Jonathan Baker is making his way through the world of entertainment. A man of many talents, a creative type, he is a writer, producer, director and performer. He recently wrapped the feature film Sylvie, starring Tessa Thompson (which will be premiering at Sundance), he produced The Banker starring Samuel L. Jackson and Nicholas Hoult, which just sold to Apple<www.thewrap.com/apple-to-release-the-banker-with-anthony-mackie-samuel-l-jackson-nicholas-hoult/>, with his partner Nnamdi Asomugha. And his directorial debut Manifest Destiny Down: Spacetime (which he directed under the pseudonym Bo D.), will be released this October.

With three new Broadway shows in the works, including August Rush, The Harder They Come and Spamalot it is evident that Jonathan is one of the most multifaceted individuals to breakthrough in film and theater.

Prior to independent filmmaking, Jonathan was an Executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment having worked on large scale franchises such as Resident Evil, Underworld and Spiderman. He’s executive produced the Sundance Award winning film Crown Heights along with the musical feature Basmati Blues, with Brie Larson. Additionally, he worked on the #1 box office sellers Boogeyman and You Got Served. Outside of industry work, Jonathan explores academia as an adjunct instructor of feature film entertainment economics through a Masters program at Carnegie Mellon. He also teaches at GIOCA, a graduate program at the University of Bologna, Italy.

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After being in business for over 5 years and creating numerous websites, I’ve realized that the most rewarding (and successful) businesses I’ve created are those that serve a community of people in dire need of information.

Coincidentally, these websites are the ones that have made me rich.

But not rich in the way that you’re thinking.

What Being “Rich” Actually Means

The dictionary defines rich in many different ways, but let’s look at those for a moment;

1)  Having a lot of money and possessions.

2)  Very expensive and beautiful, impressive, etc.

3)  Having or supplying a large amount of something that is wanted or needed.

So, which of these definitions do you think I’m talking about?

If you answered the third option, then you’re correct.

Sure, my cause-based businesses are making me six figures a year, but for me, money isn’t really my main objective. In fact, I have a strong belief that while money is nice, what will really get you out of bed in the morning is having a passion for what you do and knowing that you’re truly helping people.

That’s what my websites are able to do.

Every single week I get somewhere between 5 to 10 emails of people either thanking me for creating one of my websites and that’s much more rewarding than a paycheck.

For me, my business is all about being “rich” in knowledge and helping people that truly need it.

How I’m Becoming Rich

This business that I’ve created was never about making thousands of dollars per month.  Even though I’ve been able to do that, it was more of a pleasant surprise.

But this is probably where I should also mention that almost everything on many of my websites is free.

There are a few different products that I encourage people to purchase for which I am an affiliate of, but these have their best interest at heart.  I also make money from ad revenue, but people don’t seem to mind that I have ads because I’ve provided a lot of free (and helpful) information.

Because of this, I feel that I’m becoming rich in goodwill and karma.

There really is nothing better than knowing that your websites are actually changing the world to a better place and although my website visitors may seem like a small segment of the population to many, the fact that I regularly get praise from thankful website visitors makes me feel incredibly fulfilled.

Why Cause-Based Businesses Grow So Well

Since creating my most recent website focused on helping people navigate the prison system, I’ve seen meteoric growth and while it’s been happening, I’ve been trying to understand why.  Most businesses don’t have a lot of growth and take years to reach the level of visits that my website has and upon reflection, there are three reasons why I think things have gone so well.

1) People are very willing to share the content that I create. I think that this is mainly because they understand that I’m providing a service to people and not charging any money for it.  This is one of the biggest perks of having a cause-based business.  People are willing to spread the word because they know that it helps others.

An example of a resource I created on one of my other websites is our list of companies that hire felons.  This list has been shared many times on social media and consistently drives traffic to my website, but the best thing is the fact that I have done very little to get people to see it.  This happens organically as the list is shared from person to person.

2) With a cause-based business, you tend to work harder than you would on other businesses.

What do I mean by this? In the past I’ve created a lot of different websites, most of them have not done so well but some have done really well.  So, why is that?

