Dear Money Lady readers:  I wanted to share this quote with you “The things you do can cost you… but the things you don’t do, can cost you everything !”

 I was at a fantastic women’s event recently and was inspired to share with you the insights of this event.  One of the many speakers had a profound message: “You can’t quantify how much business you’re not getting through your non-efforts.”  Wow – isn’t that the truth!

The real money you lose in life is the money you fail to earn.  If you are a small business owner, entrepreneur, or even an independent contractor, what are you doing to build your business today.  If you are not marketing and advertising, not selling, not networking or being active on social media sites or doing the basics of making phone calls – all this lack of effort will cost you.  And for those that are employed and wanting to be paid more in your career, what are you doing to make yourself more competitive and more suitable for a promotion.  Think about how much money you could earn over the next five years if you were to elevate your position or expand your business (especially today in our new post covid environment).

You see, there are two kinds of people in business today (or maybe in your personal life) and they are: “your people” and “not-your people.”  Your people are the ones that like you immediately, they are interested in you and ask questions, they want to help you grow your business, they give you referrals, and are pleased to work with you.  “Not-your people” are the complete opposite.  These are clients, business associates, even friends and family that put roadblocks in your way, criticize your efforts and are never happy.  These people do not want to pay for your services or your worth, and it is usually painful and hard to work with or for these people.  Remember, if you believe you are worth more and that you can bring more value, then it is up to you to demonstrate that to your customers and your employer.

Now I know many of you may say that this is too simplistic and that even if you spend the time and money building your brand or your skills, there is no guarantee that you will get what you want.  I don’t disagree – but I do believe it will place you in a better circumstance than you are right now, guaranteed.  Opportunities will present themselves to you when you make changes.  And most importantly, don’t be discouraged by those “not-my people” along the way that try to hold you back or keep you down.

I want to tell you a personal story.  When I was starting out my career in the financial markets, (a fiercely competitive endeavour predominately held by men) I was struggling in the beginning.   Shortly after I started, I went to a sales conference where one of my so-called friends used me as an example of “how NOT to succeed” and it was laughed about by several of my peers including my manager at the time.  These were definitely not-my people.  It was a toxic environment that I removed myself from, but I used the situation to dig in and make myself better.  You see, this embarrassment and sarcasm which happened more than thirty years ago, (something I can still feel the burn from today) helped me get better.  Little did I know that this ten second insult would motivate me to become one of the most successful advisors in the firm.  Every time I became tired, depressed, or discouraged, I used that past insult to turn me into “wonder-woman,” learning more, exceeding targets, and acquiring more relationships with the right “my-people.”

Past failures can be very powerful, especially when you turn them inside out and use them to fuel the fire inside you to get what you want.  It is a part of everyone’s life to fail in their personal and professional lives.   You want to use your past failures as I did, to fuel your success, rather than using the failure as an excuse to quit or give up trying.

 

Good Luck & Best Wishes,

ATML - Christine Ibbotson