Self Made

[redcheerio]

I created this thread to brainstorm ways to become self made!

Please list as many examples as you can think of and discuss. This could include random ideas you've had, things you've thought about, things you've seen others do and succeed (or fail at), etc.

Feel free to also discuss potential advantages and disadvantages of each idea, or what you've learned from others.

This thread could also be used to discuss business ideas you've heard of, or to ask questions of those who have tried it themselves or who know a bit about how to get started, or to give tips and advice for getting started if you know how.

 

[King sns]

I consider myself self-made. I'm not a big shot or a millionaire, but have come a very long way mentally and financially in a short period of time- (due to necessity.)

My family has a lot of mental illness, or is dead, or scattered about. Strong support outside of myself never really existed outside of my mother (we started in a homeless shelter together after leaving my dad) and a couple of close friends. (And grandparents who passed.)

My life was created to make me a one girl show. I think that the best things that I have done for myself was just to try to be the dreaded "Sensor" type mentality along with the natural big picture. To do the opposite of what is natural/ unfamilliar I think makes me a whole person without need for someone to help me know what to do.

So by that sensor mentality, I mean- stay in the moment, complete tasks one at a time "just because" (the big picture for me- knowing what the end result would be- knowing what I wanted, having a vision for the future helped me figure out exactly what those tasks were, although I hated every minute of them.) And persistence- plug, plug, plug- through fatigue and sometimes worse- (like hunger) and never give up. It all sounds cliche- but it's the answer. Some people can do this without need, just plain motivation I think.

I have some odd memories that I'm surprised that I was actually in- seems like someone else did them. It was really ghetto when I drove up to the gas station hungry and jobless (and freezing cold.) in my old broken down car and handed the guy a roll of pennies to help me get to my destination. He was like, "this one is on me dear."

Those are the moments that I will remember and will probably continue to better myself with these methods just out of habit and perceived necessity. They are ingrained. I think a lot of these "self made" people come from similar places.

God this sounds like a regular, "I had to walk two miles uphill to school in the snow" story!

 

[rav3n]

Absent viable product and marketing requirements, drive and perseverance to succeed at near any cost to self and collateral damage, you will succeed.

 

[redcheerio]

Wow, that's really inspiring, [MENTION=5489]shortnsweet[/MENTION]!

Thanks for sharing!

Can you tell us a bit about how you got it started? Pretend you're talking to someone much younger than you who wants to do something similar, but has no idea where to get started or what to do or what questions to ask or who to ask.

 

[redcheerio]

Absent viable product and marketing requirements, drive and perseverance to succeed at near any cost to self and collateral damage, you will succeed.

What kind of collateral damage? Is it possible to succeed while adhering to morals?

I don't mean that in an accusatory tone, I mean it in more of a let's learn about what kind of determination and actions might be involved; also hoping people with know-how can dispel some common misconceptions about having to be an asshole to succeed, things like that.

 

[rav3n]

What kind of collateral damage? Is it possible to succeed while adhering to morals?

I don't mean that in an accusatory tone, I mean it in more of a let's learn about what kind of determination and actions might be involved; also hoping people with know-how can dispel some common misconceptions about having to be an asshole to succeed, things like that.

Depends on your definition of asshole. As far as morality, it's moot since morals are subjective and it's possible to have integrity to your subjective morals. Objectively speaking, what do you place first, the success of the company/shareholders or the happiness of nonproductive others? Where do your boundaries lie?

 

[Tiger Owl]

According to the OWS clowns and other socialists no one is self-made. If you have worked your butt off for years and thrived in an environment of challenge and made something of yourself they insist that it was only done by taking advantage of all the hard work of the "99%" of people who don't want to work that hard.
Of course, I think that is a load of crap.
I can't claim to be self-made because everything I have has been a blessing from God, but I have worked hard against big odds.

No, nobody has to be a jerk to succeed, it can help in certain fields but ultimately business and work relationships are still relationships and must be nurtured as such. If someone is a jerk than those relationships are maintained by lies whereas someone who treats others with respect and honesty may miss some opportunities for big and fast money but their successes will be hard won and rewarding. Morality should never be sacrificed for success - look at our government and our financial leaders for proof of that.

 

[redcheerio]

Depends on your definition of asshole. As far as morality, it's moot since morals are subjective and it's possible to have integrity to your subjective morals. Objectively speaking, what do you place first, the success of the company/shareholders or the happiness of nonproductive others? Where do your boundaries lie?

Personally, I wouldn't be willing to screw others over to get rich, but I understand that competition is necessary and don't consider normal competition as screwing others. I know it's also necessary to fire unproductive people, assuming they've been given fair training, a fair chance to succeed, and not framed for political reasons.

