Whoever said making money was easy?

My personal experience has been that there is no quick ticket to financial freedom. Regardless of what people may try to sell you, I have yet to see a system that will generate cash without any effort.

It’s a simple formula, really – you have to either trade your time for money, or have your money work for you. If you don’t have any cash to begin with, then obviously you will be trading your time for currency. Whether it’s physical labor, talent, or brains; most of us trade our time for money.

As a corporate drone, you can easily lose sight of the fact that your existence depends entirely on how much money flows into your bank account each week. Because we are “kept” by the corporation, many of us are in denial as to how close we are to living on the street. Where would most people be without the company?

Once I left that environment, I lost that comfy cushion – or buffer zone, if you will. I started a business, advertised, and went out and earned each dollar I got. In my case, it was a real wake-up call. I always imagined running my own business and making double what I did back in the corporate world. I assumed that because there was one step (the company) removed from the process, I would receive a higher yearly income.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the stark reality of running one’s own business and depending on that for survival. Despite my best efforts, I was still only making a quarter of what I was back in the city. It was a real wake-up call.

Looking back, I realized that I made two critical mistakes:

1. I had no experience and I wasn’t ready to assume the role of entrepreneur. Running your own business takes a completely different mindset. Starting a business with an employee mindset is a recipe for disaster.

2. I got into a venture that I shouldn’t have. This business required no particular skills, yet my competitors seemed to be thriving. I was doing something wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what. Now I realize that I’m simply not cut out for that type of work.

The good news is that I think I’ve found my niche. I’m finally using my talents to make money in something that is showing a lot of promise. Yes, it is a lot of work, but I’m also more suited to this type of business.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. My handyman business was certainly not one of my strengths – I was simply doing it to survive. And in the end, it wasn’t even able to provide that.

So, that’s about it, up until now. This is where I’ll be changing the direction of my site, and I’ll be talking about the exact business that I’m currently in. In many ways, it provides everything I’ve always wanted.

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Filed under: Self Employment

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