Why Quitting Is Not An Option If You Want to Succeed, with Trevor Chapman
There are people who work hard. And then there are people who work HARD. Trevor Chapman’s story is right next door to unbelievable, except he’s not the kind of guy to exaggerate, so you know this one is solid truth. Trevor schooled Dean and me on how he learned that quitting is not an option. It was one of the main lessons he learned as he grew up in Alaska in a family that truly was working just to survive. But it’s not only Trevor’s stories that are fascinating, his experience and success are too – and he shares how he got to the point that he’s rocking the ecommerce world in less than a year after getting into it, on this episode of Just The Tips.
Everyone has thoughts that stop them from doing the work.
When Trevor Chapman finally left his family home and started working to support himself he took a job doing door to door sales. He wanted to be the best he could be so he learned how to sell and how to work hard. But he discovered that all of us have thoughts that stop us from moving forward, from doing the hard work required to be successful – so he took steps to equip himself every day by listening to books on tape. He had to get himself into a state where, in his own mind, success was not only possible but was inevitable. You can hear what books he listened to, how he knew to do it, and the result it had on him by listening to this episode.
When life is too easy we don’t recognize the value of every second.
Trevor Chapman credits his upbringing with the development of a super strong work ethic, the reason that he believes quitting is not an option. He says the one thing he’s most afraid of is that his own kids will grow up with so much ease that they are not able to develop that same type of work ethic. In his words, “When life is too easy we don’t recognize the value of every second.” On this episode, you can find out what he’s doing to keep his kids aware of that danger and teach them the kind of work ethic that will enable them to pursue success and add great things to the world.
Focus on industries that are necessities rather than luxuries.
One of the lessons Trevor Chapman learned as he grew a number of businesses was that not every industry is stable in difficult economic conditions. For example, few people buy hot tubs when the economy is in a recession. Why? Hot tubs are luxury items and few people have extra cash on hand to purchase one. Noticing this phenomenon Trevor learned to choose industries for his businesses that were essentially recession-proof, meaning they provide products people need in any economic situation. You can hear what Trevor did to pivot his existing businesses in that direction and how he recommends you choose a business based on its industry on this episode, so be sure you listen.
A 9 day live streaming event in e-commerce history – absolutely free.
Trevor Chapman believes that people in every industry become insular, speaking their own language and thinking only like others in the industry think. He realizes that innovation happens when people are able to get outside that echo chamber and discover new ways of approaching problems. That’s why he’s created EcommCon – a 9-day online event with no sales pitches, only great content to help anyone learn how to become successful in ecommerce. Even if you’re not in the ecommerce space you’ll want to know about this event. It will feature some of the best and most successful people in ecommerce in the world.
Outline of This Episode
- [0:39] Why James and Dean are having Trevor Chapman on the show today.
- [4:32] The way Trevor discovered what a work ethic really is.
- [11:44] How the work ethic Trevor learned equipped him for his entrepreneurial success.
- [17:09] From door to door sales to owning a successful solar energy company.
- [23:00] Moving from physical products offline to e commerce.
- [26:40] The virtual summit Trevor has organized and how you can attend for free.
- [32:37] How podcasts are changing history.
Resources & People Mentioned
- https://ecommcon.com/ – Trevor’s event – get registered
- Trevor on Facebook
- Trevor on LinkedIn
- BOOK: The Richest Man in Babylon
- BOOK: Think and Grow Rich
Music for “Just The Tips” is titled, “Happy Happy Game Show” by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
