Sports, Success, and Self-Motivation

Who is Conrad Francis?

Conrad Francis owns and runs a financial company called Inspired Money. The business primarily targets Mums and Dads needing a helping hand to achieve their financial goals. When Conrad isn’t running his business, he’s on the basketball court. Conrad is a coach for a state league basketball team in Western Australia. He’s been involved in the SBL program since 2009.

Whilst he loves to boss everyone on the basketball court,  as a youngster he always dreamed of being a stockbroker. When Conrad dropped out of university, he figured the easiest path to wealth would be to work for a bank. He started his financial journey at the bottom of the ranks and worked his way up to a management position. Going as far as he could as management at the bank, he then took his experience to a private practice.

Conrad’s drive and ambition for wealth was born from his lived experience. His family came to Australia with only $20 in their pockets. Wealth has always been an objective, and through financial services Conrad was able to achieve his vision of wealth and financial security.

Leaving the corporate world for freedom

There’s a moment (or several) before you begin you business venture when you question “when am I going to do this for myself?”. There is no “right” time to start a business, and there is never going to be a good time for you to leave your place of employment. Starting a business is a risky game and you need to be prepared for what’s on the other side.

Conrad’s decision to leave his place of employment wasn’t born from the best intentions. The decision to leave was mixed with a lot of life changes and unhappiness in the workplace.

“I just wanted to run and hide to tell you the truth,” Conrad said.

The bank expected a lot out of him. Conrad felt that he was no longer getting any value from what he was doing, and he couldn’t do it anymore. His decision to leave may have been a selfish one – but for Conrad, everything happens for a reason.

When you start a business you need to have a vision. Without a vision or purpose the business will crumble. Conrad didn’t begin his next venture with the best intent, and it consequently played out destructively.

When you leave your place of employment and begin your own journey you’re faced with a massive shift in the way you approach work. You go from doing what you have to do, to doing as much as you can to grow your business. Work ethic is dramatically different when your actions directly impact the success of your business. It’s a lot of pressure – and some, if not most, can’t crack it.

When Conrad left employment he went into his own venture with the intention of protecting his salary. Whilst he managed to achieve this, it was to the detriment of the business. When you’re faced with loss it lights a fire under your ass to work, and work hard. If Conrad were to do it all over he wouldn’t have been so precious about his salary. He would have worked harder and put his business in a better position.

When the safety net disappears, the learning starts

When the safety net disappears the learning starts (whether you’re ready for it or not). The crushing reality of owning a business is that you can’t prepare for it. You can consume all the information in the world about business and still be clueless about actually owning a business. Yes – you’ve gained some context but have you really learnt any lessons? There is a massive difference between trying to learn and actually learning.

“Give yourself some space and the lessons start to become real,” Conrad said.

When you give yourself the space to learn, comprehend and reflect you will learn lessons and gain perspective on what you would do differently next time.  My advice to you is to take some time out and think about what you’re doing, what you’re saying and how you’re reacting.

How to survive on 5 hours of sleep a night

We all love knowing how much sleep someone’s getting. I believe it’s because we like to compare ourselves to others. If someone is getting X amount of sleep and you’re getting more, then it means they’re working harder – right?

The rumour mill has been gossiping and apparently Conrad wears a badge of honour around his sleeping habits. Although he insists he’s sleeping more than he has in years, even though it’s still only 5 hours.

Conrad says that it’s not about the amount of time you spend doing something, it’s about the quality of it.

“You can take that how you want, but I’m starting with sleep,” Conrad says.

I asked Conrad what he’s doing throughout the day to give himself the energy to perform his best.

Conrad’s energy tips:

• Don’t complain about lack of sleep

• Catch up on sleep where you need to (nap if you need to nap)

• Identify a sleeping routine that works best for you and then go for it!

With anything in life – if it works for you then do it. We put too much focus on what others are doing rather than focusing on what works best for us. Experiment and establish a routine that works for you and stop giving a sh*t about what others are doing.

Are you ready to take some action in your life? Share your story, and leave a review iTunes for Amplify Your Business with Matt J Hanham.

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Mentioned in the episode

• 11 Rings – Phil Jackson
• The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
• The Bible
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Tim Ferriss
• The Code of the Extraordinary Mind

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