“YOU ARE THE ECONOMY!” That’s how Dave Ramsey started his speech at Infusionsoft’s user conference, ICON, in Phoenix, Arizona. He shared his top 5 essentials for business and personal stories of how where his business started to where it is today.  He’s not an overnight success, which many people think, but a great example that it takes work and hustle every single day to take our businesses where we want them to and most importantly, help as many people as we can as entrepreneurs.

Dave Ramsey spends three hours every single day running his radio show while still maintaining CEO operations at his company. That is not easy and should inspire us all to continue to work and to never give up. Stop working for the beach and flexible hours, but instead work to change lives, save marriages and leave a legacy.

Dave Ramsey’s Top 5 Essentials For Business

1. Leadership is Essential.

The definition of entreleadership is the process of leading to cause a venture to grow and prosper. If you will just lead, people will be ready. Organizations are never limited by their opportunity, they are limited by their leader. As a leader, you must understand your enterprise will never outgrow you. You need to grow.

2. People are Essential.

Customers are people, don’t treat them like revenue units. People are your customers. Vendors are people. Treat them like family too. Team members are not units of production. Competitors are people too, don’t destroy them to win.

3. Financial Principles are Essential.

Debt drastically increases risk and magnifies mistakes. You don’t know what is going to happen and when you win in business you must plan money on paper. Having cash saved is called retained earnings. It’s going to rain. Act your wage. Quit buying crap for your business and calling it a business expense. Keep your lifestyle down.

4. Team Unity is Essential.

Great organizations are intentional about communication, recognition, hiring, compensation and delegation. Recognition is amazing. Pay them a lot. Spend so much time on what they did wrong we forget to reward them.

5. Higher Calling is Essential.

Why are you doing business is more than what or how you do it. We don’t just ship books, we ship books that save marriages so we handle them with care. Why we do it matters.

Daniel Lapin from Thou Shall Prosper, says, “Occupation of business is moral, noble and worthy.”

Team members who know the WHY of your business will turn into crusaders fighting for the cause.