$9M/Year May Not Be Enough

My wife and I did some cleaning over fall break and as we were sorting through piles of papers that had accumulated on our bedside table, we came across the picture above.

It took me immediately back.

Back to circa 2004 when I was working at a start-up PR/lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. That’s a younger me (no gray hairs!), khaki pants and all. And that foot in the foreground? That's my wife Melanie‘s. We were still dating at the time and she was out visiting me over her winter break.

Here’s the thing about this picture that I want to share with you. At the point this picture was taken, I had already decided to move on from this job.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It was a great job as far as jobs go. I had an office. What 24-year-old gets an office with a view? All of my friends were slaving away in cubicles. The job itself entailed rubbing elbows with congressmen and senators. I remember one day my entire job was escorting Miss Florida USA to meetings around Capitol Hill so that she could lobby for some cause or another. Not a bad gig! (This was before I met Melanie, btw, so don't judge 😉)

So if the job was so great, why was I willing to give it all up?

Because by that point, after two years of grinding at this firm, I had already realized that I wanted more out of my life. Every day was the same. Get up before the sun, take the Metro an hour downtown, work all day, take the Metro back home, go to the gym, eat dinner, go to bed.

Rinse and repeat.

Day after day after day.

Even in my early 20s, I was already asking the question: "Is this going to be the next 40 years of my life?"

For me, two years in, I decided the answer was no. I was going to take matters into my own hands as an entrepreneur.

What is it for you?

When is enough enough?

I recently interviewed Evan Green of Corporate Liberation. During our conversation, he said that he believes it takes “outrage" before someone gets to the point of finally taking the step of exiting Corporate America to start a business.

For me, though, it wasn’t really outrage that compelled me to make a change. As I said, I enjoyed my job. But I had a vision of what I wanted my life to be, and that vision involved the freedom to be present with my kids during their milestone events, to be able to travel the world, to be able to go to lunch with my wife in the middle of the day, and overall to be able to prioritize the things that are most important to me without having to ask permission from a boss.

Business ownership has enabled me to do that.

What is it for you?

Will it take outrage for you to finally make a move? Or is there a WHY strong enough to compel you to overcome the inertia to do what it takes to make a change?

Here's one final thought.

I was listening to a radio interview last week with Josh Heupel, the head football coach for the University of Tennessee. He was asked about his daughter who had recently been named Homecoming Queen at her high school. Coach Heupel spoke glowingly of his daughter and then said something that really hit me.

He said, “My wife was able to attend the ceremony, so yeah, they had a good time honoring her."

Inherent in that answer is the understanding that he, Josh Heupel, was notable to be there in person for such a major life event for his daughter. He’s in the middle of football season, after all. How could he? When you're paid $9 million a year to win football games, the expectation is that you work all hours of the day.

But the thought I had was, "Is $9 million a year worth missing key milestones in the lives of your kids?"

Now, I get it, $9M/year is a big number. But for you, is there a dollar amount that is worth continuing to do what you’re doing right now if it's not as fulfilling as it could be or is not providing you with the freedom and lifestyle that you desire?

My encouragement is simply to remind us that life is short and there's a cost to everything. As my freshman-year economics professor taught me on Day 1 of his class, TANSTAAFL — There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. What cost are you paying for your current employment situation?

If you’re ready to make a change, let us help you explore franchise ownership as a possible path to a better future.