2nd Installment of the 7 Steps to Financial Success

Statue of Ghandi in London

RESEARCH

 Getting to know our true nature

 “He who knows others is learned; He who knows himself is wise.” ~Lao-tzu, Tao te Ching

 Who Am I? What Do I Want?

Spiritual – Here we delve into the greatest mystery. Just as it is essential to research investment strategies, different types of mortgages, and what kinds of cars to buy, it is also essential to research the nature of reality and how it works. What laws seem to govern life? Are there any rules at all?

More importantly, we can begin the research of who we really are—each one of us. Sages and scientist’s explorations and discoveries of the universe are fascinating. Our inter-connectedness, the study of our infinite, unlimited, multi-dimensional selves by quantum physicists, complements our religious teachings. Reminding ourselves of the great matrix, of which everyone is a part, is very uplifting, inspiring us to feel bigger than we might have before.

Materially – Ask yourself what you have created and why? Just where do you want to be? What do you want from the physical world? Do you have opposing beliefs that may be stopping you? Going out into the world with tasks to unmask some of these hidden beliefs is your assignment here. How about guilt and the need to forgive yourself and others? Could this be holding your prosperity back? Asking yourself these questions can open a doorway to a new way of looking at your life and what you have.

What do you truly, deep in your heart, want? In looking at your family and other people in your life and society; what messages did you receive from them? What were your first messages about money? How does the world look: safe, scary, or chaotic? What are the default beliefs that form a basis for your experience? In looking at your goals, seek to discover what that goal represents, what is the essence? (Which is the real desire!)

Financially – What are your financial goals? How much income and net worth do you think you need ? See how you can stretch your idea of numbers so that large amounts become smaller and more attainable in your mind. How much is enough? What is the real purpose here? There are three types of people in relationship to money: the saver, the spender and the controller. Each has attributes that are beneficial, and each type can be successful. The problems arise when we become out of balance. Without balance and wellbeing, a saver may become a hoarder, a spender will go broke and a controller will either keep second guessing and comparing their methods or won’t take any risk at all.

Revisit the goals worksheet on Kasey Claytor’s site here.

 

 

 

 

The First Installment of the Steps to Financial Health

Here the first step from my new book, The Money Map, A Spiritual Guide to Financial Success. Let’s see what we can get started on a prosperous path this new year! The next newsletter will include the next step, (there are 7). Each step has three categories, Spiritual, Physical and Financial. Ready? Go!

Step 1: Clearing

Getting rid of what isn’t working once and for all

 We don’t have to struggle with extraordinary effort to attain wealth; it is our natural state of being, and it is by subtracting things from our lives that we uncover the abundance. Abundance is an attribute of the Universe.

We uncover what we have in our life that no longer serves you.

Spiritually – How do we eliminate things that may be jeopardizing our higher good; the ways we spend our time, attention, and energy? Here is an opportunity to assess where re-aligning or eliminating some actions, habits, and ways of thinking could have a powerful effect. Notice things that are not useful, to take inventory, to witness what is creating obstacles to your personal growth.

Recognize how your thoughts can help or hinder. Everywhere we get the message to think positively, but attempting to eliminate thoughts that are not favorable to prosperity can be frustrating.

Individual thoughts, memories, and reactions to outside events are processed through the ego, which includes the personality. Think of all the roles we play in life, which are superficial, compared to our spiritual identity.  The ego enables us to learn how the material world operates and how to survive. As we grow, we identify so intimately with our ego that we forget that we are so much more. The ego is the operating system for our perceptions, and it is our job to bring it back to just that.

Physically – Look at your environment, at work, home, even in your car, to assess what gives you energy and what saps it; what brings up memories that bring you down. Clear a path to improve life by using action, economize your time and talents; all of this makes it so much easier to move in the direction of your dream life.

Financially – With a basic analysis of what has accumulated, gather statements of all your accounts: i.e., bank, IRAs, life insurance, etc. and notice what may have been ignored, accounts that aren’t being monitored, or accounts that generate left-over bad feelings (for example, from an old relationship). As we discover why, by asking important questions, we learn where we might begin restructuring, cleaning up the financial clutter. Where are you wasting that financial energy? Baby steps in preparation to receive!

