The Law Of Action

September 28, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Zah Azmi

The law of action is one of the most overlooked laws of the universe. The law of attraction is marketed so well through books and documentaries such as “The Secret”, we never hear about any other law. The law of attraction only seems to talk about positive thinking and visualisation which is important, but I believe this alone is not enough to achieve the things you desire in life. You can’t expect to just sit there and think positive thoughts and every opportunity is going to fall into your lap. You must execute on your plan and strategy, taking the step forward to make things happen. It’s like saying if you want to get fit and healthy, then just sit at home and visualise yourself with a lean, trim physique. If you think positively enough, like magic, you will have the body you desire. Bullshit! Take action and do the work.

Do I think the law of attraction is important at all? Of course I do. Having a positive mindset is mandatory if you want to succeed, however coupled with constant action and execution will greatly increase your chances of getting there. Visualising positive things is especially crucial in times of stress and adversity as these thoughts will help get you through the tough times. When action is taken, usually mistakes and failures can occur, so it is important to use the law of attraction to help you push through. For example, when I was losing money in all of my businesses, I had properties vacant and cash flow was that far in the negative that I didn’t even have money for food. I woke up everyday with a positive mindset by performing gratitude and acknowledging all the good things in my life. My health, my family, my country, I had a good life overall. This positive attitude allowed me to keep taking action and not sweat the small stuff and keep moving forward.

I went to an entrepreneurs conference over the weekend and I met plenty of people looking at starting a business or buying an existing business. I met a guy who flew all the way from Perth just for this particular seminar. He even had a room at the Four Seasons. He told me he had been to about eight different business seminars about how to start a business, how to market a business, how to manage social media, how to stay motivated and the list went on. He said he follows all the top business leaders and trainers in the world. He had not one business venture. He was still working in his corporate job, talking about taking the leap into entrepreneurship. This guy was super motivated and positive but lacked the courage to take action. Action along with positive intention is what will turn your vision into reality.

Being involved in property, I come across people who are always up for a chat when it comes to investing money. Many like to talk big game about where they think the next hot spot is or how they want to get into property development without any relevant experience. Motivation runs high and everyone starts off on a positive note, talking about the profits that will be achieved and how great their idea is. The trouble is, is that these types of people keep talking without actually doing anything. Unfortunately, too many people fall into this category as taking action can be intimidating and overwhelming as it is easier to talk about it. These people like to feel warm and fuzzy about their conversations but they are really just lying to themselves. Just like Elvis famously sings, “A little less conversation, a little more action!”

Taking the right steps towards your goals can be difficult at times, even for the ultra successful. However, by getting started and taking action, it has always pushed me closer to reaching my dreams. For example, when I wanted to start my first business, I had no money to initiate anything. So, I began saving all my money and invested in property to help multiply it quicker than saving alone. That was the first step amongst many others, and I am here ten years later with multiple businesses that are successful in their own right. I took the first step and the rest figured itself out through constant execution.

My question to you is, what are you waiting for?

Signs That Tell You, You’re A Leader!

September 21, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Jade Azmi

ARE LEADERS BORN OR MADE?

Sure, leadership can be taught, but can everyone be capable of being a true leader? True bigger picture leaders are happy to take calculated risks and then build an A Team around them to put in the work. Have you ever thought of yourself as a leader?
In my experience, and to be quite open and honest about this topic if I may, these are the signs you’re truly meant to lead from the front:

You lead only when you have to, not all the time.
We’ve all met that person who simply must take charge at all times. Whether it’s a strategic brainstorming session, a social gathering, or a family outing, they can’t help grabbing the lead dog position and clinging on to it for dear life.

Always opinionated, usually impatient and frequently brusque, these gotta-be-in-fronters get so used to other people describing them as natural born leaders that sooner or later, to their own and everyone else’s detriment, they begin to believe it.

The real truth is, they’re most always nothing of the sort. True leaders don’t presume that it’s their divine right to take charge every time two or more people get together. In fact it is the actual opposite. A GREAT leader will assess each situation on it’s merits as part of usual practice, and will only take charge when their position, the situation, or the needs of the moment demand it.

You see much more than you do.
True leaders understand the value of action, of course, but it isn’t their only tool. In fact, it isn’t even their primary tool. GREAT leaders see more than everyone else: answers, solutions, patterns, problems, opportunities, threats. They know it’s vitally important to do, but they also know that thinking, understanding, calculated risk mitigation and interpretation are equally important.

Listening is the most powerful form of education and understanding, and true leaders will sit back and listen, and quite often, be the last person to speak.

