People have different definitions of success, but I think we’d all agree that success is something that everyone strives for. It’s something that, in my career as an entrepreneur and business consultant, I’ve had, and I’ve lost, and I’ve had again.
My journey as an entrepreneur has not always been easy—It’s been a journey of taking risks that have failed tremendously and risks that have paid off. I’ve made many mistakes and faced various challenges along the way. But, these challenges have led me to where I’m at in my career today—and for that, I am grateful.
Many people equate success with never failing or never making a mistake. With the huge presence social media has in our lives, it can be easy to look at the highlight reel of people’s day-to-day life on Instagram or their recent promotion on LinkedIn without taking into consideration everything that goes on behind the scenes in order to get someone to where they are. While it’s important to share our success with others, it’s also important to share the hardships and failures that occurred along our path to success. These things make us who we are and carry invaluable lessons.
It’s also important, especially as a leader in business or your local community, to give back. I believe that success should be shared, and that’s why I make it a point to support local communities and charities and encourage others to do the same. The whole team at Success Financial LLC is very vocal about how important this is to us and to society at large.
But ‘sharing success’ is more than donating money to worthy causes—it’s a time commitment that I think businesses should prioritize. So how do you share success?
At Success Financial LLC, we share success by investing in underserved communities. One of the communities we’re incredibly passionate about helping is the U.S. Veteran community.
Besides regularly donating to causes like The Fisher House, Operation Homefront, and the Wounded Warrior Project, Success Financial Team has set up several scholarships, providing financial aid to help fund business start-ups or education to those that have served in our armed forces. The scholarships are fully funded by Success Financial Team’s internal budget with no outside help or funding required. This scholarship initiative was created to help support and teach veterans to build their businesses and transform people’s lives, helping those in need.
The team also makes a point of hiring veterans—as we’ve expanded the business’s services and offerings, we’ve also expanded the company and have set up initiatives and campaigns to hire veterans. Hiring veterans and members of the community is an investment in their long-term success.
When you google “how to share success”, you’re bombarded with pieces on how to share success stories with your team, using success stories to enhance your brand and other similar pieces of content. The common thread? These examples of shared successes are self-serving – they’re business tactics.
To me, sharing success is an action. It’s actively supporting communities, providing resources for education and learning, and more. Consider your business’s core identity and pillars, and find a cause that aligns with them. In order to be most effective, you’ll want to consider how you can make the most impact. Lots of people just donate money to causes, which is helpful, without realizing there are ways they can impact long-term systemic change. When you’re offering someone a job or a roof over their head, you’re offering them something more than material goods—you’re giving them the opportunity to truly change their life.
So how can you have the most impact? How will you share success today?
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