Author: Empire Team

It’s damn good to be the CEO when the business you dreamed up is growing, making mad profits and getting all types of recognition and accolades. 

But it doesn’t start off that way homie! 

Listen, I’m sick and tired of seeing all the “gurus” out there taking your money and tell you that ANYONE can become successful in business and that you can do it quickly. 

THAT’S A BOLD-FACED LIE! And that’s how you end up getting scammed out of your money. 

HERE’S THE TRUTH ABOUT BEING THE CEO…

In the beginning you’re going to do it all. You’re the janitor, you’re the secretary, you’re the sales and marketing team and you’re the boss. 

Odds are you’re going to underestimate how little money you need and how quickly you’ll reach success. Trust me, I did that in my first business, and I know a BUNCH of others who have done that, too. 

It sucks when you run out of money. 

It sucks when it’s taking way longer than you thought. 

It sucks when your family loses hope for your business. 

It sucks when competition seems like they’re trying to put you out of business. 

BUT THAT’S THE TRUE NATURE OF BUSINESS.

And if you don’t have the stomach for it, then don’t get into it. And if you’re in it and you can relate to what I’m saying here then it’s time that you reevaluate your decisions and decide if you still want to go down this path. 

Look, as the founder and CEO the buck stops with you. 

Even if you don’t case the problem, you’ve got to face it and fix it. 

When everyone else doesn’t know what to do, YOU the CEO better have an answer. 

And the biggest problems and frustrations will ALWAYS come to you for solving. 

So here’s the truth about being the CEO… 

• • It’s a damn good position to be in once you can figure out how to market, sell, and profit. 
• • I said profit and not revenue because there are plenty of businesses out there that are making revenue, but the cost of goods and operations are so high that they’re not making profits. 
• • When you start making profits don’t get stupid with the money. Reinvest it into the business and higher smart and capable people to help you grow the business even bigger. 
• • Once you dial in your first income stream and it’s making you profits, start figuring out how to create your second and your third income stream. 
• • Understand this: The success of your business is going to be capped by two things…

1. Your level of focus, discipline and consistency. 

2. Your ability to lead. As John Maxwell says: “leadership is the lid” and your ability to lead your team, your brand and your business will determine how rich you get. 

Finally, know this… 

Just when you think things are dialed in and you have no more problems… think again. More problems will come up. Complex problems. The bigger the business the more complex the problems. Your job is to find them, fix them and keep pushing forward with enthusiasm. 

I hope to see you at Bedros Keuilian LIVE in Scottsdale, Arizona on September 13th and 14th where for two days I’ll be teaching all things business growth strategies and how to create a life that’s driven by purpose, passion and profits. 

Till next time, 

Bedros Keuilian

PS. VIP Platinum tickets for BK LIVE are sold out now. But we still have a few tickets for VIP GOLD and General Admission. If you’re ready to scale your business and have a better life then come on out to BK LIVE in September

Back in 2003 I was 3 years into my real entrepreneurial journey. At that point I was $142k in debt to my mentor/business partner.

I had both my credit cards maxed out and the pressure of launching my business was mentally and emotionally exhausting.

At the time my only source of income was my personal training job that I worked part time. And this particular job was barely making me enough money to stay afloat.

The rest of my waking hours were spent trying to get this new business to take off and start turning a profit.

One day my mentor Jim Franco called me and asked me to stop by his office for a “come to Jesus” meeting. I’d never heard that term before.

I stopped by later that afternoon and Jim asked me to sit down. He said: I can’t loan you any more money. I need to see this business make a profit. Your debt to me is too high for my comfort and so the Jim Franco bank is now closed for business.

Then he said something that I did not see coming…

…he said I will wipe your debt clean and start paying you $10K a month salary if you give me all of your equity in the business and become the full time CEO of the business.

WTF I thought to myself! On one hand this is a great offer… my $142K debt is wiped clean and I start making $10K a month.

On the other hand, I didn’t start this business so that I could end of working as an employee for it. I wanted to become an entrepreneur and chart my own path in life.

However the entrepreneurial dream was proving to be far more difficult than I had imagined.

“Maybe it’s better that I work as an employee. Maybe I’m not meant to be a businessman” is what ran through my mind.

After two days thinking about it I came back to Jim with my answer. I decided that I’m not going to take his offer. I’m going to fight and figure out how to make this business grow and profit.

A couple years later the business hit its stride after a couple pivots and we ended up partnering with Sprint cellular and the rest was history as they say.

BUT THERE’S A LESSON IN THIS FOR YOU IF YOU’RE AN ENTREPRENEUR WHO’S STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW…

During the most stressful and overwhelming time of your entrepreneurial journey you will be tested.

It’s during this time or everything seems hopeless and you begin to question why you ever got into business in the first place.

I call this “the sh!t test” this is the metaphorical fork in the road. This is where every entrepreneur who’s ever achieved any level of success has found themselves.

The decision you make while at this metaphorical fork in the road will determine how bad you really wanted it and if you’re worthy of having this success.