You change people. They achieve outcomes.
Executive A will hit his/her targets and burns out his/her team in the process.
Executive B will build and develop a great team, but they miss their target. So, which is the better leader?

It’s a false disunion, and truthfully, one that plagues many different organisations all of the time.

A true leader is in fact option C: someone who develops his or her team so that they can and do hit their targets, achieve their goals and remain engaged. If you’re fixated on outcomes to the extent that you manipulate and bully others to achieve those outcomes, then you aren’t leading at all, you’re dictating. This does not mean that leadership is being a doormat either. TRUE, classic leadership means building strong, capable teams that are high performing and goal orientated, and sustainable for the long game.

Here is my little list of 12 ways to know if you are a TRUE LEADER:
You truly set out to make a difference and add value.
You value relationships more than tasks.
You foster unity by bringing people together and encouraging dialogue.
You act with conviction, and take responsibility for problems.
You do not accept the “status quo” and ask – what could be?
You walk your talk both sincerely and intentionally.
You foster strong partnerships and you naturally bring people together.
You are a forever student. You read, listen to podcasts, commit to personal development (my personal favourite is YouTube right now) attend seminars, and align yourself with likeminded professionals.
You refuse to pass the blame for your circumstances and take FULL responsibility for finding solutions. Even if its not in your camp, you offer to assist (BIG picture thinking).
You accept that you do not have to be in charge to have significant influence.

And finally my personal favourite:
You’re not waiting on a bigger team, extra resources or extra funding to accomplish your vision.

Leadership is not about experience, education, or talent. It’s about the CHOOSING to lead. That’s where it all begins.

Workaholic VS High Performer

September 14, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Jade Azmi

You may think being a “workaholic” and a “high performer” are very similar in nature, but they are vastly different. They are in fact nothing alike.

A workaholic and a high performer both look like hard workers, but there is a significant difference between the two. The biggest difference is how the person feels on the inside about who they are in their relationship with their work or their career.

A high performer works hard in a healthy environment and is a sustainable asset to a team, and to themselves. This person will feel happy and inspired. A workaholic on the other hand, works hard in unhealthy environments, cannot carry through a sustainable attitude in times of need, feels unhappy, and most of the time has no time to feel inspired.

A workaholic will usually suffer from a burnout. If not now, then something will trigger this in the future.

In my experiences working with both leaders, and the general workforce over the span of my career, I have learnt to identify the key, contrasting differences between the two, some I have included below:

1. High performers know their value. Workaholics allow others to determine their value.

Someone who is a high performer will know their self-worth and can thus work with a sense a freedom. They will unconsciously do periodic self-evaluations of their performance, whether it is in their current roles, or their overall careers, so that they can enable themselves to constantly improve. They unconsciously create their own feedback loops rather than waiting on feedback from others. They are pro-active in solving problems and are strong initiators.

Someone who is a workaholic, on the other hand, will rely on external validation from those around them: their managers, colleagues, customers and other stakeholders. They wait for external evaluations, such as mid-year or annual reviews, to understand how well they are doing, which causes them to work with a constant sense of fear and anxiety.

2. A high performer gives 100% at the right time. A workaholic gives 110% all of the time.

Someone who is a high performer knows when to “turn it up.” They know when they’re expected or required to give everything they have and they save their hard energy for those occasions.

They don’t buy into the illusion of 110%, they know that 110% is unsustainable in the long run. Instead, they focus on increasing their capacity so that their 100% is better than the competition’s 110%. They are sustainable leaders, and sustainable performers.

A workaholic attempts to go all out, all the time. It is for this reason that they burn out so easily, and thus take regular sick days if they are entitled to do so. Workaholics have difficulty prioritising what is important, and they also have a low ability to be able to break down a goal or objective, so that smaller action steps can be put into place. To a workaholic, EVERYTHING is important in their mind.

3. A high performer does business. A workaholic is just busy.

A high performer has a primary goal to do good business, and to do good quality work. The only thing that matters to them is results. If they can’t see a way to create value in the moment, they facilitate or strategise instead. They know that like the economy, business comes in waves, therefore they do the preparation during the troughs so they can capitalise during the peak periods, no matter what profession or industry this high performer is operating in.

The number one goal of someone who is a workaholic is to be busy at all times as they believe that the busier they are or the busier they appear, the more important they must be and thus the more successful they will become.

Workaholics fill any space in time with busy work because they feel insecure doing nothing. The insecurity comes from not knowing their value or their overall worth.

