What Does Ready, Fire, Aim Mean to You? By Jason Holland
Managing Editor
Michael Masterson credits his Ready, Fire, Aim philosophy as the single most important factor in the success he's had creating and/or helping to create dozens of multimillion-dollar businesses. One example: His largest client's growth from $8 million to $360 million since he came aboard as a consultant.
Yet people are often confused by Ready, Fire, Aim. "Doesn't that mean you charge recklessly into a new venture, throwing out every product or advertising idea you can think of and seeing what sticks?" they ask. But that's not it at all. As Michael puts it: You must develop a pragmatic, action-oriented mentality. Rather than spend too much time and money refining theoretical ideas, you develop a prototype quickly and then see if the market will buy it. Whatever you're selling doesn't have to be perfect. But you can't be sloppy or settle for second-rate products. You see, most people are skipping the "getting ready" part. -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended----------------------------------------------------- Off Wall Street Investor's Guide Everybody's sick of "The Street," as in Wall Street. But we know a guy who's taken his investments elsewhere. And he's brought his friends. They're quietly making millions in: - Non-stock investments (that make money no matter what the market's doing)...
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"Dream on it. Let your mind take you to places you would like to go, and then think about it and plan it and celebrate the possibilities." Liza Minelli Reinvent Your Life With a Proven Plan for Success
By Michael Masterson My approach to starting new businesses is Ready, Fire, Aim. This is the approach, for example, that I used to direct a real estate development project in Nicaragua. My partners and I bought two thousand acres of farmland on the Pacific Ocean one day, and started selling lots just about a week later. We did quite well from a cash flow point of view. We got back our investment in less than a year. (We got back half of it as a result of one sales letter written to about 600 people. But that's a story for another time.) But flash-forward five years, and I had a mess on my hands. We were running into problems with our local employees, the local government, and our property owners. Every faction wanted something else. And all I could do was give it to them. We were quickly giving away all the profits we had made. That's when I invited an old friend of mine, a very successful real estate investor, to take a look at our project and tell us what he thought. The first thing he said to me was, "Send me the master plan." "What's a master plan?" I asked. "You're in trouble," he said. I still believe that Ready, Fire, Aim is the right way to start any new business. But you need to know what "being ready" means. In the case of real estate development, it means having a comprehensive plan that takes into account such factors as land use, property owners' interests, government regulations, and the project's impact on the local community. With the help of my friend, we instituted a master plan that has made the development the finest residential seaside resort in Nicaragua. But not having the plan at the outset cost us time and money. Not having a master plan for your life can cost you, too. And that brings me to what I want to talk to you about today... When I decided to become an A student in college (after barely doing enough work to get C's in high school), I started working on my goal right away. But I had a plan. It was a plan that had been proven by countless A students ahead of me: Study the curriculum. Figure out which courses you have an aptitude for. Show up with an A-student attitude -- and work your ass off. That's what you should do. Get started on your goals immediately. But don't just go hell-bent in any direction. Follow a strategy that has worked well for others, and ask questions along the way. Introducing the Master Plan Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines "master plan" as something that gives overall guidance for a project, such as the building of a church or school or city. Washington, DC, for example, one of the most beautifully designed cities in the world, was once a swamp. Its transformation was the result of a master plan by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. Master plans are what real estate developers use to transform raw land into suburban subdivisions, urban centers, and waterfront business districts. Master plans are also used to redesign companies. Jack Welch used one to articulate and execute his vision for General Electric. He said it was the key to transforming the corporate giant from a troubled, declining company to a state-of-the-industry business leader. And a master plan is what Warren Buffett and his partner used to turn Berkshire Hathaway into history's greatest financial success story... and themselves into billionaires. On a personal level, my partners and I have used master plans to help dozens of companies grow into multimillion-dollar enterprises. That includes one that went from $100,000 to $135 million in 11 years, and another that went from $8 million to $320 million in 14 years. Master plans don't always work. The former Soviet Union and communist China were famous for their master plans, which continued to project growth as their economies gradually crumbled into dust. For a master plan to be effective, it has to be realistic and flexible. It has to be realistic about resources and capabilities, and it has to be adjusted and/or radically changed when circumstances dictate. But used properly, a master plan can achieve miracles. It can transform deserts into sparkling cities, debt-ridden companies into thriving businesses, and perennially under-achieving people into healthy, wealthy, happy, and wise individuals. The Dynamics of Your Personal Master Plan A personal master plan can help you achieve all your life's goals quickly and with the least amount of trouble, time, and hassle. Using a master plan says you are serious about improving yourself and that you want that improvement to be radical. You want to go from C to A. You will not be satisfied with B. A personal master plan is a formal contract