The reason is because with businesses that are cause based, whenever I felt a little lazy or didn’t want to put work into it, I remember that there are a lot of people who really need this resource and are struggling to find help.  Because of this, I feel that the website is bigger than myself and it gave me more purpose and motivation to get it done.

3)  There are passionate communities of people that want your resource to be shared even more.

This is an awesome part of a cause-based business.  You can find groups of people who are already focused on the cause and ask them if they are willing to share your resource. While this may not always go so well in a for-profit business that sells a particular product, it goes incredibly well when you have a cause-based business focused on helping people.

Conclusion

I personally feel that every entrepreneur should try to make their business cause-based.  While this isn’t always easy to do, we’ve seen companies like TOMS Shoes sell a product and make the mission of the company more about helping a community and less about revenue.

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Matt is the man behind the lens, the founder and CEO of Matt Mathews Photography. Recognized for his mission to teach women to love their bodies, feel amazing in their own skin, and see themselves through the lens in which others view them, Matt and his camera serve as the vessel through which women of various backgrounds and body-types can see how truly remarkable and heartbreakingly beautiful they are. Despite the destructive nature of his environment, coming from a family of poverty, a mother who battled with alcoholism, and his struggling of self-identity as a gay man in Alabama, he always found a way to prevail. Matt used his struggles as motivation to become a successful photographer, author, and educator to spread the message of positivity, the importance of self-worth, and being one’s own superhero in order to unlock one’s own potential.

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Kean Graham is the CEO of MonetizeMore, an 8-figure ad tech company that is a Google Certified Partner with 100+ full-time team members remotely based across the planet. MonetizeMore was conceived in the mountains of Machu Picchu and has grown to $20M in revenues. Graham has traveled to over 90 countries during the 9 years that he has been growing MonetizeMore.

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• Growing up I was inspired by my parents, who were both entrepreneurs. At a young age I knew entrepreneurship would be my path to success.

   I started my business by first thinking about how I could help my clients.  Once I knew the problem that needed to be solved. I then created a service that addresses the problem.

   

  In the early stages of my business, I reached to friends, family, and  previous co-workers, I also networking locally to anyone that I thought might benefit from my services.

  I’ve learned as an Entrepreneur there will always be challenges in business. With that  being said. One of the biggest challenges so far has been learning to enjoy the stages of business. During the startup it was exciting to start something new and learn new things. As my newly implemented ideas launched. I was now in the growth phase which takes more patience as you wait to see the all you hard  work pay off.

  During the growth phase I went back to what initially inspired me to start my  business. My Why, essentially reading my old journals, seeing what my goals were then and  how I’ve accomplished those goals. Now I incorporate that into my daily/weekly routine to keep myself  motivated.

  Personal development includes mediation and yoga practice which helps me stay grounded and remember to be grateful for things that have gone right in my life.

  In business, I under promise and always over deliver. A great customer experience results in repeat customers and referrals. It’s also important to know your worth. When I first started my business I was reluctant to charge my services. I would have a client  come to me for one service and before I new it , I was giving advice/services for free. I learned from a mentor that there is value in my expertise.

  Listen to your inner voice, Not many people will see your business goals as you envisioned it.

  My next  goal to launch  my company globally, I strive to  work with business owners around the world.

  Keisha Edwards is a fee-based  Tax Specialist. Keisha has an extensive background in working with Service-based business owners. 

  She brings that knowledge and expertise to clients. Keisha believes knowledge is power and continues to teach financial planning courses locally in Melbourne FL

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If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances. – Julia Sorel, author of Rocky

If you’ve never felt any of the thoughts and feelings in the above quote, then you’ll never be able to fully manifest what you truly desire into your life.

Hear me out because I realize this is a direct contradiction to what a lot of the Law of Attraction emphasizes in order TO manifest your desired reality.

Everything in the Universe is energy. And energy is interminably changing based upon influence; however, energy in itself is a constant.

There is a quote by Dr. Albert Einstein with regards to conservation of energy:

This law means energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can only be transformed from one form to another.

How does Julia Sorel’s quote with regards to our feelings tie in with what Albert Einstein’s quote states about the Law of Attraction and the Law of Conservation of Energy?

