One Of The Only Ways To Get Really, Really Rich

Clearly getting really rich in financial terms is the result of investing in yourself and others, of taking risks, of doing hundreds of small things right...and then doing one or two big things really right.

But what if you don't get one or two big things really right? There's another way to get really rich.

Rich in Life
I've spoken to hundreds of entrepreneurs, and each and every one does the same thing. When we talk about the financial side of being an entrepreneur — exit strategies, revenues, IPOs, cashing out — they're interested but far from animated.

But when we talk about the life of an entrepreneur, about how it feels to be an entrepreneur, they all light up. They start to gush about the challenges, the responsibility, the sense of mission, the sense of purpose, the sense of fulfillment and excitement of working with and for a real team, the amazing feelings of empowerment and the control over their own destinies....

It happens every time.

The bootstrappers with infinite dreams and negligible revenues light up.

The successful entrepreneurs such as Joel Gascoigne, who helped expand Buffer from a personal project into a business with a talented team with real revenues, light up.

The hugely successful entrepreneurs such as Scott Dorsey, who helped steer ExactTarget out of a garage, into an IPO, and then into an acquisition by SalesForce.com, light up.

Every entrepreneur lights up when we talk about being an entrepreneur because they feelalive: free to chart their own courses, to make their own decisions, to make their own mistakes — to let the sky be the limit not just financially but also (and almost always more importantly) personally, too.

And in that way, regardless of financial return, they feel really rich. And they are really rich — regardless of income or wealth.

Really, Really Rich
That's why the only way to become really rich financially and really rich personally — in other words really, really rich — is to start your own business. Even if it's just on the side. Even if it's just a slightly stepped-up hobby.

There's no reason not to. You don't have to quit your job right away; in fact, you probably shouldn't. (One of the best ways to minimize your risk is to keep your full-time job while you build your foundation for success.) Plus the basics of starting a business are easy; you can do it in one day.

Here's the deal.
In return for less freedom, less control, and less fulfillment, every day you go to work for someone else your upside is always capped and your downside is always unlimited.

The downside for entrepreneurs is also unlimited — but in return, they enjoy the possibility of an unlimited financial upside and an unlimited personal upside.

Take a chance on yourself. Try to get really, really rich. Maybe you'll only become really rich.

One out of two is still awesome — and you will have achieved it on your terms.

If your friends and family think you were crazy for starting a business, show them this article. If you've been thinking about starting a business and people say you're being foolish, show them this article.

If the people around you don't understand how personally fulfilling taking a chance on yourself can be, have them check this out.

And then get started on your entrepreneurial journey, even in the smallest and safest way. Every step you take will bring you closer to becoming at the very least really rich — and maybe, just maybe, really, really rich — and will let you join a group of people who live their lives their way, on their own terms.

Who are those people?

Entrepreneurs. Be one.

It's the best investment you can make — because it means you're investing in yourself.



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