Inspiration and Motivation

In reality......

Understanding your "Purpose" for existence is the first step towards being self fulfilled. As far as money goes, I think the key is to keep it circulating. Do you ever wonder why Oprah and Bill continue to get richer. They not only make millions, they give away millions. They keep money circulating, and I may be wrong, but take a look at what the Bible states about tithes. Once again, the money is leaving your hands and you are rewarded with 10 folds or more sometimes.

The Myth said:

Understanding your "Purpose" for existence is the first step towards being self fulfilled. As far as money goes, I think the key is to keep it circulating. Do you ever wonder why Oprah and Bill continue to get richer. They not only make millions, they give away millions. They keep money circulating, and I may be wrong, but take a look at what the Bible states about tithes. Once again, the money is leaving your hands and you are rewarded with 10 folds or more sometimes.

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Exactly! The more you give away, the more you get back!
But it's not a bible, it's physics!

About Eric, all I know is that in '96 he did lose absolutely everything. No property left over, etc. He just crawled himself back up, got a bit lucky (he's the first person to say that) with some deals in IT, etc. That's what I know.

It's not hard to imagine that though. I personally was as bankrupt in '97, by '99 I owned a few companies again, had 4 houses, $200k cars, etc. Lost it all again by late '99- ealy '00. By end of 2001 early 2002, I had it all again and MUCH more.

People think makng money is such a great mistery. Just like Joe Public thinking that losing fat is such a complex ordeal, when as we all know, it's piss easy to do if you know how to and you have the vision. Same thing with the money - you lose it all, then you get tons, etc, etc. Just like you get in comp shape, then you get fat as a blimp, then you get lean again, then fat again, etc.

Big A said:

People think makng money is such a great mistery. Just like Joe Public thinking that losing fat is such a complex ordeal, when as we all know, it's piss easy to do if you know how to and you have the vision. Same thing with the money - you lose it all, then you get tons, etc, etc. Just like you get in comp shape, then you get fat as a blimp, then you get lean again, then fat again, etc.

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yeah but you are born with the eye for business, your a born businessman it seems, if everyone was like you the world wouldnt work, the world needs some dudes to put the others to work, people need that, thats why we have leaders and always had kings and tribechiefs...

if everyone started up their own business who would work for them?

so consider yourself lucky, i and a lot of people envy you for your abilites to make money.

Big A said:

It's not hard to imagine that though. I personally was as bankrupt in '97, by '99 I owned a few companies again, had 4 houses, $200k cars, etc. Lost it all again by late '99- ealy '00. By end of 2001 early 2002, I had it all again and MUCH more.

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You definately have the formula to making money. If you lose it and get it back more than once, you will never have a problem. You will always make money. I learned this from guys named Jack Mondel & Mike Martone. These guys were the original guys that they wrote the movie Boiler Room after. Jack lost it 3 times and now he is more powerful and richer than ever. Jack now owns a fairly large mortgage banking company in NJ where Mike (played by Ben Aflec in the movie) is his vice president. I have never lost it yet and hope I don't, but I get the idea. It does take a strong will to pull out of the gutter though.

I too think you have to have a good head and visson for it. Reason being most business owners I know started in the same industry. There has to be some sort of trade training or a hobbie that turns into a cash maker.

Have any of you or people you know of just jumped up when they saw or heard a niche and ran into that field and become long term successful? I am talking about a real business not buying things or bonds and investments.

dukebrown said:

Have any of you or people you know of just jumped up when they saw or heard a niche and ran into that field and become long term successful?

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That's what I do. I just simply don't have the time and money to do everything that I see oportunities into.

I don't believe it's a 'gift' or being born with it. I believe it's just educating yourself into thinking a certain way. Once you start thinking that way, you will see oportunities every which way you look. And of course you need the balls to go for it too.

Big A said:

I don't believe it's a 'gift' or being born with it. I believe it's just educating yourself into thinking a certain way. Once you start thinking that way, you will see oportunities every which way you look. And of course you need the balls to go for it too.

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Excactly the waay I feel. Either that or someone else teaching you that has a proven track record and is not in competition with your future business routes.

Big A said:

I don't believe it's a 'gift' or being born with it. I believe it's just educating yourself into thinking a certain way. Once you start thinking that way, you will see oportunities every which way you look. And of course you need the balls to go for it too.

