Summary: Nicky Billou is the No. 1 International Best-Selling Author of the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finish-Line-ThinkingTM-Think-Champion/dp/1492237728">Finish Line Thinking: How To Think & Win Like A Champion</a>. He is also the co-host of the No. 1 Podcast in the world for thought leaders called The Business Of Thought Leadership. His guests on the podcast have been the likes of Seth Godin, Barbara Corcoran, George Ross, Jen Widerstrom, Tony Hawk, Larry Winget, and Marie Forleo. <br> <br> As an Accountability Coach at Finish Line Thinking, He energizes people to be their best selves. He works with entrepreneurs and professional sales people (top real estate agents, insurance brokers, financial advisors and sales people for top organizations) who want to be held accountable for producing top results. He offers a unique system that teaches people how to Think & Win Like a Champion when it comes to achieving goals. <br> <br> Starting out <br> <br> He worked for different technology and telecommunications companies, but the corporate world was not for him, because he felt that something was missing and every day he felt he wasn’t living according to his purpose. He eventually decided to start his own business, and because he did it alone, his success plateaued at some point. Luckily, he found the right mentor who taught him what he needed to succeed in the long term. <br> <br> Leaving corporate <br> <br> Nicky left his last job when the last company he used to work for went under. While other people were finding it hard to get a job, he got into consulting, but he went through a lot of years being stuck in the journey of being a business owner. It wasn’t until he started to see what his expertise was, that he was able to turn that into success. <br> <br> He says the stages of the thought leader’s business journey are: <br> <br> Stage 1: Being a new comer - this is for people thinking about getting into business or just getting started in business. They have no real experience owning their own business. They are not skilled at marketing and selling what they are offering, and they have no business systems. At this stage one is lucky to make any money at all. It’s a dangerous stage because if one doesn’t get passed it, they may need to get back to their corporate job. People in this stage make between $5,000 and $10,000 a year. <br> <br> Stage 2: An unconscious expert - This is someone who has expertise but they are not clear what their expertise is. They have some systems in place but they are stuck in an obsolete time for money business model. Their sales are inconsistent because their marketing works sometimes, not all the time. They have lumpy billings and make between $30,000 and $50,000 a year. <br> <br> Stage 3: Conscious Expert - Those in this stage have their message nailed which results in consistent marketing and more predicable sales. The challenge with this stage, is that one has to work lots of hours under a time for money business model which is not sustainable. They make between $150,000 and $300,000 a year. <br> <br> Stage 4: Thought Leader - At this stage, one has arrived and they are making between $500,000 and $3 Million a year. It’s not about time for money, it’s about getting paid based on one’s expertise. One works between 50 and 150 days a year doing what they love, with the best clients of their choice. Very few get to this stage. <br> <br> Nicky says there is a final stage called the Celebrity Thought Leader Stage, which is the stage for people like Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Robin Sharma who are global iconic figures. They make between $5 Million and $100+ Million a year. They work whenever they want and they can work a little or a lot. They are sort after by the top business/industry leaders in the world and celebrities. They get to charge whatever they want and their impact is global. The challenge is,
