Dedication – To my one and only sweetheart who remains a bigger source of inspiration to me.
Some of my friends wonder why I do not write purposely to make money though I am actually broke. My reason is simple yet thought-provoking; it is not really about moneymaking, but making a difference matters most. That is my business orientation as a start-up writing entrepreneur. Of course, I will definitely make a huge fortune from my writing firm as time goes by, yet my principal purpose is to make a difference on earth as a gifted writer.
My first and upcoming book “Control Your Own Destiny (The Philosophy of a 20-Year-Old University Dropout)” was not written to merely make a lot of money. Never! I authored it to purify defiled minds, especially among the black race, and the wealth will follow in my lifetime. Yes, I want a reader to send me a message that goes like, “Sir Article, your book has really transformed my thinking, and I’m now compelled to control my own destiny. God bless you.”
However, I do not seek to suggest that moneymaking is wrong or unnecessary. If you are in any kind of business, even in the non-profitmaking area, you still need money to keep the business alive and healthy. Besides, moneymaking will enable you to undertake more projects which will generate some form of returns. I am currently struggling to see the official release of my book because I am actually hard up.
This financial challenge will not occur after Sircle Communications, my start-up writing firm, earns a lot of money from my book project. Remember, my book project is aimed at making a difference in society, but it will surely be a moneymaking venture in order to sustain my business. For my topmost priority is making a difference, then followed by moneymaking.
That is how entrepreneurs need to think and act if they want to be mightily successful. Dr. Rob Yeung, a famous business psychologist, wrote in ‘Rules of Entrepreneurship,’ that, “They [true entrepreneurs] are not driven by money, but the love of what they do. They are often gripped by an almost desperate determination to make their mark, and do something better.” In fact, you can never make a real difference without defying the odds. To make a difference, you must be a rare breed. If you want to make a difference in our world dominated by conformists, then you ought to be a maverick or a nonconformist. I love what Elaine S. Dalton said, “If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.” Above all, you should be prepared to muster up the courage to take defiant risks and make rare sacrifices.
Moreover, I find the success story of Patrick Awuah Jr. as an embodiment of this article’s title. He is the Founder and President of Ashesi University, one of Ghana’s foremost private universities. Surprisingly, he quit his lucrative job at Microsoft Corporation to establish a university in his native country Ghana. He started Ashesi University with the immense desire to educate, train and raise a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa. That is why Ashesi University is a private not-for-profit university since it was meant to make a difference and not to make mere profit. Mr. Awuah once revealed on TED Talks that a student of his school e-mailed him when he started Ashesi University, saying, “I am thinking now.”