Author: Jeet Banerjee

Jeet Banerjee is a 24 year old serial entrepreneur, author, digital marketing consultant, and public speaker. In his young career, Jeet has launched several different companies, written two books, and has helped many businesses make more money from the internet. He strives to create the next big tech company and give back to the world in the best way possible.

5 Signs You’re A Young Hustler

In this article, I share 5 signs that you’re a young hustler. I officially became an entrepreneur at the age of 9 when I launched my first website. From there, I would go on to do many other small things to make money at a young age.

 

The word ‘hustler’ has a negative connotation to many mostly because of the way media conveys that word. However, to me ‘hustler’ is a very positive word. It represents an individual who goes after what they want regardless of what it takes.

 

 

I officially became a businessman at 17 when I started my first company. However, I had signs that I was a young hustler well before that. I sought out various opportunities and capitalized on them starting from the age of 13.

 

 

At 13, I found a way to earn coins easily on a game and decided to make a business out of it. The game was selling these coins at $40 for every 1 million coins, so I decided to start my own ‘underground’ business of selling coins at $30 for every 1 million coins.

 

 

In high school, I would sell candy and other random items to make a little bit of cash. Both of these ventures only worked for so long, but it was an eye-opener for me.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share 5 signs you’re a young hustler.

 

 

1. You’re A Rule Breaker

 

Ever since I can remember, I hated rules. I would do whatever it took to break the rules so that I would have the upper hand in everything I did. Young hustlers typically do NOT care for the rules.

 

 

If you’re frustrated with the rules and are constantly finding ways to get around them, that’s a big sign. Self-starters are usually people who would rather create their own rules instead of following them.

 

 

2. You Love Taking Risks

 

Creating your own venture or starting your own business is a huge risk on its own. If you have always lived for taking risks, it might be a strong sign that you’re a young hustler.

 

 

You cannot be successful as an entrepreneur unless you take a couple of risks. It doesn’t matter what the risk is, but you must live a little on the dangerous side in order to capitalize on things.

 

 

3. You Create Your Own Opportunities

 

Growing up, I hated being patient. Adults used to dislike that a lot, but I realized it help me a lot with who I am today. Entrepreneurs are people who create their own opportunities instead of sitting around waiting for one to come.

 

 

If you’re constantly looking for angles to make money or to capitalize on a specific opportunity, that’s a huge sign that you’re a young hustler. The more creative and innovative you are, the better your chances for success will be.

 

 

4. You’re Very Curious

 

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. I remember being extremely inquisitive growing up. I always had questions and wanted to know the answer to something always.

 

 

Curiosity is a great trait for entrepreneurs. It shows a desire to learn and investigate, which is something successful individuals must do. Don’t let people criticize you if you end up asking a lot of question because that’s a great thing. 

 

 

5. You’re Extremely Competitive

 

Most people who know me know that I’m extremely competitive in whatever I do. I hate losing. Being competitive is a big sign that you’re a young hustler.

 

 

Being competitive means trying to be the best at whatever it is that you do. As an entrepreneur, your competitive attitude can be the difference between success or failure.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared the 5 signs you’re a young hustler. Feel free to share some signs you saw in the comments below.

 

 

photo credit: Exotic Car Life via photopin cc

 

5 Signs You Really Need To Quit Your Job

In this article, I share 5 signs you really need to quit you job. I draw from my personal experiences and the discoveries I have by talking with others to write this post.

 

At the ripe age of 15, my father walked into my room one day and told me you have to get a job. I put down my headphones, paused the game I was playing and gave him a perplexed look.

 

 

He said, “All those games I’ve been buying for you and all that money I’ve given you to go out with friends isn’t going to come from me anymore. It’s time you learned the value of a dollar.” That was it.

 

 

The next couple weeks were followed by me looking for a job. Between the ages of 15 to 17, I worked more jobs than the usual teenager did. I did sales, project management, customer service, tutoring, coaching, billing, telemarketing, and just about any other odd job that would hire me.

