10 Practices for Becoming a Self-Made Millionaire

Becoming a self-made millionaire is no easy task. Yet, for the individuals who have accomplished this major feat in the past, the process involves following a few set rules like these or guidelines that have proven to help self-made professionals, no matter what industry they may be in. If you have your sights focused on a life as a self-made millionaire then consider these rules to live by.

1. Do it for the challenge.

If you ask any self-made millionaire why they got started in the field they did, chances are they will not just say “to make a million dollars.” The true story behind most people’s success is that they wanted to accept the challenge of following their dreams and becoming successful on their own terms.

2. Never get too comfortable.

There should never be a time in your journey to the top where you stop and think “Ok, I’ve done enough, I can stop working so hard.” If you’ve met your goal and made a million dollars, set another one. You should never be comfortable, you should always be working for more.

3. Study and work harder than anyone.

No matter how talented you are, you will never reach your full potential success unless you are willing to study and work harder than anyone else. This is the only way to truly achieve your goals.

4. Learn from failures and mistakes.

You are going to make mistakes and you are going to fail. How you react to those failures is what makes you successful. If you fall, don’t get down on yourself, but look at why you failed, take it as a learning experience, brush it off and move on.

5. Read every day.

This rule cannot be emphasized enough -- you need to be reading all the time. Never stop reading and never stop finding new topics to read about. You need to keep aware of the cutting edge movements within your industry to stay ahead of the trends.

6. Keep your mind and body healthy.

Exercise along with mental health breaks are all an important part of being the most successful version of yourself that you can be. Work out daily, eat right and always get plenty of sleep.

7. Surround yourself with successful like-minded people.

Surrounding yourself with the wrong people can be a major drain on you. Make sure that you are around people who share your same goals and visions, who are motivated and are true peers that also want financial success. Being around these individuals will motivate you and help you stay focused. Avoid people who don’t care about work. People who spend all of their time partying are not good for your success.

8. Give to the less fortunate and take care of loved ones.

We’ve talked about taking care of your mind and body, but it is also important to take care of your soul. Never lose sight of the world around you and those who are in need. Taking care of your loved ones is one of the best ways to enjoy your financial success.

Give back to those in need. I started my Timothy Sykes Foundation to help those who are less fortunate. It has really made a difference in my perspective and work ethic.

9. Be honest and transparent.

Lying and being deceitful will never get you as far as you think. You need to always be honest, straightforward and transparent with people. This is a truly important and undervalued practice that will help you earn the long-term professional success you have always wanted.

10. To succeed think long-term, not short term.

So many people are focused only on their short-term success and have goals like “I want to make X amount of money in the next year.” Don’t focus on short-term goals, focus on the long-term big picture of where you want your life to be. These are the types of goals that will get you motivated to being truly self-sufficient and building actual wealth for you and your family.

While there undoubtedly is a certain amount of challenge that comes with becoming a self-made millionaire, if you keep these rules in mind and learn from the success of those who have accomplished this goal in the past, then you will be armed with the insight you need to help make your financial goals a reality.

Raseri, Inc New Leader Spotlight: Meredith Keller

Hometown: Shelby, Ohio

School/Major: Bowling Green State University: Visual Communications and Technology Minor in Entrepreneurship

Fun Fact: I fly hot air balloons.

Hobbies: photography, hunting, fishing, four wheeling, swimming

Never Leave the House Without: my cross necklace

Favorite Long Term Goal: make 6 figures by 2017

Quick Answers, Pick one:

Mountains or Beach:

Beach

Coffee or Tea or Energy Drink: 

Energy Drink

Winter or Summer: 

Summer

Water or Snow (ski/boarding): 

Water

I’d like to thank… the leadership staff that helped get me promoted. I appreciate all their hard work and dedication to help train the account reps.

10 Great Books All Leaders Should Read This Fall

BY SHAWN MURPHY

CEO & founder, Switch & Shift@TheShawnMurphy

It's said that every good leader is a reader. With that in mind, here are 10 new books that will help you step up how you show up as a leader. This list includes wisdom about well-being, culture, human-centered leadership, being a values-based leader, and even a compelling argument for why we work.