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I am educated and think aggressively towards making things happen and it never pans out. I don't see this as anyones else's problems and my only bitching comes from me not making my idea work. I'm trying to find my way from nothing into something. But it takes money to make money and how do you make it when you don't have it to begin with? I would love to be finanacially set, not so much for myself but to make sure my brothers finish college, so my mom doesn't have to work the remaining days of her life and if I ever have kids so I can give them experiences and sights that I all youngsters should see. I don't need fancy cars or things of that nature, but I want to be comfortable enough to say that if me and the family wanted to go away for a weekend I would have to put in 2 months of straight over time and double time to get it. Not to say that I wouldn't work for it, I just wouldn't kill myself over it. How does one educate themselves to expand there financial capabilities.

Armageddon said:

Not to say that I wouldn't work for it, I just wouldn't kill myself over it. How does one educate themselves to expand there financial capabilities.

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By getting of your orginal thought process. First off, think big, or at least larger than you have been thinking. I am guessing, and only guessing that you were like me and had at least one parent that took really good care of you when you were younger. I got luck and had the 2 of them together, but judging by your Mother working to put your brothers through school shows me that she is alone in this, and that she worked hard to take care of you guys and give you what she could because she is a great woman. This could be the derivative of the way you are thinking, as it was for me. You don't sound like you have to much will to make a change. But I may be off course here, I am just trying to get you to notice that you can indeed think a little differently than you do now. This, I would guess is where the "I wouldn't kill myself over it" mentality comes in, or at least it was for me. I didn't want to kill myself over it either. I hated working too hard. I was in the train of though, notice I said "train of thought" that everything should come to me and I complained when it didn't. Felt sorry for myself, and was jealous of other successful people. This was all stemming from my parents giving me what I wanted within reach. In short semi-spoiled. Moving on, if you feel that you indeed are experiencing this, you need to stop what you are feeling and kick yourself in the ass. Not sure what trade you want to be in but mine is corporate computer systems. I never knew how to sell, I was just really good at computers. During the mortgage boom, say late 2000 on up, I left my job cold turkey from Lockheed-Martin Corporation as a lead engineer with a secret clearance and actually got into mortgages. This was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was forced to survive on my own as a loan officer which is no real easy thing to do in the beginning. Anyway, as I posted earlier, a couple of guys taught me how to sell that really knew what they were doing. These guys could sell me a computer...lol... After the school of hard knocks and a 2 week long course from them, I started selling mortgages. Hated it. Couldn't stand not doing my orginal trade, but I stuck with it for a couple of months. Yup, hated it some more until I couldn't take it anymore. BUT, now I had a true business weapon. I had an idea how to sell, swallow my pride and go after what I wanted. I left the mortgage business 2-3 months later and started my own corporation. I would have never done this, and had the balls to go out after money unless I did this crash course of business fate. I truly know that. Now I worked my friggin' balls off, stopped feeling sorry for myself, and went out after it. Money that is. Since then my life has changed drastically. I am very comfortable living wise, but still wanting more. So now I also do investment / development properties partnered with some of my clients.
At this point I sense your worst enemy is what mine was. DRIVE. I didn't have it, now I do. If you don't have a career yet, and you are not tied down with large payments right now, I would suggest looking into a sales job. Something big like mortgages where it is sink or swim as a loan officer. I need this type of push\pressure to really work hard and be successful. Once there, you may not like to do it very long, but even if you did it for a couple of months, it gives you a free schooling of how to sell and how to conduct business. That my friend is priceless as long as they are a good teacher or you watch another good salesman. As I said "sink or swim" usually will light a fire under your ass and get you out of that frame of mind. Good luck.

I have the drive and when I said"wouldn't kill myself over it" is for a job I wouldn't want for ever like factory or something. Don't get me wrong, my dad worked for GM and made alot of money over the years. But his quality of life sucked, never around all that much, didn't go on vacation and had to use all spare time on his race car in order to keep him level headed. GM helped my mom alot after his passing a few years back. I can say that that man spoiled all of us to a point and not regret it a bit. I have the drive, but I don't have the "idea" of what I want to do. Like this sprots complex, I was all gun ho about it but the person that was doing all the financial aspect is slacking and I don't have the first idea on where to come up with that type of cash for this. I've talked to some people, but most laugh and say it's too much $$$ for anyone to come off of. I don't have that type of money, where do I find it.

