People love to ask me: “Jef, you’ve written more than 10 books. Why keep writing?” My answer? Writing books helped me think better.
As a consultant and trainer, I’m full of stories, lessons, and frameworks. I don’t want to wait for the stage to share them. A book lets me multiply myself—ideas travel where I cannot.
But here’s the problem: most books don’t stick. They try to solve everything, and end up solving nothing. That’s where Alex Hormozi drops a truth bomb: the books that last, the ones people call “game changers,” solve one problem completely.
That’s the real “Grand Slam Offer” in book form.
Legacy Beats Bestseller Lists
Hormozi says something that hit me hard: a book’s worth isn’t measured by sales, but by legacy.
Think about it. Bestseller lists fade. Awards gather dust. But if your book becomes the go-to solution for a painful problem, it stays alive. It becomes a reference, a tool, a gift people pass on.
I remember writing my first books. Honestly, I was chasing output, not always clarity. Looking back, some of them tried to cover too much. Today, I see them differently. They were my apprenticeship in focus.
Now, the question I ask myself is: Which problem am I willing to own—and solve fully—for my reader?
Why Most Books Fail Their Readers
Authors name hundreds of problems but never solve one. It’s like listening to a speaker who touches 20 topics in an hour—you leave inspired, but empty-handed.
As trainers, we know the danger: overwhelm kills action. Books are no different.
Hormozi’s $100M Offers didn’t try to teach you how to market, sell, and lead all at once. It solved one big problem: what to sell. That’s it. His next book? $100M Leads. Another single problem: how to get leads.
See the pattern? Narrow focus makes a book powerful.
The Question Every Author Must Answer
So, before you write another word, ask: “What do I want someone to get from this book?”
Not 10 things. One thing.
When I applied this to my own writing, everything changed. I realized:
- I don’t need to write “the ultimate leadership book.”
- I can write a book that helps a new manager have their first difficult conversation with confidence.
That’s one problem. Solved completely.
And here’s the kicker: if you do it well, readers come back for the next problem you solve.
Frameworks Are the Backbone of Real Solutions
Okay, let’s say you’ve chosen your problem. How do you actually solve it?
Frameworks.
A great book doesn’t just share stories—it gives readers a repeatable way of thinking. For me, consulting gave me endless checklists, questions, and decision trees. These became the skeleton of my books.
Hormozi says useful frameworks come from documenting how you actually think. And validity? That’s when your framework works in many different contexts.
Think of E=mc². Works everywhere. In our world, it could be a decision framework that helps both a CEO in Manila and a student leader in Los Baños.
That’s when a book becomes indispensable.
Clarity Beats Cleverness Every Time
Here’s where many of us trip: we want to sound smart. Big words. Fancy sentences.
But if a 12-year-old can’t explain your idea back to you, you’ve failed.
I’ve trained thousands of professionals. The most powerful tools were always the simplest. “Shift” is one word. Everyone remembers it.
I use tools like HemingwayApp to cut adverbs, shrink sentences, and sharpen verbs. My rule: if a sentence feels like it belongs in a textbook, delete it.
Simple isn’t dumb. Simple is powerful.
Stories Make Solutions Stick
Frameworks solve problems. Stories make them unforgettable.
I learned this as a speaker. You can give people the best list of steps, but without a story, it floats away. With a story, it lands.
Hormozi calls it “the experience that taught the lesson.” Every good story has: setting, character, desire, struggle, Eureka moment, victory, resolution.
When I tell a story about a failed project because of ningas cogon, people nod. They’ve been there. When I tell a story of someone who shifted and finished strong, they see themselves.
Stakes and struggle matter. Raise them, and your reader leans in.
Writing is Rewriting (and Rewriting Again)
Let me be honest. Writing a valuable book isn’t glamorous.
Hormozi drafted $100M Offers eight times. Started with 600 pages. Ended with 200. Ruthless cuts.
I’ve been there. I once spent weeks on a chapter—only to realize it didn’t serve the problem. I cut it. Painful, yes. Necessary, absolutely.
Your first draft isn’t your book. It’s your raw material. The masterpiece comes after pruning, rewriting, and starting over.
That’s why honest feedback is gold. Not from friends who say, “It’s good.” From readers who’ll say, “This part doesn’t work.”
It hurts. But it’s the only way.
The Thousand-Hour Rule
How long does it take? Hormozi says about a thousand hours per book.
Sounds heavy, di ba? But think about it: if this book is going to outlive you, a thousand hours is nothing.
I don’t measure my books by launch day. I measure them by this: ten years later, will someone still find it useful?
That’s legacy. That’s why we write.
So, What’s Your One Problem?
Here’s where I’ll leave you.
Don’t aim to write the book that covers everything. Aim to write the book that solves one thing completely.
Because when you solve one problem, readers trust you with the next.
And the next.
And the next.
That’s the real “Grand Slam Offer” book.
So, what’s the one problem you’re willing to own—and solve—for your readers?
