaires listened to informal mentors–friends and associates whose advice they trusted–but they took that advice for what it was worth and more heavily relied on their gut, intuition, and God. For at least Millionaire 7 Vance Andrus and Millionaire 17 Bryan Willis, it also included listening to their wives.
Interestingly, many of the millionaires are leery about giving advice to others, saying things like Millionaire 17 Bryan Willis did in response to the question, “What should others who want to be successful know?” His answer was, “I’m not qualified to say what anybody else would need to know.”
When it comes to success, especially entrepreneurship, I’m not sure there are many experts. By its very nature, entrepreneurship is about the individual and the circumstances. You can’t capture that in a bottle and package it.
And even though I’m sharing with you what I learned from these entrepreneurial millionaires, this book does not constitute expert advice. You have to learn for yourself, from your own successes and mistakes, because there’s more than one way to skin a cat. There was no right way or wrong way for these millionaires. There was just the way they did it.
Unconsciously, they understood that they were in the best position to make decisions about their own life and career and knew that if they made a wrong decision, it wasn’t the end of the world (refer back to commonality #3).
Bonus Commonality: Right Place, Right Time
Although not consistent across all stories, several of the millionaires also mentioned being fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time or having benefited from luck.
Adding a layer to that, Millionaire 7 Vance Andrus and Millionaire 21 Richard Zuschlag commented that luck is created through hard work.
Bottom Line
Each of the millionaires worked hard and took life as it came. They didn’t have grand plans or big dreams. By working hard they were in a position to see the next logical transition in their life that in hindsight can be labeled an opportunity.
Most of them weren’t very good planners. They were doers. Wherever they were, whatever they were doing, they worked.
These millionaires show you can create success without a dream, a passion, an eye for opportunity, unwavering discipline, written goals, formal mentors, or any of the other things you may have heard are absolutely necessary. After years of studying the advice of the experts and gurus and finding it wanting, I’m excited to share with you how 21 ordinary people created extraordinary success.
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Chapter 3: The Methodology Behind the Interviews
“That is the key to it: being in the flow and trusting and listening.”
Millionaire 14 Doug Krug
I think it’s helpful for you to understand my methodology of approaching the interviews. As I look back on it, I approached the interviews in somewhat the same manner the millionaires approached their lives and work – I didn’t have a concrete plan and was open to where things might lead, even with the first three interviews when I was trying to validate my hypothesis of find your passion, find your success.
How I Found Them
I started with Lee Carlson, whom I knew through church. After interviewing him I put the project on the shelf for a year because I got a great contract job with some restrictive intellectual property requirements and I didn’t want to chance losing the book. When that contract was not renewed due to the economy (I promise, it was not performance related, folks), I went looking for my next gig.
Through a series of circumstances that aligned just right as I was pursuing the next logical step in my progression, I met Gina Schreck1 and talked with her about how to get started as an independent speaker and trainer. She recommended that I talk to Ashley Andrus.2
Though the initial reason for our meeting together had nothing to do with the book, I shared the idea with Ashley. This was completely contrary to what I normally would have done because in the past I wanted to keep my ideas close to the chest for fear of ridicule or theft.
Ashley, however, was quick to provide encouragement for the idea and references to several millionaires, which jumpstarted the interview process.
As the project developed, I contacted other millionaires I had known through personal or professional association, I got referrals to some from friends whom I told about the book, and some I found through Internet searches.
Interestingly, I was not able to force any interviews. At times I tried to find millionaires who fit certain profiles that might provide different insights or appeal to certain audiences, but I came up empty in those attempts. Additionally, I didn’t plan to interview all entrepreneurial millionaires; that’s just the way it worked out.
Initially I tried to interview only what I call “bank account millionaires,” meaning they had made at least a million dollars in cash. Instead, I was led to a few “asset millionaires” whose stories were compelling and I recognized that since they could sell their businesses or assets tomorrow and become bank account millionaires it would be a good idea to use their stories.
When lining up the interviews I went with the flow and followed where it took me. In fact, after writing the book and sending it out for edits, one of the original millionaires had to back out and has since been replaced. Just one more opportunity to go with the flow.
