When You Meet Money On Its Path, It Means You're Walking In The Right Direction

In the midst of one of his dark periods, when the news was filled with stories of his financial demise, Donald Trump talks about feeling like just staying hidden at home but instead strapping on his tuxedo and going to an important gala - because he knew he could not possibly gain by staying home. At a time, some 30 years or so ago, when I was captain of a company everyone in its industry knew to be in deep and dire financial circumstances, I considered skipping that year's convention. But I didn't. It might have been less stressful, less embarrassing, more comfortable to stay home. But I couldn't possibly gain doing that. I went. I put myself in a place where it was at least possible good, productive, profitable things could happen - and they did.

Hopefully, you aren't in the upside down financial condition I was, or Donald Trump was, at the above-mentioned times. But regardless of your circumstances, you have to make a point of putting yourself in places where opportunity can occur. My father passed on a pair of cufflinks to me with the letters: YCDBSOYA. They stand for: You Can't Do Business Sitting On Your Ass.

While this refers to personal movement and placement, such as the meetings and conferences and cocktail parties and community events you attend and make yourself visible at, it also goes far beyond that. As example, consider this book, and the other 14 books I have written and had published. For the more than 18 years, I have been on bookstore shelves without interruption. I have worked hard to make that happen. Why? I can assure you, not for the royalty income paid to me as an author; that represents less than 1% of my income. I want to be on those bookshelves because people discover me there, who might never discover me otherwise, and become newsletter subscribers, attend seminars, become private clients, or bring me other opportunities. Being there, on bookstore shelves, has both directly and indirectly enriched me by millions of dollars. For me, Being Somewhere, and Being In Motion includes being on bookstore shelves, including this book, which is now in your office or home.

That does not mean you must write a book. It is example of the wealth attraction power of being somewhere. Because the most important words in the above paragraph are "discover me" and "sought out." This is marketing by attraction.

Being Somewhere for the local insurance agent or financial planner, for example, might mean speaking to local groups of dentists, chiropractors, M.D.'s, and other high income professionals; creating and mailing a good, informative, expert position enhancing newsletter on financial matters to a targeted list of such prospects every month; appearing regularly on a local radio show; serving on the board of an important charity. Almost any entrepreneur can be somewhere via speaking, writing, publishing, networking, even serving, with it all carefully chosen to facilitate the right people taking notice and ultimately seeking him out for advice and information or bringing him new opportunities.

This gets us to the subject of "place."

Enormous wealth --- and fame --- often comes from re-location, net necessarily in the geographic sense, but in terms of media or market space. Comedienne Joan Rivers, with whom I did some writing and consulting work some years back, created an immensely prosperous business and a career renaissance and new fame by moving from stand-up comedy and regular TV to QVC, the home shopping network. That prominence and reputation as entrepreneur even led to her gig in the 2008 Celebrity Apprentice - which she won.

Several years ago, Harley-Davidson began focusing aggressively on women riders and buyers, and moved that sales activity out of their regular dealerships and showrooms to "garage parties" ala Tupperware.

In place strategy, there are obvious and non-obvious choices, and often the big breakthroughs come from the non-obvious.
One of the things I try to get every entrepreneur, marketer, and professional to think about is being in more places than anyone in their category of expertise or services typically puts himself. Most people are very limited, get comfortable with only a few places, and stay there. My advanced version of the "Be Somewhere Wealth Magnet" is: Be everywhere that's relevant, everywhere your ideal customer or clients are, and be omnipresent in those environments.