6*' #%6 1( )'0'415+6; +0 $75+0'55 Why being generous is critical to your business success By Suhaib Mohammed
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ŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ǀŽĐĂů ĂŶĚ ŐŝǀĞ ŽƵƚ LJŽƵƌ ϯϬϬͲƉĂŐĞ ĮĞƌĐĞƐƚ ĐƌŝƟĐƐ ŽĨ ĞͲŬ ĨŽƌ ĨƌĞĞ ƚŽ LJŽƵƌ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐŵ͕ <Ăƌů ŶĞǁ ďůŽŐ ƐƵďƐĐƌŝďĞƌ͕ DĂƌdž͕ he most ƐŚŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚ LJŽƵ͛ƌĞ ŶŽƚ Ă ƐĂůĞ͘ vocal andďĞ fiercest critics ofůŽƐŝŶŐ capitalism, Karl ďůĂŵĞĚ͘ ,Ğ shouldn’t ǁĂƐ ƌŝŐŚƚ zŽƵ͛ƌĞ He ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ Marx, be blamed. was right when ǁŚĞŶ ŚĞ ourĐĂůůĞĚ ŽƵƌ ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉ ǁŝƚŚ profit LJŽƵƌ as he called obsessiveness for wealth and ŽďƐĞƐƐŝǀĞŶĞƐƐ ĨŽƌ ǁĞĂůƚŚ Worse, ƉƌŽƐƉĞĐƟǀĞ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌ͘ “primitive accumulation.” our obsessiveness over ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĮƚ ͞ƉƌŝŵŝƟǀĞ zŽƵ͛ƌĞ game. ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ Ă ƐŽůŝĚ wealth and ĂƐ profit is a never-ending ĂĐĐƵŵƵůĂƟŽŶ͘͟ tŽƌƐĞ͕ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵƌ ŽƵƌ ŽǀĞƌ ĂƵĚŝĞŶĐĞ͘ dŚĞ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟŽŶ Here ŽďƐĞƐƐŝǀĞŶĞƐƐ are three reasons why being generous is critical to ǁĞĂůƚŚ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĮƚ ŝƐ Let’s Ă get ǁŝůů right ŚĞůƉ your business success. to LJŽƵƌ it. ďƵLJĞƌ ƚŽ ŶĞǀĞƌͲĞŶĚŝŶŐ ŐĂŵĞ͘ ŶŽƚ ŽŶůLJ ŐĞƚ ƚŽ ŬŶŽǁ LJŽƵ ďĞƩĞƌ͕ ďƵƚ ĂĚŵŝƌĞ LJŽƵ Generosity Begets Contentment ,ĞƌĞ .ĂƌĞ ƚŚƌĞĞ ƌĞĂƐŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ƚƌƵƐƚ LJŽƵ͘ tŚĂƚĞǀĞƌ at it on theŝƐ surface, actǁŚĂƚĞǀĞƌ of giving doesn’t ǁŚLJ Looking ďĞŝŶŐ ŐĞŶĞƌŽƵƐ LJŽƵ the ƐĞůů͕ LJŽƵ make much sense. But when ƐƚĂŶĚ you critically dissect it from ĐƌŝƟĐĂů ƚŽ LJŽƵƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĨŽƌ͕ ŝĨ LJŽƵ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ the inside,>Ğƚ͛Ɛ you’llŐĞƚ findƌŝŐŚƚ out thatƐƚĂŶĚ ŽƵƚ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĂƉ ŵŽƌĞ being generous is not only ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ͘ about losing a sheer of your products. It’s not about ƚŽ ŝƚ͘ ƌĞǁĂƌĚƐ͕ LJŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ƚŽ ŐŝǀĞ being favorable to some folks and doing a disservice ŵŽƌĞ͘ to your venture either. It’s quite the opposite. If you 'ĞŶĞƌŽƐŝƚLJ ĞŐĞƚƐ give your physical product or'ŝǀŝŶŐ ŽĞƐŶ͛ƚ :ƵƐƚ a share of your profits to ŽŶƚĞŶƚŵĞŶƚ someone,Ăƚ you’re actually a personal good to both >ŽŽŬŝŶŐ ŝƚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ doing ƵŝůĚ zŽƵƌ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ͘ yourself ƚŚĞ and ĂĐƚ yourŽĨ beneficiary. ƐƵƌĨĂĐĞ͕ ŐŝǀŝŶŐ
