I think my story is pretty traditional. A kid who grows up in a household without a lot of money goes on to find ways to make money. Despite growing up in a paycheck-to-paycheck household, I received a very hands-on financial education. I was blessed with very candid parents who did not shy away from the fact that we were broke – but instead used that as a platform to teach my brothers and I how not to make the same mistakes they made. As they took the steps toward financial freedom, I was dragged along. Over time, this education became the foundation of my love for finances, entrepreneurship, and anything business-related.
My first-ever business deal lives in infamy. I was in either pre-k or kindergarten. I had five dollars and was excitedly showing off to my friends. One of them offered to give me $10 tomorrow if I gave them the $5 that day. The deal was too good to pass up. As you can imagine, I never received that $10. Even years later reuniting with this friend as a teenager (he claims this never happened) I didn’t get my money back. It was a poor start but a start nonetheless to my years of flipping and reselling.
In elementary school, I began selling school supplies that my mom would get for pennies on sale after the back-to-school rush had subsided. In middle school, I sold gum and candy. By the time I was in high school, I was a walking convenience store. I sold any chip, drink, candy, or pastry that you can imagine. It was fun and I made decent money but as with any business, adversity came along. I got kicked out of my high school (it’s not as bad as it sounds). My only income stream dried up and I was forced to start from zero. A few months passed and I was looking to sell my bass guitar. I went to multiple pawn shops and they all offered me scraps. I then listed it on eBay and sold it the next day for close to retail. This was my first experience of online money and I was quickly hooked. Over the next several years, I would go on to make many sales on eBay, but my reselling efforts were inconsistent. In search of steady income I got my first ever job at the age of 18.
I made a whopping $8.25 an hour and I busted my butt for this company. I have no problem with hard work or authority but there was something about working there that drove me insane. Hate is a strong word, but I will gladly use it to describe my first job. However, I consider my time there a blessing in disguise because it was a major catalyst for my pursuit of entrepreneurism. After 8 months of misery, I put my two-week notice in as I would soon be starting college.
I started college summer of 2019. I went to a pretty good business school and I was excited to start learning about the things that made me passionate. Even though my schedule was filled with more mandated common core than actual business classes, college was relatively fun. But then spring break of 2020 they delayed our return to campus because of the coronavirus and I never stepped foot on campus again. Sophomore year was completely online and I began to become disillusioned. Here I am sleeping through a Zoom class “learning” about business when I could be out there running a business. I officially dropped out in the summer of 2021.
3 months later I had my first junk removal job. I remember a lot about that day but above all, I remember the feeling of making money with a real deal business. The sky was the limit but ultimately, I barely made it a few stories off the ground. The full story of this business will be shared in another post but to make a long story short – almost everything that could go wrong went wrong. Despite that, I wouldn’t change a thing. This business still profitably exists to this day and it’s taught me so much.
This leads us to today. I am 23, and as of a few weeks ago, I started a W-2 job and this blog. I’m working on a digital product and I am in the beginning stages of starting a e-commerce venture. Admittedly, this is not where I thought I would be at this point but upon reflection, I am content with my life and proud of what I have accomplished. As many a motivational poster will tell you – “Life is a marathon, not a sprint” and my marathon has just begun.
M,
Current Cash Net Worth ~ $7000
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