There’s too many ways to make money to do it miserably
Joined June 2020
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During these nightmare days if you’re lucky a couple employees roll their sleeves up and make shit happen for you
Those are people who change your life. It’s your duty to try and change theirs
And that’s how you slowly build culture
“Now boarding, Group D,” the PA announces, and you stand up to join the line for the 7am flight. You’re headed to Atlanta for your day job — you’ll be defending some anemic numbers to the executive team.
As you stand in line, your phone buzzes. It’s Ricardo — “Hey boss, the Isuzu won’t start, not sure what to do. We tried jumping it off the F-150, but no luck. Probably a bad starter.”
You step out of the boarding line. “Okay, does anyone on the team know how to replace a starter?”
“Sure, James probably can, but what do you want us to do today? We don’t have the parts to repair it right now.”
“Hang on, I’ll call you back.”
You open up your CRM on your phone — the one that took months to implement and just about killed your team — to look at the schedule. Ugh, today’s one of those multiple small job routes…5 little stops.
“Now boarding, Group E.”
You call the local truck rental shop, they confirm they have a landscaping truck available for $375 for the day, but not until 8am.
You confirm the rental, and text Ricardo the details. You tell him to just have the crew clean equipment to kill 30 minutes.
You message your scheduler Maria, asking her to reschedule the first client of the day, but that you’re expecting the crew will still get to the rest of the jobs.
Maria calls instead of texts. “Boss, I can’t reschedule the first client, that’s Mary Stevens. She already got rescheduled from last week, and she’s pissed.”
You sigh audibly. “Okay, how about you reschedule the last client of the day, and move Mary to that slot?”
“I think she has to be in the mornings, she’s told us that in the past.”
“Okay, let’s just reschedule the second client then and move Mary back by an hour.” Ricardo is calling you too now. “Gotta go, Ricardo is calling.”
“Now boarding, Group F.”
“Hey boss — James is saying he wants more money if you’re gonna have him do repair work too.”
You knead the bridge of your nose. “Can you tell him I’ll discuss that with him when I’m back in town on Friday?”
“I’m not sure boss, he seems kind of pissed off. You know how he gets.”
“Ricardo, I’m sorry but I have to get on this plane. Tell James I’ll call him later today when I land.”
“Final call for boarding flight 1247, service to Atlanta.”
You hustle back to the boarding line, which is now empty. The attendant scans your boarding pass, and smiles warmly. “Thank you for being a OneWorld Ruby flyer, we appreciate your loyalty.”
You do your best to smile back and then walk up the jetbridge. There’s no line anymore, so you go straight to your seat.
You call your local Isuzu dealer, but they’re not open yet. You leave a voicemail asking about they have the starter in stock, and if not, if they can order one.
The plane begins taxiing to the runway as the flight attendants do their safety briefings.
Maria texts — “Mary’s pissed, she said she wanted the first appointment of the day because she has a doctor’s appointment around 9:30am.”
You text back, “Apologize and tell her we’ll knock $100 off her work today.”
Ricardo calls again. “Boss, James is saying he’s not gonna work today unless you give him a $2 raise.”
“How are your numbers today? Can you make it worth without him?”
“I’m not sure boss…it’ll be a tough day.” You know Ricardo generally understates difficulty, so if he says it’ll be a tough day, it’s probably damn near impossible.
“Please turn off all devices or set to airplane mode at this time.”
“Okay Ricardo — tell him I’ll give him the $3 for this week, but we’ll discuss it in person when I’m back. We’re taking off now, so I’ll be off my phone until I can get on the WiFi.”
A text rolls in from your wife. “Hey — the school emailed, apparently Emmy has been getting disruptive in classes and the school wants us to come in to discuss. I’m going to schedule that for Friday, when you’re back. I know work has been brutal on both sides, but I need you to show up for this.”
You put your phone on airplane mode and close your eyes.
I have a lot of friends in finance who see me “working for myself” and want to do it too
1. I work underneath programs that are attached to huge corporations. You work for the corporation with a lot of autonomy. But not for yourself. This is easier and less risky though
2. Your business/finance skills mean little. Dealing with people is a different animal
3. The stress is enormous
4. I’ve seen enough that I personally cannot imagine taking on debt to buy a business. Best case ulcer, worst case bankruptcy. Those that succeed at it though please invite me to your beach house
5. If you really want your own thing I’d keep the job and start working on the side
6. If you’re even a little uncertain don’t do it. I really wanted it and even I almost quit 10 different times
We really got the lamest technological revolution. We got the iPhone and then 80 million apps to make you more addicted to it and now AI. Imagine getting cars, planes, and electricity
Best case scenario any of these businesses temporarily ruin your life while you figure it out
Worst case they permanently ruin your life
Good luck balancing it with the job
I feel bad for people who feel this way. CFB blows away the pros in every way
1. Pageantry
2. Fan passion is next level
3. The stars shine brighter (better players stand out more)
4. They’re just kids so wild things happen more frequently
I could go on. Pros just don’t compare
Nothing I love more than a local small business that’s so good they get away with being cash only
A local institution still in business being cash only in 2026 means you’re about to have the best sandwich of your life
I have worked in “own your own business” programs attached to large corporations
I bitched about changes enough until one of the reps said, “this is how it is. You can quit”
This is the truth Air Bnb owners need to grapple with. They’re the power, not you. Quit or roll with it
I went to this game today. Had a good time but man I am getting old. I just so prefer these things on TV now.
Still glad to do my part filling a seat as everyone melts down about Miami being good again. “Schedule! Stadium!” Let them cry
More of this content so the admin is shamed into building an on campus stadium or a small one close by
10k students an hour away just can’t make this monstrosity look good
Was sent this by a loyal follower who made the trip to Miami… wow #1 in the nation and a worse attendance than 3-9 Pitt… all these fans on twitter but none at the game 🤨
Buy a small business that uses the internet and install fax machines
I’m usually not this guy at all but are we just gonna let this company go public and make all these vampires giga rich?
The people most at risk of AI are those clinging to old world prestige jobs
Crush your ego. Embrace humility. You might need to do something a lot less glamorous to thrive going forward. It’s going to be okay
I pick my head up from work for the first time today and I find the internet is hacked and alchemy is real? Come on!
People tout RA as the best beginner friendly Amazon business model
And it is from the standpoint of larger margins, less competition, and less spend. Mistakes hurt less
But when you’re gated everything it is not efficient. Better off sniping A2A while getting ungated. RA after
If you’re wringing your hands being at $4m in your mid 30s you have a spiritual problem not a financial one
You need a good church more than you need to get to the next level
By all means go get $100m. Sounds fun and nothing wrong with that. But dont miss the point of money
