Preface - Principles to Fortune Audio Book
Channel: Scott Bintz
Date: 2019-04-11

Principles to Fortune Book available in soft, hard, ebook and audio versions online at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0999623400/
Preface by Rhys David

“Time is more value than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.” -- Jim Rohn

Time is the most valuable thing we have. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, what I am doing with my time? Am I using it wisely? Since work takes up a good share of our time, we better find or create the kind of workplace we enjoy. In America, the spotlight is on singers, dancers, actors, athletes, and politicians, some with great opinions on business. We seem to care a lot about what they think, say, and do. Some of us follow business. We see, read, and hear about the likes of Elon Musk, Larry Page, Mark Cuban, Richard Branson, Jack Welch, Jeff Bezos, Tony Hsieh, and so forth. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for these entrepreneurs. They are often highly intelligent, went to the absolute best schools, and had access to the best resources. They are big-time calculated risk takers and visionaries. They are the kinds of leaders people seem to naturally want to follow. They built and created some of the best businesses in the world. 
As an average guy in business from North Dakota, I don’t relate to many of them. Don’t get me wrong, I do try to learn from them. I just see them as being way out of my league in so many ways- intelligence, upbringing, education, passion, resources, natural leadership, and so forth. They are clearly first-class people. I, on the other hand, have often felt like a second-class person. It was just me and my mom growing up. She was a waitress and I was a handful. I did poorly in primary school and was often in trouble socially and academically. Having red hair is a real curse when you are young, although it can be a blessing later in life. I eked out a BA in Economics from Minot State University, one of the cheapest colleges in the state. The North Dakota Army National Guard, along with a Pell Grant, helped fund the cost, because I wasn’t smart enough or athletic enough to get any scholarships. Clearly, there are a few reasons I don’t identify with other well-known entrepreneurs. 

Why Read This Book?
I am writing this book for a few reasons. First, to share the RealTruck story for those who created it and share how these guiding principles transformed it into unbelievable success. Second, I wrote it for all the entrepreneurs and business folks out there who are like me: not always seen as the smartest in the room, and who don’t have access to the best colleges and resources. I wrote it for those who aren’t leading or working at the world's greatest or next best “fill in the blank.” You know--the rest of us. The normal, average, everyday folks who want to create, build, grow, and learn. The owners, leaders, managers and employees at the 27.9 million small businesses in the U.S. And the future entrepreneurs like me, some of the 20.4 million students attending a regular college or university, who have lots of self-doubt to overcome. And, last, for the cutthroat asshole, profit-first entrepreneurs and executives out there. If your only goal is to get rich, it probably won’t fulfill you like you think it will. You will be known and remembered as a cutthroat asshole who got rich. You can change that with principles and create a much more rewarding fortune, which is not just money. 
The title of this book is a redirect. The fortune I am referring to is not money. The fortune I am referring to is a combination of experiences, events, learnings, insights, and, of course, luck. The real forces behind creating one's fortune are the principles an individual or business lives by. Principles are the external, arbitrary forces that affect human affairs and bring us good or bad fortune. And by good fortune, I don’t mean to imply there will not be challenges along the way; rather, good fortune is a series of experiences, not a destination.  Some call it chance or luck, but in my experience, good fortune is propelled positively or stifled negatively by the principles we strive to live by. We shape our fortune by our principles. 
Living by principles and knowing who you really are (the best or worst parts), along with the hard and soft skills you have (or are willing to put in the time to master), are the basic ingredients for personal or business fortune. Principles can be practiced personally and at work.

Scott Bintz is a serial e-commerce entrepreneur. Founder of RealTruck, Red Headed Rebel, RHR Brew, RHR Swag & more.  

https://principlestofortune.com
https://scottbintz.com
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Principles-to-Fortune-Crafting-a-Culture-to-Massively-Grow-a-Business-Audiobook/B07DXBNDBT?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-119742&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_119742_rh_us