The Dropship Unlocked Podcast

Reprogram Your Mind For Success in Online Business (Episode 118)

• Lewis Smith & James Eardley • Season 1 • Episode 118

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🗣 In this episode, Lewis Smith and James Eardley dive deep into the mindset that separates successful online entrepreneurs from those who struggle. 

They break down the key mental strategies, habits, and philosophies that have helped their most successful members scale their businesses to new heights and achieve true time and financial freedom.


👉 Prefer to watch this on YouTube? Check it out here ➡️https://youtu.be/OI841IFS8ks

Topics Discussed:
★ Mindset is the Foundation: Why mindset is the key factor in online business success and how it shapes every decision.
★ Growth Mindset: Embracing failure as feedback and seeing it as an opportunity to grow. Learn why this mindset is essential for long-term success.
★ Overcoming Self-Doubt: How to push through doubts and fears, especially in the early stages, and how action leads to success.
★ Consistency: Why consistent effort is the real driver of success and how small, consistent actions compound over time.
★ Patience and Resilience: How to stay patient, be resilient through challenges, and trust the process of growing your business.
★ The Power of Vision: How having a clear vision for your business and lifestyle can keep you motivated and focused on your goals.

Links and Resources Mentioned:

  • Start Your Ecommerce Journey Today – Visit dropshipunlocked.com/start 
  • Shopify for £1 a Month for 3 Months – dropshipunlocked.com/shopify 
  • Sign up with Tide for easy business account management: https://dropshipunlocked.com/tide 

Key Takeaways:
★ Mindset is Key: Your mindset dictates how you respond to challenges and setbacks. Having the right mindset is crucial for overcoming obstacles and scaling your business.
★ Growth Mindset: View failures as learning opportunities that fuel growth.
★ Push Through Self-Doubt: Success happens when you take action despite the doubts.
★ Consistency Over Time: Small consistent actions lead to long-term success—trust the process.
★ Patience and Resilience: Stay patient and bounce back from setbacks. Success takes time, but persistence pays off.
★ Clarity of Vision: A clear vision for your business and lifestyle will guide your decisions and keep you focused on your goals.


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★★★ Dropship Unlocked - Lewis Smith ★★★
🌏 Want to create location, time, and financial freedom? Watch Our Free Training ➽ https://dropshipunlocked.com/free?el=podcast-118-reprogram-mind-success

There's a certain mindset that we see time and time again from our most successful members. And the thing is that it starts with, if you want to build a successful online business, then you have to have the mindset that you I think there's something that holds people back without them actually realizing it, and it's when they the best thing about having a winning mindset is that it is something that we can all implement, but only if something that we address often, is how people get this wrong and they cost themselves a fortune every day, when all they need to do instead is you Music. Welcome to the drop ship unlocked Podcast. I'm Louis Smith, the founder of dropship unlocked and with me is our Client Success Coach James Eardley. Now, when we're not recording podcast episodes or running our own e commerce businesses, you'll find us helping aspiring entrepreneurs launch their own high ticket drop shipping stores. So if you're ready to build your own six or even seven figure online business, then head over to dropship unlocked.com. Forward slash, start now, sit back, relax, and let's unlock your potential with the dropship unlocked podcast. So today, Lewis, we're going to dive in to a conversation that needs to be had, and that's not just around all of the in the weeds and all the intricacies about running an online business. We're going to look bigger picture today about the mindset required, and crucially, the mindset that we see from the most successful members that we work with and the most successful people that we've we've ever met, really, and we see it time and time again. There's often a common thread between the most successful members with the mindset that they have. We're going to dive into that on today's episode today. And firstly, Lewis, start with a broad question, but why do you think mindset is so critical in E commerce and in online business more generally? Well, it's the foundation that everything else is built on, really, isn't it? It's the you know, you can have all the skills in the world, you can have all the technique, the strategy, but without the right mindset going into that, then you will hit inevitable challenges and blocks in the road, and you if you don't have that right mindset from the beginning, it doesn't matter how many skills you have or how much technique you have, eventually you'll just give up because the belief and the reason why is not there. So there's a lot to unpack in terms of getting the right mindset. I think people can sometimes actually rely too much on mindset as well. So we'll have that conversation in today's episode too around like they think their mindset only is the answer, but without the right actions and techniques and strategies and grind and really put in the work in again, you're kind of going to be stuck at the start line. So yeah, a lot to unpack today, and looking forward to it 100% I think you mentioned an interesting point already, and something I want to dive into is the fact that people often jump to asking really direct questions of us when they're sort of getting started, or considering getting started, and drop shipping, and it's like, okay, how do I find the right suppliers? How do I find the products that I'm going to sell? How do I set up an ad campaign? But oftentimes, we kind of know the answers to these questions, but really, to help them more broadly, it's kind of to look at the overall picture, and that's always where you start in the in the program. Lewis, isn't it about mindset first? Because it becomes the foundation for everything else on that point, why do you think people are always more keen to learn all of the tactical things, rather than look inwards and think about the mindset that they're approaching it with? Probably because it's easier, it's easier to just think that the problem lies in a lack of knowledge and tactics and skill, and that that's the reason why they haven't yet got the results that they want. Because it does take some work to actually develop a strong foundational mindset. You