Jobs & Entrepreneurship From the perspective of pretty much anyone who knows me personally or follows my social media profiles, the whole entrepreneurial thing has worked out pretty damn well for me. I lead a pretty the lavish existence; when I'm not working my own hours from a comfy home office or a gourmet coffee shop I have a super active social, dating and nightlife. I've already spent 60 days this year traveling and adventuring abroad and am planning another trip soon. No silver spoon here, this lifestyle is financed by my marketing and web development firm.
I'm part of a generation which increasingly believes that everyone should and can be an entrepreneur, that it's as easy as reading a book, as coming up with a good idea, buying a domain name and heading down to your bank to form an LLC. Maybe I'm a just a really crappy entrepreneur but I actually think it's way, way more difficult than that. This blog will make the case that one of the most important steps to being an entrepreneur is to get a real challenging job and working real hard. Here is the brief, yet colorful history of my pre-entrepreneurial job experience. (I promise this isn't just an exercise in narcissism, there's a lot of useful lessons in here). Grocery Store Courtesy Clerk - For 2 years in high school I bagged groceries, cleaned public bathrooms and collected grocery carts from the parking lot during Colorado blizzards. Missionary - During the summers I served as a missionary twice on trips to an Indian reservation in Washington and a rural community in the dirty south of Arkansas. During these trips a disproportionally small amount of time was actually spent proselytizing, my days where filled with activities like painting old lady's houses, fixing up community centers, putting on drama productions and helping out around schools. Waiter, Buser, Cook & Dishwasher- In high school I took a culinary class where we ran an actual small restaurant. During my senior year I also worked in the 'front of the house' at a couple of restaurants and had many moments which you see in the ridiculous, comedy, satire film about of the hospitality industry, Waiting. Car Salesman - With mediocre grades, zero college savings and a broke down old Porsche that I still owed $3000 on upon graduating high school, I decided the best course of action would be to take on one of the most intimidating jobs in America. Somehow with my youthful exuberance and clip on tie, I talked the sales manager of a Hyundai dealership into giving me a job. I spent about a year in the industry and ended up selling at one of the highest producing Toyota dealerships in the country. Door to Door Outside Salesprson - I also spent a couple hard months walking miles a day (while wearing a suit!) knocking doors. This was a 100% commission gig so rain, snow or searing heat I would do my damnedest to sell bored strangers a $60 golf or spa package gift card.