James Blackwell traces his earnings from six to eight figures and argues money stops mattering past a point. He points to Brunello Cucinelli's philosophy of simplicity and countryside living, then makes the case for a modest profitable business around $200-600k yearly, meaningful relationships, and a life built on your actual values.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen, James Blackwell here. So in today's video, I wanted to share with you a story that I learned around what it takes to be truly wealthy. So a lot of people talk around building financial wealth and prosperity, but what does it take to be truly wealthy? So I've been through all of the journey from zero to earning six figures a year, to earning seven figures a year, to now earning eight figures a year. And I can tell you what's totally shifted my mindset and perspective on what it truly means to be wealthy. Now I got all of the nice things, live in the nice apartments around the world, travel around the world, have three homes, have all of the nice fancy cars and everything else. One thing I still like to do is I study billionaires. And I was reading an autobiography by a guy called Brunello Cucinelli. So he's like a famous Italian designer. I actually wear a lot of his clothing, so very similar to say, Laura Piano. And he lives in this like picturesque village in a place in Italy. And what I loved about his I, I seen like his day in the life and like what his schedule was, and it was pretty much just all thinking time and being out of what I would call like a big city. So what really set him apart isn't just the success he's had to be billionaire in the fashion world, but his like actual unique approach to life and business. So for example, Brunello starts his day each with like a walk and then a cup of coffee and he just takes that time to think it'd simply be now. I really resonated with that because like for my every day I don't start work really till 12, one o' clock and all I do is grab my journal and I go for coffee somewhere and I just sit and contemplate. And the one thing I learned with Brunello is he believes that like, living in a city ruins your soul. So I'm actually here in the city, in Dubai, back in one of my homes. Uh, but what he tended to find was like, he found true happiness in the countryside, away from the constant distractions of technology. And that really struck with me because Brunello really believes that having like enough is a source of wealth and that you can actually be happy with out an abundance of money. So I always say, like, money is important to a certain point and then after you get a certain amount of wealth, it makes no difference in terms of your happiness. So if I look on my journey when I was more happy, especially probably more happy when I was making like 40, 50k a month compared to like 5 600k months. And that's crazy, but that is the actual true reality because you end up having so much choice. I mean, for me, like I have three different homes, I have three different supercars and I don't even drive them. I have all these nice watches, I have all these nice things, good friends, it's great. But sometimes like I miss just like the authentic, true connection to nature and just being out in the country, just contemplating being with family and friends and loved ones. And that really got me thinking about like how we often measure success in our industry. We always chase these bigger clients, higher fees, it's all about how much money you do per month, more placements, more, more deals and thinking that will bring us like real happiness and fulfillment. But what if we're actually missing the point? Because Brunello's life is really a testament to the power of simplicity, personal development and meaningful relationships. So he invests in his own growth, engages in like deep conversations on an evening with all his friends down a local pub and or in a cafe. And he talks around like philosophy and he treats every single day as a gift. And when it comes to actual business and how he operates, he believes in the power of small but a highly skilled team. So I took a lot of learning from that because that's very similar to how I run my businesses. Very lean, but a good team of A players. So he says in his words, like a small team of A players can run circles around a big team of B players. And that's all true. So my question to you is, what does true wealth look like in your life and your business? Because it's that never ending pursuit of more or is it that cultivation of like a well lived life, like with true purpose, true growth and really meaningful connections. So we talk about health, wealth, love, happiness, all those four pillars. Like is that really what we want in life? Because just chasing another digit and chasing another few million isn't really going to make any difference in our lives. So as business owners, we have the power to really shape our businesses and lives in a way that really aligns with our core purpose and deepest values and aspirations. So I was thinking about this like having say like a micro business that does like 200 to 600k a year profits is probably the ultimate goal and dream for most people. And we can choose to focus on what truly matters and really let go of the rest. So if this resonates with you, give me a like in the channel. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below of like what what actual true wealth means to you and how you're building a business and life that reflects that. Because life is by design. So how you build your business and your life, you can design it all. So I hope you enjoyed this. And remember, true wealth isn't just measured in dollars. It's measured in the richness of your experiences. Because you can never replace. You can replace the money, but you can't replace the memories and experiences. So focus on what matters most and the rest will fall into place.