I don’t know, maybe it’s God. Maybe it’s the universe. Maybe it’s your subconscious mind.

Whatever it is, I can tell you that the shit test is real, and that every entrepreneur is going to experience it, and it will be the deciding factor whether you continue on the journey and endure the pain or if you choose to quit on your dream and go back to being an employee.

If you’re someone who wants to keep fighting for your dreams and want to win, then I want you to join me and over a thousand other entrepreneurs at BK Live on September 13th and 14th in Scottsdale Arizona.

I don’t know about you, but when I was a teenager I was HELL ON WHEELS!

I didn’t have respect for anyone, I hated my life and I acted out all the time and I got into a bunch of trouble because of it.

Don’t get me wrong…

…it’s not like I think my mom and dad screwed up intentionally. They just didn’t know any better and they truly did the best they could with what they knew back then.

But as I grew up and became a dad myself I was committed to being a better version of a dad to my son and daughter than my dad was to me.

In this blog post I just want to address your teenage son for now. But I’ll write a separate blog post about dads and daughters another time.

THESE ARE THE THREE THINGS YOUR TEENAGE SON IS LOOK FOR FROM YOU…

1) Boundaries. One of the biggest mistakes dads today make is they don’t create enough boundaries for their sons. I think far too often dads want to be liked more than they want to be respected. So you end up letting your teenage son play video games longer than he should, you allow him to be disrespectful to you and others and you don’t correct him on thing like his time on the phone, eating crappy and lack of physical activity.

The problem with that is your sons actually WANT to respect you, but until you decide to actually parent them they will NOT respect you. They want boundaries set. They want you to be hard on them from time to time, because that’s the only way they will respect you and like you.

You see your teenage son’s job at this age is to test you, to challenge you and to push the boundaries. And then more you let him get away with it then less he will respect you.

2) Lead by example. All men, but teenagers especially expect the men they look up to to be congruent with what they expect of them. So if you’re asking your son to be a certain way, but you are not an example of that then you are showing up as a hypocrite to your son.

Look you can tell your son to not be on his phone all day and not to play video games all the time and to exercise and eat right, but unless you’re an living breathing example of that, he’s just going to ignore you.

3) Test and challenge him. Every boy looks up to his father to show him the way of men. Our boys want to know if they have what it takes to be men. This is a sacred rite of passage. And your son wants to hear dad say “son, you have what it takes”.

But in order for you to tell your son that he has what it takes to be a man, he must be tested and challenged throughout his teens. Two books that I always recommend dads to read are RAISING A MODERN DAY KNIGHT by Robert Lewis and WILD AT HEART by John Eldredge – both these books go in-depth in how vital it is for a dad to test and challenge his son and to create a rite of passage opportunity for him into manhood.

And that’s what I created the Squire Program – one day father and son experience to help you usher your teenage son into manhood. We have Squire Programs in California, Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, Illinois and Florida. If you want to really have a memorable and life changing experience with your son then find the location and date that works best for you and take your son to an upcoming Squire Program.

Click Here For Squire Program Dates and Locations

There are no shortcuts in life… 

…but there is this ONE HACK that I’ve found to be the closest thing to a shortcut. 

It doesn’t matter if your goal is to grow your business more profitable, to have better health or to have a more meaningful relationship, this will work for you. 

See,  more often than not when you want to do better in any area of life, you just have to figure it out. Sometimes it’s trial and error. Other times you’re taking advice from people around you who have no idea what they’re talking about. 

It’s like the blind leading the blind. 

But there are others who seem to always know what to do to grow their businesses and build a a better life for themselves. 

Those are the people who have figured out this life hack… 

The hack I’m talking about is being within proximity of powerful people. 

What I mean by that is this…

When you put yourself within the circles of successful people who are thriving in life and business then you end up thriving in life and business too. 

Like I said, proximity is power. 

Each time you get within proximity of people who are inspiring, motivating, successful and purpose driven, you end up being more and more like them. 

That’s why they say that your network is your net worth. 

For me, I first discovered this when my first mentor Jim Franco invited me to his office on a monthly basis to teach me how to sell my personal training services. 

All of a sudden, I was in proximity of a millionaire, and I got to see how he thinks and how he operates on a daily basis. This gave me a blueprint to model my life and my business after and shortly after that I had my first multiple six figure income year. 

After that I was hooked and I found other high achievers to surround myself with. 

Reading books on success and following motivational people are Instagram is okay, but it pales in comparison to being around other likeminded people like you who are ambitious, success focused and purpose driven. 

That’s why I’ve always been a big fan of live events… 

Things like seminars, masterminds, retreats and experiential events will put you within proximity of highly successful people and that’s what will give you the BIGGEST lift in terms of REAL actionable information to succeed in business and in life. 

Plus, there’s no better accountability then being in proximity of powerful people. It’s one of the most motivating things you can do! 

I want to invite you to Bedros Keuilian Live on September 13th and 14th. Discount tickets are now on sale so this is your chance to lock it in before the tick prices jump up. 

Click Here To Check Out BK Live speakers and event details.