Thread: Hi from Michigan

Hello, my name is Shailesh and I live in Michigan, just outside of Detroit. I just joined the forum after lurking here for couple of days.

MJ followed me on twitter, I checked him out, got really intrigued, bought his book for kindle, just finished reading it, and here I am.

I have had corporate jobs, an MBA and a great consulting job after my MBA. Still, something was lacking. For one, the amount of work I was putting in on my job could be leveraged to significantly higher returns if I had my own company. I also craved the control and the adrenaline of being an entrepreneur.

About 2 years ago, the first of my two sons were born. That was the wake up call for me. I knew if I did not step out then, I would eventually "settle in". I couldn't let that happen. So I quit.

I ran a manufacturing business for 2 years and that was a great learning experience. The business did not survive, and true the economy played a part, but it was primarily my fault for not planning an adequate working capital and selling to the customers that were a high credit risk. I probably learned more about business in these 2 years than through my MBA and my business consulting years combined.

For the past two years I have been working on growing a website that I had started when my manufacturing business was being wound down. With this site, we have already touched many lives and we are just getting started. I have a lot of exciting ideas for this site. Reading MJ's book I realized that this actually fits MJ's criteria for a fastlane business well, except that "entry" is quite easy in this area, and therefore I have to offer exceptional value to our users and focus on building a brand. This has been my main focus for last few months.

Reading MJ's book was a little strange. The concepts he talks about immediately resonated with me because I have thought about these topics a lot in the last 10 years and have come to similar conclusions. MJ just makes them all fit together in a way that I was not able to do. I have never felt this oneness of mind talking to other people or reading other works.

My purpose for joining this forum is simple: to learn from you, and to share what I know. All of us here have chosen a path that is not "normal" in our immediate circles, so it will be great to be able to come here and interact in a community where it is not only "normal" but also highly encouraged.

Shailesh,

Welcome to the Forum.

Anthony