Can you succeed in business and forge a career without a four-year or even two-year college degree? Without question. Among those who have done so are Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Rachel Ray, Sir Richard Branson, and David Malcolm, a highly successful San Diego entrepreneur with five decades of professional experience.

But should you count on being able to succeed without a traditional college degree? Well, that depends on what you want to do, but it is likely to be a steeper path to the top.

Education is More Than a Degree

Every individual is different and every life path is different, but as David Malcolm has found – education is a critical success factor. Education comes in many forms.

“I did not earn a traditional college degree, but I benefitted tremendously from education. While still in high school, I earned my real estate license and went into the industry in which, 50 years later, I still ply my trade, loving (almost) every moment,” said Malcolm.

“My formal education included earning my CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designation, considered the gold standard for commercial real estate professionals. I even took the first class during my honeymoon!”

Later in life, Malcolm was fortunate enough to go through the Harvard Business School’s Presidents Program and today is a distinguished Harvard Business School contributing lecturer, giving lectures to smart, young people on an annual basis.

The School of Hard Knocks

Pretty much an unavoidable form of “education” comes via the school of hard knocks.

Malcolm began his real estate career at 18, full of youthful energy and fresh perspective, which enabled him to work long hours and see new ideas, but he faced obstacles. Unfortunately, young business professionals can be dismissed as rookies because of their lack of experience.

“I ultimately overcame that through perseverance (not accepting no as an answer) and relationships with mentors who shared their failures and helped me avoid their mistakes. I strongly advise anyone, especially entrepreneurs, to seek out mentors and treasure the education you receive from them. Consider them to be professors of real life … because they are,” shared Malcolm.

“Another very hard knock came when I sold a property in my first six months in business. My commission was $100,000 (in 1972). But the seller hired an attorney who told me I could take $50,000 then or sue them and win, but it would take three years. I took the $50,000 … a very expensive educational opportunity.”

Pros and Cons of a College Degree

Let’s turn this around and start with the cons. College is expensive and the cost is skyrocketing. According to U.S. News, the total cost of a college education has doubled in the past 20 years. Now student debt is a hot topic these days and with good reason. According to the same source, student borrowing increased 25 percent from the class of 2009 to the class of 2021.

Money talks, and sometimes it screams and presents insurmountable obstacles.

On the other hand, a college degree has real perceived value and gives you a considerable advantage. A degree is still a requirement to even apply for many, if not most, jobs.

And a college education is designed to provide exposure to a very broad base of knowledge, ideas and ways of thinking. That broadens your thinking and perspective in ways that pay off big time in a career. According to Malcolm, “It is a ‘booster rocket’ to a better life, especially if you come from a family that did not have degrees or need to overcome personal adversity.”

That’s why Malcolm and his wife personally support colleges and college scholarships for those who have overcome obstacles and face others in their chosen path. The David Malcolm Scholarship was created precisely for that.

Consider the Options

There are numerous ways to get a career-focused education other than college or university, especially today. There are certificate programs (like the CCIM), apprenticeships (yes, those still exist), vocational education opportunities and a myriad of online options.

You don’t need a college degree to become an air-traffic controller, dental assistant, detective, sports coach or stylist. And you don’t need one to start your own business.

“A term I grew up with, but don’t hear so much anymore is ‘on-the-job training’. Never underestimate the value of OJT because that is real-world education,” said Malcolm.

How Do You Decide?

Whatever path you take, take education seriously and seek it out. Again, always find mentors to impart their hard-earned wisdom. Try different things … even different paths or different careers. Don’t be afraid to try and fail – maybe dropping out of college if it isn’t working for you.

“What is important is to pick yourself back up again and to learn from the experience. And then keep going. Persistence pays.

“Take the long view – something that seems to be out of favor lately. Look at your life from a perspective of decades, not months or even years.

“The bottom line is that you will never have a greater opportunity than your preparation will allow you to make of it. Preparation requires education … whatever that means for you. Whether that includes a traditional college degree or not is up to you,” concluded Malcolm.

