The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Show us your mug!

SeanKelly

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
63%
Aug 8, 2012
607
385
30
sexy.jpg

Pic from about 4 months ago
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

JAJT

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
549%
Aug 7, 2012
2,970
16,306
Ontario, Canada
Funny... I don't keep a lot of photos of myself at-hand. Here's a random one a friend took of me at a pool hall about a year back:

jajt.jpg
 

mohawkdcg

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
81%
Aug 31, 2012
150
122
OC Cal
Here's my mug:
bowl.jpg

Just kidding, here it is:

My Image1.jpg

Been here a month and I find this forum very inspirational and educational. I hope I can help someone too.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Runum

Legendary Contributor
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
101%
Aug 8, 2007
6,221
6,298
DFW, Texas

Guest682

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
53%
Jul 29, 2012
76
40
541273_10151226190049820_1845852906_n.jpg

I'm the dude on right, with glasses. If anyone is in or around Bali hit me up, Singapore! - Bangkok, Taipei, Philippines, Malaysia.
 

Jake

Platinum Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
148%
May 15, 2011
1,801
2,669
41
Bangkok
I'm the dude on right, with glasses. If anyone is in or around Bali hit me up, Singapore! - Bangkok, Taipei, Philippines, Malaysia.
I just left Bangkok but I'll be back again in April if you're around.

Songkran gets pretty wild and it's something you should experience at least once in your lifetime. The entire country pretty much engages in a massive waterfight. April 13th-15th but it lasts all the way until the 19th in Pattaya.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

DennisD

Mini Media Mogul
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
216%
Jun 16, 2012
1,488
3,207
36
Bali, Indonesia
I don't do a lot of video of MYSELF, but a friend asked for a video review of his product, and I gave it to him! Bad lighting, low resolution and all!

If a picture's worth a thousand words, and there's 30 frames per second, and this video's 1:34... it appears this video's worth 2,820,000 words.

[video=youtube_share;eltBGW5It3w]http://youtu.be/eltBGW5It3w[/video]
 

^eagle^

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
12%
Mar 17, 2008
815
98
Florida
sharpdressedman_zpse05d01f0.jpg

Me. I clean up Nice.
forthogjuly037_zpsecc792f2.jpg

My daughter. Can't believe I made something so beautiful.
halloween390_zps196211c2.jpg

Me and my Girlfriend. I'm the one on the left.
halloween013_zps29d93b7b.jpg

Me. gangham Style swagging.
 

SameerElvis

Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
214%
Feb 7, 2013
28
60
32
Aligarh, India
My dad owns a luxury car rental business (one of his businesses) and this car is owned under his company's name. It was a loss maker with few clients and so he has permanently 'leased' it out to me as a kind of a 'loan' which I would pay back whenever I am able to. I'm lucky I can afford the gas for now. Haha. :)

I also have a lot of other options.. Mercedes, BMW etc etc, but nothing beats a Bentley. That's one of the benefits of having a luxury car rental business. :)

Here's a rear shot (This is a Bentley Continental Flying Spur with a top speed of 200 miles / 322 km per hour):

Hc9vY5X.jpg


Driving this car on the streets of Delhi and especially my hometown Aligarh (very rural place) is a pain in the butt though. Most people don't actually even recognize a Bentley here but sure enough they know it is a 'foreign' car.. the huge tires and all. I pretty much get mobbed at traffic lights and such a lot of times. And have to deal with guys in 1000 cc Suzuki cars trying to follow me.. lol. I have actually parked this car like a boss directly in front of a shop in one of the poshest malls of New Delhi in this picture. ;)

One of the benefits is though that cops are kind of lax with me, I can ride around in fully tinted windows, smoking marijuana (I don't see it as a drug!) while playing Pink Floyd or Led Zepellin or Elvis on full blast and pretty much do whatever I want. Another benefit is whenever I take this ride to one of the posher areas of Delhi, especially around malls and stuff, it attracts a lot of attention from young Indian chicks and such - they can spot that lovely B sign from miles away. ;)
 

Astute

Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
53%
Jun 19, 2012
90
48
London, UK
Driving this car on the streets of Delhi and especially my hometown Aligarh (very rural place) is a pain in the butt though. Most people don't actually even recognize a Bentley here but sure enough they know it is a 'foreign' car.. the huge tires and all. I pretty much get mobbed at traffic lights and such a lot of times. And have to deal with guys in 1000 cc Suzuki cars trying to follow me.. lol. I have actually parked this car like a boss directly in front of a shop in one of the poshest malls of New Delhi in this picture. ;)

