Posts Tagged ‘value creation’

The Sure-Fire Secret to Riches

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Often, you will hear us tell you that dollars follow value you create for others. Although true, are you tired of hearing it yet? ;)

Would it be valuable if we tell you how to do it so you can create faster, more guaranteed wealth rather than asking you to just do it?  Would it be worth it if it was only one, simple strategy that WORKS EVERY TIME? If so, keep reading!

This is a tip I began applying while listening to the audio book AND reading and taking notes on the book, “Master Key to Riches” by Napoleon Hill. He wrote this about 25 years after writing “Think and Grow Rich.” However, this book helped me retire 5 years ago and I felt it was helpful to review again. I wasn’t disappointed!!!

This one principle inspired me to test it more intentionally and it has yielded great rewards. In fact, this easy strategy just made me $3,090 during a one-hour lunch yesterday…and I didn’t have to pay for the lunch! Alright, I’m done teasing you now =)

This simple, yet powerful principle is GOING THE EXTRA MILE!

Lately, I have found every reason to go the extra mile in my career, family, and other responsibilities, and every time it pays handsomely. However, to make this work, you must have faith enough to actually do it! Many feel they are taken advantage of by applying this principle. Some wonder if their efforts even go noticed. Heck, I began wondering the same thing yesterday morning and had to remind myself that it does. Ironically, 4 hours later, it paid off for me!

Another example of this in the book “Master Key to Riches” is the story of Charles Schwab. Charles Schwab worked for one of the wealthiest men of that time (around 1900), Andrew Carnegie.  Although Charles started as an entry level worker with little schooling or experience, he quickly worked his way to the top as president of Carnegie’s US Steel. According to Napoleon Hill’s interview with Carnegie, Schwab made it impossible for him to NOT promote him due to his “can do” attitude and his willingness to go the extra mile.

As president, he was paid a hefty salary of $75,000/yr. Now that may not sound like much, but as I researched inflation statistics, that would be the equivalent of about $1.95 Million/yr. How many of us wouldn’t mind a base salary of $1.95 Million/yr?

On top of that, Carnegie gave Schwab a bonus of  $1 Million! That’s equivalent to a $26 Million bonus!!!

The reason? Carnegie said that he gave Schwab $75,000/yr for the job he was hired to do. And the $1 Million bonus for everything else that he did. Was Schwab “lucky”, or did he do everything possible to create value and go the extra mile to ensure his own success by helping others succeed as well? I think you know the answer to that.

So here’s how to apply this correctly. You must….

  1. Have a positive mental attitude KNOWING that it always works
  2. Understand that there is an irrefutable law of compensation where “what you reap is what you sow”…good or bad.
  3. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to serve others, even if it doesn’t seem to make you any money (This is what happened to me yesterday)
  4. Don’t hesitate to apply your strengths and passions in a way that helps others, especially when it’s not expected.
  5. Give your employer, customers, or anyone else every reason to return value to you by FIRST creating value for them. Always give more than what you are compensated for, and do it with a positive attitude.

Action Item - Go have fun going the extra mile, and COMMENT HERE how you have applied this principle to work in your life!

Self-Made Millionaires…Really?

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

As a child did you ever dream about becoming a Millionaire?  Driving a fancy sports car? Living in a castle in Germany?  Wealth beyond imagination?  Perhaps you day-dreamed about where you would travel or what you would do with your life if money were of no concern.

Being a “self-made” millionaire is something that is at the heart of many in search of the American Dream.  The idea of creating an innovative product or service, starting a business, and marketing that product and/or service to the world is what drives most entrepreneurial minds.  The truth of the matter is that there are no self-made millionaires.  In fact, every time I hear someone say it, I cringe. It’s simply not true!!! We live in an interdependent world where everyone must work with others to succeed. Our relationship capital and ability to exchange value with others is what accelerates more wealth. Did Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, or Carlos Slim do it alone? Of course not!!!

For instance, I used to be the “jack of all trades” financial advisor. You could come to me for mutual funds, life insurance, health insurance, mortgages, and even help with your debt! Heck, I would even offer to babysit if you would do business with me ;)  But seriously, despite all of these services, I struggled to make a decent living. Ironically, I made a lot more money when I began using my financial knowledge and ability to teach the “why” and the “how”, and then delegate a lot of the implementation of those services to others. I found out that I was better off making 50% of something than 100% of nothing. I was happy, the clients were happy, and my team was happy. How cool is that?! I figured out the fastest way to make money is to look for the “win-win-win.”

