To the Dreamers

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As I’m editing this post, I’m watching Disney’s “Ratatouille.” We made coq au vin (a French dish of chicken cooked in red wine) for dinner last night and I’ve wanted to watch this movie ever since. Remy, the main character, dreams of becoming a renowned French chef and is torn between his family’s wishes and his true calling. I guess it’s appropriate since I needed some sort of finishing touch for this post.

There is excellence all around you. You need only to be aware to stop and savor it.      –Gusteau, from “Ratatouille”

While driving back to Chicago after Thanksgiving, John brought up a good point about the blog. Right now, my tagline is “Saving Money with Style.” He suggested that I expand on that thought since saving money and spending it wisely can only go so far. Unless you make some changes, your funds are limited.

So what can you do? Begin creating wealth. It can be something as simple as putting funds in an interest bearing savings account or starting to invest. Or…you can do something a little more dramatic. Like inventing a new product or starting your own business. Not only is that beneficial to you and your family, but it also helps improve the economy.

There was a story on NPR’s “Marketplace” a few weeks ago that talked about this very thing. Robert Litan of the Kauffman Foundation has analyzed statistics on job-creation going back to 1980. Per Litan, “Start-ups, companies that are in their first five years of life, account for virtually all net job growth in the United States economy. The existing firms’ job creation is more or less offset by the destruction of jobs. The really only way we’re really adding jobs over time, on net, is through the constant influx of these new firms.” Specifically, it’s innovative start-ups designing new products or processes that make the biggest difference. These products can lead to entirely new industries. Think of the invention of the computer or the Internet. Or what about Groupon? Groupon has only been in existance for 2 years, and Google wanted to buy them for $6 billion!

But don’t be overwhelmed if you don’t have the next Google or iPhone waiting to be discovered in your back pocket. I want to encourage all of you with entrepreneurial aspirations to keep dreaming and follow your passions. Niki coined the term “Midnight Hustlers” for this band of entrepreneurs growing their businesses late at night, early in the morning, and on the weekends. If you need some inspiration, you can read interviews with a few Midnight Hustlers on Makeunder My Life. Who knows where the future will take you. You might even surprise yourself!

You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true – anyone can cook… but only the fearless can be great.            –Gusteau, from “Ratatouille”