Make Money, Give Money by Alex Beauchamp, Girl at Play

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ABOUT THE BLOG
Since 2001 the Girl at Play Blog, written by Alex Beauchamp, has focused on business, art, new media, community, Hollywood, and what it takes to be a creative entrepreneur. You can read the original blog which focuses on how Alex left her corporate job to pursue a freelance creative career and what really went into cultivating a successful career.

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Make Money, Give Money

I wrote earlier about how I create money and how I save money but I forgot about one very important thing: how to give money.

Years ago I read the book, The 10 Percent Solution in which Marc Allen (a self-made millionaire) explains how one should give 10% of their income away. At the time, I didn't have a huge income and couldn't imagine giving anything away let alone 10 percent! But I like a challenge and so began the life of giving away 10%. I've never looked back and I've never missed the money I gave.

I make sure that I continuously give; I sponsor a woman at Women for Women because I want to help someone else achieve their dreams. I recently just purchased my first home and gave 1% of the purchase price to Habitat for Humanity to help someone else achieve that feeling of home ownership that I worked so hard for. My eBay sales always have 10% going to a different charity, I buy from eco-friendly and organic shops and commonly give money to bonafide charities.

Now, seeing red can be a scary thing for a business owner but the new Red program created by Bono and Bobby Shriver is an amazing way to get money to those who need it whilst satisfying your own buying needs. For those who might have a hard time with 10%, this is a great way to start.

But, try 10%. Try it. It is so easy to sit back and be pitiful and think of all you don't have and how hard it is for you and the struggles you face. But the easiest way to get out of the mind frame is to honestly get over yourself. Stop reading self-help books that make you constantly think about yourself and your state and instead, start thinking of others and what simple ways you can give back.

Running a successful business isn't just about fame and money - it's about what you do with it. It's about how you help others climb the ladder. It's about grace. It's about generosity. So even if you think you have no money, you have some. Do something with it. Embrace the power of money by being first financially responsible and then by being generous and then watch your whole financial and business world change.

I promise.

October 13, 2006 | Link to this | Filed in Business Advice

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