 

 

I would last a month or two at each of these jobs before quitting. This pattern continued throughout those two years and I finally realized that something wasn’t right. I couldn’t possibly try every single job in numerous different fields only to hate every single one of them equally.

 

 

It was at this moment I realized that I hated the whole idea of working a job. It wasn’t for me and I had to find a new career path. From there, I jumped into entrepreneurship and found a career I love.

 

 

In this article, I share 5 signs you really need to quit your job:

 

 

1. The Whole Experience Is Toxic

 

When I worked jobs, I dreaded the commute to the establishment and I counted down every single minute until I was free. I felt like a prisoner and these were some really toxic conditions.

 

 

If you totally dislike going to work, being at work and cannot wait to get out, it’s a sign that you really should quit your job. Your quality of life can be improved dramatically if you decide to work on something that will actually make you feel good.

 

 

2. Your Heart Is Somewhere Else

 

You may physically be at the place of work, but your heart and mind are really somewhere else. If this is the case, working a job isn’t for you. When I worked those mundane jobs, I was constantly daydreaming about other things.

 

 

Listen to your instincts. If you do what you love, money will always come. It’s worth taking the risk to do something meaningful that will make you happy for the rest of your life. Don’t force yourself to work a job that isn’t right for you.

 

 

3. You Don’t Feel Appreciated

 

Being appreciated and getting respect from your co-workers and bosses is extremely crucial for a healthy relationship in the workplace. If people do not appreciate the services and work you do for their organization, you have no reason being there.

 

 

I remember coming up with really creative ideas at a specific job, but not getting my voice heard. I would try sharing it with my bosses or managers and they would simply ignore me as if I didn’t exist. If you don’t have an active voice and role in the organization, it’s a sign you should move on.

 

 

4. You Think You Can Do Better

 

Do not EVER limit yourself. If you feel that you can get a better job or do something superior, do it!

 

 

Do not let fear hold you down from achieving your full potential. Not only must you think limitless thoughts, but you must act on these thoughts limitlessly as well. If you think you can do better, you’ll never know unless you try.

 

 

5. You Don’t Learn Anything

 

Every day is successful one if I go to bed knowing a little bit more than I did the day before. If you’re working at a job where you do not learn anything new, it’s really time for a change. Let me explain why.

 

 

A relationship between an employee and a company goes far beyond just a paycheck being exchanged for time. Employers are expected to create strong culture, help their employees learn and to foster growth in the workplace. If you aren’t constantly evolving with your job, you’re going to be screwed 10 years from now.

 

 

Conclusion

 

For all the dreamers out there, this article is targeted to you. I recently delivered a TEDx talk asking the important question – If not now, when? In this article, I shared 5 signs you really need to quit you job!

 

 

photo credit: katiew via photopin cc

 

 

How To Learn A New Skill Quickly

I have truly learned that the best skill is the one where you master your ability to learn. In this article, I share how to learn a new skill quickly.

 

When I decided to start my first business, I was 17 years old and still in high school. I went to a public school and I never really had any formal experience with starting a business.

 

 

As you can imagine, I had to learn a bunch of new things really quickly if I wanted to be successful. Lucky for me, I had two things going for me. I was a really good self-educator and I could pick up things fast.

 

 

Many people have wondered how I’ve been able to learn so many different things in such a short period of time. I never realized it, but one of the best skills I have mastered is learning to learn.

 

 

In this article, I share my tips on how to learn a new skill quickly:

 

 

Break It Down

 

In 3 months, I had taught myself how to do search engine optimization for Google, Yahoo & Bing. I had no prior background to this, but realized that this was a service my customers really wanted.

 

 

Before you can master any skill, you must break it all down. Categorize the various elements of your learning into different jars. You’ll want to have various jars for each level of learning you must do. For example, level one may be fundamentals/basics for something.

 

 

You need to have a clear understanding of what you must learn in order to successfully master a skill. You want to categorize each of the skills into different jars based on difficulty and level of importance.

