59. Build a Pipeline and Stop Carrying Buckets.

There is a parable that I read in the book, The Cashflow Quadrant , by Robert Kiyosaki. It’s had a big impact on my life, and I remember it right now without referencing the book. I’m paraphrasing and making it my own, but it goes like this:

A village needed water, so they hired two people to get water for them and they were paid by the amount of water that they delivered.

One of them got busy right away. He got several buckets, and even figured out that he could make the buckets bigger and could carry more with a pole over his back. He started getting the water and was paid for it, but he got tired, and it wasn’t a good lifestyle. He even tried to get his children involved in his business, but they refused.

The other did work during the day carrying buckets, but she realized that there must be a better way. She looked at her Zig Ziglar quote, “You can have everything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.” And she was determined to get the villagers what they wanted.

So, after hours and on the weekends, and maybe (I’m adding this myself) on a designated day that she set aside for developing the business, of working ON it rather than just IN it. With that time, she decided that a pipeline would serve the village much better. It would bring the water automatically, and in much more abundance to the village.

Now, there were problems with building the pipeline. The soil was extra rocky in places. She needed to take some of her hard-earned money to pay a few people to help when she couldn’t get it all done herself. She had hard and rough days, and often didn’t feel like working on the pipeline after she’d worked hard carrying buckets.

Nevertheless, she persisted.

And she built the pipeline! There was a great celebration when it worked, and now the villagers had all of the fresh, clean water they wanted. And she was responsible. The other water bucket carrier was out of a job, as he couldn’t compete with all the water that the new pipeline brought. The pipeline brought water at all times, day and night, on holidays, and when she was relaxing and spending time with her family (and writing her book). She made a lot of money by serving the people a lot better than anyone else.

And after that, she was able to use some of that money, and the know-how of building pipelines, to help the other villages in the area. Many people were able to live a better life because of her, and as a result she and her family lived a much better life.

So, you kind of get this, right? It’s all about creating a system that works for your clients (or the company you work for, or your boss, or your family or just you), rather than doing each thing by themselves.

Some examples would be Henry Ford and the assembly line, the way Apple produced their products that served billions, or even how a bulldozer can do the work of a dozen men in digging a ditch.

When you’re at a job, or better yet, at your business, always take time to see if things can be simplified, optimized, and done easier. Constantly think, “How can I deliver more, easier?” There is a very good chance, almost certainly guaranteed, that a process or a way of doing things can be improved. Is there a better way to serve more of your customers ? You can find it, and that is where the value lies. That’s where there are riches, freedom, and a better lifestyle awaits. Right behind your own pipeline.

So, if you find yourself carrying buckets, please know that there is a better way, and get to finding out how to build your very own pipeline. It’s a better way to live.

Advice in Practice:

• This is a parable for jobs, in general. If you work for a person or a company, and your time is traded for money (say by working 9-5 every weekday and only having the weekends off) then you are carrying buckets. Think about the idea of starting your own business or firing yourself by contracting the work you do for the company. I’m not saying throw caution to the wind, or just blindly doing something. Just think about it, approach it with the idea that you can do better, and hopefully that you will try at one point.
• If you own a business that produces goods or services for people, spend some time and effort on working ON, versus IN your business. That is, think strategically and actively ask, “how can I improve things for my customers?” Do some benchmarking. Is someone else in the field already “building a pipeline?” Is there a better way for them? Can you optimize what you’re doing to serve them better?
• Read the book, (I’m sure I will recommend it elsewhere) The 4 Hour Workweek , by Tim Ferriss. See if it inspires you to D.E.A.L. in your life (Define, Eliminate, Automate, and Liberate). It had a huge impact on me and because of that, I became kind of obsessive about saving time for myself in business and life.
• Also, check out the book, or CERTAINLY understand the concepts of, “The Cashflow Quadrant,” by Robert Kiyosaki. Learning the pros and cons of the E/S/B/I quadrants (Employee, Self-Employed, Business Owner, and Investor), and HOW TO get from one section of the quadrant into another are life-changing principles!