Every day we sell our services to others to earn money. So, each one of us is selling something or the other like physical labor, thoughts, know-how, power/energy, motivational skills, knowledge, etc. And the buyer is the entire community who frequently needs our services. It is a matter of regret that we ignore augmenting our skills and waste our physical/mental power to earn money. We are not good sellers, nor do we have good stuff to sell. Let us follow the advice of Pujya Gurudev, Pandit Shriram Sharma, Acharya in this regard.
Many people ask me (Acharyaji), “We are desperate to start a business but do not know how to persuade customers and sell them our goods. We do not find ourselves as smart salesmen.” My answer to all such persons is – ‘If you lack this degree of excellence, you will keep crying for your entire life. It would be best if you settled in some orphanage. So long as man does not augment the virtues of a good salesman and perceives the psychology of customers, he cannot earn money in his life.’ Therefore, all of us need to imbibe the virtues of a salesman in every sphere of life.
How to find employment?
If you need employment, do not beg for it or behave servilely to any employer. You cannot get a job by invoking mercy in the employer’s heart. He will invite you only when he is in dire need of someone. You must be choosy and offer your talent to whosoever pays you the highest compensation. Always endeavor to reach a business house that can deliver the best value of your talent.
Even if you lose your job, do not get impatient. You possess the experience. So, analyze your worth, take some time and contemplate on the changing circumstances. Introspect about why you were refused your services. Have you become short of skills and become old-fashioned for that job? You might have not acclimatized according to new challenges in your career and are found no longer of any use. You might have become like an old machine that now requires more maintenance and gives less output, and hence it is sold in scrap. Possibly you also might not be producing the required result in your job. You should, therefore, try to add a new skill or new knowledge to cope with new demands in your service. You must enrich yourself with all such skills which everyone will tempt to purchase.
This world is full of opportunities. We can take advantage of the incoming opportunities if we can mold according to circumstances. We should critically introspect to find out our weaknesses and should try to surmount them.
There are quite a few people in the world who are daring enough to accept their flaws and are ready to overpower them; you should take every possible step to be one of them. Pinpoint your weaknesses, dissipate them and develop transcendent merits in your personality. Put your everything to transmute yourself into a wholly modified personality equipped with novel thoughts and attitude that conforms to the market’s changing requirements. Business people are always in search of such people and ready to invest in them.
Can you become a good businessman?
If your introspection reveals that you possess good business skills, do not hesitate to work with business people without any compensation to boost those skills, gain experience, and know their trade secrets. And meticulously focus on how economical they are in their investments and how careful and precise they are in incurring expenses. All such exercises will augment your businessman skills.
Vigilance, economy, and mental alacrity are essential attributes for any business. Excessive expenditure or inadvertently lending money, especially on credit, will impair your capital. Be precise with your expenses and confine them to the extent of your earnings only. Customer satisfaction should be your supreme motto in business. Show proper respect to your customers. Do not forget that you are selling some service and customers will prefer whoever gives them maximum satisfaction.
Always be courteous, compassionate, and gentle in your conversation with others. Behavioral patterns spread very rapidly in society, and take care that this publicity about you should yield positive responses from all sides. Always focus on increasing the number of your friends. They will prove very fruitful to divert public attention to your business. Friends are always helpful to propel you ahead. People everywhere support those who themselves are strong and successful. They enjoy helping the winners. Bible points out – ‘One who possesses abundantly, will be awarded more and more. Those who need little help are showered with maximum support. So, maximize your efforts to go high, and the world will follow you.’
The most critical element to success is appropriate planning and sticking to it even in extreme situations. Quite often, people begin with good planning but give it up in the middle. This isn’t good. Never give up your efforts until you achieve your goal. Your time is your wealth. You may convert your spare time into money through hard work. Conserve your time; this will save you money. Avoid wastage of time. Keep an eye on it to fairly utilize it, and this will result in an abundance of money.
Apart from your main job, whenever you are free, you can utilize your spare time in the following activities to better your economic condition.
⦁Start with a small business. For example, you can store seasonal items at a lower price when they are abundantly available and wait to sell in the market when prices go up. This is a good business for those who have a small capital to invest.
⦁Try finding employment in a shop. Many shops are open at night also, and shopkeepers seek honest and diligent employees.
⦁Learn typing/word processing; it requires little practice and patience. This will make you earn a good amount.
⦁Learn to manufacture cosmetic items. For example, produce tooth powder, face creams, hair oil, etc., needed for domestic use. These items have good potential to increase your income.
⦁Soap manufacturing requires little effort, but you can earn a lot from it.
⦁The production of fruit juices, squash, and beverages is a rewarding business. You can learn dying and washing of clothes also. Biscuit manufacturing is also a paying business.
⦁Incense sticks and fireworks can be made at home. So, get the appropriate raw material and start making these items at home. The fireworks are always in demand
at national festivals, Deepawali, and other occasions.
⦁Onemaystartpoultryfarmingaswell.
⦁Papaya farming has good potential to earn money. Other vegetables can also be grown if you have sufficient farming land.
⦁Repairing electronic and small mechanical items is a very paying profession. ITI trained people can easily do it.
⦁The business of pickles, jam, jellies, honey, papad can be started from home.
⦁Enquire what cottage or small industries are run in your vicinity and which one will be appropriate for you. Farming business or cottage industry can be initiated as a side business. Seriously think about it to increase your income. If you are short of finance, you can find a service somewhere. If you are a good writer, you can get your writings published in print media.
⦁A hotel/restaurant can be opened in collaboration with friends. Adequate hygiene, good behavior with customers will be an asset. In the beginning, food items should be offered at a lower price; later on, when customers are comfortable, they shall be ready to pay more for your services. Hotels, canteens, restaurants give good profits.
⦁Shops of consumable items, medicines can be opened on a cooperative basis also. Think about adding some distinguishing features to your shop. Maintain proper accounts to avoid losses. Many businesses go insolvent because of not maintaining adequate funds.
⦁Always start with half of the capacity of your budget. All big businesses were created at a small level. Go through selective books to gain specific knowledge of your target business and seek the company of like-minded business persons. Then, as you gain self-confidence, you can arrange resources to run your business.
⦁Suppose you want to open a bicycle shop. First, you should learn about the maintenance of a bicycle, its various parts, their price, and the names of spare parts dealers, and then start your shop. Develop your business relations with people doing other business as well.
⦁It will help if you are well conversant with the art of advertising and sales. Never try to delude people by aggressive marketing but provide them a fair deal, listen to their grievances, and satisfy them.
⦁Independent businesses are widely appreciated and acknowledged. So far as possible, start your own individual venture.
⦁The dairy business also can be operated at a small level. Pure milk is always widely in demand. Those with space and storage facilities for fodder can start even with two cattle (cows/buffalos).
⦁Always enhance your proficiency in one specific field. More proficiency means more money. Those who are proficient in technical skills and experience can earn more money.
No one in the world can guide you to earn money without gaining proficiency and hard work. Therefore, if you want to make good money, focus on successful affluent persons and attentively study their working, technical expertise, and product. In addition, it would be best if you endeavored to find out the secrets of their success.
Resorting to gambling, deluding tricks, bribes cannot make anyone rich. They take away even your principal amount. Lottery, puzzle-solving, betting on lucky numbers can never help you making rich. Beware of those who cheat by forecasting lottery numbers. If this could work, they would have been rich themselves. Ethics says ‘Udyogina¡ puruÌ¡ sinha mupaiti LakÌmi’ (meaning: money comes only to those who are diligent.)
Source: Akhand Jyoti Magazine Sept-Oct 2021