Excellence at the Top: Life Lessons for Success in Business and Beyond

Excellence at the Top: Life Lessons for Success in Business and Beyond

Bill Conley

Introduction: Why Excellence Matters

Every generation faces the same question: What kind of life will you build? Some are tempted to drift, to let trends and headlines decide what they think and do. Others choose discipline, focus, and responsibility, then use those choices to forge a life of freedom.

I wasn’t born into privilege. I started working at nine years old, trimming weeds around gravestones with a hand trimmer and delivering newspapers 365 days a year in the Minnesota cold. At thirteen, my parents sat me down and said, “If you want anything going forward, you’ll pay for it yourself.” No allowance. No safety net.

The next five years, I cleaned my father’s medical clinic five nights a week, took a full-service gas station job at sixteen (back when we washed windows, checked oil and tire pressure, changed oil, and pumped gas), and added lifeguarding in summer. I also played sports, including cross country, swimming, and golf, captained two teams, won multiple state championships in swimming, and competed in state golf tournaments, starting as an eighth grader.

Work and sport taught me the two habits excellence demands: consistency and measurement. Sports made improvement visible; a stopwatch does not lie. If I shaved a second off a swim or a stroke off a round, I was improving. That mindset, beat yesterday, became the backbone of my life. I joined Junior Achievement, served as president, and our student company finished the year as the most profitable. When the school ran fundraisers, I aimed to finish first. Not for applause, but out of a stubborn belief that if something was worth doing, it was worth doing to win.

At the University of Minnesota, I paid my own way, worked over twenty hours a week, joined a fraternity, and became a cheerleader, eventually captain my senior year. College wasn’t a vacation; it was preparation for life. I wasn’t the most talented or the most connected, but I made choices that built stamina, leadership, and discipline. Those choices paid off.

In 1979, I graduated with a BS in Business Administration. The United States was in a deep recession. I didn’t know. There was no social media, but there were newspapers and evening news, and I didn’t follow any of it. I was listening to motivational tapes, reading business and self-improvement books, and focusing on my goals. That became one of the defining lessons of my life: cut the noise. Be informed enough to act, but not so consumed that you lose your focus. Your world, your effort, learning, and habits, is what create your future, not the world’s chatter.

My first job was selling welders and battery chargers for a family-owned manufacturer, products I had never even seen. They handed me the worst territory in America, ranked fifty out of fifty. I drove Northern Minnesota from Minneapolis to the Canadian border, lived on thirteen-dollar motels (because that is all the company reimbursed), ran welding clinics, worked eighty to one hundred hours a week, and turned that territory into number two nationally in one year. The company moved me to Bettendorf, Iowa, and gave me a new expanse from north of Springfield, Illinois, up to the Iowa border. I stayed on straight commission, paid my own expenses, and was on the road fifty-two weeks a year, often Sunday night to Friday night. When I left after about two years, that territory was number one in the nation. My first year income was fifty thousand dollars, when trainees made about thirteen thousand; my second year was seventy-five thousand. That did not happen because I knew welding. It happened because I outworked everyone and focused on what I could control.

In 1981, I packed my car and drove to Seattle to get into computers. I did not have a job or an apartment. It took two and a half months to land a role, right through a recession I still was not watching. The sales manager at a small company hired me as the tenth rep on a flyer and told me to write a training manual before selling. I shadowed every department, president, secretary, phone operator, and field service engineer, and learned how the company worked. I built cold call lists from the library, dialed relentlessly, and in my first year, I closed fourteen sales; the next closest rep closed six. I joined a second computer firm and, at twenty-three to twenty-four years old, again finished number one among veterans.

In July 1984, I put on a backpack and traveled Europe for eight months. I returned in April 1985, determined not to take another job but to build something of my own. I started a telemarketing company making cold calls for clients, the skill nobody wants but everyone needs. One client invited me to cofound a business reselling used Hewlett-Packard computers. We were the fifth company in the world doing it. From 1985 to 1995, we grew from two people in a secretarial suite to seventy-five employees, twelve salespeople, a fifty-thousand-square-foot warehouse, engineers, purchasing, inventory, and shipping.