The Questions & Answers
I was able to do initial research on some of the millionaires either online or during the call to schedule the interview. I then came to each interview with at least 25, but usually around 40, prepared questions, most of which were the same for each interview. Initially I wondered if each millionaire’s answers to the questions would lead to a pattern. I wondered if when all was said and done, if the same 21 questions and their answers across all interviews would prove most pertinent.
The answer was no.
Because the idea was to understand each millionaire’s heart-set, mindset, background, desire, and drive–the how and why he or she became a millionaire–I followed the unique flow of each interview to get to those answers. I then selected in hindsight what turned out to be the 21 most pertinent answers from each interview, whether it was a response to a question from the prepared list or one I had asked on the fly. Luckily, there were a few questions that were consistent across all interviews, giving you several points of comparison.
In Their Words
My goal in interviewing the millionaires, after I figured out that there wasn’t a direct correlation between passion and success, was simply to get to the truth. I’ve therefore tried to share the millionaires’ stories in their words, with their honest answers, without editing to prove my point or validate my views.
I’ve done my best to present the information the way I received it, accounting for the need to break it down into palatable chunks (who really wants to read 500 pages, even if we are talking millionaires), and to improve the clarity. And since the spontaneous spoken word isn’t always straightforward and easy to follow, I’ve cleaned up the text while remaining true to the questions and answers.
I could have rewritten the interviews to follow more of a story pattern, but then you would not get the full value of the millionaires’ thoughts and experiences in their own words and it may have been harder to understand how their answers provide direct insight to the questions asked. You may have also accused me, although we hardly know one another, of rigging the information to my liking.
Also, if I had rewritten it, you would have had a nice polished apple, instead of seeing the real deal of the millionaires’ personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. This would have defeated the purpose of the book, which is to give you the unvarnished truth about success, the way I learned it.
As a result of this down-to-earth, unbiased style, you will see that the millionaires’ ideas don’t always agree with each other (see below) and that some millionaires gave advice on how to be successful that doesn’t seem to align with the way they created success. I tried to dig deeper into some of those instances to clarify, which you will see as you read their stories.
Varying Thoughts
Millionaire 6 Steve Rosdal said the business environment is not as forgiving today as it was when he built his business in the 1970s and 80s. However, Millionaire 3 Matt Given said, “there was a lot of blood in the road on the way there,” meaning he made a lot of mistakes while building his successful businesses in the 1990s and 2000s.
Millionaire 2 Jeffrey Luftig said that to be successful you have to figure out a strategy. However, Millionaire 3 Matt Given said he operated by the seat of his pants; Millionaire 6 Steve Rosdal said, “I had no master plan, I was playing volleyball”; and Millionaire 16 Lane Nemeth said her business at first was one big experiment and that she wasn’t terribly serious about it.
Millionaire 15 Cynthia McKay encourages people not to share their goals with others who may belittle or ridicule them. Millionaire 8 Barry Hamilton, however, encourages people who want to be successful to communicate to others what they are looking for.
Most of the millionaires said that being successful takes hard work, and some said it takes an incredible amount of work. Millionaire 14 Doug Krug, however, said that if things are too hard, it’s time to reevaluate, that too much struggle is an indication of being out of sync with Source (one’s definition of God or higher power).
I guess the message in these varied thoughts is that whatever path works for you is the right one.
Note: I mentioned previously that Millionaire 2 Jeffrey Luftig didn’t have a business plan and that Millionaire 15 Cynthia McKay recommends you not share your goals with others. You won’t find those statements within their interviews because although it was discussed during the interview and I thought it was important to share, doing so within the context of the interview hampered the flow and readability.
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Chapter 4: Who Are These Millionaires?
Millionaire 11 Mark Sanborn
I hesitate to provide my analysis of each millionaire because it is only fair for you to form your own opinion. Yet, since there is no need to read each millionaire’s story or to read from the first interview to the last, here is a little bit of information to help you decide where to start.
Millionaire 1 Lee Carlson: Made his money in real estate after trying farming and dairying. A relationship guy, family is very important to him.