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ĚŽĞƐŶ͛ƚ ŵĂŬĞ ŵƵĐŚ tŽƌůĚ ƐĞŶƐĞ͘ .The Ƶƚ More ǁŚĞŶ LJŽƵ YoutŚĞŶ Give,LJŽƵ The ŐŝǀĞ More ŽƵƚ ĐƌŝƟĐĂůůLJ ĚŝƐƐĞĐƚ ŝƚ ĨƌŽŵ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ĨƌĞĞ͕ You Get ƚŚĞ ŝŶƐŝĚĞ͕ LJŽƵ͛ůů ĮŶĚ ŽƵƚ ŶŽƚ When you offer a freemiumLJŽƵ͛ƌĞ service toŽŶůLJ yourŽƉĞŶŝŶŐ potential ƚŚĂƚ ďĞŝŶŐ ŐĞŶĞƌŽƵƐ ŝƐ ŶŽƚ ƚŚĞ ŐĂƚĞƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌĚͲŽĨͲ premium subscriber, charge $0.00 for your drop-shipping ŽŶůLJ ĂďŽƵƚ ůŽƐŝŶŐ Ă ƐŚĞĞƌ ŵŽƵƚŚ ĂĚǀĞƌƟƐĞŵĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ business, or give out your 300-page e-book for free to ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ŶŽƚ LJŽƵƌ not ƐƚĂƌƚƵƉ͘ ƌĞĂůŝƚLJ͕ your new blog subscriber, losing a/Ŷ sale. You’re ĂďŽƵƚ ďĞŝŶŐ ĨĂǀŽƌĂďůĞ you’re LJŽƵ͛ƌĞ ŝŶƐƉŝƌŝŶŐ LJŽƵƌ building a strong relationship with your prospective ƚŽ ƐŽŵĞ ĨŽůŬƐ ĂŶĚ ĚŽŝŶŐ ĂƵĚŝĞŶĐĞ͘ zŽƵ͛ƌĞ ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ customer. You’reƚŽ building solid connection with your Ă ĚŝƐƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ LJŽƵƌ a LJŽƵƌ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ͘ audience. The connection will help your buyer to zŽƵ͛ƌĞ not only ǀĞŶƚƵƌĞ ĞŝƚŚĞƌ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ƋƵŝƚĞ ĐŚĂŶŐŝŶŐ LJŽƵƌ ǁŽƌůĚ you and trust you. get to know you better, but admire ƚŚĞ ŽƉƉŽƐŝƚĞ͘ /Ĩ LJŽƵ ŐŝǀĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ďĞƩĞƌ͘ 'ŝǀĞ ŽƵƚ Whatever you sell, whatever you stand for, if you want to LJŽƵƌ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂů ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚ Žƌ ƐŽŵĞ ĨƵŶĚƐ Žƌ ŬƐ ƚŽ stand out and reap more rewards, you have to give more. Ă ƐŚĂƌĞ ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ƉƌŽĮƚƐ ƚŽ Ă ƉĞƌƐŽŶ Žƌ LJŽƵƌ ůŽĐĂů ƐŽŵĞŽŶĞ͕ LJŽƵ͛ƌĞ ĂĐƚƵĂůůLJ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ͘ dŚĞ ŝƚĞŵƐ ĚŽŝŶŐ Ă ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ŐŽŽĚ ƚŽ . Giving Doesn’tLJŽƵ ŐŝǀĞ ŽƵƚ ǁŝůů ĚŽ ŵƵĐŚ Just Build Your ďŽƚŚ LJŽƵƌƐĞůĨ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵƌ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ƉƵƚ Ă ƐŵŝůĞ ŝŶ Business. It Changes Your World ďĞŶĞĮĐŝĂƌLJ͘ ƚŚĞ for ƉĞƌƐŽŶ͛Ɛ ĨĂĐĞ͘ not /ƚ ǁŝůů When you give out something free, you’re only ĚŝƌĞĐƚůLJ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚĞ ƚŽ opening the gates of the word-of-mouth advertisement dŚĞ DŽƌĞ zŽƵ 'ŝǀĞ͕ ŝŵƉƌŽǀŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŝƌ ůŝĨĞ͘ ^ƵƌĞ͕ for your startup. In reality, you’re inspiring your audience. dŚĞ DŽƌĞ zŽƵ 'Ğƚ ƚŚĂƚ ǁŝůů ŵŽƟǀĂƚĞ ƚŚĞŵ You’re building your community. You’re changing your tŚĞŶ LJŽƵ ŐŝǀĞ funds ĂƐ ǁĞůů ͲͲ ǁŚĞŶ world for the better.ŽīĞƌ Give outƚŽ some or books to a Ă ĨƌĞĞŵŝƵŵ ƚŽ ƚŚĞLJ The ŐĞƚ items ƚŚĞŝƌ you ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ person or yourƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ local community. give out LJŽƵƌ ƉƌĞŵŝƵŵ ƚŚĞ person’s ŐƌŽƵŶĚ face. ͲͲ will doƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů much more than put aŝĚĞĂƐ smileŽī in the ƐƵďƐĐƌŝďĞƌ͕ ĐŚĂƌŐĞ toĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĞŶŐŝŶĞ ŐŝǀŝŶŐ It will directly contribute improving theirŽĨ life. Sure, ΨϬ͘ϬϬ LJŽƵƌ them ĚƌŽƉͲto give ďĂĐŬ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞƐ ƚŽ ƌĞĐLJĐůĞ͘ that willĨŽƌ motivate as well -- when they get ƐŚŝƉƉŝŶŐ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ͕ their business ideas offŽƌ the ground -- and the engine of giving back continues to recycle.
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ůů WŝĐƚƵƌĞ ŽƵƌƚĞƐLJ ŽĨ ůůLJ ,ĂŵŝƐŝ All Picture Courtesy of Ally Hamisi
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