Told I was a 2 percenter by my boss today??

[MidLifeStallion]

My name is Steve. I'm, currently, a plumber at a large plumbing company. I do service work. I sold $633,000 worth of plumbing last year and I got paid 20% of that. Just over $120,000 last year. I broke every daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly sales record for my company in 2014. Not bad for a plumber. At the end of last year, I bought my first rental property, a duplex. I live in one side and rent the other side out. I plan on buying more properties in the future, so I went and got a real estate license thinking I would learn more about investing. Of course, I didn't. You only learn what you need to know to pass the state test. Anyway, I have this license now so I decided that real estate would give me better control of my time and income then plumbing. After reading Millionaire Fastlane , I see how working in real estate is a faster lane then plumbing. With plumbing I am totally at the control of The Company. Anyway, I was talking to the owner of the plumbing company today and he informed me that if I left to pursue a career in real estate, that it wouldn't matter to him. He said, "Your a 2%er Steve, I will probably never see anyone like you walk thru the door ever again, but I have to build this company around the 98% that can't do what you can." At first this floored me. I used to think that a sales company would want to keep their top producers, but I was wrong. The top 2% salesmen at ANY company are just that....only 2%. I never thought of it that way and it hit me like a ton of bricks. That's why Corporate America can be like it is. The MORE you succeed, the smaller of a group you join. Eventually your at the top of the heap and you realize your just the best slave. Anyway, I called my trainer at the real estate company and informed him that we would be going full steam on my training from here on out. I will still work at the plumbing company until I get my real estate pipeline going. I would love to hear ANY advice on this subject either on starting real estate or how to deal with the plumbing company until my departure.

 

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[Winning]

Damn that's a brutal but honest wake up call. At the end of the day, you are making someone else's dream come true by working for them.

Once you go at it alone, you will truly be building your own dream.

 

[RHL]

@GIlman and I had a great talk at the meetup about parlaying existing job skills into a "fastlane," or not. Basically, you can short circuit the barrier to entry in a field and play in a much more lucrative fastlane more quickly by transferring existing skills into a fastlane biz. A good example was MJ making Limos.com as an ex-driver who knew the needs of drivers and passengers, or Heidi Klum starting Project Runway. A bad example would be an NFL player who quit to start making women's shoes or a cardiologist quitting their job to make pogo sticks.

If you're killing it as a plumber and plumbing salesman, are you getting out of that niche because there's more opportunity in real estate, or because real estate investing has (really) a very low barrier to entry and can be engaged in without many prior skills? Remember, if it was easy for you to start, it's easy for everyone to start, and therefore fails the E of CENTS/CENTS.

How hard would it be for you to become the plumbing supply owner whose salesman was making him $633,000/yr? Could you transfer your skills to a sales team with a script, coaching, etc? One of my friends' dads growing up owned a commercial plumbing company. Definitely, definitely fastlane. Think long and hard before abandoning your established skills to start over in a new field.

 

[SirTristram]

I couldn't help but come to the same conclusion as RHL, why not use the system you're already a master at and become your own boss.

 

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[Vigilante]

It becomes a game for you now. Now you have an objective that is bigger about your day to day, but it helps you deal with your day to day in a new light. They need you. There's going to come a day when you don't need them anymore, and that is your FREEDOM date. Until then... you just continue doing what you do. You are there now for a different purpose. Working towards your end game. Working towards your freedom date. No more discussions with the boss or anyone else related to their business about your dreams outside of them. You leave on your terms, on your schedule. Not theirs. Don't talk with him about real estate again. What you do outside of them is none of his concern. You build, and wait, and ride the W2 paycheck as long as you can or need to. Stay the #1 employee. You should however be able to go to work tomorrow with a different, better attitude. You know your time there is short. Enjoy it. Work hard. Deliver what you always have. And.. plan your escape.

 

[MidLifeStallion]

@GIlman and I had a great talk at the meetup about parlaying existing job skills into a "fastlane," or not. Basically, you can short circuit the barrier to entry in a field and play in a much more lucrative fastlane more quickly by transferring existing skills into a fastlane biz. A good example was MJ making Limos.com as an ex-driver who knew the needs of drivers and passengers, or Heidi Klum starting Project Runway. A bad example would be an NFL player who quit to start making women's shoes or a cardiologist quitting their job to make pogo sticks.

