The background story leading to the present moment of choice
Imagine...
...imagine you wanted to be somebody creative. An artist of sorts. And in order for it to work during your adult life, you had to make it your job, you had to become a freelancer. At first, you aimed for improvement of your skills and you had your creative skills and your craftsmanship in mind.
Freelancing your skills was also your business now, though. And you found out that you were good at your work but not good at selling your work yet. And it was another job position you had to fill or have filled. relying on a professional was obviously a good option, you could not afford that since nothing guaranteed was was ever in sight. Better risk yourself only.
Imagine you needed not fear remaining jobless because there were always other options. Like the family business that you had in your earlier years worked for if only for a few weeks so that you had a taste at what it was like. Or like other things you had the education for. But imagine you had already tried working for others and you always felt used and not content with what you got in return.
So, sticking to you being your own boss from a certain point forward. But that required more skills, obviously. Can you imagine that?
So, marketing and communication had to be developed. The confidence you deserved what you wanted in return for your services.
You began learning and looking for knowledge wherever it was available. Forums, tutorial videos, professional peer groups.
Imagine finding the right peer group that wanted to educate you about business and eventually gave you access to good and regular lectures. Where you learned how much you had missed along the way.
Starting with correct pricing. Low pricing had kept you in a swamp for years.
At least you had learned to stay on the surface by being creative, trying out various methods and products, enjoying half of them and having hopes they would eventually scale well enough for you to be content with the financial results as much as you were with the experience.
Anyway, you were a creative by heart but you realized you had to get more financial education. A lot more than what you initially imagined. Imagine it turned out to be a beautiful thing for you, finance and economics. Interesting, suited for your curious mind...You begin wondering what would have come out of accepting the long-ago offer of managing a small shop under your family business umbrella. Or one completely of your own. Selling anything, even going back centuries ago and selling flowers, books (oh, wait, you've done that, too, in your youth and before you went to the University)...
But with the right mindset now — work not so that you can increase your expenses and buy more stuff but so that you can invest and grow.
That basic formula actually concerns your goals, though. It does not tell you how. Still, goals first.
Looking to increase your investments and lower your other expenses that go to waste seems such an obvious strategy that so few have the habit of practicing...
Identifying the good investments, though...that takes a lifetime of experience. But that's a good thing since it will always be interesting to you.
So, you begin looking for assets that would increase your income. Nothing is ever secure and still people often speak of major categories such as Real Estate, Your Business (right? we'll get back to it later, perhaps in next chapter), stocks, currencies, precious metals, commodities, etc. Some of them are more like options to just store value, i.e. not lose much to inflation or during crisis. But, again, nothing and no one is ever secure.
Imagine that knowledge begins to bear fruits. Some small investments begin to feel profitable enough to bring satisfaction and confidence. You're searching for ways to diversify, to begin producing more value, to empower yourself so that you can empower whatever feels worth it.
Well, basically, imagine you feel you have become financially independent ;) That impossible state that we tend to call its perceived approximations.
And then they make you an offer you can't refuse...
We're going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
— Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather
Yup, it's the family business. You're summoned to help and keep a large portion of it afloat. After the proper training, of course.
Imagine there are Production Facility A and Production Facility B. There were other, smaller facilities at first, but it all began to grow during the tough years of Production Facility A. Then focus moved on to Production Facility B and the A began sliding down due to...insufficient people who are both interested in the future success of the operation, and able to secure it. Which means...basically...family members. The only people that we know of who can be trusted.
You are standing on a cross-roads. Will you invest into that? This time, it means not money but a large portion of your time and energy, meaning you will now strive to find a balance between your goals and family goals. Oh, wait, you're doing that on a smaller scale, anyway.
Anyway, are you prepared to face all that comes with the responsibility? Or will you stick to your own path and let a generation of efforts reach the end of its course?
I'll be glad to know what you would choose.
Peace be upon you!
Yours,
Manol
P.S. "Making dough" is an old slang for making money since baking bread was once upon a time in the heart of the economy. And it's still there somewhere, centuries later. The price of bread is still a simple way we measure inflation, albeit inaccurately.
In next chapter of this story, I shall continue with the options for future investment.