In the real business world, the more we focus on our using our strengths, and allow others to use their strengths, towards a common objective, the wealthier we ALL become.

What do you offer and who can help you deliver it so you can become more financially wealthy?

Get Off Your Assets!!!

Friday, November 5th, 2010

I have had several people ask me in the last few weeks, “How can I make money living my Soul Purpose?” Or they would ask, “What can I do to get more cash flow right now?” Each of these are fantastic questions that I asked of myself at one time or another. Now, I have a simple, yet misunderstood, answer for them, and any of you, that may be asking this same question….“GET UP OFF YOUR ASSETS AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!” Simple, yet often overlooked. Let me identify two types of assets I am referring to here - Financial Assets and Human Assets.

Financial Assets

We are taught to save all of our money in a retirement plan and pay all of our debt off so that one day we can retire. The reality is most are not able to retire because this method is a slower, riskier way to achieve that goal. Most lose some of that money in the market or barely make a return over time. As you may have seen us illustrate before, paying off certain types of debt can actually cost you more than it saves you. Instead, what you can do is coordinate your assets to produce for you while still taking less risk. Many don’t even realize that they could free up at least $500-$1000/month just by making a few adjustments to how they use their assets and pay off their debts. Usually, what we see is someone who is so scared to touch their money in retirement accounts that they will lose more money outside of those accounts and never get ahead.

Human Assets

Most of us have the hardest time figuring this one out, even though it is usually why you have income today. In fact, many in financial trouble think that they just need to know what their Soul Purpose is before they can make money. This is completely false!!! How did you make money prior to learning more about your Soul Purpose? The same way everyone else has…you went to work using the human assets that you possess. You and I already know this “secret,” don’t we?

Dollars follow the value we create!

To earn (notice the word “earn”) more money, you need to offer a service and/or product that is valuable to someone else. That’s it! In fact, I guarantee that is how you got a job at some point. You gave them a resume of your experience and skills (aka Human Assets), and they hired you for a certain wage. You may have done something as simple as doing manual labor. I mowed lawns when I was 12. In fact, I was so obsessed about collecting baseball cards, I knew I had to make more money to buy more. Now that I think about it, I probably made more money during those years than when I was just paying for college. I knew what I wanted and then I worked for it.

If you want to “earn” more money, you have to get off your butt and do something! It’s so simple, most miss out on it! Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Do whatever it takes to use your body, mind, experience, or any other skill or strength to provide real value for someone so they will want to pay you to have what you offer. In fact, if you really want to earn more money, do whatever it takes to become irreplaceable with your unique set of skills. In the meantime, start wherever you are and get to work!

Action Item

First, list your financial assets and your human assets and identify which ones are making you money right now. Keep using them! Second, list your underutilized assets and create an action plan to start capitalizing on those too. Then, listen to our podcast about how to make the Law of Attraction work. Remember, start doing something, and start doing it right now!

How Do I Get Rich Doing What I Love?

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Have you ever wondered how you could make money doing what you love everyday?

Do you ever ask yourself, “Why would people pay me so much for doing something that I would practically do for free? How can I get others to be on board with what I am passionate about so I can not survive living paycheck to paycheck, but thrive in any economy?” Imagine what your life would look like when you could do what you love each day and get highly compensated for it.

Chris Miles teaches the secrets that have worked for him, and many others that he has coached, and what didn’t work. Even though these simple tips may seem obvious, they are still elusive to many people out there right now. Listen to learn what really works, and what only makes you work hard to get little or no results!

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How Can I Have More Cash Flow in a Down Economy?

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

What things can you do to increase your monthly cash flow, even when the economy is struggling? How could you make this work in ANY economy? How could learning this now make you much more wealthier when the economy bounces back? What are some simple strategies you can apply today that can help you see results right now?

Chris Miles and Dale Clarke discuss what they have done to have greater cash flow now than when the economy was booming, what myths that many people believe that keep them living paycheck to paycheck, and how you can easily start getting cash back into your pocket today!

What things have you done for yourself to have more cash flow in a recession?

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How Can I Invest When I Have So Much Debt?