Millionaire 2 Jeffrey Luftig: Built a successful consulting practice after leaving a career in higher education. His education and experiences came together in a very serendipitous way while his engineering mindset, combined with a penchant for solving problems, served him well.
Millionaire 3 Matt Given: Built three successful banking/payroll businesses and is now consulting. A fun-loving, take-life-as-it-comes guy, Matt now gets to do what he really likes – spend time with his family, train for triathlons, and help others grow their businesses.
Millionaire 4 Jeffrey Hill: A young star at Proctor and Gamble, Jeffrey had opportunities presented to him that that led to running a high-powered consulting firm. He has since become an investor and philanthropist.
Millionaire 5 Heidi Ganahl: Had a business plan written when tragedy struck. She put that plan on hold for more than 10 years and came back to it when the timing was right. She built a booming doggy day and overnight camp business, Camp Bow Wow.
Millionaire 6 Steve Rosdal: Wanted to get out of New York so he moved to Denver. He started an Indian jewelry business, which then led to creating one of the most successful jewelry stores in Denver, Hyde Park Jewelers.
Millionaire 7 Vance Andrus: A lawyer who failed in several businesses then hit it big, but not before making a bold move to become unstuck in life.
Millionaire 8 Barry Hamilton: A software engineer turned business owner who also invested in commercial real estate.
Millionaire 9 Theresa Szczurek: A disciplined engineer who wanted to start a business so she went looking for the idea. It came, the business grew and was sold, and then she went on a quest to find out how people pursue a passionate purpose in their life.
Millionaire 10 Jack Odom: A spine surgeon who grew up on a farm and wanted to have the respect from others in his field.
Millionaire 11 Mark Sanborn: A well-renowned leadership author and speaker, Mark knows the value of a disciplined, but unscripted, approach to becoming what you want to.
Millionaire 12 John Simcox: Knew he had to provide for his new bride so he got out into the working world as quickly as he could. He always had written goals and after taking little steps here and there, opened a successful jewelry store chain, JC Keepsake.
Millionaire 13 Bill Begal: Grew up around entrepreneurs and inherently understood that was the way to make money. Toiled for an unpleasant boss while learning the industry in which he would later make millions.
Millionaire 14 Doug Krug: All about being in the flow. He made snap decisions that led to exciting adventures even while working day jobs. He now teaches people to pay attention to the inner voice.
Millionaire 15 Cynthia McKay: A former lawyer who credits naivety for her success after jumping feet first into a business about which she knew nothing – gift baskets. She is now a successful franchisor and business coach with yet another college degree.
Millionaire 16 Lane Nemeth: Creating Discovery Toys, a multi-million dollar direct sales organization, was just one big experiment to her. She took challenges as they came, worked through them, and continues to do so today as she starts another exciting adventure.
Millionaire 17 Bryan Willis: Working 80- to 100-hour weeks in corporate America was Bryan’s forte, not only because he loved the challenge and the work, but also as a result of his intense drive to provide for his family. Hard work opened up opportunities, which Bryan made the most of to reach a spot he called a “pipe dream.”
Millionaire 18 Shawn Kane: Grew up around success in northern California and watched his parents work hard. Fell into the business he’s in and it became his passion.
Millionaire 19 Judith Briggs: Bought a 1-800-GOT-JUNK franchise after catching the vision and soon thereafter became one of the most successful franchisees in the system. Two things she loves: Her family and the business.
Millionaire 20 Rob Emrich: A social entrepreneur turned business owner, he created success at a young age. He now owns several businesses each valued at no less than $1 million.
Millionaire 21 Richard Zuschlag: A fitting end cap to the interviews, he summed up what I had learned from the others – you never know what something is going to turn into at the time but if you work hard, make what seems like the logical next decision, and learn from your mistakes, you find yourself years later in the middle of something successful. He runs a large medical transportation company in Louisiana and Texas.
Enjoy the interviews and the millionaires’ stories!
A quick guide to the interviews
The 21 questions I asked each millionaire are bolded in each interview.
“B:” is short for “Brandon:” and indicates a follow-on or clarification question I asked.
