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Who quit a good-paying Slowlane job and is now a Fastlaner?

Justin Gesso

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I would love to hear some quick stories from people who left their good-paying Slowlane/corporate/whatever job and became a thoroughbred Fastlaner.

I find these stories very motivating and interesting.

It's tough to leave a solid, consistent, and secure job...especially if you have a family to support. But man, we know what's possible. Many of us dream of doing it. Some of us go for it.

A few examples:
  • @GiroudJD - "Quit my day job as an attorney when I consistently started earning more every single month just by self-publishing." thread
  • @JustAskBenWhy - Left the life of a professional musician and instructor to be in real estate and internet marketing and "jobless for a long while now." intro
  • @oldkevx - Left CMO job to flip a "common service business" on its head.
  • @G_Alexander - Quit 6-figure banking job to launch e-commerce business. thread
  • Me - Left a strong 6-figure telecom strategy, product, and operations role to pursue real estate investing and various internet marketing/ecommerce ventures. Enjoying much more (scalable) income and much easier life now.
So what's your story?!
 
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So what's your story?!
Quit my job in June 2014 when I was about to get a promotion that would lead to six figures.

Instead of the extra responsibility and hours, I spent two years driving from city to city, traveling across the country. This one is from Seattle to the East Coast in Fall 2015


Three weeks after I quit my job.
 
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Justin Gesso

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Quit my job in June 2014 when I was about to get a promotion that would lead to six figures.

Instead of the extra responsibility and hours, I spent two years driving from city to city, traveling across the country. This one is from Seattle to the East Coast in Fall 2015


Three weeks after I quit my job.

Awesome. Thanks.
 

SweetTooth

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I quit my job in November 2015. At the time I had a "pretty good" job as a car salesman. I had a 2016 Mustang and was living in an apartment with a 12 month contract. I was tired of working for other people so I quit the job. I sold the Mustang for a big loss right before it was about to be repossessed. I got out of my apartment by having another person sign over the lease for me right before I was about to be evicted.

Then I worked on figuring out how to make money from my laptop. I started an ecommerce store and made some money from that. Then I got into copywriting and web design for clients. I wouldn't say this is Fastlane, but I'm making my entire income working at home on my laptop which was one of the goals. Now I have the opportunities to work on and fund more ventures.
 
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Justin Gesso

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I quit my job in November 2015. At the time I had a "pretty good" job as a car salesman. I had a 2016 Mustang and was living in an apartment with a 12 month contract. I was tired of working for other people so I quit the job. I sold the Mustang for a big loss right before it was about to be repossessed. I got out of my apartment by having another person sign over the lease for me right before I was about to be evicted.

Then I worked on figuring out how to make money from my laptop. I started an ecommerce store and made some money from that. Then I got into copywriting and web design for clients. I wouldn't say this is Fastlane, but I'm making my entire income working at home on my laptop which was one of the goals. Now I have the opportunities to work on and fund more ventures.
Awesome, sounds like you're on the right track. And great that you're working entirely from your laptop...cool goal.

Sorry about the Mustang, though. As a former V8 Mustang modder, I hope you build up enough to get that sucker back.
 

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I did, but not in the traditional sense. I bootstrapped companies and double dipped income with fat consulting gigs as long as I possibly could. I had extremely high paying consulting gigs, but I kept them until I could justify leaving them.

The FREEDOM DATE is the date where your passive income exceeds your regular income. On that day, you are free to leave, free to double dip as long as you can... free to do what ever. I have written elsewhere on the forum about navigating to your freedom date.

But I didn't go all in, as some on the forum have. I tried to maintain the best of both worlds, but then did eventually wean off the high income revenue streams as soon as my business was able to sustain and grow itself, and sustain me on top of that.
 

Justin Gesso

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But I didn't go all in, as some on the forum have. I tried to maintain the best of both worlds, but then did eventually wean off the high income revenue streams as soon as my business was able to sustain and grow itself, and sustain me on top of that.

@Vigilante - I did the exact same thing. In fact, for most solid income earners, I believe this is a more realistic approach. The trick is freeing up the time to pull it off.
 
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SteveO

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I worked for HP for many years with the full intention of retiring with them. One day I had a revelation and began working on a plan. Two years later, I quit my job. My ex-wife quit hers as well.

The next few years had its ups and downs although mostly ups. The ex could not take the lifestyle of feeling little security. We parted ways and she went back to work.... But, she took her million dollars with her from the settlement...

It has been 17 years since I have worked for somebody else.
 
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Jake

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I left a job that paid me way too much to ride around in helicopters and dodge mortars..not a forever job but a well paying one if I took different contracts with the company.

I'm no thoroughbred but my revenue is approaching my old salary now.
 
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eliquid

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I've never quit to become a Fastlaner. I've always had my hand forced.


But the last time this happened, I had a six-figure salary and was on top of the world as someone who lived in a rural part of the midwest.

