Greetings, Steppers!

In this post: Making “something” out of “nothing”…  then selling it for cash!

This next Shoestring Step is kind of oddly named:  ‘CREATE’ Value.

Now, that’s strange for ME to put in a Five-Step plan to Five Figures per month… because I don’t happen to believe that human beings can create anything at all.

To “create” in its truest sense is to start with nothing at all… and make something appear. Can you do that? I can’t. I don’t mean take clay and make it into a pot. I don’t mean start with words and make a poem. That isn’t creation, it’s taking stuff that’s already there and organizing it differently. 

To truly create is to start with nothing but an idea, then make something appear. Only God can do that with matter and energy.

But..! Guess what. Human beings CAN create when it comes to this elusive property: value.

I’ll give you an example: a preteen takes a block of wood worth less than a nickel. In shop class at school, she cuts the wood with a jigsaw into the shape of a heart. Then, she slaps a photo on the heart and spreads a clear coat sealant on it.

Wood: .05 cents
Photo: Found at home
Tools and  materials from shop class at school: Taxpayers handle it

Heart-shaped paperweight with a picture of me holding my daughter as a six-year old: PRICELESS.

See, Jayde CREATED value… out of thin air. It’s worth much more (to me) than the stuff that went into making it. Go on, ask me what you’d pay to take that paperweight off my hands. A million dollars wouldn’t cover it.

But of course, that cute little memento only has value to me. Plus I would never part with it anyway. So what about creating value that can get you spendable cash?

Here’s a cute story: a little black boy growing up in a poor neighborhood in Chicago goes door-to-door selling body lotion and other sundries. The bold six-year-old inquires at one neighbor’s door with a conversation that goes something like this:

“Would you like to buy this beautiful red painted rock? It’s only three dollars and could be used as a doorstop or a paperweight! It’ll keep important papers on your desk or kitchen table.”

“Isn’t that the rock that was on my porch?”

“No, it’s different now. I painted it red.”

Adorable kid. Sweet kid. Are you sitting down? This kid was a millionaire by age fourteen. No joke.

He’s grown up a bit since then, but the little boy pictured above is Farrah Gray. This bright, engaging young man Learned To Create Value early on, and just kept looking for ways to do it. I imagine that the young Mr. (excuse me… that’s now DOCTOR, as in Ph.D! ) Gray also used the other four Steps along the way as he built a multi-million dollar enterprise… starting with nothing. Starting on a Shoestring.

Every Wednesday in the coming weeks and months I’ll be sharing six different ways to Create Value. Some of them I have done personally, and some I’ve observed others do, often with spectacular results!

Here are some brief words of encouragement from Dr. Farrah Gray, now 27 and one of America’s most influential young rich men. I strongly encourage you to visit his website, watch his news clip, and consider picking up one of more of his books.

“My story, though unique, is not unlike others who began with nothing more than a dream fueled by sheer determination. I believe my story will remind you of the kid in all of us who know no limits and believes anything – and everything – is possible” -Dr. Farrah Gray

You can check out Dr. Farrah Gray’s website at http://www.drfarrahgray.com .

Okay, gang! I’m looking forward to tomorrow, when I’ll talk to you about Step Four: Measure Everything You Do. Til then,

Keep Stepping!

Kurt

P.S. Hey, don’t forget to subscribe to this blog. I’ll be regularly adding tips on how to market your existing business with very little cash outlay… or how to start a bizness up starting with nothing but a dream. Posts will be delivered directly to your inbox, or you can come here and ‘brain dump’ to your heart’s content. You can always unsubscribe later if you don’t think I’m Creating Value for you. Opt-in today!