Daymond John - The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage

THE POWER OFBROKE is a mind-set. It exists in all of us, whether we have money, opportunities, or advantages. Trouble is, most people dont recognize this power for what it is. They leave it alone, or maybe they dont even know its there. Instead, they buy into the line from people in suits, fancy offices, or business schools who tell us that theres a certain way to start businesseswe need money to jump-start our business.

But that only works for a few of usand only for a while. Why? Because, take it from me, the power of broke is all about substance over flash. Its about creativity over certainty. Its about taking a shot over playing it safe. And heres another thing: The money runs out after a while. Those deep pockets you may or may not have, theyll never be deep enough to buy all the passion, ingenuity, and determination it takes to have success over the long haul. Even if youve got money behind you, theres no guarantee that it will see you through. Its the money in front of you that counts, after all. Its the money you need, not the money you have, that makes all the difference. And this book is all about that difference, and how to put it to work for you.

Lets face it, when youre up against all odds, when youve exhausted every opportunity, when youre down to your last dimethats when youve got no choice but to succeed. Youre out of options, man. So you double down, dig deep, and switch into that relentless turbo mode weve all got kicking around in our machinery. And thats when the real magic happens. Are we clear on this? Thepower of brokeis the half-court shot you fire up with time running out and the game on the line. Its the shot your teammates wont take because the likelihood of that ball kissing the net is pretty damn thin and they dont want to mess with their stat lines. Theyre playing the percentages while youre playing to winand this can mean everything. I dont mean to mix my sports metaphors here, but Im reminded of that great Wayne Gretzky line, We miss one hundred percent of the shots we dont take. So, take the shot! Absolutely, take the shot. Thepower of brokeis all about taking that shot. The power of broke is looking up at the sky, wondering what youve got to do to catch a break, and saying, God, why am I doing this? Its living with the constant fear that youve gone crazy for putting it all on the linebut putting it out there anyway. There might be a million reasons for you to throw up your hands, throw in the towel, throw away your dreams, and put an end to whatever craziness youre pursuing, but the power of broke is that one reason you keep going. Maybe youve been rejected by thirty loan officers, but that green light could be waiting for you on the thirty-first try. Perhaps your product or service has been totally slammed by the first thirty people who try it, but the thirty-first review is a rave. And that comes from the one guy whose opinion really matters.

Whatever it is, keep at itabsolutely, keep at it! Because, hey, you never know. When youve got nothing to lose, youve got everything to gain. Sometimes it takes having your back against the wall, leveraging your last dollar, and having no place to go but up, up, up if you expect something to happen. Because if youve got to succeed to survive, you will. Trust me on this.