“It is not about the money”

“It is not about the money,” Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, said. It may be hard to believe. But with Facebook now a multi-billion dollar company, it hasn’t always been about the money.

Genius or in the right place at the right time. It's never about the money.

The fact is, some time back Mark Zuckerberg had the guts to turn his back on an offer of a billion dollars by Terry Semel’s (Yahoo CEO) for the sale of Facebook. Big call. Seriously, would you do that?

There are few people who would actually turn their back on an offer of a billion dollars, but Zuckerberg did. He made the gallant decision to continue, take risks, and ride the rollercoaster. I reckon it might have paid off.

Zuckerberg didn’t become an amazing entrepreneur and achieve unbelievable success overnight. It took him years to achieve and create one of the largest social networks in the world.

He said, “The question I ask myself almost every day is, ‘Am I doing the most important thing I could do?’... Unless I feel like I’m working on the most important problem that I can help with, then I will not feel good about how I’m spending my time.”

Genuine success comes from a strong clear vision. It is not about the money.

It is never about money. Do the right thing at the right time and the money will flow.

So what is this telling us? Yes, the money is important, but you shouldn’t allow it to motivate you. Genuine success comes from a strong clear vision, self discipline and excellent work ethic, loving what you do and the passion to feel you’re doing the best.

Fulfilling work is never about the money. When you have and feel genuine passion for what you do, you nurture it.

Do what you want to do. Go after what makes you happy, something you care about. There is never a wrong passion. When you are working on your passion, the question never enters your head.

Do you want to fulfil your dream of being a builder? Want to become a graphic designer? Take the risk and go for it.

It is not about the money. It's about doing something you genuinely care about.

It is a long journey, but it’s your journey, your dream to chase. Do what you love with passion lets you create amazing adventures and when you look back as you should, one thing will stand out… It is not about the money… it’s all about doing something you genuinely care about. And once you get there, is it “work”?

A successful businessman doesn’t always have a university degree.

Don’t worry, the money will come.

A successful businessperson doesn’t always have a university degree. Successful business owners come from many walks of life and represent many industries, products, brands, generations, and cultures. When you think about it and consider all the different successful entrepreneurs and how they got there, it’s darn interesting.

Different backgrounds aside, most successful entrepreneurs have one thing in common, and it is the immense learning curves they’ve had to encounter along the way to their success.

A successful business career doesn’t come without failures or hard lessons along the way. Plenty of trials and bumps along the journey. When you’re starting a new business or indeed down the road in business, you will find this out. Don't worry the money will come. Therefore, get yourself a mentor/coach/guide/teacher sooner rather than later. Look for one with experience. As my motto goes… Experience isn’t the best teacher it’s the only teacher…

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Something to Ponder

OK, here it is to ponder and do what you like with it.

“It is not about the money,”

“Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people they associate with. Genuine success should be how happy you are.” - Richard Branson

What would I do with this little statement? I’d file in a note folder marked “must read daily”.

If you are about the money, I can tell you it’s a road to failure.

Take your eye off the scoreboard and focus on the process.

The trappings of success or the ego of the show-off.

Never get carried away with how much money you have got, how big your house is, or bragging about your latest overseas vacation.

Listen, people do not care.

Get rid of this part of your life.

In fact, if this is something you are prone to do? I’d say goodbye to you. What a boring, self-centered bastard you are.

Maybe you make it big with this unfortunate characteristic. At what cost?

I’m betting there will be many divorces, kid problems and depression. This type of character has deep-seated issues that permeate throughout their life and well into generations to come. We all have been subject to these boring selfish individuals. Yes, they might run a successful business, but at what cost?

The passion, the purpose, the planning.

Giving and helping charities, that's where the rewards are.

“It is not about the money”. It’s about clarity of purpose. It’s about doing the right thing at the right time. It’s about giving back. It’s about harmony and unity with business and family and friends. It’s never about the money.

I am telling you if you get the passion, purpose and planning right, the money will flow. I guarantee it. I have witnessed it time and time again.

Be humble. Look after your staff. Communicate with truth and empathy. You cannot fake this. Your colleagues, staff, providers and customers will see through it. Be genuine at all times. Always tell it how it is. Honesty is the best policy. For better or for worse. Respect is earnt.

Take your eye off the scoreboard and focus on the process.

What has this got to do with running a business? What has this got to do with your on-going business?

It’s got everything to do with it.

If you don’t understand the fundamentals of business and look after the little things then when the big issues arise, they create a time-consuming waste of your time, resources and energy. If you give concerted attention and detail to the minor issues, then it had been my experience the big things will look after themselves.

Take your eye off the scoreboard and focus on the task.

Take your eye off the scoreboard and focus on the process and the task at hand. The money will look after itself.

It’s never about the money when you are passionate about your business.

If you are starting a business or have been in business for some time and your primary purpose is for generating loads of money, STOP right now. It will not last. You are going to burn friendships and family relationships and you will end up bankrupt. This is not the way to build a business.

Start with passion and purpose. Do the thing you love to do and it will never feel like work. The money, security and a bright future will be fulfilled.

Start by getting yourself a mentor/coach/guide/teacher. Many startups miss this part and it impedes progress.

Can you be successful without a mentor/coach/guide/teacher? Sure you can. The thing is having a mentor/coach/guide/teacher gives you space and time to do the thing you love. Advice from a MCGT whose primary purpose is to listen and guide you: saves time, money and energy and puts the process and systems in play at the right time without you doing too much other than implementation with efficient results.

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If there are any questions or something you aren't clear on, you can reach out below. I'll get back to you promptly.

Thanks for taking your time.

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