Monday Morning Memo - Roy H. Williams

How to Make Money

If it takes money to make money, how does one make money when he has no money at the start?A person without capital has nothing to leverage but his or her time. This is why millions of Americans wear the handcuffs of hourly wages.When I was 14, my life sold for $1.60 an hour. At 18, an hour in the life of Roy H. Williams was selling for three dollars and thirty-five cents. People all around me talked about “the security of a steady paycheck” as though steady and unchanging were a good thing.But I found a way of escape.

"There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls."– Howard Thurman (1900-1981)

If you want to slip the handcuffs of hourly wages, you must figure out how to be paid according to your accomplishments. “How long did it take?” isn’t the question you want to answer, but rather, “What is the value of my achievement?”


People paid by the hour are paid for their activities. People paid royalties, license fees, or sales commissions are paid for their accomplishments. Average people are average because they cling to an avoidance of discomfort. There is a truth – a profound, 4-word truth – known to every successful person: “Pain is my friend.”Pain is an informant, a sentinel, a lookout blowing a bugle. Pain tells us when something is wrong and indicates the location of the problem.

"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Niels Bohr“Mediocrity has a way of keeping demons from the door.” - Marie Arana


Comfort leads to complacency. Solomon spoke of the dangers of going with the flow when he said,
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Solomon followed that statement with an immediate, sharp contrast:
“The laborer's appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.” (Proverbs 16:25-26)
Wait a minute. Solomon warns us the direction most easily taken - "going with the flow" - is a road that leads to nowhere. Hunger, according to Solomon, is your ally. For what do you hunger? Are you willing to risk embarrassment? Financial loss?Damage to your reputation?Let your hunger lead you. Let it drive you on.People stay in the box because it’s safe there. And then they talk about needing to think “outside the box.”

“There be tigers outside the box, matey. And ogres and monsters and people who might laugh at ye. Are ye sure ye be wantin’ out o’ that box?”

I have no idea where that pirate came from.

Here, after much rambling, are my points:
1. The times cry out for change.
2. We know change is needed because we feel pain.
3. Change makes us uneasy because we cannot see the future.
4. Financial death is the destination of those who refuse to change.

If you have no problems, if you feel no pain, carry on. Good job. Well done.

As you were.If you need to make changes but you’re not sure what to change, when to change it, or how to implement that change, consider a trip to Austin to spend a day with the Wizards. Change opens the door to a brighter future.

Are you willing?

Roy H. Williams

RON: I hope this has stirred up some thoughts in you. Please comment below on what this article made you think about!

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A Frequency And Consistency Story

It Happened To Me

As many of you know by now, I have been on a journey to become more physically fit. In the past year, I have lost about 40 pounds of weight and over 60 pounds of fat. Not bad, but I have a ways to go. I have been plateaued for about 3 months.

I first saw the thirty minute P90X infomercial before I ever started on my fitness plan. I thought it looked awesome. I thought about buying it. At theat time I figured I needed to get in better shape to even start something like that. I waited. I watched. As a matter of fact, I watched the same infomercial at least twelve more times since. Every time, I thought I should order it. I watched the entire infomercial twelve times! Something always got in the way. I didn't order it.

I talked to a couple of friends that had the program and they loved it. I looked on line and read reviews. I needed it. I didn't buy it. Until Sunday morning. I watched the same infomercial (frequency of at least thirteen) and decided then and there that it was the time. I ordered it. Why now? Don't know. Maybe I was fed up with the plateau I was on. Maybe because my wife wanted to get in shape as well. I really don't know, I do know that if the frequency and consistency of message from P90X had not been there, they would not be getting my 3 payments of $39.95!

This lesson is vital for advertisers as well as sales people. You never know what piece of information will change someone's mind to say yes or choose to walk into your store. Circumstances change daily. Be consistent and persistent!

Oh and by the way, P90X will be here in 5 to 7 business days! Thanks to consistency and frequency. :)

Pssst....Pass It On

The People That Need This Aren't Reading It

My challenge for you today is to send one or more of these blog articles to another person that can benefit from reading it.

I did the first of three marketing seminars for the Lawrence Chamber Of Commerce on Friday morning at 7:30. We had about twenty different businesses represented. They all furiously took notes and were very engaged in the information being shared. I was flattered at the post-seminar evaluations and comments. Thank you to those in attendance. I'll try not to disappoint in the next one :)

As I was speaking, I realized that the people at the seminar were not the ones that needed it the most. People that needed to be there don't realize it or won't take the time. They are too busy. Too busy working in their business instead of on it. I promise that if they dedicate a few minutes every day to doing better marketing, the return on investment of time will be tenfold!