If you're killing it as a plumber and plumbing salesman, are you getting out of that niche because there's more opportunity in real estate, or because real estate investing has (really) a very low barrier to entry and can be engaged in without many prior skills? Remember, if it was easy for you to start, it's easy for everyone to start, and therefore fails the E of CENTS/CENTS.

How hard would it be for you to become the plumbing supply owner whose salesman was making him $633,000/yr? Could you transfer your skills to a sales team with a script, coaching, etc? One of my friends' dads growing up owned a commercial plumbing company. Definitely, definitely fastlane. Think long and hard before abandoning your established skills to start over in a new field.

It becomes a game for you now. Now you have an objective that is bigger about your day to day, but it helps you deal with your day to day in a new light. They need you. There's going to come a day when you don't need them anymore, and that is your FREEDOM date. Until then... you just continue doing what you do. You are there now for a different purpose. Working towards your end game. Working towards your freedom date. No more discussions with the boss or anyone else related to their business about your dreams outside of them. You leave on your terms, on your schedule. Not theirs. Don't talk with him about real estate again. What you do outside of them is none of his concern. You build, and wait, and ride the W2 paycheck as long as you can or need to. Stay the #1 employee. You should however be able to go to work tomorrow with a different, better attitude. You know your time there is short. Enjoy it. Work hard. Deliver what you always have. And.. plan your escape.

 

[MidLifeStallion]

Damn Vigilante, That is, about, what I was hoping to hear from someone. I DO feel like I am seeing everything in a DIFFERENT light. I DO see myself going back there on Monday with a totally DIFFERNENT mission. THANKS MAN!!! Very helpful.

 

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[MidLifeStallion]

@GIlman and I had a great talk at the meetup about parlaying existing job skills into a "fastlane," or not. Basically, you can short circuit the barrier to entry in a field and play in a much more lucrative fastlane more quickly by transferring existing skills into a fastlane biz. A good example was MJ making Limos.com as an ex-driver who knew the needs of drivers and passengers, or Heidi Klum starting Project Runway. A bad example would be an NFL player who quit to start making women's shoes or a cardiologist quitting their job to make pogo sticks.

If you're killing it as a plumber and plumbing salesman, are you getting out of that niche because there's more opportunity in real estate, or because real estate investing has (really) a very low barrier to entry and can be engaged in without many prior skills? Remember, if it was easy for you to start, it's easy for everyone to start, and therefore fails the E of CENTS/CENTS.

How hard would it be for you to become the plumbing supply owner whose salesman was making him $633,000/yr? Could you transfer your skills to a sales team with a script, coaching, etc? One of my friends' dads growing up owned a commercial plumbing company. Definitely, definitely fastlane. Think long and hard before abandoning your established skills to start over in a new field.

 

[MidLifeStallion]

Man, thanks for the reply. It was actually easier for me to get into plumbing than it was to get into real estate. real estate requires a ton of money to get into no matter which state you get licensed in. you have tests, local fees, national fees, MLS fees, it just goes on forever. You get a license and 20 hands come out wanting some money. I didn't even have to take a test to make $100,000 a year in Nebraska to do plumbing, but I do want to throw out there that I am a top producer and I'm able to sell more plumbing then, maybe, 90% of my competition. I love your idea of becoming a plumbing supplier except, for the fact, I have absolutely no passion for that road. I have more passion for owning the land that the plumbing company leases for their plumbing warehouse. I really want to own the 40 unit apartment complex that all the plumbers live in rather than the building that they work out of. I would actually see a plumbing company as a SIDE company in the future rather than a MAIN company.

 

[Andy Black]

you can short circuit the barrier to entry in a field and play in a much more lucrative fastlane more quickly by transferring existing skills into a fastlane biz. A good example was MJ making Limos.com as an ex-driver who knew the needs of drivers and passengers, or Heidi Klum starting Project Runway.

