What really motivates people to stay the course in their business? Love or money?
We all know what brings people in – only because everyone knows what the recruiters are pitching: the money. But what keeps Lulu going when the money doesn’t come as fast as she had hoped?
Surprise: Same thing that keeps the hearts of other entrepreneurs hopeful and warm…
In the continuing saga “for love or money”, and “Amateur or Pro”, the New York Times weighs in with Google’s business building motivation…
Typically, Google “invents a new service or feature, makes it a free Web-based service, and only later figures out how to make money on it from advertising of some kind.”
This has been their strategy from DAY ONE.
The two guys built their new search engine while still graduate students at Stanford, because they thought they could do it better. Then they tried to license their program to every other portal of the day, from Excite to Alta vista to Yahoo, who ALL saw it perform, and who ALL turned them down. Author John Batelle picks it up…
Rejected but undeterred, Brin and Page [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Google founders-KK]…kept working on Google…”We said to ourselves, ‘We don’t care,'” Page says.”‘We’ll work on it some more. Maybe it’ll turn into a company or maybe it’ll just be great research.'”- The Search – How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the rules of Business and Transformed Our culture.
They kept improving it, used it themselves and offered it to anyone else, until it grew to 10,000 users. Then they happened upon an investor who was impressed.
AFTER they refined it more, and thousands of people were using it for free (like all portals and search engines of the day), then they figured out how to make money with it – the now famous contextualized little blue Google ads we see on so many Internet pages.
Score one for the lovers.
Loving it madly is the principal finding the massive study, The Secret to Becoming a Star.
Some folks are motivated best by the money first, no question.
Bottom line: What is keeping you in the business if you haven’t made the money yet? People on my weekend call gave all kinds of reasons, none of which were the promise of money, yet here they were.
In the Comments below, tell why YOU are still in the business if you’re not yet making what you want. What do you love most that you get to do or feel – ANY part of it?
And perish the thought, what if certain recruiters were to lead with THOSE kinds of reasons instead, a la Starbucks?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
I am with a technology NM company. I got involved because of the products. I joined as a distributor because I saw the potential with this technology. Only after joining I realised more and more what NM was all about … OUCH!
I have worked myself past a lot of the obstacles (talk to people, sales (liked your book by the way), etc.) along the way, read many books, I never always believed or put into practice everything I read, but just the things that worked for me and the satisfaction of getting over the hurdles has been a good feeling.
It’s challenging to find out how the products could work for certain people, but when you just go after the tennis players with this new racket, it’s an all new ball game indeed.
The fact that people are a bit shy to use this technology made me realise that I am at the front of a trend, so it will only get better and better, so easier to sell and then more sales commissions (hopefully, as the hobby gets a bit expensive otherwise)
One personal philosophy that I learned from Jim Rohn and Robert Kiyosaki that has always driven me was, “Find a way to serve the many for service to many leads to greatness.”
I love to help people regain their health and since I love my products because they worked so well for me, I really enjoy being of service to others.
I know “great” money, recognition and fulfillment will come when after I offer great service and build great relationships. Our companies have given us the “way to serve the many”, now it’s just up to us to find them.
If it hadn’t clearly stated ‘tell why YOU are still in the business if you’re not yet making what you want’ I’d have added:
——
Clearly this one will ‘run and run’. And why not? ‘Why am I in this business?’ is perhaps the most important question for any NM-er – new or old – to ask-and-answer for themselves.
Its core is perhaps the root of the problem this business faces – and also the solution.
My ‘hidden agenda’ is of course: whatever the reason we’re here, recognize it IS a business – and although we don’t need to do a whole lot of business-type things, we do need to develop appropriate commercial awareness… become that new Breed of NM-er, the fully-aware-and-engaged locked’n’loaded Professional Evangelist (and I’m not talking religo-fanatic).
My personal view is that whether we’re Pro or Am, and driven by love or money… ‘let’s be real good at what we do’. ‘Excellence. Always.’ That’s the key to success.
Interestingly – or not – the DSA’s annual get together drew Tom Peters. In banging the Excellence drum, his powerpoint presentation offers much for those of us keen to learn and get better at what we do.