Right now my back is aching. It's 10:17am as I start typing this.
The first thing that came to my mind is this picture when i outlined the story in my head of what I was about to type:
It's summer 2015. I will be 22 this summer. School's out. I've decided to take an extra year in business school.. Financially it was suitable, I get to stall another year before getting out of school, make more connections, and take some classes that are actually of interest.. maybe useful too, who knows?
I did 2 years of community college, and i'm going into my 3rd year at my transfer-4 year school. This summer's big plans are as follows (By the end of the summer):
Setup my life from a 'college life to life after college' (I don't live the 'college life' at all to be honest, but there's still a transition from being in school for the past 16 years and going out into the world)
Start a business, give it 150%, FULL ON, have it up and running, and have revenue.
Learn to day trade (an unfortunate death in the family from an elder who was dear to me has left me with a small chunk of money to pursue this, which has been something i've been looking into learning for a while due to the freedom of travel / location it can encompass)
Work my internship full time while flipping stuff on the side, and end the summer with $20,000 invested.
So what will this summer consist of? 4-5 days a week, i'll be working full time, and on my off days, i'll be hustling, flipping stuff, and trying to make a few bucks. My goal with flipping stuff is to make $5000.
So let's break down each venture:
Internship-
I decided to take on an internship, because it's better than living at home for the summer, and I have no current income stream so I might as well learn and take something on to get some $$ for 12 weeks. I also have a school bill to pay throughout the year which ends up being a few thousand dollars, and because i'm 100% independent and pay my own school tuition, bills, food, overhead etc, this would help. I don't think i'm going to disclose my place of work on here just for privacy.
Summer Housing-
Here's where the 'live like most people won't so you can live like most people can't" comes in.
I find housing that matched my criteria. Exactly what I wanted.. something cheap where I have utilities, rent, a place to sleep, a place to cook, do laundry, etc. For $500 a month (for 3 months), i'm living im some dudes attic spare room in a single family home with him and his 14 year old and like 9 year old kids. Divorced guy and he has custody days a few days a week so he wants the money to help him pay his bills and to do things with his kids. I'm not sure who needs it more... me with the housing or him with the $.
Just to give you a visual:
I opened the window in fear that it would be warm last night, and this morning it feels like it's 45 degrees in the room.
I order a sofa-bed and a desk online to suffice for the 12 weeks before i go back to school. Turns out the 'sofa bed' was just a mattress FOR a sofa bed. Great. I'll be on the floor for 12 weeks on the mattress, i think.
I'm 5'10 and the room is about 6 ft high with inverted walls.
(Yep, flower sheets. I haven't really cared to get another set)
If there is a bottom that people feel like they can approach, this is what it is for me. My bottom would be living in an ordinary house, trying to save money to make ends meet to pay for bills while working 9 to 5. That's my bottom. I actually think living in a box trying to make it with a business would be higher up than this... so this is my bottom. It's only temporary and I actually am doing everything according to my own plan so far this summer. Let this be a taste of "If you don't run a business and run your own show, this is what life will be" - Let that be more drive than ever for me to get a business going this summer so that when I graduate next year, I won't need to work 9 to 5 in a dudes attic.
Sure, I could have found nicer housing. I could afford that. I could have a luxury Queen bed. But I'm taking the shit-route to save some $$ to run a business and pursue the REAL dream..
Inner Harmony & Personal development
I've come up with a philosophy that I truly believe is the way to live to be successful. It goes something like this:
Inner harmony and peace ---> Contribution ---> $$$
Most people do it backwards. They try to start out with their only focus being money. Then, they put everyone before themselves and try to help others because they feel something is missing. Then, they realize they don't have anything for themselves, and they get walked on by others, and find themselves rather frustrated with life.
Instead, I choose to have myself at an inner-peace before focusing on a business. I've been focusing on personal development for a WHILE now.. through many books ive studied, courses ive taken, practicing everywhere i go, etc. Whether it's just making people feel better about themselves or being a better conversationalist, i've challenged myself in every way.. and i truly believe i've reached a level of inner peace that is unshapable by the world. Now it's time to start a business full on with the goal to help others..
Even though i'm living this summer under this shit circumstances, i feel at peace.
