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LEADERS, GIVING AND GOING BEYOND ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS STRATEGIES

LESSON: This holiday season remember that giving to others and going far beyond expectations are the best success strategies for building a wildly successful business, family, and self. This is how the Universe works!

Author

Jeff Martinovich
December 07, 2025

LESSON: This holiday season remember that giving to others and going far beyond expectations are the best success strategies for building a wildly successful business, family, and self. This is how the Universe works!

Years ago, I built MICG investment group brick by brick, which means person by person in that world. My trick was to find great overachievers with the drive and energy to be great but who just needed a break and someone to believe in them. Steve was scraping by running a carpet cleaning business, Wendy had hard times and paid the bills as the beauty salon receptionist, and Debbie never had the opportunity to show her abilities. Our possibly Island of Misfit Toys in that blue-collar town grew this organization to over 100 associates, a billion dollars, seven companies, clients in 48 states and 5 countries, all while averaging +36% annual growth for 18 years. Their dedication, loyalty, and drive were undoubtedly due to someone giving them a break and believing in them. They paid it forward to the rest of the frim, and I reaped the great rewards.

In prison I saw this principle work over and over. Destroyed and desperate, I took a job in the law library for 16-cents an hour helping over 300 other inmates write motions and petitions for their cases.  99% failures but a few wins. What I didn’t realize was the Universe was giving me the keys for my own redemption. I taught myself federal criminal law, filed over 500 motions in my own case with a No. 2 pencil and manual typewriter and reversed the trial court’s decisions 5 times, removed 2 federal judges, and eventually made it home 7 years early!

When I made it home confinement, I would get up at 5am every morning to spend 3 hours helping my friends’ businesses fix long lists of problems for free before I did my day job the Bureau of Prisons had approved. Their appreciation later turned into small compensation to help pay the bills while rebuilding from $0.00. Then, very unexpectedly, a few of those projects turned into million-dollar turnarounds for my friends and incredible rewards for my family.

But the best example of receiving for giving is repeatedly spoken by my beautiful Ashleigh. Out of the blue, she sent me a love letter in prison and said she would stand by me and win this challenge together. For 7 years she drove 7 hours each way to horrific prisoner visiting rooms to sit with me for a few hours. She tells everyone who will listen that our gorgeous little 4-year-old Carleigh today was her gift she knew would always happen for her (at 59, I really can’t explain that one!).

Let’s all use this great holiday season to get back in the habit of waking up daily and instead of asking for rewards for ourselves, ask, “Who can I help today?” and “Who can I shock with wildly exceeded expectations?” Have a great week!