 

 

You need to ask yourself what the very minimum you must learn before you can start implementing or taking action. Once you’ve engulfed all the knowledge from those jars and created a segmented plan of what goes into mastering this skill, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

 

 

Apply It

 

It’s one thing to memorize something, but it’s a whole another thing to implement it. One of the biggest issues I have with college is that curriculums and classes are focused around memorization instead of implementation.

 

 

Once you have the fundamentals down, you’re ready to take action. As you apply your skills, you’ll quickly hit a bunch of roadblocks. Each obstacle may require you to learn something new about this skill in order to get past it.

 

 

Do not look at this as a negative thing, but rather as a positive thing. I have found this to be the quickest way of learning. It’s hard to learn about something from A to Z when you don’t know exactly what you’re going to need to know.

 

 

By applying your skill, you quickly figure out the lessons that are more important than others. You get to learn on the fly, but you’re guaranteed to actually learn something since you won’t be able to get past the roadblock until you implement it.

 

 

Sequence It

 

Once you start applying your skills, you quickly learn what items are of greater importance to you. Everyone uses skills differently and must learn various areas of a craft. Instead of learning everything from A to Z, you get to sample the playing field a bit by applying yourself.

 

 

Now you have a better idea of what things you really need to learn and in what order. Sequence your jars so you can create a lesson plan for yourself on what you need to learn.

 

 

Do not stop implementing or taking action to just learn. You learn by doing and that’s the quickest way to master a craft. Continue trying your best to apply the skill and only stop when you’ve hit a roadblock.

 

 

Practice It

 

Just like anything, the more you practice something, the better you will become. You can’t expect to be renowned at a skill immediately after picking it up. You need to constantly practice and improve yourself.

 

 

When I started learning SEO, I began working on my own sites. However, I knew I had to raise the stakes if I really wanted to master this skill while getting some practice. I started offering SEO as a service to my clients at a heavily discounted rate.

 

 

The stakes were officially raised. I was now responsible for delivering a service to my clients while I had the opportunity to practice and sharpen up my skills along the way. I believe that pressure is the greatest teacher because failure doesn’t become an option at that point.

 

 

Conclusion

 

By applying this simple 4-step process, I have been able to master a handful of new skills over the years. In this article, I shared my tips for how to learn a new skill quickly!

 

 

photo credit: Jan Tik via photopin cc

 

The 5 Things You Must Do Before Putting Your Ideas Into Action

In this article, I share 5 things you must do before putting your ideas into action. We’ve all had that great idea, but executing on them are much harder.

 

You have a great idea and your mind starts running wild. You don’t know what you’re exactly supposed to do, but you know you have to do something.

 

 

I’ve been there in that exact position many times. The first couple times, I screwed up horribly. However, I learned some valuable lessons of things you should and shouldn’t do when you have that great idea.

 

 

These lessons have carried over and allowed me to turn many of my recent ideas into successful ventures. In this article, I share the 5 things you must do before putting your ideas into action:

 

 

1. Educate Yourself

 

Chances are, you don’t know everything about the market or industry for which your ideas resides in. Take some time to really learn about some key things:

 

 

– The major influencers

 

– The major companies in the space

 

– Trends from the last 5-10 years

 

– What the future seems to be like

 

 

It’s crucial to understand these things before diving into your business ideas. The more educated you are about the obstacles and challenges you will face, the more prepared you will be.

 

 

2. Survey Your Target Market 

 

When I started my second company StatFuse, we thought we were on to something brilliant. We decided not to tell a single person about our ideas and we ran to patent attorneys all over Orange County.

 

 

We then decided to get a patent on our idea and invested almost $6,000 to do so. This all took place because we were terrified of someone else taking our ‘brilliant’ idea. Fast-forward to today and I can tell you that getting a patent that early was one of the biggest mistakes we made.

 

 

An idea is just a thought, anyone can have them. It’s not the first person with the idea that wins, but rather the person who executes that idea the best. You HAVE to learn about your audience and your market.

