I was having an argument with my son a few weeks ago. He was complaining that there is no freedom in the US to make your fortune today. I had to call bullshit on this claim.
Within the last 20 years I started my business, when I did I started with nothing, no clients no supplies just an idea and some skills and some room on a HELOC. I have been reasonably successful. I also work with clients who have started their companies and been successful. Is it easy? Hell, no it takes a tremendous amount of work, focus and dedication. Especially when you are just getting started.
This is why being you own boss is not for everyone. Some do not have the drive; others rather take the easy path of wage slave.
When I was a wage slave, because of restructurings, purchases, or poor management, every time I had a child a job was lost. So, I finally stopped having kids and created my own job.
It has been the best thing I could ever have done. I would never have made it to Europe as a wage slave.
I have had conversations with bankers and found out that entrepreneurial immigrants tend to flock to franchises, to ease discrimination, and they succeed through hard work.
So, my son backed down a bit, he wasn’t fully convinced. He tried to argue that was long ago and the world is different now. I explained again that I have clients who just incorporated a year ago are growing, slowly but growing.
I argued his generation, may just not have the patience and skills to be an entrepreneur, it takes hard work, real hands on hard work. In the business world they are not special, they are just one or many doing the same thing. They have to find a way to make their work stand out to be special.
Yes, I believe that a business started today can succeed. There are more tolls to help it today, that were not available 20 years ago. Think social media, thousands of companies use these tools to get their messages out to thousands.
I still don’t think I convinced him…