The Finest Way To Succeed

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” - Napoleon Hill

Recently, my business partner Brian had dinner with a business associate (we’ll call him Joe) that we met in a local entrepreneurship networking group. Joe told us that a local company needed a mobile app to compliment their web app. Brian enthusiastically agreed for Reflect7 to meet with this company to assess their needs. Then Joe dropped the bomb. Joe wanted a recurring ‘fee’ for the work that we would do for this company. This isn’t the first time someone wanted to charge us a finder’s fee. But, this shit needs to end now.

I know, I know… some of you think that finder’s fees are the norm in our industry. I don’t give a fuck. If you are one of those who asks for finder’s fees, you’re a dick plain and simple. It’s not like you’re helping to setup a corporate acquisition. No, you are introducing one business associate or friend to another. That’s being a social human being. When you’re asking for a finder’s fee, you’re sacrificing the long term for a short term gain. If Joe had setup a meeting with this company and a successful agreement went through between us and the company, I would have held Joe in high regard. I would have considered Joe if I came across a friend or associate that may have interest in Joe’s services. Now, I just consider Joe to be another leach in the industry. The way I see it, you should always be willing to help others achieve success, doing this brings you success. Joe is permanently blacklisted in my brain for any referrals or references.

The person that exemplifies my point the most is Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary helps, gives, and cares. Gary will often spend an hour a day on Ustream just answering questions. Gary wants you to be successful. He even attributes part of the success of his book Crush It to his fans. He claims that many of his fans bought the book as way of thanking him for his help. I can personally attest to this.

The next time you learn a new tool or technique, share it like Chefs do! The next time you offer to introduce two separate parties together, forgo the finder’s fee. Who knows, one of them may know someone who could benefit from your products or services.

The finest way to succeed is to help others succeed.

What do you think of finder’s fees? Do you think I’m crazy for calling them BS?

You can follow me on Twitter @jprichardson

-JP

If you made it this far, you should follow me on Twitter. Follow @jprichardson

-JP