“Money, income, wealth, prosperity is not really the point.
It is what you are able to create for self and loved ones with it.”
-Dan Kennedy
As a first-generation immigrant son of a factory worker, I was never fed success conditioning at the dinner table.
My father would leave for work before I awoke and came home long after most families had wrapped up dinner. Five and half days of work and the rest of the weekend focused on house and yard work. My father never enjoyed life until much later in life.
I am not sure who is owed credit for the quote, but I first heard it from Dan Kennedy, my marketing mentor:
“Everyone stands as an example…if even of what not to do.”
Besides their stellar characters and work ethics, my parents exemplified what I did not want to do with my life.
Between working hard and nightly fights about money, I knew I wanted to grow up to work smart; not hard. And I wanted to enjoy the journey; not scrimp and save to hit retirement before I could smell the roses and enjoy the proverbial garden.
The Impact of Dan Kennedy’s Teachings
Throughout my life, I have found mentors and people of inspiration via books, educational courses and seminars.
A man I credit for the bulk of my marketing education and wealth philosophy, Dan Kennedy, passed away last week at the age of sixty-four.
I discovered Dan Kennedy in a bookstore during college. I bought a copy of The Ultimate Marketing Plan. At that time, I had no idea who he was.
Fast forward to 1997, and Joe Polish, marketing guru to carpet cleaners, turned me onto Dan’s Magnetic Marketing program. That was the course that caused me to find the religion of marketing and baptize me as a true believer.
Since then, I have invested thousands of dollars into Dan’s courses, newsletters and live seminars. Ask my kids about Dan. They had to endure family vacations of me listening to his CDs in the car.
Dan’s teachings helped me grow my catering sales from zero to over a million dollars a year out of a single, 104-seat restaurant. Those successes were the cornerstone of my Catering Magic System many readers of this blog have learned and prospered from. Members like Frank D’Antona of Cantina Mamma Lucia reinvented their businesses and went from job holders to business owners.
The Lesson of Giving Back
From Dan I learned the secrets of wealth attraction. It confirmed my belief in how money operates: it flows to where it will be deployed the best. That’s why “giving back” is at the core of my being and values.
Those of us financially blessed have an obligation to give back. The more you give, the more you get back.
But don’t be foolish thinking that writing a check will earn you rewards. I give back, because I receive much more from giving than the recipient.
It’s all about having the mindset of being a giver. Even when I didn’t have the money, I gave back.
I could go on and on about what I learned from Dan. Amazon is full of books you can buy.
But suffice it to say, I and the marketing world are saddened by the loss of a true legend of marketing.
Thanks to Dan, I was able to create the income and life I desired.
Remember: nothing happens until you sell something, and marketing is the first step to making that happen.
Rest in peace, Dan Kennedy. You will be missed.
