Never Say This to a Child or Entrepreneur

Written By Dave Lavinsky
Red stop signage

When my kids were younger, I recall one night when we were eating dinner. My kids were saying “I want this” and “I want that.”

And then I said something that I immediately realized I should never tell my kids, or any entrepreneur for that matter.

What I said was this: “you know, money doesn’t grow on trees.”

Now, you may not think saying this is so bad. So, let me explain.

The reason why I said this was to show my kids the value of money. And that we have to work to make money to spend on the things we want.

But here’s the negative: saying this paints the wrong picture. It paints the picture that we can’t always get what we want. Which is the exact opposite of the attitude I want my kids, and all entrepreneurs, to have.

What my kids and all entrepreneurs MUST be thinking is YES, I CAN get whatever I want. Yes, it won’t just come to me, but with hard work and ingenuity, I can and I will get what I want.

Fortunately, right after I said that to my kids, I caught myself.

One of the reasons I caught myself was from the interview I did a while back with Ken Lodi, the author of “The Bamboo Principle.”

In the interview, Ken explained that timber bamboo shoots grow very little for four years while their extensive root system is growing and taking hold. But once the roots are firmly in place, the bamboo can grow a shocking 80 feet in just six weeks.

This story made me realize that money does in fact grow on trees. The key is to work on the tree’s roots. To build such a strong foundation that generating money becomes easy.

Every great company has a strong foundation. They create a brand name, sales systems, delivery systems, etc. And then, they can generate cash and profits each and every day.

So, focus on building an extremely strong foundation. Think through your business model. Learn the best practices for each of the key business disciplines – marketing, HR, finance, sales, etc. And then, put your thinking into a strategic plan.

Your strategic plan is your roadmap to success. It is the tool that turns your ideas into reality. For example, the great marketing idea in your head isn’t going to become reality unless it’s documented in your plan and a team member(s) knows to execute on it. Likewise, your new products and services won’t be built or fulfilled unless they are documented and your team knows what to do. Get your ideas in your strategic plan and then you build the tree from which money does grow.

So, never let anyone tell you that “money doesn’t grow on trees” or that you can’t have everything you want. Because money does grow on firmly-rooted trees and you CAN achieve and get everything you want out of life if you resolve to do so. They key is to build your plan — your foundation — and then grow systematically from there.

 

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