know, I think people glaze over this stuff as if it's like airy fairy, you know, fluff. And later, then they hit problems, and then they kind of give up, and then they twist and they pivot to a different business model, and then they hit the same kind of problems, and then they pivot to it, and they don't realize the whole time the underlying bit that was missing was the right mindset. It was the fact that, for example, one common thing we see is like, what they call imposter syndrome. So this is where you start to reach a point of like, the business becomes real. You start to maybe make a few sales, and you begin to unknowingly self sabotage, because your mind doesn't believe that the position you found yourself in is one that you're worthy to be in. And so you feel deep down, almost like you shouldn't be there. And so what your body tries to do, and what your mind tries to do is to kind of get you back to the comfort zone, get you back to where it is safe and where you are. You do feel like you're allowed to exist, and what they do is kind of self sabotage, and I've seen this as well. I've done this as well is kind of bring yourself down to the level that you're comfortable at again. So the trick, I think, if you want to call it a trick, but really it's just another technique, is to. Train our mind like a muscle in the gym that we are already achieving the type of results that we want to try and strive for. Because if we can embody the the mind of a person that's already where we're trying to get to, the actions are just a formality at that point to get us to the eventual desk. It's almost like you say, right? I'm going to run this race. I'm going to put, you know, in my mind, I've already finished the race, so mentally, I'm sitting on the chair after the finish line, and I'm done now. I've just got to run it. Versus turning up to the race and being like, I don't know if I'm going to finish. I don't know if I'll be able to make it. Will I trip up the first few 100 meters? Like, I don't know what. That's a very different mentality going into that race versus the person that's mentally already running and in a business equivalent is already seeing the success that you've got, whether that's time, location, financial freedom, without having to stress about all of the different details that are going to get, get you there. Because if you've got that confidence that you're deserving of that success already, then the actions will come later. So it's like knowing that the most important thing initially is knowing who you need to be in order to achieve that success, rather than knowing what you need to do. Because that can all get worked out once you are the person that's deserving of that success and you've got the right mindset to approach things with, then the actions sort themselves out. Certainly what I found after I did a bit of work on my own mindset something that really resonated with me when I was improving my mindset was because it's so foundational. So you mentioned that already, Lewis, like it's no matter what goal you go after, your mindset is always going to be the foundation on top of whatever you build. So it's wherever you go. There you are. Because no matter what avenue you go down, it's you that's going there. It's your mindset that you're bringing into that situation. So if you can work on that mindset, you'll bring the new person into that environment, or whatever goal that you've got, whether you've gone to achieve that goal before or not. So mindset has got a large kind of idea framework. So we're going to break that down, I think Lewis to go through this or individual things within somebody's successful mindset that we see make the biggest difference, and the first one is a growth mindset that I think is quite consistent across our top performers. What do you think that means to have a growth mindset? I guess it means just that you're not afraid to fail. You know you you see failures as part of the process. They're an inevitable step on your path towards success, and actually even success is never a state that you ever necessarily achieve, because the journey itself is something that you're striving to enjoy. That makes sense. So I think it's yes, it's a very different mindset to what the traditional nine to five World of Work will have you believe, which is usually more of a scarcity mindset, in that, like, if, if someone else has something, you can't get it. Or if you get something, then that means other people can't get it. Like, if you succeed in a in a business or in a niche, then that means that no one else can. Or vice versa. When the reality is that, as the markets grow, we can all grow with and we just need our individual slice of that market to make it happen. So a growth Yeah, growth mindset, seeing failures as just feedback along the journey, not as a permanent setback. The thing is, in online business, things are always evolving. Things are always developing and moving. So the ones who succeed are the ones who are willing to adapt and learn from their mistakes along the way, and then they use every experience along the way as a way to grow, rather than hitting a hurdle, assuming that it's insurmountable, throwing in the towel and just giving up, which we can see often if somebody doesn't have a growth mindset, they associate themselves with the failure, And they let that become part of their identity, and they take it personally if they don't succeed, or if they don't achieve what they're looking to achieve on the first occasion, which, by the way, nobody really achieves what they want to achieve. The first time around, there has to be failures. There has to be roadblocks or unexpected challenges that's going to come up on the way. But instead of seeing that as something that reflects badly on you as a person, like you're a failure. Instead, you just see it as as something that's happened, an obstacle that you'll overcome and you're going to grow because of it. And it's a very different way of looking at failures. Did that come naturally to you? Louis, do you think seeing failures as an obstacle, or did you have to work on that? Yeah, I think I had to work on it. I certainly I don't think it it, maybe it comes naturally to some people. But no, I definitely had to work in it, because there was a shift from like, almost being ashamed of failures in the corporate world, or being embarrassed of failures and being looked down on if you fail. And you know, if you're in a corporate environment and you are leading a project and something goes wrong and it fails, and that you're on the hook, and there's a bit of a blame culture that's just it seems to be the