Can you guess who this person is?
Because of dyslexia, he dropped out of high school at age 16. One year later, he was squatting with 20 other people in the basement of a friend’s house.
He started a business selling Christmas trees and a type of parakeet called “budgerigars.” The business failed, but our young hero was undaunted. He set up an office with a friend inside a crypt and launched a magazine, “Student.”
The magazine struggled to make sales until he decided to advertise and sell popular record albums. The mail-order business flourished, and he used the proceeds to build a retail store that sold records.
The name of the record store was Virgin Records.
Sir Richard Branson was just like you.
“One Thing Is Certain in Business. You and Everyone Around You Will Make Mistakes.” – Sir Richard Branson.
Sir Richard Branson didn’t earn $2.6 billion overnight. He had his periods of struggle and failure.
There were days when he didn’t know where his next paycheck would come from – but he never wavered in his ambition to become successful.
If you’re struggling to make money, so are countless other people. When you’re faced with doubts about your chances of success, read these 15 money quotes and be inspired.
5 Inspirational Quotes on How to Earn Money
Wake up, go to work, come home.
Every day, it’s the same thing. You go through the grind, and yet, it seems that nothing’s changed. Life isn’t getting any better.
Sometimes, you just need a reminder to keep pushing forward.
1. “Everyday is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor. We have 24 hours each.” – Christopher Rice.
Christopher Rice certainly knows a thing or two about time management. The bestselling author wrote his first book, “A Density of Souls,” while still in high school in 2000.
Another way to view Christopher’s quote is to think of your time as an entry in a ledger. It doesn’t matter if you’re flipping two-dollar burgers or managing billion-dollar portfolios. Every day, we’re all credited with only 24 hours.
If your goal is to earn money, then how you account for time will determine whether or not you’ll succeed. Time is finite; we lose it with each passing second. Time lost is time lost forever.
An effective way of managing time is to plan your day the night before.
- Review the day that was. What did you accomplish? What tasks remain pending?
- Identify three goals for the following day. Prioritize them in order of importance.
- Write the three goals on your whiteboard. This way, the three tasks are the first things you see when you enter your office.
- Identify tasks that you can delegate to others.
- Organize your work area for the following day.
Lastly, get a good night’s sleep. 😴
Sleeping for fewer than eight hours might give you more waking hours, but you won’t be productive. The goal of earning money must not be at the expense of your health.
2. “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say ‘Yes,’ then learn how to do it later.” – Sir Richard Branson.
This is perhaps Sir Richard’s most quoted quote, and with good reason!
Sir Richard isn’t shy to admit that he’s lost more ventures than he’s won. He attributes his unenviable record to his willingness to take on challenges outside his expertise.
Sir Richard views challenges as opportunities he can’t pass up because they could open doors for him if he succeeds.
We often get content that we don’t explore opportunities outside our comfort zones. We create our Glass Ceiling or barriers to career advancement.
How can we capitalize on opportunities that come our way?
- Commit to the learning process. The learning curve will be steep at the start, but with perseverance, it will slowly flatten out.
- Understand that you can’t do it alone. Get trusted experts onboard.
- Hire the right people with the required skills for the job.
You’ll never know if you’ll make money until you take the opportunity. If the venture doesn’t succeed, you’ll still come away rich with knowledge and experience.
3. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie.
Dale Carnegie is the author of the bestseller, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Since its release in 1936, Dale’s book has sold more than 30 million copies and continues to be popular today.
Here’s the undeniable truth:
There are more failures than successes. It’s not a zero-sum game.
Think of how many Olympic swimmers went home losers because of Michael Phelps. Now, think of how those swimmers felt. How many do you think came back to give the Olympics another go?
The ones who came back realized they weren’t losers. They were good enough to win at their level, but to get to Phelps’ level, they had to work harder.
For Carnegie, failure is your teacher. It won’t lie and tell you what you want to hear. Failure exposes your flaws and weaknesses so you can learn from them.
If Walt Disney had given in to his failures, we wouldn’t have Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and all the iconic characters that made “Disneyland” the happiest place on earth.
