“Operating without integrity is just bad business, and it should never be confused with engaging in smart business. The two are separate, although the line between them is often blurred.”
– Micheal Franzese
A lesson in Occupational and Intellectual Wellness…
As an Amazon Affiliate it is policy to inform you that this is an advertisement. However, this is still a reflection of a great book that I’ve read many times over. I believe it would benefit any who may read it. You can find the link for it in my references located at the bottom of this page.
Order and Crime
There is no such thing as fairness. There is only order. Without order, there is no such thing as a crime. Laws are made and abolished each year, determining what is or isn’t a crime. Your “rights” vary depending on the country you are in. Order doesn’t care if you are satisfied. Order only means to maintain the status quo…
It’s a tough job, keeping everyone in line. There will always be inequality. Therefore, there will always be a need for leverage. That’s usually the slot organized crime fills. I’m not making a case for anarchy, nor am I advocating for a new system of government. I’m just here to ensure that you do not lose your way. The climate is always changing, and your choices are never without their consequences.
A life of crime involves living your life in fear of exposure. That’s no way for someone to live. Though there are lines that should never be crossed, there are valuable insights to gain from the world of organized crime. The first (and possibly the most) important lesson to learn is that the moment you get out of line, “heroes” will step up one after another to take you down. It’ll never stop. You’ll make enough enemies doing things the right way. There is no need to have the whole world against you.
Another shared value between businessmen and organized criminals is… well… organization! Write it down. If you’ve been doing that since we’ve spoke on it a year ago, then you might just have something that looks like a business plan. Excellent work. You’re going places. Leave as little to chance as you can before you commit to something. Or else you WILL get hurt. My guarantee to you.
Gaining power
Only fools neglect drawing out their plans. You need something tangible to show those who would sponsor you. Whenever you are dealing with a potential business partner, do not accept a vague explanation. Someone who can’t explain their plan in detail doesn’t actually have one. Their only plan is tricking you out of money. Victory in warfare is achieved through strategy, plans, protocols, and tactics. You need to make sure all your bases are covered. You should also expect this from anyone asking for your contribution. Mobilizing with no plan will only get you killed. If you’re lucky, you’ll only lose some money and time.
Forming a solid strategy is only the first step in your business venture. The next step is forming a reliable team around that strategy. Your team is a reflection of you. Never forget that. A competent and unified crew is the greatest evidence of your power. Your crew must feel safe in your presence. Only your enemies should fear and envy you. If you use your power alone to keep your crew in line, dishonesty will become commonplace. Liars always cost more money than they make. They’re bad for business. Your team must never feel the need to lie to you. They should consider your downfall the same as theirs.
Don’t just hire your homies. Build your crew based on talent, not just skillset. You must be knowledgeable in the field you are hiring for. You must know exactly how you would do things, then effectively coach it. Everyone on the team gets a piece. Something that belongs to only them. Everyone has aspirations. So everyone must feel the agency. They need to feel pride in what they do. They shouldn’t just be getting their dream job. They should be a part of a world separate from the mundane. That is excitement. A good example of this would be the mafia or the military.
Communication is key. Get in the habit of checking in with your people. Even if there are no pressing matters, check to see how they are doing. Check to see if they need anything. It doesn’t have to be a long conversation. As a matter of fact, it’s encouraged to keep your check-ins brief. But it needs to be consistent. You can start practicing now by calling up some old friends. Once you’ve mastered communication, you’ll obtain something akin to omnipotence. Through your team, you are everywhere.
Move Smart
Your empire would need a second in command. Your number two isn’t just someone who would hold the umbrella for you. Your number two must be the most mature person you know. Someone who isn’t afraid to disagree with you. Someone who never fails to see things as they are. Number two is nothing without number one. But number one wouldn’t even make it half as far without number two. Batman had Alfred. No celebrity is without an agent. The Don doesn’t just act. The Don consults the Consigliere first. You need someone to help you keep track of things. To keep you on the right path. Whether in crime or corporate, if you start acting rashly, everyone either loses money or goes to jail. In warfare, it’ll get everyone killed. Number two’s job is helping you make sure nothing like that ever happens in your organization.
Another valuable lesson we can learn from the criminal is showing up earlier than anyone else. Think about it for a second. The hero? Always late. The bad guy? That dude is ALWAYS there first. The bad guy went to sleep early. Got everything in order. THEN he robs the bank. Get your sleep pattern down. Seriously. You are only losing money when you oversleep. At war, you are at your most vulnerable in your sleep. Working hard doesn’t mean waking up at 9:30 in the morning.
