Never Get a ”Real„ Job by Scott Gerber Read Free Book Online

tight ass, be real . Own and accept who you are and what you do. Underpromise and overdeliver—not the other way around. Make sure that everything you say is backed up with real, measurable results. A solid track record of high-quality work will sell others on your value much better than any cheap rhetoric.
     
    Walk the walk, or don’t talk the talk. Talk isn’t just cheap. Sometimes, it can kill your business.
     
    PUT IT ON MY TAB
     
    Remember the good old days when your parents gave you an allowance? Pick up a toy, get a dollar. Do your homework, get a dollar. Say hello to your grandparents, get a dollar, plus some interest to boot from your beloved grandma. Those were the days when money grew on trees.
     
    All those years you received gifts and free money have given you a taste for the finer things in life. You’ve come to enjoy spending expensive nights out, purchasing lavish toys, and sipping overpriced lattes. Bill? You’ll deal with that later! After all, you’re not spending real money; you’re spending imaginary plastic money, right?
     
    There’s only one small problem: You haven’t earned it yet!
     
    According to the April 2010 USA TODAY article, “Generation Y’s steep financial hurdles: Huge debt, no savings,” the average Gen Yer owns more than 3 credit cards and 20 percent carry more than a $10,000 balance. What the hell do any of us need three interest-accruing credit cards for?
     
    This “pay-for-it-later” mentality needs to stop—right now! Life won’t be paying you an allowance—so stop pissing money away as though you have an unlimited surplus. Credit cards and ATM machines aren’t spitting money out at you because you’re “kind of a big deal.” They can quickly become liabilities, preying on your ignorance and immaturity and bleeding you dry—if you let them.
     
    Five Must-Reads That Will Help Get Your Finances in Order
     
Just because your bank account resembles a low IQ score doesn’t mean you can’t start a business. The first thing you need to do is to take control of your financial life by ditching your bad habits and creating systems for saving money and increasing your income. These five titles—by some of the smartest personal finance and financial literacy gurus around—can help you get on the right track.
     
    1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki ( RichDad.com ) teaches you the essentials of financial literacy, including the difference between assets and liabilities, and how to make your money work for you.
     
2. I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi ( IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com ) offers a practical six-week personal finance program for twenty- and thirty-somethings.
     
3. The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by Suze Orman provides investing and money management tips to help you solve your financial problems.
     
4. Your Money: The Missing Manual by J.D. Roth ( GetRichSlowly.com ) shows you how to eliminate debt, use credit properly, and manage expenses.
     
5. 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget by the writers of WiseBread.com teaches you how to live like a king, while spending like a peasant.
     
     
     
    Smart entrepreneurs use logic and strategy to make purchasing decisions; they don’t rely on ego and vanity. Successful entrepreneurs do what they have to do to sustain their life burn rates (more about this in Chapter 4). If that means eating Top Ramen instead of steak—or living with multiple roommates—then so be it. The key is to adapt your lifestyle to suit your business needs, and prioritizing your long-term goals over short-term luxuries.
     
    Be smart about your finances. Deflate your ego before it deflates your wallet. Stop spending money frivolously and thinking you need to flash some style. Burn down the imaginary money tree that you grew in your head. It’s not growing anything worthwhile, anyway.
     

3
     
    Darwin + Murphy = Reality
     
    My first start-up was nothing short of a disaster.
     
    In fact, it’s