A fews years ago, Dave, an owner of a local manufacturing company, came into my office. He was a long-time client and whenever we’d meet, I always enjoyed his positive, enthusiastic attitude. But that afternoon I could tell by his body language something was off. “Tell me what’s going on,” I said.
Dave responded, “Derrick, the business is going great, but I’m no longer into it. I’ve lost my motivation. I don’t really feel a lot of satisfaction.”
As we were talking, a thought occurred to me. “Are there any causes or organizations you find interesting and that you would like to support?” I asked him. The question caught Dave by surprise, and he sat back and pondered for a moment. Then he told me that a couple of years ago he and his family had gone overseas and visited a small village with no real school building and no resources to properly educate the children. They had said to themselves, “It’d be neat to do something for these kids,” but then they just kind of tucked the idea away, returned home, and went about their lives.
“What if you did this?” I suggested. “Over the next twelve months, set a goal to increase your business, and a portion of that increase could go to building that school.” His eyes got as big as saucers, and he sat up with a start.
Three months later, Dave returned to my office looking ten years younger, more engaged, with much more zeal for his business and his life. “Derrick,” he told me, “you’re not going to believe this, but our sales are already up 20 percent, and we’ve almost fully funded that school.” As a business owner, he was reinvigorated. He had found a way to connect profits to purpose. By giving more money, Dave was actually making more money.
This is the untold secret to making more money: giving it away. I call it the “Generosity Purpose.” It’s the reason my client’s life changed—and yours can too.
I want to ask you a question. What injustice do you see that keeps you awake at night? What really bothers you and makes you say, “I want to do something about that”? What wrong do you see in society that you want to make right? Is it in your local community? Is it around the world? What is the cause that you care so deeply about? Connect your cash to a cause, your money to a movement, your profits to a purpose. This is what changes everything. This is the Generosity Purpose.
I met with a couple recently who wanted to implement these Good Money principles but weren’t sure where to start. Don and Sharla asked, “Derrick, how can we incorporate this into our business?” This particular couple had a recycling company. It had done very well, but they noticed over the past couple of years, not only was their business beginning to drop off, but their excitement and their joy as business owners had also diminished. I asked them what they were passionate about—if there was a wrong they wanted to help make right. They told me so much trash and debris in the oceans really bothered them. They were saddened by the devastating impact it was having on marine life. “We want to help solve that problem,” they said. “Maybe not cure the problem, but at least help solve it.”
I suggested they reach out to their customer base and tell them, “We’ve decided to create a Generosity Purpose for our business. A portion of all of our profits will now go toward an organization to help clean the oceans and make them safer for fish and the other animals who live there.”
As you can imagine, their existing customers were pleased to hear that money they were paying for their recycling services was being used to do more good in the world. Their commitment also allowed them to communicate to potential customers, “We know that you have many options to choose from to do your recycling work, but one of our core values is our Generosity Purpose. A portion of all our profits helps make the world better.”
Not only did Don and Sharla’s business grow, but they also experienced renewed excitement and joy by connecting a purpose to their profits.