Let’s have hearts, heads, and hands open with space to receive.

(By the way, the book is full of quizzes to help you discover more to clean up.)

Click on the book to purchase The Money Map

They’re Flying Off The Shelves!!!!

I must say I’ve been blown away by the book sales since the Money Map came out. This is my 7th book, and I’ve never been so surprised by the high interest. Could the reason be because it is about money? I’m betting so! I posted an excerpt below explaining just how important our financial life is to our comfort and security. A big thank you to all who’ve taken the time to purchase this book. May you have complete financial wellbeing!

For those who live in Central Florida, I am considering a book talk to go over the points necessary to our financial success and wellbeing. Books will be available to be signed. Dates possible right now are Friday, Nov 17th or Saturday the18th. Please reply to this email if interested. Unless it is a very large group, we can meet in our conference room in Titusville.

To Your Prosperity and Wellbeing,

Kasey Claytor

“The Purusharthas, mentioned in the Indian Vedic texts, are a large body of religious writings by ancient, enlightened seers. They list four aims of life: that of purpose, (Dharma), material security, (Artha), pleasure and relationships, (Kama), and freedom, self-realization, (Moksha). Even the great sages of India knew without material security we will have deficits in our wellbeing. Artha is the security of having the material resources we need to live in the world with ease. It is a basic human dignity. And for any of us to take care of our families without money crises, it’s necessary to have material balance.

Financial success is a spiritual goal.”

From the introduction to the Money Map, A Spiritual Guide for Financial Success

Click here to buy!

 

Establishing a Ritual

 

I haven’t been in touch lately with you, my subscribers, except to notify you of the launching of my new book.

You deserve an explanation. My son, Justin, was diagnosed with a terminal brain disease called Frontotemporal Degeneration in April of 2019. At the beginning of this year he declined rapidly, and he passed away in May. A link to his obituary. It has been hard to write about, talk about and live with, as you can imagine. Gradually working back into my book project was one of the ways I could spend my time where I was able to shift my attention to something other than my grief.

I’d like to let you in on one of the ways I found to lighten and process the grief. Actually, there are many ways we receive help in crisis, from family, friends, support groups, books, spiritual teachers, chaplains and counselors to name some. This one practice anyone can implement anytime.

Establish a ritual. Do it before any crisis. One thing that is certain; we all will have a crisis, or crises at some point. When you have a ritual that you are already practicing, you have something that gives you comfort and is nourishing, and for a small time, relieves you of pain. It may be devotion to your spiritual practices, but it may be something else. It ought to be an activity that takes you away from your normal thoughts, away from your chattering ego. Your ego is like a demanding child always wanting attention and control, full of judgements and self-pity. A ritual can invite your inner self, your higher consciousness, your soul, a connection to something much bigger than yourself, into your awareness. Peace is found there.

The obvious ritual is prayer and/or meditation. But it could be reading poetry and sitting in contemplation of it. A ritual that encourages mindfulness. You could just focus on your senses, like sitting in nature listening to the sounds, feeling the air on your skin. Or create a ceremonial practice of a tea ritual, done with intention, purposeful with mindfulness. A walking meditation is lovely also, while reciting a mantra or prayers.

Once you’ve decided on your ritual, do it every day in the same place and at the same time, if possible. You are creating a groove in your daily life which will invite a tranquil energy to fill you. Your physiology will become trained to shift into this perspective. You will look forward to it. It won’t be another to-do, it will be a break from your busy life, a rewarding time that will fill you with insight and inspiration. As Deepak Chopra says, if you are too busy for this, then you really need it!

As you do this, while in a crisis, it may happen that emotions arise, and that is OK. Certainly. Allow them to flow up and out, wait until they dissipate, and return to your mantra.

I embraced my meditation and prayer ritual with all my heart as I cared for myself in my grief, and still do. I wanted to share this with all of you, because I want you to have this skill for yourself, when you need it. I see so much suffering in others that could be helped by this practice.

Here is my 13 minute recording on how and why to meditate just below my Hay House interview. Enjoy.

