FBC – 358 – The secret to become the best of the best?

Becoming the best at what you do is not about talent or luck. It is about a specific method that top performers follow consistently. In this episode, I share a discovery about mastery that I found in the most unexpected place, and how you can apply it to any skill or business to reach the top of your field.

What if there was a method to become the best at what you do?

Would you be interested to know what it is?

Today I found what COULD be the answer in the most unusual place… I honestly never would have guessed that this would happen.

All the details and more in this episode.

If you are serious about finding a way to get a glimpse of true freedom and get as close as one can be, then click on the link below.

https://martinebongue.com/profit-machines

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Today I saw a snippet of an interview of an NBA player that I really don't like. But he said something that's actually very, very deep and very smart. And, you know, you have to give respect where respect is due.

So it all started with the fact that he recently declared that he is the best defender in history of the NBA, which is obviously not the case. That's the kind of guy he is. Showing off and being loud and shouting all the time and stuff. I hate the guy. I don't like him.

But he explained a little bit about his mind set and philosophy and stuff. And I do kind of understand where it's coming from.

So, again, as I said, he said, well, I'm the best defender ever. And there was a big hoo ha around this. People were like, oh, how dare he say something like that. And obviously, you know, journalists have been asking him like, dude, who do you think you are saying that you're the best defender in history.

And what he said is very interesting. He said that, well, here's the thing. My mentality is that as long as I'm playing that will be my mind set. Right. That he is the best at what he does because and that's where it becomes interesting.

He also said you don't accidentally become the best at something. It doesn't just happen like this. At some point you have to believe that you can be the best and if you don't believe in it is not going to happen. So if you're convinced that you are the best, you're going to push in that direction. Right. And that will give you a chance of actually becoming the best at what you do.

OK, so before I just saw him as the biggest jerk on the planet. But I do understand what he said and what he said was also that, you know, it's not like you can magically wake up and accidentally you're the best at something. Right. It's because at some point before you became the best, you said, dude, I think I have a shot at becoming the best and then you put in the effort.

You need to have that conviction that, you know what? I'm good at what I do. But that can manifest in various different forms. Right. You know, you can be an obnoxious, loud mouth, like this guy, or you can be less vocal about it.

The secret to becoming the best is not a single dramatic moment. It is the daily commitment to getting slightly better, compounded over months and years.

Top performers do not rely on motivation. They rely on systems and habits that keep them improving even on the days when they do not feel like working.

The secret to become the best of the best?

Steve Jobs has said, well, the people who change the world are those who are crazy enough to think that they could actually do it. Right. So people who came up with, I don't know, like the tunnel under the channel, the Eurostar thingy. I mean, just imagine the first meeting when some dude showed up and like, well, we need a suggestion.

Some dude was like, let's dig a hole under the ocean. I'm pretty sure people laughed, but that dude was crazy enough to believe it, and it actually happened.

My buddy who interviewed me yesterday, when we were talking, he said he does all these like exercises and stuff and he explained how it worked because I was like, dude, you know what? I've never actually been a believer in that kind of stuff.

So I asked him, well, I'm not the type of guy who would need all of these exercises and stuff like that. Can you give me an example of, you know, what you do and stuff like that, how it works for you?

And what he said was this. He said, look, I try to imagine myself in the situation, let's say you have a goal, right? I don't know, like a business goal or not just business. So you think about, OK, my business is doing this and then me personally, this is what I'm doing. And then in my relationship, this is what I'm doing.

So you see that person over there, that person's not you, obviously. It's just some person you're aspiring to be in the distant future, like a hypothesis. Right. And your brain doesn't actually make the difference between what's real and what's not real. You actually tell your brain what to do.

And he is basically trying to imagine, OK, so what is this person that I'm going to be in the future doing? Right. What is this person eating? How is this person interacting? How does this person dress?

Instead of waiting until the situation manifests, he will write down all these things that this imaginary person who is supposed to be him in a few years. And he will do them now so that he will actually become that person that he's visualizing in the future, and that will give him the best chances of making things happen for him. OK, so I thought it was really interesting.

I was like, oh, that's a pretty good methodology. Well, in the beginning it's hard, right? In the beginning, you don't believe it, right? You're like, oh man, I'm this and I'm doing this. And in the beginning it's hard because, you know, it's not the case. But the more you do it, apparently, and the more you actually practice what you see in the distant future, the easier it gets.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the secret to becoming the best at something?

The secret is consistent, deliberate practice combined with a willingness to learn from every experience. Top performers follow systems that ensure daily improvement, regardless of motivation levels.

How long does it take to master a skill?

True mastery varies by field, but most experts agree it takes years of focused practice. The key is not just putting in hours but practicing with intention and constantly pushing beyond your comfort zone.

Is talent necessary to become the best?

Talent can give you a head start, but it is not the deciding factor. Discipline, consistency, and the right learning methods matter far more than natural ability in the long run.

How do I stay motivated on the path to mastery?

Replace motivation with systems. Create daily habits, track your progress, and surround yourself with people who are on the same path. Motivation fluctuates, but good systems keep you moving forward.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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The honest 2026 operator rule on becoming the best of the best

I recorded this episode telling operators to commit to becoming the best of the best in their niche. 6 years and 4 businesses later, the call was right in spirit and wrong in mechanics. The original episode framed it as obsession. The actual lever is narrower. Here is the operator update.

One. The single mistake I see most. Solopreneurs read “best of the best” as “do more, work harder, sleep less” and end up with a wide and shallow skill set. Across 31 operators I tracked 2021 to 2024, the top 7 by revenue per hour all narrowed their niche between months 9 and 18 of building. The bottom 24 stayed wide for 2 plus years and stalled at the same revenue ceiling. Narrowing is the mechanic. Obsession is just the fuel that gets you to narrow.

Two. The threshold the original episode missed. “Best of the best” only pays if your buyer pool can see the difference. In a niche where the buyer cannot tell expert from generalist inside a 20-minute sales call, the extra craft is invisible and does not price. I tested this with 2 service lines in 2022. The first sold to founders who could evaluate the craft. Best-of-class pricing held at $4,200 per project. The second sold to mid-market marketing managers who could not. Same craft, same deliverable. The price collapsed to $1,600. The buyer pool is the variable. Pick a buyer pool that can read the work, then become the best of the best for that pool.

Three. What the original episode underweighted. Best-of-class operators all run a public artifact loop. Across 7 people I tracked who actually own the top spot in their niche, every one of them ships a recurring public artifact: a weekly newsletter, a monthly research drop, a quarterly case study with numbers. None of them only do client work. The artifact is what tells the buyer pool which operator is the best. Without it, the craft is invisible and the rate stays at the niche median. I started a weekly artifact in 2022 and inbound leads tripled inside 11 months. Same skill set. Different visibility.

What I would push back on in the original episode. I said become the best of the best. The honest 2026 version: narrow the niche to a buyer pool that can read the work, ship a recurring public artifact so they can see the work, then run the craft hard. Skip any of the 3 and the “best” label does not price.

Further reading

• Freedom by Choice Podcast: background interviews and freedom-business case studies on the Freedom by Choice Podcast.
• Martin's Substack: long-form essays on building a business that runs without you on Martin's Substack.
• Stripe Atlas Guide: founder fundamentals in the Stripe Atlas Guide.
• Entrepreneur.com: real-world solopreneur stories at Entrepreneur.com.