4. A high performer takes initiative. A workaholic is reactive.

A high performer will map out their day in advance to make sure they will get their most meaningful work done. Only after they have completed these takes do they allow themselves to shift focus to unplanned events or tasks. Eyes are on the prize.

By stark contrast, a workaholic’s day is driven entirely by outside distractions like reading emails constantly and handling crises. If and when all of this gets done, they try to do what is most meaningful.

We all fall into the trap of being a workaholic some days, but it is most important to constantly be aware of yourself, how you are tracking, and be realistic about your current situation. The quicker we can realise the differences between the two, the quicker we can bring out the high performer in ourselves.

A high performing approach is critical to career success!

Remove Emotion

September 12, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Zah Azmi

Emotional strength is the new school of power for entrepreneurship. The old school business type of starting a venture with your best friend, working alongside your girlfriend or boyfriend, or buying a property based on its looks alone are now a thing of the past. The new entrepreneur learns how to produce more success and fulfilment by using emotional strength to make better decisions. The key is, is to harness these emotions and learn how to control them and use them only when necessary. It is very difficult for us to remove emotions entirely as we are only human, but we need to condition our minds to take control of the situations that get put in front of us. If we do not work on this conditioning of the brain then we will be left behind in the marketplace.

I used to be an emotional wreck. I would make decisions using my heart and not my head. A lot of those decisions were based on ego rather than logic. In my twenties I went into business with a number of different friends. It felt like the right thing to do as it was all I ever knew. In my mind was that if we can get along socially then we could get along professionally. How I was so wrong! The more involved we became in business, the more friendships suffered then consequently the business did as well. Your expectations of your friends are so much higher than anyone else because you hold them in such high regard. You expect them to understand you emotionally and for them to have some sort of consideration for you. Most of my friends who I have gone into business with have not been able to handle the workload that the business had required. Unfortunately these people had to be cut from my organisation and replaced with people who are more competent and committed to the role where I have no emotional attachment to. These partners and employees have been put in place from a logical and strategic approach, to ensure lines aren’t blurred in communication.

Now I look at business in a different way, I analyse the numbers and study financial statements over worrying whether I like the people involved or not. Of course people play a big part in any deal, but the numbers always come first for me now. Decisions need to be based on logic and accuracy, especially when you are looking at projects for the long-term. This type of approach can also work in the workplace if you are an employee. For example, if you don’t personally like your boss because he is constantly barking orders at you, remove yourself from the situation and analyse why he is acting that way. He probably has targets and responsibilities to hit set out by his superiors so it’s not a personal attack, just a manager trying to get a job done. Once you remove yourself, deconstruct the situation and understand why people act a certain way, you begin to accept things a lot easier.

When it comes to property, all emotion must be removed, even when buying a family home. Purchasing a property will probably be the biggest financial decision we will have to make for most of us, therefore the decision needs to be based purely on numbers. Your basic instincts and emotional responses may affect your ability to make good financial decisions., clouding the bigger picture and may result in paying far too much for a bad property. A good property bought at the right price can provide fantastic returns for a lifetimes, however a bad property bought at a bad price can have the opposite effect and can take a lifetime to recover from. “Falling in love” with a property based on how it simply looks can be a very expensive mistake. Just like a business you must investigate financial reports, cash flows and forecasts. Often, people want to invest in property as a way to generate and accumulate wealth – to grow their future. If that is really the objective, then its all about the numbers, removing all emotion from purchasing decisions.

You have to remain calm to make good decisions in the face of any uncertainty. Sometimes we can cloud our judgement in times of fear, excitement, anger, sadness, love and passion. We must always train ourselves to have a conservative approach when making critical decisions in life. Having a rollercoaster of emotions can see us high in the sky one day and come crashing down to burn the next day. The ability to strategically manage your feelings is one of the most important skills you can cultivate in an increasingly uncertain world we live in. You control your actions and reactions. Don’t let your emotions run your life. If you can master them, you will build a successful life and accomplish great things.

Do’s & Don’ts In Business Start-Ups

September 5, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Jade Azmi

So, you’re wanting, and ready to start your new, exciting business venture. AWESOME!

So many women that I talk to, that are wanting to start their own business are doing it for the wrong reasons, with no real over-arching vision or long term strategy. Get off on the right track by following a few simple “DO’s and DON’Ts.”

DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY!

Having your own business feels like you have a child at times. You protect your child on all levels, you become a “stage 5 clinger” – your extremely attached. Just like every child grows and progresses differently, this means you have to learn and respond as you grow in your own business as well. This also means you should not let the opinion’s of others get to you throughout.

HAVE STRONG WORK ETHIC. REALLY STRONG WORK ETHIC!

