The paradox is that those who pay you the most have the least expectations and are the happiest. And those who complain the most are those who pay you the least.

Thus, the “Top N Rule”
— Take your top 3 (N can be whatever number) clients and overinvest in them, which yields you 3X growth in your business with less headache and less time.
— Take your Top 3 friends and spend disproportionately more quality time with them, even though it’s tempting to try to meet everyone “because you never know”.
— Take your Top 3 projects and overinvest, meaning that you have to say NO ruthlessly.

This principle works because you don’t want to trade a sure thing (an hour of your time lost is forever lost) with something highly speculative (a meeting that potentially could yield something).

Entrepreneurship or embarking on new projects of any type is already risky. Why not build from ingredients that are already proven?

Others call this “prioritization”. Jack Welch, the most famous of CEOs, calls this “#1 or out”– when he was at GE, they exited any industry where they didn’t have a #1 position or couldn’t clearly make it to #1 quickly.

You’re the CEO of your life, and the minutes of your day are your soldiers/staff working for you. Do you have them (your time) running about randomly or organized towards a plan that leads towards victory?

Just now, a random Internet troll is trying to provoke me. The old Dennis would have wasted time trying to educate him or even “compete” with him. Don’t scratch that itch. You can easily win that battle, but lose the war.

Always be vigilant about who appreciates your time and where you allocate it. If you don’t, you’ll quickly find it being squandered against things that don’t matter.

Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations. He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications. Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries. Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.

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