Please forward your favorite article from this blog to a few people today. Thanks.

Perseverance Pays Off

It Just Might Take A While

Anyone that knows me for very long, knows that I am very passionate about three things. My family, My business and golf. About a year ago, my two oldest daughters decided to play golf. They both made the High School Varsity team last year. (there were only five girls on the team) They both had ability, but in golf, scoring well takes awhile. They struggled through the season, but they loved it, even though they consistently finished near the bottom in tournaments.

This past winter, the youngest, Payton, now a Sophomore googled her name. The first thing that popped up was "Lawrence Golf Team Struggles" and it listed the individual scores from a tournament last year. Taylor Covert 139, Payton Covert 140. Remember, higher numbers in golf are bad. She was mortified. "Why can't it be about me being an All-American in girls wrestling or something!" (which she was two years ago)

Quietly fueled by this, the girls decided to put extra effort into getting better in the off season. They worked hard. Especially Payton. (Taylor had a boyfriend and her priorities were a little different) Every day, starting in March, she asked to play. The worst part was that for two months, Payton was actually getting worse. So much so that the Father in me was wondering if she should just give it up. But, she kept playing and practicing and smiling the whole way. "I know I'm not very good, but I'm having fun," she would say.

She wanted golf clubs for her birthday in May. We got them for her, even though I wondered if she would keep trying much longer. Then at the end of June, a funny thing happened. Payton started hitting a few good shots every round. By mid-July, she was hitting more good shots than bad. By the time August hit, she was hitting only a handful of bad shots each round. She was getting pretty good.

This year, the girls had recruited many more players for the team and worried about making varsity again. I assured both of them that they would be fine. They had both worked hard enough to make it. They did. As a matter of fact, their coach was so impressed with their improvement that he used them for an example to the rest of the team about what hard work would do. He had no idea what Payton went through!

Now, to the best part of the story. The girls had their first 18 hole tournament of the year this week. It was in Lawrence at one of the most difficult golf courses in the area. It was the first part of the League Tournament, so the nerves were acting up.

I told my wife on the way there to see the girls finish that it would be great if they both got under 120 for the round. That is 20 shots better than last year and at a harder course.

When the scores were tallied, Taylor shot a 114 and tied for third best score on the team. Awesome! A 25 shot improvement over that 139 last year. Payton carded a 105, best on the team and a full 35 shots better. I don't think she has yet to touch the ground. Hard work does pay off. Great job girls! I am so proud.

Below is the text of the interview with Payton from the Lawrence Journal World after the tournament :

.........But a look beyond the “You don’t have to put my score in the paper, do you?” comments uncovered a few sweet stories hidden in the rough.

Take LHS sophomore Payton Covert, for instance. Last winter, after a rough first year with the LHS golf team, Covert “Googled” herself on the Internet just to see what popped up. The first link on the list of possible matches was a story about the LHS golf team’s struggles, complete with the fact that, at that particular tournament, Covert shot a whopping 140.

So ashamed of the high score was Covert that she spent the entire summer working on her game.

She sank putts late into the night, chipped until her arms grew tired and hit shot after shot at any driving range that would have her.

The result? Monday, Covert shot the low score for LHS, a 105 at the challenging LCC course.
“I was embarrassed by that,” said Covert of the Google incident. “And it really motivated me to improve.”

During the best round of her life — her previous low was a 112 — Covert’s putting was strong, her decisions sound and her risk-taking minimal, all necessary ingredients for a good score at an unfamiliar course.

Communication Gap

Make Sure You Are All On The Same Page

I heard in a seminar or read in a book years ago (I guess it's my quote now)that the most important thing that any employee can be doing at any given time is what their boss wants them to be doing.

That's a pretty safe statement, right? Well, not if the boss/supervisor/manager, doesn't clearly communicate what that is.

As leaders, we often times get busy doing what we need to do and forget to communicate with the most important people. Our staff. The one's responsible for carrying out our mission on the front line. Oh, we think we shouldn't have to. But everyone needs consistent input.

What if military leaders developed a great battle plan, one that was sure to win the war, but they never shared it with the troops? Instead, they just said with battle plan in their back pocket, "Go for it, go win the battle. If you don't, i'll be really angry!" I know that sounds silly, but is what we do as leaders and managers every day any different? Do your people really know what you expect? Are you giving them the information that they need to help you win the battle in your business category? Have you communicated your battle plan?