My name is TJ. I live in Montana with my wife and our awesome dog. I've owned a number of businesses over the years, but none with a CENTS framework and none that really were overly successful. Some paid bills others did nothing, and a couple have actually allowed me to make some progress in life financially, but despite reading books like Tony Robbins' Money: Master the Game and others by Ray Dalio & Jim Cramer, it hasnt been until reading MJ's books that the financial & business worlds have really made sense to me.
For the last almost 10 years, I've been a professional driver. I instructed high-level performance and tactical riving techniques to first-timers, enthusiasts, professional racers, law enforcement, military, and special operations units. I spent 200+ days a year on the road and overall, I enjoyed it. Who wouldn't have fun driving for the camera in films/TV and getting paid to play with cars & trucks for a living? But the reality was that the industry is capped. There's nowhere to go beyond about $60,000/yr. unless you feel the need to work with marketing partners & sponsors and I speak from experience when I say, THAT SHIT IS HARD. I found my love for driving diminishing, just as MJ discussed in unscripted . So, in 2019, an opportunity presented itself for me to exit this world and open a business as a general contractor. The timing was divine as this was pre-corona and while I am now considered essential and have been able to grow and thrive during this difficult economy, my previous industry is effectively at a standstill. Friends and former colleagues are out of work, struggling to get by while I focus my efforts on our new venture. I feel fortunate to say the least.
HOWEVER...
What I've noticed over the last year+ is a very consistent complaint in the contracting industry. I have fairly decent communication skills and I've had countless customers comment on how much they appreciate my communication. They also make comments about experiences theyve had with other contractors and their lack of communication. Maybe it's because I'm coming from a different background, but it seems to me that there is an opportunity here. After reading TMF , I began looking for a new opportunity. Contracting has been good to me, but I want to escape the direct trade of my time for money. This industry will allow me to do so at a certain point, but I do not see all the CENTS requirements satisfied, particularly scale and time. So, my new focus is going to be solving the communication issue between customers and contractors.
I firmly believe there is HUGE value in a simple solution to achieve this. I'm currently researching options and speaking with contractors and customers alike to learn their pain points and what they would value in a service that could address this issue. While this is the very beginning of the process, I am happy to report that it seems t satisfy the CENTS requirements and does indeed appear to be a way for me to provide massive value to the world. This is something I'm very excited about because in the past, while my businesses provided value, they could not do so on scale or magnitude.
I know that I still struggle with my 3B's and that I am currently a sidewalker. I have spent my life chasing money and therefore, never really caught it. I have found happiness through consumption. Fortunately, I am realizing these things about myself and both my wife and I are making changes, but the truth is that it takes time to fundamentally alter one's way of thinking. I know that I will make mistakes and slip from time to time, but I know I can overcome these failures and grow from them.
I look to this forum as a way to learn from others further along the entrepreneurial path, to encourage others just starting, and to hold myself accountable to the new direction I am choosing to follow. This will include my mindset as well and I can't think of a better place to have my thoughts/words checked than by others pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors like myself.
I look forward to interacting with you all and sharing my journey and experience throughout this process. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Be smart, but drive fast.
-TJ
For the last almost 10 years, I've been a professional driver. I instructed high-level performance and tactical riving techniques to first-timers, enthusiasts, professional racers, law enforcement, military, and special operations units. I spent 200+ days a year on the road and overall, I enjoyed it. Who wouldn't have fun driving for the camera in films/TV and getting paid to play with cars & trucks for a living? But the reality was that the industry is capped. There's nowhere to go beyond about $60,000/yr. unless you feel the need to work with marketing partners & sponsors and I speak from experience when I say, THAT SHIT IS HARD. I found my love for driving diminishing, just as MJ discussed in unscripted . So, in 2019, an opportunity presented itself for me to exit this world and open a business as a general contractor. The timing was divine as this was pre-corona and while I am now considered essential and have been able to grow and thrive during this difficult economy, my previous industry is effectively at a standstill. Friends and former colleagues are out of work, struggling to get by while I focus my efforts on our new venture. I feel fortunate to say the least.
HOWEVER...
What I've noticed over the last year+ is a very consistent complaint in the contracting industry. I have fairly decent communication skills and I've had countless customers comment on how much they appreciate my communication. They also make comments about experiences theyve had with other contractors and their lack of communication. Maybe it's because I'm coming from a different background, but it seems to me that there is an opportunity here. After reading TMF , I began looking for a new opportunity. Contracting has been good to me, but I want to escape the direct trade of my time for money. This industry will allow me to do so at a certain point, but I do not see all the CENTS requirements satisfied, particularly scale and time. So, my new focus is going to be solving the communication issue between customers and contractors.
I firmly believe there is HUGE value in a simple solution to achieve this. I'm currently researching options and speaking with contractors and customers alike to learn their pain points and what they would value in a service that could address this issue. While this is the very beginning of the process, I am happy to report that it seems t satisfy the CENTS requirements and does indeed appear to be a way for me to provide massive value to the world. This is something I'm very excited about because in the past, while my businesses provided value, they could not do so on scale or magnitude.
I know that I still struggle with my 3B's and that I am currently a sidewalker. I have spent my life chasing money and therefore, never really caught it. I have found happiness through consumption. Fortunately, I am realizing these things about myself and both my wife and I are making changes, but the truth is that it takes time to fundamentally alter one's way of thinking. I know that I will make mistakes and slip from time to time, but I know I can overcome these failures and grow from them.
I look to this forum as a way to learn from others further along the entrepreneurial path, to encourage others just starting, and to hold myself accountable to the new direction I am choosing to follow. This will include my mindset as well and I can't think of a better place to have my thoughts/words checked than by others pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors like myself.
I look forward to interacting with you all and sharing my journey and experience throughout this process. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Be smart, but drive fast.
-TJ
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