Your brain is made up of matter, and matter is made up of tiny fast-moving particles that make up our phenomenal Universe. Each time we set an intention through thought, we are creating an INFLUENCE of energy through neural signals. Furthermore, we don’t see with our eyes, we actually see with our mind. Our mind is the projector and our eyes are the projection screens. What we think, we see. Our thoughts produce feelings because we give POWER to our thoughts and CHOOSE to focus on them.

Here’s an example: there is a fork on the counter. You see it and acknowledge it’s a “fork”. Do you have intense feelings that produce from it? Probably not. However, when you see a $100 bill, your thoughts most likely focus on words such as, “abundance” and “prosperity”. From there, you start producing feelings from more thoughtful words that all tie together from your initial thought when you first saw the $100 bill.

Your thoughts are just that, thoughts. Your feelings are produced from thoughts because you CHOOSE TO FOCUS on your thoughts and give them power and credibility. And your feelings that you choose to focus on produce your beliefs. And your beliefs produce your RESULTS. They ALL produce results in a chain reaction because they are all linked together stemming from your particles that are constantly shifting and being influenced within your brain. While scientists are still learning so much about the brain and how it operates, I’m here to tell you that everything is temporary because of how energy is influenced.

Here’s another example: you fall in love with someone and they hurt you really badly. And you swear to yourself you will never get hurt like this again. You are scared to be hurt like this again. So you choose to do whatever you can to KEEP from producing these kinds of thoughts and feelings once more in your life.

Then you see a happy and laughing couple out in public and you think, “I wish I had that. Why doesn’t this ever happen to me? Everyone else can find love so easily.” Do you understand where I’m going with this?

Law of attraction states, “like attracts like.” Law of conservation of energy states energy “can only be transformed from one form to another.” Therefore, you are choosing to create your own reality. Whether you are moving in the direction TOWARDS what you truly desire, or moving in the direction AWAY from what you truly desire (out of feelings such as being hurt, embarrassed, scared, etc.), you ARE creating your reality.

Magic happens outside of your comfort zone. If you want your soulmate and ideal relationship, or you desire to publish that book, or become monetarily wealthy, or drop a few pant sizes…the point is, TAKE THE CHANCES. Get outside of your comfort zone. Mix up that energy that is going on within your realm. You want your desired results, right?

Albert Einstein hits the nail right on its head with the following statement:

The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.

You cannot expect your desired new reality if you keep thinking, feeling, and DOING the same thing over and over again. Whatever you desire into your new reality DOES exist- and you propel it into your physical reality by CHOOSING to think you ALREADY have it into existence, by FEELING into your thoughts, by creating your newly empowering mindset, and ACTING and DOING from this place. This is where the magic literally comes into play.

Shift your mindset through the compound effect. I promise you it DOES shift your beliefs with daily, repetitive practice. Furthermore, science has backed that writing helps to anchor in your beliefs and anchor in your manifestations through visualizations, thus speeding up the process to literally manifest into your physical realm. This is how I literally manifested 99% of everything I ever wanted into my life within 10 months! I wrote everything I ever wanted as being already in my present and/or having already been completed in the past. Through the daily compound effect of what I call Mastering Manifesting Journaling, I manifest with ease and in rapid speed.

Holy shift! We only have today, we are not promised tomorrow. So what are you waiting for? WHY are you choosing to allow yourself to remain in feelings of being stuck in your life?

YOU hold the power in your mind, YOU hold the power in your feelings, YOU hold the power in your actions, and YOU hold the power in your reality. After all, it’s proven by science.

Jaclyn Johnston

Author of #1 Amazon best-seller, Don’t Feel Stuck!

Creator of Manifest It! and assistant to renowned physicists at The University of Texas at Arlington

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Many people dream of the day they can leave their 9 to 5 behind and drink pineapples filled with margaritas on a beach somewhere. However most do not take action to their goals, or even if they wanted to they wouldn’t know how. I was in a similar position a few years ago and even tried starting a few of my own websites in the hope I could monetize them enough to be free to leave my 9 to 5 positions. Finally I read an article about buying websites on Flippa marketplace and gave buying an already successful website a try. I bought a few that flopped but finally got better at evaluating sites and my next two made all their money back and more. Buying already successful websites and growing them is what allowed me to become financially independent, and it is a great model for others to try who are looking for financial independence as well.

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