‘‘Entrepreneurs live a few years of their lives like most people won’t, so they can live the rest of their lives like most people can’t’’
Awesome quote.
How many guys here work for themselves?
You own a business?
What do you do?
Is it working?
Why do you do it?
What’s your goal?
What do you do?
I own a plastic house ware distribution company, starting a melamine tableware manufacture and design business in a few months and i’m currently having a website constructed that will hopefully take off quite quickly which some guys around here could use. (don’t worry mods not fitness realated)
Is it working?
Yes, considering how disrupted business has been over here because of the political situation we managed to survive and didn’t lose out. In less than 2 years we have pretty much infiltrated every supermarket and house ware shop in Egypt including the hyper market Carrefour.
Why do you do it?
Had a job since i was 16 until i was 22. I always excelled at whatever job i did. Kinda got bored of making a lot money for companies and getting no reward. Decided to do that shit for myself and make the money for myself. Involved moving countries and a lot of risk but i’m hoping it works outs.
The feeling you get when you work for yourself is strange, you want to work. I hate public holidays and vacations, just means i can’t do what i enjoy doing, and to be honest i think i have a problem with authority.
I didn’t work the rest of my life doing a 9-5 working for the weekend, and my only achievement being paying off a house over 25 years and killing myself to pay for my kids education.
What’s your goal?
Retire at 45
Houses in several countries.
Secure a future for my kids.
Own a yacht.
Happiness.
[quote]Marzouk wrote:
I didn’t work the rest of my life doing a 9-5 working for the weekend, and my only achievement being paying off a house over 25 years and killing myself to pay for my kids education.
[/quote]
THIS.
I’m weeks away from graduating University and I’ve held this belief since I was about 17 or so (similar time I got into lifting/read T-Nation/TC articles).
I’m most likely becoming a PT because I couldn’t be more against “working to retire” in the sense of doing something I don’t enjoy… I just couldn’t do it in my soul. But yes, I want to eventually run my own business (eventually fitness/nutrition related) and mainly, enjoy my life.
I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to make all of my 20s even better then my University experience, it would just be a waste of a life.
[quote]Marzouk wrote:
I didn’t work the rest of my life doing a 9-5 working for the weekend, and my only achievement being paying off a house over 25 years and killing myself to pay for my kids education.
[/quote]
THIS.
I’m weeks away from graduating University and I’ve held this belief since I was about 17 or so (similar time I got into lifting/read T-Nation/TC articles).
I’m most likely becoming a PT because I couldn’t be more against “working to retire” in the sense of doing something I don’t enjoy… I just couldn’t do it in my soul. But yes, I want to eventually run my own business (eventually fitness/nutrition related) and mainly, enjoy my life.
I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to make all of my 20s even better then my University experience, it would just be a waste of a life. [/quote]
Its good having the drive, what really pushes you is having the fear…
Good luck with whatever you do.
I understand 90% of people don’t think like us and some people are just happy having a job, being able to feed their family and being warm at night.
And without these people the world wouldn’t turn.
For me i’ve had the ‘Drive’ since i can remember. In high school i was voted most liekly to be a millionaire, not there yet but sure as hell will be one day.
The way i see it when i look at successful business men is, ‘if they can, i can’.
Not one yet but I’m trying very hard to figure out how I can turn some coin in this small, black hole of a location where I live. The problem isn’t finding an opportunity or implementing it, it’s making that opportunity grow into something concrete.
Back in high school I figured two great opportunities were realistically viable locally. 1) a supplement shop where the only competitor was some over priced mom and dad store who put a 20% markup on RRP (started a backyard one with a friend which was took off but wasn’t mine - and never really grew after I pulled out), 2) a 24 hour gym targeting the younger generations.
Unfortunately both have popped up before I could get any kind of capital together to make it my own venture.
I’ve got a few ideas but wondering whether or not I should put all my eggs into one basket (what I perceive to be the most legit venture) or whether I should break it down to a few smaller ventures and go from there? Just to start out and then focus on the most viable option?