 

 

The only way you can do this is by literally going out and surveying people you would consider your target audience. Ask them questions and get feedback on your ideas. Your customers may not be thinking the same way that you are.

 

 

3. Draw Out What You Want To Create

 

Depending on the type of business you are trying to create, it’s great to map out exactly what you want to build. When we build websites or apps, one of the first things we start doing are the wireframes for the project.

 

 

It’s one thing to have thoughts floating around in your mind, but it’s extremely helpful to visualize your project on paper. You’ll notice flaws, corrections and discoveries that will save you a lot of headache in the long-run.

 

 

4. Understand The Needs Of The Business

 

In order to put your ideas into action, there are always needs that must be fulfilled. When I want to build a mobile application, my immediate need is finding an app developer who can build out the product since I’m more on the marketing and business side of things.

 

 

It’s crucial to understand what needs must be taken care of for your idea to successfully be put into action. Then, figure out how you want to fulfill that need. Do you want to pay someone out of pocket? Do you want to outsource? Do you want to bring on a partner for equity?

 

 

When you have a clear understanding of what you want to do, it’s a lot easier to sell your vision to others. Take your ideas and strategy to others to see how you can quickly put your idea into action.

 

 

5. Be Realistic

 

We’ve all had that amazing idea that we thought would be worth a million bucks. I’m all about dreaming big, but you have to be realistic as an entrepreneur. I always love to say that entrepreneurs have to be the most unrealistic realist ever.

 

 

What I mean by that is that you have to think and dream big while being extremely real about the situation at hand. Everyone hates to see that person who forecasts their 12 month revenue to be $10 million but has no actionable plan of getting it there.

 

 

Just because there are 10 million potential customers in a certain market does NOT mean 10% of those people will come and buy your product. You need to look at the growth curves and trends of competing businesses in the space.

 

 

If you plan on hacking growth, come up with a plan on exactly how. Don’t make projections based on what percentage of the market share you think you’ll capture or based on how large your market is.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared the 5 things you must do before putting your ideas into action. Do you have any other suggestions for entrepreneurs just starting out?

 

 

photo credit: nhuisman via photopin cc

 

 

7 Tidbits Of Advice I Wish Someone Gave Me When I Was Younger

In this article, I share 7 tidbits of advice I wish someone gave me when I was younger. These pieces of advice would have helped me greatly had I known them at a younger age.

 

When you are opened up to the possibilities of what the world has to offer, your thoughts become limitless. Once I found out about entrepreneurship, I had hundreds of ideas running wild inside of my mind.

 

 

Believe it or not, I constantly wish that I had started 4 or 5 years earlier than I did. I started my journey as an entrepreneur at 17. Today, I’m only 21 and many people tell me that I’m so fortunate to have found this path at such a young age.

 

 

However, every entrepreneur wishes they had started earlier. That holds true for even me. Through the last 4 years, I’ve experienced and learned a lot.

 

 

In this article, I shared 7 tidbits of advice I wish someone gave me when I was younger.

 

 

1. Read About Things You Enjoy

 

Growing up, I hated reading mainly because the books were forced upon me. I didn’t have much say in what I could or couldn’t read since the curriculums at my school had created this list for me.

 

 

Looking back, I could have learned so many valuable things if I had read more. I would tell my younger self to go to the local library and pick up books that were of interest to me. I’d forget all about the schools curriculum and just read about things that I could learn from.

 

 

2. Don’t Let Doubt or Fear Kill Your Dreams 

 

Growing up, I didn’t always take a risk or do something out of my comfort zone. There were many reasons for it such as fear or a lack of confidence.

 

 

However, I now know that the biggest regret is not taking the risk at all. I would go back in time and experience the things I was too scared to do. Every experience is unique and can provide something valuable.

 

 

3. Take Action

 

Growing up, I had ideas of my own. 17 wasn’t the age when I had my first entrepreneurial idea, they dated back to the time I was 9. However, different reasons limited me from taking action.

 

 

I shared some of the excuses people make, which hold them back from achieving their dreams in my TEDx talk. I now understand that you have to take massive action on your ideas. As long as you try your best and have fun doing it, nothing else matters.