way that kind of society has developed its understanding of failure, which is a real shame, because it it prevents people from wanting to take risks, because if you're kind of like cast out as a failure, if, if you take a risk and it doesn't work, what's that going to do for the younger generation who are considering taking a risk and doing. Something a bit different. That's why entrepreneurship feels like such a leap. Everyone always talks about it as like, taking the leap, taking the jump, because there's this inherent sense of risk that you might not make it to the other side. And I think the reality is you kind of just have to take the first step, and then, yeah, you might trip. Okay, you tripped. Get up. Get back up, you know, walk again. Take the next step. You tripped again. Okay, fine. Keep walking like keep keep doing it. Keep moving. It's like a toddler learning to walk. They don't say, take the leap, and hopefully I can walk. And if I can't, well, that's it. I'll just give up. You know, they have to learn and they correct. And I see this happening in my own house with toddlers all the time, tripping over, getting straight back up. And it's that. So actually, I think in that sense, you asked, Do I did I have to adapt to my change of my understanding of failure? If you look at like toddlers as a great example, inherently, we don't see failure as a bad thing, do we? We're kind of as humans, we evolve to learn from our mistakes. It's only as as we kind of grow up and that society starts to kind of form its own opinion of those failures. And say, You shouldn't have stepped outside your lane or your comfort zone. Stay, stay in the box. You know, do do what you are paid to do for a work and nothing more that it starts to become abnormal, to experience failure. Yeah, it's something that we learn, that mistakes are bad. Yeah, I agree. It's like we have to go back as far as we can, to being a toddler, where you've got that innocence and a mistake isn't something to be frowned upon. It's just something that's a natural part of learning. And I think a lot of people I was the same when I was in my corporate role. You try and go through life without making any mistakes, like deliberately thinking, I better not make a mistake today. But then there's that flip that you need to make when you're going to go to entrepreneurship. You almost need to try and make mistakes without deliberately doing anything wrong, but doing things that are new, trying new businesses, trying new income streams, knowing that you don't know what you don't know yet, but doing it regardless, knowing that there'll be mistakes because you're not scared by the mistake. You know that it's all part and parcel of growing, and if you're not making mistakes, that should be more scary, because it means that you're not growing as a person, and therefore you're not going to be growing your lifestyle or your success or the person that you can be around your family, and what you can provide for your family. So I think there's something in that, I think probably a side effect, potentially of society as well when you're shunning mistakes, is that you can start to view yourself negatively for making mistakes and therefore going into different situations with some self doubt, not doubting that you can, doubting that you can actually make it success of whatever you go into. Do you see self doubt as well as another key part that we need to work on for a real, bulletproof mindset? I think it actually shines a light on how tribal we are as humans, and how it's so important to be in community and have the support of other people who have overcome that self doubt and have that belief in themselves and in other entrepreneurs as well. So it's a big part of why our community is almost like the secret sauce to making this work. Because I think people think, as you stated earlier, that it's the tactics and strategies. And yes, that's part of it. I'm not undermining that. That's a big, big part of it. Because without that, you're just, you know, spinning your wheels, but those without the right community, without the right supportive structure, without the people to turn to when times get tough and ask and that, remember that's not You're not surrounded by those people when you're running an online business. You're not in an office where you can turn to the person in the cubicle next to you, or the co worker at the desk opposite you and say, What did, what did you do when you got stuck on this because they're not there. There is no one there. You're just, you know, working in a coffee shop in Thailand, or you're working in your home office. So I think that really forms the basis of allowing people to get over that self doubt, is by seeing other people who've already achieved what they're looking to do, normalizing the level of like you can surpass that level. You can get past failures, get past setbacks, and then when you inevitably encounter them, there's no shame, because you can just ask, you look in a community, and this community full of questions about different stages, but people aren't kind of jumping in and commenting, being like, oh my god, I can't believe you got stuck on that. Instead, they're like, Oh yeah, I experienced that too. Here's here's how I did it, here's how I changed it. And the nice thing is, you get 10 different perspectives as well. So there's, like, not one right answer for anything. There's multiple angles. You can look at each problem through and lenses, and it just really helps you learn from all of the mistakes of the other people that have come before you. And then obviously you've got to pass down the ladder as well to the next generation of entrepreneurs coming up and make sure you're sharing that wisdom and knowledge. And so it becomes this kind of collective pool of wisdom, knowledge, positivity. So it's a really powerful part of the dropship unlocked model. That's why community works so well, because the collective sum of everyone together is greater than the mass of all the parts that make that up every individually, all put together, plus the fact that because you are put together, it also makes that that mass of people. In the same business model with the same goals. It makes that community very powerful, which we saw just last week Lewis at the at the last in person event. And there's a huge energy when you get community of people together who may have had this difference, you know, they may have had self doubt they got started. They may still have it. They may still not be really feeling that growth mindset and being really knocked back by failures, but community is a bit of a antidote to a lot of