The Mfceo Project

The most valuable thing you are going to learn in business isn't how to sell. It is how to manage a team, from the guy sweeping the floor to your highest-level VP. Mastering the art of leadership is hard, but worth it. So how do you learn how to lead? The first step is to make a habit of taking initiative. When you see something that needs to be done and you do it well, you're on your way to becoming an incredible leader--the kind that knows how to build wealth and build an empire.

Marketing has become so sophisticated over the last couple of years that developing an effective strategy can become overwhelming. In this episode of The MFCEO Project, Andy Frisella shares the basic principles and practices that have helped him promote his businesses and generate millions of dollars in revenue. In a wide ranging conversation, Andy discusses everything from basic marketing philosophy and common social media marketing mistakes to the use of brand ambassadors and use and abuse of the principle "sex sells." 

What skill can determine whether you are going to be an average person who earns $40,000-$80,000 a year or an exceptional person who earns 6 to 7 figures a year? It's the skill of leadership. If you learn and master the effective management of people, your potential for success and greatness will be unlimited. How much time are you investing in the development of this skill? It is an investment that pays off.

Happy 4th of July! The men who founded America believed in something bigger than themselves. They believed in something that could make their lives better, as well as the lives of their families. But they also knew that they were up against impossible odds and that the cost of failure was high. Are you motivated to pursue amazing, seemingly impossible goals? Not just goals that benefit you, but others too? Have you considered the high cost of achievement? America was built by people who, in the face of massive adversity, decided to move on regardless. What about you?

Think about all the things that people have said to you that bother you. Go back to when you were a little kid. What did they say? Maybe it was that you were: fat. Stupid. A loser. A weirdo. Even though you were little when it happened, the hard truth is that you grow up and remember that sh*t. Here's the deal: People have a tendency to think their struggles or issues are worse than everybody else's. But the reality is that everybody deals with something. What it comes down to is this: When you get pushed to the brink by the negative memories and thoughts, what do you do? You can cave in and give up. Or you can dig deep and press on.

This one goes out to the guys (and gals) who are working hard and have a chip on their shoulder because everybody they know - even their friends and family -are telling them to "grow up" because they are crazy to "pursue an unrealistic dream." Guess what? Someday, when you are successful, they will tell you "you are a genius" and "I always believed in you." And it will be bull sh*t.  But it doesn't matter. Those stupid things that people say are blessings. They will create the chip on your shoulder. They will drive you.  And when you make them eat their words, it will feel damn good.

What if? What if? What if? Entrepreneurs are always sending Andy Frisella emails and direct messages freaking out about this or that. Most of the time, they are afraid of things that aren't really threats to their success. In this episode, Andy walks listens through the lineup of "bogeymen that don't exist." Instead of being afraid of these things, The MFCEO says, fear mediocrity. And fear never doing anything at all.

Good communication skills are critical to success. Unfortunately, society has become so soft and overly sensitive that people feel they need to be passive and tentative in the way they speak to others. They tone down the truth to avoid offending someone. They are vague in order to avoid hurting someone's feelings. Guess what? This doesn't work. In order to succeed personally and professionally, you need to speak clearly. You need to speak truthfully. You need to be direct.

The importance of excellence has always been one of Andy Frisella's foundational values and one of the basic assumptions of The MFCEO Project. But in 150 episodes, Andy has never explicitly explained why excellence is so important - why it's everything. From how it undergirds the confidence necessary for success to how it protects us from the danger of laziness, The MFCEO unpacks and breaks down his thoughts on excellence - and shows exactly why it's essential to personal and professional success.

What do you do when the person you love does not support you and your goals? Or, what do you when they support your overall goals, but they often nag you about your lack of progress? Do you suck it up and take it? Do you just tell them to go to hell? In this episode of Thursday Thunder, Andy Frisella unpacks his thoughts and answers this frequently asked question. The bottom line: a relationship is two people believing in the same things and being committed to the same goals. Is that what you have with your significant other or not?

Money, money, money! In today's episode, Andy Frisella shares his take on all things money: Is money the greatest thing in the world or the root of all evil? What's the difference between making money and earning it? How do the most successful people think about money and handle it? This is a favorite topic of The MFCEO's - one that he has talked about before, but is so important that it bears repeating. 

We live in a society that has produced very soft, very delicate little snowflakes. An entitlement complex is running through the current generation. They think they should be handed the good things that come from a life of hard work--without actually working for them! But one of the worst qualities of so many people today is that they want to know what to think. They haven't learned how to think. That is an indispensable requirement for becoming successful.

It's popular today to go around saying, "I'm gonna be me. And I give zero f*cks what anyone thinks about it." While we should not be enslaved to other people's opinions, Andy Frisella says that what other people think about you matters. People are going to judge what kind of person you are by how you treat people and what you put out on social media. If you don't take that seriously, you're in trouble. Opportunity comes from other people--and how other people perceive you is huge. If you struggle with how to connect with people and build relationships that lead to opportunity, The MFCEO shares a tool in this episode that will help you!

Too many people complain that their friends and family aren't supporting their business. Here's the reality: you're going to need way more than the support of your friends and family to be successful. Plus, your friends and family aren't obligated to support you. When it comes to the real world of business, they owe you nothing. It's your job to provide a quality product or service that everyone would want to support. And it's your job to sell them on that quality product or service. But above all, you have to think of support in terms of a bank account. Don't constantly ask other people to make withdraws on your behalf. You want to be the guy who make more deposits in other people's accounts.

How do you suck the marrow from every 24-hour period you live and work on this Earth? Is there a difference between working hard throughout the day and making the day work hard for you? In this episode of The MFCEO Project, Andy Frisella shares his tips and tricks for moving beyond time management to time mastery. Other people may have more brains, talent, or money. But everyone has the same amount of time in their day. To be successful, we have to learn how to make that time count.

A chronic problem with the world of entrepreneurialism right now is the ubiquitous presence of "hustlers" who are showing the world their "baller" lifestyle. The problem is, they are just showing it. They aren't really living it; because they haven't done the hard work necessary to experience it. The reality is, people like the show and the style, but they've never developed the substance required for success. The MFCEO says: you can't fake it. You won't become an authentic success without taking the hard road and doing the hard work.

One of the common killers of inexperienced entrepreneurs is not knowing how to manage your cash flow. In this episode, Andy Frisella talks through the typical mistakes that he himself has made and the lessons he's learned from doing business for almost two decades. From not paying your invoices before they are due to finding innovative ways to generate cash, The MFCEO's advice will help any entrepreneur and any business avoid a cash flow crisis.

When you begin a new project or venture, you are extremely excited. But as the days pass, it becomes harder and harder to sustain enthusiasm. Things become monotonous. You become frustrated. You wonder: what is wrong with me? Answer: nothing. That's normal. But the reality is, when the excitement wears off, most people quit. That's too bad, the MFCEO says, because if you push through the excruciatingly hard times, it gets easier. It's gets more satisfying. It's gets awesome.

There are two groups of people on the Earth: Whiners and Winners. Whiners believe that life is a playground. They are surprised when they experience conflict. They are surprised when they get hurt. Winners are different. They succeed in life because they possess a battleground mentality. In this episode, Andy Frisella explains exactly what that means.

What really matters when it comes down to being successful? It's not motivation. It's discipline. Anybody can give 100 percent at the gym when they feel like it. Anybody can do the work they need to do when they feel like it. But it is the people who are completely unmotivated and even repulsed by the thought of hitting the gym or doing the work - and do it anyway! - that are the ones who truly dominate in everything they do.