Today all over the country & the world people are quitting or getting canned from jobs they’ve slaved at for years. And then tomorrow, or the next day (depending on how long their savings/unemployment pay lasts), these same people will go out to search for another job like the last and repeat the whole vicious cycle over again.

Well, I for one am not one of those people. I escaped. The 9 to 5, that is. I escaped it before it even started, really. At age 21 I saw the writing on the wall and knew that my path towards Law School would lead to 60 hour weeks, stress and a series of bad marriages. So I started a little eBay business while working on my English degree; when it took off, I promptly dropped out.

A year later, the business was frozen (something eBay occasionally, without reason, does) and the idea of bartending for the rest of my life sent me running back to the safe arms of University life with my tail between my legs. I had failed as an entrepreneur, so I thought & decided: I guess I’d have to do what everyone else did, and study to ‘get a job’. As graduation loomed, 4 classes away, the fear of working a 9 to 5 job I hated struck again.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, so once more I got back on the eBay pony & saddled up. Within a few months, I was back on top making a great living and left college four credits shy. Needless to say, the folks weren’t too pleased; but the one thing my eBay comeback had taught me was that if I hated the ‘normal’ options society presented me bad enough, I was capable & likely to find income on my own terms elsewhere.

Normal Societal ‘Options’ for a ‘Good’ life:

1. Go to college & get a “good” job.
2. Get a job that pays well; not necessarily a job you enjoy. Misery enjoys company.
3. Starting your own business is for those who are experienced.
4. It takes money to make money: Make a living, then invest your earnings into a business.

The Real Story:

1. Google 5 of the most successful business people you can think of and see if they finished college. Spoiler alert: most of them didn’t!
2. If you hate your job, hating your life is quick to follow. I don’t care how noble or great a career you have, better to be a happy beet farmer than a miserable stock broker.
3. Experience is a close as your nearest public library. Take a week & read as many books on your subject as possible- you’ll probably leave knowing more than 75% of what the so called experts in the field know.
4. It takes money to make money is just simply wrong, eBay is free, buying a domain is 7.00 or less & many fortunes were made starting from scratch. I started my first LLC in 20 minutes, in my pajamas, online, for under $250 bucks.

As you can see, being a self-made entrepreneur does not take millions, nor a college degree. With a deep drive to live the life that you desire, the tenacity to research your options, the gumption to go ahead and reach for your destiny, then the perseverance to stick through the tough times, success can be had. Stay tuned for Part 2, as we give you ideas on how to to finally escape the 9 to 5 and live the life you’ve always wanted!