Gimme a Sign
May 18, 2010 
19 Comments
The following is a true story.
If you are easily offended, please click away now.
OK, don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Earlier this week, a friend of mine, Shae Bynes, told me that she was finally quitting her day job to pursue real estate investing full time. It was a big decision for her as it is for all of us who jump ship to go out on our own and join the ranks of the self-employed.
In my email discussion with her she mentioned that she struggled with the decision for three months and, even though there were many signs, she was debating with her husband if the signs were indeed signs.
This reminded me of the sign that finally pushed me to go into business for myself several years ago.
Here’s the whole story…
I began investing in real estate in 1994 while I was working at Hertz Rent a Car. I had been in the car rental business since 1986 and was working my way up the ladder at Hertz when I found myself at the corporate headquarters in 1998.
I’d been “at the top” 18 months when I finally decided that the east coast wasn’t for me and that I wanted to come back home to Denver and find something “fun” to do.
I took a job with the first company that offered to pay my moving expenses home and found myself managing the call center for RTD, the public transit agency in Denver. That sucked.
I left RTD to start an internet travel company with some friends. It was the height of the dot com craze and we were certain that we would all get rich on stock options when we sold the company for a trillion dollars.
Then came 9/11.
Travel pretty much came to a stand still in this country and my dot com went dot bomb.
I went to work for Pulte Mortgage (my sister got me the job) in the secondary marketing department because, by this time, I was noticing that the one thing that kept tripping me up in my real estate investing was getting mortgages.
I figured this would be a good way to learn about the mortgage business and Pulte had employee discounts on mortgages so it was a pretty sweet deal.
I’d been there for about a year when my entrepreneurial juices started flowing again. I had figured out how to work with lenders to create loan programs and my brother in law Clifford (a mortgage broker) and I convinced a credit union in Pueblo to create a loan just for rehabbers in Colorado.
I was originating loans for the credit union part time and working my Pulte job full time but soon my part time commission checks were adding up to a LOT more than my full time paychecks.
I had a feeling it was time to quit and open up my OWN mortgage company but I was scared.
The cash flow from my rentals (all single family homes) at that time didn’t even come close to covering my monthly expenses and I was worried that if I quit my job I’d be broke. Or starve. Or get behind on my mortgages. Or [enter irrational fear here].
I don’t come from a family of risk takers or entrepreneurs. My Mother and Grandmother have long extolled the virtue of the Protestant work ethic. The one that says you must work hard for someone else for a long time and if you’re lucky you may be able to retire someday with a nice pension.
So that’s two votes against quitting my job and going out on my own. (My Grandmother passed away in 1997 but evidently gave my Mother her proxy.)
My Uncle Bill is the only entrepreneur in the family and the first millionaire and he told me when I asked for his advice that I’ll “never get rich working for someone else.”
So, that’s two votes against and one vote for going out on my own.
So, like Shae, I wrestled with my decision for several weeks. I made the pros and cons lists, ran my budget right down to the penny, got the blessing from my unconditionally loving and always amused better half and it was a tie vote – two for the Protestants and two for the Entrepreneurs.
But I still wasn’t sure.
One day, I was at work and went for a drive at lunch to clear my head. I usually eat lunch at my desk or at that time would sit in my parked car and work my part time gig. But on this particular day, I was driving and thinking.
I was in the car at a stop sign thinking I *have* to do this but *how* do I know it’s the right thing to do? And I was praying for a sign.
Just then a black midget crossed the street in the crosswalk in front of me and gave me a big smile and a wave.
I just sat there in disbelief with a huge grin on my face until someone finally honked to get me going.
I literally said out loud, “Thanks for the sign, Lord!” and drove back to work and gave my two weeks notice that day.
Best. Decision. Ever.
I’ve worked for myself ever since and even though there have been some lean times, I wouldn’t go back for anything. I think, at this point, I’m what my friend Allen calls “unemployable.”
But looking back on it, I wonder how many signs I missed before I got the hugely obvious one? I mean, I have to believe that there were many more subtle signs before the black midget came strolling along.
You’re probably on this blog because you want to be (or already are!) self employed, too.
How long have you been thinking about it? How many opportunities are you going to let pass you by before you finally make that leap of faith?
How many signs have you missed? Not everyone gets a black midget; you might have to start paying closer attention.
Love, love, love this story
I laughed just as hard this time as I did the first time you told it on facebook. June 1. CAN’T WAIT!
Great story! I was in my office (they still have a few outside the cube farms) looking at my computer, completely depressed at the upcoming meeting of yet another compensation plan change…never good for the employee. My boss came in to pep me for the meeting and after a few minutes listening to her (wa wa wu want wa) I just said, you know I think I’m done and turned my printer on and printed my resignation letter I had written months prior. The look on her face was priceless. She completely understood and was supportive, but to release those chains was crucial to my survival. Thanks for all you share!
MIKE!! Woo hoo! Congrats and welcome to the club!
Susan this is an awesome story!! I love it!! Thanks for sharing this with all of us. I am proud to be unemployable too!! It’s the little things that make it so incredible … For you it seems like it’s your flip flops.
