Michael  Zipursky  is  an  author,  entrepreneur  and  CEO  of ConsultingSuccess.com.  He  has  consulted  for organizations  and  advised  leaders  throughout  North  America,  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  Australia  and  the Middle  East  in  over  30  industries,  from  service  providers  to  billion  dollar  multinational  corporations including  Panasonic,  Dow  Jones,  Financial  Times,  Royal  Bank  and  many others.  Michael  is  an  in-demand speaker  and  gives  keynotes  and  workshops  for  the  Certified  Management  Consultants  Association, Canadian  Internet  Marketing  Conference,  Chartered  Management  Institute  UK  and  others. Michael’s work  has  appeared  in  MarketingProfs,  Huffington  Post,  Financial  Times,  FOX  Business, Maclean's,  HR Executive,  Business  Edge,  Marketing  Magazine  and  in  several  other  media  and  publications.  He  is  the author  of  5  books  on  consulting  and  marketing  including  his  most recent  bestseller  The  Elite  Consulting Mind.  Michael  speaks  English  and  Japanese  and  loves  traveling  and  spending  time  with  his  family.   Podcast Highlights   Who is Michael Zipurskey? Michael grew up feeling like an outsider. In his early years, his focus on sports combined with his perspective as an outsider gave him the foundation for his career later on. Michael has studied multiple languages and has lived in multiple countries. Playing in sports gives you the fair advantage of practicing failure, a key skill for success in consulting and business. Consulting Business At the age of 16, Michael travelled with his cousin Sam to Vietnam to start a business together. They ended up starting a web design and consulting business which opened the door for new opportunities. The places you’ve been and the things that have influenced you when you were young shape who you become as an entrepreneur. Michael dove right into consulting by applying what he learned and knew directly to the business world. Michael is not a big fan of education in some ways. You can always go back to school, but school is no substitute for getting things done. Clarity On Your Goals Michael knew what he wanted and pursued it. If you know what you want, how committed are you to getting it? With the right mindset, you can achieve whatever you want. Getting clear is the foundation to achieving growth in your business. People think that they need to add more in order to grow, but in Michael’s experience, the best way to grow is to subtract. Do less, not more. The most successful businesses have a very narrow and focused set of offerings. What are you doing now that is having the greatest impact? Not all activities have the same value to your business. What’s stopping us? A lack of knowledge is not holding you back, it’s your mindset. If you have a goal and know what you need to do to get there, why are you not doing those things? People have fears that hold them back, get out into the marketplace and refine your offering. You have to work on the right activities for the stage of the business you are in. What do you feel will have the greatest impact in your business right now? Reference: The Elite Consulting Mind, Michael Zipurskey Michael’s Takeaway Give some thought to your ideal client, who you think you can help the most and have had the greatest track record with. Look for a hungry market and start building a relationship right away with them wherever they are.   Links: consultingsuccess.com The Elite Consulting Mind Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!