In all these years of being an Entrepreneur, I have had the opportunity to explore the relationship of Entrepreneurship with Money. It is a very simple relationship but I discovered it the long way.
For a long time I thought my business was an extension of my creativity and related skills. Later it turned out that one needs to be skilled in selling too. No wonder there was too much creativity and insufficient money to live on.
Then I heard another friend say that entrepreneurship is about helping other people. She too could not make ends meet. Most of what she made went in helping other people.
Our definitions of Entrepreneurship were not helping us. We were stuck in the same rut with no money. We could make things and all our energies were being spent on making more and more creative things in the hope that they will sell. However, our selling skills being unevolved, well, not much sold.
Then I got present to a very simple and profound definition of Entrepreneurship. As per the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary the definition of an Entrepreneur is a person who makes money by starting or running businesses, especially when this involves taking financial risks ( From https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/entrepreneur )
This was real simple. The enterprise exists to make money. However, this was not landing on me appropriately because my thoughts and ideas about money were twisted. I had heard for a long time that money is the root of all evil. A lot of money converted you into being a bad person. Hence, it is better to be a poor person because a poor person is a good person. Then, there were also all these songs about when you will die you will leave everything behind. So why run after money. Good people do not run after money. Women particularly do not run after money but do creative work and look after the home. And what not. This kind of conversation was impacting me subconsciously.
A lot of people I met would say that they are not doing business for money, but are doing for financial security or some other such reason. It was mind boggling. Slowly it dawned on me that people are doing this business to make ends meet, but the conversations that they have in their head about money are taking their power and productivity away.
Money is simply a means of exchange and nothing more. The rest are the meanings that ‘we’ have given to money. It has no meaning by itself other than being a means of exchange as ‘we’ call it. Just like water can take on the colour that you put in it, but even then water is not of that colour. Remember the song ” Paani Re Paani Tera Rang Kaisa, Jis Mein Mila Do Lage Uss Jaisa “, well it is the same here.
Money in itself has no meaning. We have given it the meaning of being a means of exchange. If we use money for good things then we say money is good. However, if we use money to do bad things then we say money is bad. But, money cannot think. It is the person holding the money that chooses what to do with it. So, money’s usage depends upon what that person is wanting to accomplish thereby making his or her choices good or bad. Money, per se, is not good or bad.
Money accrues to us as a result of capability, enterprise and perseverance. If we do not do anything, money does not accrue to us. The more capable and enterprising we are, the more the money that will accrue to us.
Once I realised the simple relationship between enterprise and money, my way of operation changed. I was clear now that I am doing business for money. It is okay to ask for money in exchange of what we provide to clients, just like I pay money for all the goods and services I utilise. I worked at discovering how to beget maximum money for my endeavor. That is now helping my enterprise grow.
The best part is that now I have actually got money to help people. How much could I give from an empty bowl. If I have one roti, I may share half, and both people go hungry. However, if I have a lot of money than I can feed lots of people regularly. And that is beautiful.
The more prosperous we become, the more prosperous our country becomes. We will also be able to contribute more to the lives of other people then.
And, in response to ” Socho saath kya jaayega“, before dying we got to live. So let us live well, and also support others in living a good life. And our good karma will go with us for sure.
So, soak in prosperity energy and spread prosperity everywhere !
Author : Anjana Ashok
Enterprise : The Ignited Minds
Website : https://www.theignitedminds.com
Email : theignitedmindsweb@gmail.com
( Images courtesy : Pexels.com )