At the age of 26 I drove a Porsche and lived in a penthouse overlooking a beautiful marina.
I had the giant TV, home gym, bought everyone’s drinks whenever my friends and I went out (sucker!) and, from the outside perspective at least, had “made it”.
Only – on the inside, I didn’t feel that way.
You see, here’s what people don’t tell you when they sell the “success” dream…
The stuff you buy loses its shine eventually.
The Porsche, whilst fun to drive, soon just became another car.
I found myself eyeing more expensive Porsche’s (I had a 911, started thinking about a 911 Turbo), Aston Martin’s and Ferraris within months.
The penthouse view…within weeks I was used to it and only got reminded of how great it was when people would come in through the living room door, see the panoramic views and say “Wowww”.
I wanted the “wow” back! But you get used to normal.
I even put a deposit down on a giant sunseeker boat but, thankfully, things fell through last minute when the boat I was trying to buy “failed the sea trial” (whatever the hell that meant).
Eventually I woke up to the fact that I was trying to buy fulfilment (and other peoples respect) and it just wasn’t working.
I’ve seen the same pattern in many successful entrepreneurs I’ve met or worked with.
Many keep striving for the next big thing.
Bigger house…faster car…wider TV…
Bigger business…bigger launch…bigger bank balance…
If it makes em’ happy, all power to em’.
Me, I started to lose motivation a little.
I thought that having all the flashy things a young dude would want would make me happy and, whilst I wasn’t miserable, I didn’t feel like the dream that was sold to me.
And because of that I started to lose the motivation that had propelled me forward to building the business in the first place.
I spent more time learning than doing…
Spent more time reading than working…
Was “busy” a lot of the time but not truly productive.
Kinda going through the motions but not hitting the peaks I know I am capable of.
My “why” for business had gone from success so I could buy all the fun stuff to…I wasn’t sure.
Anywho, long story short, I eventually came to the startlingly obvious solution that, just because I’m not fazed about the giant bank balance, house, car etc – doesn’t mean I can’t use money and business in a better way…
Enter B1G1.COM
B1G1 stands for “buy one give one”.
Through B1G1.COM you can set things up so that, when someone buys one of your products or services, you use a percentage of the profits to help someone in need.
In other words someone buys from you – you give to someone else.
It’s an amazing way to use business as a vehicle for good in the world (and hopefully undo some of the karmic consequences of my past actions such as throwing chewing gum into my media studies teachers hair).
Here are some of the things I’ve managed to do that, hopefully, will inspire other entrepreneurs to look into B1G1 themselves…
My beautiful Mum was a midwife for many years. She helped thousands of little babies enter the world and her kindness to others has always inspired me.
One of the projects I donated through via B1G1.com provided 500 baby blankets to newborn babies in Kenya whose mothers could not afford a blanket themselves. That ones for you Mum! xx (Charity – World Youth International).
My Dad always drummed into me how important education is. Not so much school education (it was clear from a young age I wasn’t an academic!), but the importance of educating yourself in knowledge and skills in areas such as business and personal development. At first I thought he was crazy. Then I realised he was genius because, as he put it, “others have figured stuff out that will help you get to where you want to be quicker than if you went it alone”. I’ve since spent hundreds of thousands on my education in areas such as sales, innovation, copywriting, marketing, psychology and more.
One of the other projects I donated through via B1G1.com was in the education space. I funded the education of 100 disabled children in India for a year who, were it not for the financial help, wouldn’t have been able to get education. That one’s for you Dad xx. (Charity – The Hope Foundation)
On Black Friday of 2017, when granny’s are headbutting small children in order to get the last discounted TV, and the world is screaming “buy my stuff…at a discount” I decided to zag when everyone else was zigging and rather than sell anything, made a donation myself through B1G1.
This time, the donation was for hungry children. Through B1G1 I made a donation that provided parents of 1000 families in Africa with enough seeds to grow crops and feed their kids for an entire year – something that, without outside help, would not have been possible. That one is for all my customers and subscribers who follow and believe in me. I never take it for granted xx (Charity – Every Home Global Concern).
There’s more, such as the time I raised £5K for Save The Children with one email, but I think you get the idea. Helping others is part of my business, and it motivates me to think and act bigger. I created this page in the hope that other entrepreneurs I serve will be inspired to look into B1G1.COM or any other way of giving back to those who cannot help themselves. I assure you, knowing 1000 families are eating because of my help is worth more than pissing that money away on something I’d get bored with very quickly.
And that brings me to something pretty important…
You may read this and think I’m trying to brag or earn a place in heaven, sandwiched between Mother Theresa and Martin Luther.
Me? I’m no saint. I donate as much for me as those the donations help because it makes me feel good. Proud. Like I matter. So, it’s kind of a selfishly unselfish act, if that makes sense. Everyone wins.
And when I’m looking back on my deathbed, whenever that may be, will I think “So glad I bought that rolex!” or…
“Remember that time 500 babies were warm because of you? That was pretty cool…”
I’ll let you make of that what you will…
Visit www.b1g1.com and you too can use your business for good.