 

 

4. Surround Yourself With Smart People

 

I didn’t always make the best decisions growing up. I often hung out with trouble-makers who in return caused me to get in a lot of trouble of my own. Needless to say, I wish I had known that the people you hangout with matter a lot.

 

 

I would tell myself to surround myself with intelligent people who would motivate me and inspire me to do more. After becoming an entrepreneur, I surrounded myself with other likeminded individuals who have challenged me and helped me in more ways than one.

 

 

5. Follow the Path You Want 

 

My younger self was constantly in a struggle between my teachers and parents. My parents wanted one thing and my teachers wanted another while I had zero say in my life.

 

 

Instead of trying to create my own path, I was stuck following someone else’s. Worst of all, I didn’t try to change that. I decided to half-ass my way through life hoping for the best. Looking back, I now know that it is important to truly do what you want.

 

 

6. Don’t Stop Growing

 

Growth is just like learning. It never stops and the moment you stop, something will go wrong. As a young person, growth is the most important tool you can utilize to better yourself.

 

 

Looking back, I wish I had constantly pushed myself to grow and become better from each experience. It’s hard to do when you’re young, but every moment is an opportunity to become a better person.

 

 

7. Time Is The Greatest Currency

 

I believed from a young age that money was the greatest currency and that it was also very important to have. This stemmed from the beliefs my parents held as well as the general chatter that you would hear from others.

 

 

However, I have now realized that time is the greatest currency. You can always get more money, but you cannot recover lost time. Make the best of every minute that you have in life!

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 7 tidbits of advice I wish someone gave me when I was younger. What would you tell your younger self?

 

 

photo credit: ArloMagicMan via photopin cc

 

What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From WhatsApps $19 Billion Acquisition

In this article, I discuss what entrepreneurs can learn from WhatsApps $19 billion acquisition. There are a lot of valuable lessons that can be learned from this massive acquisition made by Facebook.

 

The BIG news from yesterday has been the insane fact that Facebook purchased WhatsApp for $19 billion. Yeah, you heard that right. That’s 19 Instagrams and Instagram was a whole lot of money on its own.

 

 

There are a lot of factors that specifically made WhatsApp so successful. Not only that, but entrepreneurs can learn so much from the founders and the success of their startup.

 

 

In this article, I share what entrepreneurs can learn from WhatsApps $19 billion acquisition:

 

 

Rejection Is The Best Motivation

 

One of the co-founders Jan Koum applied for jobs at Facebook & Twitter. Believe it or not, both of these companies rejected him. Instead of paying him a 6 figure salary, they are buying him out for 11 figures.

 

 

As an entrepreneur, you have to take rejection as a positive. Use that to fuel you towards your goals and successes. Jan could have easily gave up when these companies rejected him, but he decided to keep pushing forward.

 

 

He was determined to show the world that he did have value. As you can see, he created one of the largest messaging platforms in the world that Facebook just paid massive amounts of money for.

 

 

Embrace The Struggle

 

Jan came to this country as a teenager as an immigrant with his family. His family wasn’t wealthy by any standards and he quickly learned the meaning of hard work. Entrepreneurs must learn to embrace the struggle.

 

 

Because Jan felt the lows of life, he had tremendous amount of determination to create a better future for himself. Life isn’t about playing strong hands, it’s about playing weak hands extremely well.

 

 

You Don’t Need Money To Market Your Startup

 

People constantly are under this belief that they need a large amount of money to get tons of visibility towards their startup. I have built my startups without spending any money on marketing and WhatsApp did just the same thing.

 

 

They have over 400 million active users, but they have not spent a single dollar to acquire these users. Instead, their money is used on hiring really good employees that can support their infrastructure.

 

 

If you’re able to think outside the box and come up with creative ideas of your own, you do NOT need money to market your business. Just remember, there’s always a better way to get something done.