the negative mindsets that people have. Yeah, exactly. It was great to see it in person. I think it's one thing having that support on an online forum basis, but seeing people in a room chatting about things, we had a wall of wisdom there, didn't we at the live meetup where people were writing something they'd learned since being part of the community. We did that intentionally, because we wanted to kind of pull out the benefits that people are seeing as being part of the community, not just like, you know, what did you learn from the training videos? That's great, but that's tactics. It's more like, what have you learned by being part of a group of people who are already where you want to be. And some of the stuff that came out of there was fantastic. So, yeah, really, really good event, and something that we do regularly with our master cast members, absolutely, yeah, and more of that to come. But I think we're self doubt just going back to that point. I think you can get it wrong, because you can think, okay, how do I overcome self doubt? I must become the most confident person in every room, and I must go through life with knowing that I can do everything and never looking for help. And you can get it wrong, and you can just kind of overcome self doubt, yes, but instead, you then say no to any type of help that you that you might come your way because you're so overconfident in your abilities, because you've got no doubt at all. But then you trip up in different ways, because you're just going to be going through life without asking for help or getting shortcuts from anyone else. So I'm glad that you mentioned community, because it's quite a nice balance that you bring into that conversation about self doubt, because you can, yeah, you need to approach self doubt in a certain way, where you remove the self doubt, but you still have the level of humility, to ask people for help instead of just trying to go and go bolster through life or whatever goals that you've got. And another thing that I want to bring up learn is a big, big part of the mindset that we believe is most successful is the ability, because it is an ability to be consistent, and that, you know, you can do as much work as you want in a short space of time, but if you can't do a little bit of work over a long space of time, then it doesn't get you anywhere. So how do you think consistency plays a role in building a successful business? Yeah, is is crucial. Consistency is the thing that builds the business over time. Consistency over time is almost like the equation to long term success in business, especially with this model, because, yeah, if you're making sure that, you know, online business doesn't just work with one off efforts, you know, if you just say, I'm just going to do a load of work tonight and then hopefully tomorrow, half the business, it's like, you've got to show up day after day. You've got to put in the same amount of work, if not more, at the beginning, than you would, if you were working a job, treat it like a full time job at the beginning, because remember, once you've done that, you've front loaded the work. Unlike a job, you don't, then have to work that same job for the next 40 or 50 years of your life. You then have a business that you can bring people in, hire a virtual assistant to run it for you, and you remove yourself and your own time from the equation, but someone had to put in that work up front. So the members that I see consistently putting in the work, tweaking their ads, improving their product pages, you know, phoning suppliers, maybe starting other stores, keeping on top of their marketing, those are the ones that experience the long term growth. It's those incremental improvements every day. They're always getting slightly better. You know, I see some people come into the program that I can tell the more experienced members, the people that are really, really far ahead, would almost assume that someone like that, a complete beginner with no tech experience, won't ever get there. But the funny thing is, after 345, months, if that person had the right mindset and was consistent with their approach and asked questions when they got stuck, the transformation is incredible. And sometimes you'll see those people actually overtake the more established people who maybe aren't being as consistent with it. And it's, it's funny. It's almost like the tortoise and the hare, um, story. You know, it's like that eventually, with that right steady pace over time, they continually get that, and it starts to kind of compound, and eventually they're the ones running the businesses. Except they never had their like, advanced technical knowledge on how to code things or how to, you know, design websites or anything like that. They just came in with an open mind, like a porous sponge for knowledge, and they were just ready and willing to take action consistently, and they weren't ashamed to ask for help when they got stuck. So yeah, front loading the work really helps trust in the process and making sure you're consistent with that that work input, it makes all the difference. It's like, I see consistency as the great equalizer. You. Because it depends on how consistent you are. Will depend on the success that you see, no matter what experience you've got, no matter how tech savvy you are, no matter what skills you've got in the past, with consistency, you can catch up to anyone that had a head start over you, and given enough time, long enough time horizon, you will overtake, eventually, the people that have all the talent in the world, but not the consistency. So it equalizes things out. Going back to your toddler, toddler analogy, Lewis, naturally, they consistently going to try and walk, aren't they? You wouldn't just fall over one day and decide, John, I'm not a consistent person. I'm going to give up. That seems to come naturally as well, that you're just going to carry on. And you wouldn't assume that you're just going to give up because you fell over once. Yeah, exactly they, they do. You know, I try and instill a real, like, sense of self belief into my children. It's funny my like, when we're in the car journey, I'm like, getting them to recite things back to me. Like, I guess it's almost like affirmations, like I'm I'm strong, I'm brave, I know I can do it. And like, they're little things, but I know that deep down that's going to serve them well as they go through life, because they're going to start to get to the point where they're like, they face an obstacle, they face a big challenge, and it's frustrating, but what's that voice deep down in their subconscious going to be saying, it's