I get knocked down, but I get up again

Did you see the Facebook post from our friend whose business failed? 

Yeah...neither did I! 🤷‍♂️

That’s because everyone shares their successes… But rarely (if ever) do they share their failures.

The reality is that we all fail. And that’s OK. 

🤦‍♂️ I’ve Failed! (a lot)

Throughout my life and my career I’ve had my fair share of successes. 

I’ve sold over a billion dollars of goods and services, I’ve started multiple successful businesses, I’ve met some of the most influential people in the world, and I’ve been blessed to work with, and for some of the biggest brands on the planet.

(These are the kinds of things that would make my Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn feeds for sure)

But to get there, I’ve failed a lot.

Actually, my failure-to-success ratio is more like 20 to 1 😬

(For you math nerds, that’s a 5% success rate - single digits!)

So on paper… I suck. Pretty bad.

The thing is, I don’t see anything as a failure. I see EVERYTHING as a learning experience.

Even from my very first business venture at the ripe age of 13 I learned valuable lessons.

Like about my fashion choices! (don’t judge the plaid) 😂

In all, I’ve started, co-founded, or invested in over 60 businesses. 

Most of them have been commercial failures.

But they’ve provided me more insights and lessons than any MBA program could ever offer.

Here are just some of those fail.. I mean lessons…

📱I started, not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 app development companies! The first 3 combined had over a million downloads, but were flops in terms of making money. The 4th time was the charm. 

👨‍💻 I’ve owned hundreds of domain names and developed 30 or so into websites or projects. 

Some of the sites that flopped? 

• TheCoffeeMakerOutlet.com

• GameShowForum.com (I LOVE game shows! I want to be a contestant on one before I die)

• YouTubeMarketingTips.com

• CheapBinoculars.com

• GuitarWallHangers.com

• ToenailFungusRemedies.com

• HealBackPains.com

• 420Hill.com

• DateAnEntrepreneur.com (Dating site)

• JustinBieberYouGotItBad.com (Justin Bieber fan site 🤣 I didn’t want to miss the boy band trend again!)

🍑 I launched a cosmetics line called Mayor & Dunes. It had 4 products: Nice Thighs (anti-cellulite cream), Great Asset (butt plumping cream), Perfect Pair (boob plumping cream), and Fat Rub (cellulite cream). It belly flopped!

🎬 I launched a TV show series called My 52 Adventures where I would take a different adventure every week and document it. It never got picked up. But it was a blast! My favorite adventure was learning the flying trapeze!

👩‍🏫 Lessons learned

So what did I learn? 

I learned that I can do anything. I learned that YouTube is an amazing resource. I learned about sales, marketing, business, copywriting, product sourcing, taxes, contracts, negotiations, regulations, coding, dealing with offshore programmers, wireframing, graphic design, monetization methods, app store marketing, gamification techniques, facebook ads, video editing, and more.

Probably a thousand more lessons.

The biggest lesson, though?

You can’t be afraid to fail.

You have to be more afraid of asking yourself “What if I would’ve…” in the future.

Think about it…

What’s the worst thing that can happen to you? You lose a little money, some of your free time? Chances are you aren’t going to go hungry or homeless. (Fun fact about ramen noodles - you could eat three meals a day for an entire year for just $142.65)

No, the worst thing that can happen is that your ego gets hurt. That’s it. By the way, the way you fix that is by not caring about what other people are going to think. It’s none of their business anyway!

Now…

My question to you is: What’s holding you back? What are you willing to fail at in order to achieve your successes?

✅ Pro Tip: When you face that failure head on, stare him down and tell him: “I may get knocked down. But I will get up again. And you are NEVER gonna keep me down!

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🎁 Other Tidbits

These are the things that I’m listening to, watching, reading, discovering, or enjoying this week.

📻 Listen - How just one inch between tables can make a difference between a restaurant being profitable or not (The Sporkful)

📺 Watch - Go with your Gut Feeling - TED talk about trusting your gut instincts (Magnus Walker - Cool Porsche guy)

📖 Read - Jeff Bezos’ opening statement to the U.S. House committee. It was a master class on entrepreneurship, big ideas, and customer obsession (I shared this on LinkedIn last week, but I’ve re-read it several times already - Pure Gold!)

