Hey Fastlaners, I'm Josh.
I'm originally from Minnesota but my girlfriend and I moved to Michigan a few years ago. I've been a lurker of TFL for a few months now and a lot of the helpful information that's posted here has gone a long way in leading me to my first ever business acquisition.
Pinpointing what I have wanted to do with my life had always been a difficult task for me. Growing up I never really put much thought on what I wanted to do after high school, after college, and even when I went out into the "real world" after graduation. Early on I had the mentality of just "making it" another day, another week, another year. At the time, I was content with working a 9-5, collecting my paycheck every 2 weeks, and just doing what I could to be a productive member of society.
Then, about 5 years ago, I stopped caring. I found out I was the beneficiary of a windfall and upon learning this, I rapidly lost motivation to continue being a productive member of society. I was no longer content with working a 9-5 and collecting a regular paycheck.
I neglected my responsibilities for about an entire year. During this time I quit my job, my car got repossessed. I defaulted on the only 2 credit cards I had. I was out drinking with friends and at concerts being a dumbass. In the back of my mind I figured I could because I won't have to worry about things later in life. I was going to be rich!!
And then reality hit me. I was broke and nobody was going to give me money to continue being a dumbass. I had been out of the workforce for a significant period of time that getting a 9-5 was almost impossible when having to explain my gap in work experience.
That's when I met my girlfriend. I don't know what she saw in me that was attractive at the time. Hell, I still don't. But one thing is for sure, she had her shit together and I didn't. Being around her and her friends, I felt insecure. I didn't work, I didn't have responsibilities, I didn't care about anything. Her friends would ask her what she saw in me or why she was dating me. But the more time we spent together the more I knew I wanted to continue spending time with her. The only way for that to happen though was for me to get MY shit together. And so I did.
I worked my a$$ off. I started an event management and marketing company with a couple friends. Our company won a contract with Major League Baseball to manage their All-Star Weekend parties, we worked with private businesses to help fund-raise for organizations such as the American Heart Association. I worked with a SaaS startup leading their bizdev efforts which helped lead the company to a successful exit. In a short amount of time I finally had my shit together. I began to get what some may call "the itch".
Many of you know what it is. Out of nowhere you have a thirst for always doing SOMETHING. Building, growing, learning, nothing quenches the thirst for always wanting more.
When my girlfriend and I moved to Michigan about 18 months ago, I had my partners buy me out. I had that feeling of being "content" again. This time though, instead of falling back into the same hole I did 5 years ago, I fought back. I decided that things were too good and I enjoyed building, growing and learning too much.
Around sometime in December of 2016 I stumbled upon this site and became a lurker. I didn't register because I didn't feel I had anything to offer or contribute at the time. But about 2 months ago opportunity came knocking and I'm now in the process of closing on my first business acquisition. There's quite a bit of information here that has helped me through this process and I felt now would be a better time than any to finally sign up.
I want to be able to share my experiences and struggles and successes with others. I find it therapeutic.
So, I wanted to give a general Thank You to the members of this site. I hope that going forward I'll be able to contribute and impact others in the same way that many of you have impacted me.
I know this was long winded and I apologize. I haven't had a lot of sleep and it all probably sounds a bit cliche.
Anyways, I'm glad to be here and I look forward to meeting some of you.
- Josh
I'm originally from Minnesota but my girlfriend and I moved to Michigan a few years ago. I've been a lurker of TFL for a few months now and a lot of the helpful information that's posted here has gone a long way in leading me to my first ever business acquisition.
Pinpointing what I have wanted to do with my life had always been a difficult task for me. Growing up I never really put much thought on what I wanted to do after high school, after college, and even when I went out into the "real world" after graduation. Early on I had the mentality of just "making it" another day, another week, another year. At the time, I was content with working a 9-5, collecting my paycheck every 2 weeks, and just doing what I could to be a productive member of society.
Then, about 5 years ago, I stopped caring. I found out I was the beneficiary of a windfall and upon learning this, I rapidly lost motivation to continue being a productive member of society. I was no longer content with working a 9-5 and collecting a regular paycheck.
I neglected my responsibilities for about an entire year. During this time I quit my job, my car got repossessed. I defaulted on the only 2 credit cards I had. I was out drinking with friends and at concerts being a dumbass. In the back of my mind I figured I could because I won't have to worry about things later in life. I was going to be rich!!
And then reality hit me. I was broke and nobody was going to give me money to continue being a dumbass. I had been out of the workforce for a significant period of time that getting a 9-5 was almost impossible when having to explain my gap in work experience.
That's when I met my girlfriend. I don't know what she saw in me that was attractive at the time. Hell, I still don't. But one thing is for sure, she had her shit together and I didn't. Being around her and her friends, I felt insecure. I didn't work, I didn't have responsibilities, I didn't care about anything. Her friends would ask her what she saw in me or why she was dating me. But the more time we spent together the more I knew I wanted to continue spending time with her. The only way for that to happen though was for me to get MY shit together. And so I did.
I worked my a$$ off. I started an event management and marketing company with a couple friends. Our company won a contract with Major League Baseball to manage their All-Star Weekend parties, we worked with private businesses to help fund-raise for organizations such as the American Heart Association. I worked with a SaaS startup leading their bizdev efforts which helped lead the company to a successful exit. In a short amount of time I finally had my shit together. I began to get what some may call "the itch".
Many of you know what it is. Out of nowhere you have a thirst for always doing SOMETHING. Building, growing, learning, nothing quenches the thirst for always wanting more.
When my girlfriend and I moved to Michigan about 18 months ago, I had my partners buy me out. I had that feeling of being "content" again. This time though, instead of falling back into the same hole I did 5 years ago, I fought back. I decided that things were too good and I enjoyed building, growing and learning too much.
Around sometime in December of 2016 I stumbled upon this site and became a lurker. I didn't register because I didn't feel I had anything to offer or contribute at the time. But about 2 months ago opportunity came knocking and I'm now in the process of closing on my first business acquisition. There's quite a bit of information here that has helped me through this process and I felt now would be a better time than any to finally sign up.
I want to be able to share my experiences and struggles and successes with others. I find it therapeutic.
So, I wanted to give a general Thank You to the members of this site. I hope that going forward I'll be able to contribute and impact others in the same way that many of you have impacted me.
I know this was long winded and I apologize. I haven't had a lot of sleep and it all probably sounds a bit cliche.
Anyways, I'm glad to be here and I look forward to meeting some of you.
- Josh
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