 

 

Quality Trumps Quantity

 

You cannot build a startup focusing on acquiring as many users as you possibly can. That’s completely the wrong approach. You must create a product of quality that your users will love and engage with on a regular basis.

 

 

More than 70% of the 400 million active users would log on to WhatsApp every single day. That’s amazing engagement and a huge stream of recurring users that are using their application every single day.

 

 

Instagram did the same thing and got a massive payout for doing so. It’s not about revenue or making a ton of money. It’s about building a brilliant product that has a positive impact in the lives of your users.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared what entrepreneurs can learn from WhatsApps $19 billion acquisition by Facebook. What have you learned from this company?

 

 

 

6 Qualities That Separate The Successful From The Lucky

In this article, I share 6 qualities that separate the successful from the lucky. From seeing numerous solely rely on luck to guide them to success, I decided to write this article to share my perspective on this topic.

 

There is always a lot of chatter about how successful people are just flat out lucky. While luck can play a small role in someones success, I do not think someone can be successful by just being lucky.

 

 

Not only that, but you shouldn’t be waiting for luck to determine your fate. You should be determining your own fate by putting in the time and hours necessary to achieve the success you desire.

 

 

In this article, I share 6 qualities that separate the successful from the lucky:

 

 

1. They Work Very Hard

 

The harder you work, the luckier you get. Instead of waiting on some good luck to take you where you want to be, put your head down and work hard. Successful people understand they must work extremely hard if they want to accomplish their goals.

 

 

Lucky people do not work hard. They try getting by with the bare minimum hoping luck will come and save the day. To be successful, you do not even consider luck as a factor in your journey. You put in as much effort as you can every single day and let hard work guide you towards success.

 

 

2. They Are Self Educated

 

Successful people understand that learning never stops. Just because you finished school or graduated with a fancy degree does not mean you know everything. To be successful, you have to constantly educate yourself about various things.

 

 

Lucky people will wait for success to be handed to them. Thus, they ignore important things such as educating themselves once they do graduate from college. To be successful, you need to constantly learn and adapt to the world around you.

 

 

3. They Put Themselves In Front Of Opportunity 

 

People seeking luck are extremely patient. They wish on stars and wait for something great to happen instead of trying to make it happen. Successful people on the other hand are constantly doing something to put themselves in a better position.

 

 

Successful people are very good networkers. They constantly meet new people and connect with others. By doing this, they are constantly presenting themselves in front of different opportunities. It only takes one person to change your life.

 

 

4. They Are Persistent

 

The easiest thing to do is to quit when things don’t go your way. Most people do this and hope for the best moving forward. However, the most reputable people in the world today hold that honor because they refused to quit when things got tough.

 

 

Failure does not define you or your business. It’s just an event, something that happens at a certain time and place. As long as you get back up and try again, you are not failing. Successful people are persistent and see their visions out until the very end.

 

 

5. They Take Massive Action

 

To be successful, you must be doing something. Thus, those who take massive action and act on their ideas end up being far more successful than those who do not.

 

 

Lucky people on the other hand take a very long time to decide on whether or not they should take action. They often decide to wait for something good to happen so that they may not ever have to take action. That’s a very wrong mindset to have. To be successful, you must take massive action.

 

 

6. They Are Hungry

 

Successful people start off with a sort of hunger that is rare to find. Whether it’s the fact that they’ve been poor or dissatisfied with the way something works, they have a driving force behind them.

 

 

Lucky people typically don’t have that desire or hunger to succeed. They think it would be great if it happened to them, but they’re mainly driven by the desire to amass more wealth. Successful people on the other hand have a deeper purpose than money that carries their dreams forward.

 

 

Conclusion

 

There is nothing wrong with being lucky. There is a lot wrong with relying solely on luck to find success. In this article, I shared 6 qualities that separate the successful from the lucky.

 

 

photo credit: Tiago Daniel via photopin cc

 

Droid Mini Review

In this article, I sit down with the latest tech gadget that I received. I provide the prone and cons of the Droid Mini with this in-depth review.