Not all criminals are unintelligent. But all of them are stupid. Stupidity is when you know there’s a better way to go about things, yet choosing the wrong way. One stupid choice could get you killed out there. No matter which side of the fence you’re on, there will be no sympathy for idiots.
Corruption and weakness
How most criminals think emulates the writings of Niccolo Machiavelli. The cornerstone of Machiavellian philosophy is “winning at all costs.” Machiavelli’s point of view works for criminals because he gets it halfway right. Being half-right is good enough for idiots. The point of war is victory. Nothing else. That is true. However, “win at all costs” is not quite right. Instead, one should aspire to “win despite all odds.” It’s not quite the same thing. You actually have to be strong to pull off something like this. The best possible victory is both sides achieving peace. You will get more out of a spared former adversary than a dead one.
“Evil” isn’t something that you can just switch on and off. You either are or you aren’t. We should be capable of darkness, but it shouldn’t consume us. You can’t surround yourself with people who would “win at all costs.” What if the cost of victory is throwing you to the wolves? You need to be around those who you can trust to make the right calls. Once a system has too many idiots, it crumbles.
Machiavelli’s way of looking at the world is a justification for greed. You will never know satisfaction living by this philosophy. The point of war is victory. There is no such thing as fairness. But there is such a thing as ill-gotten gains. These types of victories always catch up to you. Being in power doesn’t necessarily make someone powerful. Instead of seizing someone else’s power, become powerful yourself. You don’t want to be king anyway. It’s a terrible job. Just settle for mastery.
You never need to compromise your integrity for the sake of victory. Victory in warfare is achieved through your strategies, plans, protocols, and tactics. It takes time to come up with a strategy. It takes even longer to think of protocols but plans? Plans are something you should think of quickly. Once you start your business venture, let me make one thing very clear. You are not allowed to run out of ideas. Once in power, you will lose that luxury altogether. Whether figuratively or literally, we all have a gun to our heads. Everyone answers to someone. The moment you run out of ideas, the trigger gets pulled. Might as well break that limiter before you even begin. Start writing your stuff down.
The only real advice I could give to an aspiring master is to avoid taking advice. Only an amateur would seek advice. Even if someone gave you decent advice, the advice worked for THEM. There is no promise that it would work for you. You probably don’t even have the same values. No one can see your grand pattern for you. No one has the special formula. Because it doesn’t exist. Don’t be a sucker. Masters only need tips, then they work from there. A tip is practical insight, easy to keep in mind, and will likely take you further than any advice would.
Keep a cool head
The information you take in is just as important as the information you put out. Remember never to say more than you have to. The most powerful weapons someone can use against you are your own words. There is no place for insults or ad hominem attacks in business. Even in organized crime, a high value is placed on respectfulness. Despite what you may see on social media platforms, belligerent thugs don’t get too far in life. Very short life expectancy…
People get smoked all the time for being disrespectful. It’s been that way throughout history. Violation means a demonstration is mandatory. Never give someone a proper excuse to plot against you. If a debate gets heated, nothing gets resolved. It’s better to deescalate the situation and either make a compromise or resume the conversation at a later time. Aggression is not the same as belligerence. Negotiation is an artform. You could walk in with nothing and come out with everything. Or at the very least something. A win is a win.
Learning how to negotiate is an invaluable life skill. Not just in the business world. You never know when you may have to talk someone off of a ledge. There’s a lot that goes into negotiations. It deserves its own topic. But for now, we’ll settle on some quick notes. There must already be proof of your capability before entering a negotiation. If not, you will be tested. This will turn the negotiation in favor of the opposition. Never bite off more than you can chew. Don’t take on debts when you don’t have a plan to pay them off in a timely manner. Avoid making deals out of desperation. They always end up setting you back in the long run.
Don’t waste words during a negotiation. This isn’t the time for clever jokes and witty banter. Everyone needs to reach an agreement on how to move forward. If you didn’t walk away from a negotiation with clarity, you failed. Negotiations must take place in a neutral sanctuary. Never agree to a negotiation on the opponent’s turf. Safety must not be a concern for either party. Do not bring people into negotiations who have no place. Especially if you are discussing sensitive information. This will only complicate matters.
It’s not supposed to be easy
Be ready for resistance. Remember that you aren’t trying to win a debate. Debating is for politicians, not businessmen. Criminals hate debating as well. Negotiations are about not losing. Look for the common ground first. Talking too much in a negotiation can force you into a bad deal. Let the other person talk too much. Ask questions that are engaging enough to keep them talking. The moment you appear angry, negotiations are over. The opposition may try to stir a debate on purpose to avoid a decision being made against them. Then, it becomes about who has the most power in the room. Do not allow this to happen.