[quote]Teledin wrote:
Not one yet but I’m trying very hard to figure out how I can turn some coin in this small, black hole of a location where I live. The problem isn’t finding an opportunity or implementing it, it’s making that opportunity grow into something concrete.
Back in high school I figured two great opportunities were realistically viable locally. 1) a supplement shop where the only competitor was some over priced mom and dad store who put a 20% markup on RRP (started a backyard one with a friend which was took off but wasn’t mine - and never really grew after I pulled out), 2) a 24 hour gym targeting the younger generations.
Unfortunately both have popped up before I could get any kind of capital together to make it my own venture.
I’ve got a few ideas but wondering whether or not I should put all my eggs into one basket (what I perceive to be the most legit venture) or whether I should break it down to a few smaller ventures and go from there? Just to start out and then focus on the most viable option?[/quote]
TBH my advice would be to make a success of ONE thing to start, get it going to a point where it doesnt need 100% of your time to keep turning over. well trained staff and people you can trust. Obviously you’ll still have a close eye on everything. Then start on new projects.
If you spread yourself to thin from the get go, things will slip and start to get on top of you and you could easily fail.
My first business has been running for 18 months now, kinda smoothly. it takes around 80% of my attention at the moment, but i know i can fit my new projects into my schedule so i’m going for it. Just hope it works out!
How many guys here work for themselves?
No, even if I pay myself, ultimately someone has to pay me to pay myself. Unless you’re investing for a living.
You own a business?
Yes. Two.
What do you do?
Several things. I have a grind job, supervise a group of big-rig drivers. Another is a partnership/consult group (marketing, finance, and economics), and the other is something that takes up the majority of my time mid-day Saturday: wholesale cooking. I also just took equity into a local sammich shop with a friend of mine as an advisor in the realm of financial issues/investor relations.
Is it working?
Yes, I work very hard.
Why do you do it?
Because minimum wage is not enough. And, I’m half-way competent at this stuff.
What’s your goal?
Big family and balanced life of prayer, work, and play.
I’m of the mentality that I’d rather die than slave the rest of my years working 9 to 5. The problem is that I don’t have something to channel my efforts into. It’s not like I have not thought about it; it’s been nearly the only thing I’ve thought about since my last year of high school started. I’m kind of just wondering what was the reason you guys decided to do what you do instead of something else.
[quote]IFlashBack wrote:
I’m of the mentality that I’d rather die than slave the rest of my years working 9 to 5. The problem is that I don’t have something to channel my efforts into. It’s not like I have not thought about it; it’s been nearly the only thing I’ve thought about since my last year of high school started. I’m kind of just wondering what was the reason you guys decided to do what you do instead of something else. [/quote]
Opportunity, more interesting than what I can do working for someone at an hourly rate. I work a straight 30 hours a week (I go to school I can’t work full time).
Working for yourself is harder than working for someone else’s business.
Most of my buddies that have started to work for themselves work more than people who work for someone else. You need serious time management and delegation skills to work for yourself*.
What skills do you have?
*Most of my buddies who have kids work far less, their businesses also usually improve because they focus on what they need to do first.
I’m currently in the process of setting up my own business, it’s been insanely labour intensive and not terribly cheap. I’m sure it will all pay off over the next few years though, I hired a consultant to do a lot of the stuff I’m not great at and that has paid off in spades!
I learned a little from a vet who did his own horses. Interesting work. Seems it would be fun for a bit.[/quote]
Hard work and you can only make as much as you can physically do yourself. Not a lucrative career. Depending on where you live you can do well, relatively speaking, if your craftsmanship, experience and reputation becomes very good. You’d better have a spouse with a “regular” job though to help supplement the slow months and provide health insurance and benefits.[/quote]
Yeah, that’s the for a bit part. My dad slapped me on the back of the head and told me to go to college. He’d done it before becoming a horse trainer.