Summer Flipping:
So at the end of the school year, I realized something. At my school anyways, there's such a large international population and people from all over the country (US) that when people have to clean out their rooms and LEAVE campus, they leave ALL their shit behind. So I started grabbing an inventory. Mini fridges, snowboards, laptops, microwaves, you name it. I grabbed it. Ipod shuffle. Shoes. Textbooks. Air circulators. I've already made about $250 with very minimal work. My goal is $5000 at the end of the 12 weeks. So I even went and bought a truck that I will use to move stuff, so I can really stock up next time around, but not only that, I can also flip all this summer... using freecycle and craigslist to my advantage. I've got about $1000 worth of stuff still up that i'm trying to sell... then i'll start looking for more inventory. I figure i'll hold onto the truck until the end of the school year next year and really take an inventory next year..
Best of all, the truck's book value is $3600 and I paid $1900, so i'll be able to make a nice flip there as well.. After taxes, gas, insurance, expenses, minor repairs, etc i'll make a few hundred dollars on the sale of the truck when the time comes too.
Previous Business Experiences:
I started at 17 with a lawn care business and was a sole proprietor. I had 25 accounts i'd worked with and a nice bit of assets to work with. I sold the business when I went off to business school.
Then, a passion of mine for fitness, which i'd stemmed through years of weight training since high school, led me to a personal trainer path. I later realized (took me a while) that trying to make $ and a business out of a personal passion of mine was ruining my passion, and the business wasn't working. I was running an online fitness coaching business, focusing solely on making money, and nearly lost all interest in my passion for bodybuilding. I have since stopped operating the business.
Business School is a Joke:
You'd think after 4 years in business school / taking business classes, i'd be ready and know what to do to start a business? Nope. I use the millionaire fastlane as my bible though, and continue to read many business books to learn from REAL business people, not Ph.D professors who have never ran a business in their life. I think I know what i'm doing, but this thread is here for help and advice too.. in case i F*ck up too big, too many times.. i can learn from y'all. Some of you all never went to college and could blow me away with your businesses, whereas 4 years of business school hasn't gotten me further than a full time job.
New Business:
So i did one of MJ DeMarco's decision matrix analysis's and narrowed down to 4 potential business ideas. I think I know which one i'm going to pursue, I just need to get my apartment living stuff all taken care of, finish a book, and then i'm diving in.
My internship starts tuesday. My new business venture starts before then.. hopefully later today.
First step is picking one and analyzing the industry, target markets etc.
It's go time.
The first thing that came to my mind is this picture when i outlined the story in my head of what I was about to type:
It's summer 2015. I will be 22 this summer. School's out. I've decided to take an extra year in business school.. Financially it was suitable, I get to stall another year before getting out of school, make more connections, and take some classes that are actually of interest.. maybe useful too, who knows?
I did 2 years of community college, and i'm going into my 3rd year at my transfer-4 year school. This summer's big plans are as follows (By the end of the summer):
Setup my life from a 'college life to life after college' (I don't live the 'college life' at all to be honest, but there's still a transition from being in school for the past 16 years and going out into the world)
Start a business, give it 150%, FULL ON, have it up and running, and have revenue.
Learn to day trade (an unfortunate death in the family from an elder who was dear to me has left me with a small chunk of money to pursue this, which has been something i've been looking into learning for a while due to the freedom of travel / location it can encompass)
Work my internship full time while flipping stuff on the side, and end the summer with $20,000 invested.
So what will this summer consist of? 4-5 days a week, i'll be working full time, and on my off days, i'll be hustling, flipping stuff, and trying to make a few bucks. My goal with flipping stuff is to make $5000.
So let's break down each venture:
Internship-
I decided to take on an internship, because it's better than living at home for the summer, and I have no current income stream so I might as well learn and take something on to get some $$ for 12 weeks. I also have a school bill to pay throughout the year which ends up being a few thousand dollars, and because i'm 100% independent and pay my own school tuition, bills, food, overhead etc, this would help. I don't think i'm going to disclose my place of work on here just for privacy.
Summer Housing-
Here's where the 'live like most people won't so you can live like most people can't" comes in.
I find housing that matched my criteria. Exactly what I wanted.. something cheap where I have utilities, rent, a place to sleep, a place to cook, do laundry, etc. For $500 a month (for 3 months), i'm living im some dudes attic spare room in a single family home with him and his 14 year old and like 9 year old kids. Divorced guy and he has custody days a few days a week so he wants the money to help him pay his bills and to do things with his kids. I'm not sure who needs it more... me with the housing or him with the $.
Just to give you a visual:
I opened the window in fear that it would be warm last night, and this morning it feels like it's 45 degrees in the room.