In 1995, I founded U.S. Computer, owning one hundred percent. In the first six months, we made one million dollars in profit. I sold the company in 1998 for several million dollars and stayed three years as President and CEO to mentor the acquiring team.

I then focused on real estate development, building memory care centers, condos, apartments, office buildings, flipping and building homes, and land development, using the profits I had earned to create passive income. Today, I am completing a 479-unit apartment complex with partners in San Antonio, Texas. I also invest in the stock market. Markets go up and down, but over the long term, discipline and diversification win. And through it all, I have stayed physically fit because wealth without health is not freedom.

I have authored twelve books, and this year alone, I am on a mission to write 365 children’s stories on ethics, morals, values, and proper conduct, with around 305 written at the time of this writing, and I plan to publish six more books based on them.

What follows is the playbook behind that journey, twenty principles sharpened in real work and real markets, written so that anyone, anywhere, can use them to build a life of freedom and impact.

Part I: The Foundation of Work Ethic

Early work and responsibility. Work ethic is not born at twenty-five. It is built. Cutting graveyard weeds at nine, delivering papers every day, and cleaning a clinic at thirteen taught me accountability and pride in finishing what I start. Those small jobs were the gym where my discipline muscle grew.

A moment that mattered: As a teen janitor, I learned to do the job right even when no one was watching. Decades later, leading seventy-five employees, I never asked anyone to do work I would not do myself. That credibility moved mountains.

Sports as self-improvement. Swimming, cross country, and golf trained me to measure against myself. A stopwatch and scorecard do not lie. Shaving a second or a stroke is progress. That data-driven mentality beat yesterday, translated directly into sales activity, revenue, and growth.

A moment that mattered: Starting dead last in national sales, I did not chase the top rep; I chased a better me. One more call, one more clinic, one more early morning. That is how you go from fiftieth to second and then to first.

Junior Achievement and leadership. As JA president, we ran the most profitable company in our cohort. Leadership was not loudness; it was direction, standards, and accountability. The blueprint, cast a vision, align the team, and execute, scaled seamlessly when I later ran a national operation.

A moment that mattered: Ten years after JA, I was orchestrating purchasing, engineering, sales, and shipping. The chords were bigger, but the song was the same.

Part II: Learning Through College and Beyond

Paying my own way. Working twenty hours weekly while studying forced me to make choices. My friends could drift; I could not. Those habits of prioritization, time management, and endurance became priceless when I launched companies that needed eighty-hour workweeks.

A moment that mattered: When I opened U.S. Computer, the chaos felt familiar. I had already balanced work, classes, leadership, and life. I knew how to carry weight.

Balancing leadership roles. Fraternity life built networks; cheerleading, especially as captain, built leadership. Leaders set the cultural thermostat. If you cut corners, the team will too. If you arrive early, prepare hard, and give more, the team rises.

A moment that mattered: Years later, my sales teams mirrored my pace. People copy what you do, not what you say.

College is what you do, not where you go. A strong school helps, but the decisive factor is how you use the years. Treat college as a rehearsal for reality: take on responsibility, learn to lead, and practice under pressure.

A moment that mattered: When I hit the workforce, long hours and expectations did not shock me. I had been practicing for four years.

Part III: Sales and the Power of Persuasion

Welding sales from last to first. I knew nothing about welding. I did know mileage, motel soap, and relentless clinics. In one year, I took the worst territory to number two; by the time I left, my new territory was number one. Straight commission, thirteen-dollar motel allowance, fifty-two weeks on the road. I learned an enduring law: effort beats inexperience.

A moment that mattered: Earning fifty thousand dollars the first year and seventy-five thousand the second, when peers earned thirteen thousand, proved performance pays when you are willing to pay the price.

Cold calling in computers. In Seattle, I did not follow recession headlines; I followed a plan. I wrote a training manual by shadowing every role, then built call lists from the library and out-dialed everyone. First year: fourteen sales; next closest: six. At the second company, I was number one again, the youngest rep in the room.