I’m excited to share below the first Editorial Review for The Money Map! 5 STARS!

And I feel a deep appreciation to all of you who have already bought this book. You’ve been giving me wonderful feedback.

To Your Prosperity and Wellbeing,

Kasey Claytor

 

THE MONEY MAP: A Spiritual Guide for Financial Success

By Kasey J. Claytor

https://KaseyClaytor.com

ISBN: 978-0-692-89050-9

ASIN: B0CHG8ZBYM

Osprey Publishing

Rating: 5/5; Highly Recommended!

“…”There is something magical about money—the way it appears and disappears, grows and shrinks, and, in a similar way of taming a hesitant wild horse, with calm assuredness and confidence, not only will you learn to control it, but you will find you can joyfully master it.” -Author Kasey J. Claytor

Claytor offers insight on how one can change their thinking and behavior to allow the floodgates of abundance to open up, with solid advice for achieving undivided focus, intelligent poise, and a competent thought technique.

She asserts that everyone can step outside of themselves and hold the point of view of the observer. If one is mindful and aware of their present moment, they can move toward much-needed peace and confidence, allowing the growth of new ideas and productivity.

The route to monetary independence may appear too steep to ascend, but The Money Map will guide readers to the summit, one checkpoint at a time.

This book’s eye-opening revelations about the mindsets of affluent people and its secrets to what they carry inwardly, earn it must-read status in the business resources category.

The Money Map: A Spiritual Guide for Financial Success will provide readers with invaluable advice, standing beside such works as Spiral Dynamics by Dr. Don Edward Beck Ph. D., Map of the Scale of Consciousness by Dr. David Hawkins M.D. Ph. D., and Integral Psychology by Ken Wilbur. The Money Map will aid anyone in discovering the most beneficial path to financial success, regardless of their current situation….”

The Art of Raising Your Money Consciousness

COMING THIS FALL!

 THE MONEY MAP

A Spiritual Guide for Financial Success

 

Finding success, happiness, and prosperity should be easier than ever given the proliferation of self-help books and coaching. Yet with countless people reading, studying, and attending workshops, many still find themselves just scraping by financially. It’s clearly time to find a fresh approach. Instead of looking outward for answers, I suggest a reset that combines both the spiritual and financial sides of life. Let’s raise your level of Money Consciousness. You can create incremental shifts forward, and even feel awe at the magical, unlimited universe that connects us all.

A consciousness-based approach to growth in any area includes incorporating aspects of the universe with a deeper understanding of the qualities of spirit and mind. It also includes having an awareness of the physical world with an eye toward how we perceive it from our ego to our shared humanity.  And of course, you need to be open to guidance specifically as it relates to your financial life.

It is possible to become financially secure and confident. Financial topics needn’t be dry, complex, or esoteric. Our capacity for experiencing abundance is already woven into the fabric of our multi-dimensional lives.

Self-knowledge is key. It’s important to see where you are right now and you can do that by looking at yourself on three levels: spiritually, physically and financially.

Who Am I?

Spiritually – This is the greatest mystery. Just as it is essential to research investment strategies, different types of mortgages, and what kinds of cars to buy, it is also essential to research the nature of reality and how it works. What laws seem to govern life? Are there any rules at all?

More importantly, we can begin the research of who we really are—each one of us. Sages and scientists’ explorations and discoveries of the universe have shown us our inter-connectedness and our infinite, unlimited, multi-dimensional selves. Being reminded, or being shown for the first time, the great matrix of which everyone is a part is very uplifting, and inspires us to feel bigger than we might have before.

Soul evolution and quantum shifts in consciousness are possible through meditation, self-reflection, and self-inquiry. Investigate by continuing to ask, “Who am I?”.

Materially – Ask what has been created in your life and why? Just where do you want to be? What do you want from the physical world? Do you have opposing beliefs; for example, desiring prosperity but believing rich people are corrupt? Go out into the world with specific tasks to unmask some of these hidden beliefs. Could guilt or resentment be holding your prosperity back?