I order a sofa-bed and a desk online to suffice for the 12 weeks before i go back to school. Turns out the 'sofa bed' was just a mattress FOR a sofa bed. Great. I'll be on the floor for 12 weeks on the mattress, i think.
I'm 5'10 and the room is about 6 ft high with inverted walls.
(Yep, flower sheets. I haven't really cared to get another set)
If there is a bottom that people feel like they can approach, this is what it is for me. My bottom would be living in an ordinary house, trying to save money to make ends meet to pay for bills while working 9 to 5. That's my bottom. I actually think living in a box trying to make it with a business would be higher up than this... so this is my bottom. It's only temporary and I actually am doing everything according to my own plan so far this summer. Let this be a taste of "If you don't run a business and run your own show, this is what life will be" - Let that be more drive than ever for me to get a business going this summer so that when I graduate next year, I won't need to work 9 to 5 in a dudes attic.
Sure, I could have found nicer housing. I could afford that. I could have a luxury Queen bed. But I'm taking the shit-route to save some $$ to run a business and pursue the REAL dream..
Inner Harmony & Personal development
I've come up with a philosophy that I truly believe is the way to live to be successful. It goes something like this:
Inner harmony and peace ---> Contribution ---> $$$
Most people do it backwards. They try to start out with their only focus being money. Then, they put everyone before themselves and try to help others because they feel something is missing. Then, they realize they don't have anything for themselves, and they get walked on by others, and find themselves rather frustrated with life.
Instead, I choose to have myself at an inner-peace before focusing on a business. I've been focusing on personal development for a WHILE now.. through many books ive studied, courses ive taken, practicing everywhere i go, etc. Whether it's just making people feel better about themselves or being a better conversationalist, i've challenged myself in every way.. and i truly believe i've reached a level of inner peace that is unshapable by the world. Now it's time to start a business full on with the goal to help others..
Even though i'm living this summer under this shit circumstances, i feel at peace.
Summer Flipping:
So at the end of the school year, I realized something. At my school anyways, there's such a large international population and people from all over the country (US) that when people have to clean out their rooms and LEAVE campus, they leave ALL their shit behind. So I started grabbing an inventory. Mini fridges, snowboards, laptops, microwaves, you name it. I grabbed it. Ipod shuffle. Shoes. Textbooks. Air circulators. I've already made about $250 with very minimal work. My goal is $5000 at the end of the 12 weeks. So I even went and bought a truck that I will use to move stuff, so I can really stock up next time around, but not only that, I can also flip all this summer... using freecycle and craigslist to my advantage. I've got about $1000 worth of stuff still up that i'm trying to sell... then i'll start looking for more inventory. I figure i'll hold onto the truck until the end of the school year next year and really take an inventory next year..
Best of all, the truck's book value is $3600 and I paid $1900, so i'll be able to make a nice flip there as well.. After taxes, gas, insurance, expenses, minor repairs, etc i'll make a few hundred dollars on the sale of the truck when the time comes too.
Previous Business Experiences:
I started at 17 with a lawn care business and was a sole proprietor. I had 25 accounts i'd worked with and a nice bit of assets to work with. I sold the business when I went off to business school.
Then, a passion of mine for fitness, which i'd stemmed through years of weight training since high school, led me to a personal trainer path. I later realized (took me a while) that trying to make $ and a business out of a personal passion of mine was ruining my passion, and the business wasn't working. I was running an online fitness coaching business, focusing solely on making money, and nearly lost all interest in my passion for bodybuilding. I have since stopped operating the business.
Business School is a Joke:
You'd think after 4 years in business school / taking business classes, i'd be ready and know what to do to start a business? Nope. I use the millionaire fastlane as my bible though, and continue to read many business books to learn from REAL business people, not Ph.D professors who have never ran a business in their life. I think I know what i'm doing, but this thread is here for help and advice too.. in case i F*ck up too big, too many times.. i can learn from y'all. Some of you all never went to college and could blow me away with your businesses, whereas 4 years of business school hasn't gotten me further than a full time job.
New Business:
So i did one of MJ DeMarco's decision matrix analysis's and narrowed down to 4 potential business ideas. I think I know which one i'm going to pursue, I just need to get my apartment living stuff all taken care of, finish a book, and then i'm diving in.
My internship starts tuesday. My new business venture starts before then.. hopefully later today.
First step is picking one and analyzing the industry, target markets etc.
It's go time.
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