I once wrote about how few \u201cbusiness\u201d books I read.<\/p>\n
Instead, I prefer biographies of great men and leaders.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
Because biographies of great men change the way you think.<\/p>\n
They change the way you view success.<\/p>\n
And, they change the way you attack problems.<\/p>\n
The things you learn in biographies of great men aren\u2019t the same things you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
Anyway, last Friday I finished reading probably my favorite so far.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the biography of Mr. \u201cKing of Cool\u201d himself:<\/p>\n
Steve McQueen<\/p>\n
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 \u201cbusiness\u201d book I\u2019ve ever read.<\/p>\n
Examples?<\/p>\n
Okay, so\u2026<\/p>\n
He would \u201csteal\u201d scenes from bigger name actors by doing things like shaking his hat or gun so even if it was another actor\u2019s shot, he got noticed and everyone thought he was the star (like he did in the movie \u201cThe Magnificent Seven\u201d).<\/p>\n
Another example:<\/p>\n
Everyone wanted a piece of Steve.<\/p>\n
And, he had trouble trusting people.<\/p>\n
So one thing he\u2019d do is drop a $100 bill on the ground as if he didn\u2019t realize it. If the person he was testing pocketed it, he knew the guy couldn\u2019t be trusted (whether it be a friend, a producer, director, or whoever). A good way to test would-be business associates, vendors, etc, too.<\/p>\n
He always fought tooth and nail for top billing.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
Because he knew his value.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 even more than other \u201cbig name\u201d stars).<\/p>\n
He was also picky about what roles he took.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t just take any ol\u2019 role.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He had zero tolerance for weakness or weak people.<\/p>\n
And, it\u2019s a good thing, too.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
Because he knew weak people couldn\u2019t be trusted. And he was such a stickler about this, he would avoid working with \u201ccourteous\u201d people because, in that racket (Hollywood) courtesy was seen as a weakness, and weak people were taken for suckers.<\/p>\n
Another thing:<\/p>\n
He always insisted on a cut of the gross profits of a film.<\/p>\n
Not the net, the gross.<\/p>\n
And, he learned that the hard way in his first movie \u201cThe Blob\u201d \u2014 which was a role he wasn\u2019t even proud of, but had he taken the % he would have been a rich man very early in life.<\/p>\n
He set goals and ruthless pursued them.<\/p>\n
It was practically an obsession.<\/p>\n
In his case, most of his career he just wanted to beat Paul Newman.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cThe Towering Inferno\u201d he succeeded (he fought to have his name be slightly higher on the screen than Newman\u2019s as they were both billed first \u2014 a small detail that worked to his advantage \u2014 leaving nothing to chance when it came to his positioning).<\/p>\n
Finally:<\/p>\n
He accepted nothing but the best.<\/p>\n
His first TV series \u201cWanted Dead Or Alive\u201d (and extremely good show, btw, I\u2019m watching the DVD\u2019s currently) was one glaring example \u2014 and he was quickly known as the guy who was a thorn in every director\u2019s bootox.<\/p>\n
For instance, he fired 3 stuntmen on his first day.<\/p>\n
He threw scripts out and demanded the be rewritten.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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\u2019s drive to accept nothing less than the best.<\/p>\n
Anyway, those are just a few of the lessons inside.<\/p>\n
The guy ooozed success & winning.<\/p>\n
In fact, he even beat a deadly form of cancer.<\/p>\n
(Turns out he didn\u2019t 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 \u2014 but that night he developed a blood clot in his heart \u2014 common after surgeries \u2014 and died in his sleep.)<\/p>\n
Fact is, McQueen was far from perfect.<\/p>\n
(Ask his string of ex-wives.)<\/p>\n
But, in the acting world he was a true mover and shaker.<\/p>\n
And, there are many business & success lessons to learn from his life.<\/p>\n
Speaking of mover and shakers:<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk about Donald Trump real quick.<\/p>\n
Even if you think Trump is the devil incarnate you\u2019d 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 \u201cEmail Players\u201d issue is how Trump (whether on purpose or accident, I knoweth not) taps into a primal desire in ALL people \u2014 which is why even so many people who hate him will ultimately vote for him.<\/p>\n
And, yes, I show you how to use this \u201cprimal\u201d appeal in your emails.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an ancient psychological persuasion principle.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also 100% \u2018newbie friendly\u2019, too.<\/p>\n
(Another reason the January issue is a good jumping-on issue.)<\/p>\n
But time\u2019s running out.<\/p>\n
This bad-boy goes to print soon.<\/p>\n
Subscribe here to get it in time while you still can:<\/p>\n