Want a Raise? Build One Yourself (Quit Waiting on HR to Value You) – Episode 216

Most people wait years for a company to “notice” them.
They work harder, take on more, and hope a small raise or title bump will come their way.
But hope is not a strategy.

If you want a raise, you don’t ask for it — you build it.

Companies use three basic ways to make more money:

1. Find new customers.
2. Serve more customers.
3. Upsell the ones they already have.

You can do the same thing in your career.

1. Find a New Customer (aka a Better Job)

If your current company doesn’t value you, find one that does.

But don’t just apply online — go talk to people who hire for value. That’s what I call the Reverse Interview. It’s how my clients regularly get 30–50% pay increases — no applications, no algorithms, just conversations that uncover opportunities.

2. Serve More Customers (Side Hustle)

If you can solve a problem for one person, you can solve it for many.

That’s entrepreneurship.

Eric Ries, in The Lean Startup, calls it “validated learning.” You don’t need a business plan. You need one customer. That’s how you build freedom and create your own raise outside the system.

3. Upsell Where You Are (Build Value at Work)

Stop waiting for titles. Instead, make yourself indispensable.

Find a problem that wastes time or money, fix it, and document it.

When you can show that you saved $250K or streamlined operations, you’ve earned leverage — not a favor.
That’s how my client, Wayne, landed a 20% raise: by showing ROI.

🔥 Your System 👇

James Clear said, “You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

So build a system:

• Create an improvement plan.
• Notice small things you could fix.
• Each month, implement one.

Small steps build power — and that’s where real raises come from.

Faith Connection:

God isn’t impressed by titles. He’s impressed by stewardship.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

You’re not working for HR — you’re working for your Creator.
He gave you gifts to multiply, not bury. So build your raise and use your work to glorify Him.

Ready to take the next step?

• Get side hustle ideas → Download my Idea Engine today!
• Explore tools to find hidden opportunities → Opportunities Toolbox
• Learn how to operate as a Company of One → Strategy Session