One of the benefits is though that cops are kind of lax with me, I can ride around in fully tinted windows, smoking marijuana (I don't see it as a drug!) while playing Pink Floyd or Led Zepellin or Elvis on full blast and pretty much do whatever I want. Another benefit is whenever I take this ride to one of the posher areas of Delhi, especially around malls and stuff, it attracts a lot of attention from young Indian chicks and such - they can spot that lovely B sign from miles away. ;)
Do you not think it a bit crass and distasteful to drive around so arrogantly in a Bentley in a city where children are forced to beg, some even having limbs hacked off?
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

SeanKelly

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
63%
Aug 8, 2012
607
385
30

Jill

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
76%
Jan 26, 2008
1,026
775
Frisco, TX (Dallas)
Do you not think it a bit crass and distasteful to drive around so arrogantly in a Bentley in a city where children are forced to beg, some even having limbs hacked off?
Couldn't you say the same thing about any city in the world? It is not a zero-sum game my friend. His driving a luxury car is in no way responsible for the children's horrible conditions. Shall we all just walk about in cardboard sandals in order to respect the sensitivities of the less fortunate? The contrast may seem greater in this instance. But who gets to define the degrees of differentiation, when it comes to appropriateness? Your argument is a non-starter.
 

SameerElvis

Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
214%
Feb 7, 2013
28
60
32
Aligarh, India
Do you not think it a bit crass and distasteful to drive around so arrogantly in a Bentley in a city where children are forced to beg, some even having limbs hacked off?

Actually, this is something that used to bother me at one point and I used to think a lot about it - I believe in giving and I have been helping out the people of my country ever since I started earning. I have so far done the following to help out the underprivileged:

- Since the past 4 years, I have donated roughly 500 blankets every winter - personally handing them out to underprivileged homeless people around my area along with my friends. Every month I send out a special food delivery (chicken etc, considered a 'delicacy' here) to 2 Government run schools mainly serving the underprivileged.

- Last year I installed flooring covering 12 classrooms, and tile flooring covering 2 toilets for a public school.

- I sponsor the education of 4 children of my maid, who is widowed and doesn't really have an income.

- Every year on Eid (the most important festival for Muslims) I gift clothes, sweets and toys to 2 homeless juvenile shelters with roughly 2,000 children in EACH one of them.

- I donate a set amount of cash to a vet clinic run by an NGO (non-governmental organization) twice every year.

- India is a place where you are constantly asked for favors and such from just about everyone once you taste some level of success - I not only help random strangers I meet on the streets (not just cash but other means as well) - I go beyond my capacity and help out my friends, friends of friends and numerous other people who I absolutely have no connection with. I have given out more 'loans' than I can remember - never to see them back, nor did I ever ask any one of them to return it.

That's all that I am able to do for now, and I hope to do even more in the future. I want to setup a world class school and a hospital in different parts of India which would be absolutely free for underprivileged students.

All in all I end up donating around 20% of my wealth (after 33% in taxes) every year.. while I'm only making $30,000 or so. There's people a lot richer than me and my family within India, such as Reliance's Ambani brothers or Tata's and Birlas etc - they are amongst the richest in the world. They do their bit too. People accuse them of living a luxurious life etc - but they are amongst the biggest givers of the nation, and they also indirectly help out the underprivileged by creating thousands of jobs and other opportunities. They also help build the nation by being among the highest tax payers of the country.

I have seen poverty up close - my family wasn't always rich, I have spent days in Saudi Arabia where I used to walk 15 kms to my school in 45 degrees Celsius when my dad was just a truck driver for CocaCola (in Dammam, Saudi Arabia back in 1990s). Eating out at KFC or Pizza Hut would be kind of a big thing for us back in the day. Then moving to India and having lived here for the past couple of years, I have seen poverty everywhere. I have done whatever I can in my capacity to help as many people as I know.

What kind of poverty have you seen living there in London, UK? What makes you qualified enough to accuse me of being crass and distasteful for driving around in a Bentley while donating 20% of my wealth every year? What percentage of your wealth do you donate year after year? Do you personally hand out blankets to 500 people every year in freezing cold?