More About David Malcolm

With a five-decade track record of excellence in the real estate industry, David Malcolm is the President of Cal West Apartments in San Diego, CA, which has provided financing and homes for thousands of residential and commercial clients. He has also served in several civic offices and is a generous contributor to many public and private organizations.

Scarlet Mick wants to help other women on the entrepreneurial path. Whether they are female founders, woman owners, or CEOs, she believes that the pearls of wisdom she collected along the road to success can help other powerful women on the same path.

The Denver tech company that she co-founded, TECOBI, is revolutionizing the auto sales industry, thanks to her very astute business strategizing and some savvy software engineering on the part of her partner-in-both-senses-of-the-word Jason Girdner.

TECOBI is an innovative tech startup that bridges the formerly wide communication gap between buyers and auto salespeople. Using AI-integrated technology, TECOBI assists thousands of car dealerships across the US in automated lead follow-up that prospective customers also love.

Her product allows car buyers to start the buying process over text messages, asking all their questions about options, safety features, and financing over SMS. For many, this saves them the time of driving out to the dealership early in the buying process, and it keeps them from being pressured into buying too quickly by pushy car salespeople.

Here are Mick’s favorite tips for female founders that are ready to find the same level of success that she enjoys today.

Believe in Your Dream

Mick is the first to admit that entrepreneurship is not an easy path, and your brain will get in your way at every twist and turn in the road.

“There will be failures, there will be bad days and days when too many bills are piling up. But, to be honest, this was our third attempt to make this project a success. The first two tries failed miserably, and we were getting into debt. But I believed in Jason, and I believed in myself, and I really believed in the product we were creating; that’s what kept me going in the dark times,” she explained.

She says that writing down why your dream is important and why it will eventually work was helpful to her. She also went through periods where she did daily affirmations in the mirror to help her stay focused and not let negative self-talk derail her motivation and dreams.

Learn to Love the Hard Days

Do you think 23andMe Founder Anne Wojcicki or Away CEO Steph Korey never had a failure to deal with or a bad day to contend with? Of course, they did. Being a female entrepreneur, you need to learn to roll with the punches, but more than that, Mick suggests that you learn to enjoy each rough patch and embrace it as a learning experience.

“The thing is, those days are certainly the hardest, but they are also the ones that force you to grow, innovate, and learn. And isn’t that really what we’re here for?” asked Mick.

As she explained, you don’t get your best ideas — the ones that will land — until all the previous ones have failed.

Be Okay with Making a Mess

Starting a business isn’t neat, easy, or comfortable. Along the way, there will be naysayers, there will be critics, and sometimes they will be your best friends and family. But that’s okay; you’re starting your business and pursuing your dream for you, not them.

Expect to experience investors that back out, meetings that go wrong, late nights, and far too much coffee. But, remember, you’re in good company; all founders have gone through this.

“The best business minds have ideas far outside the mainstream, sometimes even shockingly so,” mused Mick. She referenced Classpass Co-founder Payal Kadakia, who had to listen to why her idea of letting app users access exclusive gyms and classes would not work for years before investors and gym chains got on board. Her company was valued at $1 billion before it was acquired by Mindbody last year.

Know Your Subject Matter

Every emerging field will constantly change, and female founders must stay up-to-date on every development. This means reading trade news religiously and continuously learning more about your niche.

Mick also attends networking events, conferences, and virtual events. She connects with others in the industry and gives back to the community by sharing her knowledge as an occasional conference speaker or moderator.

“If people consider you an expert, they’re going to be that much more likely to listen to your elevator pitch and give your dream a chance to blossom,” said Mick

With tips like these, perhaps we’ll dust off our entrepreneurial dreams and see what we can make happen!

About Scarlet Mick and TECOBI

Jason Girdner & Scarlet Mick are the Founders of TECOBI, an advanced communication and advertising solution of SMS/Text conversations for the automotive industry. Served thousands of automotive companies through their industry changing software. To learn more please www.tecobi.com

Jeff Meyer is one of the foremost experts in helping everyone from professional athletes to inspiring founders reach a ‘flow state.’ He’s devised a system for training people in blending physical and mental strength that lets them be their most productive, creative, and best selves.

