John Rampton is an investor, an online marketing expert and the founder of online payments company Due. John currently advises several companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.
John Rampton ranks 3rd in Entrepreneur Magazine's “Top 50 Online Influencers.”
John is well known in American business and networking circles, but few know that in his early, difficult years he was just a newspaper delivery worker.
On his newspaper delivery routes, he had opportunities to meet wealthy people and learn about their thinking, habits, actions, and business success secrets. These became the “materials” that built the “path” leading the newspaper boy into the world of wealth.
Below, John Rampton shares those valuable lessons that guide the way to success:
Money spent ahead is money wisely spent
First, I affirm that money is indispensable in life. At 12, I had to earn a living to buy food for my family. Later, I delivered newspapers to earn money for things I wanted. When you have money, everything you do moves faster.
Delivering newspapers, I met many people from all backgrounds. Many customers were very wealthy and gave me generous tips. The harder I worked, the more they tipped. I immediately understood that I needed to take good care of these special customers because they affected my income.
This does not mean I will neglect other customers. However, I do not want to overlook the “kings” who have favored me so much. This important lesson makes my work and life easier.
I studied my wealthy clients, observing their actions and habits for hours. I realized that their attitudes toward money differed from other people's. They tended to use money to show care for others. And when they were kind, they received kindness in return.
Even now, as a millionaire, I still use this approach. I always leave USD 10 on the bed for housekeeping and find I consistently get the neatest, cleanest room and special preferential service. The same applies in restaurants: generous tips get you the best service.
But Money Is Not Everything
The kindness wealthy people showed to me as a newspaper delivery worker remained a valuable lesson when I started my own business and began hiring employees: you need not only to pay employees well, but also to treat them thoughtfully.
My lesson is that the better you treat others, the more they will contribute and work with passion and enthusiasm. This has become a habit in my business.
Paying employees in proportion to the value they contribute demonstrates your philosophy of doing business decently. Naturally, you receive their enthusiasm for work in return.
You also need to praise and thank employees for their good work, respecting their intrinsic worth. You can ask for their opinions on company-wide decisions, invite them to take higher positions, strengthen relationships with employees, and tell others about their talents.
I learned that when you respect and appreciate someone's value, they will do their best and bring their full abilities to their work.
There are many ways to treat someone well. Usually, when I am kind to someone, they treat me the same way. Wealthy people tend to prioritize caring for others because they understand what they will receive in return. Their success comes not only from money but also from more skillful abilities.
A prominent wealthy person, Richard Branson, has also told you how well your business will progress if you treat others well:
“A company is simply a group of people. As a leader, you must be a great listener and motivator; you must be good at offering praise and bringing out the best in others. People are no different from flowers. If you water flowers, they will bloom. If you praise people, they will grow. That is the most important quality of a leader.”
Finally, treat others as kindly as you would like them to treat you. That is the golden rule in business and life. The better the relationships you build, the greater the value you receive in return.
