Why Do Some People Make A Lot of Money While Others Hardly Make Any Doing The Same Work? (Part 1)
One of my colleagues posed this question in a Facebook post, and as I started to respond, I realized that I had a lot to say on the subject. So, I decided to turn it into a two-part article.
Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s so easy even a child can do it?” Or, something similar? Well, I’m not so sure. The truth is that everyone has different skills and passions as well as different desires and motivations, and some translate better for business than others. Also, some start out with better role models and a better mindset because of what they saw around them growing up.
My husband and I were just talking about this the other night. There was a post going around on stars who grew up rich, and I commented that these stars were lucky to have had such successful role models. (For instance, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 is the son of the owner of M. Federic, a very successful clothing line or Ed Norton, who came from a privileged Boston family and whose grandfather was a renown urban planner and real-estate developer.)
Most people don’t have that. They got terrible messages about who they were and what they could achieve. And it can be difficult to turn off the switch in the brain that thinks they have to stay that way to survive.
And if the skills you have don’t translate well for business, you have to work harder to surround yourself with the right people. Some people find that right partner and click, others take years to find it and still, others never do. One of my clients, Carey Peters met her partner Stacey Morgenstern early on, and together they co-founded the Health Coach Institute (after I helped her grow her business from $2,000 a month to $90,000 in 10 months). She and Stacey’s company is now a multi-million-dollar company.
Also, some start out with a bigger monetary advantage or access to capital. And some simply lack the knowledge, not understanding how business works, being naive, and listening to people who are not telling the truth, or the whole truth, but instead play on your emotions. And it’s easy to get sucked in, especially when you are first starting out.
I remember when we first got online. We went to a free local event that was selling real estate on an Internet-Mall site. We got sucked into a $3,000 deal that sounded great but turned out to be a bust. But as I got savvier, I only started buying from people who came highly recommended and had the results, but guess what? We still spent $5,000 on a program that made no money and another one for $3,000 that was also worthless.
But, I also spent about that much on another program that took me to 6 figures in 2 1/2 years. The difference? The $5,000 program was just not right for me. It’s something I will never be good at and should have outsourced from the beginning had I known. Another was bad timing. It was a real estate investment, too late in the game.
But, we were lucky, we had the funds to keep going, and I developed specific skills that were in demand and the desire to succeed, so it didn’t stop us from moving forward. But boy did it sting!
I love something I read, though, from Larry King. One of my friends had said that luck doesn’t play a part in your success. Larry disagreed as do I. He said that anyone who says that luck plays no part in their success is lying to themselves. Sometimes, it’s being in the right place at the right time.
For instance, it turns out one of my colleagues, is also a very successful songwriter. Why? Because one day when he was a grocery-store clerk, the top songwriter of my generation just happened to pick his line for checkout, and she was wearing musical earrings. He picked up on that and started talking to her. They became friends and started writing together and he became part of her inner circle. This was before she became ultra-famous. But guess who got to go along for the ride? Talk about being in the right place at the right time! (Now mind you, this takes nothing away from his abilities, it’s just that sometimes luck and timing are also important.)
But, to get back to entrepreneurship, some are just not cut out for it. They don’t have the emotional makeup. Some thrive on the unknown, on the thrill of the highs, and hate routine, others need routine and buckle under the pressure of entrepreneurship, which can be a pressure-cooker at times. It requires the ability to take risks and having the fortitude to get through the tough times. Those who have a high need for security or who are not resourceful will fail.
In Part 2 of this series, I’ll talk about when money is not your motivation and what effect that can have on your business. If you would like to get Part 2 delivered to your inbox, be sure to pick up my Book-Writing Blueprint on the right-hand side of this page, and you’ll be subscribed to my newsletter so you receive it in your inbox.
I’d also love to hear your thoughts on this subject. You can comment in my Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/selfpublishingcommunity.