Everyone hates losing. A lot of us out there would cheat to avoid it. You have to be better than that. You don’t measure a man by what he wins. You measure him by how he takes a loss. No one likes a cheat. People will often ban together to crush a cheater. You lose the ability to trust anyone once you’ve complicated things. Your team will become pieces on a chessboard. The moment they realize that, you’re dealing with a mutiny. Now, the entire world is against you.
I know what some of you might be thinking. “If we are all in on the scam, then the team is solid, right?” The only way 3 men can keep a secret is if two of them are dead. That’s reality. You chose to surround yourself with people who would win at all costs. There will be no peaceful ending for you. The government gets better and better at tracking those who cheat the laws. And the penalty for making them track you down is enough to make anyone switch sides to save themselves. Committing a crime is becoming more of a gamble every day. Only idiots gamble. And there will be no sympathy for idiots.
The real way to work the system is using the laws to your advantage. There’s plenty of legal moves that shouldn’t be okay. They’re called tactics, and you would be wise to learn as many as you can. As you proceed to grow in your field, you must continue to work the dysfunction out of your character. If not, your worst enemy will always be yourself.
There will be many who will try to cheat. There will never be a shortage of idiots. You’re bound to run into a few. They will likely be your competitors. They will do whatever it takes to stay ahead of you, even sabotage. This is not a reason to become a cheater yourself. You do not allow the misdeeds of another to compromise your integrity. So what if they have an “unfair” advantage? Are you out of ideas all of a sudden? YOU DON’T GET TO RUN OUT OF IDEAS! Do you understand that? You must become someone who would win despite the odds.
Avoid hitting rock bottom
You are going to encounter failure a lot. Life would get boring if you always had it your way anyway. Failure isn’t the same as defeat. You are only defeated once you are out of ideas. Failure only means that you have to come back with another plan. A commoner would despair and complain while a master gets to work.
The greatest inventions are the results of many failures. Each failure teaches you a way not to accomplish your goal. Analyzing your failures may even help you to realize that your talents lie elsewhere. Not everyone is meant to run a business. You may be better off in a supporting role. Or as a contractor. And that’s okay. Failure is your friend as long as you don’t look away from it.
You also must be up front about your failures to those who depend on you. They will never understand if you never talk to them. If times are rough and you can’t pay what you owe, your sponsors can’t work with you if you don’t communicate. They don’t want you to go out of business. They lose if you do that. Communication keeps you connected. Your own shame in yourself is what makes failure sting so much. You simply cannot accept your own weakness… Get over yourself. Being weak is nothing to be ashamed of. Staying weak is. Don’t just abandon your problems. Only the weakest cowards are capable of going AWOL… Not even worth hunting down.
Some closing thoughts on stupidity… Addiction has been and will continue to be the bane of many great businessmen. It doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from. Everyone has an equal opportunity to throw their lives away. There are plenty of substances and activities one could get hooked on. Remember that freedom is choosing what not to do. Don’t become a new slave.
Addiction is a serious deal. It is a cold war tactic to flood narcotics into an enemy’s system in order to weaken the minds of the people. You don’t want any addicts among your ranks. They will never be able to perform their best. They could even steal from the team to fuel their habits. There must be zero tolerance for any addiction on your team. If you see it, either get them help or, at the very least, remove them from the team before they influence anyone else.
Any addict on your team can be bought for very cheap. Loyalty means nothing to an addict. They are among the lost and have no place on any team, let alone yours. Make sure your people are healthy. Never neglect checking in on your people. You’d be surprised what can get addicting. It’s not only drugs or gambling. It could happen to you. Remember to pace yourself and practice moderation even with the things you enjoy.
Don’t lose your way
Perhaps it is your work you may be addicted to. “The self-improvement curse” exists only in the vocational realm. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your work is the only thing that matters. All aspects of wellness are interconnected. It’s true that if you are behind in your occupational development, you will fall behind in other dimensions of your life. However, if you focus solely on your occupational wellness, your other areas are guaranteed to suffer. Imagine the business mogul who never gets to see his kids.
What qualifies as success to you depends on your values. If your values are screwed up, then it’s likely that your vision of success is also questionable. It’s not about winning at all costs. It’s about winning despite the odds. Is your idea of success simple? Or is it shortsighted? Don’t just think of the end goal. Imagine the bigger picture for a second. After you take over the world, what would you do with it? What does a good life really look like to you?
I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse was exactly what I was looking for in a first business book. Even if you’ve read plenty of books on business, I’m sure Micheal Franzese could provide an interesting insight as he was a part of a world most of us could never be a part of.
References and Photos
I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse. – Micheal Franzese
Batman – DC Comics
The Prince – Niccolo Machiavelli