I’m so grateful that I have low tolerance for hype, lies and a bunch of bologna type speeches that mislead people. It’s funny the kind of conversations you get access to by being in this industry, but I’ve been on the phone with several people this week who were a bit reluctant to talk about that 4 letter word, but were shocked when they heard my response..
BTW, that 4 letter word is W-O-R-K (i.e. A Job, A 9-to-5, Cubile Nation.. or whatever it is you want to call it)!!
Now this may be a very contradictory post coming from someone nicknamed “The Mailbox Money Queen”, and for those that know me personally, they know that I’ve always been “Anti-Job”……
However, as of late, I’ve had several people approach me in shame and guilt about their need to generate more income through a sufficient source, outside of an MLM or HBB, and they questioned themselves, thinking that they were “Selling Out”.
So brace yourself as this is going to be a heavily opinionated and touchy subject that may offend some and encourage others… but it’s a much needed conversation that we MUST HAVE.. so let’s go!
The Truth About Being An Entrepreneur
Running your own business can be daunting and extremely challenging. I’m an avid book reader and I just read a story last night about a man that spent 4 years working 6 days a week for 14-16 hour days, sacrificing everything they had, even cable, with months of less than $50 in the bank and the commitment to invest everything into his business, to see it succeed.
The beauty for him was that 4 years later, that business sold for $32 Million Dollars…..
Then theres the story of the guy who was sleeping in his car, committed to turning his pain into a playwright, devoting every penny he had into this dream, all to have no one show up to his first few plays.
His struggle went on for years, although today he’s worth $350 Million dollars and he has a household name that has become synonymous with bone tickling funny…. that man is Tyler Perry.
The other side of this story are those that have sacrificed it all out of ambition and pure hope that their great idea pans out. But just like Will Smith in the Pursuit of Happyness, they lose everything they had in a moments notice and found themselves on the street, literally!!
My point in sharing this is that in building a business, any business, it’s going to be a struggle. There’s going to be challenges, theres going to be hard times, theres going to be frustration and there’s definitely going to be a desire to give up….. but “if you have a specific focus that you’re working towards” and you know it’s a viable plan, then it can definitely be worth it in the end…….. or not!
If you’re just following other people and allowing them to tell you what you should want and allow them to sell you on their dreams, then you’re stepping into dangerous territory and yes, you’re definitely bound to fail!
My Journey Into The Dark Side….
I’ve been an entrepreneur from birth. I always won the contests for selling the most cookies as a brownie/girl scount (although my mom would buy most of them…lol).
I started selling candy at school at the age of 9, eventually nearly putting my student store out of business while in high school, and cashing in on those pledgees being hazed in college who would buy up all my candy supply during those midnight hours for their soon-to-be big soror sisters.
I’ve done the lemonade stands, baked cakes, sold jewelry, opened e-commerce stores, joined tons of MLM companies, became a Virtual Assistant, a consultant…. you name it, I’ve done it!!
I have to admit that I’m one of those extreme risk takers that is willing to try any and everything and no matter how empty my bank account is, I’ve never been one to worry about money, knowing that I could easily piece something together and get the bills paid.
HOWEVER………….EVERYONE ISN’T CUT FROM THIS TYPE OF FABRIC!!!
Considering that I’ve always been this way, having a job was never my forte. Yes, my first job was at Taco Bell, which I loved. And I went on to do tons of other jobs like temp services, waitressing, substitute teaching and even did a corporate internship while in college, but the corporate world and the structure never suited me well, despite being a college graduate.
I wasn’t sold on any of the corporate pipe dreams that the professors tried to sell us on, and I definitely wasn’t intrigued by the idea of climbing the corporate ladder.
Instead, I wanted to avoid a glass ceiling at all costs with a commitment to rebel against the “American way” and create my own path.
This caused me to be a foreigner to the “working world”, and considering that I was never really hurting for money (due to low overhead at the time), it allowed me to stay far away from clocking in to anyones 9 to 5 after graduating from college in 2000.
Having this type of background has caused me to inspire others to “forget your job and be your own boss”. I’ve always been the “influential friend” that will show you how you can walk on the moon without shoes, so I have been pretty forceful with thinking that everyone should work for themselves.
I confess that I shouldn’t have assumed that EVERYONE can be their own boss.
I was clueless that people NEEDED security, guarantees and a consistent paycheck.
I had no idea that people DIDN’T KNOW HOW to come up with money making ideas at the drop of a dime to rack up the money for the months bills before it was too late.
I didn’t realize that the average person PREFERRED consistent day to day activities, where they knew exactly what they were doing, when they were doing it and how it was supposed to be done UNTIL……..
Being married to my husband for a few years.
The Stranger In My Bed
You see, my husband is “that person”.
My Hubby & I enjoying the good times while at a restaurant in Jamaic
He wants guaranteed income, a consistent schedule, to know exactly how much money is coming in the door monthly to secure our overhead….and he prefers as less risk as possible.
He’s a calculated, analytical, cautious, count up the cost, I need guarantees kind of person.
No matter how much money I’ve brought through the doors, and how successful my “business ventures” have been… He rarely gets excited BECAUSE he knows that it’s just temporary.
He’s been with me through about 20 different businesses. He’s seen them come and go.
He’s seen money come and go. And he’s seen our lives jeopardized as a result of investing in poor decisions that cost us everything we had (i.e., our broke, bankrupt, homeless, on welfare story while we were pregnant with our first child Chloe).
He’s supported my $3,000 investments into a weekend seminar, my $10,000 expense for creating my own professionally done, studio created products.
He’s seen my 5 figure monthly checks.
He’s supported my travel all over the world to speak, host trainings and seminars and attend mastermind meetings.
