“I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years.”
— Warren Buffett
Introduction: Wealth Isn’t an Accident, It’s a Mindset
Picture this.
You walk past the angry crowds at the Occupy Wall Street protest. You nod silently, get into your shiny new Lexus Hybrid SUV, bought entirely from the dividends of your Apple stock. You bought it years ago, at $23 per share, when Steve Jobs had just returned to the helm. Your hunch paid off. Today, your return exceeds 1,000%.
That’s not just a story. That’s the reality of smart investing.
What is the difference between financial success and struggle? Mindset.
And in this post, you’ll discover how to adopt the Millionaire Mind, a way of thinking inspired by some of the most successful investors and 10X companies ever studied. This will help you understand how to become wealthy under any economic condition and the actions steps this will require.
The Source of Wealth Wisdom: Jim Collins’ 10X Companies
My “aha” moment came while reading Great by Choice by Jim Collins, author of the best-seller Good to Great. In it, Collins and his team studied companies that outperformed their industries by more than 10 times. He called them 10X Companies.
On average, these businesses beat the market by 32 times. What made them different?
They shared four key traits:
- Fanatical Discipline
- Empirical Creativity
- Productive Paranoia
- Level 5 Ambition
This article focuses on the first two. You’ll learn how these traits can help you not just survive—but thrive—in any economy.
Trait #1: Fanatical Discipline
What It Means
10X companies didn’t gamble during boom years or panic during recessions. They stayed consistent, focused, and disciplined—regardless of external conditions.
What It Means for You as an Investor
Smart investors don’t jump ship when markets wobble. They stay the course. They keep learning, keep investing, and play the long game.
Key Behaviors:
- Buy and hold quality stocks or real estate, even when prices dip.
- Avoid hype, focus on fundamentals.
- Stick to your plan, especially when emotions run high.
Warren Buffett is the poster child for this. He only invests in companies he understands and holds onto them for decades. His famous quote says it all:
“In the short term, the market is a popularity contest. In the long term, it is a weighing machine.”
Moral of the Trait
Be consistent. Don’t let fear or greed derail your financial goals. Discipline, not timing, is what creates long-term wealth.
Trait #2: Creative Experimentation
Collins’ Metaphor: Bullets Before Cannonballs
If you’re down to your last gunpowder, do you fire a cannonball and hope to hit? Or do you shoot a few bullets first to test your aim?
10X companies always test small before going big.
Bullets = low-cost, low-risk, low-distraction experiments.
Cannonballs = full-scale investments or big moves after testing what works.
Real-Life Application: Investing & Business
Real Estate Example:
- Start as a bird dog, scouting deals for experienced investors.
- Move to joint ventures to build confidence.
- Once you understand your market, consider buying your own properties.
Business Example:
- Test your product or service on a small scale.
- Validate your idea before signing leases, hiring staff, or running expensive ads.
Even Jeff Bezos followed this principle. Amazon started with online book sales before expanding into other industries. What looked like bold bets were, in fact, tested shots, bullets fired with precision.
Moral of the Trait
Test before you scale. Start small, learn fast, then go big once you’ve found what works.
Conclusion: Wealth Is a Skill You Can Learn
The habits of 10X companies aren’t just for big corporations. They’re blueprints for personal success.
- Want to build wealth? Be fanatically disciplined.
- Want to avoid disaster? Experiment creatively before going all-in.
These two traits alone can transform how you approach money, business, and life.
Take Action: Learn How to Become Wealthy Under Any Economic Condition
Take one step this week to strengthen your wealth-building mindset:
✅ Set a consistent investing schedule—even if it’s just $50/month.
✅ Test a side hustle or small-scale business idea.
✅ Read Great by Choice and identify one trait to apply to your life.
You don’t need to wait for the “perfect” time to start building wealth.
Start with discipline. Grow with experimentation.
And remember—your financial future isn’t out of reach.
It’s one smart decision at a time.
Editor’s note: This is the first part of a 2-part series of how to become wealthy under any economic condition you can read Part 2 here.