4. “Persist – don’t take no for an answer. If you’re happy to sit at your desk and not take risk, you’ll be sitting at your desk for the next 20 years.” – David Rubenstein.
David Rubenstein wouldn’t have become a billionaire and owned the Baltimore Orioles if he didn’t believe his advice.
For example, you’re a salesman for a company selling fabricated kitchen equipment. You present your products and services to the biggest chain of steakhouses in the country. After your sales presentation, the representative says:
“We enjoyed your presentation, but what you have isn’t what we need. It’ll be a ‘no’ from us, but thank you for your time.”
What do you do?
Should you respond with:
“Well, thank you for the opportunity. I wish your company success in the future.”
Don’t take no for an answer. You might not have an opportunity like this again.
- Ask “Why?” Why are your products and services not what the company is looking for?
- Find out what types of equipment and services they need.
- Do they have a budget?
Now that you have a better understanding of what they need tell them to expect a new proposal from your company in 24 hours.
If you take “No” for an answer, they’ll say “Yes” to someone else. They wouldn’t have agreed to your presentation if there wasn’t interest in buying kitchen equipment.
Rejection is painful but could also present an opportunity. If you don’t take that opportunity, someone else will.
5. “If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know and start charging for it.” – Kim Garst.
Kim Garst is a bestselling author and keynote speaker. Her quote will resonate with freelancers, remote workers, and entrepreneurs. Garst is also a digital marketing consultant. She knows what it’s like to dedicate her time to clients.
When starting your career as a freelancer, the immediate goal is to land that first client. You don’t have a career unless you have a client in the books.
The usual strategy is to not price yourself out of the market. You look at the rates charged by first-time freelancers – the ones without a client. How much are they charging?
It’s okay to price your rates slightly lower if that’s what it takes to hook your first client. You just need an opportunity to prove yourself.
Once you’ve established your credibility, don’t commoditize your profession by dropping your prices to land clients. Recognize the value of your expertise and charge accordingly.
5 Enlightening Quotes on How to Manage Money
It took a while, but now you can pay your bills on time, treat yourself to a reward occasionally, and set aside savings in the bank.
The question is, “How do I make my money grow?”
1. “How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case.” – Robert G. Allen.
Robert G. Allen is the bestselling author of “Nothing Down: How to Buy Real Estate with Little or No Money Down.” Allen has written several books about creating wealth through multiple income streams.
Allen knows what he’s talking about!
According to Bankrate, the Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on a standard savings account as of July 2024 is 0.59. As of June 2024, the inflation rate was marked at 3.0%. Parking your hard-earned money in a savings account won’t help you cope with inflation.
Diversifying your investments would be a smart way of creating wealth. You don’t have to be a high-stakes investor to maximize the earning potential of your money.
If you prefer to keep most of your money in savings, some savings accounts offer an APY of 4% and higher. You can invest in Certificates of Deposits (CDs) that offer higher than 5% APY.
Property is a big investment, but if you choose wisely, the investment will pay big dividends in the future.
The cool thing about investing in property is that you own a piece of your country! That’s why in Australia, owning property is called the “Great Australian Dream.”
2. “Try to save something while your salary is small; it’s impossible to save after you begin to earn more.” – Jack Benny.
Before he achieved iconic comedian status, Jack Benny wore many hats. He worked in his father’s saloon, became a musician, performed in vaudeville, and worked in radio until he made it big in television and film.
Benny knew the meaning of struggle.
Saving builds good habits. It teaches you discipline and how to set financial goals. Many have a hard time saving because money gives them purchasing power.
A good principle to follow is the 50-30-20 budget rule:
- 50% of your salary goes to paying the “must haves” like electricity, water, groceries, and rent.
- 30% of your salary goes to “your wants.” It’s okay to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Rewarding yourself for accomplishing a goal reinforces positive behavior.
- 20% of your salary goes to savings. The amount might not be enough, but over time and with consistency, you might be happily surprised at how much you’ve saved.
If you can reduce your monthly bills and forego the reward from time to time, you can have more savings at the end of the month.
3. “Never spend your money before you have earned it.” – Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States. His face might only adorn a two-dollar bill, but what Mr. Jefferson said is spot on.
