Minute With Mallon: Don’t Ask How—Ask Who!

Something I Taught: 

A few weeks ago, I realized that my income this year was going almost too well. Bear with me—it may sound like bragging, but it certainly doesn’t happen every year. So I called my CPA and asked if I could come in for a little tax planning.

I explained the situation and shared some details. He turned to three large computer monitors on the wall in front of him and began asking me questions. As I answered, he kept entering data, and about 20 minutes later he told me exactly what I needed to do for the rest of the year to make sure I don’t end up in prison for tax evasion! 🤣

When we finished, I looked across the desk at him and said, “You totally enjoyed doing that, didn’t you?” He grinned and admitted that he absolutely loves taking numbers like that and crunching them. I laughed and told him I could tell.

I started out worried, called an expert, and 20 minutes later I had all the answers I needed. I don’t enjoy doing that kind of work, but I’ve gained enough wisdom to know it’s smarter to find people like him to do it for me.

I was working with a client this week who wants to buy a vacation lake home for his family. One of his partners, Eddie, already owns a lake home and has for years. Eddie’s also very good with numbers and real estate.

I wasn’t completely sure what the right path would be for my client, but I knew Eddie would understand the steps to take. So together, we came up with this goal:

This quarter, with Eddie's help I'm getting a clear plan of execution for the financial path we need to take to get the lake house.

Eddie loves projects like this and has a real passion for the financial side of life. We both know he’ll make it easy for my client to plan the right path forward.

Here’s the point: anything you don’t understand or aren’t good at, someone else excels at—and they can help you. So instead of asking, “How do I do this?” start asking, “Who can help me do this?”

Where do you need help right now? Where are you stumped and don't know which direction to go in? Find the expert and let them do their magic. It seems to work every single time!  And it's so much easier than trying to figure it out yourself!!

Don’t ask how—ask who—and watch the weight lift off your shoulders!

Something to Ponder: 

You know what discipline is?  It's when your identity is so clear, you stop negotiating with your feelings.  

My son Clint Mallon‼️

Something I Learned:

One of the things I work on with my clients is identifying what they do best—their greatest talents—and what earns them the most money. Then we focus on offloading everything else so they can spend more and more time on their highest-value tasks. 

In the book Buy Back Your Time, Dan Martell says it like this:

"My rule of thumb is that no one—not a founder, not an administrative assistant, not a baseball player, not a barista—should be performing a work task that they could outsource for one-fourth (i.e., 25 percent) of their current effective hourly rate.

That’s also how I’ve built my own business. I spend my time in the 20% of work that produces 80% of the results—almost entirely Zoom calls or in-person meetings with clients. Nearly everything else is delegated to my staff."

Imagine what your business—and your life—would look like if you spent 80% of your time doing only the things you do best. That’s not a dream, it’s a choice. Want help making it happen? Let’s talk.

Something I Saw:

Hiking in Acadia National Park in Maine!

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Hope you have an incredible week! 

Robert