Forced to exit, I simply had enough of the BS with getting the carpet pulled from under me and started down my own path with affiliate marketing, lead gen, and building my own SaaS
 

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What a timely thread for me. I expect/hope to be in this boat in the coming months. Subscribed and will read all of the references stories/threads for inspiration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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SparksCW

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Interesting thread, I'm on the verge of handing my notice in on the day job. I'm not in the position I need to be in, I have no buffer, a family and a wedding to pay for but I'm finding it so hard not to leave anyway. There will always be "something" holding you back.

I'm equally scared and excited at the thought that my company next month could make nothing, or it could make enough to pay all my bills, debts and wedding in one month. The salary job can't do that! I will only find out if I make the leap....
 

Equilibrium

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I took advice from the fast-lane forums and quit working for a successful call-center that bleeds its agents worse than the people from Maze Runner: Scorch Trials.

I was making a steady paycheck, and had 1k in the bank. not MUCH.. but a good start to a low life with a steady +300 every two weeks.
It SUCKED.

I walked out, and starting my company is terrifying, unnerving..and I have never felt so ALIVE.
now I'm nowhere to the point of making a million. Right now I'm trying to attract a venture capitalist.
but trust me. It's a much more enjoyable experience wondering what the heck I'm going to do for next weeks food, while flying on a airplane to a unknown city, and speaking to hundreds of business owners, meeting people from shark tank, and trying to find the right deal.

than it EVER was to take phone calls as a cog in a slowly churning machine of people spending their days sighing and getting fat off of vending machine snacks.
 

Justin Gesso

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I quit my job as a business account executive (6 figures)back in february to start a small business. I havent launched just yet as the field ill be working in requires loads of equipment that i just finished sourcing yesterday. I plan to launch in august.
Excellent. Good luck and look forward to hearing how it goes.
 
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Justin Gesso

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Left the corporate world in 2008, as did my wife. Not working 12 more months cost us nearly seven figures in salary, retention bonuses and stock options, but we've never regretted the decision or timing...

If you're a true entrepreneur, a good salary won't be enough to keep you from pursuing your goals.
What an awesome statement. Great to hear you have no regrets!
 

Justin Gesso

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I took advice from the fast-lane forums and quit working for a successful call-center that bleeds its agents worse than the people from Maze Runner: Scorch Trials.

I was making a steady paycheck, and had 1k in the bank. not MUCH.. but a good start to a low life with a steady +300 every two weeks.
It SUCKED.

I walked out, and starting my company is terrifying, unnerving..and I have never felt so ALIVE.
now I'm nowhere to the point of making a million. Right now I'm trying to attract a venture capitalist.
but trust me. It's a much more enjoyable experience wondering what the heck I'm going to do for next weeks food, while flying on a airplane to a unknown city, and speaking to hundreds of business owners, meeting people from shark tank, and trying to find the right deal.

than it EVER was to take phone calls as a cog in a slowly churning machine of people spending their days sighing and getting fat off of vending machine snacks.
Great writing and I really resonate with this: "I walked out, and starting my company is terrifying, unnerving..and I have never felt so ALIVE."
 

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I don't know if my story qualifies for this thread, but I'll share it and see what the feedback might say.

Once upon a time, I had a job that I really enjoyed. I did interesting work with interesting technology, working at a place that was actually pleasant to work at. I wasn't paid all that well though and eventually realized that I'd never have the lifestyle I want in my chosen career field. However, I also saw several opportunities that my employer didn't want to pursue and thought that I'd love to fill the needs of those customers. That could serve as the path to get me where I wanted to be, but it also meant I'd have to quit this job I liked.

I don't know if you believe in providence or God or not, but as soon as I decided to leave my old career behind, I got a call from a company close to home...completely out of the blue. Now this is particularly important because the job I enjoyed entailed over an hour commute each way, which left me too tired to spend much time working on anything. This new opportunity was just a couple minutes from home, and although I knew nothing about it, I took the job. I basically got the same pay with almost 3 hours to utilize each day, and I was saving considerably on commuting costs. (I've been using that savings to bootstrap my project.) I've also been using the extra time to work on my project each day...as well as I can, which you will understand if you're a family man like myself.

I now consider myself a fast lane business owner, since that's my primary focus. I just happen to still have a 9 to 5 job to keep food on the table until my new business can take over. It will take time, and the road ahead is unknown, but at least I'm moving in the right direction!
 
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JustAskBenWhy

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I remember it vividly. I was director of a music school, which I helped establich. I hustled. I taught a lot. The second year in operation, my income touched $100,000. Tax time came - blew me the F*ck away. I'd been paying quarterly, but in the end owed a large chunk. My CPAs told me that they took every deduction known to mankind, and there was nothing more they could do - I was making the wrong kind of money in the wrong kind of way...

Started buying RE in 2006. Some say I did great. Others say I could have done more. But, whichever way you put it, I haven't had a job since 2013. And now my wife doesn't either. We find IM interesting and stimulating, but unstable and potentially highly taxed. Real estate income is much more stable, and structured correctly offers a shelter not just for its' own sake, but likely other income as well.

I am selling my house in Ohio as we speak, as well as some other assets, and we are relocating to AZ. Why - cause we want to. Real estate and IM allows us to live more so on our own terms than most people. Not everyone. A lot of folks here are fare more down the fastlane. But, we are certainly better off than most...