🛒 Buy - Inspirational artwork for your workspace or home. I just ordered this one for my home office (Ikonick)

📈 Trending Now - This week’s trend comes from a great friend and one of our readers, Mariella. She sent me the following note: “Want a new trend... follow these girls... we follow the parents (our rich journey) and now the kids have a YouTube channel on finance for kids... kids talking about money. I hope it becomes a thing” - Having two kids of my own, I definitely hope kids talking about money becomes a thing!

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‘Till next time...

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - Check out my Facebook group if you want more of this kind of stuff, have questions, or want to chat with other cool people 😎

P.S.S. - If you can think of anyone who can benefit from a little inspiration, motivation, and business advice, please share this newsletter with them. You can send them this link: http://ralphq.com/newsletter 

P.S.S.S. - If this is your first time reading this newsletter and want to read some of the previous ones, you can find them here: http://ralphq.com/past-issues 

Nothing can stop me I’m all the way up…

WARNING: This is really going to piss off my haters even more… and I LOVE it 😎 So here it goes…

I’m not gonna lose, dawg. I’m just not. 

No matter how much you want to see me down, it’s not going to happen. Not in your lifetime, and definitely not in my lifetime.

That’s because I’m hardwired to win. 

Play a board game with me? I’m going to win.

Want to race me? I’m going to win.

Challenge me to something? I’m going to win.

Set my mind to anything? I’M GOING TO WIN!

There simply isn’t another outcome.

From a young age, I came to the realization that how I thought about things impacted the outcome of everything I did. And I discovered that almost by accident.

For a long time I would wake up in the morning after a full night of sleep and think to myself, “OMG I’m sooooo tired…” And guess what? For the entire day, I felt tired. 

Then one morning I asked myself a follow up question that changed my life - “Are you really that tired? You just slept for 8 hours!”

And just like that, I called myself out on my own bullshit and my life has NEVER been the same.

From that day forward, I made a commitment to myself to only think positive thoughts (especially right as I wake up and go to sleep), watch positive things, listen to uplifting songs and stories, and surround myself with people who are going to lift me higher. 

Everything and everyone else...ain’t nobody got time for that!

The results? 

Like DJ Khaled says, “All I do is win win win no matter what!” 

🏆 Preparing to Win: Mindset Makeover

Like all worthwhile things, developing this kind of mindset takes dedication and practice. And the more you do it, the easier it becomes. It’s like a snowball effect. 

Here’s just a few ways I prepare daily to win…

• As soon as I open my eyes, I give thanks for having the opportunity to have another day to win and then I recite my affirmations.  I recommend that you come up with 5 affirmations that you repeat 3 times each. I find it helpful to print them out and tape them to my bathroom mirror and look at myself while reciting these - just like little Jessica does 😊 (If you want some ideas for affirmations, reply to this email or DM me...I’m happy to share some with you)

• Every morning, before I start my routine, I watch or listen to one inspirational video or playlist. My two favorite ones recently: Make it Count and Work Hard for It

• I have several “pump me up” playlists that get me fired up. The songs in these lists are all trigger songs for me. Songs that immediately get me into what Tony Robbins calls “Your Peak State.” I usually listen to these as I first sit down to start going through my emails in the morning.

• I subscribe to as many motivational and success driven accounts on social media as possible. If I find myself scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or LinkedIn throughout the day, I want to be inspired and flooded with positivity - not negativity.
  
  👍PRO TIP: The most freeing thing you can do is to unfollow anyone or anything that doesn’t add value to your life

• I surround myself with people who raise me up and drive me to do my best. I am part of several mastermind groups that I regularly participate in and contribute to, including my private Big Idea Society group on Facebook. The people in these groups not only drive me to step out of my comfort zone, but they also hold me accountable and keep me motivated.
  