Your relationship, your marriage, is absolutely number 1 at all times. Nothing will ever trump this. However, you must be willing to make sacrifices and trade-offs constantly. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Anything worth having requires good old fashioned hard work and sacrifice.

STAY IN YOUR LANE

Be constantly aware of your time that you give, and your time that you use to carry out your days. You are the business owner, the creator, founder, and so you MUST stay in your lane at all times. Every once in a while it is easy to say “yes” to every aspect of your business, but you must stay true to your skill set and your core talent and delegate accordingly. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in a sea of stress. Often this is the reason behind business failures and I see it too often.

ALWAYS TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

Business is not always beautiful, so you must learn to walk away classy and take the high road. It doesn’t matter how important it is to get your point across to a client, a customer or a stakeholder, stay true to your purpose and vision and move on. Let others take the low road, it is not your concern. It will not be worth any of your time, and it will always redirect your energy into wasted areas.

BE PERSISTENT AND CONSISTENT

Working towards your goals and your dreams can be extremely difficult at times, and can lead you down a lonely road. Failure is a learning process, and if we aren’t failing we aren’t progressing. You must get back up, and do things differently. Do not be afraid of trial and error. Consistency is key to progression. Be consistent with your attitude and remain positive at all times. Others will look to you for answers, and you will become impressionable upon others as a business owner. Rise to the occasion!

GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING

Did you, and your best friend from high school come up with an amazing business idea that is sure to pave the way for our future? Did you have a chat over the phone, or come to an agreement in person with your partner, or friend? TOO BAD. It may as well have not existed in the first place. In the big world of business, words mean nothing, and documentation, agreements and constitutions are paramount. If you cannot afford a legal advisor to oversee the basics, then you cannot afford to do business.

EDUCATE YOURSELF ON YOUR PROFESSION

Education is KING! Be a “forever student” and seek guidance with conviction. Find a mentor, attend seminars, network with like-minded individuals, register for online webinars, READ. The list here is endless. Be pro-active in this area and never think you are too qualified or experienced for the gig. The world is changing at a rapid rate, and we have an obligation to keep up as entrepreneurs.

STAY WITHIN YOUR PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES

Be very careful of developing personal relationships with clients, unless it is already established. When setting up and running a business you are in constant contact with people. It is important to build and maintain strong relationships, but sometimes this can work against you and your expectations may begin to change. Stay within your professional boundaries at all times, and you will be highly respected for it.

DON’T WORK WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Albeit controversial, this is a risky path to take. Don’t be responsible for your friends. Do friend things with your friends, and do business things with your business people. SIMPLE.

DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN!

When setting up your business, you MUST remind yourself why you are doing it, constantly. Never forget to enjoy the journey, even the lows as this is your “change zone” and the times that will enable you to become stronger and to grow. Enjoy the ride, and allow your business to become your career, and not your job. It is a truly exciting thing to know that you are able to build something.

Go All In!

August 23, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Zah Azmi

Becoming successful in today’s marketplace is no easy path. With all the distractions we are now faced with, it can be one of the most difficult processes to go through. Many are fearful of putting everything on the line because if they are unsuccessful then they can potentially lose everything. The phrase “go all in” is used quite commonly in the entrepreneurial space due to having everything on the line, with your back against the wall with no other option but to succeed. It doesn’t always have to be like this as you can make sure you know as much as you can before committing your whole life to one career or business idea. The key here, is to execute as many things as possible to see what works for you. It is good to get this stage of your career or business ventures out of the way early so you can figure out what works for you.

The more experience I got out of working in different industries, the more I felt comfortable about moving forward in my chosen field. I’ve had and still have business interests in many various industries as I wanted to try and diversify my experience to see what worked for me. From a nightclub to a medical clinic, to retail stores to property, I wanted to try them all to see which one was going to be the right fit for me. Eventually property was my calling, however I still own other businesses with a full time team behind them all. Investing in businesses early taught me to test the waters and not only see which one would perform the best, but also make me realise which one I enjoyed the most. There were so many ups and downs with many of my ventures but it all contributed to my decision to go all in with property. While the other business performed well, I found my true passion in pursuing property full-time and could see myself helping others on the same journey as me. Because I can see myself doing this long-term, I have now committed myself 100% to this area of expertise.

