Interview with Bo Bennett, by Brian Feinblum
Bo , you made millions of dollars off of an Internet venture -- and kept most of it. That's a dual feat! What did you do and how did you do it? I think your real question is, “What did you do and how can I do it?” I recognized a need and filled it. It was early 1995 and a friend of mine just introduced me to the Internet. I was immediately amazed and excited about its potential. For the next several months I would try desperately to get a website, but I would end up only getting conned, scammed, and ripped-off. I finally did find an honest company that I leased a web server from, but I ran into some more trouble--in order to have a web site I needed to be a technical wizard. So I became one. Just about 6 months later, I had created a web hosting company for the "average business user" that used my own web-based software to create a website and configure e-mail. Seven years later I sold the company for 20 million dollars.
Money aside, why do you consider yourself an expert on success? I have spend much of my childhood and all of my adult life answering the question, "What makes some people succeed where most people just live mediocre lives?" This question has prompted me to study the lives of many successful individuals, study many different philosophies, and learn all I can about success. However, my own pursuit of success has taught me the most.
Why did you write Year To Success in the one lesson-per-day format? People can't wait a year for it to happen, can they? They can. Whether they want to or not is a different story. I would like to paraphrase a rejection letter I received from a respectable, well-known publisher when I submitted my book, Year To Success
“Dear Mr.Bennett, …we ultimately decided that your book does not tell people how to be successful in a few clear steps. We feel that this is what our readers want.”
I will admit, it would be nice if success were all about doing A, B, and C, but it does not work that way. If it did, 95% of the population would consider themselves successful, not just 5%. Most books on success sacrifice content for marketability; they are edited to appeal to the population’s desire for instant gratification. Year To Success is different—very different. Not only is the book jam-packed with content, its one article a day format allows the reader to properly reflect on the information and actually retain the information.
You say the chief reason people do not ask for the things that they want is fear. Why is that? Fear is a powerful force. People do not ask for things they want for three primary reasons: the fear of rejection, the fear of failure, and believe it or not, the fear of success. People develop these fears over time usually as a result of false associations. The key eliminating these fears is getting straight on the facts that are associated with these fears.
If you had to narrow it down, what are the five key attributes one must possess for a life of success? That is a tough question for me because it goes against my success philosophy: there are not just a few quick attributes to success. Having said that, however, I do believe that some are more important than others. I like the three P’s (I know you asked for five, but…): perseverance, positive mental attitude, and passion. Possess those qualities, have a good idea, and put my general success formula to work (education + inspiration + action) and your chances of succeeding are greatly increased.
How did you go about selecting the 52 people featured in the book (for inspiration) -- from Ben Franklin, Oprah, Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, to Mary Kay, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rockefeller and Einstein? These are some of the people who have inspired me the most. I will admit, there are many more, but I felt it important to “mix it up” with people who have succeeded in all walks of life. The people I have included have demonstrated several of the principles of success contained within my book. Their stories are not only inspiring, but very entertaining as well.
Many people have ideas for creating wealth -- but fail to act on them. Why do you believe this happens? There is only one reason: they do not really believe in their idea or their own abilities. It is that simple. Think about it… if you had an idea that you were 100% sure would lead you to wealth, wouldn’t you take action? When you truly believe in your idea, little things like lack of time, lack of money, and lack of a solid plan don’t matter much. Those “details” are eventually worked out.
Bo, part of success is about staying healthy, as you highlight in your book. But how have you gone your whole life without ever having a glass of wine, a cup of coffee or a drag on a cigarette? Health does have much to do with it, but the real reason is the associations I made early on in life. I associate alcohol with a painful childhood, cigarettes with the inability to breathe, and coffee with terrible breath. No matter how hard the advertising agencies try to get me to associate happy, healthy, and beautiful people with booze, I just can’t make the connection. We all crave “highs” of some kind. I firmly believe that when we deny our bodies artificial highs we are forced to find natural highs. For me, one of the greatest natural highs is success.
You point out that the words we use make all the difference to how others perceive us? How so? Ummm… like, listen dude, words are really, really, really, important. If I used those words, do you think you would really want to read my book? Right or wrong, others judge us based on many factors, one being the words we use. Using the right words at the right time is considered effective communication, which is one of the key characteristics of a successful individual.