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

How can you invest if you have so much debt or don’t have money to invest? How can it be possible to still make money and pay off that debt when you don’t have any money? What investment have you possibly been overlooking because financial gurus never teach it to you? Learn some easy strategies, from “The Anti-Financial Adviser” Chris Miles, to begin making money today, even if you have a lot of debt or little money to invest.

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How Do I Create Passive Income?

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

How can you create multiple income streams so you don’t have to work everyday? What are 3 ways you can do this even if you don’t have any money? What are the myths that keep most people from ever accomplishing this that those other “gurus” won’t tell you?

Learn from Chris Miles “The Anti-Financial Adviser” how you can easily turn this ideal situation into reality and avoid the traps that usually keep people from ever making this work.

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7 Secrets to Freeing Up Cash Flow Today!

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

What would your life look like if you were no longer living paycheck to paycheck?

Do you ever feel like there is too much month at the end of the money?

Would it be worthwhile if you could free up money now and not necessarily have to live cheap, using resources already at your disposal?

Below for some simple tips that can forever change your financial situation starting today!

Secret #1 - Track It! One of the biggest reasons that some people lose money each month is because they aren’t tracking how much is coming in and how much is going out due to fear of reality. In fact, I had one client that took weeks before she finally decided to track her income and expenses with our FREE tracker, only to free up almost $5000 each month because she began tracking how much she would spend on eating out! The truth shall set you free!

Secret #2 - Produce! You can only reduce expenses so far. One option that has limitless potential is find ways to increase your income by increasing avenues for creating value for others that would merit receiving money in return. The beautiful part of this is that it does not need to require more time from you, but more creativity around how you are able to give others what they want so that you can get what you want.

Secret #3 - Save on Taxes! Although I support paying taxes, I believe you should only pay what is required. Ignorance is often one of the costliest problems. If you keep getting a tax return each year, you are overpaying every paycheck. For example, if you get back a return of $6000, you overpaid, on average $500/month!!!

  • Bonus Tip - Turn your hobby or part-time work into a business. By setting up the right corporation(s), you could save even more on taxes than you are now! If you already have a business, you may consider getting a 2nd opinion on your tax structuring.

Secret #4 - Refinance Loans! Put your credit to good use. By merely refinancing or consolidating your loans (debts), you could free up money each month without spending a dime! To have better peace of mind, get the smallest minimum payment possible, and then you can choose whether you want to keep making the old payment to pay it down faster.

Secret #5 - Stop Retirement Contributions! Some people feel they have to put money away into retirement accounts for “someday” but ignore how they can have a great rate of return that could free up hundreds of dollars each month! Have you ever noticed that some people will insist on putting money into a retirement account that may lose money, but not pay off a 13% credit card that would immediately give them more cash to put in their retirement accounts each month anyway? What makes sense to you?

Secret #6 - Pay Minimums on Loans! Certain people will try to pay a little extra to each loan every month. This is likely costing them THOUSANDS of dollars! Instead, pay all those extra payments to one loan at a time. Warning - Don’t always pay the highest interest rate first. You could lose thousands of dollars in interest by buying into that myth. Remember to consider that cash flow creates freedom.

Secret #7 - Sell Assets Do you ever feel the need to simplify your life? Is your spouse bugging you to clean out your garage? If you aren’t using it, sell it! Don’t have a gym membership only to show off the key chain. Don’t keep certain tools or furniture because you “might use it someday.” Get rid of it! My wife and I cleaned out our garage last year and we made about $2000 AND I could park my car!

To receive other FREE financial secrets and tips, click here!

*Results mentioned above are not always typical and can vary for each person

So Much Passion, So Much Purpose, So What!

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Why do so most people that do what they love remain broke? How can you do what you love and be financially free? To live Soul Purpose prosperously, you must market yourself, focusing on offering something that OTHERS value too. How can you earn $1 Million doing what you love? Listen to hear examples of living Soul Purpose successfully to see how you can apply to your life too.

To get FREE tips to create financial freedom in your own life, subscribe for our weekly money tips!

 
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Finding Your Niche to Get Rich

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Your niche will make you rich! Do what you do best to create maximum value for others. Become the expert in your field. Your strengths are key to living Soul Purpose prosperously. Learn how to  discover your unique abilities so you can create greater wealth in your life and better live your Soul Purpose.

Sign up for our free weekly money tips to further learn how to implement on these principles.

 
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