Is it necessary to push moral boundaries to succeed, at least to an upper middle class level of success? I wouldn't think so, but it seems like people will do it to get super rich. Of course I'm sure there are also lots of super rich people who operate without pushing moral boundaries, it's just that the assholes stand out, especially when they fail in the end like Enron or the recent economic collapse.

 

[redcheerio]

According to the OWS clowns and other socialists no one is self-made. If you have worked your butt off for years and thrived in an environment of challenge and made something of yourself they insist that it was only done by taking advantage of all the hard work of the "99%" of people who don't want to work that hard.
Of course, I think that is a load of crap.
I can't claim to be self-made because everything I have has been a blessing from God, but I have worked hard against big odds.

I think the OWS cause against corruption is valid and important, but it's unfortunate that they appear to be protesting against everyone on Wall St. They should be protesting a much smaller group, more like the 0.01% that you referred to in the last sentence of your post, including some of the corrupt politicians.

No, nobody has to be a jerk to succeed, it can help in certain fields but ultimately business and work relationships are still relationships and must be nurtured as such. If someone is a jerk than those relationships are maintained by lies whereas someone who treats others with respect and honesty may miss some opportunities for big and fast money but their successes will be hard won and rewarding. Morality should never be sacrificed for success - look at our government and our financial leaders for proof of that.

I agree with this completely.

 

[rav3n]

Personally, I wouldn't be willing to screw others over to get rich, but I understand that competition is necessary and don't consider normal competition as screwing others. I know it's also necessary to fire unproductive people, assuming they've been given fair training, a fair chance to succeed, and not framed for political reasons.

How do you sink the competition who indulges in business practices that don't surround fair play? And if you don't sink them, you will be sunked!

Is it necessary to push moral boundaries to succeed, at least to an upper middle class level of success? I wouldn't think so, but it seems like people will do it to get super rich. Of course I'm sure there are also lots of super rich people who operate without pushing moral boundaries, it's just that the assholes stand out, especially when they fail in the end like Enron or the recent economic collapse.

As far as pushing moral boundaries, it depends on where your moral boundaries reside. Forget dichotomising to the extent of extreme examples. You will find that yes, there will be some serious challenges to succeed. There will also be many grey area decisions which include abide or fold.

 

[Qlip]

I'm not amazingly successful. But I've come a long way when the deck was stacked against me. All the while I thought of myself as a self-made man. I think that at the time It was important for me to believe that nobody else had any hand in my success. Especially when those people were also responsible for my roadblocks. The truth is, people usually can't get far without help from others.

 

[King sns]

Wow, that's really inspiring, [MENTION=5489]shortnsweet[/MENTION]!

Thanks for sharing!

Can you tell us a bit about how you got it started? Pretend you're talking to someone much younger than you who wants to do something similar, but has no idea where to get started or what to do or what questions to ask or who to ask.

No, I can't really. I would just have to tell them how to not have anything- then they would just have to figure the rest out for themselves. Having a child, teen, and early adulthood like that just ingrained it in me without my choice or awareness. I can't transfer all my memories to people. My favorite thing to say in highschool- "I won't be poor because I refuse to be poor." And I don't even like money that much, but the further I move towards wealth feels to me like the further I move away from hunger, cold dark houses, empty gas tanks, and church donated clothes.

Downfall is not having a clue how to handle money on a macro-level the way wealthy people can or having trust to rely on networks- both seem to be key elements in REALLY making it big.

 

[ygolo]

There are myriads of ways to become rich through your own business.

Most of the people I know who've done that are either running their own web/technology related business or have done a lot of trading.

There are many people I know who haven't made it big, but nevertheless sustain themselves without relying on big corporations, schools, the government, or other institutions for their pay.

Some include:
A self-employed individual doing electronics and software projects
A self-employed chess instructor
A restaurateur
A realtor
A broker
A salesperson in one of those MLM schemes (not sure I recommend this route, unless you want to alienate your friends)

I have also heard of people being:
A self-employed handi-person (electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc.)

I have a great deal of admiration for these people. I have never had the guts to go all-in on something non-traditional. But I have tried a bunch of home-based businesses (they all failed due to lack of effort/time).

There are a whole boat-load of business schemes out there (keep in mind there is a high failure rate, but people still try, and some succeed). I have tried some, and so have others I know:
franchises
selling accessories at stands in a mall (cell-phone accessories, jewelry, novelty items, etc.)
Food carts
cash-flow businesses
trading
MLM schemes (Avon, Amway, Pre-paid Legal, etc.)
whole-sale drop-shiping
Buying and selling stuff online for a profit
Import-Export
Tutoring Services
Rent-A-Coder
long-distance hauling
writing services