Why do people fail to set goals and identify a specific purpose to rally around? Once again it comes down to belief. Many people don’t believe that goal-setting is important. When it comes to their life, they “play it by ear.” which may be a fine way to vacation, but a terrible way to live life. Once people understand how planning, and more important, taking action, will bring them significantly closer to success, they will no longer fail to set goals.
Your formula for success is education plus inspiration plus action. Can you elaborate please? Success at anything in life is dependent on those three “ingredients.” You must provide yourself with enough information. Year To Success contains over 200 “educational” articles on principles of success. You must keep inspired. Without inspiration, dreams die as quickly as they are formed. Year To Success is full of inspiration; in the daily articles, in the quotes, and in the success biographies. Finally, you must take action. Without action, nothing is accomplished. Year To Success provides readers with action steps based on the day’s reading. Education plus inspiration plus action is what success, and Year To Success, is all about.
Why did you wait over 20 years to write Year To Success? I have always had a problem with the teachers who taught students about "the business world" when they themselves have never made it in the business world. Likewise, I question the speakers who speak about success and wealth who have only become successful and wealthy by getting people to pay them for talking about it. From the time I graduated college, it has taken me 9 years to put the theories, concepts and convictions I had to the test. After what would be considered my first major business success, I still was not convinced and wanted to rule out luck and good timing. It was not until I had created my second multi-million dollar company using the principles in these 366 days that I was able to honestly share these ideas with others, and be confident that they work.
How do you define success? How much money is enough? Success is something that is very personal to each one of us. My definition of success actually takes up about three pages, but in short, it consists of living a healthy life, with strong personal and professional relationships, while doing what I love doing best, and being financially free, or living a life free from financial obligations and concerns. As long as I can keep finding ways to put my money to good use, I can always use more. But more money will not add to my success past the amount needed to maintain my financial freedom.
You emphasize that health plays a crucial role in success -- but do people really follow this advice considering most of
You advocate creating a "dream collage." What's that? Images are more powerful than words alone. Goals are great, and important to success, but think of a dream collage as pictures of your goals. It is amazing how much my dream collage of 10 years ago resembles my life today. It has pictures of a family, nice cars, great house, summer home, winter home, exercise room with a wilderness theme, etc. These images constantly inspired me and reminded me why I must succeed. Even today, I keep pictures of some of my goals on my desk, to look at every day.
Can you share with us your process for setting goals? I can, if you read day 92 in my book. I have taken the best of the best and developed my own process for setting goals. I am not being secretive by not sharing details; the process is just very detailed and requires careful explanation. I can, however, share what I believe to be the most important factor in goal setting—taking daily action. People underestimate the power of taking small, daily actions toward the attainment of their goals. Without daily action (not weekly or monthly), goals are often put on the back burner, many times indefinitely.
You identify perseverance and determination as the characteristic shared by all successful people throughout history. Tell us about this principle. If you study the life of any successful individual, you will see that perseverance was a key factor to their success. I have yet to come across an individual that did not show perseverance. People who don’t want success badly enough give up when things become “uncomfortable” for them. Those who persevere find more discomfort in not succeeding than in failing.
You make a lot of pop-culture references and analogies, alluding to movies such as The Jerk, The Shining, and Naked Gun. In order for the next generation to learn success principles, do we need to look to
Why do you say that competition is good? If you have ever eaten lunch at the only place to eat lunch in town, or rented a car from the only car rental place within 100 miles, or remember a time when there was only one phone company, you have most likely experienced for yourself why competition is good. Competition in business causes businesses to be their best, giving the best service and producing the best product. Personal competition, as in students competing for the highest grades, causes people to be their best. In short, competition brings out the best in people, businesses, and a society.
You have an entry in Year To Success on how one can face his or her weaknesses. Easier said than done? What isn’t easier said then done? Actually, facing a weakness is not the hard part; it’s identifying the weakness that is the real challenge for most people. Most people are under the impression that to face a weakness means to overcome it—that is not necessarily the case. Henry Ford was uneducated. Bill Gates was a college drop out. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke but a few words of English coming to this country. Helen Keller was unable to see, hear or speak at all. Abraham Lincoln was belligerent. John D. Rockefeller almost killed himself with worry. John F. Kennedy was too young and George Foreman was too old. Despite these weaknesses, each of these successful people either overcame, avoided, or compensated for their weaknesses and eventually became extremely successful.
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