From €300k to €10M: The Identity Shift You Need

Welcome to the Paul Vette podcast. I'm not going to talk about how it should be done, but mainly about who you need to be. I challenge you to become the owner of your true identity. Time for your breakthrough and enjoyment in your business. You're not going to reach 10 million euros in revenue with a 300k identity. And yet there are a lot of entrepreneurs who are working really hard, who think they're doing really well but remain stuck at a certain identity and from there also at that revenue ceiling. And you once got there - either you started a business and grew to that point immediately and then got stuck on that plateau, or you made a leap to this current plateau and have remained stuck there. Because everything you've built now is familiar to you. And you keep it that way. And there are 2 reasons, 2 ways to break through this. One I want to highlight is a separate thing that a lot of entrepreneurs like you also run into. And the other has to do with the 5 layers of identity. What a lot of entrepreneurs run into is that they still keep doing too much themselves, still don't let go of that task, are still afraid that the business will be ruined. And the interesting thing is it has nothing to do with that at all. It really has to do with that identity. Because if you had the identity of the leap you want to make, say you're doing 2 million and you want to go to 20 million. Yes, then you'll - and you understand this yourself - have to delegate a lot more. And yet you don't do it because you think no, then I'll ruin the business. And that's because deep down you don't believe that you can be that entrepreneur who can make that happen or who can carry that. Or that you have the idea that it's not meant for you. Or that you have the idea that if you run a business that does 10 times as much revenue, that you then also have to work 10 times as hard or spend 10 times as many hours while you already experience a lot of stress, have little enjoyment anymore. And that you also have the idea of yes, what am I doing it all for? Yes, I understand. If those are all your thoughts, then that leap to more impact and more revenue is not at all desirable for you. You don't want that at all. But that's often where it lies - that a lot of entrepreneurs still find it scary to give certain tasks they're still holding onto to others. I understand it, right, because you hear it everywhere. Yes, personnel, good personnel is hard to find. But yes, you naturally only hear that from people who find it difficult to find personnel. There are also countervoices. And it's also about how do you approach people and how do you invite people? The moment someone comes to you for a job interview to work for you or it's a freelancer you invite, then it's that person's job to sell to you why they're an asset for your company. And you shouldn't start selling your company, because then it's the wrong way around. And then that person should also say hey I see this this this this going wrong in the company and I'm going to help you with this and this and this and then I'm going to do so and so and so. Yes, then you simply get good people. And then I can tell you, then you also get the confidence that those people can do it. Because then they show ownership and responsibility and passion. So if you find that scary, try this method. Try inviting people and saying in my business we need extra hands and then you invite them and you ask them you tell me what you can mean for my business. You need information. Here's all the data. GDPR proof and privacy and those kinds of things all taken into account. And you give that data and then you say well come back tomorrow or how long do you need? Well, then that person comes back and then they say this this this. Or they say things that make you think yes, that doesn't work, that's not it. Yes, then you move on to the next one. But if you try that, then you'll notice that it also becomes easier to trust people. Because you suddenly start to realize that other people 1 take responsibility for their work in your business and 2 that they're probably even better at those things than you are, even though you might not believe that. But the fact that you don't believe that has nothing to do with whether you actually believe it or not. It has to do with your identity that you don't believe. So you yourself don't believe that you can make that leap to that entrepreneur at that higher level. And that blockage can be on one of the layers of identity. It can be a deep belief that you can't carry that much, that you can't handle that much money, that you can't handle that much chaos, that you don't want a team, that your team can't be bigger than 5, because you heard that somewhere once. Hey, that sixth one, that really can't happen. Can all be little stories in your head, unconsciously, right. So you always have to really sit down for those, because they're not on the surface. But unconscious beliefs that prevent you from making that leap. It can also be your emotions, because the moment you're already regularly walking around frustrated and stressed, then it could be that your idea is 'hey, if I take on even more, if the business gets even bigger, then I'll get even more of those emotions and I don't want that.' Of course the business stagnates then, but that's just a layer of identity that doesn't match reality. Then the little stories in your head that you tell yourself, that happens the most or stands out the most with people. That they indeed believe yes that doesn't work for me, that bigger business, because they come up with it, right, because then I have to do this. Then I'll have less free time. Then I can't play padel with my friends anymore. Or then yes, then I can't have that Friday morning coffee with myself anymore either. Then I won't have quality time with my children anymore. They're all kinds of excuses you can come up with. Know that it's only in your identity that at the moment when you make that leap. I always talk about 10 times as much revenue, that that doesn't mean you have to work harder, doesn't mean you have to work more, doesn't mean you experience more stress. Because none of that is necessary. Maybe it would even help if you believe that it then becomes more fun and better and that you experience more flow. Then it could be that you spend just as much time from lightness and flow instead of from stress and cramping. That could very well be, because then you move much more towards the zone of genius. Because if you really do what you label as playing, while other people think you're working hard, yes, then it's both fun for you and fun for your business and fun for your environment. Then your behavior. Yes, that also has to do with those tasks you're doing now that maybe shouldn't be on your plate at all. Maybe there are tasks, probably there are tasks that you should have given to others long ago. Maybe to your current team. Maybe you've already accomplished a lot solo. Yes, then you definitely need to bring in people. And then choose the people who are also right for your business. I'll go into that in another video. Right for your business and for you. And there's a nuance in that. I'll come back to that in another video. But behavior, what behavior belongs to that entrepreneur who does 10 times as much? Just write it down. What behavior should you display and you don't? That's often the gap, right. That you do know what behavior you should display, but you don't do it. And then the environment. In what environment should you be? What people should you be talking to? What should your house look like? What kind of car do you drive? What kind of clothes do you wear? How do you look out of your eyes - with lenses or through glasses? How's your hair? Everything, right. Everything, all external influences, but especially the people you listen to, the people you associate with, the places where you go, they have an enormous influence on you. And the moment when you. Look, it's not necessarily about, that can be. That's the easiest choice - that you start moving into the more high-end luxurious environment. Then it's often easier. But it's about the environment being aligned with your identity as that entrepreneur who does 10 times as much revenue. So it's not about someone saying yes, you should from now on, there are people who say that, sit in the coffee bar of a 5-star hotel every Friday morning. Yes, that could be if that works for you. If that doesn't work for you, then you'd better go to a different environment. For example to the hockey club or to the padel court. Or you make sure you isolate yourself completely and sit in a cabin in the heath or in the forest for a few days once a month or go into the mountains or go hiking with your best clients who also challenge you to be that entrepreneur because they also see that in you, because they've invested in you. All possible. It's about which external influences help you to take on that identity of that entrepreneur who is at 30 million well yes choose whatever level. And if you synchronize all those layers with each other then the flow will emerge. And then you'll notice that it's not necessarily harder work at all, that it doesn't cause more stress, but that it can even become more fun. And remember what I said, now give even more to the right people. Of course do that in a smart way. The question to you is - are you going to keep playing at this level? Are you going to keep digging yourself into that identity you're in now? Or are you open to adjusting that identity of yours to the one you need to be? --- This transcript has been translated from Dutch.