like, I am resilient, I am brave, I'm strong, I'm able to do this. I can overcome challenges. And if that's inherently built into their subconscious from such an early age, I think that sets them up for success in later life. So I'm trying to kind of instill that stuff early on and make sure that that they have that that deep seated self belief and self worth to go through it and really experience life and be able to take risks and not be afraid of failure, because they have that deep down baked within them. So that's the game we play on the way to nursery in the car anyway. So starting with that foundation of the affirmations, and having that belief in themselves, that is going to put a nice foundation towards any mindset that you build over the years. And this is something that we can build. It's not something that you're set with. It's something that you can something that you can build up over time, I believe. But I guess a few more points. Lewis on the key mindset that you think is really crucial for success. What kind of mindset Do you think people need to have in order to succeed, not just for a short term win, but for the long run? I think resilience and patience are key. Delayed gratification, making sure that you're willing to wait. You know, we've got a going back to where we're using the toddler analogy a lot in this this episode. But I my my Toddlers love toy cars, like Hot Wheels cars at the moment. That's like the toy of the moment. So I got them an advent calendar, and they're going through every day opening up one calendar, and in each one of them is a toy car. Now you should see how much they want to open the next day's door as soon as they've got the car from today, because as soon as they realize there's a car in today's one, it's like, let me open all of them. I want to open right up to the, you know, the end of the calendar. And I'm like, nope. Calendar goes back on top of the shelf until tomorrow. And that's again, it's like these little lessons that I'm trying to kind of set them up for later life, because that's how life works. If you can be willing to wait in, you know that, like consistent effort over time, you open one door every day, you get another car, you get your enjoyment out of that, and then you do it the next day. That's going to set them up. So I think these are all kind of lessons that I try and bake into the beginning of the program as well, because sometimes, you know it's we just need reminders of those types of lessons that we got in early childhood. And you've also got to understand that there are going to be hard times. You know. Anyone that tells you it's going to be a walk in the park and it's going to be all smooth sailing is just deluded, you know? And I think the ability to bounce back from setbacks and keep going is what will separate the winners from those that just give up and throw in the towel and say, that's it for me, I'm done. And so a successful mindset is one that constantly learns. You know, you're always learning, you're always tweaking, always adjusting, and you don't just hit a hurdle, give up and say, That's me. That's it. I'm done. You know, everything like throw throw everything away and pivot to a different business. You just make sure you're you're chipping away at the tasks, and you're figuring things out, and you're asking when you get stuck. And so that's why a community so crucial to making it work exactly. And it's because you've got people around you that can tell you, this isn't a full stop, this is just a little comma or a little pause sign. You can overcome this, like you'll overcome everything else that comes your way as well. Something that stands out to me Lewis is something that is quite a common phrase, is that they say that the best drivers are the ones that lose their tests. Like not lose their tests, but fail their tests when they first take them, and the people that pass first time don't end up being the best drivers in the long run. Do you think there's something in that? Yeah, there probably is, yeah, without making myself sound like a bad driver, because I think I did pass first time, but that's because my granddad was a driving instructor, and he owned a driving instructor school, so maybe I had an unfair advantage with some extra lessons. But yeah, there probably is an element of like, the failure makes you more resilient, and it makes you take the of. Eventual test more seriously. You know, when you do eventually pass, it makes the, you know, the feeling of freedom when you pass that driving test even sweeter, because you're like, I really worked for this, and it wasn't a given. I got it taken away. I think that's also why people who experience big setbacks in life come back hungrier sometimes. You know, if you've hit rock bottom and you've been like, like, like, this close to being bankrupt and out of business. It makes you like, when times are good again, you don't get complacent. You You remember that feeling, that inherent emotion, that was linked to the kind of crumbling of everything, and it makes you really, really take things seriously. Whereas, if you kind of, you know these people that like, win the lottery and they've got millions and then within two years, they're bankrupt. It's because they kind of never experienced the the down before the up, and they didn't like the the rise wasn't earned. You know, they were, they were just, they just got gifted to them. So I think sometimes the best way you can have set yourself up for long term success is just to make sure that you're never complacent about it. You're consistent, and you write the highs low and the lows high. You don't take it to your identity core. When something goes wrong, you just get back up, dust yourself off, and treat it as another challenge, another day. And it's part of the journey. You've got to enjoy the journey. And it's much easier to enjoy the journey with other people around you who are on that journey, rather than just doing it on your own and hoping you're doing it right without any kind of feedback. That's very socially isolating. It is, yeah, but something we heard from from Jared, kind of sprung in my mind when he said that was Jared. He's made, obviously, over 4 million pounds in sales with his E commerce business. We had him on the podcast, but he was it was so relaxed with that success, like he never got carried away with himself, even when you were talking, we were probing him on these numbers and asked him what that means for his life and how proud he is of himself, and he was always very humble with it, which is great to see. But I think it's because of that Lewis is that it doesn't ride the