Do you not think it is a bit crass and distasteful to eat out at McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut or at expensive restaurants when you could probably buy 10 meals for the underprivileged with that money instead. Do you not think it is a bit crass and distasteful to drive a Toyota or a Honda or any other car for that matter when it could probably pay for the education of 10 kids for the next 5 years in a country like India?

You see, these kind of accusations are flawed at their very core. There is no logic here. A person earning $30,000 an year and donating 20% of his wealth versus a person making $100,000 an year and donating 10% of his wealth - who do you think is the bigger giver? Maybe 10% of 100,000 is more than 20% of $30,000 - but I'd always say the guy donating 20% is the bigger giver. It takes a very big heart to donate 20% after paying 33% in taxes, year after year - at ANY income level.

I'm sorry to say but that is typical slowlane mentality - yes, there are lots of underprivileged people in the world - but if you're fortunate enough to have an income, ANY kind of income - you can go out there and do your bit and still enjoy luxury as and how you like it. Without hurting anybody. It is YOUR money. A good part of it goes back to the economy anyway, when you go out there and buy stuff. It is nobody's business to be calling you crass or distasteful for enjoying your wealth while sharing it too.

There is nothing "arrogant" about driving around in a nice car enjoying some of the best music ever made - Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin etc. Pray tell me what do you find arrogant about that? And I do actually have a real need for speed - I have to do around 200 kms 2 days a week from New Delhi to Aligarh because of work issues - and that is both ways. Sometimes in a single day. That is 400 kms in a single day for 2 days a week. Luckily most of that distance is covered by a world class expressway - and I can use my speed there. Time is money, and speed saves time.

Quoting Elvis Presley, one of the biggest givers ever in his lifetime:

"Don't criticize what you don't understand, son. You never walked in that man's shoes."

This post brought back some old memories, so here's a pic of me with my dad at the CocaCola head office in Dammam where he worked. I'm around 4 years old in that picture. This is the same 4 year old who used to walk 15 kms everyday to his school. And take a look at my dad - dressed wonderfully even for a truck driver, isn't it? ;)

5foRt0k.jpg
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Astute

Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
53%
Jun 19, 2012
90
48
London, UK
Couldn't you say the same thing about any city in the world? It is not a zero-sum game my friend. His driving a luxury car is in no way responsible for the children's horrible conditions. Shall we all just walk about in cardboard sandals in order to respect the sensitivities of the less fortunate? The contrast may seem greater in this instance. But who gets to define the degrees of differentiation, when it comes to appropriateness? Your argument is a non-starter.
I didn't in any way say it was a zero sum game. And no, it certainly is not the same in any city in the world.

Actually, this is something that used to bother me at one point and I used to think a lot about it - I believe in giving and I have been helping out the people of my country ever since I started earning. I have so far done the following to help out the underprivileged:

- Since the past 4 years, I have donated roughly 500 blankets every winter - personally handing them out to underprivileged homeless people around my area along with my friends. Every month I send out a special food delivery (chicken etc, considered a 'delicacy' here) to 2 Government run schools mainly serving the underprivileged.

- Last year I installed flooring covering 12 classrooms, and tile flooring covering 2 toilets for a public school.

- I sponsor the education of 4 children of my maid, who is widowed and doesn't really have an income.

- Every year on Eid (the most important festival for Muslims) I gift clothes, sweets and toys to 2 homeless juvenile shelters with roughly 2,000 children in EACH one of them.

- I donate a set amount of cash to a vet clinic run by an NGO (non-governmental organization) twice every year.

- India is a place where you are constantly asked for favors and such from just about everyone once you taste some level of success - I not only help random strangers I meet on the streets (not just cash but other means as well) - I go beyond my capacity and help out my friends, friends of friends and numerous other people who I absolutely have no connection with. I have given out more 'loans' than I can remember - never to see them back, nor did I ever ask any one of them to return it.

That's all that I am able to do for now, and I hope to do even more in the future. I want to setup a world class school and a hospital in different parts of India which would be absolutely free for underprivileged students.

All in all I end up donating around 20% of my wealth (after 33% in taxes) every year.. while I'm only making $30,000 or so. There's people a lot richer than me and my family within India, such as Reliance's Ambani brothers or Tata's and Birlas etc - they are amongst the richest in the world. They do their bit too. People accuse them of living a luxurious life etc - but they are amongst the biggest givers of the nation, and they also indirectly help out the underprivileged by creating thousands of jobs and other opportunities. They also help build the nation by being among the highest tax payers of the country.