He has been coaching clients in reaching flow states before the mindset even had a name. For those that are not yet familiar, he describes it this way: “Flow state can be explained as an incredible synchronicity between progress, accomplishment, motivation, and the inner feeling of being unstoppable.”

The former NCAA men’s basketball coach — who earned the nickname ‘the Yoda of coaching’ — has, over the last 30 years, created a unique, neuroscience-based peak performance program designed to coach C-suite executives, founders, and entrepreneurs. By the conclusion, they will have reached their own flow states using the same principles that athletes use. The system is called the Alpha Flow Executive Performance Series.

Though he never saw himself moving out of the sports field, after years of requests to apply his teachings beyond the world of sports, he began researching channels for inducing flow states in non-athletes. His tireless learning taught him that much of what he’d been teaching on the field could easily be translated to the boardroom and beyond.

Today, the social-psychological kinesiology and pedagogy expert has changed the lives of thousands of individuals, teams, companies, and organizations with his program built to create mental clarity, ultimate performance, and more.

And he’s on course to begin teaching people around the world about reaching a flow state with his first book, the highly anticipated Athletic Genius: Activating Alpha Athleticism Through Heart Intelligence, Mindset and Vision.

His clients thrive under his unique approach to coaching that favors gentle, mindful leadership instead of criticism and harsh ultimatums. He sees each person he coaches as an individual and seeks new ways to inspire them to greatness.

“My athletes have contacted me, even years later, to tell me that they had applied what I taught them on the sports field in the business world. And those lessons had been priceless to them and integral to their success,” said Meyer.

We met with the Alpha Flow Athletics Founder to learn the top three things entrepreneurs can learn from Olympic athletes.

Teamwork is King

On the sports field, athletes quickly learn that they can’t accomplish much without a deep sense of commitment to their team. But, unfortunately, it often means making your individual wants and needs — say, for glory and recognition — secondary to the group’s needs.

This lesson translates nearly seamlessly to the business world, where founders and entrepreneurs learn fast about delegating, responsibility and accountability. They are on a fast track to business burnout if they don’t.

Meyer teaches that team leaders need to train mental toughness skills, and be part of the team, not just its creator. “Under pressure you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training.  That’s why great training is so critical, and motivational quotes don’t work,” said Meyer.

Sharing responsibility for mistakes, training the team to be deliberate and mindful in their effort, and accepting consequences are all concepts that apply equally well to football and founding a company.

Push Yourself Harder

To be the best, athletes constantly need to improve. They need to train differently, learn new techniques, and find new ways to encourage their minds and bodies to work at their optimum.

This is the same in the business world. If you start a good, profitable company, you’ll be drawn to making it better and more profitable. Again, it’s simply the nature of business and entrepreneurship.

From trying new things to launching new products and figuring out how to excel over the competition are other takeaways that executives can learn from Olympians. As athletes and founders know, any minor setback will often reveal the path to greater glory.

“When it comes to struggle, embrace it and dive in. Once our prefrontal cortex clicks off, we get in the zone. As a result, a superhuman cocktail begins stirring in us, and we become recession proof and develop the ultimate competitive advantage,” Meyer explained.

Throw Off Your Balance

Rocking the boat is one of the surest ways to test your limits — and figure out how to exceed them. Being in a space on the field or at the computer that is new and uncomfortable is an almost sure way to reach a flow state.

“When someone has reached an optimal state of flow, that is when they will perform at their best. About 77% of our daily thoughts are self-defeating, so when we can find focus and clarity and cut out the rest, we can thrive,” he said.

Using these Olympic-level tips from Meyers, executives can become the best, strongest versions of ourselves.

About Jeff Meyer

Jeff Meyer, a lifetime sports coach, has worked with well-known professional and Olympic athletes, Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 Executives, and world-famous universities. To learn more about Alpha Flow Executive, please visit https://www.alphaflowexecutive.com/r/a

Michael Essany’s brain works like a computer.

