I may not look it at first glance – but I love hip hop music. From the Bad Boy movement in the 90s to T.I. and Kendrick Lamar today, I love it all. What I enjoy about real hip hop music is being able to listen to the stories being told, from a life view perspective I would never experience. You might not think so at first, but true hip hop music is laced with hidden gems that teach us life lessons, from relationships to business. Yes business.

One of my all time favourite hip hop artists is Fabolous –  A Brooklyn rapper with impeccable style and word play. One of my favourite albums is The Young OG Project – and after listening to it countless times, I couldn’t help but notice how some of his lyrics teach important business lessons.

As I feel it’s always my duty to share lessons learned with the intention of helping my fellow entrepreneur, I’ve put together a list of 11 Fabolous lyrics that you can apply to your business life right now.

Without further adieu, let’s begin.

 

Song: Bish Bounce

“Know your worth, ain’t no discounts”

Pretty self explanatory, but let’s unpack this for a moment. How many of you will admit that you were/are afraid to charge what you’re worth, because people will say “you’re too expensive”? The truth is that many entrepreneurs have felt this way at some point during their career. You don’t feel you are worth it, so you charge less money for your products and time because at the end of the day, you just want to make money. Let me tell you this: you aren’t for everybody. Just because someone can’t afford your product or service, doesn’t mean you’ve set your prices too high. It means you’re just not for them, and they are not your ideal customer. I make it a habit to ask God to send me clients that understand my worth, and have no issues paying for whatever it is that I offer. You may want to create tiered pricing within your business, so that your ideal clients have options that you are comfortable with.

Another aspect here is pricing for friends and family. I truly believe that if anyone should pay full price for what we offer, it should be our friends and family. It should be about support, but often times this isn’t the case. When people feel obligated to receive a discount because they know me, I simply tell them no. I’m not going to compromise my worth, because you choose not to see my value.

Don’t make excuses, make deposits

One of your main objectives as a boss is to make money, right? Now money should not be the main objective. Great businesses exist because there is a problem to solve, not because there is a product to sell. As a boss, part of your responsibility is to ensure the success of your business (duh). That means putting in the hours and resources necessary to accomplish your goals. People who whine that they don’t have “enough time” to make their business work, aren’t real entrepreneurs. Real bosses get it done, by any means necessary because our livelihood depends on it. There should never be an excuse as to why you can’t get something done. Look at the challenge from a different perspective, assess what resources you’re lacking, devise a plan to obtain the resources needed, develop your strategy and GET IT DONE.

You should make more moves, and make less announcements

I am a huge proponent of the element of surprise. I’m like Beyonce when it comes to my projects. I hustle and grind in secret, and release everything all at once. Ecclesiastes 3:7 tells us there is “A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak…” I know sometimes we get so excited about what’s going on in our business, and we want to share all that God promised to bless us with  – but use caution. The sad truth is people exist that do not want to see you succeed. Some will even go as far as wishing ill upon you and your business. How many of you know that life and death are in the power of the tongue? Our words have no sense of humour, so when words are spoken they literally come alive. Use wisdom and discretion when sharing news about your business. 

You know my work need no resume 

We brand ourselves in everything we do – from the quality of our work, to how we get things done, even who we interact with all speak to who we are as entrepreneurs. Your work should be so good, that it literally speaks for itself. When you build your reputation to one that is highly respected, selling yourself becomes effortless. When you do amazing work, news travels. When you do bad work, news travels even faster. Your goal should be to produce your best work – yourself. After all, the best product you will ever create is you.

Song: Gone For The Winter

I started cheesin’ after I turned my craft into cheddar

The happiest you will ever be in life is when you truly do what you love. It’s not always easy to make that uncomfortable leap into entrepreneurship – but the uncomfort you feel now is necessary in order to produce growth in the future. Once you master the art of using your brand to generate profit, you’ll be smiling too…all the way to the bank.

