Legacy

John Augustus Roebling engineered the famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. An immigrant from Germany, a Union Civil War veteran, he left a legacy that still stands today 150 years after his death. This project, completed by his family and investors, became a legacy not only to him, but to a city, and a country.

Gustav Eiffel, creator of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, also engineered America’s Statue of Liberty. In an age of steel, tangible memorials to the industrial revolution remain as icons from a bygone era, now claimed by the masses as part of their social identity. 

A Legacy is something of value handed down from a previous generation. It doesn’t have to be a physical structure, of course, it can be an estate, a discovery, an invention, an accomplishment, an artistic creation, a brand, a reputation, even an idea or an identity. It really depends on the person.

Bragging Rights

Even those who worked hourly jobs on these massive projects could claim bragging rights for the rest of their lives. Old men could tell grand-children how they riveted those plates, or poured that concrete, or wired that electrical system. They may not have profited beyond the wages they were paid for their contribution during construction, but at least they could point to a tangible physical structure with pride.

Virtual Bragging Rights

My chosen career was in the management of business computer information systems. In my first years out of college, I helped create computer code that enabled a ubiquitous parcel delivery company to expand its business internationally. I was by no means a key player at that young age, yet could definitely claim bragging rights for my successful part in bringing that corporate achievement about. But what still exists today that I can point to?

The computer code I wrote, updated, and debugged is certainly long since replaced by new software and hardware. There is no tangible legacy, other than the work experience I got, and the pay I received. The skills gained, however, became obsolete within just a couple of years as technology advanced onward. The pay evaporated almost as soon as it was banked. All that remains of my hard work and sacrifices are the memories and the stories.

There are no royalties paid on the excellent work we all did at the time. I do not continue to get paid every time someone ships a package internationally. That is the nature of a job… when we stop working, work stops paying. Yet, the corporation continues profiting exponentially, and repeatedly on our efforts. This isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just that no one ever tells us how much others will profit from leveraging our time and talents until it’s too late to re-negotiate. Is there a way we ALL can profit from our own efforts over and over again? Read on…

Not all legacies are job-related.

My mother left behind a legacy of family in her husband and 4 children. She put her heart and soul into her one stated desire: be the best mother and wife she could be. She succeeded. When I think of my mom, I don’t just look at the successful physical beings she raised and who continue to grow, I see her legacy as one of Love. Pure, honest Love. I am blessed to know I was always loved. She taught us how to love (others and ourselves). Knowing the value of Love is what lives on inside me, and everyone, touched by her life. Sadly, there will never be any physical monument to that, no iron or stone structure to point to.

As an intangible moral compass in my life, there is no truer, stronger, more lasting legacy I could value more. Why do I bring this up? Because when we commit our lives to an activity that will consume much of our time, our heart, and soul, in exchange for something… shouldn’t that value go beyond just monetary remuneration? I understand that may not be high on everyone’s list, and we all have to make a living, but I think most people also want to accomplish something higher than just a paycheck. Personally, it has always been part of my life’s purpose to make a positive difference and leave things a little better than I found them.

What if you could create a legacy of financial wealth AND leave this world a little better place than it was when you found it?

In addition to a strong, healthy, happy family, the most common legacy most of us seek to leave behind is a financial one. Whether it be in the form of real property, investments, valuables, or cash. We work a lifetime to secure a future for ourselves and our children. So, let’s talk about money:

What are YOU doing Today, to insure you’ll leave behind a financial legacy that will take care of your children, and even their children, after you’re gone?

I’ll introduce what I’m doing in just a moment, but first ask yourself this: Is the financial legacy you’re building a static one? or a dynamic one?

A static financial legacy is one that pays off once.

After we pass on, our estate is valued. Property, assets, holdings, all add up to a finite net worth. Once this value is gone, there will never be anymore. If we’ve worked a whole lifetime to accumulate a static fortune, our death puts an end to that growth too. Instead of always working to accumulate more and more (stuff, wealth, etc), why not work to build something that will continue to pay into the future after we’ve gone?

A dynamic financial legacy is one that continues to pay, long after you’re gone.

Ownership in a ongoing business, for example, can be bequeathed to heirs. But if that business is a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or any kind of organization that required YOUR presence to make it go, then what value, really, is being left behind when you’re gone? We all know individuals of great courage, vision, intelligence and resilience who’ve built successful businesses from the ground up only to see them dissolved when they, personally, can no longer maintain them. Second and third generation family businesses are notorious for their inability, or unwillingness, to sustain the going concern. There ARE business models, however, that actually REWARD families for continuing the legacy.

Robin Reves-May, shown here, celebrates 5 generations all participating in, and benefitting from, the same business model, in this case, Shaklee, a 60+ year-old health + wellness company. What if you could create the legacy of a business **structure** (not just one business) that would continue to generate income, even when you couldn’t? What would that look like today? We are building an online network for product distribution designed to generate sales without having to specialize in personal selling. What does that mean? Well, you may be familiar with the concept of a franchise.

The McDonald’s franchise has a duplicatable, trainable, system that can be taught to anyone. It is their system that is the true legacy.

Ray Kroc, the infamous creator of the McDonald’s franchise, died in 1984, yet that fast food corporation is bigger than ever, and continues issuing new franchises all the time. How is it able to do this when the original McDonald brothers, and the builder of the franchise himself, are long since gone? The answer: a system.

So that may be great for large corporations, well known brands, but what does that have to do with me? Well, what if you, or I, could start our own business, for little money, using an easy turn-key system that anyone can learn, to build their own legacy?

What if we could create this Without a large amount of capital (up front, or ongoing)? Without specialized education, powerful friends, or even a brick+mortar location from which to operate this business? What if we could start from nothing, and by helping others succeed at their dreams, build something bigger than we ever imagined? Isn’t that the American Dream too?

We’re building an Online Network for Product Distribution and Training

We live in a consumer-driven economy. We are ALL consumers, yet we rarely profit from our own consumption. What if we could? Turns out we can.

We live in the age of the internet. Entrepreneurs and business owners are no longer constrained by where they live to attract customers and grow their business. What if you could begin building a future source of extra income, now, in your spare time, without quitting your day job until YOU want to?

Freedom.

More and more people have less money, and less time, to live the lives they want. Less money and less time equals less choice. Less choice means less freedom. What if we could build a consistent stream of extra income? What would that look like? Well, for me it would involve Low start-up costs, No specialized training, Zero Risk, Be home-based (no commuting), Online (mobile, can work from anywhere), and no quotas, selling skills, inventory, or overhead. I would ‘work’ it whenever I wanted to, or was able to, with full responsibility for my own results. No bosses, No employees, No franchise inspections, and No building to maintain. Yet with all the joy of helping others improve their lives while I improve mine. A true win-win scenario.

When we leverage the power of the internet in a consumer-driven economy, with a proven duplicatable system that is easy to learn and use, we CAN create a financial legacy to bequeath to our children, or anyone we wish.

 

To see if what WE do resonates with YOU, click here:

www.FreedomEffect.com

 

To learn more about Anne and Jeffrey, click here:

www.MyJeffreyJones.com