Give it a search command, and you’re met with an abundance of information.

A few moments of conversation with Essany is all that’s required to get a glimpse of how niche-savvy this print-on-demand savant is.

Name a top niche and, instinctively, he can rattle off what’s happening in that genre, extemporaneously expounding on areas of opportunity and sharing ideas off the top of his head. With a quick search of Amazon or Etsy, nothing turns up that’s remotely like what sprung full bloom from his creative brow a nanosecond after being questioned.

It’s enough to leave an onlooker incredulous. But as members of his amply respected Merch Momentum Facebook group can attest, Essany has always been like this. His creativity, as one group member describes in a comment on a recent Essany advice post, is “out of this world.”

A writer, entrepreneur, and media personality for more than two decades, Michael Essany stumbled into the print-on-demand industry by accident close to 7 years ago. It was, by his own admission, a fluke.

“I was working on a project for a marketing firm in Southern California and was assigned to cover what Amazon had in the pipeline for entrepreneurs building new streams of income,” he reveals. “I never expected to find ‘Merch By Amazon’ let alone become a print-on-demand tshirt designer. I knew nothing of graphic design or online apparel sales. Totally not my wheelhouse.”

But the skills he lacked were more than compensated for by his undeniable strengths — strengths that Essany is too modest to expound upon without cracking a quip.

“Anyone who associates me with strength has never watched me try to kill a spider,” he jokes.

But his strengths are obvious. He communicates with a degree of clarity and ease that is rare. And it’s all but certainly the case that Essany’s communications expertise is the root of his success as a POD creator and a respected leader in the ecommerce community.

Furthering his stature, Essany released in early September his first training course for print-on-demand sellers. “Merch Momentum: A Course of Action for Print on Demand Creators and Entrepreneurs” was launched free for members of Merch Momentum, raising eyebrows even among Essany’s supporters over how this three-hour course and nearly 200-page corresponding ebook could be free.

But, alas, there were no catches. No upsells. No links to products. Nothing but what appears to be a sincere “brain dump” of lessons Essany says he has learned and ideas he hopes can help others.

“There are no guarantees for riches with my course and I get really disheartened when I see others making it sound as though their expensive courses are the gateways to riches in print-on-demand,” Essany admits. “There are no shortcuts. POD was made to sound easy by a lot of gurus with garbage courses to sell but nothing about this is easy. You have to work extremely hard, be extremely creative, innovate all of the time and imitate none of the time, all while keeping customer needs top of mind and developing an appetite for competing that’s stronger than your aversion to competition.”

Five minutes of listening to Essany speak and it’s hard to imagine wanting to take another step forward in POD without him at your side. His thoughtful encouragement and calming words are borderline addictive. And they are powerfully helpful for some.

Essany shared direct Facebook messages and emails he’s received but refuses to “take advantage of” by sharing publicly. One note from a Merch Momentum Facebook group member says that a tshirt suggestion he shared in 2020 was the reason she was able to buy her first new car in 2021. Another member showed sales of nearly $4,000 on one tshirt idea Essany provided earlier this year. And there are more just like them. But they’ll never be used for Merch Momentum marketing, Essany attests, though you might be surprised as to why.

“I have a really strong dislike for success stories and royalty reports,” he admits. ” I get that they can be inspiring to some because it confirms that POD can give you life-changing money. But enough of us generally know this by now. And so when we hear reports of massive sales and big royalties, I think it does more harm than good to a majority of sellers exposed to those numbers. A lot of people feel they are failing or falling behind. And I don’t want anyone to waste time focusing on the past. Everyone needs their sights trained on the future, learning from past mistakes and not chasing the sales numbers that merely look easy to achieve.”

So with Essany’s first course behind him, are there plans for more any time soon?

“No, definitely not,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve been working toward this first one for years. Another right now will kill me. Maybe one day.”

But he says the response to his on-screen video coaching was very positive and he’ll be working on more video-focused learning content.

“I’ve got something in the works that, to my knowledge, hasn’t been done before and I’ll be releasing that when I’m comfortable with it and happy how it’s turned out,” Essany says.

