IF CASH IS KING, HAVING
A MISSION IS QUEEN
Shark Tank companies
that give back!
As an entrepreneur you constantly
hear from advisors, investors, and other business experts the bulletproof rule:
cash is king. For those of us that have taken
the road less traveled and decided to start their own businesses with visions of
creating something magnificent; building wealth, providing for others or all of
the above, we have learned how important this one rule is. As my business is quickly growing and
transitioning from startup phase into small business phase, I am learning how important it is to have a mission outside
of making money. Maintaining a healthy bottom line and being able to report
large growth and profits to my partners is important as well because let’s face it,
hugs and good intentions are NOT going to keep the lights on or keep anyone on
our staff employed.
When I say mission, I mean using your
resources and platform to do good and bless others. This might mean supporting veterans,
sheltering the homeless or planting trees─Your mission is up to you! Like
most entrepreneurs in the earliest stages of building a business, you pretty
much find yourself wearing hats that you do not have any business wearing. You
are trying to build a better team on peanuts and should be awarded a honorary
position at the local firehouse for the daily fires you are putting out back in the
office. It can be exhausting and very
stressful at times. Many of us have found
ourselves looking into a mirror and asking ourselves “What are you doing?” reminiscing about the good old days back when we would clock in at 9AM and roll
out before 5PM, leaving work and all of our professional worries behind. I have found one of the most therapeutic ways
to combat this is to focus less on my worries, responsibilities, and burdens, and focus more on how many people we are able to come along side and help out. This focus and mission has given us the extra motivation to take on the next
phase of business and deal with the new fires and complications that
come along the way. As strong as our
desires are to take care of our families, get featured in Forbes magazine, or
live in a mansion on the hillside, sometimes these desires and business goals
just aren’t enough to keep us battling away, day after day, with the extremely
poor odds of success.
You might be thinking, “What if we don’t have a
mission, how do we start?” The vehicle
you use to get there isn’t as important as making up your mind that you’re
going to start the journey. You just
have to be creative and think outside the box.
You might find yourself saying, “We
can barely make ends meat, how can we possibly give anything away, or provide
for anyone else?” Call it Karma─ or what comes around goes around. You will be very surprised to see with your
own two eyes just how this works… Our
friends at Wicked Good Cupcakes take their product and send their world famous
jars of cupcakes overseas to deployed service members during the holidays. Our friends at Grace and Lace take a portion
of every sale and use it to build orphanages for children in India. You would be surprised at how much more pride
your team and staff will take in their work when they know that they are
directly involved in something bigger than themselves. Their job is no longer just about making a paycheck,
but about making a positive impact on others.
Having a solid mission will bring you
exposure that is so much more positive and will differentiate you from your competitors. It will also set the foundation and bar for a more sustaining
business. With all of the benefits to giving back and having a mission dedicated to something that’s much
bigger than making cash, sometimes I don’t know how businesses survive without
one. If you are doing it now then good
on you, and thank you. If you are not,
it is never too late and remember─ we only go around once. Life is too short to be wasted on pursuits
that won’t bring you any real fulfillment.
In the world of business cash will always be King, but take it from us,
you will be blown away and extremely blessed if you make a good mission your Queen!
- Wicked Good Cupcakes as they bring the Taste of Home to our service men and women overseas.
- Giving back to the military and hiring veterans is so important to Bottle Breacher. When you purchase the Eagle Fund Bottle Breacher or Wishes for Warriors Bottle Breacher 100% of proceeds go back to the nonprofits.
- Grace and Lace take a portion of every sale and use it to build orphanages for children in India. In 2013 they partnered with Angel House, where a portion of every sale would go towards building orphanages in India to house 50 orphans each.