  👍PRO TIP #2: Remember these two things: You become the average of the 5 people you surround yourself the most with and your network is your net worth. Who are you hanging out with? Is that who you aspire to be? If not, it’s time to find a new circle.

• I meditate or do breathing exercises a few minutes a day to keep my mind clear. (This is something I wish I could do more of and I’m actively working on getting better at.)

• And finally, I always ask myself this when I find myself struggling to go on with anything I’m working on: Can I take just one more step? Often the answer is yes and the sense of accomplishment is amazing!

Those are the things I am dedicated to. Your routine may look exactly the same, or it may vary some way. But the key is to be consistent and to do these things even when you don’t want to. 

It’s during those times that you’ll find yourself achieving the most personal growth.

So? Want to join me in making the world a more positive place? Let’s get that mindset right!

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💡 More Big Ideas & Stuff

These are the things that I’m listening to, watching, reading, discovering, or enjoying this week. Click the links and enjoy them with me.

📖 Read - Atomic Habits - This book by James Clear shows you how tiny changes to your habits lead to remarkable results. The simple framework in this book will help you change the way you think about success and put you on a fast-track to achieving anything you want.

📻 Listen - Surround yourself with successful people and greatness by listening to my friend Lewis Howes’ The School Of Greatness podcast. Lewis interviews the most successful people on the planet and inspires you to unlock your inner greatness and live your BEST life!

📺 Watch - It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. In life you’ve gotta be hungry if you want to achieve greatness. 

🛒 Buy - One of my daily reminders to “keep going” comes from watching my Radiometer and Mova Globe spin. These are powered by the power of natural light and serve as a reminder that the universe is constantly providing me the energy I need to accomplish anything I want.

📈 New Trend - With less and less available time, people are starting to turn to Microlearning to learn new skills. What is Microlearning? It’s a form of learning where lessons are broken up into small bite-sized pieces and repeated over time in order to achieve the greatest retention. How big is the market? How about almost $4 Billion dollars by 2026?!?! 

🎉 Celebrate - This week I celebrate my friend Harry Bluestein who recently launched a new world Gin called Harry Blu’s. Harry is a prime example of an entrepreneur seeing a HUGE vision come to life in one of the most competitive industries in the world. Harry Blu’s is one of the best tasting gins I’ve ever had...but don’t take my word for it - he’s already been awarded with Double Gold honors in the 2020 Sip Awards! Make sure to check them out and ask for them the next time you’re having a cocktail🍸 and remember the name...because this is about to blow up big time! (You heard it here first!)

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Are you pumped up yet? Let’s go!!! 🙌

As always, keep coming up with ideas, dreaming big, and taking action!

‘Till next time...

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - Do you have any motivation or mindset tips you can share with me? I love to learn new ways to stay pumped up! Drop me a note and let me know.

P.P.S. - By sharing this newsletter with someone, you may just change their life - that’s pretty powerful, right?!?! 

Just forward them this email or send them this link: http://ralphq.com/newsletter so they can sign up. You can also send them this one to read all the past issues: http://ralphq.com/past-issues 

I'm up all night to get lucky

“You’re soooooo lucky! Always at the right place at the right time!”

Yeah…lucky 😏

Nevermind the risks, the late nights, the investments, the struggles, the ups, the down, and everything else that comes with being “lucky”

If there is one thing that irritates me, is when someone says I’m lucky.

I don’t believe in luck.

Actually, I don’t believe in luck so much that this was the license plate on one of my cars...

I believe that we make our own luck. No matter what our circumstances. No matter where we were born, who our parents are, or where we went to school, “luck” is in our own hands.

It’s a simple formula really…

Luck = Preparation + Opportunity

“But Ralph, not everyone gets an opportunity, no matter how much they prepare!”

Yes... Yes they do. 

Opportunity is constant. You just need to be looking for it and be prepared to jump on it.

Like Ahmed did.

Ahmed was the cab driver who picked me up at La Guardia in NYC almost a decade ago while I was in town for some meetings with the Apple gaming team.

Ahmed was very energetic, engaging, and had a smile that could brighten the entire city!

