John Lincoln is CEO of Ignite Visibility, a digital marketing teacher at the University of California San Diego and author of the book Digital Influencer, A Guide to Achieving Influencer Status Online. Lincoln has been awarded top conversion rate expert of the year and top SEO expert of the year. In 2014, 2015, and 2016, Ignite Visibility was named No. 1 SEO company in California. Follow him @johnelincoln.

Who is your hero? (In business, life, or both.)

I have a lot of people that I look up to. But I would have to say my dad (Tom Lincoln of Lincoln, Gustafson & Cercos). He is an amazing entrepreneur, has great judgement and is very smart. His company has grown into multiple regions and has accrued millions of dollars in revenue over the years. He is a great friend and mentor. I would put him first on my list.

What’s the single best piece of business advice that helped shape who you are as an entrepreneur today, and why?

Over-invest in every client. Give them more than they ask for. This has been the best advice I have ever gotten. Acquiring customers in a competitive space is tough. When you over-deliver, it not only helps with retention but it makes everyone at the company feel good and sleep well at night. This is one of my core business and life philosophies.

Finally, I was once told to develop a business mission that aligns with my personal mission. My mission is to help others through digital marketing. It drives me every day. I drive revenue for clients, provide pay checks for great people at our company and provide for my family. It all aligns.

What’s the biggest mistake you ever made in your business, and what did you learn from it that others can learn from too?

Taking on the wrong client can turn into a really bad situation. In the past, I have worked with clients when I knew there was a very small chance for success. So when we started Ignite Visibility, we built out a program that makes sure each client is the right fit. We develop the strategy, forecast the results and set the right expectations. At companies I worked at in the past, the sales team would not do this. It led to a lot of problems. It is never a good idea to sell a deal just to sell it. That leads to internal issues and can result in a poor reputation.

What do you do during the first hour of your business day and why?

Every morning I have breakfast with my family, exercise, meditate and then review my life goals, 6-month goals, goals for how to live each day and my daily to-do list. This keeps me laser focused, grateful and relaxed. I generally also review a list of quotes that embody how I want to spend each day. Following this, I study for an hour each morning to make sure I know everything that is going on in the Internet marketing space. After that, it’s email time. That is when business as usual starts.

What’s your best financial/cash-flow related tip for entrepreneurs just getting started?

Invest heavily in advertising and sales at the beginning. Make sure it is the right marketing mix — one that will allow you to collect direct leads. Reduce your expenses on everything else you can do without. Don’t invest in things like office space, high-end equipment, expensive software, telecom services, etc. Wait until you have some business coming in. Once cash flow is positive, start to scale your expenses. Always maintain the same margins of profitability. This was the best approach for me. We have always been self-funded, but I think with investors I still would have maintained these same principals.

Quick: What’s ONE thing you recommend ALL aspiring or current entrepreneurs do right now to take their biz to the next level?

Find people who have the same customers as you but are not competitors, and set up one to two meetings a week with them. Find ways to help them and give them a compelling reason to refer you business. This should help you establish new pipelines on an ongoing basis.

What’s your definition of success? How will you know when you’ve finally “succeeded” in your business?

A couple of years ago, I decided to write a book, start an agency, start writing for leading publications like Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. Magazine and Search Engine Land and teach at UCSD. I made a plan and got it done. I think it is important to appreciate where I am now.

I do feel like I have succeeded and want to appreciate the moment.

From here, I want to:

• Help as many people as I can through Internet marketing
• Make charitable donations with my time and money
• Sell thousands of copies of my new book, Digital Influencer, A Guide to Reaching Influencer Status Online (proceeds go to charity)
• Publish a new book every two years
• Develop a series of online businesses
• Help others, be honest and innovative.