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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Road Less Stupid summary
Keith J. Cunningham
Advice from the Chairman of the Board
18 mins
Brief summary
The Road Less Stupid by Keith J. Cunningham is a business book that offers practical advice for avoiding the common mistakes that lead to failure. It provides a framework for making better decisions and growing a successful business.
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The Road Less Stupid
Summary of 6 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 6
The Dumb Tax
A jolt runs through the crowd as the curtain rises. He appears in the spotlight, beaming. His smile flashes as his voice wraps around the audience. They laugh at his jokes and nod at his truths. They are buying what he’s selling – the Kool-Aid.
“Just one sip, every day for 30 days, and your business will thrive,” he promises as the light catches his Rolex. “You’ll be rich beyond your wildest dreams, just like me.”
He might be rich – but it’s from selling his flashy Kool-Aid, not drinking it.
There are no secret formulas when it comes to business success; there are only bits of knowledge you haven’t learned yet. How do you find that knowledge? You think. That’s why Napoleon Hill titled his 1937 book, which has sold more than 70 million copies, Think and Grow Rich. He didn’t name it Follow Your Heart and Grow Rich or Learn the Secret and Grow Rich.
The Kool-Aid salesman isn’t the only one pushing blind optimism and quick fixes on you. You might be doing it to yourself. Sure, the idea for a new production method seemed great after that second glass of wine at dinner, but have you really thought it through? The harsh reality is many of our biggest problems began as our best ideas. As Warren Buffet said, “Optimism is the enemy of the rational investor.”
So the key to making more money, and keeping it, isn’t chasing down more smart ideas. The real key is making fewer dumb mistakes.
Imagine how much more money you might have at this moment if you could go back in time and undo any three financial mistakes. Make it a ballpark estimate, and then write it down. That’s just a portion of the “dumb tax” you’ve paid over your lifetime.
The best way to reduce your dumb tax is to develop the habit of Thinking Time. And the best way to do that is to create a Thinking Time ritual. The next three sections of this Blink will show you how to do both.
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What is The Road Less Stupid about?
The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board (2018) is about avoiding the dumb mistakes that can sabotage businesses. The way to avoid these mistakes, which is usually more valuable than having smart ideas, is to think more and with more focus. Cunningham shows readers how to do this with his Thinking Time practice.
Who should read The Road Less Stupid?
- Business leaders interested in minimizing risk and maximizing output
- Small business owners who are looking to take the next step
- Anyone struggling to find a solution to a recurring business problem
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