Eagles don’t fly with pigeons, they way higher
All wings flap but you gotta stay flyer

Eagles and pigeons have different view points. When pigeons walk, they keep their head down. When eagles fly, they keep their head up. Which one are you? Successful entrepreneurs liken themselves to eagles because we have similar characteristics: fearless, visionaries, tenacious, energetic, and nurturing. Eagles don’t mingle or mix with pigeons because they are on two separate levels. Every new level you approach in your life and business, demands a new you. When you elevate yourself, you must elevate your surroundings. Your environment has to sustain you in your current state. If it doesn’t, you will fail to walk in the fullness of all you are called to be. 

Kings don’t speak English
We speak Kinglish

Kinglish is a language that Kings use to communicate with other Kings. A King can recognize another by the Kinglish that he speaks. So what does this have to do with you and I? To my point earlier, when we elevate ourselves, we must elevate our surroundings – this includes the company that we keep. When you surround yourself with others with the same mindset, missions and ambitions, you begin to speak the same language. You overstand each other, and therefore communicate effectively. You need to surround yourself with people who get you. They see you in your current situation, but can easily relate to where you are destined to be. 

Never stressed off lil’ things, like a hater
That’s something that comes when you eatin’, like a waiter

Some people want to see you do well, but never better than them. When you are called to do something great, you will be faced with heavy opposition. But how many of you believe that the weapons formed against you shall not prosper? The more money you make, the more problems you have. It’s normal. The higher you go, the more people want to see you fall. But when God is for us, no one can succeed against us. Cast your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you.

Gotta make it happen, no time for what may work
My plan B’s another way to make my plan A work

Planning for the success of your business is a no brainer. You can’t grow if you don’t plan. This includes strategic, financial and succession planning. But why is planning so important? Let’s say (God-forbid) something prevents you from physically performing the duties of your job – Do you have systems in place to keep your business afloat? Suppose a competitor comes on the scene, and disrupts the entire industry – how do you respond? Or let’s say you have one client who is the main source of revenue for your business – if they leave, can you survive? You see where I’m going with this? It takes time and real effort to plan for the future of your business, but it’s something that has to happen. But where do you start? I would suggesting hiring a consultant or firm that specializes in various areas of business development. Choose to work with someone who understands your industry and can help you set medium-long term goals for your business.

Now it’s kinda hard for me to buy Ace ‘specially when I just seen Hov buy Ace – Moves, time to make moves

Ace of Spades is a super high end brand of Champagne, that will cost you around $300 USD per bottle. You have to (or should be) making more than enough money, to be able to drop 3 bills on one bottle of Champagne. In this verse Fabolous is referring to his reluctance to purchasing a bottle of Ace at a club, when his friend Jay-Z just bought the entire franchise. It’s making him reassess his priorities. We should never become too comfortable where we are, because there is always more to achieve. Your mind should always be focused on your next move, just like chess. I’m not saying you shouldn’t celebrate where you are now, just don’t become satisfied with others’ definition of success. Being able to afford a bottle of Ace is not on the same level as being able to own the brand itself.

Song: Young OG

Pops vision; the bottoms crowded, the top isn’t

There has never been a better time to understand how you add value and impact to the world around you. Social media has turned everyone into a business owner – being an entrepreneur is the hottest trend right now. It may be easy to jump on the success of another, and follow trends in order to make money. But people who practice this, never last. Why? They haven’t developed insight into how they can add distinct value. The most successful entrepreneurs make it because they made a conscience decision to break away from the crowd. They dared to be different. They worked harder, climbed higher and rejected every sense of mediocrity. There has never been a greater opportunity to win based on who you already are. Being 100% you, beats trying to be 100% perfect. Choose to stand out, or don’t bother.

 

That’s a wrap! I put a lot into this blog post, I sincerely hope you gained something from it. Please leave a comment below, and let’s have a conversation!

Tweetables

You should make more moves, and make less announcements TWEET THIS

My plan B’s another way to make my plan A work TWEET THIS

The bottom’s crowded, the top isn’t TWEET THIS