Possession as they say is 9/10’s of the law. The meaning that it implies is that ownership is easier to prove if one has possession of something, and being the legal owner may be difficult to enforce without possession.

But it’s not that easy or ethical in business, or in life.

And the proof is always in the pudding.

Business can be a cut throat environment, however, one of the most important and valuable assets any business or entrepreneur can have is their reputations.

Yet there are many instances where reputations are carelessly jeopardized for a variety of imagined short term benefits; saving time, saving money, profits, etc.

Last week, I saw another business using an illustration that my team and I had created for a training call last month. I was somewhat amused and flattered, but hey, I paid $60 for that graphic. I messaged the business who was using it and they removed it without any apology or explanation.

No harm done I suppose other than my annoyance and a mental note about the ethics of that business.

Then, I saw an email from a business owner who has hosting a training call about a business strategy that someone else is very well known for. A couple of words were added to the training name, but it was essentially the same platform. People are talking and the damage to the imitator’s reputation will last longer than any profits made from selling someone else’s program.

It’s very difficult to create success with something that isn’t truly ours to sell. Just because we might “possess” something, doesn’t mean we have the ownership we need.

And we have to own it. Our message, our platform, our brand, and we have to really own our own creative work. If we don’t feel personally connected to what we’re selling, our convictions and confidence become compromised. Our chemistry changes.

Think about how lie detectors work, the machine is able to detect physical changes in the body, which are created by our mental state.

I bought a “Canada Goose” coat online recently without really paying attention to the site I was buying from. When the coat arrived, it was from Beijing, which raised red flags for me. I emailed Canada Goose and they confirmed that the company I bought from was not an authorized dealer, and it was most likely counterfeit.

My credit card company promptly refunded me because it’s illegal to pass something off as original when it’s not.

I often receive intake forms from business owners who are really struggling to create a sustainable income, but when I look at their websites it is so  obvious why they are struggling.

Abundance coaches who don’t have abundance. . . .

Business coaches selling six figure sales strategies who barely have a five figure business. . . .

Financial mentors whose personal financials are a mess. . . .

They can’t sell what they don’t truly own.

Everyone has their own original passions, talents, and gifts, and within them lies our own unique and original purpose. There is no need to eschew our own potential and emulate someone else, the

Sell what you OWN so you feel awesome about what you have to offer.

Your prospective clients are human lie detectors, and your bank balance will reflect any discrepancies.