Credit allows you to spend money you don’t have. The idea of spending now and paying later on some future date is tempting.
Credit companies have made it easier to apply for a credit card. For starters, the minimum age requirement to apply for a credit card is 18.
Money on credit is borrowed money. It’s not yours. You have to repay the issuer with interest. If you miss payments, you’ll be charged penalties. Over time, you’ll end up paying the creditor more than the money you borrowed.
If you can afford it, it is better to pay with cash and use a credit card for contingencies.
4. “Too many people spend the money they earned… to buy things they don’t want… to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Rogers.
Will Rogers made a career in the entertainment industry, where people tend to compare material possessions.
Who has the bigger house? Who drives the faster car? Who’s a member of the newest private golf course?
Social pressure can push us to compare ourselves with others or to “Keep up with the Joneses.” We’re never happy with what we have because our neighbors have more stuff.
You might not even like your neighbors, but you invite them to your home and open a $10,000 bottle of Leroy Romanee-Saint Vivant Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits from France. Heck, throw in a pound of $150 Bitto Storico cheese paired with $900 crackers from Harrod’s!
The look on their faces is worth it, right?
What happens when you lose your job? What if you don’t have enough savings to stay afloat for six months?
Will the people you went out to impress help you out?
Remember that you work for yourself and your family, not the Joneses. If your neighbors own expensive stuff, they probably worked for it.
5. “Investing should be more like watching paint dry or grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas.” – Paul Samuelson.
Trust a Nobel Prize-winning Economist like Paul Samuelson to know a thing or two about investing. Samuelson also served as a consultant to the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy, so he might have known a thing or two about having fun in Las Vegas! 😉
Investing isn’t gambling. Yes, there’s always risk involved but it’s mitigated by analyzing data, seeking consultation from experts, and establishing your tolerance.
Unlike a game of Blackjack in a casino, you don’t win – or lose – on the throw of a dice.
An investment takes time to reap dividends.
In the stock market, you could buy on a dip and think you bought at a good price. A good trading plan factors your risk tolerance level where an exit point is established.
Thus, even if market prices continue to decline, you can hold steady knowing that your cut loss point is what you’re prepared to lose. It might take time, but if your analysis is correct, you could hit a home run.
In contrast, you could go to Las Vegas with only $800 in your pocket and leave Las Vegas the following day with $8,000 in debt.
💡Building a strong credit history is essential for achieving your financial goals. It can help you qualify for lower interest rates on loans and mortgages, and it can even save you money on insurance. But how do you build good credit if you don’t have a lot of credit history to begin with? Cushion can help! By tracking your BNPL agreements, Cushion can help you demonstrate your ability to manage credit responsibly.
5 Motivational Quotes on How to Enjoy Money
For quite some time now, you’ve been thinking about going on a cruise with your spouse. You go online and check the cost of an “Icon of the Seas” cruise.
“$2,058 per person is the lowest price?”
It’s not about the money. It’s about how to enjoy your money.
1. “It’s good to have money and the things money can buy, but it’s good too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost things money can’t buy.” – George Lorimer.
The Saturday Evening Post attained its greatest success with George Lorimer as its Editor. Lorimer had a vision of what makes life beautiful, and this was captured by the artist he hired to draw the covers of the Post – the great Norman Rockwell.
You work because you want to take care of your family. You don’t want them to ever worry about money. You want to give them the best in life: education, vacations, and food on the table.
But one of the things you can’t buy is time.
- Have an ice-cold beer with Dad on the porch.
- Cook a pasta dish with Mom.
- Shoot hoops with your son.
- Listen to your daughter’s piano recital.
- Spend an evening with your spouse/partner listening to Bob Marley over a bottle of wine.
Life happens so fast that you only see what’s in front and not what’s around you. Sometimes you have to pump the breaks and live in the present.
Look around, appreciate what you have, and be there with them here and now.
2. “Money is numbers, and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness never ends.” – Bob Marley.
Bob Marley will “Wait in Vain” for your love, but he won’t wait for you to find happiness.
At the time of his death, Marley’s net worth was $11 million. A Rastafarian, Marley believed in reincarnation. He thought life was eternal and never made a will. Today, his net worth is estimated to be $500 million.
