Section One
A historical look back in time.
“There are many aspects to success: material wealth is only one component. Moreover, success is a journey, not a destination. Material abundance, in all its expressions, happens to be one of those things that makes the journey more enjoyable. But success also includes good health, energy and enthusiasm for life, fulfilling relationships, creative freedom, emotional and psychological stability, a sense of well-being, and peace of mind.”
- From “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success”
This is where my journey to success began.
Karma
Section One Introduction
This section examines some of the events that lead to the ideas in this book. In addition, to note that I have been thinking like a business owner for some time now. Moreover, it was not until recently that everything came together at once (read more about how this happened and how you can do it too in chapter 20). I am using many personal notes and documents as to support my strength of character and to support my ambition and motivation. These notes exemplify my desire for independence from the wage working system. I have always known that I was going to run my own business someday; I never thought it would be of this magnitude, but this book is what it has turned out to be. As you read Section One, please keep in mind that these are real notes between me and my mother. She meant well when she wrote them, she just did not think I was ready to start my own business yet. I do not know if I will ever know now, if I was ready then, but I am ready now. That is what matters.
In the summer of 2006, I moved back home for the summer. At this point in my life, I had been a poor college student for the past 4 years, with only one more year to go. The pervious 5 years were spent going to school full time and working at various different wage jobs (full employment history in Chapter 18). Now with all that past work experience and with the whole summer ahead of me, I set out to make some summer money, with the hopes of having some saved for the fall semester. I ended the summer with less then I started with, even thou I ended up working four jobs. This is enough evidence for me that proves that wage work will not get you ahead. Even if you work full time, no wage job will make you enough money to support a family or to retire on. I have bigger plans then this for my life. I do not want to be in debt for the rest of my life.
While job-hunting early in the summer, I come up with many ideas about how to make money. However, the only thing that my parents supported was wage work. I hope that after reading this book, you will all agree that wage work will not get you ahead. It is a simple fact that wageworkers are not compensated fairly for the work they provide. I have a business plan that will allow me to work for my self, doing what I want, and paying my workers what they are worth. Much further discussion on how paying employees more actually helps the business grow and profit in later chapters.
When I was 21, I made up this flyer to sell furniture that I was planning on making. I thought it was such a good idea; I could not wait to get started. The idea was either not encouraged or completely rejected almost everyone. Most people said that I should work a more stable job, so I had to drop the idea for the time being. Its not that they did not believe in me, it is just that they are all brainwashed by the capitalist system that wage work is the only working option available to young men like me. Well they were wrong. Interestingly, the idea was only just put on hold, waiting for a more profitable opportunity to come around. Now that I am working for my own company, I am going to use this idea, except I am going to make a lot more money then I had originally thought. I wrote this before I had decided to quit working for a wage, before I realized how much money I could make if I was working for myself.
Note: This was when I thought $10/hr was a good wage. Now that I have a better understanding of the benefits of ownership, I know that I am worth so much more. The concept that was created in this flyer is still going to be used, but in a large scale.
This is the note that accompanied this flyer to my mom.
Written on 6/10/06
“I really want to work on my own, as much as I can. I would love to work from home building furniture for sale. I could set my own hours and I could do it during the semester. If people are interested in buying it.
All I need a customer base. Start with family, build good quality stuff for them and try to get them to refer me to their friends. Only if they like what I build. If I try hard enough, I know this can be successful.
Even if this fails, which it may, its only shot number one at being an entrepreneur. Please use me while I am here.
Please don’t make me waste all my time at minimum wage. Those jobs are for people less ambitious.”
I got this response from my mother. Complete rejection of my ideas to work for myself. Nevertheless, it was not a total lost, I learned a lot along the way.
Note: This reminds me how much I do not want to work for a paycheck. At this point, I am completely dedicated to working for myself. These notes reinforce how much it means to me to be my own boss.
This is my next attempt to get approval to start working on my own.
“Mom
I would like to offer my services as a house cleaner. For a salary ($20-$50/week, you get what you pay for). I will do everything that needs to be done around the house. This will free up your time to do what ever you want (golf, study, read, enjoy life).
Services include but not limited too:
Cleaning, vacuuming, dishes, shopping. (Cooking is still your job) I will get what ever you need to cook with from the store.
Laundry, dog walking, gardening and anything else that is needed.”
These notes written in June 2006 show what I have wanted to do this for some time now. I have been thinking like an entrepreneur for a while. I think that it is time that I uses these ideas I have in one profit making business. I realized that my parents were busy people, who did not have a lot of time to do stuff like housework. Therefore, I offered to do it for profit (very low profit). If I can put everything together in the apartments that I own, I think that I could make some decent money.
