We are taught and conditioned to believe this link is inviolate and proportionate; the more you work, the harder you work, the more money you make. And there is, of course, lots of truth to the idea, especially if you use the phrase “money you make.” But when you substitute “money you attract ”, you can break the link, and attract wealth and achieve success in great disproportion to your work.

Lots of people work very hard and work long hours but earn comparatively little, many, incidentally, in jobs you or I wouldn’t do for a day. Think coal miners, cops, farm laborers. This is proof that work alone is not the ‘secret’. Actually, it’s even proof that focusing on ‘work’ alone is an impediment to success.

So, typically, the business owner learns to make money by leveraging his abilities through other people, his products through multiple forms of distribution, his successful business through multiple locations, and his capital through investment. He still works and makes money by working; he also makes money by having others work, and by putting his money to work. Nothing new under that sun.

I’ve just described the three ways to make money. Most people use only the first; many use the first and third; few use all three. But we are still in the ‘‘making money’ box.

In my newest book No B.S. Wealth Attraction For Entrepreneurs , I deal with everything outside the ‘work box’

It’s outside that box that dramatic breakthroughs, rapid income and wealth increases, and extraordinary accomplishments occur.

— Dan Kennedy

Dan Kennedy is an author, consultant and business coach. Additional information at www.FreeDanKennedyNewsletter.com

I use the word ‘creative’ with extreme caution. Too often, in advertising, selling is sacrificed at the altar of creativity. Too often, people are stymied and paralyzed by trying to be creative beginning with a blank page. It’s hard to just “think up” a good idea!

Instead, the ad copywriters, marketers and entrepreneurs who produce the greatest creative output tend to be the least creative.

Huh? Read that one more time.

Here’s what I mean: they NEVER stare at a blank page or try to pull ideas from thin air.

They believe: input/output. So they tend to gather information, ideas and examples, rearrange the old and tested and tried and true in different ways. Many even have systems or checklists they run through each and every time they are attempting to come up with something that is perceived as new by their customers or clientele. There’s a sample 9-point process in my book No B.S. Business Success. Those of us who create ads have what are ingloriously called Swipe Files; samples of good ads we’ve collected over years and categorized for easy reference. Sure, occasionally, everybody has a blinding flash of inspiration from out of nowhere. But if you’re smart, you don’t depend on such gifts.

— Dan Kennedy

Dan Kennedy is an author, consultant and business coach. Additional information at www.FreeDanKennedyNewsletter.com

“It’s the System, stupid!” — but few businesses really have SYSTEMS.

In fact, I’m writing a little satire book titled ‘Haphazard Marketing’ to describe how most people really do business. Here, I have one great System Suggestion guaranteed to make an immediate and dramatic difference in your business: devise, stick to and enforce a real System for getting a first time, new customer back to purchase within 30 days or less.

Abundant research indicates that make a second purchase the likelihood of long-term, repeat patronage increases by better than 500% if the new customer returns and buys a 2nd time within 30 days of the first purchase. In some industries (like dry cleaning) 3 visits within 30 days forms a habit and virtually guarantees continuous patronage.

Oh, how do you know if you have such a System? It has multiple steps and it is applied without deviation or exception to every first time customer.

— Dan Kennedy

Dan Kennedy is an author, consultant and business coach. Additional information at www.FreeDanKennedyNewsletter.com