To see a picture of each millionaire visit www.21for21.com/about/the-millionaires
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Lee Carlson
Founder, Carlson Associates, Inc.
Married, seven children
Bachelor’s, Real Estate Broker’s License
I know Lee from church. He was more than gracious spending time with me and allowed me to fumble my way through the first interview.
You said that getting into real estate was the best thing you ever did. Tell me more about that.
The things that preceded it were wheat and dairy farming.
As a wheat farmer during the mid 1950s you couldn’t make a living because crops didn’t grow; there was a drought. Then I got into dairying thinking it was going to be a regular income. It was a regular income, but it was a regular job twice a day for 10 years – it took me that long to finally get rid of the cows. Then I did some cattle trading for a year or so.
My brother and I had a farm together and we split it up. He sold his half and I figured out that the real estate agent made $17,000 on the sale. I thought to myself, “That real estate man doesn’t know any more than I do. I’m going to get into real estate. That sounds like easy money.”
I got a manual, studied it, and passed the test. A few years later, I went to school and got my broker’s license so I wouldn’t have to work under anybody else.
One of the reasons I thought farming would be good is my kids can be right here; they can work on the farm. I got smarter and said, “I don’t want my kids to do this. I don’t think they want to do it.” My five sons and two sons-in-law all eventually got their real estate licenses and joined with me. It’s been a great business, especially to have my family with me and see them every day. I thought that would never happen when I first got into the business, but they all finally got here with me.
What has made you successful over the years?
Being a landowner and a farmer who knew all of the other farmers here. Being acquainted with land, zoning, taxes, and the owners. I thought I had an upper hand. It turned out very well.
Then I decided I didn’t want to list farms, I didn’t want to sell for other people. I started doing the opposite; I bought land, invested in land. That’s where we’re at now. We buy land and represent ourselves.
How long did it take before you really felt like you were successful?
It didn’t take long because I was comparing it with wheat farming and dairying. It felt successful relatively quickly.
In farming there’d be years I wouldn’t make anything. One of the early sales in real estate I made $7,000 and I thought, “Wow, that’s wonderful. How could I not like this?”
What are some of the challenging things you’ve had to go through? Have you had some years that were a little leaner?
Yes. I learned a long time ago working with my dad and being a farmer how to borrow money. In those lean years you borrowed against your land and continued to put your kids through college and stuff like that.
Certainly there were periods of time in the economy when nothing was moving. You go through those low periods and, with a little help from borrowed money, you carry yourself through. I think that’s what my dad taught me. If you know what you’re doing, know how to borrow money, and you think you’ve got it figured out, you’ll do all right.
B: So it was wise borrowing?
Oh yes. You can’t say it wasn’t speculative, but it was a growing market and land values kept going up. It was a good time to start.
How did you know you were going to be successful?
I had some little successes right from the start. I really liked land and knew land and water rights and taxes and how to annex and how to get land zoned. It was a challenge, but I loved it.
When you got your license, did you immediately move to real estate completely or were you still farming and dairying?
I dropped farming. Even if you farmed real hard you never made any money. I went into this knowing this is where I wanted to be.
Who was your mentor or your model as far as success or in real estate?
My dad. He bought land to farm and he made some very good land buys. Then he started selling some of his land.
How did you balance time with your family?
That was easy. I was my own boss and I didn’t have salespeople to manage. If people joined with me I wasn’t their boss, they were on their own, so I didn’t have to spend any time with them. I could spend whatever time I wanted or felt I could. I don’t know if I ever kept office hours, but I was at the office most every day, at least eight hours a day.
B: Were there some days you put in a lot more than eight?
Not necessarily. In that business I was in control. I owned the land and made appointments during business hours and didn’t have to work afterhours or on weekends.
What other help did you have or what was your support system as you got rolling?
I started out as a salesman for a fella by the name of Richardson. I didn’t like that so I opened my own office and got a secretary. My sons and sons-in-law eventually got their real estate licenses and joined the business.
What should people who want to be successful know?
The main thing is to have a vision of where you want to go and stick to it. Certainly you have to have a certain amount of success to really stick to it. If you can’t make a living, you’re not going to stay with it.