Are you in business or just complaining about business?

As I reflect on some incidents of the recent week, which I’m not going to elaborate on here,  I am questioning if many people who say they are in the real estate business are actually in the business of selling homes or just the business of complaining.

Stick with me; I think you’ll see that I have a valid point and one perhaps that you agree with.

A for-profit business is about………making a profit by delivering the best product or service that keeps customers coming back and referring others to you.  Sure, you may say, “that’s the simple version,” but it’s more complicated than that, but really as Hokey Pokey says,…..that’s what it’s all about.

Now let me set the record straight here on profit.  There is nothing shameful about making a profit.  Let me say that differently, there is nothing wrong with making money or wanting to make money.  YES, I know some people are struggling financially, and I have empathy for them, but does my complaining about that or being poor help them?  No, I know that I can do far more by having money than by being poor, and so can all of us.

As kids, many of us did things to earn money; we were entrepreneurial even in our youth.  We had lemonade stands; we babysat for screaming brats; we mowed lawns for neighbors, etc.  For us this was plain and simple about earning some money to do whatever our little hearts desired, like buying a new record, the latest Tiger Beat magazine, or a pair of cool new shoes.

We were doing what we did for money. Tell me that mowing grass was because you liked it or felt like being of service to the neighborhood.  At 13 or 14, it was all about making some dough to get the things we couldn’t talk our parents into buying us.

Sadly I’ve spent too much time recently in the presence of the business complainers club.  This club is growing fast and furious.  In case you’re not sure if you’ve got a chapter in your area, let me tell you more about this club.  They spend their time and energy discussing with fellow club members the challenges they are facing, not in looking for a solution, but the company as misery loves company.  They can quote statistics on the number of foreclosures and the number of people who are unemployed but can’t tell you anything about the schools in the neighborhood or what they are doing to market their services.  Caution, they are heavily recruiting, and they can be found soliciting new members at the coffee pot, the sales meeting, the water cooler, and even on Facebook.   They haven’t made a profit yet this year, and truth be told, they probably won’t, as the business of complainers is purely NON-PROFIT.

If you’re a member of this club, I highly suggest you resign now.  Your business depends on you focusing on the positive aspects of it and spending more time doing the activities that make a profit.  If you’re not a member, WAHOO!!!  However, be careful; it’s really easy to get sucked into their club when you’re trying to lend a hand or some compassion to someone having a bad time.  Stay strong; you can be positive and profitable.

Should you be approached by someone wishing to recruit you into the complainers club, politely thank them for their concern and let them know that your business is about profit and that you plan to keep it that way.  Tell them that your time is precious, and you realize that the more you focus on the things you want and NOT the things you don’t want, the better your life is.  Also, mention that you’re more about looking at solutions, not problems.

Then pat yourself on the back; you’ve successfully avoided being sucked into the business of complaining.

Enjoy your business, make as much money as your heart desires and remember the best way to help those in the club to be a shining example of what you wish to see in the world.