Hey hey, Hard Knocks Community!💰

We're back with a brand new edition of the School Hard Knocks Newsletter! This week, we're featuring serial entrepreneur, investor, and business coach Todd "TJ" Johnson. TJ is known for building and scaling business across several industries. He's expanded his real estate investments worldwide and is an expert in scaling, pivoting, and accelerating success in both business and life.

Today’s Schedule

• Vision, Execution, and Grit: How TJ Johnson went from poverty to entrepreneurial powerhouse

• From the Hard Knocks Library: The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life

• In Case You Missed It: We visited Dubai and asked supercar owners how they got rich

Let’s dive in!🔥

Vision, Execution, and Grit

Todd "TJ" Johnson was born and raised in South Carolina. He came from a poor family and grew up on food stamps. TJ always knew he wanted to be successful and from a young age, he focused his mindset on getting out of poverty.

At the age of 17, he joined the military and learned a ton of skills throughout his experience. Afterwards, he went on to work for Prudential Home Mortgage.

TJ then caught the entrepreneurial bug and started several different businesses. He started a travel business and an IT venture that took off. TJ's tech business was a service-based business focused on software integration. Over time, he grew and scaled that venture to a massive success.

While TJ was growing his IT business, he was also building several others. His next venture was a construction business focused on build design. Most of the work there was within the medical industry.

TJ didn't stop there. His entrepreneurial journey also led him to start a carwash business, a wig business and he also got into real estate where he started fixing and flipping homes. In each of his ventures, TJ's main philosophy was to have a vision, blow life into the business, then have it run on its own.

At the peak of his career, TJ was making between $90M and $100M a year. Eventually, TJ sold his construction business and moved to the Dominican Republic for about seven years. Now, he lives in an amazing mansion in Beverly Hills and still owns around 10 businesses.

TJ believes that most entrepreneurs don't lack talent, ambition, or passion. They often lack a vision, a solid plan, and the guidance to see it through. Today, TJ works to help people develop clarity and a vision that's powerful enough to drive action into their everyday life.

Inside the School of Mentors community, TJ shared tons of practical insights and tips for entrepreneurs on a recent live call and Q&A. Here are three of the main takeaways:

Scaling Secrets

TJ has grown and scaled dozens of businesses, but he didn't do it all at one time. With each venture, he set a goal to get operations, delivery, sales, and marketing to a successful level. Once he had those core elements working and automated, he moved on to start something else.

If you're a multi-passionate entrepreneur, you might be tempted to get several businesses going at once. However, trying to handle it all at one time could lead to failure and burnout. Take your time getting things right in one business before setting your sights on the next thing. Scaling one business to success with proper operations and systems allows you to leverage the income and resources in your next venture.

The First Client Formula

Trying to land those first ten clients in your business? TJ advises entrepreneurs to first identify your target market and find out where they hang out. If they're local, try running Google ads and take advantage of local networking events to build relationships.

If your ideal audience isn't local, content marketing should be your focus. Build out a social media presence and bring in leads through an email list and sales funnel. Nurture those leads to keep your products or services at the top of their mind.

In today's world, getting attention and keeping it is hard. To break the mold, try using guerilla marketing strategies. These are unconventional, low-cost marketing techniques aimed at obtaining maximum exposure. With a little outside-the-box thinking, you could set yourself apart from the competition without breaking the bank.

Strength In Numbers

According to TJ, one of the biggest traits that separates successful entrepreneurs from struggling ones is knowing you're not an expert in everything. Many struggling entrepreneurs don't want to invest in themselves or want anyone else to help them, which is a huge mistake.

If you have a goal of starting and scaling one business or even multiple businesses, knowing when to ask for help is key. Connect with people who are experts in areas that aren't your strong suit and form partnerships. Stay humble and don't be afraid to be a student so you can continue to grow both personally and professionally.

Connect with TJ here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tjmillionairementor/?hl=en

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Words of Wisdom

From the Hard Knocks Library

In Case You Missed It

We interviewed wealthy supercar owners in several different industries all across Dubai and asked them how they made their fortunes. We interviewed successful entrepreneurs in e-commerce, water parks, car washes and more. Check it out here!

Let Us Hear From You

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