Monday, July 18, 2011

The Reason We Should Make More Money

I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve had a problem in the past with the idea of making a significant amount of money. I’ve watched it ruin too many people. I believe in the old adage, “Money doesn’t create character, it reveals it.” I guess I was a little concerned to find out who I really was.

But a truth regarding money has emerged for me. Here it is:

Assuming what we’re doing to make money is legal, moral, and ethical, the more money we make, the more good we are doing.

At first blush, this may sound like one attempting to justify a pursuit of riches; but this isn’t the case at all. When we are successful, we create value. We provide employment. We enrich others’ lives. And the payoff for doing this well is money.

Even though I believe in this principle, I still believe that money should not be the main focus of our business efforts. When it is, we tend too often to drop off on the important things when the money begins rolling in. Of course, this is a very personal thing. One person may create a better business and serve more people by focusing on the financial side of the business, while another may not. It’s up to each of us to examine ourselves and see what motivates us and how we can best keep our focus.

In the end, if we’re offering superior value, the money will follow. And if we’ve done our part correctly, we will have benefitted many people in the process.

Here’s to your financial success!

Bryan Waldon Pope

Monday, July 11, 2011

Becoming a Great Marketer

I’ve been listening, once again, to Earl Nightingale’s “The Strangest Secret” as I’ve been traveling. If you’re not familiar with this classic piece, I strongly suggest you get it and absorb it.

To oversimplify Mr. Nightingale’s message, he tells us that we become what we think about. He cites Napoleon Hill and others throughout history as having shared this same truth.

Think about this principle in the context of being a marketer. That may be your full-time job, but more likely it is just one of the hats you wear in the course of running your business. So how do you become a great marketer?

Let me pause here and state clearly that I don’t believe you can simply see yourself as a successful marketer and have it become so magically. It takes effort and dedication. It takes time. But it can’t happen if you don’t see yourself as such, even with effort, dedication, and time.

There are many truths in our world. The truth that we become what we think about is one that has become increasingly important and apparent to me. What a powerful nugget this is. We are, and will continue to become, who we want to be at the level of our core beliefs. How empowering it is to know how to direct that reality from its foundation.

Here’s to your thinking like a great marketer!

Bryan Waldon Pope