How to make money and live well

The answer is simple really. However, like a Mozart symphony it looks clear and simple on the surface but it is in essence a complex work. The same is true in making money. There are some key things that you must do in order to make money. I am not saying here how to become a millionaire and live the country club life style. My aim is sober, practical and quite able to be done. Do the following and you will have money and live in comfort for the rest of your life.

1. Before all things you must acquire a skill. This skill can be given to you as a gift such at the talent for calculation, singing or drawing. If you do not have a given skill do not worry you can acquire one. However, the aim of this article is focused on money not skills and talents. That I will cover in a separate article. With this talent you will then groom it. If it takes schooling, exercise, or any other kind of practice just make sure that you follow a plan for enhancing your skill. This is crucial.

2. Focus. This is one on the most important things that anyone can tell you. It is the single most over looked item and one of the most important. Take your skill and focus with it. Become know for that one thing and do it very well. Cases in point: Einstein, Rembrandt, Darwin, and Shakespeare. All of these men are famous for one thing. Einstein is not know for his paintings or is Shakespeare known for is Mathematical Formulas. The thing that all of these men (and all successful people) have in common is that they have a skill or talent they groomed it and channeled (focused) it. They were not all over the map and you should not be either.

3. Market your skills. This is not as difficult as you may think. The first thing that you must do is to acquire a business card. It must contain all of your contact information and Website if available. Research has proven that this lost cost low tech item is the best form of contact bar none.

4. Make contacts. This is another item that is well overlooked and when addressed they refer to it as networking. I never network I do business. You have to know how to do business if you are to succeed. You do business at lunch and socialize at dinner. You must never brandish a business card around at a dinner or social function unless someone directly asks you for your card. Brandishing your business card will cost you far more than anything that you hope to gain.

5. Follow up on contacts. The field is wide open here because no one follows up properly. What I mean by follow up is to sit down and write a note of thanks of how nice it was to meet you on elegant note cards that you purchased from a fine museum (Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art, etc.) or gallery. This will put you at the top of the list of people to be remembered. The response and feedback that you will get from this alone will more than pay for the time that you spent reading this article.

6. Get established with a good banker and accountant. I usually get these from personal recommendations that you make along the way. There are many venues for meeting people such as Rotary, or city clubs in your area. These are fine but the real skill comes in on how you handle them.

If you follow all of the above guidelines you will find that you have more than enough money for your needs. How you handle money is another matter and I will leave you in the hands of your banker and accountant for that.