Hi Jesse,

> Plain and simple, the reason why the rewards
> of Leverage are so incredible is because so
> few people are willing or able to leverage
> in the first place.

> Think about it.

> 9 out of every 10 new business ventures
> fail. Period. And of the 10% that DO achieve
> some measure of success, I'd be willing to
> bet that 90% of them do not leverage. Far
> too often, what starts out as an exciting
> 'business ownership' idea ends up with the
> owner simply buying himself or herself a
> job.

> So what we now have is 1% of all business
> owners, at the absolute most, who leverage.

Wow, when you put it that way, it sounds amazing....

Jesse, I have no doubt that this is the big "secret" (as close as there is to one) of highly successful people in business....

> Leverage takes a degree of vision and
> persistence that almost no one is willing to
> put forth.

> Call it persistence, or just call it dumb
> stubbornness, but thankfully, I was able to
> forge through numerous 'growing pains' to
> the point where I am now very highly
> leveraged (though I've still only scratched
> the surface of what is possible!).

> Heck, when I first started entrepreneuring,
> I can say with certainty that my 'hourly
> wage' was less than that of a minimum wage
> worker at a burger joint. These were
> frustrating times, as I just KNEW I was onto
> something, but the results did not follow. I
> was learning, educating, failing, starting
> over, evolving, constructing flawed business
> models...but the results just weren't
> coming! I felt like the most underpaid
> professional in the world!

Jesse, thanks for sharing this example! I know that many of us here can probably relate to this!

However, and I agree with you fully, it takes a degree of persistence to really see things through.... Sometimes you've got to head down a lot of dead end streets before you stumble on the freeway to your destination.... :)

> But while the money is nice, Leverage is
> really more about Lifestyle in my opinion.
> There's that old saying that "No one
> ever wished on their death bed that they had
> spent more time working."

> Leverage is all about working LESS and
> prospering MORE.

Yes, I think this is what MOST people want.... I remember reading a survey of people who start their own businesses, and if I recall correctly, the number 1 reason was LIFESTYLE....

They wanted to choose their own LIFESTYLE, and many of us have strong independence streaks. Unfortunately, many who go after this dream find themselves with what is in reality a JOB and a lower pay than they had before! But using leverage (of the many various kinds) is a way to free yourself from the the quicksand! Of course, it takes dedication and persistence....

Thanks Jesse, fantastic post, and thanks for sharing your experiences.... I really appreciate it. :)

- Dien