I have seen poverty up close - my family wasn't always rich, I have spent days in Saudi Arabia where I used to walk 15 kms to my school in 45 degrees Celsius when my dad was just a truck driver for CocaCola (in Dammam, Saudi Arabia back in 1990s). Eating out at KFC or Pizza Hut would be kind of a big thing for us back in the day. Then moving to India and having lived here for the past couple of years, I have seen poverty everywhere. I have done whatever I can in my capacity to help as many people as I know.

What kind of poverty have you seen living there in London, UK? What makes you qualified enough to accuse me of being crass and distasteful for driving around in a Bentley while donating 20% of my wealth every year? What percentage of your wealth do you donate year after year? Do you personally hand out blankets to 500 people every year in freezing cold?

Do you not think it is a bit crass and distasteful to eat out at McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut or at expensive restaurants when you could probably buy 10 meals for the underprivileged with that money instead. Do you not think it is a bit crass and distasteful to drive a Toyota or a Honda or any other car for that matter when it could probably pay for the education of 10 kids for the next 5 years in a country like India?

You see, these kind of accusations are flawed at their very core. There is no logic here. A person earning $30,000 an year and donating 20% of his wealth versus a person making $100,000 an year and donating 10% of his wealth - who do you think is the bigger giver? Maybe 10% of 100,000 is more than 20% of $30,000 - but I'd always say the guy donating 20% is the bigger giver. It takes a very big heart to donate 20% after paying 33% in taxes, year after year - at ANY income level.

I'm sorry to say but that is typical slowlane mentality - yes, there are lots of underprivileged people in the world - but if you're fortunate enough to have an income, ANY kind of income - you can go out there and do your bit and still enjoy luxury as and how you like it. Without hurting anybody. It is YOUR money. A good part of it goes back to the economy anyway, when you go out there and buy stuff. It is nobody's business to be calling you crass or distasteful for enjoying your wealth while sharing it too.

There is nothing "arrogant" about driving around in a nice car enjoying some of the best music ever made - Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin etc. Pray tell me what do you find arrogant about that? And I do actually have a real need for speed - I have to do around 200 kms 2 days a week from New Delhi to Aligarh because of work issues - and that is both ways. Sometimes in a single day. That is 400 kms in a single day for 2 days a week. Luckily most of that distance is covered by a world class expressway - and I can use my speed there. Time is money, and speed saves time.

Quoting Elvis Presley, one of the biggest givers ever in his lifetime:

"Don't criticize what you don't understand, son. You never walked in that man's shoes."

This post brought back some old memories, so here's a pic of me with my dad at the CocaCola head office in Dammam where he worked. I'm around 4 years old in that picture. This is the same 4 year old who used to walk 15 kms everyday to his school. And take a look at my dad - dressed wonderfully even for a truck driver, isn't it? ;)

5foRt0k.jpg
I'm not going to go into what I do and don't do for charity because it is irrelevant to my point.

Most of your post really misses what I am getting at. Your original message in no way described anything to do with giving to charity. It described you disregarding the law and acting no better than a lout "doing pretty much whatever I want". Whether you give to charity or not does not take away from this fact.

I am not subscribing to a slow lane mentality. I am subscribing to the "money talk, wealth whispers" mentality. It is not the Bentley that I object to, it is the nature you go about driving it. You are driving it without any class; and in a city and country that is blighted by such poverty I would have thought you'd have a better grounding than most others in the Western world who act like you do.
 

SameerElvis

Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
214%
Feb 7, 2013
28
60
32
Aligarh, India
I am not breaking any traffic laws or anything of that sort. I need the tinted windows because I have slight social anxiety and distracts me while driving, a lot of people tend to look inside the car - that is why. I'm proud to say I have never been involved in overspeeding or any other traffic violations, nor have I had any accident so far. What is the perceived lack of class you're referring to? I can't seem to understand.

If my country is blighted by such poverty it certainly does not have anything to do with how I drive a Bentley and how that contributes to its poverty. I pay my taxes, donate as much as I can and I am a law abiding citizen just like anyone else. And mind you this Bentley was bought as a business asset, to be used for a luxury car rental business - it would have been just sitting there and collecting dust because it wasn't making a profit, would that have been a better option?

As long as you provide value to the society, you are entitled to as much luxury as you want. Give and take. Why object to that?
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

More Intros...

Top