A moment that mattered: The door that opened on attempt number thirty-seven reminded me that persistence creates luck.

Life is selling. Sales is not trickery; it is service, listening, and influence. Every job, relationship, team, or pitch is a persuasion. Treat everyone like a client: understand them, add value, and follow through.

A moment that mattered: Years later, I was not just selling to customers; I was selling a vision to engineers, suppliers, bankers, and new hires. The same muscles did the work: empathy, clarity, and consistency.

Part IV: Entrepreneurship and Wealth Building

From two men to seventy-five employees. In 1985, we launched a used Hewlett-Packard business, one of five in the world. I sold, purchased, engineered, inventoried, and shipped, whatever needed doing. We acquired competitors, grew to seventy-five employees, twelve sales reps, and a fifty-thousand-square-foot warehouse. Entrepreneurship is wearing every hat until you can hire for it.

A moment that mattered: The first time I looked across a humming warehouse, I saw the compound interest of a decade of early mornings and late nights.

U.S. Computer, one million dollars in six months. In 1995, I started over, this time owning one hundred percent. With relationships and know-how already in place, we made one million dollars in profit in six months. In 1998, I sold for several million.

A moment that mattered: The sale closed on years of compounding credibility. I had learned to build something that others wanted to buy.

Staying on to mentor. I remained three years as President and CEO for the acquiring company. Mentorship means teaching systems, standards, judgment, and culture so the business thrives without you.

A moment that mattered: Watching a young rep I trained grow into leadership was more satisfying than any single deal.

Real estate and passive income. I deployed gains into memory care, condos, apartments, office buildings, flips, and land, turning active income into passive. Freedom is when money works while you sleep. I also invested in the stock market, accepting volatility, trusting discipline, and diversification.

A moment that mattered: Partnering on a 479-unit project in San Antonio showed how far disciplined reinvestment can scale.

Profit is made in the purchase. The sale reveals profit; the purchase creates it. If you buy better than your competitors, you can undercut and still win. I built supply lines others did not have, negotiated harder, and moved faster.

A moment that mattered: Securing a bulk lot of used systems far below market let me price under every rival and still earn healthy margins, winning revenue and loyalty.

Part V: The Mental Game of Success

Cutting out the noise. In 1979, the economy was rough; I did not know. I was not watching, clicking, scrolling, or fretting. I was working, reading, and learning. Today the noise is louder with feeds, pundits, and endless distractions. Be informed, but do not be consumed. Focus on your sphere: your choices, your calendar, your growth.

A moment that mattered: While others feared macro conditions, I turned the worst territory into one of the best. Focus is an edge.

Knowing when to cut losses. Some deals lose. Some properties underperform. Pride is expensive. Sell, free the cash, and reallocate to higher return opportunities. The same goes for roles, routines, and habits.

A moment that mattered: I dumped computer inventory at a loss to buy a better lot; I sold real estate that underdelivered to fund projects with stronger returns. The hit today can be the win tomorrow.

Strive for excellence and measure yourself against yourself. Mediocrity is crowded; the top is spacious. Set a standard higher than anyone sets for you and raise it again when you meet it. Improvement is a habit.

A moment that mattered: In sport, I shaved seconds; in sales, I added calls; in business, I built better teams, systems, and margins. The scoreboard changes; the mindset does not.

Build self-worth, self-love, and confidence. Confidence is not arrogance; it is earned belief. If your self-esteem is low, build it deliberately:

1.     Tell the truth about where you are.

2.     Stack small wins daily (study block, workout, one tough conversation).

3.     Affirm your uniqueness; write strengths and read them aloud.

4.     Enter discomfort; speak up once in class, introduce yourself, and join the club.

5.     Track progress; journal, celebrate effort, iterate.

A moment that mattered: I was the youngest, least experienced rep at my second computer firm. I chose to outlearn and outwork the veterans and finished number one.

