Money Grows on Trees
I have this odd but simple philosophy. It is that money really
does grow on trees. Now I know that many of you are saying, you
got to be out of your mind. Either that, your breathlessly
waiting to here where you can find your trees. But, in this
case, the tree is a metaphor for something much bigger.
Let's think about something real first. The apple tree is a
fruit-bearing tree. How many of you think that you can eat
apples without the apple tree? Nobody because without the apple
tree, there is no apple. Why is the case and how does it relate
to money.
If you wanted an apple today, you could go to the grocery store
and get as many as apples as you want. But what if apples
weren't in any grocery stores but you still want an apple. You
could pick the apple off of a tree. If the apple tree belongs to
someone else, you are picking someone else's apples. If you
don't have permission to pick the apple off the tree, you are
stealing. If you have permission, the apple is a gift. If you
provide a service, it is compensation.
This is how it is in the business world. If you take money, its
stealing, If it is given, it is a gift, and if you provide a
product or service in exchange for money, it is compensation.
Going back to the apple tree analogy, wouldn't it be better to
own your own apple tree that bears fruit and provides you and
you whole family with more apples then you can eat? You bet!
I know, I know. You don't want any stinking apples, you want
money and as far as most of us know, we've never seen or heard
of any money-bearing trees. I am going to tell you however that
they do exist.
To be the owner of your very own apple tree, you know exactly
what you would have to do, even if you've never grown a thing in
your life. You know that you need seeds, good soil, water,
fertilizer and patience to grow a tree that produces a ripe
apple. The same things that you would do to grow an apple tree
are the same things you can do today to create your very own
money tree. Here are the ingredients to creating your very own
money tree.
* Seeds - These are comprised of specialized knowledge, ideas,
products, Services along with some start up capital. These are
the basic requirements to get started growing money.
* Good Soil - This is your market. Market research will tell
you if there is an anxious market for you product or service. If
there is no market what you have to offer, you need to work on
acquiring seeds that will grow. If the market is in another
location or needs to be tapped in some unique way, you have
found the good soil for you seeds to grow. Go to where your
market is located. This is common sense but can be tricky and
many people get tripped up here. Always do a reality check and
don't try to force a "square peg into a round hole." It never
works so if something needsto change, always be willing to adapt
and don't let ego get in your way of making money.
* Water - Water is an essential ingredient for life to exist. A
business exists when it sells. If you don't like selling, your
business will never grow. If you don't like to mix it up with
people, to convince people to buy your product or service and to
communicate your passion with others, you won't make it in
business for yourself. You may as go sit behind some desk and
eat the apples that fall from someone else's apple tree.
* Fertilizer - Fertilizer stinks but trees and plants grow
better with it then without it. Financial management is the
fertilizer. I know I don't enjoy the financial management of a
business as much as the business itself but without it, my
business would quickly fail. Not knowing your cash balance,
return on assets, return on investments, and assets vs
liabilities, how do know if you're winning in business. These
and other financials are the score cards by which every business
is judged. It stinks but it helps you to get the results you're
trying to get.
* Patience - It takes time. You'll be hungry waiting for an
apple tree to grow if you don't have another way to feed
yourself. The same is true with money trees. If you may have to
take all of the steps above and work at a job full time to
support and feed yourself until your tree is mature enough to
bear its fruit. There is no way around this step. There are very
few, statistically speaking, overnight successes.
The overnight successes are the only ones you typically read
about in the news but they are really anomalies compared to the
many, many successful businesses built on years of hard work in
obscurity and seclusion. This is a part of the truth that shocks
many would-be entrepreneurs.
The loneliness that one can encounter can be enough to drive one
back to picking the fruit off other people's trees. That is
because that is where the crowd is found. Only 5% of people in
the US are fully self-employed entrepreneurs. Only 5% of people
in the world have their very own money trees bearing them enough
fruit to live off of comfortably. It can get lonely being part
of the 5% in this country but it has its advantages. As Earl
Nightingale said it, "in the top 5%, the air is fresher and the
better the view."
God bless