I Rob Banks Because That’s Where The Money Is

If you’re looking for success, put the odds in your favor and go to wherever the opportunities are.

If you’re looking for clients, figure out where they hang out as prospects. If you’re after professionals, maybe try LinkedIn. If you’re after visual art collectors, maybe try Instagram. If you offer tutorials for your services, get on YouTube.

A long time ago a wise friend told me, “You’ve really gotta figure out how to get yourself in front of more people. You need to play in traffic. You’re never gonna get hit by a car in your house in front of the computer, you’ve gotta get out there and play in the street.”

Relatable? Yeah, thought so. And without a doubt, nobody said it better than Willie Sutton. Per the Saturday Evening Post (circa 1951, h/t Quote Investigator, emphasis added):

Someone once asked Slick Willie Sutton, The bank robber, why he robbed banks. The question might have uncovered a tale of injustice and lifelong revenge. Maybe a banker foreclosed on the old Homestead, maybe a banker’s daughter spurned Sutton for another.

Sutton looked a little surprised, as if he had been asked “Why does a smoker light a cigarette?”

“I rob banks because that’s where the money is,” he said, obviously meaning “in the most compact form.” That eye for the simple essential may be the secret of a singular success.

We’ve all got the thing we’re after. More clients, better clients, fulfilling work, etc. Those are our banks. That’s where the money is. That’s where it’s waiting for us to come and get it.

Once you know where the opportunity is, you go there. Adventures await.