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The Investment You Can Create

Guest post by: Michael Hume

Article Overview: Think about it: every professional who's hung out a shingle and built a client list has created property. Every writer who's published a book has created property. Everyone who's ever come up with a good idea and turned it into a commercial enterprise has created property....

The Investment You Can Create

They're Not Making More Land; But You Can Create Property My wife and I own a few pieces of property... some for our own use, and some for investment. Land, and property, are time-honored, solid investments. As Scarlett's dad says in "Gone With The Wind," you should invest in land because, well, they're not making any more of it.

I recently got to spend some time with my wife's mom, whose dad was famous in the family for repeating that line. Land, Katy Scarlett! And it got me thinking: true, they're not making more land, but if you realize that a business is a property you can build in value and then sell, why, there is still a way to create valuable property.

Start a business.

Think about it: every professional who's hung out a shingle and built a client list has created property. Every writer who's published a book has created property. Everyone who's ever come up with a good idea and turned it into a commercial enterprise has created property!

Speaking as an entrepreneur who's done all of the above, I can tell you, it is still possible to create valuable property, even in these tough economic times.

Experts say things are going to get much worse before they get better, now that the Great Recession is right on our doorstep. But eventually, things will get better. And it will be the entrepreneurial spirit, as embodied by those who know how to start, build, and run a business, that leads us to better times.

Maybe you're not a dentist or a lawyer, and can't build a client list for a professional practice. Maybe writing is not your thing, and you can't imagine publishing a book. Even so, you can start a business. You can start an internet business for a fraction of the investment it took for your granddad to start his brick-and-mortar shop, and if you do some digging, you can find a community of like-minded entrepreneurs online who can help you with the learning curve.

If you have a job, great! Don't resign! But think about what kind of business you could start and run on the side. If you have a computer and a nominal amount of money to invest, you can get into business.

In my mother-in-law's generation, it was smart for every family to invest in property. I think that's still true today, but in my opinion, the "update" of this concept is that every family should own a business. It's the only way to emancipate your family from dependence on the government, or on a corporate employer. When things get dreadfully bad, you'll want to have something to fall back on.

You need an income stream you can call your own. And with a little pluck and cleverness, and a good idea, you can create one yourself. And THAT is the blessing that comes with a free-market society.

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Article Tags: entrepreneurship, inspirational leadership, personal responsibility, wealth building



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