Get your skin in the game! The origins of the phrase some think it is from “William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, in which the antagonist, Shylock, stipulates that the protagonist, Antonio, must promise a pound of his, own, flesh as collateral, to be exacted by Shylock in the event that Antonio’s friend Bassanio defaults on the loan to which Antonio is guarantor. (Wikipedia)”
Whether this is true or not, I don’t know? What I do know that one’s skin must invest in their development and growth for their long-term business success. If I earned a dollar for each person that wanted me to invest in them, over the years, using my expertise and resources without their committed investment, I would be a multi-millionaire several times over. I marvel at the idea that business owners think that they can finagle business growth without a serious investment of their, own, skin. If your product or service is as fantastic as you believe that it is, INVEST your skin in it! Don’t expect someone else to take the risks that you should be taking.
I have high regard for those that INVEST with their hurting capital, time, energy, and dig in to push their businesses forward. I recently engaged such a guy, and because he came to me not with his hand out but ready to invest, he landed on the cover of the SBC Digital Magazine. Now, he has picked up a major Silicon Valley Executive that I introduced him to, and he was able to win a significant deal with them to work together to the tune of approximately 10k much more than his initial investment. Boys and Girls, I have news for you, this is the name of the game. I am currently lining up more of my network affiliates and business professionals to meet him. He put his skin in the game. He believes in his expertise, so he invested in himself, business, and professional know-how. He has been on AM 1220 KDOW Business & Finance radio, the #1 business and finance content network provider in the Nation, a Wall Street Affiliated network.
He put his skin in the game, and it paid off, faster than he expected. Now, that is not always the case, a fast-track payoff the goal is a long-term business success track, not one hit wonders. The way to ensure the long-term successes is long-term investment decisions that keep your skin in the game. We are, now, planning so much more to encourage his long-term business growth. Strategic collaboration leads to win-win deals. If you can do this type of deal, you will have many successful deals over the long-haul of your entrepreneurship journey. Get Your Skin in the Game!