Birth of a Salesman

I'm a small business owner/entrepreneur. I've sold soap, vitamins and juices. I've written a screenplay, started and sold a coffee company and raised capital for an internet company that went bust. At the age of 8 I even sold ash from Mt. St. Helens. Hot commodity in Idaho. Around Portland where they were hauling it off in semis, not so much. All were incredible experiences. Some paid. Some didn't. I think it's fun. My wife thinks i'm crazy.

The whole point for me and most of the people I play with is that we believe in being in control of our financial future. Doing what we want went we want. Some family and friends can't imagine not having a steady check week to week, (with benni's). We can't imagine having a cap over our heads and the uncertainty of a retirement that might not be there when we "arrive." That doesn't mean that I haven't and won't fill out a W-2 if necessary. Pride won't keep me from providing for my family. It just means that if financial freedom is available and I get to own my time, why not!

When I was in high school my dad saw that it might be a stretch for me to graduate....so he enticed me with the proposition of a Harley if I indeed did make it across the stage. What's a peace lovin' long hair to do but put away his ski pass, study, and get his bad self a bike. Exactly! I studied enough of other peoples papers to get my easy rider ticket, (my diploma), and away I went.

I was a misdirected guy who wanted freedom, had a cool bike and no money to buy the gas necessary to get me where I wanted to go. That's a problem. That's when I figured I'd better figure something out. Long story short, I was introduced to a company that I was in long enough to get the entrepreneurial code permanently embedded in my DNA. I saw a fat man on stage with a U.S. Flag pin screaming freedom to twenty thousand soap toting, fresh breathed, circle drawing maniacs. And that was it. I was in baby.

Cool concept. Tough business. It seems too many over zealous people invited their friends over to do some grillin' and then coughed their enthusiasm on unsuspecting targets. Tends to create a negative image regardless of how good the company is. That particular company isn't for everyone and it wasn't for me. But the concept of passive income is.

I learned much from that experience. The books read, mindset gained has been truly transformational.

I went on to be full time in a vitamin business, trying to earn enough to fund the movie I had written the summer I met my wife. One thing led to another and the company went out of business. Not to be deterred, I rallied the troops and marketed an e-commerce company to much success. The addage 'zero to hero' fit well.

My wife and I went from having a foreclosure notice on our desk to making 50k A WEEK, in less than two months. That's what happens when someone who has more heart than talent meets timing. We ended up earning over 500k in six months when the company decided to pull the plug. From zero to hero to, get the picture. Take a mindset that knows how to earn it but not how to keep it and you've got a mad wife. At least I had part of the equation down.

That experience was priceless for me. I learned that it's true that what one man can do, another man can do. I learned that timing is like putting your earning potential on steroids and collapses the time it takes to earn in half or more. And, I learned that passive/residual income still eluded me. Fortunately I was lucky enough to be given a book that was logical, spoke to my heart and was applicable by anyone with drive.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki opened my eyes to the reality that passive income is not just a gift for vitamin and soap salesmen of the world and only possible by building multiple levels of thousands of people. It could be generated by the purchase of the right property at the right price with the correct terms. ONE HOUSE! I've had to build teams of hundreds of people to get the same passive income I can earn from the purchase of one house?! NOTE! There is a substantial difference in the level of risk between real estate and network marketing. I do both. Networking money buys real estate is a nice recipe.

I've spent the past few years learning all I could about real estate investing while growing my traditional small business to a profitability that sustains our household. My wife Angela went to real estate school and became an agent and now we are getting ready to go in bigger than ever in a market unlike any my generation has seen.

I heard that more millionaires came out of the great depression than any other time in history. In a time when the economy was on it's ear and massive change was on the horizon; men with vision and knowledge came in and created opportunity for themselves and there families and built generational wealth that is growing today. Again, offer services. Find a need and fill it. Buy low, sell high.

I see it happening right now with people I work with. See if this doesn't fit.

Service: Stop foreclosure for someone and save their credit. Help get them on their feet.

Find a need and fill it: Offer rental property at fair rents to the growing number of renters filling the market.

Buy low, sell high: Buy real estate now while prices are low, cashflow it with tenants and when the market rebounds in the years to come have equity in which to buy more.

On average, real estate doubles every ten years. If you bought in late 2005 and early 2006 as the market was peaking and still own, you might not be smiling right now. But, if you had owned homes already and sold in '05-'06, you would probably be pretty happy. I know people who did just that. They sold everything at the peak and are now buying while prices are low. Imagine if you had one or two rental properties in the next year. One or two next year and the market recovers. Do you think you might have some equity?

History repeats itself. It's not if, it's when. The market will rebound eventually and real estate will be the hot topic for the masses again. The tip is, it's a hot topic now for those in the know. There are many strategies for investing in real estate. The examples I gave are just a couple. A person needs to be educated on what fits them best and what makes the most sense.

I believe that if a person is looking for a way to create passive income, is looking for something they can do part or full time, network marketing and real estate is a perfect investment of time and focus. It's empowering knowledge that can be taught to our kids. It gives us true control over our financial future. It free's us up to do more of what we love.

With that, I'm off to cub scouts with my son. Then maybe to the Harley shop.

Cheers!