As far as sales, I can do that! From working in gyms based almost only on commission and having to survive, or retail stores, and even when I slung gear many years ago I was successful at it. I'm the type that can naturally sell anything! A ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves, I can sell it. It's just a matter of product knowledge and that doesn't take long for me to do, I learn quickly

Armageddon said:

As far as sales, I can do that! From working in gyms based almost only on commission and having to survive, or retail stores, and even when I slung gear many years ago I was successful at it. I'm the type that can naturally sell anything! A ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves, I can sell it. It's just a matter of product knowledge and that doesn't take long for me to do, I learn quickly

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Excellent. Perfect. Thats your tool. Then the only thing I can say is set your short term goals a little smaller. Long term and short term should be looked at differently in my book. I like short term goals. they're quick, they usuallly work out and they're alot easier. They broaden the horizon and also give you a monetary value to live by until the big one rolls in. They also give a valuable business self esteem (short term that aids in "selling the big job"). I see hwta you were referring to as not over working. I didn't understand it as you wanted to stay away from laborous work and move more towards using your mind and manipulating resources to make you money. Smart way of thinking, but to get there, most of the time, you have to do that small job I mentioned earlier. Which usually will involve something that you don't like. This is what I call "climbing the ladder". Either way, I think you have your head in the right spot and we need to help you act on it. Where do you think you want to go from here? Short term & long term. What are your plans? Do you still work in fitness? Do you want to stay in fitness and move on to larger projects?

You certainly have your head on straight and I believe you will prevail once you create the right oportunity for yourself. Note my words: "YOU create the right oportunity for yourself". This is key, you can't wait for a door to open. You have to open it yourself.

Long term goal: To be financially set to the point of not worring about going on vacation or relaxing at a kids ball game or something like that. Not working pay check to pay check and fighting with people over $$$. Means of getting to this long term goal? I've never wanted to be stuck to one thing and that's it. I like to be good at several things. I want to own a gym, bar/club, and work in developement. This is what I want to do as far as supporting the family. Lately though I've been throuwing around the idea of getting into coaching (football) I think I could support a family as long as I was on a big enough scale (small to large college). IF I coached I could still be able to do investments and developements but it would most likely be headed up by someone else. The draw back about coaching and things like that is it takes away from family or makes it very difficult on one.

My dad always told me I was the work smarter not harder type, which was hard for him to get. But he didn't want to see me sleeping in a locker room at a factory, working long hours to put food on the table either or gifts for christmas. I thought I'd have a start with this gym but it seems to be falling through the cracks. I want to try and pick up the pieces to that idea but I think it's alot for one man to try and take on by himself. That was a large facility that we wanted to put together.

I filled bankruptcy a few months ago to get things back on track and to see if I could by some property somewhere, like vegas and start having houses built and sell them. I'll have to start to get things moving!

Armageddon said:

But it takes money to make money and how do you make it when you don't have it to begin with?

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This is your problem. You view money as a physical thing. Money is not, it's just a concept. Start realising that money is not physical, just an idea (energy) and you will start viewing things differently, and realise that lack of money is not something that can hold you back.

You are waiting on someone or something to somehow give you the start up money. It won't happen unless you are very lucky. You have to do everything yourself, which might seem like a huge mountain right now, but once you dive into it, you will see how things will become clearer and work out.

Big A said:

This is your problem. You view money as a physical thing. Money is not, it's just a concept. Start realising that money is not physical, just an idea (energy) and you will start viewing things differently, and realise that lack of money is not something that can hold you back.

You are waiting on someone or something to somehow give you the start up money. It won't happen unless you are very lucky. You have to do everything yourself, which might seem like a huge mountain right now, but once you dive into it, you will see how things will become clearer and work out.

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Perfect. Read what he said over and over. I like the way you think BigA.

Big A said:

This is your problem. You view money as a physical thing. Money is not, it's just a concept. Start realising that money is not physical, just an idea (energy) and you will start viewing things differently, and realise that lack of money is not something that can hold you back.

You are waiting on someone or something to somehow give you the start up money. It won't happen unless you are very lucky. You have to do everything yourself, which might seem like a huge mountain right now, but once you dive into it, you will see how things will become clearer and work out.

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Very well said Big A....

You know as I have gotten older my definition of "success" has changed greatly as I have always wanted to "make alot of money" and be live comfortably. As I have progressed through my career lately I have tried to quantify what "alot of money meant" how much is alot? How do I define living comfortably? how do I know when I have alot? I have tried to answer that question and found that I would never be happy with alot that I would always want more.

More importantly I have also realized that I need to pursue my passions rather than chase after making alot of money, I realized the my passions that I have are great ideas (money) and by that I know that by following them I will be happy and sucessful, the money will be there it will come by following my dreams and creaing a strong and business plan that can remain flexible and shift around certain market factors, and following through on the plan.

