The following is a bit of a rant/journal entry. Cliff notes? I read the Millionaire Fastlane 5-ish years ago and took steps, then stumbled into a corporate job and subsequently a bottle. I'm back and ready to give it hell. I'm digging around and am going to reread the book this weekend.
I came across the book right after college while I was going through a quarter-life crisis. I hated college (transferred 3 times) but was told to just get a degree then things would be rosy. The problem was things weren't rosy for college grads in 2009. I knew corporate jobs weren't for me, nevertheless I applied to thousands of jobs online without success. I was an EMT and paramedic during college and a few years afterwards. It was a good experience, but I wasn't bound to a $16/hr job for life. I also did a little leatherwork in my spare time and flipping things on ebay pretty much my whole life - always had a manufacturing and adding value mindset. At the time, the book and I were hand in hand when it came to the slow land and fast lane. I tried wrapping my head around building something of value, but I guess inexperience and overconfidence hit me quickly.
I quit my paramedic job (I had it made - 2 48hr shifts a week) and focused on a slurry of web development, affiliate programs, and penny stocks. LMAO, you know that was headed for failure. After 4 months, I saw my savings starting to dwindle, so I dusted off my leather making tools, bought a sewing machine and hit as many blogs as I could for free advertising. It gained a little traction, but after a few months I realized how labor intensive it was as a one man show and how much I hate customer service. While none of this is fast lane, the principles were still bouncing around in the back of my head. I was still looking to be spoon-fed. I was a wanna-prenure who couldn't really even call himself a small business.
After all this, My girlfriend got my a $12/hr internship doing data cleaning. The corporate world. God, it was bad. Office Space to the extreme. I no longer had motivations to continue my leather work at night and I think that's where the drinking and feelings of hopelessness and despair. After the 3 month contract ended, they didn't want me, and I didn't want them. I took a part time paramedic job and the drinking and emptiness continued,
Eventually another job opened up at the same corporate skyscraper and running out of money again, I sold out. $60k to edit a website? I can do that. Of course that snowballs into web building and maintenance and email marketing with 8 managers and blah blah blah.
I've been here 2 years now and it has had its ups and downs. Though not much more than a hobby, I was able to start an online gun store(SOT). I've learned as much with that as I have at the job itself. I've perfected my marketing and coding skills, but better yet now know how bloated and dumb companies are. I've never enjoyed going to work and in the back of my mind known there is a better way. I've been fixated on finding a perfect idea, working for a smaller company, or making money. I kept blaming the job and company for my alcohol abuse and lack of activity. I dabbled in AA and other groups. It was sad and pathetic. In reality, I'm no snowflake. Most people in a company have a shitty job. I was drinking and down because I was just drifting and couldn't answer a simple question. What do I want, and how am I going to get it?
Corporations will dig coal today instead of waiting for the diamond tomorrow. Public corporations steal from their employees to give to their shareholders. I'm preaching to the choir though ... I'm on a cruise ship but want to get back to a speedboat. They dump half a million dollars into an ecommerce website each year. I can get one started within an hour for free.
I had lost my meaning and it took me a week for me to be able to answer that simple question. What do I want? To live life on my terms. Not to dread Mondays, fight rush hour too and from, to be happy and enjoy the little things.
The reason I'm here is to answer the second half. How am I going to get it?
Short term I'm writing a book about what I have learned here. It will add value to those starting small businesses. Long term? We'll see, the highway is wide and I am ready to race. I have stumbled, but I've converted my past into fuel for the future.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to chatting and learning much more in the coming future. Busy corporate season starts in September, and I can't take another year of that. I want to be able to quit then. My coworker goes on maternity leave in November. I couldn't think of a better time to give them the middle finger. Time to accelerate.
I came across the book right after college while I was going through a quarter-life crisis. I hated college (transferred 3 times) but was told to just get a degree then things would be rosy. The problem was things weren't rosy for college grads in 2009. I knew corporate jobs weren't for me, nevertheless I applied to thousands of jobs online without success. I was an EMT and paramedic during college and a few years afterwards. It was a good experience, but I wasn't bound to a $16/hr job for life. I also did a little leatherwork in my spare time and flipping things on ebay pretty much my whole life - always had a manufacturing and adding value mindset. At the time, the book and I were hand in hand when it came to the slow land and fast lane. I tried wrapping my head around building something of value, but I guess inexperience and overconfidence hit me quickly.
I quit my paramedic job (I had it made - 2 48hr shifts a week) and focused on a slurry of web development, affiliate programs, and penny stocks. LMAO, you know that was headed for failure. After 4 months, I saw my savings starting to dwindle, so I dusted off my leather making tools, bought a sewing machine and hit as many blogs as I could for free advertising. It gained a little traction, but after a few months I realized how labor intensive it was as a one man show and how much I hate customer service. While none of this is fast lane, the principles were still bouncing around in the back of my head. I was still looking to be spoon-fed. I was a wanna-prenure who couldn't really even call himself a small business.
After all this, My girlfriend got my a $12/hr internship doing data cleaning. The corporate world. God, it was bad. Office Space to the extreme. I no longer had motivations to continue my leather work at night and I think that's where the drinking and feelings of hopelessness and despair. After the 3 month contract ended, they didn't want me, and I didn't want them. I took a part time paramedic job and the drinking and emptiness continued,
Eventually another job opened up at the same corporate skyscraper and running out of money again, I sold out. $60k to edit a website? I can do that. Of course that snowballs into web building and maintenance and email marketing with 8 managers and blah blah blah.
I've been here 2 years now and it has had its ups and downs. Though not much more than a hobby, I was able to start an online gun store(SOT). I've learned as much with that as I have at the job itself. I've perfected my marketing and coding skills, but better yet now know how bloated and dumb companies are. I've never enjoyed going to work and in the back of my mind known there is a better way. I've been fixated on finding a perfect idea, working for a smaller company, or making money. I kept blaming the job and company for my alcohol abuse and lack of activity. I dabbled in AA and other groups. It was sad and pathetic. In reality, I'm no snowflake. Most people in a company have a shitty job. I was drinking and down because I was just drifting and couldn't answer a simple question. What do I want, and how am I going to get it?
Corporations will dig coal today instead of waiting for the diamond tomorrow. Public corporations steal from their employees to give to their shareholders. I'm preaching to the choir though ... I'm on a cruise ship but want to get back to a speedboat. They dump half a million dollars into an ecommerce website each year. I can get one started within an hour for free.
I had lost my meaning and it took me a week for me to be able to answer that simple question. What do I want? To live life on my terms. Not to dread Mondays, fight rush hour too and from, to be happy and enjoy the little things.
The reason I'm here is to answer the second half. How am I going to get it?
Short term I'm writing a book about what I have learned here. It will add value to those starting small businesses. Long term? We'll see, the highway is wide and I am ready to race. I have stumbled, but I've converted my past into fuel for the future.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to chatting and learning much more in the coming future. Busy corporate season starts in September, and I can't take another year of that. I want to be able to quit then. My coworker goes on maternity leave in November. I couldn't think of a better time to give them the middle finger. Time to accelerate.
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