Too many people jump from one thing to another chasing money or not giving the one idea enough time to grow and perform. I have a business that I have held for over four years and have never taken a dollar return on, as I can see the bigger picture of how it will return in the future. Sometimes you know in your gut if an idea is going to eventuate to nothing or is going to blow up and provide you with a healthy return. Things that can give you a negative gut feeling of progressing could be due to a bad business partnership, poorly executed product or service or trends coming and going out of fashion. There are many factors that will be out of your control that can affect your decision to stay on course or not, however one thing you must always keep in mind is all good things take time, and the more you push hard at something, the better you will become. There is no such thing as an overnight success.

Another common mistake some people will make is that they will diversify so much, and they spread themselves so thin that they don’t become an expert at anything. These types of people take on too much and eventually become average at what they are doing. I used to be guilty of this, where I would take on too many different things and it gradually stunted my progress in business. My business advisors told me at one stage to simplify my portfolio as much as possible and to concentrate on my strengths. I compare this to training in the gym. Let’s say you want to build core strength through the bottom half of your body. For me, barbell squats with heavy weight performed correctly is hands down one of the best exercises that I can do. But what many people do, is train only a few sets of light squats with poor form, then go over to the leg press, then go to lunges, then to leg extensions and so on. What happens is that they never become good at the one exercise. What I do when training legs is that I spend my whole workout at the squat rack. I will work on my technique, spend time performing perfect repetitions and document my progress. Eventually I became an expert at the exercise and interestingly enough, it has had a very positive impact on my core strength and physique. This analogy is so closely aligned to the world of business. Find out what is the most effective and impactful method for you is, stick to it and become a master at it.

Things aren’t always going to be so clear for you to know what your calling is. Going all in too early can potentially have the reverse effect on you which may lead to regret. The key is, is to keep trying new things until you find that true purpose you have been searching for. The worst thing you can do is to do nothing at all. If you keep executing, then you are gaining more experience and more doors will start opening for you. When the right door opens, then you will just know, and when you know, GO ALL IN!

F*** What Others Think

August 17, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Zah Azmi

Living a life that follows the ideal views of what other people think is a backwards way to live. It turns you into a victim who waits for other people to make moves before you do. You become a follower, not a leader. Being dictated by others will show the world you don’t stand for anything. If you are confident enough to express your thoughts, haters will tell you otherwise. If you have amassed wealth, haters will say you are lucky. If you are highly skilled at something, haters will say they have seen better. Others will always have something to say about you having a go in life and the sad truth is the majority of people in your network will have negative opinions towards you. This is the cost of excelling in this world and it is perfectly normal.

I used to care about what others thought of me. No matter how tough you are, it starts to affect you at some point. Whether it was the media writing negatively about me or a co-worker attempting to push me around, I slowly learnt how to deal with these types of situations. I was always told to ignore the haters and to just focus on myself. The problem with this, was that the anger would build up inside of me and I would explode and potentially take it out on somebody I really care about. For example, when I was working in nightclubs in my earlier years, there was a partner in the business who would attempt to bully me and humiliate me in front of the other partners and employees. He would say derogatory insults such as I should be working at 7/11 (because of my skin colour) instead of a nightclub, or I should be a cleaner rather than an aspiring entrepreneur. He continuously told me I was never going to be good enough to make it in business. I used to bottle my aggression up and tried to ignore him until one day I decided to take a stand. I approached the nightclub boss and told him to stop bullying me otherwise I would fight him and humiliate him in front of everyone. The other partners in the business could see I was serious and they calmed me down and made their business partner apologise to me. After that he respected me for taking a stand however didn’t like me for it. He later went on to become bankrupt and losing everything, while I went on to succeed in life.

After that experience I learned a valuable lesson. Instead of ignoring your haters, engage with them, respectfully. Confront them and question them on their actions. If they continue to be negative, be confident in your stance. Eventually things will fall into place as you can never force things to happen that you cannot control. When I first started investing in businesses and property, many people would tell me I would never make it. I confronted those people to show me what they have achieved. How successful was their business? How many properties did they own? These negative people were not even in business and held no property at all! What I found was that these people were merely expressing their own insecurities, and we’re ultimately just jealous I was doing something that they couldn’t do themselves. Now these same people, 10 years later, ask me for advice on how to get into the property market. There are still those that choose to stay negative, however those people end up in the same spot they were in 10 years ago.

Taking massive action is paramount when wanting to make a difference in the world. Most people wait for others to take action first, so then they can follow. I’ve always enjoyed watching other aspiring entrepreneurs start their hustle in their first business. These guys make me proud because they take that fearful leap of faith. But the more interesting observation I made is how some people respond to these new business owners. Most people are waiting around to see how others react before making a move. If people start to point and laugh, then others will do the same. If people are encouraging, then others will also be encouraging. Positivity breeds positivity, therefore you must ensure you place yourself in the right environment. Once you understand that this is how the majority of minds work, it is a big step towards freedom.