So no big-ticket coaching seminars and training sessions on the horizon?

“Zero chance of that ever happening,” he fires back.

And his Merch Momentum Gumroad store seems to confirm as much. Despite providing what some Merch Momentum community members regard as the gold standard of research tools, Essany hasn’t strayed from pricing his strategy guides beyond $10 or $20.

And he says that will never change.

“I’m really thankful to have found print-on-demand and to be part of a community of great people [Merch Momentum] I love working with,” Essany confesses. “I want to see everyone do really well and reach whatever goals they have. It’s what motivates me!”

Essany’s Merch Momentum’s Facebook group is free and open to all print-on-demand creators.

Henry Goudreau, the founder of both Contractor Coaching and HG Associates, as well as his signature ‘Golden Hard Hat’ mentoring program, was hailed as ‘America’s top business building resource coach and mentor’ by Commercial Magazine.

And for good reason.

He has helped guide hundreds of contractors to building better businesses along their respective journeys. He helps them scale and uplevel themselves, both professionally and personally.

The veteran contractor, mentor and influential speaker’s course guides clients along the path to an eventual $1 million in revenue, while his clients have also gone on to generate a combined net worth of more than $10 million.

As Goudreau puts it, the program is “Worth more than the investment price.”

Contractors, construction professionals and industry entrepreneurs who are seeking to evaluate their respective businesses, decide on what may be working, while assessing both their abilities and that of their companies, are seeking out the tutelage of Goudreau.

The Influence of Goudreau

His ‘Golden Hard Hat’ mentoring program helps contractors and construction professionals who earn more than $1 million while also earning more freedom to focus on things not just on site, but also at home. In fact, in achieving this type of financial and professional freedom, one’s respective business continues to grow.

First steps for Goudreau include spotlighting any self-sabotaging or self-limiting beliefs and thoughts. He helps them target and conquer their fears and challenges that may be affecting them in their personal and professional lives. He then offers his expertise in helping them establish how to set realistic and attainable goals, create a sound and centered business model and then utilize it all in employing success.

“My ‘Golden Hard Hat’ mentoring program is for anyone who may feel trapped or crippled in the construction business,” said Goudreau. “My mentoring program helps business owners who may feel overwhelmed by putting in endless hours, those who feel like their businesses could be performing better and, obviously, those who want to see their revenue skyrocket.”

The ‘Golden Hard Hat’ mentoring program is for any and all contractors and construction professionals who may feel weighed down by the endless hours and week-long shifts. However, if they maintain that their respective businesses can perform better, and they have yet to reach their full potential, then garnering the lifestyle and professional lives they want is right around the corner, thanks to Goudreau.

The mission for Goudreau is to help clients align one’s business with a sound business model, a performing marketing strategy and realistic goals to eventually build success.

Additionally, in conjunction with his ‘Golden Hard Hat’ mentoring program, Goudreau has penned numerous books, including his free ebook for newsletter subscribers, The Street Smart Contractor. In it, he takes readers on a journey of how to successfully navigate a more fulfilled professional and personal life, ditching the long hours and underperforming marketing campaigns en route to financial freedom and success.

The eight-chapter, 46-page book offers sections like, ‘evaluating one’s business’, ‘trading time for money’, ‘getting one’s life back’, and ‘business metrics’, among other subjects. The entire book culminates with his four cornerstones that he deems necessary to take one’s business to the next level, as well as four excuses which are holding one back. In fact, he also touches on five ways to make a construction business successful too!

“It’s all about escaping the long hours and building a construction business that gives you the financial freedom and lifestyle you want and deserve,” said Goudreau. “I mentor an exclusive list of construction owners and businesses who are ready to roll up their sleeves and work hard to learn and then ultimately reap the rewards of their efforts.”

About Henry Goudreau

Henry Goudreau is the Founder of HG Associates and Golden Hard Hat Mentoring Program. Goudreau has mentored over 100 clients to 10x their businesses. To find out more about his weekly mentoring calls, please visit https://contractorcoaching.com