The Almighty Buck

The almighty buck can actually be detrimental to your business. Think about it, if all you think about is how much you can make, are you really focusing on the other aspects of running a business. For example quality control, safety of your product, etc. If money is your only motivating factor, what corners are you cutting to make the Almighty Buck. If your focus is only on the Almighty Buck are you missing other opportunities, (to make more money), because the only thing you have on your mind is how much you can make. With the Almighty Buck as your only motivating factor you are destined to run into problems with your business. The corners you cut, the opportunities you miss, the people you disappoint, are going to be your downfall. We see and hear about the Almighty Buck more and more every day. We get emails that tout "Get Rich Quick", "Make thousands working only 2 hours a weeks", "Make Money Selling ____(put in a product name) from home". While, yes, we all go into business to make money, that cannot be your only motivating factor. If you are blinded or sucked into these schemes I can pretty much guarantee you, you will get nothing out of it. The only person who will make any money is the person selling it, and usually for only a short period of time. Then, they too, need to find the next "great opportunity". These type of offers play off of a terrible trait the majority of us in this culture have, "greed". Remember, if it sounds to good to be true it usually is. So, you ask, if I am not going into business to make money, why am I. Well, not to be evasive but only you can answer that. Also, I am NOT saying that you should not want to make money. We go into business to provide ourselves with a roof over our heads, the ability to cloth ourselves, and our families, feed ourselves, and help ourselves buy the things we need to keep going. So yes, money is important to us. However, it is not the be all and end all. The successful business owner realizes that how he runs his business, and treats his customers is paramount to staying successful. Think of some of the offers mentioned above. They sell their offer, the person gets it, realizes it won't work, and then bad mouths them. So yes, for a while they will sell, but will they ever get a repeat customer? Will that customer recommend others? Probably not. Those of us in business for the right reasons, in addition to making money, get repeat customers, and our customers refer others to us. And many of us have been in business long enough, have made our mark, are making a good living, and are giving something back. That is what the really successful people do. Look at Bill Gates, Jay Leno, Bob Hope and so many other owners of large corporations, in show business or sports. Not all of them are only in it for the money. All of these people contribute to a variety of causes. While you might not agree with some of their views, or the way they run their business; they all give something back. So remember, business is not always about the Almighty Buck, it's about how you treat people, and how you want people to think about and treat you.