You have to ask yourself, “what is the worst that could happen? Are you going to die?” It is highly likely, no, you will not die. However we are all going to die someday, so we must make the most of our life now while we can. I guarantee that when you re 90 years old, you will not care about what others thought of you when you were 30 years old. Start standing up for what you believe in, because time is running out and you must take action now if you want to succeed in life.

In life, especially in business, it will be impossible to please everyone. You will always have people judging you and people will constantly disagree with you. However if we continue to work on pleasing everyone, we can come off as a push-over and lose respect from others. People who get pushed over are losers and if you become a loser you will attract losers. It is better to be respected rather than liked, as this will get you further in business. The key is, is to know your values, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and surround yourself with winners. The majority of the world are sheep, but the lions who are well fed rule the kingdom. Do not lose sleep over the opinions of sheep!

Take Control Of Your Life

August 8, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Zah Azmi

Taking control of your actions is essential if you want to progress in business and personal life. Sometimes in life we are thrown curveballs that are outside of our control but can negatively impact us that can lead to stunted progression. It could be as complex as the government enforcing new regulations on your industry or even simply just the way people think of you. This can get us down and depressed at times which prevents us from moving forward. It becomes a distraction that can take up all our valuable energy and lose focus on the bigger picture. Society and technology is moving so fast that we are now demanding instant gratification. If something does not go our way, we fret and expect things to be perfect and for things to come super quick. We all put so much pressure on ourselves to be in control that we ultimately lose control.

Focusing on problems that were outside of my control really affected me in business some years ago. When I was going through a dark period of time when the media were attempting to defame me, branding me as someone of dubious character, it took its toll on me mentally. I would sit at my computer, depressed and anxious waiting for the next article to be written with my name in it. All work would stop as I was too damaged from the negative impact the press had on me. Business partners were trying to pull out of deals with me, a former boss of mine was annoyed at the exposure, banks who I had loans with were calling me questioning my integrity, and I was even getting threats of being sued. The problem was, was that I couldn’t control what the media would say about me next. The more I sat, waited and dwelled on the issue, the more I fell into a depressed state. After realising that there was nothing I could do to control these on-coming events, I became self-aware and accepted that these things are going to happen regardless. There was no use of me crying over spilt milk as it was all going to happen anyway.

As soon as I made this realisation, I shifted my focus towards things I could control. I took action, and told myself that I was only going to push forward and concentrate on things that were inside my control. I went on to open several businesses, some failed, some successful, which have had a significant positive impact on the community. Now if anyone was to say anything bad about me, I would have a portfolio of positivity to show my strength and value to society. I also stopped worrying about what other people thought of me. Part of the reason I was so upset about the media defaming me, was because all I was trying to do was help others achieve their goals. So I thought, if the people I help to change their lives through my help and advice respected me, then that was enough for me. I do not live my life to impress those trying to bring me down. I will not be a victim and I will work towards being a victor.

When pushing forward in business we tend to create noise, especially when you are on the road to success. People will try and take things away from you, and you will spend more time protecting your assets than you do building them up. The sad truth is, is that a lot of these people are the closest people to you. It is normal, and it will continue to happen. Many will find it hard to comprehend that you actually gave it a good crack while they sat back and pointed and laughed at you. You must learn to block this negativity out of your life, accept that it is always going to be there and focus on improvement and bettering yourself every single day. Visualise yourself as though you were born as a king or a queen. Because only you are in control of your life and you should never let others take that away from you.

Many people ask me, “What if the property market crashes?” Or they say “I don’t have enough money to start a business.” These types of issues are easy excuses to spend time on as we can always pass the blame onto something we cannot control. Instead we should be focusing on how we can protect ourselves if the property market crashes, because if it is going to happen, then it is going to happen anyway, with or without your influence. If we don’t have any money to start a business, then using this as an excuse not to start a business will just stunt your growth as an entrepreneur. Instead, start working on solutions to get into business with just your time instead of having to use funding. As soon as we start focusing on things inside our capabilities, we end up seeing progression. Lazy people get distracted by things they can’t control because they don’t have to do anything. Program your mind to be solutions based to ensure you are constantly moving forward in business. As Tony Robbins famously states, “Progress equals happiness.”

Sometimes we all know what we have to do to take control. If you want to lose weight, you must diet and exercise. If you want a better job, you must create more value for your new potential employer. If you want to buy an investment property, you must seek advice from those who have done it before. The key take-away words here would be to take massive action. By worrying about all the variables associated with your goals, it can make you less effective in areas you should be focusing on. By thinking positively, you will control your input, not your outcome.

