The Ten Roads to Riches: The Ways the Wealthy Got There (And How You Can Too!)

I

The Richest

Road

21

3.

Innovate

or

improve.

Create

something

novel

or

improve

something,

or

do both.

Novel

is a

marvel

but it's ok just to bea

better,

faster,

cheaper,

moreprofitable

version

of an old

version.

4. Build tosell or build to

last.

These

are twodifferent

mindsets

and done

differently, sodecideearlyif youcan.

Each

optionhas

separate

con-

side

rations.

And you can build an empireand laterdecideto sell. But

buildingto last

means

thinking like an

owner.

To

sell,think like a

buyer.

5.

Bootstrap

or find

financing.

If your

business

is capital-intensive,

you

need

outside

funding, but if not, you

have

a choice.

Venture

capital

is for "building to sell,"

because

your

investors

like liquidity.

Bootstrapping is better if youwant to build to last and a

llows

morefree-

dom. But you can go eitherway.

6. Gopublic or stay

private

.

Going

public has

prestige

but is a pain.

Try

to stay

private

. Again, more

freedom,

control,

and freetime at the deli

counter.

7.

Ignore

naysayers

. The

bigger

youare,the moreyou'll beattacked. So

build your

toughness.

8. Bea

quitter.

Founders

are quitters,sojust quit. Find a quiet

space

and

noticethere'snothinggoingon thereand quit it.

Keep

quitting until it

isn't quiet in your quiet

space.

Finda vitalfunction and quit it.

9. But neverquit your

clients.

Stay

with your

prospects

and

customers

even

whenyou

have

great

sales

representatives.

You

never,

evergetto

quit clients or

potential

clients, or your

business

goes

poof.