My Biggest Mistake in Business

Most podcasters love asking the question, “What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?

Recently I was on a show where the host put a twist on it, and said, “If you could go back in time and talk to a 20-year old Craig, what advice would you give?”

The answer is easy. The biggest mistake I’ve made in my career was not getting a mentor soon enough. Listen, I’ll admit it. I’m cheap. And I’m a “know it all”. That’s why, as a stubborn young man, I didn’t invest in a mentor.

When I finally did hire a coach it was like adding rocket fuel to my business.

If I had only done that three years earlier – when I easily could have afforded it but was too cheap to do it – I’d have hit my 10 Million Transformation Mission goal already. I’d have written my book years earlier, I’d be coaching more people, I’d be an even better speaker, writer, and connector.

It doesn’t matter who you are – me, Joe Polish, Joel Marion, Mark Zuckerberg, Usain Bolt – we all need coaches.

People can only get so far on their own. Eventually we need someone with greater expertise, and more importantly, we just need No Excuses accountability from someone.

When you’re looking for a coach, find someone that has “been there and done that” (meaning they’ve achieved what you want to achieve) and someone that shares your morals and ethics. There’s no point in getting sales training from a sales guru that has a personal life in shambles.

That’s why I hired Bedros as my coach. It wasn’t just because he’s the sales guru to the sales gurus (i.e. sales legends like Frank Kern go to Bedros for help), but Bedros also has the family life I seek to emulate.

And for those youngsters just starting out, or for someone without a lot of money in their pocket to invest in coaching, there is still a way to get access to the mentors you desire.

For example, each summer my friends Simon Black, Matt Smith, Jeff Schneider, and I have a free camp for entrepreneurs. It’s in Lithuania. But the students find a way to get there, and when they do, they have a chance to get over five decades of experience and wisdom from their mentors face-to-face.

BlackSmith Camp, Class of 2016

                            Blacksmith camp 2015

As students, we must go and find a way to learn from the people that have the secrets we need. It might mean starting with books at the library, watching videos on YouTube, or physically moving across the country (as Matt Smith did) to work as an intern or apprentice for them.

Find a way to work with the mentor you desire because it is almost impossible to succeed without the right mentor in place.

If you’re ready for a mentor to build your online business…

Watch this video

Craig Ballantyne

“The best thing you can do is to make everyone else around you better. Grow them, and you’ll grow too. Teach as many and as much as you can, for the teacher always learns more than the student. Help the people in your life become the best they can be.” – Craig’s Codes #42