highs too high, so that when there are inevitable lows in his journey as well, he doesn't feel those too low as well, because he's stable and he's able to understand that the lows will be part of it. The highs will be part of it as well, as long as he's moving in the right direction. So that, that definitely came to mind, that kind of analogy there of Jared, because it's, it's easy, I guess, to go both ways, isn't it? It's easy to feel the lows and it's easy to get carried away with the highs. Yeah, exactly. And that was something that I think I asked Jared, didn't I like? What you gonna pop the champagne when you hit the, you know, the 5 million or whatever. And he was like, No, I don't think so. Like, or I think he, you know, he, he, um, said that. He, it was just another milestone along the way, wasn't it? And, like, he was very, very understated about the success. And I think when, when I asked that question and then he answered, I was like, yeah, actually, I'm exactly the same. It's funny, like, I asked the question, but I was thinking if someone asked me the question, I was like, No, I didn't necessarily mark the occasion. It was just kind of part of the journey and and I think that sometimes that's to our own detriment. I know my wife finds it strange that I set myself kind of goals for the businesses, and when I exceed those goals, or when I meet those goals, sometimes I don't actually stop to celebrate as much as I should, because I'm so focused on kind of progress and the next goal. And, you know, I might have, like, a goal for one business and a different goal for another business, and if we hit one, I'm like, okay, great. Did that and, and she said, No, no, hang on. A second like that. That was a big goal. Like you, you set that and you achieved it. So let's just not move on and pivot straight to another one. Let's mark the occasion. Like, go and do something. Go and celebrate. Go and treat yourself to something like make it make it real, make it tangible. And I think the reason why maybe I don't go into it too much and want to kind of really fixate and celebrate on it is this like concept of not wanting to pin my identity to the success and the outcome of a goal, because I know if I do that and then we have a bad month, is it does the opposite need to happen? Do I need to punish myself now because we had a bad month, versus reward myself any good months? Do you see what I mean? So I think that's why I kind of disconnect emotionally from it a little bit. Because I'm like, okay, cool, we had a good month, but I'm not going to, you know, go and blow all the company's money on, like a holiday or something, because I think if we then have a bad month, what am I supposed to do? Then am I supposed to, kind of, like, just, is it supposed to all crumble and break down? So instead, I'm just like, Well, okay, well, we we just invest that money in a good month, and then in the bad months we covered it, because we fixed the roof while the sun was shining, as they say. And you know, it's eventually, as long as it's kind of a gradual upwards trajectory, that's all that matters. You can zoom out and take a more holistic view of the whole thing. Yeah, and it's so important, because, going back to what we said about consistency, the most important thing is that you just keep showing up every day. But it's nice that with people around you, like Like Becky, they're able to see things that you're not necessarily able to see, because they've got that external view of your success. And when you get to a goal that you're really working hard towards, they can see, Oh, you didn't actually end up celebrating that goal, did you? And maybe you need some someone around you sometimes, to kind of pick you up when things are tough, but also allow you to celebrate when things do go well, so that you can. And get that dopamine rush of that you need to get on your journey to to the continued success that you're having. So moving on from from consistency and resilience, which is clearly important and a big theme that we see in our most successful members, like Jared, and something that you set very early on in the program, is a vision for people, people to see of their future, and it that then becomes a foundation for all of the hard work that goes towards building an online business, because you know what it is you're building in the long run. So how do you think having a vision impacts the mindset that you approach things with? Yeah, I mean, I I did this myself when I first started, like, I went through some programs, and they kind of taught this stuff. And I was like, that's interesting. I've never really done that. And I was like, I was always saw myself as someone that kind of believed I could succeed, but that's quite a generic statement, you know, rather than like, Oh, I know what house I'll own, and I know what car I'll drive, and I know what holidays are going to, know where I'll be, and I know how, like, what my family will look like, that's very different. That's very, very kind of visceral, like you can feel that you know exactly what that's going to be like, and you can almost paint the picture in your mind of what it will be like in an ideal day when you shut your eyes like you experience those feelings of what it will be like to be in that situation. And I found that was more helpful than anything I'd experienced before in terms of building self belief and overcoming that kind of, I guess, anxious or imposter mindset, or whatever you want to call it. So I found it so helpful. And I thought this is, like, you know, a secret weapon for people in the program. And so that's exactly what we called it in the program. I thought this is the kind of thing that most people overlook, but it's so powerful that it's like, it is a weapon in the kind of war of entrepreneurship. You know, we're trying to succeed at this. A lot of people will kind of aimlessly come in, try, have a go, didn't have much of a vision, crumbled, fell at the first hurdle, didn't have a why, and then they leave. It's like so what separates the people that see it through and don't fall at the first or second or third hurdle, and if they do, they get back up and they carry on. And I realized it's the people that have a clear vision of exactly why they're doing what they're doing, and where they want to get to with it, and they remind themselves of that every morning, every evening, so it's baked in their subconscious, and they have become the kind of person, and not the kind of person. They've become the person that they are striving to, um, to reach, and that's why it's so powerful. And so, yeah, we, we put it into the program, and