“Ahmed, how’s your day going?,” I asked...

“My day is going GREAT! I just found out that I’m getting my second cab medallion!” (Cab medallions are essentially what allows you to own cabs in the city and can be VERY expensive - sometimes up to a million dollars!)

“Ahmed, that’s great! Congratulations man! You are so lucky to have been able to get another one of those! I’ve heard how hard those are to get…”

Ahmed’s demeanor changed almost instantly. His smile went away as he looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Sir, with all due respect. There was nothing “lucky” about it. Would you mind if I share my story with you?”

Ahmed, was born in a remote village in Ethiopia to a very poor family. At the age of 13, Ahmed packed a few belongings and went off to find better opportunities for him and his family. His journey took him over a hundred miles, and several months. Once he arrived in the capital city of Addis Ababa, Ahmed became an apprentice at a textile mill and refined his skills over 4 years (preparation).

One day, while at a local eatery, he overheard two businessmen talking about a new business they were starting and he boldly offered his services. Impressed by his drive, they hired him on the spot. (Opportunity he was prepared for)

Ahmed continued to work at the textile mill and dream of his next opportunity - coming to the U.S. He researched, he studied, and he saved money - for years. During that time, he met his wife and started a family. And then, the opportunity to come to the U.S. opened up for him. But only him. So Ahmed decided to come to the U.S. and once again, leave his family behind, knowing all the while that he would, someday, be able to give them a better life.

After arriving in NYC, Ahmed worked non-stop as a cab driver. But he knew that in order to make it, he had to be the master of his own destiny. So he started learning everything there was to know about the taxi industry. Several years later Ahmed secured his first medallion, was able to bring his family from Ethiopia to the U.S. and now, he was getting his second.

Was Ahmed “lucky”? I think not…

🍀 Making Your Own Luck

Anyone can increase the amount of luck they experience in life by preparing and putting yourself in a better position to create and notice opportunities and circumstances. 

Here are some things you can try to increase the amount of “luck” in your life:

Expect good things to happen.  You tend to receive what you expect. The more you focus on positive things, the more you’ll notice them. Remember, you can only take advantage of the things you notice.

Follow your gut. Your brain receives a lot of information from your surroundings, far more than you’re capable of dealing with on a conscious level. Your brain is also amazingly good at solving problems. The messages your brain is sending you might be subtle, but they’re present. That little voice that tells you to turn left instead of right? Listen to it.

Give yourself more opportunities to be lucky. Be open and alert. Plenty of great opportunities are passing you by each day. You’ll never be lucky while sitting on your couch or not looking for opportunities.

Be mindful and present in the moment. If you’re busy worrying about the future, or regretting the past, you’ll probably miss out on lots of opportunities to be lucky right now. This might be the most effective tip for putting yourself in a position to notice all that life has to offer.

Experiment being lucky. Choose to be lucky and measure your success. Try the “Find a Penny Pick it Up” experiment. Decide that you’re going to find 25 pennies over the next month. Remind yourself several times each day and visualize yourself finding pennies. Keep track of how many you find. You’ll be surprised by how many “lucky” pennies you’ll find. Try it!

Get busy. The harder you work, the luckier you’ll be. If you spend 10 hours each day digging for gold nuggets, you’ll find a lot more than if you’re only digging for 2 hours. The luckiest people are often those that put in the most time.

Learn. Your ability to be lucky grows with your knowledge. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be for the opportunities and people that cross your path.

And finally…

Be generous. When you do things for others, you’ll find your life fills with more opportunities. Be generous with your time and wealth.

So how do you feel about luck? Do you agree with me? Drop me a note and let me know what you think…

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As always, keep coming up with ideas, dreaming big, and taking action! (and go out there and make your own luck!)

‘Till next time...

Ralph Q out!

P.S. - It would be awesome if you could share this with one of your friends or teammates that may enjoy it!  Just forward them this email or send them this link: http://ralphq.com/newsletter so they can sign up. You can also send them here http://ralphq.com/past-issues to read past issues.