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Drew

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I just found out about MJ yesterday and I was so intrigued that I immediately went to Amazon to order "The Millionaire Fastlane ". So, I haven't read the book yet, obviously, but I can't wait for it to come in the mail.

My first experience with entrepreneurship was for my senior graduation project in high school when I created a video production company that never made any money! I already knew how to shoot and edit videos, had the necessary equipment, had a customer base to start with (I was asked to help a load of people with their projects alone, which I did a few but never charged anyone), I made a website with contact information, prices and sample material, and I made both business cards and brochures (for free because I worked at Staples). I have no idea why I didn't capitalize on this! I think part of it was a lack of confidence and part of it was that I knew in a few months I'd be at college and wouldn't have time for a little video business even when it might have done well.
So, I went off to film school but eventually I lost my passion for it. Maybe it was because I didn't have a big audience like in high school where teachers ate my material up and wanted to show all their classes, or maybe because I was discouraged when I was placed in a group with people who seemed to be so much more talented and knowledgeable than myself. Anyways, I didn't know what I wanted to do anymore and I saw an interesting opportunity that was a stretch but still involved working with a camera.
I ended up dropping out of film school to take up a position as a private investigator for insurance fraud cases. I was just 19 at the time when I was granted the position by a family friend who was a senior investigator and close with the owner of the company. For the next two years I traveled up and down the east coast taking pictures and video footage of people suspected of fraud, stayed in hotel rooms and had a whole lot of time to myself on the road. Long story short, the family friend who got me into the business and I left the company to create our own but it never amounted to anything. He is getting enough freelance work to get by, but I don't see financial independence in his future. There is little to no possibility of that company growing exponentially!
Now, nearing 23 years old, I'm out on my own and always brainstorming, reading books relative to founding businesses and creating assets - trying to find some problem or inefficiency in the market to capitalize on. I have no interest in getting a degree when I can learn things that actually matter to my financial well being for free right here on the internet or at the library. I do have some experience in the slow lane. I have an emergency fund, roth ira with mutual fund and etfs, individual stocks and was planning on buying a duplex to keep my expenses down but none of that seems to matter at the moment. Why the hell would I want to sit back and watch my funds grow like grass to a few million dollars only to start enjoying my wealth in my 60s and 70s!? I want to be in the fast lane!
 
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MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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or the next two years I traveled up and down the east coast taking pictures and video footage of people suspected of fraud, stayed in hotel rooms and had a whole lot of time to myself on the road. Long story short, the family friend who got me into the business and I left the company to create our own but it never amounted to anything.

Either this was incredibly FUN or incredibly boring?! Which? Also, what a perfect opportunity to LEARN and read a lot of books!

I do have some experience in the slow lane. I have an emergency fund, roth ira with mutual fund and etfs, individual stocks and was planning on buying a duplex to keep my expenses down but none of that seems to matter at the moment. Why the hell would I want to sit back and watch my funds grow like grass to a few million dollars only to start enjoying my wealth in my 60s and 70s!? I want to be in the fast lane!

Take heart, the financial discipline of the Slowlane is needed in the Fastlane --- so this is commendable! :hurray:
 

Drew

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Thanks for responding, I can't wait to read your book. It was both incredibly boring and incredibly fun work. I hope I'm not insulting you with an amusement park analogy, but it went from sitting in the tea cup ride to doing loops upside down on the big ride instantaneously. After sitting in a car for hours on end waiting for someone to step outside their house or be spotted wherever they may be, you break out the camera and the adrenalin starts-a-flowin. The traveling eventually got old and I just wanted to sleep in my own bed more often, not to mention some awful experiences in snow storms. I can't forget, It made me a really confident driver and I love driving because of it. I must miss the road a little.

Glad to hear what I've done so far is commendable. I definitely have had some great opportunities to spend time reading and learning about shaping my own future. We'll have to see after I read the book, but I think I'll still be doing some slow lane things while I try to move into the fast lane. This way, if I'm moving along pretty fast and suddenly I take a spill, at least I'll have a cushion to land on so I can get back in the game quicker.
 

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