I’ve been talking a lot with people lately about business ideas and new ventures. I’m always amazed how many times people tell me things like, “I’m not doing this for the money, I’m doing it to make a difference.” I’m not going to go on a rant and criticize people for saying something like this, but if that were true I would like to see how long they would last if they did it for free.

Many people who have not had the experience of owning their own businesses feel a little guilty when they make a profit on their first ventures, yet, if you think about it that is what we ALL do every time we receive a paycheck. Even a grade school teacher exchanges knowledge for money. The rub is, in business we directly charge the people with whom we interact and most of us are used to receiving a paycheck which is once removed from the customer. Somehow that feels awkward.

My approach is to look at from a different point of view. As my first priority, I help people and, second, I get paid for it. It’s my spirit of generosity over spirit of greed entrepreneurial rule. When you come from this place, you’re there for the right reasons and you will never have to feel guilty about making a profit.

As a Family First Entrepreneur, your duty is to your family; you need to get paid for your time away from them. If that’s your goal, you will make peace with the idea of profit, and you will come to the table of business with clean hands.