I once wrote about how few “business” books I read.
Instead, I prefer biographies of great men and leaders.
Why?
Because biographies of great men change the way you think.
They change the way you view success.
And, they change the way you attack problems.
The things you learn in biographies of great men aren’t the same things you’re going to learn in yet another best-selling business book on Amazon or in a regurgitated IM launch with a fancy whiz-bang name attached to it designed to rile up the goo-roo fanboys and affiliates haunting the Warrior Forum.
Anyway, last Friday I finished reading probably my favorite so far.
It’s the biography of Mr. “King of Cool” himself:
Steve McQueen
With no real education or formal training (just a desire to be the best and compete) he became the single highest paid actor in the world. And, there are more hardcore business tips inside it than probably any “business” book I’ve ever read.
Examples?
Okay, so…
He would “steal” scenes from bigger name actors by doing things like shaking his hat or gun so even if it was another actor’s shot, he got noticed and everyone thought he was the star (like he did in the movie “The Magnificent Seven”).
Another example:
Everyone wanted a piece of Steve.
And, he had trouble trusting people.
So one thing he’d do is drop a $100 bill on the ground as if he didn’t realize it. If the person he was testing pocketed it, he knew the guy couldn’t be trusted (whether it be a friend, a producer, director, or whoever). A good way to test would-be business associates, vendors, etc, too.
He always fought tooth and nail for top billing.
Why?
Because he knew his value.
And, he knew the bigger his name, the more money he would make the movie companies, and, thus, the more indispensable he was to them (giving him a lot of freedom, power, perks, etc — even more than other “big name” stars).
He was also picky about what roles he took.
He didn’t just take any ol’ role.
It had to be a role that fit his acting style (playing to his strengths), would further his goals, and also be something he knew he could knock out of the park. He had a true abundance mindset when it came to that, and had no problem turning down lucrative roles.
He had zero tolerance for weakness or weak people.
And, it’s a good thing, too.
Why?
Because he knew weak people couldn’t be trusted. And he was such a stickler about this, he would avoid working with “courteous” people because, in that racket (Hollywood) courtesy was seen as a weakness, and weak people were taken for suckers.
Another thing:
He always insisted on a cut of the gross profits of a film.
Not the net, the gross.
And, he learned that the hard way in his first movie “The Blob” — which was a role he wasn’t even proud of, but had he taken the % he would have been a rich man very early in life.
He set goals and ruthless pursued them.
It was practically an obsession.
In his case, most of his career he just wanted to beat Paul Newman.
One of his first gigs was working a small part in a movie Paul starred in. He vowed he would be bigger than Newman. And, when he starred in “The Towering Inferno” he succeeded (he fought to have his name be slightly higher on the screen than Newman’s as they were both billed first — a small detail that worked to his advantage — leaving nothing to chance when it came to his positioning).
Finally:
He accepted nothing but the best.
His first TV series “Wanted Dead Or Alive” (and extremely good show, btw, I’m watching the DVD’s currently) was one glaring example — and he was quickly known as the guy who was a thorn in every director’s bootox.
For instance, he fired 3 stuntmen on his first day.
He threw scripts out and demanded the be rewritten.
And, he insisted on having a say in the stories because he knew his character Josh Randall so well (not unlike a copywriter who knows the market he’s selling to better than the client). The result was a killer series even the people who he pissed off had to admit was only as popular and profitable as it was due to McQueen’s drive to accept nothing less than the best.
Anyway, those are just a few of the lessons inside.
The guy ooozed success & winning.
In fact, he even beat a deadly form of cancer.
(Turns out he didn’t die of cancer, what happened to him was, he was dying of cancer, lived many months longer than the doctors predicted, and they ended up removing a tumor from his stomach and was looking like he was going to live — but that night he developed a blood clot in his heart — common after surgeries — and died in his sleep.)
Fact is, McQueen was far from perfect.
(Ask his string of ex-wives.)
But, in the acting world he was a true mover and shaker.
And, there are many business & success lessons to learn from his life.
Speaking of mover and shakers:
Let’s talk about Donald Trump real quick.
Even if you think Trump is the devil incarnate you’d be a fool not to study how he positions, brands, and self promotes himself. And, one of the (many) lessons I squeeze into the January “Email Players” issue is how Trump (whether on purpose or accident, I knoweth not) taps into a primal desire in ALL people — which is why even so many people who hate him will ultimately vote for him.
And, yes, I show you how to use this “primal” appeal in your emails.
It’s an ancient psychological persuasion principle.
It’s also 100% ‘newbie friendly’, too.
(Another reason the January issue is a good jumping-on issue.)
But time’s running out.
This bad-boy goes to print soon.
Subscribe here to get it in time while you still can:
Ben Settle
