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I'm Jason. I currently live in Georgia but am originally from Florida. I worked all through high school and college and hold a Bachelor's degree in Advertising from the University of Florida. I was blessed that during college I didn't take out any student loans, was able to purchase my first house, and got married.
About 3 months after my wife and I graduated college we found out she was pregnant with our first child, our son who is now 18. I knew she wanted to continue her education so I wanted to find a job that would support us whether she decided to be a stay-at-home mom or go back to college. After 2 years she went back and got her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree and makes a good living as a physical therapist. Now we basically live off her income and we are able to save most of my income for extracurricular activities. We are doing well, but I know it will not allow us to take the next financial steps we want to.
Back to my path, after college an opportunity presented itself for me to become a Snap-On tools franchisee. I knew a few other successful franchisees and business owners, so I decided that opportunity would help me meet the goals stated above. I did that for 8 years. Overall it was a positive experience because I met my goals and learned a lot about running a business, budgeting, and finance. During that time we moved to Georgia to fulfill a dream of mine and our second child was born, our daughter who is now 12. A wonderful period of growth, but like MJ describes in his book franchises limit you. After 8 years I knew I had reached my full potential and I wasn't going any farther with it. That was 2014. I was working 40+ hours a week, making about 35k a year, no benefits, and stressed out. So I decided it was time to close my business and try to put my degree to work.
I did that and applied to every marketing and advertising job I felt qualified for. I taught myself the new softwares, techniques, and media used in the industry. I did get a part-time job at a small town marketing firm close to my house. It was convenient for me and helped me learn and improve my portfolio, but I was basically a volunteer. After a couple years and going to about 50 interviews with no full-time job offers I said screw it, I'll find a full-time general labor position.
I ended up getting a job with the city I live in. They paid for me to become a certified wastewater operator. I have worked here 6 years now. I have great benefits and I enjoy what I do, but as MJ allowed me to see in TMF it's not going to make us wealthy. I have no commute and lots of free time to pursue other endeavors. I don't want to quit my job, especially since I will be eligible for a pension in less than 4 years. At the same time I know I can only move up one position and it will not allow us to reach the financial goals we have for our family. I want to start a business now that will meet those goals. I can devote about 20 hours a week to it now and hopefully in 4 years or less I can grow it to the point where I do feel comfortable quitting my job.
I have discussed several business ideas with my wife and kids and we've all come to the conclusion one in particular has the most promise. At first it does violate the commandment of control, but as it grows that can easily be changed. I would say the barrier to entry is medium. It follows the other commands perfectly. I'm hesitating to implement it because I have tried a handful of other side hustles with little to no success. I guess I'm afraid it will be a bust and a better idea will come along I'm more passionate about.
MJ I appreciate you taking the time to educate us. After reading TMF I feel more knowledgeable and better prepared than ever. I'm here to get and hopefully give advice, guidance, and support.
About 3 months after my wife and I graduated college we found out she was pregnant with our first child, our son who is now 18. I knew she wanted to continue her education so I wanted to find a job that would support us whether she decided to be a stay-at-home mom or go back to college. After 2 years she went back and got her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree and makes a good living as a physical therapist. Now we basically live off her income and we are able to save most of my income for extracurricular activities. We are doing well, but I know it will not allow us to take the next financial steps we want to.
Back to my path, after college an opportunity presented itself for me to become a Snap-On tools franchisee. I knew a few other successful franchisees and business owners, so I decided that opportunity would help me meet the goals stated above. I did that for 8 years. Overall it was a positive experience because I met my goals and learned a lot about running a business, budgeting, and finance. During that time we moved to Georgia to fulfill a dream of mine and our second child was born, our daughter who is now 12. A wonderful period of growth, but like MJ describes in his book franchises limit you. After 8 years I knew I had reached my full potential and I wasn't going any farther with it. That was 2014. I was working 40+ hours a week, making about 35k a year, no benefits, and stressed out. So I decided it was time to close my business and try to put my degree to work.
I did that and applied to every marketing and advertising job I felt qualified for. I taught myself the new softwares, techniques, and media used in the industry. I did get a part-time job at a small town marketing firm close to my house. It was convenient for me and helped me learn and improve my portfolio, but I was basically a volunteer. After a couple years and going to about 50 interviews with no full-time job offers I said screw it, I'll find a full-time general labor position.
I ended up getting a job with the city I live in. They paid for me to become a certified wastewater operator. I have worked here 6 years now. I have great benefits and I enjoy what I do, but as MJ allowed me to see in TMF it's not going to make us wealthy. I have no commute and lots of free time to pursue other endeavors. I don't want to quit my job, especially since I will be eligible for a pension in less than 4 years. At the same time I know I can only move up one position and it will not allow us to reach the financial goals we have for our family. I want to start a business now that will meet those goals. I can devote about 20 hours a week to it now and hopefully in 4 years or less I can grow it to the point where I do feel comfortable quitting my job.
I have discussed several business ideas with my wife and kids and we've all come to the conclusion one in particular has the most promise. At first it does violate the commandment of control, but as it grows that can easily be changed. I would say the barrier to entry is medium. It follows the other commands perfectly. I'm hesitating to implement it because I have tried a handful of other side hustles with little to no success. I guess I'm afraid it will be a bust and a better idea will come along I'm more passionate about.
MJ I appreciate you taking the time to educate us. After reading TMF I feel more knowledgeable and better prepared than ever. I'm here to get and hopefully give advice, guidance, and support.
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