In my experience in business I have learned to not worry about outside forces such as my competition, negative people or the media for that matter. We must not dwell on these issues, but instead reverse it and focus on what you can be doing to weather any type of storm. Accepting things are going to happen beyond your control is the first step, then take massive action to execute your plans for your goals and vision. By letting go of things you can’t control, you will find yourself in a much more peaceful state of mind. Start taking control of your life before someone or something else controls it for you!

Kings Cross Nightclub Manager to Multi-Million Dollar Property Empire

August 1, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Marc Fattore

Nightclub manager turned property entrepreneur, Zah Azmi (wearing pink shirt) helps show others how to invest in property and business and has acquired over $10million worth of assets.

WORKING late nights, battling lockout laws and putting up with drunk patrons has proved worthwhile for a Sydney based self-made entrepreneur.

Zah Azmi, 33, has purchased eight properties along NSW’s Eastern Coastline from Sydney, to the Central Coast all the way up to Newcastle. He has done all of this by starting early, and buying his first property by using the deposit he saved up from working as a nightclub manager in Kings Cross Sydney.

At one stage he was he was juggling 3-4 jobs around his demanding night shift schedule, from working as a personal trainer early in the morning, to working in a retail supplement store during the day, then in the clubs at night. Mr Azmi said he did anything to pick up work anywhere he could as he worked towards saving a $70k deposit for his first investment property.

Sydney based entrepreneur Zah Azmi (pictured skipping) at one stage worked 3-4 jobs including working as a personal trainer to help save for his first house deposit of $70k.

“It was a tough time in my life”, he says.

“But it was well worth it as it taught me through hard work, discipline and sacrifice, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.”

His life as an entrepreneur and keen real estate investor has helped him climb the ladder of success in business through a diverse portfolio of assets.

He has since given up on the nightclub industry and has pursued entrepreneurial aspirations in other industries such as health and fitness, hair and beauty, and property development and investment.

“I’ve always loved working hard and helping others achieve success. If I can provide value through my businesses by making people feel beautiful, fit and healthy and financially independent, then my work is done!” he exclaims.

“It’s all about education and having a good work ethic. If an ordinary person like me can do it, then anyone can do it!”

Zah Azmi believes education and having a good work ethic is the key to success.

“Most people think that it’s impossible to start their own business or get into the property market. In actual fact it is easier than most people think, however many do not know where to start or who to turn to.”

“My job is to help coach those who find it difficult to start. We help people believe in themselves and execute on their plans.”

Mr Azmi’s views on helping others has had a positive effect on his businesses, as his partners, employees and clients have all helped in contributing to the growth of his empire. His property and business portfolio is worth in excess of $10million and continues to compound year on year.

Zah Azmi helps people believe in themselves and execute on their plans.

“You don’t have to buy a $1million house as your first property investment. Start small, let that grow and slowly increase your appetite as time goes on. It’s the long-term mindset you need to adopt when it comes to property and business,” he says.

This 2 bedroom apartment in Merewether Newcastle is one of Zah Azmi’s eight properties.

His journey to his sizeable empire started in 2008 with a hard earned $70k 20% deposit on a Central Coast house in Kariong for $340,000. This first property enabled Mr Azmi to further leverage himself into his second Kariong property $320,000 twelve months later. These two properties now have the combined value of over $1.5million.

Now his portfolio consists of a mix of residential, commercial and even a couple of development sites.
He bought a Narara three-bedroom brick and tile house in late 2015 for $435,000 which is now worth more than $650,000 with a small cosmetic renovation, and a Gosford two-bedroom unit in 2016 for $320,000, now worth more than $400,000 from purchase.

Zah Azmi also owns this 3 bedroom house in Narara, Central Coast.

His latest acquisition with his partners is a development site in Broadmeadow, Newcastle, where he plans to build around forty residential apartments with commercial tenancies on the ground floor.

Zah Azmi at his latest site acquisition, where he plans to build 40 residential apartments in Broadmeadow, Newcastle.

“Surrounding yourself with like-minded people will help drive you harder to achieve your goals. If you hang out with losers, you will become a loser. I want to constantly win, so I hang out with winners.”