we and then every action you're taking along the way is, does this align with my vision? Does what I'm trying to do align with my vision? And it becomes like your north star for where you're trying to kind of aim the business as to, does this get me to my end goal, my eventual goal? And the more defined your vision is, the easier it becomes for you to take action. Because, you know, for me, initially it was like, I want a lifestyle business. I want to be able to travel. I don't want time commitments, responsibilities, and you know that call on my time. And so I built the business around that kind of set of rules, that framework, because I knew that it was there. There were, of course, opportunities along the way to make more money, but it would have involved pouring my time into something and becoming a different kind of person to the one that I was visualizing and seeing. And there's something that kind of makes you, like, gravitate back towards what your vision is in the end, and build the kind of business that enables that life. So I found it extremely valuable. I didn't realize how powerful, powerful it would be. And so I thought, when I was creating the program for the first time, back in like, there's been 2019 I thought, this needs to go in there. This needs to be early in there. Because I think a lot of people and some people get it, but some people just disregard this, and is to their own disadvantage if they do, yeah, it is, if you don't have that vision, then how do you know where it is you're going to eventually get to? Or how do you know the step to take if you don't know what it is you're aiming for in the long run? And I like the the war of entrepreneurship analogy says, like a weapon that you have on your side is, is that vision? And I like to look at business like a sport as well. And this kind of works with a similar analogy. So if business is a sport, and you're like the manager of your football team, but the football team being your mindset, then you can choose the players that you're going to play, and how strong are those players in the different positions. So came to my mind because football was on my mind. But like, Have you got consistency on your football team? Have you got, have you got focus? Have you got the ability to be resilient? Have you got the ability to to learn as you go, to have a growth mindset? What? What players have you got on your team? Because you could have the opposite of those things in your team. You could have up front right now, self doubt. You could have in goal, you could have not believing in yourself, and you're putting that team out to go and put in the sport of business, and that's the team that's going to perform for you or not perform for you. If you've got poor quality players that you're fielding at the moment, yeah, exactly. If you've got loads of players that turn up hungover, don't keep themselves fit. Eat McDonald's three meals a day, and they're. You know, they're just not taking life seriously, then what do you expect when they turn up to the pitch and, you know, everyone's knackered by half time, it's, it's the same kind of thing, isn't it? It's like, that's why we get good sleep as as business owners, that's why we take care of ourselves and, you know, look after our health and keep fit and like, as even at the beginning of the program, I talk about, like, just try and make sure that you're outside, even if it's just for a walk, if you're not someone that kind of that kind of goes for runs or goes to the gym often, just go for a walk. Just get yourself outside and kind of like, connect with nature a little bit and make sure that you're kind of able to, I don't know, broaden your your view just beyond the kind of the computer screen, because in this world, sometimes it can be so easy to get so focused that we kind of lose control of our own health, and therefore the rest of the business starts to suffer because of it, because it click. You know, I always find you probably hear the voice notes that come through from me when I'm like, out of breath, and I've just come back from a run or something, or I'm in the gym. I'm like, just had an idea, and I send through a voice note to you, and I'm like, This, I think this will be really good. And those are sometimes when the most inspiration comes to me, and it's presumably because, like, the endorphins are flowing, you know, you're running, the dopamine hit that you get from that exercise causes you to kind of think more freely. So, yeah, yeah, that's, that's what it is. Then I thought the out of breath was just the pure excitement about the new module that you've you've thought up that we're going to implement into that, and you're just so out of breath and you can't wait to tell me on a voice tell me on a voice note that you're literally giddy on the on the other voice note, it's usually that I'm I'm pouncing after a run or, yeah, just just finished a workout, and I'm like, I had a brain wave moment. And I feel like cam is something we could do. But actually, funnily enough, I also feel like, if I don't articulate it in the moment, I'll lose it. So I'm like, I need to share this right now in its current form. And sometimes, yeah, that's what the voice notes are about. You can't wait for your breath to recover. You've got to get it, get it out immediately. And yeah, they're the best voice notes to receive. But yeah, it is the underpinning for everything. Like we call it a foundation, something you refer to mindset as a lot in the in the program Lewis as well, is like a tree. So you plant a seed, and then you the tree comes out of it, which is your mindset, and then the fruits on that tree come later, after you've got the right, strong mindset, healthy tree that you've built. And the fruits being the 10k a month drop shipping business and the successful business that allows you to leave your nine to five job, they're the fruits that come a bit later, but the strength those fruits are reliant on the strength of the tree that you build and the seed that you plant initially, and hopefully, this episode and this conversation between us today, Lewis has been a seed for people to start sowing the right seeds of mindset into their mind that they'll then grow into a tree out of today. Yeah, exactly. You begin by by nurturing the tree, don't you, when it's young, and it's just a small thing that could get, like, knocked around by the wind, and you're taking care of it, but eventually it kind of grows to this huge oak tree that you can shelter under, and it can protect you and your family, and it can provide for you and that you know you're, you're, you can kind of seek shelter