Bob Marley only had 36 years on earth, but he made the most of his time spreading messages of hope, justice, and love through his music.
How about you?
Are you happy with the wealth that you’ve amassed over the years, or do you still want more?
We can be so obsessed with every dollar, cent, and penny we make that everything must be accounted for.
- “How much is my time deposit earning?”
- “Has my investment in XYZ company generated a 1,000% ROI?”
- “Why did I buy against the Japanese Yen? It’s now below 160 JPY to the U.S. Dollar.”
The reality is you have money in the bank, can put food on the table, pay your bills, and have a nest egg for your sunset years.
Sometimes, you have to be as chill as Bob Marley. Be happy with what you have instead of wanting more.
Remember, life is finite.
3. “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” – Henry David Thoreau.
Henry David Thoreau didn’t find much success as an essayist, poet, and philosopher. However, he discovered the beauty of life when he had to support himself as a surveyor, collecting botanical and reptilian specimens for Harvard University.
In the movie, “The Bucket List,” billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) meets auto mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) in a hospital owned by Cole.
After they are diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Cole encourages Carter to pursue his bucket list – things to do before he “kicks the bucket” or dies. Cole offers to pay for all expenses and adds his activities to the list.
The two men go on a globe-trotting adventure to the North Pole, the Taj Majal, the Great Wall of China, Mount Everest, and a lion safari in Tanzania.
You don’t have to be terminally ill to go experience life.
What’s the point of having all the money in the world when you don’t go see the world?
It’s not just travel:
- Learn a musical instrument.
- Learn a new language.
- Take up a new sport.
- Pick up a new hobby like gardening, cooking, or painting.
- Dine at a restaurant you’ve always wanted to try.
- Make new friends.
- Get together with family and friends.
Allow us to paraphrase Henry David Thoreau’s quote:
“Wealth gives you the ability to experience the life you dreamed of when you didn’t have it.”
4. “A man who gives his children habits of industry provides for them better than by giving fortune.” – Richard Whately.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates must admire Richard Whately because he has pledged to give all of his wealth to charity. Richard Whately was an English educator widely recognized as the leading proponent of logic in nineteenth-century England.
And there is logic in Richard’s quote.
Bill Gates’ children can inherit their Dad’s tremendous wealth, but if they don’t know how to manage hundreds of dollars, how can they expect to manage billions of dollars?
Exhibit A, we have the Vanderbilt family.
The Vanderbilt family built its fortune in the shipping and railroad industries. At the time of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt’s death, the family fortune was estimated to be $185 billion.
The wealth was squandered by the generations of Vanderbilts that followed. A combination of having a lavish lifestyle and bad business decisions drained the family’s coffers. By 1970, none of the children had $1 million to their name.
Whether you decide to leave your fortune to your children is up to you. Education has prepared them for the challenges of industry. However, your experiences can guide them through the challenges of life.
5. “Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give.” – William A. Ward.
William A. Ward was a motivational speaker and writer. It’s no surprise that William’s quote encompasses everything we’ve discussed in this article.
Money is purchasing power. If you’ve amassed a great deal of wealth, you can buy anything your heart desires. But does having more money equate to having more power?
Real power is having the ability to transform people’s lives… and money can do that for you.
Look at rocker Jon Bon Jovi.
He made his wealth as a rockstar in the 80s, an actor in the 90s, and has remained relevant in the 2000s.
To give back, Bon Jovi set up “Soul Kitchen,” a non-profit restaurant where the menus have no prices. Instead of paying for your food, Jon’s asking for donations. Pay what you think the food’s worth, and your money will be used to help those in need.
You’ve done everything right at this point in your life. It’s time to give back and help others find their footing.
Summary
Becoming wealthy is a product of hard work, good decision-making, and luck. If you’re fortunate enough to achieve financial success, enjoy it.
It takes years to build wealth. Many will be approaching their sunset years. Your time to enjoy the fruits of your labor is limited.
Go ahead and indulge in life. It might have seemed ugly and unforgiving when you were struggling. Now, you have the opportunity to explore life’s beauty.
Money isn’t the root of all evil.
It’s just a means to an end.