between the person you are today and the person you have decided to be. It will help you reinvent your life because it will force you to transform vague ambitions into specific objectives. It will spell out exactly what you have to learn, what you have to do, and whom you have to work with to turn your dreams into reality. As a result, your dreams may lose a bit of the "romance." But your master plan will compensate for that loss by giving you the exciting, uplifting feeling of progress. As each week goes by, you will be able to see, in very concrete ways, how you are improving. This will make it easier for you to continue making progress. Most people never realize their dreams. Not because they aren't smart or shrewd or motivated enough, but because when they make an effort it is too little and misdirected. You won't have that problem. You have already begun your journey. And, with the help of ETR, you will be using a map that has been proven. I've changed my life three times. First, in 1968, when I went from being a C student in high school to an A student in college. Second, in 1982, when I decided to get rich. And third, in 2000, when I developed and began using a personal master plan for Early to Rise. In every case, the changes were major and the rewards were gratifying. But when I began master planning my success, the improvements came faster and easier. Were it not for the personal master plan I developed, I never would have been able to write and publish nine books (and counting). Or produce two feature-length films. Or write 365 poems in 365 days -- all while keeping my "day job." Using a personal master plan will put you on a new trajectory. It will take a few weeks to get everything in order, but soon after that you will start to notice the progress you are making. And before long (certainly within two months), you'll be amazed at how much you are accomplishing. Finally, you will be doing (and actually finishing!) projects that you have been dreaming about for years. As you knock off one objective after the next, you will feel your confidence growing, your skills strengthening, your wealth building, and your enjoyment of life increasing. One of the two books I wrote last year (thanks to my personal master plan) was called Creating Abundance: Your Master Plan for Living a Richer, Healthier, More Enjoyable Life Starting TODAY. It consists of 52 chapters, each designed to take a week to accomplish. My goal was total life transformation in a single year. It seems ambitious, but it works. Here is the book's outline so you can get a sense of what it entails: Introduction: Why You Can't Get Started Part One: Your Master Plan for an Abundant Life What Does It Really Take to Change Your Life? Reinvent Your Life With a Proven Plan for Success Part Two: How to Turn Your Biggest Dreams Into Reality Are You Setting Goals... or Still Dreaming? The Vocabulary of Accomplishment Figuring Out Your Core Values Setting 7-Year Goals and Shorter-Term Objectives Why You Must Write Down Your Goals Using Daily Task Lists to Accomplish Your Goals How to Make Measurable Progress Toward Your Most-Neglected Goals Tracking Your Success Part Three: Your Abundant Life, Day by Day How to Become an Early Riser A Life-Changing Early Morning Routine Your Perfect Day: How to Allocate Your Hours for Maximum Productivity 3 Steps to Success: Thinking, Acting, and Breaking Up the Day How to Be on Top of Everything A Daily Eating Routine for a Healthy and Productive Life 4 Things You Can Do to Give Yourself Lots More Time to Be Lots More Successful How to Create a Perfectly Organized Office How to Change Your Work Habits and Become a Success Machine Part Four: Creating a Richer, More Enjoyable Life Making Our Lives Golden Rewarding Yourself 5 Strategies for Living a Simpler, Fuller Life Wanting Things Emotional Detachment and the Zen of Golf Put a Little Levity in Your Life Part Five: The Push You Need to Succeed Give Yourself a Kick in the Pants The Junkie's Secret Why Positive Thinking Doesn't Work Too Scared to Try: A Formula for Defeating the Fear of Failure How to Become What You Want to Be When to Doubt Yourself Taking the Big Leap Checking Your Progress Part Six: Skills of the Most Successful Why You Can Learn So Much From a Mentor What Dancing Can Teach You About Leadership The Power of a Simple Question Double Your Personal Power by Mastering One Skill The Right Way to Take a Working Vacation Read to Succeed How to Think Like a Billionaire Part Seven: The Obstacles to Your Success -- and How to Defeat Them When Disaster Strikes Giving Up Your Information Addiction How to Overcome the Worst Self Doubt When to Use Positive Thinking -- and When to Ignore It Information Overload: How to Escape the Crush Information Overload: The E-mail Problem How to Get Out of That Damned Rut When Your Life Suddenly Takes a Turn for the Worse 9 Steps to Defeating Depression Part Eight: Building Your Wealth How Much Are You Worth? What It Really Takes to Become Wealthy Pay Yourself First and Get Rich Automatically The Best Way to Rise to the Top of Any Business 5 Secrets to Doubling Your Money Every 3 Years The Key to Enjoying a Great Retirement (and a Lifetime of Happiness) Part Nine: The Price of Success The Unexpected Side Effects of Making Money Are You Resilient Enough? Criticism Is the Price You Pay for Success How to Defeat the Insidious Green Monster P.S. This book is not yet available for sale on its own. But you can get it as part of our in-house goal setting program, the Epiphany Alliance. You can change your life and accomplish all your goals with simple strategies from success mentor Bob Cox. For dozens more ways to turn your dreams into reality -- plus tons of goal-setting tools and motivation to get going -- sign up for the Epiphany Alliance. To find out more about the program, go here. -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended----------------------------------------------------- Got It All? – You're grateful for what you have in life... but you still want more right? More success. The ability to provide financial freedom to your family. And you really want to enjoy retirement. An early retirement at that. But how are you going to get there? Do you have a plan? Bob Cox does...
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