This was my first thought too.

But then I also suspect @MidLifeStallion will be a 2%'er in whatever he does.

Saying that, still go look up Joe Polish and what he's done with his cleaning business.

Also interesting your boss's decision to build his business around the 98%.

I consider myself in the 2% at what I do, and I want to build a business around my 2%, not the 98% who can't do what I do.

Now you have an objective that is bigger about your day to day, but it helps you deal with your day to day in a new light. They need you. There's going to come a day when you don't need them anymore, and that is your FREEDOM date. ... No more discussions with the boss or anyone else related to their business about your dreams outside of them. You leave on your terms, on your schedule. Not theirs. ... You build, and wait, and ride the W2 paycheck as long as you can or need to. Stay the #1 employee. You should however be able to go to work tomorrow with a different, better attitude. You know your time there is short. Enjoy it. Work hard. Deliver what you always have. And.. plan your escape.

+10000

This is how everyone trying to get out of a job should think.

I really want to own the 40 unit apartment complex that all the plumbers live in rather than the building that they work out of.

Don't they say that McDonalds is actually in the real estate business?


If you were to go into real estate, then what could be your "unfair advantage"?

@Iwokeup is a doctor going into beauty products.

I've a decade of experience administering and reporting on massive databases. I add AdWords on top of that to have an unfair advantage over other AdWords specialists.

Maybe you're the guy all the plumbers get training from, and you have a network of rental properties around the country that guys can rent from you?

Maybe you can setup franchises where the more ambitious plumbers get help running their own business... and they rent the premises from you.

Or maybe you become known as the real estate agent that plumbers should go to?


I recently heard a great line (in www.tropicalmba.com/7daystartup) where Dan Norris talks about "product-founder fit". Everyone talks (for good reason) about "product-market fit".

I found it an eye-opener to think that maybe we should consider "product-founder fit" as well... and maybe that's even more important.

So long as there's a market (demonstrated cash-flow), then going where your passion is might be where to go.

His "product-founder fit" thinking wasn't really about your passion, but more about your stage in your entrepreneurial journey. If you're at the start, then some business models are simpler to cut your teeth on.

Might be worth listening to the podcast.



Good luck. Would love to hear how you do.

 

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[ZCP]

Use plumbing and your extraordinary skillset to fund your real estate investments. Key thought.... See if the owner wants to be part of some of your deals. It could open a lot of doors faster than you may be able to do on your own.

 

[wbrett1027]

Re estate is a hard business, and right not homes are not buying and selling like they use to be, with that being said I wouldnt leave the plumbing company to do restate
....
Why don't you start your own plumbing company? Get your masters and go at it, first would build up all your customers rep
Then go for it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Maka702]

I'm not sure if this will help it's just more of something i have noticed while reading threads like this on the forum. Everybody gets burned out on there "current" job that they have a extraordinary insight and special skills in. Then wants to hop into a harder and sometimes low entry business because it something new and fresh. Why not leverage your skills from Plumbing like RHL said along with you have people you know inside the business to launch your own plumping company. Just something to think about! Peace!

 

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[WorldImperator]

Steve, I have to agree with others, about using your plumbing market knowledge.
You will loose few years, before you will get the same level of expert knowledge in Real state, which you have now in plumbing.

But, if you really hate it, it makes no point to continue. But, take in mind, that you can build the comoany like your boss have, and you to hire the proper people to make your dream, and make it with much less effort compared to achieve success in Real estate (or whatever industry you would like to jump in from zero).

Whatever you chosen, concentrate on the one until it will be big.

 

[Lagron]

People always leave what they know, and run onto what they don't.

But the thing is- they get complacent. They know what they know, and don't think outside the box anymore in regards to it.

Here's some insight- you can get into a new field and learn the ropes from scratch. Or you can pay attention to your current field and think of a way to better it, or offer it differently from currently and profit from it.

I don't know where I read it, maybe above or in another thread. A person was a janitor. He knew the ins and outs of cleaning industrial and commercial property. He knew the business- changed his position- went into business for himself...as a result.... $$$..

Be the boss you were making money for. And you can make more with what you currently know.