[](http://www.flickr.com/photos/36371049@N07/)image from itamaryu, flickr artist
image from itamaryu, flickr artist

sure is sounds redundant, but that doesn’t make it any less true. the key to success is success. think about it: someone creates a small business and that business takes off. small business owner turns into a big time executive of a big time corporation. big time executive writes books about being successful and sells millions. millionaire starts to spin off products or services with their name on it, making billions. sounds like the path that many people have taken to super-stardom in life. people like oprah, donald trump, richard branson, bill gates — they’ve all followed a similar path. the interesting thing about success is that it breeds more success. when coaching hockey at penn state, i used to tell my guys that “winning sires winning.” there’s nothing like the confidence you gain from winning to give you the confidence to win another one. people see your favorable outcomes and begin to gravitate towards you. as

chris hardwick, nerdist and my own personal cult leader says:

[…] the more confidence you are able to cram into your heart, the more you attract good stuff in life. It’s kind of a cold economy of Nature to reward those who don’t seem to need it. I think it stems from the idea that if an organism is strong, it’s worthy of passing on its genes. If said organism is desperate and needy, it must be flawed and its spreading must be limited.

and he’s right! people like winners. that’s why world series and super bowl champions always sell more merchandise. it also explains why the vast majority of people born in the mid 80s are fans of jordan and the chicago bulls, and jeter and the yankees. (it probably explains the vast majority of manchester united fans that don’t live in the northwest of england.)

so the best way to win new clients is to do some special things for your current clients. the best way to increase your portfolio is to work with those clients on new, more challenging projects. excellence should be one of your guiding principles. in the end, it’s a pretty simple formula: if you want to be a winner, then win.

success is dependent upon a whole array of factors. if you'd like a better understanding of what makes someone successful, check out malcolm gladwell's new book 'outliers: the story of success'.