I might not have a bunch of cars, a humoungous house, take a bunch of trips around tha world, but I know that I will be happy cause I do what I love and that will make me (energy) rich, but I am pretty sure that the money will come if I pursue what I love with passion,determination, smart decsionmaking, some business moxy, and a little good timing and I will have everything I have ever desired and want out of my life.

"This is your problem. You view money as a physical thing. Money is not, it's just a concept. Start realising that money is not physical, just an idea (energy) and you will start viewing things differently, and realise that lack of money is not something that can hold you back."

This is so true. Creating wealth many times is the direct reult, and a side effect of, doing what you love. This, combined with "seeing" opportunity (a business eye for the lack of a better way to describe it) in order to do what you love, creates wealth. This Eric gentleman has a spirit for making money. We all know these types and I am sure BigA is one of them.

I happen to live in a small town with a Div. I university and I see these college professor types, who outside the "socialist" university atmosphere couldn't make much. I also know street smart guys whom you could relocate anywhere in the country, with no college education, myself included, and would begin making lots and lots of money. Not because they are setting out to make money, but because they have an eye for business and have the drive and energy required to create more wealth.

And being truly wealthy will never happen with a 40-50 hour per week commitment. It takes round the clock effort, and that is why people who find something they love to do become handsomely reqarded for their efforts. I make well into the six figures, I own a Mercedes E class and a Mercedes AMG similar to this guys, but I have no where the business acumen of BigA, but that also does not mean I cannot create a nice little bag of wealth for myself.

It is a mind set.

I understand what you're saying but I don't see how it can be solved. I think I'm close to Armageddon, as we think very similar. I know, for a fact, that if I just had been given a chance I would do very good.

So let's say I want to start a corporation, without money or partners I'll get nowhere. And noone wants to participate in a "risky" project. But this is what I want...see my point?

This means I'll have to drop my "dream" to work down at the ladder and get my finances in order before trying to go after it? What do you people think?

Fluffy said:

I understand what you're saying but I don't see how it can be solved. I think I'm close to Armageddon, as we think very similar. I know, for a fact, that if I just had been given a chance I would do very good.

So let's say I want to start a corporation, without money or partners I'll get nowhere. And noone wants to participate in a "risky" project. But this is what I want...see my point?

This means I'll have to drop my "dream" to work down at the ladder and get my finances in order before trying to go after it? What do you people think?

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I think you can find a way. Put together a business plan. File your papers to incorporate. Look for backers. Do all of this in your spare time. I don't think you have to drop your dream.

I feel the spirit of making money is more along the lines of what I see in the self-made. Lets take real estate for example. When I was in my mid-twenties, I bought my first rental property. I was working a full time "job" and was in the process of buying my first gym. I ended up buying the gym with very little money out of pocket and I remodeled my first rental and was able to more than double the rent. After the remodel, I had it appraised for $70,000 more than I paid for it, and used that money to go buy three more rentals with cash left over. I did the entire remodel working 40-50 hours a week and organizing the purchase of a gym, damn near killed me!

I just closed on a commercial building that put $57,000 cash in my pocket. Not prorated rents, security deposits and prorated taxes, but pure cash. For these few examples, I never set out to "only make" money, I just worked my ass off doing what I love to do and the money followed. I just think what BigA says is so very true, that people want to create a niche, when they should be filling one. Don't set out to make money or create a corporation, set out doing something you are genuinely interested in, bust your ass and things will begin to happen for you. You may eventually need to incorporate!

Also, it never hurts to have bankers on your side. Get to know as many bankers in your area as possible. When I first started out, I was young and nobody took me seriously, but I persisted on meeting and introducing myself to EVERY bank president in my city and there are a lot of them. They all ended up sitting down with me and talking, but every one of them referred me to someone else. But eventually when I started to borrow money, and the loan officers take your request to the loan committee, the bank president would always say, I found out years later, yeah I remember that guy! Make it a habit to visit people who can help you, educate you, whatever. It doesn't have to be profound, but make it personal. Remember, bankers lend money to PEOPLE, not IDEAS.

Just my humble thoughts.

First off I think all your guy's points of view hold alot of merit and are helpful. I guess now is the time to get things going as I just lost my job last night over some dumb shit! But looking for another one today and laying some ground work for what I want to do. Trying to find paper work for houses that are repos, sec.8, and whatever else I can get my hands on. I start with one if need be, do paint carpet and whatever else and start my first rental and go from there. Eventually within the year maybe I can move up to a few more. What kills me is the people that make money doing nothing, by this I mean around where I live they provide all this info to you, for a price. I look on line or at realitors offices and they say they have free info but then want 29.95 to recieve all the listings. I don't like it but I guess the guy that started it filled a niche huh!