Money is a Tool
In the small airport terminal, I settled in and pulled up my podcast app, double-checking that I had downloaded a few episodes of my go-to podcast.
I stumbled upon “Born to Impact,” hosted by Joel Marion and Dan “Kill Mode” Long, which features conversations with Christian entrepreneurs and leaders.
I wasn’t considering becoming an entrepreneur, and honestly, starting a business wasn’t even on my mind at this stage of my life.
The reality is, before discovering this podcast, I spent my daily commutes listening to music. Whenever I traveled for work (which was every other week), I made sure to have TV shows or movies downloaded to binge-watch during flights.
In the evenings, I’d unwind by watching TV with no real purpose.
Then, one day, I felt a nudge to explore podcasts, spurred on by a few recommendations from people in my circle.
Alright, why not? Let’s see how this goes. A brief search led me to “Born to Impact” after skimming through a few reviews.
But let’s get back to the airport. As I settled into my seat on the plane, I plugged in my headphones to tune out the chatter of fellow passengers and hit play.
I grabbed my notebook and began jotting down notes. That’s how impactful this podcast was for me. I filled pages upon pages with insights from their content.
While I sat there listening, they dropped a bombshell: “Money is just a tool!” My initial reaction? “Sure, easy for you to say when you have plenty of it,” I thought cynically.
However, they went on to elaborate on what they meant.
Money is transient; it flows in and out. Accumulating wealth is pleasant, yet it isn’t a prerequisite for happiness.
I hit pause on the podcast to let that idea sink in.
Then, as I typically do, I distilled their message into something personal and relatable. My revised take on it goes like this: “Money is merely a mode of transportation. Some navigate in Ford Pintos, while others soar in private jets.”
Each of these modes of transportation can take you to your destination. The key distinctions lie in the time it takes, the comfort experienced during the journey, and the perception others have when you arrive.
Having more money can expedite reaching your next destination, but speed isn’t always synonymous with improvement. Some of my most cherished memories to date involve leisurely road trips with Jenna and the family!
At the outset of my entrepreneurial venture, money wasn’t the driving force. It may sound unconventional, and it might not resonate with everyone, but hear me out.
Money, in essence, is a tool—a metric to gauge business growth. However, it doesn’t equate to success. Success is multifaceted and cannot be solely defined by financial gain. While money might factor into your idea of success, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
Are you familiar with the TV show Shark Tank?
One thing you’ll notice is that when the sharks are genuinely interested in a business, they dive straight into the numbers. What are the production costs? What’s the selling price? What’s the overall revenue from the business? And importantly, what has the business earned in the past year?
They’re all about the numbers.
However, there’s always at least one shark who throws in a curveball question like, “How long is your customer retention?” or perhaps, “What’s your CTA (cost to acquire) per customer?”
And when they discover a business they’re truly excited about, it becomes about branding the entrepreneurs themselves. A recurring phrase on the show is, “What I’m searching for is a company where I can fuel the flames by injecting capital and expertise that I bring to the table!”
They understand that money is merely a means to an end, not a measure of happiness.
Initially, as I reflected on the entire podcast I listened to, I didn’t quite agree with their perspective. In fact, it nearly turned me away from their content. I hope that’s not the case for you.
However, upon deeper reflection, I realized they were onto something. Money truly is just a tool, and we all have the autonomy to decide how we use our tools. We can either hoard them (save every penny and never spend any) or leverage them to acquire more tools that enable us to tackle different tasks more efficiently (invest those pennies in tools that foster growth).
The choice is ours to make.
I opted to invest, not hoard!!!
What path will you choose?
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