I want to furnish all my apartments with my homemade furniture, and I am going to hire an employee do the room service. I know that when I am going to school I never have time to do laundry. This is why I want to start renting higher profit, shorter term. More like a hotel that you live in. The kinds of people that would need services like these will pay more in rent. They move into the apartment, which already has the furniture so they do not need to spend as much time moving. I am looking for this kind of clientele in the near future, people that will need these kinds of services. I believe that progressive ideas like these are the future of the service and home renting industries. Moreover, it is all going to be fair and beneficial to everyone.
Notes from June 15, 2006
“Mom,
Sorry, about the phone call at 11:15 last night. I have told people not to call after 10:30 and they don’t listen. I made it clear this time, so it wont happen again.
A am some what reluctant to ask but I need a few dollars for gas to get to work Thursday and Friday, but I don’t get paid until Friday. I don’t have anything until them. I feel really stupid.”
This note means so much to me. Here I was, working, and I still did not have enough money for gas. I had to beg for some gas money to go to work. I used to laugh with my friends that the amount of money that I made pre week was all spent on gas going to and from work. It really is not that funny. I spent all summer doing wage work and it got me nowhere. I am not going to do it anymore. I am going to work for myself and that is that.
Note: I worked at a Stewarts last fall, I opened for the store on the weekends, I was Not paid nearly enough for work I did. The store was totally in the ghetto, and for 6 months, I had to open the store at 3:30 am and work all by myself until 10 am. The job paid me $7/hr. I took in about $2,000 in cash every day I worked, and I only got about $50 a day. I had to leave because it was not worth my time. I realized then that my time is more valuable then that, and I really did not want to work at Stewarts again, it was hard work with no long-term benefits. This is why I want to be the owner.
From June 15th, 2006
“Mom,
I feel completely lost. I need you to support me and what I want. I am trying to work, but there are more important things too. I need to go to the city to visit Libby and to see my professor. These things are important to me.
All I am asking is that you support what is important to me. I understand that you need me to work, and that is important to you. But if you don’t support what important to me the I really lose my will to keep going. Out of everyone in the world, I need you the most to support me in what I need and want.”
How I ended up spending the rest of my summer:
Worked everyday and did not get anything for it.
For the first few weeks, I spent filling out applications and hoping that some one would call me back. It made me feel weak that I had to rely on someone, somewhere, sitting in a corporate office, looking at my application thinking ‘is this the right person for this job? Can this person make this company the most he can, without having to pay him too much?’
My first job I got this summer was working at Babbage’s. Because I was friends with the manager, he got me started on May 29 (job paid $6.75/hr, plus free videogames). Babbage’s is a corporation owned by Barnes and Nobles. They also own Game Stop, Funnco Land
Law of Karma
Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind...good actions brings good things. And when we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, the fruit of our karma is happiness and success.
These corporations will not stand forever. They are dooming themselves by taking too much profit for them selves. The employees of the world will someday take a stand and overthrow the corporations that have taken advantage of them for so long. If you do not believe that this will happen, take another look at what the law of karma is saying. I want to start a company that will last. A company that is fair to everyone, a company that is not trying to make as much profits as possible and run away with them. I want to make a fair business that will bring success and happiness and success to others. Corporations that take too much for themselves are not going to be rewarded with good karma. Where are all these profits going anyways? Do the people at the top really think that they can just take everything for themselves? Good luck to them, they are not going to last much longer…it is only a matter of time.
Why is it so hard for an educated, strong, competent white male to find decent summer work? Because there are not enough good jobs that pay a living wage. Now on to my second attempt at more employment. I got an interview at the Home Depot on June 21. My mom wrote me a note “Good luck today Dave! I love you, Mom” with that, I went to my first real interview of the summer. I had to drive to Queensbury (about an hour away) to the Home Depot that was looking for people. I arrived on time and I was looking good. I had the interview, and it went very well. However, I never got a call back from them. I did get a call back about a month later from the Home Depot in
So ended up working four jobs this summer, and I started the fifth one at the end of August. These last five jobs have taught me more then I have ever learned from anything other then 17 years of school. Now I have the know how, and the elbow grease, to lead this business venture of mine to success. I am ready to do this now.
The next section details everything that I plan to do to build a successful company. And as you read through the rest of the book,
THINK ABOUT IT
Think about if you were a client of mine, think about if you were an employee of mine, and think about if this plan makes economical and logical sense. Think if anyone could follow this plan to success.
Please think about if you think I CAN follow this plan to success. If so, do you want to help me? Is there anything that you can do to help this business? Are you sick and tired of multinational corporations stealing all the profit for the hard working employees of the world?
Tell me what you think! This book is only in its first edition. Fill out the comment sheet and get it out there. Be a thinker, and think about why it is so important THINK about work. What do you do for a living? Is it what you have always wanted to do? If you could, gets a new job doing what you always wanted to do just by thinking about it, would you do it?
Think about this…
Saint Theresa's prayer:“May today there be peace within.May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.”
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