If you have ever thought you are too old, too unattractive, too opinionated, too loud or just generally “too much”…
Then you need to arm yourself with what I am about to drop on you and tell that ignorant self-censor to STAND DOWN.
Do you know who the highest paid human in television is?
78-year old Judith Blum, AKA Judge Judy.
Last year, the Judge (AKA Patron Saint of Hard Eye Rolls) took home a cool 47 million from her show, which has been in syndication for 25 seasons.
This was ON TOP of the decidedly HOT $100 million she commanded from CBS when she sold them her Judge Judy library (of shows she had ALREADY PREVIOUSLY SOLD THEM!).
And lest you think you can’t teach an old dawg new tricks, last month Judge Judy took her cash machine, I mean, TV show, and sold it to Amazon, where soon people around the world will be able to hear her tell off unsuspecting cheaters, philanderers, petty thieves and various other hapless pseudo criminals.
It is a glorious, glorious day.
(As an aside, Judgy Judy is the author of one of the very, very few books I wish I had written myself, entitled, Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever, WORTH A READ)
An astute businesswoman will glean a number of lessons from Judy’s business acumen:
- The power of eccentricity. The world’s most lucrative and influential leaders build their brands by cultivating their eccentricities and flying their freak flags. They lead their markets NOT the other way around.
- Value your Intellectual Property. Not only did she retain ownership of her IP, she sold her library of shows to CBS for 100 million…even after they paid her roughly 45mil a season to air them the first time! Judge Judy placed a premium on her brand and intellectual property (easier to do when you are truly unique and even eccentric, by the way).
- Think deeply and be strategic. Which brings us back to the topic of ‘beauty fades, dumb is forever.” Rather than trying to be a flavour of the month, Jude took a long-term, strategic view of her career, business and growth potential….she didn’t just position herself as a TV star, she built an ECOSYSTEM that rained in millions year after year.
That’s what I’m talkin’ about.
Judge Judy’s astute business acumen and willingness to embrace her eccentricity are a HUGE inspiration for what I teach and coach inside The Incubator.
When you approach growing your company from a place of discernment and freakish originality, you can’t HELP but make great money.
That has been the case for my business, and many other businesses (in lots of different niches!) as well. And I suspect it can be the case for you too.
Formulas fade, algorithms change, but DISCERNMENT is forever.
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