How Anyone Can Build a pipeline Of

Waste Not, Want Not 
People often ask me why they should take the time 
and effort to build pipelines when things are going 
so well right at the moment. They tall me they 
deserve to relax after a hard day at the office. They 
reward themselves by learning back in the La-Z-
Boy recliner and watching TV until bedtime. 
“Life is good,” they tell me. “Got a good job. Got 
a few bucks in the bank. Kids are doing well in 
school. No need to rock the boat.” 
That’s when I tell them that there’s no better time to 
build your pipeline than when things are going 

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62 
great. Why? Because when the tide turns, it may 
be too late! 
Than I tell them this old joke: A man was on the 
30
th
floor of fancy hotel overlooking Central Park in 
Manhattan. He pulled back the shades and threw 
open the window to enjoy the view. As he leaned 
out the window, he was startled to see a man falling 
past his room. 
“How you doing?” he asked the falling man. 
“Fine – so far,”
came the reply. 
The point is that there are lots of bucket carriers in 
this world who are doing fine – so far. But they 
can’t stay in a free-fall forever. As long as people 
trade time for dollars, there’s no safety net in their 
lives. Why? Because when they can’t put in the 
time due to illness… or injury… or layoffs, their 
paychecks will stop. 
For bucket carriers, no paycheck means no security! 
Financial Security 
Picture missing 
No Paycheck
= No Security 
The Fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper 
As I write this, consumer confidence is high.
Unemployment is low. Incomes are rising. Home 
sales are at record highs. Car sales are booming.
Lots of people are fine – 
so far. 

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63 
But we can’t fall into the trap of mistaking “so far” 
for “forever.” Everybody knows that life goes in 
cycles. So does the economy. Right now the 
business cycle is nearing its zenith. Your personal 
life cycle may be at an all-time high, too. 
But what goes up, must come down. And when 
people start coming down, some of them are going 
to crash into some hard realities: Layoffs. Career 
changes. Credit card debt. Medical emergencies.
Nursing home care for elderly parents. 
Smart people understand that the best time to 
feather their nest is while business is booming.
Smart people erect safety nets before a recession 
starts, not during! That’s why I tell people that 
today is the best time to build their pipelines, not 
when the economy hits the skids. 
It’s like the fable of the ant and the grasshopper.
The ant was a pipeline builder. He spent part of his 
summer days storing away grain for the coming 
winder. He enjoyed the summer, too. But he had 
the wisdom to spend some of his time building his 
pipeline. 
The grasshopper, on the other hand, was a bucket 
carrier. He spent all of his money as soon as he got 
it and wasted all of his time playing in the sunshine.
He ignored the coming winter. When the cold 
winter came, he had no pipeline in place. And he 
starved to death.