It's Possible to Make Money and Do Good Your approach to business should take into account more than just your bottom line.
By David Meltzer Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Success in business or industry means more than just attention to your bottom line. It's not only about profits; more importantly, it's about people.
Compassionate capitalists understand the importance of empowering the people they work with, the resulting social impact of those people and the impact that empowering their team can have on others. They know that the return on investment in their team is also measured in non-monetary terms.
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Compassionate capitalists are grateful and empathetic, and they have accountability for whatever happens in their life and in their business. Equally important, they're able to utilize the principles and ideals that inspire them, and aid them in inspiring others to inspire others.
In addition to these characteristics, all compassionate capitalists share four major commonalities.
1. Belief in abundance
Compassionate capitalists not only believe in abundance, they carry the abiding energy of abundance and live in a world of more than enough.
To live in a world of more than enough, you must abandon lack-consciousness and know that you have the ability to find ways so that everyone can be happy. What you believe is what you achieve, which is why those who believe in abundance, and carry an energy of abundance, are able to manifest what they want more rapidly than those who live in a scarce world of "not enough" or "just enough."
Those who firmly believe in the principle of abundance do not have limiting beliefs, and are better able to see the big picture where everyone alike prospers.
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2. Being in service
Being in service also sets compassionate capitalists apart. I tell people who are in struggle mode, "Serve your way out and serve your way up. No matter what's going on in your life, dedicate yourself to being of service, and everything will come to you more accurately and rapidly."
Compassionate capitalists also understand that you cannot give what you don't have. They shift their purpose from one of attaining, selling, over-selling and back-end selling, to one of purposeful, meaningful capitalism. This means making a lot of money, which allows them to help a lot of people, and have a lot of fun in the process. They know that giving big, whether it is of time, attention or money, creates a void for the universe to fill, and you must ask big in order to get what you deserve.
Giving big means being consistent about giving. The universe doesn't know the size of your gift; it just knows the size of your commitment, or the amount of times that you give to or serve others.
A post shared by David Meltzer (@davidmeltzer) on May 2, 2018 at 5:41pm PDT
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3. Understanding resistance
Understanding "no" and dealing with resistance is also what makes compassionate capitalists different. You may feel compelled to say yes, due to an obsessive need to please others, or your own insecurities, or your own scarce beliefs, which results in a detrimental outcome for both parties involved.
Compassionate capitalists understand the power of telling others "no" when it's for the other party's greater good, as well as being able to hear and accept it themselves. In addition, the most effective business people know that, in general, there are only a finite amount of "no's" before they get to the "yes" that they seek.
My favorite example of this is Jack Canfield, whose Chicken Soup for the Soul series has sold over a half billion books. Canfield faced rejection and was told "no" over 140 times before one publisher (HCI) agreed to publish the book. If Canfield hadn't kept pushing through resistance, millions of people would have missed out on his inspiring works.
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4. Going the extra mile
Finally, to live as a compassionate capitalist is to "live in the extra mile." Compassionate capitalists carry themselves with a spirit of excellence and are always willing to go the extra mile to serve others. This means they're not obsessed with a "what's in it for me?" mindset.
I really appreciate Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis' thoughts on the extra mile. He talks about the difference between the eagle and the pigeon. If an eagle sees another bird flying solo at a high altitude, it knows the bird must be a fellow eagle, because pigeons limit themselves to the heights they can reach when flying with other pigeons. Eagles do not limit themselves by flying with a flock, so they can reach the acme.
The extra mile is rare territory, and it's only occupied by people who are consistently enjoying the persistent pursuit of their potential. People who go the extra mile set themselves apart from the crowd, which helps them to attract the right people, the right projects and to lead a more abundant life -- one of more than enough for all involved.
Cash in on compassion.
Compassionate capitalists are driven to create abundance for themselves and others, and they go the extra mile to do it, even when they experience some resistance. They serve others and carry an energy that they exist in a world of more than enough and work tirelessly to inspire others to do the same.
If you can incorporate these principles into your life and business, you and your business will not only thrive, but your example will empower those around you. And they in kind will empower others, creating a chain reaction or domino effect of compassionate capitalism.
