Rather than getting a second or third-part-time-job, starting a small business on-the-side, or trying to make money online, all which are excellent ideas for creating extra personal income, you should first consider increasing your own value to your current employer.
That’s right.
If you work for a small business, your current employer is an entrepreneur, and what your employer wants more than anything else, is to make more money.
You can place yourself in a very advantageous position by asking one-simple-question.
When you are ready, ask your employer this powerful question, ‘What is it that you need from me, to help YOU make more money?’
Just think about that for a moment…, think of the power the answer to that question will bring you.
Now this is not a kiss-ass exercise.
This is real.
Your boss will be happy to tell you exactly what he needs for his business to make more money, and if you-go-to-work to become the employee that delivers what the boss needs, you could very well experience a financial increase.
Keep in mind, you must be prepared to do what is necessary to deliver the goods.
Whether it is reading and mastering a certain subject, staying extra hours, (maybe for free), cross training yourself to fill in a particular gap, thinking of and creating new ideas to do things more efficient, or any number of other things specific to your employers industry.
Listen, most average employees work under the ‘It’s not my job’ policy and most employers do not want the headache of having to deal with lazy and non-committed employees.
If you rise above the rest and become the go-to-guy that the boss can depend on, not only will you receive the accolades, but you will also gain the cash rewards.
Many have asked this one-simple-question and the rewards in many cases have been tremendous.
When I arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in July of 1987, I started a job for $10.00 an hour, and back then, $10.00 an hour was pretty good, but I wanted more.
One early morning, before most of the other employees had arrived, I knocked on my bosses door and asked if she had a moment to talk.
She said, ‘Sure, have a seat.’
I had only been there for a couple of months, and I was a bit nervous, but I took a deep breathe, and confidently asked my boss ‘The Power Question’.
The answer was a little over thirty minutes long. I was not expecting such a long answer. Our little moment-to-talk turned into a meeting.
I paid close attention, took mental notes and she gave me the answer I was looking for. I took all the information she gave me, and I went to work.
In less that one year, at 23-years-old, I went from being a $10-dollar-an-hour-desk-jockey to the General Manager of the Jacksonville, Florida office, overseeing 10 office employees, complete with a sweet red cherry on top… a fifty-thousand-dollar-per-year-salary.
Not bad for a high-school-drop-out.
Fortunately, I had a boss who was honest and sincere in answering The Power Question, and unbeknownst to her, she was clear about drawing out a plan for success, which I followed.
She was demanding, I delivered, and I was rewarded.
It was not easy. It took a lot of hard-work, sacrifice and commitment, however, my efforts paid off much sooner than I had expected.
Now, something you should know, it is important that you monitor your own progress and pay close attention to the feedback that you are receiving, both verbally and non-verbally.
Now listen, because this too is important.
If I believed, that I was doing everything that was asked of me, and I knew that I was delivering far more than what was expected, and the recognition was not coming my way, you can trust that I would have continued to perfect my skills, all the while, I would have been preparing and conducting a search for yet another team to work for, where my knowledge and skills would have been appreciated and rewarded.
Commitment, sacrifice, hard-work are all good traits, but this is business. If you do not get paid what you are worth, and you know you are worth more than your current paycheck, it is time to make the decision, to move on.
You cannot succeed without a plan, and your plan for success, may just be as simple as asking your boss, ‘The Power Question’.