What do you truly, deep in your heart, want? Look at your family and other people in your life and society; what messages did you receive from them? What were your first messages about money? How does the world look, safe, scary, or chaotic? What are the default beliefs that form a basis for your experience? In looking at your goals think about what that goal represents, what is the essence of it? (Which is the real desire!)

Financially – What are your financial goals and how can you stretch your idea of numbers. How much is enough? What is the real purpose here? There are three types of people in relationship to money: the saver, the spender, and the controller. Each has attributes that are beneficial, and each type can be successful. The problems arise when one type becomes out of balance. Without balance and wellbeing, a saver may become a hoarder, a spender will go broke, and a controller won’t take any risk at all. Knowing which type you are can enable you to find your balance.

Finding success, happiness, and prosperity should be easier than ever given the proliferation of self-help books and coaching. Yet with countless people reading, studying, and attending workshops, many still find themselves just scraping by financially. It’s clearly time to find a fresh approach. Instead of looking outward for answers, I suggest a reset that combines both the spiritual and financial sides of life. Let’s raise your level of Money Consciousness. You can create incremental shifts forward, and even feel awe at the magical, unlimited universe that connects us all.

A consciousness-based approach to growth in any area includes incorporating aspects of the universe with a deeper understanding of the qualities of spirit and mind. It also includes having an awareness of the physical world with an eye toward how we perceive it from our ego to our shared humanity.  And of course, you need to be open to guidance specifically as it relates to your financial life.

It is possible to become financially secure and confident. Financial topics needn’t be dry, complex, or esoteric. Our capacity for experiencing abundance is already woven into the fabric of our multi-dimensional lives.

Self-knowledge is key. It’s important to see where you are right now and you can do that by looking at yourself on three levels: spiritually, physically and financially.

 Who Am I?

Spiritually – This is the greatest mystery. Just as it is essential to research investment strategies, different types of mortgages, and what kinds of cars to buy, it is also essential to research the nature of reality and how it works. What laws seem to govern life? Are there any rules at all?

More importantly, we can begin the research of who we really are—each one of us. Sages and scientists’ explorations and discoveries of the universe have shown us our inter-connectedness and our infinite, unlimited, multi-dimensional selves. Being reminded, or being shown for the first time, the great matrix of which everyone is a part is very uplifting, and inspires us to feel bigger than we might have before.

Soul evolution and quantum shifts in consciousness are possible through meditation, self-reflection, and self-inquiry. Investigate by continuing to ask, “Who am I?”.

Materially – Ask what has been created in your life and why? Just where do you want to be? What do you want from the physical world? Do you have opposing beliefs; for example, desiring prosperity but believing rich people are corrupt? Go out into the world with specific tasks to unmask some of these hidden beliefs. Could guilt or resentment be holding your prosperity back?

What do you truly, deep in your heart, want? Look at your family and other people in your life and society; what messages did you receive from them? What were your first messages about money? How does the world look, safe, scary, or chaotic? What are the default beliefs that form a basis for your experience? In looking at your goals think about what that goal represents, what is the essence of it? (Which is the real desire!)

Financially – What are your financial goals and how can you stretch your idea of numbers. How much is enough? What is the real purpose here? There are three types of people in relationship to money: the saver, the spender, and the controller. Each has attributes that are beneficial, and each type can be successful. The problems arise when one type becomes out of balance. Without balance and wellbeing, a saver may become a hoarder, a spender will go broke, and a controller won’t take any risk at all. Knowing which type you are can enable you to find your balance.

 

Kasey Claytor’s Money Map Quiz can be found on her website, and her soon to be released book The Money Map, A Spiritual Guide to Financial Success, will be available on Amazon.

 

A Prosperity Project for January!