Looking forward to knocking some heads in Arizona!
 

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Went to college to be a Chemical Engineer quite a few years ago.. My goal was to graduate and get a good job as an engineer. I'd buy real estate over time and eventually build up a portfolio big enough to quit my job and live off the passive income. 2 years into the degree (last summer), I got my first internship. My friends were mad as hell they couldn't get one and how lucky I was to have it (yes even engineers have a hard time finding internships/jobs).

It was a 3 semester long internship (May 2015 to May 2016) with the chance of being able to renew it if things went well to eventually be a full time employee there (start pay is around $90k/year there not including quarterly bonuses) (internship pay was about $16/hr).

June 2015, I realized that I didn't want to work as a chemical engineer anymore. Between engineering classes and an internship, you have very little free time to work on a business on the side, so I quit that job with no source of income in August of 2015. I still want to get my degree, because I love doing research into clean, sustainable energy. Without that degree, I can't work in these labs.

Back on topic, it wasn't until January of 2016 that I finally figured out what I wanted to do and got that business going. My business doesn't obey all of the commandments, but I know it well and how to grow it and it can scale really well because the people in this market are bad at what they do and it's hard to find someone that does the job right. I've made a lot of mistakes, but none big enough to put the company in the ground.

Fast forward 5 months later and the business is very successful. I'm by no means fastlane, but I'm working my way towards how I've always wanted to live my life (I don't want to ever stop working, I just love the fullfillment/feeling of purpose you get when you are running your own business saving people money and making their lives easier).

Hopefully my story was useful to you as motivation to do what you've always wanted to do.
 

Justin Gesso

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I remember it vividly. I was director of a music school, which I helped establich. I hustled. I taught a lot. The second year in operation, my income touched $100,000. Tax time came - blew me the F*ck away. I'd been paying quarterly, but in the end owed a large chunk. My CPAs told me that they took every deduction known to mankind, and there was nothing more they could do - I was making the wrong kind of money in the wrong kind of way...

Started buying RE in 2006. Some say I did great. Others say I could have done more. But, whichever way you put it, I haven't had a job since 2013. And now my wife doesn't either. We find IM interesting and stimulating, but unstable and potentially highly taxed. Real estate income is much more stable, and structured correctly offers a shelter not just for its' own sake, but likely other income as well.

I am selling my house in Ohio as we speak, as well as some other assets, and we are relocating to AZ. Why - cause we want to. Real estate and IM allows us to live more so on our own terms than most people. Not everyone. A lot of folks here are fare more down the fastlane. But, we are certainly better off than most...

Looking forward to knocking some heads in Arizona!
Thanks @JustAskBenWhy . You have a super inspirational story. Especially with the MS and other obstacles. I still have a lot to learn from you!
 
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Justin Gesso

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I just love the fullfillment/feeling of purpose you get when you are running your own business saving people money and making their lives easier).
Great quote. Thanks and certainly motivating.
 

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I quit my job as a software engineer five years ago. Since that date I work as a freelancer as much as I have to and use most of my time working on my own business. I sold my first SaaS company last year (no big money), but it wasn't fulfilling the fastlane criteria.

While I can't use 100% of my time for my own work, I get paid a very good hourly rate for learning all the stuff I need to learn for my clients projects.

My wife is officially employed still, but currently she is in parental leave (is this the correct wording?). When our son starts with Kindergarten in October, she will join "our" company, since she's a software developer, too.

Not completely fastlane yet, but as close as we could get until now...
 

JustAskBenWhy

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Thanks @JustAskBenWhy . You have a super inspirational story. Especially with the MS and other obstacles. I still have a lot to learn from you!
@Justin Gesso - I'm the one doing the learning! I appreciate you a lot. We've done some substantive things together already, but I see us doing some big shit - both online and in real estate!!!
 
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Justin Gesso

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While I can't use 100% of my time for my own work, I get paid a very good hourly rate for learning all the stuff I need to learn for my clients projects.

I did exactly the same and still do. Great stuff and good luck!
 

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I joined this forum a long time ago. But it took a couple years of hanging out here, and quite a few years prior to arriving here, before I stopped being a wantrepreneur.

I took the plunge and quit my day job and started my business at about the same time. Sink or swim. It was quite liberating.

My day job was one that would have paid North of 100k/yr within 1-2 more years. The job itself had a lot of enjoyable moments, and I do miss it from time to time. But I've never regretted the decision to jump.

I've had a lot of ups and downs in the years since. But things are growing strong. And with our projections for this year, we'll overtake some of our largest competitors.

We're in a very capital intensive business, but have never had to take on any investors. My wife and I are sole owners. And we became self-made millionaires at 28.

From the book, I have a number in mind that I'm trying to hit. It's 8 figures. While we won't have that net worth for probably a few more years, if we hit our projections this year, we will have an asset that produces the same income as my number would at a 5% return.

If we hit that goal this year, I'll write a more in depth storey about my journey for the benefit of those here.

I've now worked for myself since 2010, when I was 24 years old.
 

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