Building the business and not having it be about maximum profit... is anathema in much of the business world. It seems long ago when I was struggling with this concept as a budding coach, and my own amazing coach, Jeaneen Schmidt, asked me the eye opening question: "when has anything ever worked, when you made it about the money...?" True that.

Especially considering that I am in a business of people (aren't most of us in the end?), making it about the people seems like an important thing to keep remember. I was reminded of this principle again, listening to Geshe Michael Roach (The Diamond Cutter) talk about "the spirit of generosity." His business model consists of 3 simple steps:

Making the money
Enjoying the money you made
Doing something good for others with the money you made

His concept of "the spirit of generosity" is not about giving away your products or services. Simply stated, it is about making plenty of money and being generous with it. This mindset of generosity is like planting a seed. Perpetuating the idea that yes, you can have your cake and eat it, too. Ask yourself, "what can I do today, that will bring great value to my life, and, how can I make this valuable for someone else, too"?

And yes, as business owners, we need to keep an eye on the numbers. But when is enough, enough? What happens when all the focus is on maximizing? Maximizing profit, productivity, ROI, shareholder value. Profit becomes an obsession and people, the planet and principles get lost in the drive. When 25% profit does the trick nicely, what is it costing You, your customers and the planet to eek out those extra 2%?

Aren't there better things you could do with your time and your energy??