 

I recently got hooked up with a Droid Mini phone to check out. As always, I’ve been loyal to the iPhone but I often get technology items sent over to me so that I can review them.

 

 

I’m a huge tech enthusiast and fan of technology so checking this phone out was an honor. After using the phone and going through the motions, I had to say I was extremely impressed with the device.

 

 

The pros of the phone were as follows:

 

– Long battery life

 

– Extremely fast processing speed (really surprised me)

 

– Many advanced features that most Android devices don’t have

 

– Slick design

 

 

 

All in all, I was extremely impressed with the phone and what it could do for me. If you have Verizon and are looking for a new phone to upgrade to, take a deeper look into the Droid Mini.

 

 

You’ll be surprised what you’ll find!

 

5 Steps For Achieving Financial Freedom

I set a big goal for myself two years ago. I told myself I would be financially free by the time I’m 25. In order to do so, it requires a lot of work. In this article, I share 5 steps for achieving financial freedom in your life.

 

2 years ago, I set a hefty goal for myself. The goal was very simple. I wanted to be financially free before my 25th birthday.

 

 

Everyone has their own definition of financial freedom. My definition again was very simple. I wanted to live a comfortable life where money wasn’t an object in any of my purchasing decisions.

 

 

Saying I’m going to achieve financial freedom is one thing, but doing it is a lot harder. I knew I had to strategize and create a plan if I wanted to fulfill my goal. I decided to find help.

 

 

I started talking to other wealthy individuals who were able to achieve financial freedom at a young age. I asked them simple questions such as what strategies they used and what they would recommend to me.

 

 

In this article, I share 5 strategies for achieving financial freedom:

 

 

Step 1: Create Passivity 

 

When I first set this goal, I had absolutely no passive income. I was working my ass off every month making sure I had enough money for the month after. Ironically, everyone I spoke to told me the same thing.

 

 

They said that I had to create a source of passive income that would take care of me each month without taking up too much of my time. I came up with a number (the amount of money I needed each month to live/survive) and set that as my goal.

 

 

Once I had that number, I knew what the minimum amount of passive income I had to be generating. After that, I had to work on increasing my passive income up to that number for the next few months. Remember, time is the most valuable commodity you have!

 

 

Step 2: Build The Big One 

 

Once you’re able to meet your bare minimum needs on a monthly basis, it’s time to shoot for the stars. In the world we live in today, $1 million is probably not enough for you to achieve financial independence for the rest of your life.

 

 

That number has increased due to inflation and a number of other things. The second step is to work on a project that has large potential. For me, it was working on my startup companies that I believe can be worth millions of dollars in the next few years.

 

 

When you’re minimum expenses are paid off each month, you can focus on the big project without having to take cash out of the project. Find something you’re passionate about and look for a large market before diving into it!

 

 

Step 3: Be Frugal

 

Just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean you should be spending it. I agree, it’s very tempting to take your wads of cash and buy random things, but I highly recommend that you don’t.

 

 

When a little bit of money starts coming your way, think of better ways to spend it. Don’t let the riches get to your head because a lifetime of financial freedom is a lot better than a couple of toys.

 

 

Step 4: Invest

 

I quickly learned from wealthy people that investing in life is a must. Before meeting them, my money would sit in the bank account earning pennies of interest every year. They taught me a very valuable rule about investing.

 

 

Investments all come with a risk. You have to assume that 2 investments will succeed while 8 will fail. However, those 2 investments will pay off to cover your losses from the other investments while garnering you a nice return.

 

 

Instead of letting your money sit in the bank. Put your money where it can do some work for you. Just make sure you’re not trading off too much time when you do invest. You’re investments should be as passive as they can get!

 

 

Step 5: Give Back

 

Do not give back for the sole reason of getting something in return. Genuinely give back to the world the best way you know how. You don’t have to donate thousands of dollars, you can do a lot of other things.

 

 

I give back by helping other entrepreneurs and giving back to the entrepreneurial community as much as I can. Everyone has something that they can do to make the world a better place.

