About

I started swing trading stocks on my lunch break and doubled my account a few years in a row. Not magic—just rules and timing. In the process I learned that a few times a year the market hands you a “gift.” You can’t plan on the gift, but you can be ready for them: be in the market, keep cash available, and know your play/strategy. In 2008–09, for example, when Bear Stearns imploded, I bought a garbage stock (Countrywide) for a fast bounce. I held it 18 hours for a 13% pop and got out. I didn’t care about the CEO or the five-year plan—I was trading psychology and timing. Most people miss the gift opportunities because they aren’t ready, don’t have cash, or freeze when it’s time to act. Don't freeze. Be bold when others are scared.

IRL (in real life) I've seen this happen as well. Grown ass men, panicking and running around like a chicken with it's head cut off in the sight of a minor fire. Like minor... Not only was the fire extinguisher on the wall over there, but I grabbed a rag and smothered the fire. - In RL, I don't panic in the sight of danger, I run to it. I'll take the bad news face-on. When the knife wielding thug being chased by the police in Mexico came around, I didn't hide like the rest of the folks. When my coworker dropped because of a heart attack, had I been there when she went down, I would have given her CPR. I found out the next day, so I covered her desk for 4 months w/o training, etc. I arguably did a better job than she did and she had 17+ years exp. as a total loss adjuster. - I'm not a tough guy, but I don't run from danger. I can't look away or live with myself in the sight of something evil happening. Potentially one of my greatest strengths is also a potential weakness. - Life happens fast, are you ready?

But I digressed...

After I doubled my money the first time, I started selling off my stock position so that I could buy training. I started buying wealth related education and quickly found the tool I need to close the mental gap I had and systematize my trading strategy so that I could repeat my success in the market. However, I learned a lot more along the way.

I also learned, for example, that there are actually Four financial economies but most people ignore 3 of them.

• Time‑for‑Money: your day job. Highest tax bite; capped hours.

• Assets‑for‑Money: like owning rental properties.

• Results‑for‑Money: do it once, get paid repeatedly (royalties, licensing).

• People‑for‑Money: build a business where the team is worth more than any one person.

If you want to continue working your day-job, no worries. We can still be friends. However, that's not me and not my focus. Selling my time is absolutely necessary to get started. But it's actually, potentially prohibiting you from achieving your dreams.

Myron Golden, one of the millionaires I had one-on-one dinner with said "Your job wasn't meant to pay you what you're worth. It's meant to pay what the job is worth. The only person who will pay you what your worth is you." - Myron and I actually talked about internet marketing the whole time we were out at dinner. Even though I was doing well with stock trading, internet marketing soon became my focus.

Within a year or so I started buying IM training and testing what I learned. I kind of started off with social media because I wanted to know how to build an audience around any product or service that I might have or sell later.

So when I jumped into building social media sites, I purchased training from gurus and would test their strategies. You can read more about it on my page Social Media Strategies. I started off building a FB page that I had no business being in from 0-11K followers in 60 days. I had no cross over traffic, no one followed me from other sites, etc. Each time, I would test a new strategy in a new platform, new market, new everything. IMHO - its the only way to get a good read on the test results. However, I had so much success doing this on FB that I then started to play around with GEO Targeting local demographics and income with my interest groups, etc. I spent $1K to test that and then just walked away. I was only in it for the knowledge of building audiences.

So later, I did it again with the top of the line business Instagram guru. I bought the course, started a completely new profile, in a new niche, etc. and I built the IG page from 0→186K in 11 months without borrowed audiences. No F4F or any spammy tactics. When I see that stuff, I often laugh knowing that the so called influencer often has no real influence over his audience. You can read about that too on my social strategy page. However, I did that just for the knowledge as well. So after like a year, I walked away. I was starting to get offers from big companies, but for me to fulfill on those promises, I would have had to double down. I was past selling shout outs but didn't have the deep pockets to make the next leap. I learned a lot and took that knowledge with me as I walked away.

That said, I don’t want to be an “Instagram guy.” I build businesses that can stand on their own, so they’re sellable later. My name is me, but the work shouldn’t depend on me. I don't want to trade time-for-money if I don't have to. I knew that starting a social media agency would still be keeping me in the time-for-money economy. However, with hind sight, that would have cash flowed enough to carry me to the next level. Oh well. I still have the knowledge and experience.