For me … controlling when I have fun and work out and work is everything to me. I went to a matinee movie with my husband yesterday. Nobody cared that we weren’t at work. When you have that kind of life you’ll never regret leaving someone else’s control. Never.
Thanks for your inspiring and funny story!! AWESOME.
It is definitely the little things. I do love my flip flops (mostly because they weren’t allowed at any of my jobs). But it’s also what I get to do in them. The matinee movies during the week, going to the zoo with my nephew in the middle of the week day, And sometimes just saying, “See ya” and leaving the office at 3pm to go for a run. It’s freedom. And it’s the best thing ever.
I’m sooo unemployable it’s rediculous. I became an entrepreneur in 1999 and I haven’t looked back. So, even if I wanted to jump back into the “rat race” there’s no room for a handsome black man who’s been self-employed for last 10 years. “Sorry, the position has been filled!” I feel super blessed to be in my position at such a young age. Real Estate is a big part of my life, and I love every second of it! Thanks Universe!!!
I too am struggling with this dilemma…as I prepare for an interview at what I have considered a dream job and one that I have considered “too good to pass up” – I wonder if the job that is “too good to pass up” is the business that I have created and am working every day. I am about to close one of the biggest real estate deals of my career, but yet, the uncertainty of what is next and the certainty of what is next if I get and take this job, seems be more comforting – but I would be giving up my time(again)
Great story Susan! I too struggle with this but know that the signs have not quite happened yet. Seeing other peoples perspective on this exact situation helps any entrepreneur. I was fortunate to not leave my job while I experimented with my last business I started. Thankfully I stuck with my job while I realized that that business was not for me. Now that I know that Real Estate Investment is turning into a passion of mine, I look forward to getting into the situation to be able to make the commitment you and Shae and many others have made.
Thanks for putting this out there.
I didn’t get a black midget, but I too had asked for a sign. I didn’t get the type of sign I expected, and I really didn’t like the sign when I got it, but I got it never the less.
The business I had started 17 years prior to this time, had put so much time and energy into, and that I (now) hated to get up and go to every day closed suddenly. Bear in mind I wanted out of that business so that I could be a full time real estate investor. But I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined “getting to my goal” in just that way.
It has been about 18 months now and I love it! Do I still have days of sheer terror knowing I don’t have another income? You bet! I can tell you this for sure; sometimes when you don’t have the courage to make the changes you need to make, life kicks you in the butt and pushes you out the door (for your own good).
That’s true Sharon! It’s amazing how sometimes life decides we’re ready before we think we are.
Hmmm…
I might have missed something…
Great story but, not sure why the
midget was your sign..
But, I can relate to the whole “unemployable” thing and pretty
sure we had a hand in perpetuating it
( in the creative real estate niche anyway)
I used to go around saying Unemployable and proud of it… meaning I had learned to create assets… move them around..
and was had emotionally changed to the
point the point I’d never be able to work
for anyone again, even myself..
At all the real estate seminars we (banditsigns.com) would
give away unemployable t-shirts…
Those t-shirts are still getting knocked off today..
Anyway, if you can think of a giveaway for your blog readers, I bet I dig some up to send to you to give away…
Cheers,
David Alexander
DavidAlexander.com
BanditSigns.com
WeFinanceHouses.com
GetSmarketing.com
I love this story too. I also got started originating loans after 9/11 and got started in real estate investing in the CA Bay Area in 2007. It really was the best thing I ever did.
It was indeed a pretty much engaging story with a disclaimer at the first part. It was like a reverse psychology thingy that made it really possible to create curiousity on the part of the reader.
The story was really an opener for us to realize the greater opportunities that we have in life especially in the realm of real estate. Well, for most of us we do feel that we are afraid of taking the risk especially when monetary unit is involved or we are afraid that we might not have the enough resources for us to dwell on the business. But be afraid no more! There are trusted sites that is of service to make hard money borrowers like us get an easy access to the list of reputable hard money lenders.
Amazing! Really Amazing!!
Amazing story and I loved the part that people are responding to this specific topic. Actually the topic its self got my attention.
I hope to see more like this post!
Interesting and cool story!
This is actually the second time that I’ve read the content but I cant stop myself from browsing the site since this site has all good content and worth time reading.
I really hope to meet the person behind this site so I can add my own article that may help this site and other people but so far you are doing great.
Lol hahaha!! Classic! From a black man I can’t say I’ve ever seen a black midget. I’m still laughing as I type this. Good stuff. But seriously we sometimes miss signes because we are so wrapped up in the contemplation that we just overlook it. It took God to put that little fellow in front of your car at the exact, right time when that exact thought was crossing your mind, to push you over the edge. I say good for you and thank the Lord for the little black midget. Because if it weren’t for that we wouldn’t have a great addition of a Mentor, friend and a genuine person who cares whether we succeed or not.
Keep up the great work and alway remember, “HUSTLE HARD”
“The Obsessed Real Estate Wholesaler”
You Just Never Know!!