1. Everybody Matters (Portfolio/Penguin) by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia

Bob Chapman, Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, teams up with the phenomenal author Raj Sisodia to deliver a compelling book about why businesses need to have a people-centric way of doing business in order to thrive in the 21^st century. While businesses need to make a profit, it doesn't have to be at the expense of its people. Chapman is best positioned to deliver this method; he's successfully brought to life truly human leadership in his highly successful company.

2. Leadership BS (Harper) by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Professor Pfeffer proclaims in this new book that "much of the oft-repeated conventional wisdom about leadership is based more on hope than reality, on wishes rather than data, on beliefs instead of science." In this enlightening book, Pfeffer shifts the conversation about leadership away from drivel to insights that can help shift your behaviors to effectively produce results. If you're tired of hearing sentiments without facts like, "We need authentic leaders," or "Leaders need to build trust," then Pfeffer's book is a must read.

3. Disrupt Yourself (Bibliomotion) by Whitney Johnson

Whitney Johnson is a rising star in the space of leadership thinking. Her message of disruption helped her career as an equity analyst, making her one of the best in her field. Johnson now shifts disruption to human behavior, and she does so effectively in her new book. If you want to be the best in unexpected ways, then read this, take notes, and apply your insights in heaping amounts.

4. Contagious Culture (McGraw Hill) by Anese Cavanaugh

Leaders who are effective understand how their presence influences others. If you want to create a contagious culture greatly shaped by how you show up as a leader, then you need to read Cavanaugh's first book. It's rich with insights to help you do the personal work to become your best.

5. Why We Work (TED Books) by Barry Schwartz

We don't work merely for a paycheck. There's a richness in answers to the question, "Why do you work?" And Barry Schwartz delivers a powerful message in this short book exploring why we as humans spend so much time working. I found myself taking lots of notes and underlining many passages in this book.

6. Weology (Harper Collins) by Peter Aceto with Justin Kingsley

Peter Aceto is the CEO of Tangerine Bank in Canada. I've know Peter for several years and have greatly admired his ability to create one of the top places to work. He brings his passion for leadership and compassion for people together in his first book. The message is deeply human. The insights are business-relevant. This is a book for all who want to unite people and business for mutually beneficial outcomes--for the company's employees and the bottom line.

7. Beyond Happy: Women, Work, and Well-Being (ATD) by Beth Cabrera

Cabrera delivers a meaningful reading experience in her new book. What makes it meaningful is that the message isn't pie-in-the-sky drivel about well-being. It's rooted in social science research that helps make sense of human behavior. While this book is written with women in mind, I found much of the insights and actions relevant to men, too. If you want to develop a richer sense of well-being in your work, then read this. I'd say everyone needs to pick up this book and devour its message.

8. The Silo Effect (Simon & Schuster) by Gillian Tett

There's little that's more infuriating in work than the stifling impact of silos on progress and breakout thinking. In Tett's latest book, she not only examines the negative impacts of silos but explores how to scale them and render silos useless. This is a must read in today's bureaucratic, hierarchy rich organizations that rely on tradition rather than progress to remain relevant.

9. Life is Good: How to Live with Purpose & Enjoy the Ride(National Geographic) by Bert and John Jacobs

I'm a sucker for books about purpose. Without purpose life, this includes work, is aimless. People wonder without intent when purpose is absent. The founders, and brothers, of Life is Good, give us a thoughtful and passionate exploration of purpose and its role in our life. The book is beautifully designed, adding to the reading experience.

10. Becoming the Best (Wiley) by Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr.

In his follow-up to From Values to Action, Kraemer dives deep into the role values plays in organizations. Going beyond the obvious insights, Kraemer really helps leaders understand how to build a values-based organization. We need more of this in light of the corporate scandals that have become ubiquitous in today's 24-hour news cycle.

Grab a cup of coffee or glass of whiskey and update your reading list for this fall. There is plenty of enrichment for the mind in the books listed above.

Raseri, Inc New Leader Spotlight: Michael Lopez

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

School/Major: Art Institute - Game Art and Design

Fun Fact: I boxed and fought MMA

Biggest Strength: Creativity

Hobbies: Training in boxing, reading, graffiti 

Never Leave the House Without: My handy, dandy pen!

Favorite Long Term Goal: Get rich or die trying

Quick Answers, Pick one: Peanut Butter mmm uugghhh

Mountains or Beach:

Mountains

Coffee or Tea or Energy Drink: 

coffee and tea and energy drinks rapid fire!