under it. And that's, that's the analogy there, that it's like, eventually it will be a lot bigger and stronger than you, and it can allow you, it will look after you when you've looked after it for enough time. Perfect. Yeah. So in terms of actionable advice, people are ready to implement their mindset into a new program or something. They want to really put their new mindset behind, and they've got big goals for themselves. Where do you recommend they go after this episode? Yeah, we've put all of the resources, the guides, the support that you need to get started on the right path with the right mindset in one place, and that is if you head over to dropship unlocked.com, forward, slash, start. Are you enjoying the podcast? We'd love to hear from you leave a comment or a review, and we might feature it in an upcoming episode. And for detailed show notes and resources. Visit dropship, unlock.com forward slash podcast. If you found value in any episode of this podcast, please. Could you take just 10 seconds to leave us a quick five star review on your favorite podcast app? It helps us more than you can imagine, and who knows, you might just hear your comments read out on the show. Thanks for being a part of our community. Your support helps us keep delivering new episodes to you every week. Okay, now it's the time in the episode to answer a question that we've had in from a lovely listener, and if you have a question and you've been listening in today, then just simply put a comment beneath the YouTube video version of this episode so it won't just be answered in the comments. It may also get answered on an upcoming podcast episode. Sounds exactly what Rahim has done. So, Lewis, I will ask Rahim question to you now. Rahim has asked a simple question, but an important one. He's asked Is now a good time to start drop shipping. Thanks for your question, Rahim. And yeah, it's quite a common question, actually, and funny, it's a question that I've seen posted from people online since before I even started, before 2017 people were saying, is it the right time I feel like the ship has sailed, you know, has it? Has it become too saturated? Is the competition too high? And the truth is, there is no better time to start them, right now, because you didn't have the option of starting years. Ago, you know, because if you haven't done so, then that that's like ruled out now, right? So the second best time to start, other than then, is right now, and the market's growing. I was just having a look, and the the current stats are showing that the UK e commerce market is expected to grow by 14.3% as a compound annual growth rate from 2024 through to 2030 so huge amount of growth like imagine that's a compound annual growth rate that we are going to experience in the the whole e commerce market. So imagine you have one small slice of that now that you take your slice of that market, as long as you follow the right data criteria and validation that we go through inside the program, is going to grow just by being in the game, let alone if you then start to expand your product selection and expand the suppliers you're working with, and go into a different niche as well, and like, start to build your own empire and do your own growth mechanisms within there, Just by being part of it, you're going to benefit. From that. So yeah, absolutely, if you never start, you'll never succeed. And you might be commenting on a podcast in 2020, 2030, and saying, has the ship sailed? Is it too late? And I can't tell you by then. You know, it might. It might be too late by then, but it's certainly not too late now. So my advice would be, start now by taking imperfect action, and then watch that. Watch those efforts compound as the market itself expands. Perfect. Yeah, great question for Mahim, and when we hear quite a lot, I think it always comes from a position of maybe self doubt or maybe the wrong mindset, because they're thinking about an external factor rather than what they can do internally to learn and grow and build a successful business. So hopefully this episode has helped on that point. On that point as well. And I just double checked as well. We did do an episode almost two years ago when we, when we started this podcast, almost two years ago, Episode 10 is called, um, is there a perfect time to start? And it is all about that subject, about people trying to time the market, time when they start drop shipping. And, yeah, go back to Episode 10 if you want to get a bit more context around timing. Okay, so it's time now to answer a review. Not answer, but read out a review that we've had for the podcast. We'd love to do this. Love to hear the reviews. Love to hear your thoughts on what you thought of today's episode. And we'd love to shout out if you do leave a review, because it's worthy of a highlight on a podcast episode. So a big thank you to Jason Moore, who has shared your thoughts recently on a recent episode, and Jason Moore has said brilliant content again, as always, amazing. Thank you very much for your review, Jason, we really appreciate it, and very glad to hear that you've been enjoying the podcast and that you feel the content was brilliant. That really helps. And yeah, we appreciate you sharing your feedback as well. Quick question for you listening to us right now, if this episode has resonated with you in any way, if you found any of this information valuable, would you consider sharing it with someone who might benefit from it, or maybe even just leaving us a review on whichever podcast platform you're listening to us on today, your recommendations and your reviews and feedback really help us grow our community and continue to deliver as much valuable content as we can. So a quick share or a review on your favorite podcast platform can make a big, big difference to both us and also to someone that you know. Thank you for joining us on this episode of the dropship unlocked podcast. We hope you are leaving with new insights and inspiration to fuel your entrepreneurial journey. To kick start your E commerce business, head over to dropship, unlocked.com, forward, slash, start. It's the perfect place to start and get access to resources that will help you build your business from the ground up. And don't forget to hit that subscribe button for more episodes packed with strategies, tips and success stories, plus, if you enjoyed this episode today, a five star review would mean the world to us, and you might even get a shout out on the next episode. Thank you for choosing to spend your time with us today. We can't wait to bring you more insights on the next episode of the dropship unlocked podcast. You