ASK A LUXLAND PROPERTY INVESTMENT EXPERT TO HELP GROW YOUR FUTURE

Eliminating Self-Doubt

July 26, 2017/in Lifestyle /by Zah Azmi

Self-doubt is preventing many from executing on their ideas and plans to reach their goals. In fact, everybody deals with self-doubt once in a while, even the ultra successful. I’ve met many successful entrepreneurs and property investors who have doubted themselves at some point in their lives. These types of people recognise self-doubt when it occurs and they learn how to overcome it to ultimately set themselves out to accomplish their goals. Have you ever asked yourself, “Am I good enough to pursue my dreams?” Or “What will happen if I fail?” Well you are not alone, as it is perfectly normal to feel this way at times. It is all about recognising why you doubt yourself, and pushing through those barriers to help you take action.

I have had my fair share of self-doubt. When I left school heading into my late teens, I was fired from nearly every job I had, one after the other, I was told I wasn’t good enough. Even my parents told me I was a failure. After a while it starts to take its toll and I began to question myself, “Am I actually a failure?” and “Is this what life was meant to be for me?” I went through years of self-doubt, not feeling confident in pursuing anything in life. I figured that if others thought I was not good enough, then it must be the truth. For a short period of time I used it almost like an excuse not to try or excel any more. Self doubt was slowly destroying my life leading me to believe that my capabilities were becoming more and more limited.

There was a period of time when I was working in the nightclub industry, where I was getting into trouble with the police quite frequently. Small petty incidents such as a scuffle on the street to simply getting into unnecessary arguments with police officers, the warnings and arrests kept coming. I was becoming a menace. Then one day a superior of mine who I used to work under pulled me aside and asked, “Zah what do you want out of life?” I said, “I want to be successful in business but I don’t think I’m good enough. Everyone tells me I’m a failure and I have no hope.” This was his response, “You have 24 hours in a day, just like everybody else, and you also only have one lifetime that has been gifted to you. If you continue to listen to all those negative people, you will become nothing. What you can and can’t do is totally up to you. When you are old and about to die, do you think you will care what others had to say about you today? You need to believe in yourself, give it a really good crack and drive for what you really want. Do not live for people who do not support you, as they have their own lives to live.” This is where the light bulb struck, and I made the decision to back myself and make it my mission to succeed in business.

Over a decade on, I still experience glitches of self-doubt, from the media attempting to defame me, to my family hating on my work, to my very own associates making me feel undervalued at times, it all still affects me in some shape or form. However, if I had given in and listened to all these naysayers telling me I wasn’t good enough to tell my story, that I wasn’t cut out for business, that I was never going to make it in property, then I wouldn’t be in the position I am in now. I am here today because I made the decision to not care about what others thought of me and continued to drive through business and life with the accelerator pushed through the floor. I would move so fast that self-doubt would get run over and left behind, just like all the negative people in my life.

“I was born alone and I will die alone. I’ve got to do what’s right for me and not live my life the way anybody else wants it” – 50 Cent

Some of those people who never believed in me in my earlier years have now come to me for advice on business and property investment. They want to know how I did it with so many obstacles in my way. I take great pleasure in helping others overcome self-doubt and low confidence to help remove their own anchor to ensure productivity increases. It is important to know that the world does not just revolve around you, others have their own goals, dreams, problems and self-confidence issues. We are all responsible for choosing our path. Be decisive, firm, and face your fear of taking action. Execute your plan with a vision to succeed. The more you educate yourself and gather experience in your 24 hours, the more confident you will become.

The temptation to compare yourself to others in this day and age is difficult to avoid. With social media and the internet being at the fore front of our eyes on a daily basis, we are constantly reminded how every other person or business is doing. We are bombarded with success stories such as individuals purchasing multiple properties or businesses expanding at a rapid rate, while many of us are still struggling to buy our first property or make a start in our latest business idea. Concentrating on what others are doing will waste time and can leave you feeling anxious and depressed. Instead of making comparisons, try to learn and network from the success of others. Reach out to those who you admire and respect, as you may be surprised at the response you will get. Take motivation and inspiration away from these businesses and individuals. I like to think of them as “silent mentors”. Not only can you learn from their successes but also the mistakes they have made.

Always remember mistakes will always happen. You can’t expect everything to turn out perfect. The key is, to just give it a good crack. Who cares if you fail or stuff up? Just do it better the next time and keep moving forward. Who would you rather be, the worst footballer on the State of Origin team, or the spectator sitting on the sidelines pretending to be an “expert” who has done nothing about playing the actual game. Accept that mistakes will happen, own up to them as they occur, then move on with a better understanding on how to operate. To me your net worth is not the amount of money you have in the bank, or the value of assets that you have accumulated. It is the amount of experiences you have had through difficult times such as overcoming self-doubt.