Many people find me and my site because they’ve googled money quizzes or money health, or something along the order of improving their financial life. I realize this and yet find myself going back to wellbeing over and over again. I have to pull myself back from that because I understand how important this is to people.
People think having lots of money will solve their problems; it will ease stress, make their lives more attractive, and make them happier.
A healthy approach to money is imperative to making peace with the subject of money. It is the feelings of lack, the wishing, the grasping, the neediness that makes us suffer. Not our bank account balance. After all, most of us will eat today and tomorrow. Most of us have a dry, warm place to sleep. Therefore, the angst and despair over the idea of not having enough is where our suffering originates.
Some of the happiest people in the world have very little in the way of possessions and luxuries. It isn’t money that creates happiness and wellbeing.
The grasping and angst could be just what is wrong.
Or:
Avoiding learning about money
Holding a belief money is really hard to attain
Thinking wealthy people must be shady
Or, we don’t deserve it
Etc.
We all know these concepts.
But what about this. Money is just a game. Some people know how to play the game better than others. They don’t take it so seriously. It could be their hobby. Challenging themselves to up their game to find a better paying job, or have a hobby that enables them to sell a product or a service, saving the extra cash.
It can feel like a game to see how much can be put away each month in a savings or investment account.
It feels like a game to figure out what kind of trip you really want to go on and make a vision board about it, save toward it, and revisit imagining it often.
It feels like a game creating crafts around your vision, like the ‘Fun Account’ check book cover project below. I drew places I wanted to visit and words like, “unlimited” on it.
What are other ways you can make creating money playful? Asking the question will begin the movement of change.
Our project for this January:
One of my checkbooks is a money market account that I designated “FUN”. I deposit money in it for home items, massages, trips, etc. FUN stuff!
I looked at the checkbook cover that I had marked in white paint with the fading name, Fun Trust and I thought, “Why isn’t all of the checkbooks labeled something ‘fun’? And so, it began!
I bought some paints and went to work.
I’d like to share this idea with you, so you can create your own special checkbook cover. It’s invaluable in creating a positive experience with saving and spending. You could write your favorite quotes, prosperity messages like debt reducing affirmations, growth of assets, expanding, building and abundance!
(And, of course, when paying those bills, fill yourself with gratitude.)

Why Focus on Wellbeing when I want to be Rich? What has consciousness got to do with it?

