What’s Your Currency?

A great client and friend of mine, George Berbeco, shared the stage with me at an IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers presentation many years ago. I spoke about product publicity and marketing and he addressed small business management. I distinctly recall his succinct definition of the roll of business: To create assets. The assets his company created were electrostatic control products.

Create assets. That’s what businesses do. That is their currency. My business creates assets, that is, earns money by effectively obtaining widespread and relevant publicity for our clients. Personally, however, my currency is the satisfaction I feel when one of my clients’ products lands on the front page of a prestigious magazine or on the top of its website. I feel that way because it takes skill, savvy, and creativity to make that happen. As a businessman, however, the processes and procedures that I’ve developed to produce and deliver my services most effectively and profitably is my currency. One of the processes I created, for example, allows me to spend as much time on a project as needed because my income is based on the average of many projects, not on hourly fees. It is a win-win for clients and me.

This essay was stimulated by a very engaging conversation I had with a highly skilled commercial photographer and dear friend who is also an artist. I can relate to that viewpoint and consider my business to be my art. Perhaps that’s why I explained satisfaction as my currency. My personal currency is the pride of achievement plus the long-standing client relationships lasting 49-years as the owner of my business. My business currency, though, is creating assets. Those assets are hard dollars resulting from my expertise. 

So, what is an artist’s currency? An artist's currency refers to the value or medium through which they exchange, gain recognition, or achieve fulfillment in their work. It is not monetary. An artist's currency can take many intangible and tangible forms, depending upon their personal needs and motivations. They might include their ability to influence and provoke thought or deep feelings, recognition, reputation, and legacy, or self-expression and self-discovery.

Healing and catharsis is also an artist’s currency. For me, writing my book, Success and Self-Discovery was very cathartic. It put my career and life in perspective and provided me with a better understanding of my personal journey and the choices I’ve made. But it also serves as a story and guide to help others grow and transform in order to achieve their personal and professional goals. The wealth of positive feedback that I’ve received from readers is my currency as an author. Obviously, I’d like to sell millions of books, but that’s a marketing and business function; separate from the healing, catharsis, and satisfaction of having written and published it. What’s your currency?