Don't Build A Business, Build An Empire

There's a big chunk of the ‘business’ scene online that makes me sick to my stomach. 

It's the pure hustle, grind, money, scale at all costs culture that infects a large part of the internet / business space & gives people this glamorized impression of what that life is like. When I bring this up I think some people feel I’m ‘anti hard work’ & pair that with my ‘lifestyle focused’ messaging in a lot of my content I can see why they might be confused. But let me put this on the table, I worked more in my 20s than most people do in their 20s & 30s combined (and probably their 40s too for some folks). 

I was incredibly firmly entrenched in the finance world which has a bigger hustle & money culture than pretty much any other industry. Working at a million miles an hour to make as much money as possible as fast as possible was all I knew. When I shifted online in 2018, I kept this same attitude. Head down, crank & outwork everyone else. And hey, it worked to make money. I can’t deny that. 

But here’s the part nobody talks about: 

At what cost? 

When you put 100% of your focus on this 1 element of life, simple mathematics tells us that you have to neglect a few other very important areas because there just isn’t enough of you to go around. There’s only so many hours in a day (even when you sleep 4 hours per night like I was my norm for a very long time). It wasn’t until a mentor gave me a firm wake up call in 2021 that I started about changing my ways forever & a big part of my work since then has been going deep into figuring out how you can have it all, not just money. 

Now looking back, I can say purely going after money is a cop out. It’s the easy way out. When you just focus on that & justify neglecting all the other areas of your life it’s easy to make money but let’s not hide the fact that you’re burning down so many other important areas of your life around it - some of these things are permanently & irrevocably damaged. 

Here’s the shift I made (although it’s worth noting this label didn’t come to me at the time it is only now clear through years of work & reflection): 

Don’t build a business, build an empire. 

Now I’ll need to catch you, because when I say an empire in this context I don’t mean it in the traditional business sense - you’re probably having visions of building a huge multi billion dollar international brand & business. 

When I say empire, I mean YOUR empire. YOUR world. This captures everything that is critical to you living an amazing life. 

Your business & cashflow source(s) represent one piece of this BUT it also includes your long term stockpiling of investments, your relationships (family, friends & even perhaps clients), your followers who see you as a leader, your physical home environment (your fortress), your physical health & your mental health. These things all come together to form your empire & if you only focus on 1 piece, the empire will fall. 

While this is a significantly larger challenge to take on, it’s the only way to play this game sustainably & without aggressively sacrificing your health, your relationships etc in pursuit of money & wealth. 

Here’s where this gets interesting: 

I said before the blind pursuit of money alone is a cop out & the easy way out. I firmly believe this & here’s why: 

It lacks any real responsibility. You aren’t stepping up as a leader for your family, your close friends, your own health (physical & mental). You’re letting all these things deteriorate in exchange for a resource that is essentially infinite (money). That is not a brave choice. It’s insane. 

In my experience, the key to having it all is to take on responsibility across all these areas & become the leader of your empire. It’ll be the most challenging thing you ever do, but it’ll also be the most rewarding. When you can truly test yourself to build the systems, skills, mindset & focus to manage all these elements collectively, you’ll find fulfillment that is on a completely different level to just making a stack of cash. You will be rewarded greatly for taking on this responsibility - in so many different ways. 

This is the secret to not just a good life, but a great life. 

Even if you have to move a little slower in building your fortune but it means that along the way you build flourishing relationships, keep your health, have a clear mind & truly enjoy the ride - isn’t that a worthwhile trade-off? 

I think so. 

Stop building your business & start building your empire. 

This is the way forward. 

Until next time, 

JC

P.S Earlier this week I dropped a video discuss this topic further on my FB Profile. You can check it out HERE. Apologies in advance the audio isn't amazing, I was selfishly sitting by Sydney Harbour taking in the view. You'll still get all the juice though. Enjoy!