The 5 Most Important Tips on Developing Yourself as an Entrepreneurial Leader with Jared James

We recently sat down with Jared James, an entrepreneurial icon who has built an incredible career as a real estate mogul, speaker, coach, and business leader. Jared was formerly the #1 real estate agent in the entire country, an amazing accomplishment in such a competitive field. He has also built multiple 7 and 8-figure businesses from the ground up, including a prominent real estate coaching company and several tech startups. Jared is an extremely intelligent strategic thinker who has a gift for motivating and educating other entrepreneurs.

Our conversation covered so many valuable insights, but here we wanted to summarize 5 of Jared's most important pieces of advice for anyone looking to develop themselves as an entrepreneurial leader:

#1: The myth of hard work

Many people will tell you that the key to success is simply working hard. But as Jared explains, "Working hard is not the variable. My uncle worked his butt off his whole life and was poor. Working hard is like the batteries that are supposed to come with a kid's toy. It's table stakes if you want to get in the game."

Just working hard is not enough - you need to work smart, create leverage, and think strategically too. Jared uses the analogy of a see-saw that is balanced in the middle - you can move that fulcrum and use smaller rocks on one side to lift massive boulders on the other. That's leveraging your strengths.

It's crucial to understand your unique abilities and find ways to maximize them. This requires self-awareness and creativity. Jared suggests studying the most successful people and businesses to understand the ways they create leverage. Ask yourself how you can move the fulcrum in your life so your natural strengths lift bigger and bigger rewards. Don't just work hard - work strategically.

#2: Get over your fear of rejection - Going from "Know" to "No"

Often, fear of rejection holds entrepreneurs back from putting themselves out there enough. Jared says that the key to growth in business is giving more people the chance to get to "Know" you each day, even though many will say "No."

In his words: "Our job is to conduct activities that give the people who woke up this morning, who have never heard of us before, the chance to know us, K-N-O-W, so they have the opportunity to say no, N-O. The more new people I can expose my business to each day, the more I will win."

This mindset shift is so empowering. When you stop caring about the no's and just focus on getting in front of as many potential new customers or clients as possible, your business growth will accelerate rapidly.

Jared suggests trying new networking events, reaching out for speaking opportunities, and creating content consistently as ways to increase your daily "Know" to "No" ratio. The more people can evaluate what you have to offer, the more will say yes.

#3: Stop filtering and be your true self

Jared realized that his career took off dramatically when he stopped trying to put on the persona of "what a speaker was supposed to be like" and just started being himself on stage - cargo shorts, t-shirt, and all.

Not filtering yourself does two things simultaneously: It attracts the RIGHT people who will love and appreciate you for who you authentically are. And it repels the WRONG people who would not have been a good fit for your business anyway. This is incredibly effective marketing.

Think about ways you may be filtering your personality when meeting potential customers, talking to the media, or creating content. What feels most natural and "you"? Lean into that fully. Show the world who you are with zero filters. Let go of trying to be who you "should" be.

#4: Attract the right people AND repel the wrong ones - that's great marketing

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Expanding on being your true self, Jared explains that great marketing doesn't just attract your ideal customers - it actively REPELS those who are not a fit too.

In his words: "When I'm on stage and I'm uncensored, I send a signal to the audience. Some raise their hand and say ‘That's my ride or die.’ Others think ‘I hope he walks into traffic later.’ Now I know where people stand so I can build my tribe."

Think about your ideal audience. Who do you want to work with? What kinds of people light you up? Then be unapologetically YOU everywhere. Let the right people be drawn to you. Some may be turned off - that's fine. Those who come to you will be inherently aligned with who you are.

#5: Ask yourself tough questions every, single day

With great success it's easy to get self-deceived or detached from reality. Jared stresses the importance of being willing to constantly ask yourself difficult questions and rigorously analyze your own motives, thoughts, behaviors and decisions.

In his words: "The moment you're not willing to ask yourself questions anymore, that's when you're in trouble. It's like someone who thinks they don't need to go to the doctor if they don't feel sick. You've got to be willing to ask yourself the tough stuff."

Set a recurring daily reminder to ask yourself challenging questions. Am I leading this team effectively? What biases could be influencing my thinking? Is my ego getting out of control? Where can I improve? What am I missing? Regular self-reflection keeps you grounded.

There are so many more valuable insights we gained from chatting with Jared James. He is the real deal - one of the most intelligent, self-aware, strategic entrepreneurs we have had on the show. Check out the full episode and start applying these tips in your own journey!