Page 107 - Midas Touch

If I had not said what I said, and done what I did, then I would not be true
to myself or my brand. You can’t help but notice that Donald is true to his
brand. When you walk into his New York offices on Fifth Avenue, his
offices are his brand. He makes no apologies for who he is and what he

stands for. Neither should you.

One reason most entrepreneurs fail to evolve their businesses into a brand
is because money is more important than their brand. Most entrepreneurs
will say anything you want to hear, just so you like them and hopefully
buy their products or services.

It takes guts to be a brand. It takes guts to stand for what you believe in,
even if it is not popular. You cannot be all things to all people if you want
to be a brand.

Join the Marine Corps
In the late 1960s, the U.S. military needed pilots for the Vietnam War.
Word went out that the armed services were having a combined recruiting
meeting for potential new pilots. Three of my friends and I went to the

large meeting on Long Island, New York, to listen to the different branches
of the service pitch us on why we should join their branch of the service.

An Air Force pilot went first, telling several hundred young future college
graduates why the Air Force had the best training and best aircraft to fly.
He also showed us pictures of beautiful Air Force bases with golf courses
and swimming pools. I thought I was at a presentation for a new resort
development, not pilot training.

The Navy pilot went next, telling us about the excitement of flying off an
aircraft carrier. It was high adrenaline.

The Army pilot went on about flying large transport helicopters in
Vietnam, aircraft like the Sky Crane. He showed pictures of these giant
Sky Cranes lifting tanks out of the battlefield.

The Coast Guard pilot shared his experiences of saving lives at sea with
his helicopter. He showed pictures of people being hoisted off their sinking

sailboat into the safety of a Coast Guard helicopter.

The Marine Corps pilot was last. He stood up and simply said, “Look here.
If you want to save people’s lives, join the Coast Guard. If you want to kill