Health is nonnegotiable. Wealth does not outrun poor health. Stay active, strong, and disciplined physically. It sharpens your mind and lengthens your horizon.

A moment that mattered: The stamina I built in athletics became the stamina that carried eighty-hour weeks without breaking.

Part VI: The Legacy Lessons

Here is the short list you can memorize:
• Start early. Habits compound.
• Own responsibility. Pay your way and carry your weight.
• College is preparation, not vacation. Do more, not less.
• Life is selling. Listen, serve, persuade.
• Outwork and outlearn. Effort compounds.
• Own something. Equity builds freedom.
• Profit in the purchase. Negotiate and source smart.
• Create passive income. Reinvest to buy time.
• Cut losses fast. Pride is costly.
• Cut the noise. Focus is an edge.
• Build confidence by design. Small wins daily.
• Strive for excellence. Beat yesterday.
• Stay fit. Health powers longevity.
• Decide. Plan. Commit. Execute. Repeat.

Conclusion: The Legacy of Excellence

Excellence has been my compass. I did not always know the map, but I trusted the compass: show up, work hard, improve daily, ignore the noise, take responsibility, and bet on myself.

That compass led from a cemetery trimmer and paper boy to a top welding salesperson living out of thirteen dollar motels, to a number one computer rep built on cold calls and library lists, to a founder scaling from a secretarial suite to a fifty thousand square foot warehouse with seventy five employees, to owning a company that generated a million dollars in profit in six months and sold for several million, to mentoring a successor team as President and CEO for three years, to building a real estate portfolio that throws off passive income, including a 479 unit apartment development, while continuing to invest in the stock market and staying physically fit enough to enjoy the freedom those assets buy.

Along the way, I wrote books and hundreds of children’s stories that teach ethics, values, and conduct because wealth without wisdom does not build the world I want to leave behind.

If I could hand you one tool that never fails, it would be this: discipline over distraction. The world will always offer a narrative of fear and frenzy and what if. Tune it out. Be informed, but not derailed. Put your highest energy into what you can actually control: your calendar, your habits, your standards, and your craft.

If you are unsure where to begin, start with the four levers I have pulled my whole life:

1.     Outwork. Do more of the right work than anyone around you.

2.     Outlearn. Treat learning like a sport: read, listen, ask, practice.

3.     Own. Take equity of your outcomes first, and eventually in assets that pay you while you sleep.

4.     Outlast. Cut losses quickly, adapt, and keep going.

Remember the hidden laws that compound your results. Profit is made in the purchase. Negotiation and sourcing are leverage. Sales is not a department; it is how humans cooperate through empathy, clarity, and trust. Confidence is not an accident; it is a stack of small promises you keep to yourself until you begin to believe you can keep bigger ones. Excellence is not perfection; it is the honest, stubborn refusal to live one inch below your potential.

Will you fail at times? Yes. I did plenty. I sold properties at a loss. I dumped inventory. I made bets that did not pay. But losses are tuition, cheap if you learn fast and redirect capital, attention, and energy into higher return opportunities. What ruins people is not losing; it is clinging to pride, to appearances, to sunk costs. Let go. Move on. Make the right decision.

If you take one image with you, take this: mediocrity is crowded. It is noisy, full of excuses, and short on accountability. The top, the arena of excellence, always has room for one more. That room is not reserved for the privileged; it is reserved for the prepared. Decide who you want to be. Write the plan. Build the habits. Execute daily. Keep score. Beat yesterday. Invest your wins in assets that buy back your time. Take care of your body so you can enjoy the life you are building. And when the world shouts, lower the volume and raise your standards.

I started with a lawnmower and a paper bag of newspapers. I built companies, sold them, reinvested, and created freedom. Not because I was lucky, but because I practiced a few simple disciplines for a very long time. You can do the same. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can, again tomorrow, and again the next day, until momentum carries you to places you once thought were for other people.

Excellence is available. Freedom is possible. The path is clear: discipline, focus, belief, and action, repeated until your results are undeniable. That is my legacy to you. Make it your own.

Bill Conley