Never Broke Again: The Power of Assets

I think the first time I heard about assets was from Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad.

It was mind-blowing.

It changed my life.

Like most of us, I was taught to just work hard.

That was it.

But I knew there had to be more.

Nobody around me was talking about real assets.

The most I ever heard was, “Buy a home.”

And listen — that’s not a bad option.

Real estate can be a bonus and can absolutely help with taxes.

But it’s not the only option.

So let’s talk about what an asset actually is.

Let’s break it down:

An asset is anything you create once that can continue to generate income — even if it still requires effort to manage, market, or maintain.

It’s not about never working again.

It’s about not having to start over every time.

My first asset was Z180 Radio, something I created in 2009.

I built a platform that could bring in money month after month.

It became an engine.

I saw my salary double in just over a year, and that’s when I knew I had something.

I believed in it before I saw the proof.

Eventually, the proof showed up monetarily.

Another powerful asset is an email list or text message list.

You already know my story.

Facebook shut down my ad account — something that should have been resolved easily, but it wasn’t.

But because I had over 10,000 people on my email list and 10,000 on my text message list, I was able to keep going.

Why?

Because I had already built know, like, and trust with my audience.

I didn’t have to look far to introduce them to a new offer.

That asset served me well in 2020.

And I still own those lists today.

Another asset I own — several actually — is trademarks.

And I plan to get at least five more.

If I own it and put my name on it, I’m trying to trademark it.

Trademarks aren’t just protection.

They’re leverage.

They’re legacy.

You can license them, partner with other brands, and expand your business model without compromising your ownership.

This is intellectual property.

And it’s one of the smartest moves an entrepreneur can make.

Books are one of my favorite assets.

I wrote God Bless The Entrepreneur: The First Decade at one of the hardest points in my life.

Just a year earlier, doctors had declared me legally blind.

I had the idea for the book, but I didn’t know what I was doing.

Still, I knew I needed to document that first decade of entrepreneurship.

So I voice recorded everything.

God gave me the grace to finish it.

I partnered with a dope editor.

Now that book is an asset.

And we even built our own publishing company, Murphy Madison Publishing, so we never have to wait on anyone else.

We can publish on demand — when we want, how we want.

But let me be honest.

Creating assets still takes intentionality and effort.

You might be broke when you first start building them.

But if you keep planting seeds, if you keep showing up, those assets can position you differently.

Why?

Because you created it once —

and it can continue to serve you over and over again.

That’s the goal.

Ask yourself:

How can I work hard at something once —

and let it continue to pay me long after?

That’s the power of assets.

Henry C. Murphy

Nothing but up from here.