Many of you find my site through your interest in money and not necessarily on the consciousness information, mind/body stuff, or even my books! Often, those with the desire to attain financial success get perhaps a bit impatient with the other topics! Let’s look at the relationship between them, and why there is a good reason to include them when understanding financial success. After all we want to be happy, fulfilled, satisfied and healthy, not only well off financially!
           As we move through life, we all look through our own unique filters, which creates our perspective of ourselves and the world. Just as there is a vast range of perspectives among us, there is a corresponding level of consciousness for each and every one of us.
           Consciousness is the basis of our existence. Before anything there is the unmanifest, as it moves it becomes consciousness. It not only permeates everything, it creates everything and yes, most of us call this God, but we are just looking at one attribute here, the levels of awareness. They ripple up from the underlying energetic field and its vibration.
           Basically, everything has consciousness, and as we look on the higher ascending levels, we find sentient beings becoming ‘aware’.
           Of course, now we are talking about humans. Eckhart Tolle says we have been at a level up to this point of being mostly unaware of our ability to manifest reality, (we may be on the verge of consciously manifesting in our evolution, but that is another conversation).
           What does all this have to do with money? We are each operating at a level of consciousness. At the lower levels there is no personal integrity, a lack of empathy and compassion, and there is not even the honoring of handshakes or a promise. If we use Dr. David Hawkins scale, this would be at a 1-3, with 10 representing a completely enlightened, evolved being; Jesus in his example. Most of us today are grouped in low to middle.
           Someone with relatively low consciousness can create wealth. We all know of people like Madoff or Harvey Weinstein. There is no exact correlation with how financially successful you are and on what level of consciousness you are operating.
           But, having what I call financial health is tied to your level of consciousness. When you have financial health, you aren’t stressed about money, (Do you think Madoff wasn’t stressed about how he was making his money? Keeping all those balls in the air? He must have been.). When you have financial health, your money is organized in accounts with purposes: savings, retirement, investments, insurance, etc. You have confidence in your financial plan; you have the discipline to protect your assets and not irresponsibly spending or losing it. You are able to delay gratification, and at the highest levels of money consciousness, you are provided for by an income stream without struggling or working long hours that you don’t enjoy. It also involves trust or faith that your future needs will be met.
           I’ve been a financial advisor and planner since 1983. I have seen all types of people and their money consciousness displayed before me in a steady stream through my office and, for the most part, the clients with faith in their future do quite well. They have enough of a grasp on how money and securities work to feel comfortable with their plans.
           Those who are lower on the scale may look upon the wealthy with envy, projecting negative attributes on them. This reinforces their own distrust of the financial world and supports a belief that truly good people are not rich.
          Let’s do something fun. Let’s combine these individual manifestations of money consciousness with Ayurvedic mind/body principles. Ayurveda is the 5000-year-old health system of yoga from India. There are three main mind/body types called doshas. In Ayurveda mental and physical diseases are the result from imbalances in these doshas. If we use this to determine an Ayurvedic-based money consciousness, it would look like these examples below.
Doshas at Lower Levels of Money Consciousness, unbalanced:
1)     VATA Anxious. The anxiety of investing causes poor decisions—buying and selling based on emotions, the worry of uncertainty causing delayed planning, often changing their mind, the fear of what ifs creating so much stress that they cannot follow good advice, and perhaps some impulsive spending. Job insecurity, perhaps too many job changes, flighty.
2)     PITTA Distrustful. Viewing the financial community as corrupt, difficulty putting trust in others, desiring to do it all on their own, moving from one financial professional to another, always blaming downturns on some conspiracy or groups with nefarious motivations. They don’t see themselves as responsible for their situation. Can be overbearing, controlling, irritable, which may affect their ability to do their work. Makes it more difficult to find financial wellbeing.
3)     KAPHA Procrastinator. Always putting off getting their affairs in order. They will do it someday, it’s nobody’s fault, they just don’t want to think about it. Money stagnates in low to no interest-bearing accounts, or ‘orphaned’ accounts, those not paid attention to. They rarely get around to making a good financial plan, and just might go take a nap instead. Could easily miss opportunities to advance in their career by a lack of motivation or lethargy.
Doshas at Higher Levels of Money Consciousness, Balanced:
           1) VATA Inventive. Uses creativity and ingenuity to solve financial problems. Is in touch with their intuition and inner guidance to make better decisions. Vivid imagination to follow each choice to its probable result. Finds a career path that fills their need for expressiveness, communication, creativity, passions and service. Work is more like play, and their ‘play’ is fulfilling and monetarily rewarded.
           2) PITTA Leadership. Excellent organizer, charismatic, disciplined, ambitious, colorful, and self-determined. Good ability to formulate goals, financial plans, assessing problems and mapping out logical solutions. Natural entrepreneur. Their estate plan is in order, retirement plan enacted, insurance and investment needs are covered, and periodically reviewed. Mapped out their career, knows the trajectory, and is confident they are on target. They are admired and listened to. Life is good.
           3) KAPHA Stable. Dependable, consistent, loyal, caring, nurturing, the glue that holds families and companies together. Ability to stick with a good financial plan, understands long-term strategies, patient with market volatility, good ability to save, thoughtful through career, money and relationships. Good employee and a favorite beloved family member.
           All of these higher consciousness types have an underlying confidence that their financial life with be in line with the fulfillment and success in their personal lives, mind, body and spirit. From an Ayurvedic perspective, this is accomplished much easier when we have our mind/body in balance; when we have vitality, sound sleep, physical and emotional comfort, passion, and depth of awareness along with financial health. This is wellbeing and this is the goal.
You made it to the end of the essay!!! You are awesome.
Kids & Money

Sometimes When You Hear, “I Care A Lot.”

