I'll give you the condensed version of my working life...
Started out at 18 with a pizza franchise as a delivery driver, then asst., then store manager, then director of ops, then opened my first franchise at age 23...ending up owning two stores.
Sold out and went into sales at Beaudry RV, then asst., then sales manager, then national sales manager, then GM of the
Phoenix dealership at age 32 (had over 150 employees working for me and my monthly nut to break even was 1.5 million, ouch)...2007 came and market crashed lost my $350K job 3 house 6 cars chopper boats etc etc etc...living like a dumba$$ I spent every dollar I made
sooooo..there I was realizing that the end was near, my 401K was down to about $12k...I was driving a cab just to try to feed my family and pay the mortgage on a small house we bought (yes I managed to finagle a home purchase while short selling 3 homes...took some creative financing)
I knew a friend who had been in the CC biz and I thought that the service business might be good to be in even during a recession. I bought a 1999 van with a bane clene system. Took it down to the local supplier and asked how to use it...after they were done laughing at me they suggested I get something else...I ended up with a old
Prochem 100A and sold the bane system.
Went to work teaching myself as I went how to clean carpet and tile. I ended up doing $178K my first year then $235K my second year, in that time I upgraded my TM 4 times, ended up with a Prochem
Everest...during my third year I was so busy I decided I wanted to sell off the business I was getting from the other side of town...since I was just referring out most the work for free anyway.
An investment group who owned alot of different businesses was looking to buy up smaller CC businesses to start their own CC business contacted me. After seeing the amount of business that I had coming in off my websites and customer base they made me a cash offer I could not refuse. It changed my life...I now own my home, cars and two other business free and clear. I live debt free and am so much happier than when I was a stress case as a GM pulling down $350K.
I am not the best carpet cleaner in the world. But I have a pretty good head on my shoulders when it comes to building a business. I am a master of how the mind works, sales, marketing, etc Beaudry RV spent 10 of thousands of dollars on me in training, so that was one good thing I got out of that.
I come accross as pretty much a jacka$$ on these forums, but it's just in fun...I am not even in the CC biz right now but still like hanging out on the boards...my non-compete is up next year so I am already planning to get back in the game then....
Wow, this turned out alot longer than I thought...anyway that's my story