Winter or Summer: 

Winter

Water or Snow (ski/boarding): 

Snow

I’d like to thank… my fellow Americans... and my parents and loved ones

'The Intern' Offers Workplace Lessons For Millennials and Baby Boomers

Nancy Meyers' new film hits the silver screen this weekend. At its core, 'The Intern' is an honest look into what startup culture gets right, and what it loses by devaluing older voices.

 

Reporter, Inc.@ZoeLaHenry

Nancy Meyer's new movie "The Intern" -- her first in six years -- has moments that are nothing short of slapstick.

In one hilarious and unforgettable scene, Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway) accidentally sends an email to her mother. In the subject line: "Her," and the body: "Why is my mother such a raging bitch?"

In attempt to conduct damage repair, the founder, working mother, and hallmark Brooklynite teams up with her 70-year old intern (Robert De Niro) to break into her mother's house and steal the computer. 

Of course, such antics feel jarring in a movie that's primarily about an e-commerce startup, but the scene brings up questions about the inter-generational conflicts that are as real as they are critical to modern workplaces. 

Meyers has famously centered many of her films around women (often, middle-aged), and has received multiple Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for hits like "Private Benjamin," "The Parent Trap," and "It's Complicated."

A crusader for equality in the workplace -- and, perhaps more urgently, in Hollywood -- the director said she conceived of the idea for "The Intern" while driving to work one day: "What if an older person took a job as an intern? It just made me laugh."

In the movie, Ben Whittaker is a widower and a retired marketing executive. To alleviate the ennui, he takes an internship with a Brooklyn-based e-commerce retailer, appropriately called "About the Fit." 

At face value, Jules neatly embodies the Millennial zeitgeist. She rides a bike to get around the office, works odd hours, and doesn't have a private office (because nobody at the company does). As doting mother, she often forgets to eat, and refuses to hire a CEO to better balance out her workload.

The story arc should seem familiar to many successful business owners. At eighteen months old, Jules' startup has already achieved its five-year-goals, but the investors are concerned about her ability to scale. Throughout the movie, the continued success of "About the Fit" is largely the byproduct of Jules' relationship with Ben.

The partnership is one that Jules initially rejects -- and it's hard not to pity Ben in the opening scenes. He shows up to work, in all of his dapper glory, only to find zero emails in his inbox. He runs errands for Jules, and drives her to work, rather than helping her with the important corporate questions. 

Ultimately, the alliance forged is one that employers everywhere, regardless of age or creed, can learn from. Baby Boomers and Millennials, take note.

1. Not all stereotypes are bad.

At first, Jules doubts that Ben could be helpful to the company. He sports a briefcase, has never used Twitter, and prefers to have conversations in person rather than email. Representing a stereotype about Baby Boomers, he is at first resistant to new technologies, and appears to be cemented in his less-than-efficient ways.

Even so, it's Ben's archaic attention to detail -- for instance, by noticing patterns in the company's demographic data -- that makes him a key player. 

In true Millennial form, Jules is connected in ways that only technology can afford. While en route to a meeting, for instance, she Skypes with one of her partners back at the office.

Both Jules and Ben learn to let go of their negative judgments, and instead work together towards the same, common goal. That's neatly conveyed when Jules helps Ben to set up his Facebook account, and they discover a shared passion for Billie Holiday. 

The takeaway: Rather than labeling members of another generation, try getting to know them. You might be surprised by what you can learn from one another.

2. Set boundaries between business and personal life.

Both main characters are devoted to their paramours. Jules' husband is a stay-at-home father, a circumstance which predictably causes marital tension. Ben, as part of one especially underdeveloped plot line, enters into a relationship with the company's office masseuse.

Although the two do share details about their personal lives, they don't probe.

The takeaway: It can be tempting to want to know everything about your team members' personal lives, but your company will be much more successful if you let accept that your workers' lives outside of the office should be kept personal. 

3. Remember: We're all human.

Meyers has a knack for creating characters that are painfully human. Jules is no exception. When she discovers that the investors want to bring on a CEO, she cries at her desk. Ben notices, and displays empathy.

The takeaway: No person -- and certainly no entrepreneur -- is perfect. Recognizing this quality within your peers is crucial to getting along.

Meyers wraps things up in a bow, thus adhering to the very formula she set out to distance herself from.  Regardless, "The Intern" is an entertaining comedy with lessons for all generations and employers.