Today we had dinner with an amazing couple that Lindsay sorta works with in her current job.  They are actually a pretty decent couple, and I say actually because they are in the financial advisor type of position in a place where Lindsay works that are not actually broke and stand on principal and really do want to help people.  Unlike the other scum that Lindsay works with where they lie, cheat, break the law, only care about the highest commission rates, and sell what’s best for them not what’s best for the client.  Now if you think this is the only place like that, think again.  It happens more often then you think.

So while we were having dinner with them we were talking on how people are successful in the finance  world and how hard it actually is.  He said very few actually make decent money where they don’t have to go against principals or morals.  They are by no means wealthy beyond means however they are pretty successful and it took them 4-5 years of nose to the grindstone and having that short term pain for long term gain mentality.  They basically had the whatever it takes mentality. Hmm sounds familiar.  I can respect people like that, people who despite everything stand on principal no matter what.

Recently another blog called Amthrax wrote a blog entry on Realism, Friendship and 0.0035% and while it was a pretty good article on a few notes, I was thinking about it today in how the success rate somewhat applies to this couples business and really how success rates really apply to any entrepreneurial undertaking.  The finance world is very tough and very cut throat, people are actually out to discredit you, throw you under the bus just to get ahead.  Being a successful financial advisor on your own is very tough but people do make it.  I don’t think they have quite the same success/failure rate that we do however I’d rather take what we do any day over what they have to go through.  We build business with integrity, morals and stand on some pretty awesome principals, the same cannot be said for the financial world.  One of our cardinal rules is “Don’t mess with anyone’s money” and we take that VERY serious.  Finance world… not so much.

I’ve picked on the financial advisor world a bit however I could pick on any entrepreneurial business as a lot of business’s fail and some succeed.  Everyone has their own percentages and everyone has their own little quirks.  There are negative and positive about every business out there whether it’s the Amway Global business or some Financial Advisor Business to the Pink Lovey Dovey Rabbit Company that only promotes the love of rabbits (not sure where that came from), but everything has it’s own success and failure rate.  What I think is the true measure of success, is when people despite the odds, despite the negative, despite all the naysayers, rise to the top and lay claim to the hard work and effort that was put into whatever endeavour they were trying to overcome.  That’s what I think success is.

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Please check out these other all-star bloggers in the 2010 Summer Blogging Challenge. Cliff – Peer Pressure Works, Chad – The Grind, Kelly – ‘Round the Bend, Kim – In Desperate Need of Entertainment, Kyle – Teacher, Tinkerer, Farmer, Geek, Liam – In the Now, Brad – Kick Me Out Soon, Tammy – Tam I am, Erron – From The Inside Looking In, James – Feelings of White, Vlad – Analog Coast, Janine - Because