No sooner did I finish reading my book about Mark Cuban, than I listened to a podcast about some American vendors who sell snacks at baseball games.  Mark Cuban had emphasised how he felt he simply put in more hours than other people and the podcast I listened to, which was extremely interesting, pretty much said the same thing.  You can download the podcast here: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/05/06/477082513/episode-700-peanuts-and-cracker-jack

It is something you can listen to on the way to or from work and it is about guys that work at a baseball stadium, which would be no different to the guys selling at the cricket or rugby stadiums in South Africa, and features a new young guy who has just started together with the guy who is meant to be the main sales person – the best guy.  They wanted to see what the best guy’s secret to making the most money was and they eventually realised that it was not actually about some amazing sales ability he had.  At the end of the night, by the time the young guy had already gone home and most of the other 50 odd vendors have given up, the number one success basically ran around the whole stadium selling things – being the last guy in the stadium from who you could buy anything.  In other words, just like Mark Cuban’s book, they said that really, it got down to the guy who was working the longest hours and putting in the most effort.  

That of course does not suit everybody, and various things that happen in our lives, such as having children, other responsibilities, or sick parents that one has to care for, ultimately determine the kind of hours you can put in.  It does however serve to remind all of us, and indeed me, that one of the ingredients to success is not that complicated – it is just hard work.  People want to believe there is some other secret recipe, there is something you can read that will let you cut the hours down, but I can tell you from my own experience and in my own offices that invariably the most successful people in my firm are those that work the longest hours.  Over the years if anybody has ever asked me about the hours I put in my answer has always been quite constant – I work longer hours than anybody who works for me.  That is absolutely the truth.  There are times now, in my 22nd year of practice, where I don’t put in the hours that I used to, which was at least 60 hours a week, but invariably, and even if I fall behind during the week or because I am managing other businesses and investments of mine, I put in the hours on a weekend.  I have always prided myself on the fact that, just like my mother, hard work has never ever frightened me.  

For example, you would never hear me say that I don’t work on Saturday or Sunday or that the weekend is not for working – because I don’t believe that.  

It is interesting to hear, whether it is the billionaire Mark Cuban, or it is the guy selling at the baseball stadium, that often the secret recipe to success that so many people are looking for is simply just putting in the extra hours.  That is not an answer that many people want to hear, but it is so true.