Building wealth from other people’s resources

I have stated in this column previously that one must discard their ego to acquire wealth or hidden knowledge and skills. I dare you take a quick count from your top five friends: you will be surprised to realise that they have been ‘keeping’ great business ideas in their minds. I am reminded of Harvard University professor of psychology Peter Bergman, who believes that one can save money from any economic activity. “If you care enough for result you will most certainly attain it. If you wish to be good you will be good. If you wish to be rich, you will be rich, and if you want to be learned, you will be learned,” he explains. Only that you must crave these, and 100 other incompatible things strongly, he adds.In other words, when you are passionate about a few definite goals, you have a high chance of realising them. In my interactions with people in financial education, seminars and in face-to-face discussion, a common excuse for shelving wealth ideas is lack of financial capital or some skills required to translate them into income generating projects or businesses. In Rwanda, this is not a big problem anymore. There are government institutions and NGOs promoting this.Earlier this week, President Paul Kagame said we need to be a “self-reliant country and it’s our 2013 goal.” It is a big challenge, but it is achievable if the youth and the masses generally dare, confront failure and conquer it. Over time, when we get a business idea, fear takes over and we set it aside permanently. How can we get off the blocks armed with ideas only?People with great ideas, but lacking capital or specialised skills only need to emulate Sir Henry Ford (and they will be done with poverty). Ford believed he could build a self-propelled vehicle that could replace the horses and buggy. He did it without using his own money or skills. He broke the walls of fear using what writer Napoleon Hill called the “Master mind principle; that is harmonious co-ordination of two or more minds working to a definite end. Ford borrowed money from other people, used their skills and influence to realise his dream. Today, some of the most expensive cars in the world come from wide range of Ford models. If Mark Zuckerberg kept his Facebook idea private, it would be just an idea today. Instead he risked his education by quitting Harvard University, borrowed $500,000 and risked failure to become worth over $17b today. The most fantastic thing about all the successful people I know, they have a similar story: they set aside their fear and confronted failure head-on. Apple Inc. founded by the late Steve Jobs is living legacy, which will be used by generations. Jobs, too, dropped out of college to pursue his dream. Do you have reasons of setting that great idea away again? They did it and now they are celebrating their success, why not you. The list is endless, rise above fear, face failure and conquer your success.