One of the Best Business Books for Entrepreneurs (Must-Read)
If you want to grow a seven-figure business, you should operate like a seven-figure business.
This is just one of the takeaways I got from one of the best business books of all time: Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters.
If you haven't read it, I HIGHLY recommend you grab yourself a copy if you ever plan to hire team members for your business (which most entrepreneurs do at some point in their journey).
Okay. Now, I have to admit. When a colleague recommended this business book to me, I was a bit skeptical. My instincts said it was geared toward companies much larger than mine.
The book even says right in the introduction that their work and the concepts in the book are focused on companies generating $2 to $50 million in revenue with teams of 10 to 250 people.
But the more I read, the more I realized these lessons can be applied to ALL business sizes, regardless of the amount they’re bringing in.
And if you truly want to grow your business, you should be aware of what 7-figure CEOs are doing. That way you can take small steps over time and align your actions to get to a higher place.
How Can You Think Like a 7-Figure CEO?
According to the authors, there are two types of people every business needs to be successful: a visionary and an integrator.
7-figure CEOs know this secret and apply it to their businesses seamlessly.
Visionaries are idea generators. They believe in their visions without knowing exactly how they’ll achieve them. They tend to be better at research than development.
Integrators implement the ideas and visions. They work on a more detailed level and are typically strong leaders and managers.
So if you’re able to create a beautiful balance of both, your business will become unstoppable.
You can take the visionary quiz here and the integrator quiz here to see where you fall.
Once you know which one you are, you can apply the results to your own business. And hire people who complement you in a way that creates the best outcome.
My project manager’s strengths have helped me tremendously.
She’s an integrator. And hiring her has allowed me to accomplish more than ever because I don't have to monitor small details or make the plans.
And you know what?
You don't need to be making $2 million a year to have a talented, high-performing integrator or visionary on your team.
We’re all worthy of that.
Should You Hire an Integrator or a Visionary?
Many entrepreneurs I work with are visionaries. They’re idea generators and creators, which means they would benefit more from an integrator.
In the digital entrepreneurship space, project managers, virtual assistants, and online business managers are commonly integrators. This makes them perfect for coming into an already established business to bring in their strengths to the visionaries.
Here’s how you can tell if you’re a visionary entrepreneur that would benefit from an integrator:
You get flooded with ideas and inspiration of all kinds, all the time.
An integrator can help you filter through the many ideas and determine which ones are worth pursuing.
Integrators are also better than visionaries at follow-through and handling the small details. They can realistically create a course of action that brings your big ideas to life.
You’re creative at coming up with solutions for big problems. But tend to ignore the small ones.
This is where an integrator can be really helpful.
The thing that differentiates an integrator most from a visionary is their proficiency in handling the ‘small stuff’ and making sure loose ends are always tied up.
You have a keen ability to discover new ways of doing things.
You like to work visually (e.g. drawing diagrams) and are good at thinking about challenges in different ways than the norm.
At the same time, you struggle with long-term projects because you tend to get bored easily.
Integrators thrive with longer project plans. It’s what makes them such key contributors to any business.
You’re fantastic at big, external relationships.
You know how to close big deals, nurture your network, and work alongside others effectively. But you’re probably not so great at follow-through, holding others accountable, and remembering details.
That’s where integrators excel since they’re typically accountable for their own selves. This is what makes them strong leaders and managers.
You naturally enjoy developing big, brazen plans.
I mean, as long as you’re not the one who has to implement them, right? Your vision is usually so strong you completely believe you can get there, even if you don’t know exactly how.
The good news is integrators LOVE figuring out how. Integrators are resilient, adaptable, and forward-thinking. They are continuous learners who are exceptional at execution.
You can do a lot but not excel at everything.
You’re comfortable with your weaknesses and don’t feel the need to improve them. Maybe that seems counterproductive to other people, but it actually works! Visionaries are able to focus on their zone of genius more and lean on their strengths.
If this is you, be sure to embrace your visionary ways. Delegate the implementation of your ideas to someone else who naturally looks for improvements and holes to fill.
And if you relate more to the integrator side of these, then just flip-flop everything above and look to hire more of the visionary type.
You Can Implement This Knowledge Today
You can start small by hiring someone for just a few hours a week to put your vision into action.
I have a feeling once you experience the magic of having someone else come in to balance your strengths out, you’ll be blown away.
You’ll keep moving forward, and you’ll be way happier in the long run!
