I stumbled onto this forum about 1.5 months ago by accident(I believe I typed “business finance basics” into Google). I’ve been reading and learning non-stop since that day. I’ve read TMFL and unscripted - thanks MJ you have shifted my perspective and mindset for the better.
Back story:
I was born in 1989. My mother worked at a bank and my father was an EMT. When I was 12 years old I watched my father pass away at the age of 38. So my mom raised my sister and I by herself. Looking back I don’t know how she pulled that off.
At 17 I graduated high school and set my sights on college. In 2012, I graduated with a BSN in nursing and subsequently got married at the age of 22(my wife is also a nurse). I landed a job at a large hospital in DFW. The next year we purchased a house. The housing market was in the tank at that time, so we got a great deal on it. It now has 200K+ in equity.
Fast forward 4 years to 2016. I was getting burned out at work, dreading every shift. My wife transitioned to part time and I worked my way into a higher paying position. That same year we had our first son. This rocked our world. Our lives were turned upside down, in a good way. I had 6 weeks of leave after his birth. This gave me a full 6 weeks of not even giving one thought about work, just time with family and time to think about life. The weeks flew by in what seemed like 7 days. I went back to work and realized I was just a cog in the wheel. I remember thinking, there has to be more to life than this. I could never quite put my finger on it.
2 years later(last year) we had our second son. This, once again, turned our lives upside down. I had 6 weeks away from work. This time, realizing we now have two children to raise, I racked my brain trying to come up with ways to “make more money.” The SCRIPT had a death grip on me. I was trying to raise my intrinsic value. “Do I go back to school? How can I advance further?” I did not think going back to school was worth it, time severely outbalanced money.
Fast forward 1 year. Our sons are now 3 and 1 years old. We are at the mercy of our managers when it comes to scheduling/paid time off - and this really infuriates me. Every time my schedule was changed or PTO was denied, the fire grew a little hotter. I hit the point where I told myself “This is bullshit. There has to be a better way.”
It got to the point that it kept me up at night. I scoured the internet and researched constantly. At home, at work, anywhere. I was determined to figure something out. 1.5 months ago I searched for business finance basics and this forum popped up. I began reading and my eyes were opened. After reading the books and everyone’s comments/experiences, I see the world through a different lens. It’s a world I never knew existed. I am in the process of figuring out our next steps. Although it’s a bit overwhelming, I have to power through.
“Dead at twenty-five but not buried until seventy-five. Goals, nonexistent. Optimism, scant. Dreams, murdered.” This quote hit me like a freight train.
Thank you MJ for writing your books. Thank you to everyone that regularly posts on this forum, y’all are greatly cutting down my learning curve and providing tremendous value. I hope one day I can give back and do the same.
If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing at the beginning of your entrepreneurship journey, what would it be?
Thanks for your time.
Back story:
I was born in 1989. My mother worked at a bank and my father was an EMT. When I was 12 years old I watched my father pass away at the age of 38. So my mom raised my sister and I by herself. Looking back I don’t know how she pulled that off.
At 17 I graduated high school and set my sights on college. In 2012, I graduated with a BSN in nursing and subsequently got married at the age of 22(my wife is also a nurse). I landed a job at a large hospital in DFW. The next year we purchased a house. The housing market was in the tank at that time, so we got a great deal on it. It now has 200K+ in equity.
Fast forward 4 years to 2016. I was getting burned out at work, dreading every shift. My wife transitioned to part time and I worked my way into a higher paying position. That same year we had our first son. This rocked our world. Our lives were turned upside down, in a good way. I had 6 weeks of leave after his birth. This gave me a full 6 weeks of not even giving one thought about work, just time with family and time to think about life. The weeks flew by in what seemed like 7 days. I went back to work and realized I was just a cog in the wheel. I remember thinking, there has to be more to life than this. I could never quite put my finger on it.
2 years later(last year) we had our second son. This, once again, turned our lives upside down. I had 6 weeks away from work. This time, realizing we now have two children to raise, I racked my brain trying to come up with ways to “make more money.” The SCRIPT had a death grip on me. I was trying to raise my intrinsic value. “Do I go back to school? How can I advance further?” I did not think going back to school was worth it, time severely outbalanced money.
Fast forward 1 year. Our sons are now 3 and 1 years old. We are at the mercy of our managers when it comes to scheduling/paid time off - and this really infuriates me. Every time my schedule was changed or PTO was denied, the fire grew a little hotter. I hit the point where I told myself “This is bullshit. There has to be a better way.”
It got to the point that it kept me up at night. I scoured the internet and researched constantly. At home, at work, anywhere. I was determined to figure something out. 1.5 months ago I searched for business finance basics and this forum popped up. I began reading and my eyes were opened. After reading the books and everyone’s comments/experiences, I see the world through a different lens. It’s a world I never knew existed. I am in the process of figuring out our next steps. Although it’s a bit overwhelming, I have to power through.
“Dead at twenty-five but not buried until seventy-five. Goals, nonexistent. Optimism, scant. Dreams, murdered.” This quote hit me like a freight train.
Thank you MJ for writing your books. Thank you to everyone that regularly posts on this forum, y’all are greatly cutting down my learning curve and providing tremendous value. I hope one day I can give back and do the same.
If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing at the beginning of your entrepreneurship journey, what would it be?
Thanks for your time.
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