 

 

Money is great, but there are more valuable things in life. Just remember that you can always get more money, but there are certain things that can be lost forever.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared my 5 steps for achieving financial freedom. I’m not close to where I need to be by 25, but I can proudly say that I’m working towards it every single day.

 

 

photo credit: Benoit cars via photopin cc

 

5 Things They Should Change In Universities

I have been to college for a few years while also building my own business outside of the classroom. I learned a lot from my experiences. Specifically, I learned that there are numerous changes that should be made inside these universities.

 

Many people don’t know this about me, but I attended college for the first few years upon graduating from high school. However, I have taken the last few semesters off to focus on my business projects mainly. I say I’ve dropped out, but my parents still think I’m taking semesters off.

 

 

Regardless, I couldn’t stand my time inside the classrooms at my university. I was simultaneously running a successful business and saw so many disconnects with what I was learning from my professors.

 

 

I am not completely against colleges, but I think they can do a lot of things better to make the experience more valuable for people. In this article, I share 5 things they should change in universities:

 

 

1. Stop Testing Memorization Skills

 

I have always been horrible at tests. I think they are stupid and do not really measure what you know about a subject. Anyone can memorize a packet of information if they have enough patience and time on their hands to do so.

 

 

However, memorization doesn’t mean you can successfully apply what you learned. Application or implementation is the only true way to test something. It’s probably going to cost a lot of money to test in this manner, but at least students will find get value from this.

 

 

Instead of taking a quiz on how to re-assemble a computer, they should get students to actually re-assemble the computer in front of you for a grade. This truly shows how much you know about the subject while ensuring that you’ll be able to utilize this skill in the future.

 

 

2. Stop Hiring Professors Who Haven’t Really Done It 

 

I remember walking into my business class for the first time hearing my professor talk about his experiences and background. He was teaching a class on entrepreneurship, but his resume consisted of zero entrepreneurial experience.

 

 

I knew from day one that I would hate this class because I’d be learning about stuff my professor read about in a book instead of hearing about his experiences. If I’m paying you $15,000 a year in tuition, you can do the very minimum of hiring professors who validate the shit they’re talking about in class.

 

 

3. Stop Lecturing, They Really Suck 

 

95% of my professors load up a powerpoint and put it on the projector asking us to take notes. Again, why I am paying you $15,000 a year to learn from a powerpoint filled with jargon? If I wanted that, I’d go on Slideshare and watch powerpoints from experienced individuals.

 

 

Universities can make the education process more appealing by asking their professors to put more effort in. It’s funny because I’d skip class almost every time we had a lecture because I dreaded it. On the other hand, the most valuable experience I had in the classroom was from a professor who never did powerpoint lectures.

 

 

He told us to throw the textbook away and said we would learn about human communication by actually communicating. We did exercises and had discussions with our peers to learn the material. As you can imagine, I never missed this class!

 

 

4. Stop Creating Cogs In The Machine

 

One of the biggest reasons why I hated college was because I felt like I was being bred into a robot. The lectures and the curriculum really trains you to be an amazing employee who can follow directions and perform tasks as directed.

 

 

How about creating leaders or visionaries who can really change the world? Apparently, higher education doesn’t care too much for those individuals. Instead, they are too focused on getting you that degree and an average paying job as soon as you graduate.

 

 

Colleges care too much about their job turnover rates and ensuring that they have a high graduation rate. Wouldn’t you rather be known for nurturing 100 of the greatest minds in the world instead of helping 15,000 students get a well-paying job they hate at some big company?

 

 

5. Stop Making People Believe College Is A Must

 

What I hate about universities is that they constantly feed the world with this idea that you must go to college to be successful. That’s not true and I can name millions of people who have disproved that theory.

 

 

Universities should be graceful. Tell people that college can help make many people successful, but it’s not often the right answer for everyone. Stop being so money-hungry and start being honest.

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this article, I shared 5 things they should change in universities. What are your thoughts on this topic? Share them in the comments below!

 

 

photo credit: kevin dooley via photopin cc