My Name is Ryan and I found this forum while browsing through my tapatalk app on my phone. I am 27 and I have been working from home full-time since 2009. I am have been reading different posts here past couple weeks and now motivated to read the millionaire fastlane . I am currently devouring a couple other books so should get to in within a couple weeks but I am excited about it.
I have always wanted to run my own business. When I was 15 I have several eBay business I ran under I mothers information. At 16 I had to get a regular job but still ran side businesses all the way until I did it full-time in 2009. I had 3 successful eBay businesses that I sold. The last eBay business I sold for me and my wife to Open up a Teen Center / Venue in our community. We had a 5,000sqf building that we decked out and had concerts every weekend. In the end we lost about $25k trying to keep it afloat and it just didn't work out. I ended up taking a low voltage electricity job that I sucked at. I did my best but just wasn't my type of work or calling.
In Sept. of 2009 I was laid off from that job that was currently paying our bills. They lost several big contracts and had to make some layoffs and I was the newest hired so the first to go. 3 Days later I was in the hospital with my wife for 9 weeks due to complications with her pregnancy of our second son. Everything ended up ok and Isaiah now almost 4 is perfectly healthy and happy. While I was in hospital I knew I had to figure something out so I started a Graphic Design Business, took classes through lynda.com and have been designing full-time ever since. Now, I try to do more managing than designing but still end up with a lot of the work myself. I have 2 freelancers in the states that work for me and 2 freelancers out of the country that work for me. 1 in Bangladesh and 1 in the Philippines. I also have a few blogs I manage and starting to slowly build a passive income from.
I've I have found these forums very inspiring and looking forward to learning and growing. Even though I make enough for our bills I don't really feel the freedom yet. In the past year my wife has had 4 surgeries and almost died twice. She is having another in just a couple weeks. She isn't able to do a whole lot right now so I basically doing everything. I do all the cleaning, cooking, laundry, shopping etc. And I take care of the boys and her while trying to run a business. A lot harder than I thought. I am writing this post right now at 3:00am because the middle of the night is the best time for me to work. I work mostly from 10-6am usually and then sleep in till around 10-11 and start it all over.
I hope that didn't sound like I was complaining, I'm not. I am extremely thankful that I am able to work from home. There is no way I would have been able to make it through the past year if I had a regular job. I felt like I lived at the hospital there for a while.
My hope is that I can learn more to allow my blogs and side projects to grow enough to bring a passive income that can support my family and allow me to spend more "real time" with my family and not just being in the same house with them all day. I try to spend quality time but I am always so tired or stressed about getting my work done so I can pay the bills.
Anyways, when I started writing this I wasn't planning on going into all this or venting there at the end. I was going to just write a short intro. I hope I don't scare you away and sorry to make you read all of that if you did. I am looking forward to learning from those in the Fastlane that have already made it! I have learned from my mistakes and it should would be nice to learn some from mentors now too instead so many mistakes.
I left out my links and all that, don't want anyone to think I am here to advertise or self-promote. But if you would like to know more about me or would like to visit my sites I'd be happy to share them or answer any questions I can.
I know one thing I have been wanted to do for one of my blogs is interview successful people for me and my audience to learn and grow from. It is just intimidated for me for some reason to reach out to those that have made it.
Ok, I am stopping now. This is turning into way more than an intro. I'll see yall around
I have always wanted to run my own business. When I was 15 I have several eBay business I ran under I mothers information. At 16 I had to get a regular job but still ran side businesses all the way until I did it full-time in 2009. I had 3 successful eBay businesses that I sold. The last eBay business I sold for me and my wife to Open up a Teen Center / Venue in our community. We had a 5,000sqf building that we decked out and had concerts every weekend. In the end we lost about $25k trying to keep it afloat and it just didn't work out. I ended up taking a low voltage electricity job that I sucked at. I did my best but just wasn't my type of work or calling.
In Sept. of 2009 I was laid off from that job that was currently paying our bills. They lost several big contracts and had to make some layoffs and I was the newest hired so the first to go. 3 Days later I was in the hospital with my wife for 9 weeks due to complications with her pregnancy of our second son. Everything ended up ok and Isaiah now almost 4 is perfectly healthy and happy. While I was in hospital I knew I had to figure something out so I started a Graphic Design Business, took classes through lynda.com and have been designing full-time ever since. Now, I try to do more managing than designing but still end up with a lot of the work myself. I have 2 freelancers in the states that work for me and 2 freelancers out of the country that work for me. 1 in Bangladesh and 1 in the Philippines. I also have a few blogs I manage and starting to slowly build a passive income from.
I've I have found these forums very inspiring and looking forward to learning and growing. Even though I make enough for our bills I don't really feel the freedom yet. In the past year my wife has had 4 surgeries and almost died twice. She is having another in just a couple weeks. She isn't able to do a whole lot right now so I basically doing everything. I do all the cleaning, cooking, laundry, shopping etc. And I take care of the boys and her while trying to run a business. A lot harder than I thought. I am writing this post right now at 3:00am because the middle of the night is the best time for me to work. I work mostly from 10-6am usually and then sleep in till around 10-11 and start it all over.
I hope that didn't sound like I was complaining, I'm not. I am extremely thankful that I am able to work from home. There is no way I would have been able to make it through the past year if I had a regular job. I felt like I lived at the hospital there for a while.
My hope is that I can learn more to allow my blogs and side projects to grow enough to bring a passive income that can support my family and allow me to spend more "real time" with my family and not just being in the same house with them all day. I try to spend quality time but I am always so tired or stressed about getting my work done so I can pay the bills.
Anyways, when I started writing this I wasn't planning on going into all this or venting there at the end. I was going to just write a short intro. I hope I don't scare you away and sorry to make you read all of that if you did. I am looking forward to learning from those in the Fastlane that have already made it! I have learned from my mistakes and it should would be nice to learn some from mentors now too instead so many mistakes.
I left out my links and all that, don't want anyone to think I am here to advertise or self-promote. But if you would like to know more about me or would like to visit my sites I'd be happy to share them or answer any questions I can.
I know one thing I have been wanted to do for one of my blogs is interview successful people for me and my audience to learn and grow from. It is just intimidated for me for some reason to reach out to those that have made it.
Ok, I am stopping now. This is turning into way more than an intro. I'll see yall around
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