Dear Success Seeker,

During the past 23 years I've coached literally thousands of business people. The majority have been members of our ProCoach Success System group coaching program, but hundreds of others in private sessions as well.

The vast majority of my clients have done extremely well yet only a small number have become what I would call 'entrepreneurial superstars'. While I was coaching this select few, their businesses exploded to stunning levels of profit and success.

This got me thinking....

What differentiates these remarkable business-builders from the others?

Here is the answer to that question.

Quality #1 - Vision
When they hired me as their coach, every one of these clients had a clear, bold and grand vision for the future of their organization.

By most people's standards the goals these visionaries had would be daunting.

I started coaching success guru Harv Eker when he had just one employee who was working out of Harv's basement. Yet his vision was to create a seminar company that transformed the minds and lives of millions while becoming a multi-millionaire so he could retire to Hawaii.

He ultimately did both.

Another amazing client was president and founder of a restaurant chain in Vancouver. When I met him they had five restaurants. His vision was to grow the chain internationally and become recognized as a contender in the most discerning culinary cities in America including Chicago and Dallas.

Today they have over 25 locations across Canada and are in the process of entering the US market.

You get the point. All of my 'superstars' had aspirations that were larger, more specific and more inspiring than my typical clients. Their visions also extended beyond their personal needs. They imagined making a difference in the lives of thousands, even millions of people.

Take a moment to compare these examples to your vision. How would you rate the scope and impact of your vision on a scale of 1 - 10?

Quality #2 - Driven
In addition to having big visions, my superstar entrepreneurs were intense and focused. They all had energy galore, passion for what they were doing and a burning desire to succeed.

And balance? What's that?

While some managed to achieve a degree of sanity in their lives, all of them were obsessed with their projects. In a word, they were (and are still) driven. This quality played a significant part in their success.

How driven are you? Give yourself a rating on a scale of 1 - 10.

Quality #3 - The right timing
An interesting aspect of these exceptional success stories is related not to them personally but the business they were building.

Sure, they had a big vision and were driven. But these entrepreneurs were also in the right place at the right time.

Their visions aligned with current innovation, technology and market trends, providing them with exceptional opportunities. If they had attempted to succeed in a different endeavor or at a different time they almost certainly would not have achieved the success they did.

Is your business vision aligned with current technology and market trends? Give it a rating 1 - 10.

Quality #4 - The right person
Over the years I have coached many clients who had the first three qualities in place, yet they still didn't hit a home run. Some failed spectacularly.

This brings us to the final component of the formula, and it is essential.

All of these people were the right person to succeed in their endeavor. They had a combination of experience, technical skills, temperament, communication skills, leadership ability and business acumen that enabled them to navigate themselves and their organization to the top. This final quality cannot be assessed using a template; it can only be determined based on results under fire.

Are you the right person to take your business all the way? Rate yourself 1 - 10.

In closing
There are many other factors that contribute to one's level of success. However if you want to create a significant and lasting organization, I believe a combination of these four 'X-Factors' is essential.

Perhaps a more pertinent question is whether you actually want to achieve such massive success in the first place and if so, why?

All of my super-star clients made compromises and paid a steep price for their success. Are you willing to pay the price?

The real key to living a wonderful life is to be true to yourself.

Chances are that you don't need to build an empire in order to experience abundance, fulfillment and quality of life you want.

My challenge to you is to reflect on the above qualities and look for ways you can apply them to further your own unique vision of life and success.

Good luck with it!

To your success!

Andrew Barber-Starkey, Master Certified Coach
Founder and President, ProCoach Success System