How to Make $100 Per Hour

,​The great Jim Rohn has books full of thought provoking quotes but one that has really stuck with me since hearing it on a random podcast probably a dozen years ago is when he asked his live audience: “How do you make $100 an hour?”.  Jim then paused to let everyone mull this over; was the answer going to be some kind of funny joke, maybe a brilliant secret formula for making more money, or a step-by-step plan for improvement.  Instead, he simply stated “Do $100 an hour work”.  At first this seemed like a huge disappointment to me.  Where was the big secret in that?  What about the detailed blueprint for earning these kind of wages?  But as the words sunk in, I began to realize the simplicity and magic of what Jim had just said.  Why would anyone pay me $100 per hour if they could hire someone else to do the same thing for $20 an hour?  How would I create income for my business equivalent to $100 per hour if I spent my days performing basic low level functions?
As simple and obvious as Jim’s answer is, it is also complicated and requires some thought.  What exactly is $100/hour work and how does one apply for some of that?  Here is how I broke it down and came up with my interpretation of Jim’s meaning:

The first step is to get over the $100/hour number.  I feel that this is really just a number that sounds good, is easy to relate to, and makes the point clear.  Some people may already make more than this and others may not be currently capable (or willing) of producing this type of income.  Focus on the process and don’t get caught up on a specific number unless that number really is critical to making this work for you.

Next, brainstorm a list of skills, interests, and abilities that you have.  Put it all down as it comes to your mind, you can edit later.  What items on this list are you best at?  What can you do better than most people?  What are you excited about learning and practicing to become the best?

Now match this list to the things that need to get done in your business or to the position descriptions provided by your employer.  What specific areas align that you can focus on to be the absolute best?  What are the activities that generate the most revenue?  Focus on these revenue generating activities and spend the majority of your time doing them.

Again, this is pretty common sense and seems so simple, but how many of us know this and still get caught up in spending our days replying to meaningless emails or wasting time with remedial tasks?  It is common to put off the bigger, more important tasks until you can get all of the little “loose ends” tied up.  Well, reality check, - there is an avalanche of “loose ends” and small tasks just waiting to backfill the void as soon as you clean up the current mess.  Next thing you know, days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and you just wasted a year keeping things clean but not making any forward progress.  How do we get around this?

• Change your mindset and don’t get so stressed about those loose ends.  What really happens if they get pushed to the back burner?
• If these items are important enough but still not the best use of time, you have to delegate or hire someone to do these.  It often seems easier to just whip them out yourself but in the long run your business will suffer.
• Systemize everything.  Creating great systems takes some work up front but is critical for efficiency as things get crazier.  Anyone should be able to step in and take over the daily tasks with minimal training or supervision.  There are a lot of great books about creating systems so I won’t go into detail here but I recommend reading The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber.  He stresses the importance of systems and ways to create them.
• Check in with yourself frequently and ask “is what I am currently doing the best use of my time?” 

Now go out there and figure out what you are best and focus on that activity.  I’ll close with another related Jim Rohn quote that says – “We don’t get paid for the hour, we get paid for the value that we bring to that hour”.

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