He’s seen people flock to me at different events like I was some kind of superstar or something, while being interviewed, taking pictures and being the main speaker of events……
BUT… HE’S NOT IMPRESSED!!…… Why You Ask??
Because He’s seen me bounce tons of checks and watched our money get swallowed up in thousand upon thousands of dollars of overdraft fees.
He’s had to see us close numerous bank accounts because of them being too far in the red.
He’s seen the eviction notice threats.
He’s seen the repo man pull up to take the car.
He’s sat side by side with me in bankruptcy court.
He’s seen us lose on $80,000 Cash Investments in a matter of months.
He’s seen us acquire tons of properties, all to have the bank snatch them away.
He sat next to me in the Welfare office, with tears streaming down my face as we begged the government for assistance to help us with groceries.
He’s seen the bills pile up and the phone ring endlessly from bill collectors who were threatening us, while making him feel less of a man because he couldn’t get us out of the mess that I had created.
He’s had to humble himself and remove all ego and pride while we begged to stay with friends during a time when we had no where to go.
He’s slept with me on air mattresses and pull out couches.
He’s eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 3 times a day with me for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as Ramen Noodles.
He’s been there through it all, and doesn’t take for granted that things can change in the blink of an eye.
Why I Agree With My Husband
If you met my hubby, you’d see he is a very firm, stable and well managed man. He’s not emotional, he’s not moved by hype and he surely questions everything presented to him while combing the details with a fine tooth comb to make sure there’s no fishy business underneath the smoking mirrors.
My husband has been my refuge, safety net and rock in my various ventures, saving us from so many other heartaches that could have happened….. but didn’t because of him.
You see, my hubby is a man that works a job. He keeps stable income. He guarantees that we have Insurance. He ensures that if all my business ventures fail, he could still support our family without fail, and pick up the slack for the poor decisions that I’ve made.
My husband has opened my eyes in understanding the need for balance. The need for a strong financial support system.
The need to get over that emotional hump and be practical with having some type of stable income to support you while you chase after your dreams and millionaire fantasies.
But the truth is… not everyone has a spouse that they can rely on.
Most people may not have anyone to call on when in a rut.
I’ve been fortunate to have a mom and dad that I can borrow money from, have them invest in my pipe dreams and pat me on the back when I’m down.
BUT that isn’t the case for everyone, and even if it is, we still have to be more responsible with the decisions that we make to avoid the unnecessary pitfalls that arise when we don’t think ahead.
“It’s Time To Grow Up!”
Although I’ve been fortunate to have a great degree of success in various businesses, this is the word that I got from my Spirit about a year ago. I was burned out from running around and doing a gazillion things trying to maintain my income, and finally had a crash and burn moment.
In an instant of saying a little prayer about how I felt, and wondering how much longer I could maintain at this pace, I was given these words “Nicole, IT’S TIME TO GROW UP!” and I knew exactly what the Lord was saying to me.
You see, trying things is fine. Chasing after a dream is great BUT…. when you’re changing businesses every few months and your hopping from idea to idea every few hours without any stable focus then IT’S TIME TO GET A JOB.
The famous words of Jim Rohn are always replaying in my head and to this day, I repeat it profusely to myself. He said:
“Work Full Time On Your Job And Part Time On Your Fortune!”
I confess, I’ve been through a lot of business ventures and yes, they’ve been fun and adventurous and I wouldn’t trade my freedom for the world.
However, now that I have a daughter with a son on the way, and I’m being faced with private school tuition, ballet practice, gymnastics, piano lessons, swim lessons and the likes, I have less tolerance with goofing off money on a random idea in hopes of it “potentially” making me money.
I now crave stability. I prefer a set work schedule. I desire more consistency in my day to day activities. I want to have a time when I shut everything off and don’t think twice about work until the next work day.
I don’t want to be on the phone every 2 minutes, forced to cater to the needs of everyone else and willfully neglect my family. And I definitely want more stable and consistent income.
This doesn’t mean I’m racing out to get a job today, but it means that I’m personally scaling back from all the hype and latest shiny new toys to create a more stable and consistent means of a career.
I haven’t given up on my Millionaire Dreams, but I’m not going to try to do 20 different things in hopes of one leading me there.
I’m making more cautious and well thought out decisions.
I’m learning how to say “NO” to all the hype men that want to pump me up with “ground floor opportunities” and business ventures that don’t have solid guarantees and don’t provide a means of control for me to dictate the outcome.
I don’t want popularity and No Pay……..
I’m making decisions based on whether the things I put my energy into today will still be able to produce a lucrative income for me 5-10 years from now, rather than be a temporary source of income that will demand all of my time for the next 12 months.
I’m partnering with more corporate companies and businesses that are stable and solid, and providing services to them that I know they have the budget to pay for.
I’m now an advocate for why theres a need for a job.
I highly encourage people to get a solid income whether its a job or you providing some type of valid service that people are willing to pay for, while you choose to work on your business ventures on the side.
In Closing
There’s so much that I want to say about this topic, that I’m going to have to turn it into a series, but the bottom line is this……..
No you’re not a PUNK if you choose to go back to work. As a matter of fact, you’re showing a sense of responsibility for yourself and your family, while keeping the necessities that you have covered.
Stay Tuned for Part 2 of this subject next week.. as we’re going to have a lot of great things to discuss based on all the feedback I’ve been given on Facebook when posing this question. You can check out our discussion here, and feel free to add your input: http://www.facebook.com/nicscooper (You’ll see the discussion on my fb wall).
Please feel free to share your comments as I’d love to hear your feedback and input and may feature you in next weeks blog posts regarding this topic!
===>>>Click Here To Access Part 2 Of This Post: “Am I Sellout If I Go Back To Work Part 2!”<<<===
To Your Success,
11. February 2012
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