To the Money Coach Calling Herself a "Self-Made Millionaire": I Respectfully Disagree
So, as a general rule, I don't follow money coaches on IG, email lists, etc.
(I'd like to say it's for noble reasons, but it's ACTUALLY because I'm VERY prone to comparison-itis so the less I see the better! I'm actively working on dismantling this tendency, but holy cow, these patterns and stories run DEEP and things take time.)
Anyway.
I was on a call with a client this morning, and she mentioned a money coach she used to follow, but now no longer does. After the call I of course go and Google this person.
On her homepage is, among other titles, "Self Made Millionaire".
Umm... No.
Let me be clear:
There is no such thing as a "self-made" millionaire.
Even if you don't come from family money, don't have a trust fund or an angel investor, and "earned your money the hard way", you are not self made.
Because you did, in fact, have help along the way:
The friends who emotionally supported you
The business coach you hired to help you grow your business
Your designer, VA, OBM, and photographer
And oh yeah, the many people who bought your programs, services, and books. Without them you wouldn't have a business.
Putting aside the idea of giving credit and sharing success (I'll come back to that in a moment), I think the most harmful part of the self-made millionaire idea is that it perpetuates the idea of the individualist, the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality that is so prominent in our Capitalist, patriarchal society.
Individualism is simply an idea that we're sold. To keep us separate. To see ourselves as other. Better than those who "haven't made it yet".
Individualism, separateness, feeling "better than" keeps us from our own humanity. From seeing other's humanity. And losing touch with our shared humanity is, to put it mildly, NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR US.
And so, to not fall into the "mean girl" trap of only pointing out problems and not presenting an alternative (thanks Erika Tebbens for that reminder and modeling of self-awareness!), let's normalize sharing and showing appreciation for ALL THE HELP AND SUPPORT we receive as we grow. Not just privately in emails, but in public as well.
Thank your team.
Shout out your supporters, clients, customers, friends.
Talk openly about the community who helped you build your business.
Because that's who's behind your millionaire* status, friends.
* If you're a millionaire, great! I'm proud of you. If you're not a millionaire, but aim to be one, great! I'm proud of you. If you're not a millionaire and have no desire or reason to be, great! I'm proud of you. Your millionaire status has NO bearing on your success as a person or business owner.
