A Relentless Drive For Success: The Grant Cardone Story

CHICAGO - Grant Cardone does not lack energy.

And he does not want for success. Ask Cardone why he is successful -- he owns about 5,000 apartments, has written seven books, and advises major companies such as Ford and Aflac on sales strategy -- and he isn't really sure.

"The first 30 years of my life, I tried to conform to society. I tried to be everybody’s friend. I tried to be like what everybody else wanted me to be," Cardone told InsuranceNewsNet Publisher Paul Feldman in a March interview.

"Every time I tried to bring it down - simmer down, get less attention, dream less - the sicker I got. I literally got physically sick. I got uncomfortable. I got unhappy. I was irritable. I didn’t like work. I felt burnt out all the time."

So Cardone presses on, looking for that next success. Along the way, he is imparting wisdom that industry sales teams are lapping up. Cardone is the keynote speaker today at the InsuranceNewsNet 2018 Superconference outside Chicago.

'Push People Hard'

One of Cardone's notable books is The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure.

In it, he lays out his ideas and principles for "extreme success." The difference from other authors in this genre is Cardone's portfolio. He has walked the walk.

"Money won’t make you happy, but I’m going to tell you something. Success will make you happy," Cardone said. "Success is a game. When you win, you feel good. Everybody feels good."

One principle is don't be afraid to back up your plans and ideas with confidence, Cardone said. He described his ongoing consulting work with a client to bump its sales from $5 billion to $7 billion.

Cardone expects his suggestions to be met with pushback and he is ready for it.

"If there’s some goofball in that company, some guy making $80,000 a year that doesn’t like me or is threatened by my technology or my solutions, I definitely will pressure him," he said.

"If you have a good product and a good service, you should be willing to push people hard. I have no problem with pressure."

InsuranceNewsNet Senior Editor John Hilton has covered business and other beats in more than 20 years of daily journalism. John may be reached at john.hilton@innfeedback.com. Follow him on Twitter @INNJohnH.

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