Tony Robbins on Adding Value Instead of Chasing Money

TL;DR

To earn more, become more valuable: do more for others than anyone else in the marketplace. Tony Robbins, who says his 114 companies do over 12 billion a year, credits this lesson from his mentor Jim Rohn. He adds that results are the best sales tool, that hunger and relentlessness mark top performers, and that entrepreneurs should master one business before diversifying.

Transcript

Who am I here with today? >> Well, I think you know it's Tony Robbins. You're at my home. >> The legend himself. >> Yes, sir. Nice to meet you. >> For those who don't know, how did you make your billions? >> I'm fortunate enough to have 114 companies. We do over 12 billion a year across massively different industries. But it all started with unders... Read More

Key Insights

• The core rule of earning more is becoming more valuable in the marketplace. Jim Rohn told a 17-year-old Tony Robbins that people are equal as souls but not equal in the marketplace, and that higher earners do more for others than anyone else.
• The key to opening doors with successful people is figuring out what you can give, not what you can get. Robbins stresses that the value must be what people actually need, not what you personally want to give.
• Hunger and relentlessness are the trait Robbins says the most successful people share. They always want to be more, do more, give more and create more, and they refuse to accept the story that the system is against them.
• Public performance is built on private practice. Robbins says Steph Curry takes 500 shots a day, 3,500 a week, about 2.5 million practice shots over 15 years, to make 3,300 game shots, so under 1% of practice shots happen in games.
• The wall people build to protect themselves also imprisons them. Robbins says most people invent a story, such as ADHD or childhood abuse, to explain why life has not worked, instead of facing their fear and acting anyway.
• Fearless does not mean having no fear; it means fearing less and taking action anyway. Robbins frames courage as being scared but doing the thing regardless, rather than waiting for fear to disappear.
• Entrepreneurs should master one business before diversifying. Robbins compares starting new ventures too early to a struggling parent having more children, and says billionaire friends scolded him for chasing many opportunities before mastering one.
• Results are the best marketing tool. Robbins says that once he could produce a repeatable result others could not, his age and the amount of marketing stopped mattering, and his work grew on its own.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do you make more money according to Tony Robbins?

Tony Robbins says you make more money by becoming more valuable. His mentor Jim Rohn told him that people are equal as souls but not equal in the marketplace. Some people earn twice, 10 times or 100 times as much in the same time because they do more for others than anyone else in the marketplace. The focus should be on giving more, not getting more.

Q: What is Tony Robbins' best networking tip for young people?

Robbins advises young people to figure out what they can give rather than what they can get. Early in his career, without social media, he worked for successful people, even as a janitor, so he could be around them, and he kept adding value. He stresses that the value has to be what people actually need, not what you want to give them.

Q: What trait do the most successful people have in common?

According to Tony Robbins, who has coached billionaires, presidents and military leaders, the shared trait is hunger and relentlessness. Successful people feel it is never enough and always want to be more, do more, give more and create more. They also refuse to accept the story that the system is against them, treating obstacles as the resistance that builds strength.

Q: How much does Steph Curry practice according to Tony Robbins?

Tony Robbins, who says he has trained with Steph Curry, states that Curry takes 500 shots a day, seven days a week, which is 3,500 shots a week. Over a 15-year professional career that adds up to about 2.5 million practice shots, compared with roughly 3,300 game shots. Robbins concludes that you are rewarded in public for what you practice intensely in private.

Q: Why do most people fail to change their lives?

Robbins says most people, rather than face their fear, create a story explaining why life has not worked out, such as having ADHD or being abused as a child. He notes Richard Branson has ADHD and that he himself was abused. These stories act as a protective wall, but the wall that protects you also imprisons you, so you must act despite fear.

Q: When should an entrepreneur diversify into new businesses?

Robbins says entrepreneurs should reach a level of mastery of business economics before diversifying, or they spread themselves too thin. He made this mistake early, and billionaire friends told him to master one thing before chasing 12 others. Diversifying works once you move from operator to owner and know how to recruit great leaders, scale, and think strategically.

Q: What is Tony Robbins' secret to sales?

Tony Robbins' secret to sales is to get results, because there is no better marketing tool. He started at 17 and faced doubt about his youth at 23. He found that once he had the skill, not just the knowledge, to produce a repeatable result others could not get, his age and the amount of marketing he did stopped mattering, and his work grew.

Q: What turning point started Tony Robbins on his path?

At age 11, Robbins' family had no money and only crackers and peanut butter at Thanksgiving. A stranger delivered a turkey and two bags of groceries. His father felt shamed and left, but Robbins took the meaning that strangers care. He decided to care for others, fed two families at 17, later reached four million people a year, and aimed for a billion meals.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Tony Robbins traces his drive to a Thanksgiving at age 11 when his family had no food and a stranger delivered a turkey and groceries. He chose to believe strangers care, began feeding families at 17, and later set a goal of providing a billion meals in the United States.

• Robbins shares the advice his mentor Jim Rohn gave him: people are equal as souls but not in the marketplace, and you earn more by becoming more valuable. He worked as a janitor to be around successful people and kept adding value until doors opened.

• Robbins names hunger and relentlessness as the trait top performers share, citing Steph Curry's 500 daily practice shots. He warns against protective excuses, urges acting despite fear, advises mastering one business before diversifying, and says results are the real secret to sales.