Yes, this is true, but we need to ask ourselves, am I leveraging other people’s time, energy, resources in fair exchange for what’s being offered to me — or am I exploiting people in the process?

So many start-ups and companies call it ‘leveraging’ when they should be honestly stating they are making money off the blood, sweat and tears of their workers. Literally, in many cases, when you consider supply chains that use child or slave labor, workers who are paid so little they still have to show up at the food pantries. Many rich entrepreneurs are pushing others down in order to achieve their financial goals.

Being wealthy has long been the marker of ‘success’ in America and other countries. But usually only a small number of people ‘succeed’, while everyone else is gaslighted that they are not hustling enough or leveraging enough. Which gives no consideration to the inequitable economic systems in which we participate.

What if business took a different turn and success had a different focus?

Instead of focusing on how many zeros in my bank account, ask yourself how much impact did I make today in other people’s lives?

What decisions am I making and are they in integrity, or I am participating in an exploitative system?

How much money is enough?

How will I choose to be a steward for the abundance I receive, knowing many people in our world don’t have access to food, clean water or shelter on a daily basis?

Is it time to begin writing more conscious articles about what constitutes business success?

Good questions to contemplate.