People often ask how I became a serial entrepreneur. I start to answer this by asking, “Could you use a pay raise?” Most people would answer yes to that question but would tell you there is little chance of it happening anytime soon. If I may confess that is what pushed me to be an entrepreneur.
When I first got hired out of college and realized I would basically be getting a 3% pay raise annually, assuming I did a great job, and for a B student at best, I did not like my odds. The reality of having to be great for the better part of a year or in my mind an A student to get a few extra dollars in my weekly check alarmed me. Each year if my report card did not meet my boss’s standard I could get no raise! Are you kidding me!
I also knew enough about money to know that a 3% raise was never going to be a lifestyle changer. That was the eye opener to the fact that I was officially on a fixed income. My income at the time was actually quite good compared to many of my friends who also recently graduated but the reality that my standard of living was somewhat cemented was not acceptable.
This jarred me into making the leap to starting and owning businesses. What has made me never look back was the very first week that more effort brought with it a much larger check – more like a 300% raise. That was the alarm bell and I have been addicted since. The next game changer that has made me a lifetime convert of entrepreneurship was when I trained others to do what I did and made that same large check without doing any of the work other then a little administration and organization.