May be an image of one or more people and wrist watch
I just watched the movie, I Care A Lot. It’s about a woman who becomes guardian, appointed by a court, to oversee seniors’ care who aren’t able to care for themselves anymore. Yet, she is very malicious and corrupt, and she preys on these vulnerable people along with others who comply with her scheme for a payoff, such as a doctor and a nursing home administrator.
The story takes far-fetched lengths for entertainment value, including a Russian mob and bizarre happenings, but the main point is, unfortunately, a real one.
In Florida, if a resident is showing signs of an inability to care for him or herself, and no relatives appear to be available to assist them, the state can assign a guardian through one of the contracted agencies that provide this service. These agencies have attorneys in place to attain court ordered authorization to sell off the belongings, and place the person in a facility. And pay themselves of course. All against the will of the compromised person.
I assume most states have similar practices in place. In the movie the agency/guardians schemed to keep much of the value of the assets for themselves and pay off those in cahoots, as well as charging a high fee for the service.
We have experienced scary situations with our clients in the past, where an agency was sent in to assess and determine if a client of ours was deemed competent to continue living alone. In one case, the doctor reported a woman to our state authorities, I will call her Tess, because she got lost on her way to her doctor’s appointment. Tess was suddenly on a swift process to have a guardian appointed, moved into a nursing home, and her home and valuables, investment accounts and annuities, all turned over to this agency to be used for her care.
I was contacted by someone from such an agency regarding Tess, and you can imagine how alarmed I was. Tess had all her documentation in place. She had a trust, power of attorney, and all possible plans in place to assure her desires would be followed. It ended up being our job, along with her attorney, to unravel the mess it had become. It took about 3 or 4 months to prove to a judge she already had all in place for her care and to place her desired trustee in charge of everything, (which ended up being me temporarily).
We realized she wasn’t able to remain living on her own. We were able to move her to a top, elegant facility, sell her home and deposit all the proceeds into her trust. She kept her cats, her valuables, everything she wanted. Neither her attorney nor I charged her a penny. It cost her $5,000 in court costs in the end, because of the agency contracted by the state, and it cost all of us working for her benefit lots of sleepless nights.
This is just one example of many. The moral of the story is please, please, have all your documents in place to make sure you’re not taken advantage of or end up with a situation you did not wish for.

Customer Service

 

 

I have been in business for nearly 40 years. At his point I feel an obligation to help, advise and lead others coming behind me. One of the things that is integral to the successful operation of any business is how you respond to mistakes. It really doesn’t matter if the mistake was done by an employee, yourself, or just some glitch. The most important thing to do right away when customer has a complaint is acknowledge something went wrong. Apologize. Accept responsibility. Find a way to remedy it swiftly. It will do more for your business than expensive advertising if you treat your customers with care.

I had three instances lately that made an impression on me for better or worse.

 

  • We needed some work done on our office building and we were having a hard time finding a company to handle it. When we finally found one, I followed instructions and emailed the signed paperwork to them. I was told by the young woman on the phone she would call me when the permits for the city were ready. That was on a Wednesday. I waited a week and no one reached out, so I gave them a call to ask how it was going. This is the response.

 

Her “Oh, it’s been ready since last Friday. It’s here on our desk.”

Me “It is? No one called me.”

Her “Well, we were told you were called and told to come sign the permit paperwork Friday.”

Me “Sorry but no one ever called me.”

Her “Well, the girl who told you quit. But before she left, she said she called you and told you it will be ready on Friday.”

Me “You continue to say that. It is as if you don’t believe me. You are in a business, and as a business person it is a good idea to just accept that something went wrong, and apologize. That is just good business practice.”

Her “Well, sorry that happened, but she said……”

Me “I will come in the morning and sign the paperwork.”

 

 

  • In my professional life I work with amazing, caring people. I am fortunate that I can pick and choose who we, as a company, deal with. One particular day I found a discrepancy on a fee owed to us. We were owed more than what we received. I called one of the companies’ contacts, and he began with an apology, a promise to promptly look into it, and it led to a succession of communications from two more people about the problem, how glad they were I’d noticed it, how they were determined to put in place procedures to prevent it from happening again and how much they appreciated me. (What a comparison)

 

  • I ordered some important health products for someone doing an Ayurvedic detox. We were in a hurry. I ordered on a Tuesday and was so busy I didn’t notice I hadn’t received a confirmation of the order until the following Monday. I called the company and told them. The woman immediately sprang into action to help. She didn’t see an order from me come in until that day! She thought perhaps a computer error or I hadn’t hit the final sale button or something. She took immediate responsibility and expressed the order overnight and it came today, cost $0.

 

And that is how to run a business. And us ‘mature’ folks need to let the younger generation know how this is done.

Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash