My parents divorced when I was young, and like many families in the 1980s, we made do with what we had. At 19, I married my high school sweetheart. At 20, we were living in a small apartment, and I was making $12 an hour as an EMT while my wife waited tables. We had big dreams and nothing to lose. 

What change wasn’t luck — it was intention.

We bought our first home in 2010 and quickly realized that renting out rooms could cover our mortgage. That small decision was the spark. From there, we started several businesses, we graduated to partnerships and buying and selling businesses, scaling companies, and investing in real estate, land, metals, hedge funds, and more. By age 30, we were millionaires. By 35, we were financially free. And I spent the last two years traveling and enjoying time with my family.

Even though we achieved financial freedom, I made mistakes along the way — mistakes that cost time, money, and peace of mind. I wish I had a mentor earlier. Someone to show me that you don’t have to wait until 65 to “maybe retire.” Someone to say: “You can control your future. You can build passive income. You can structure your wealth to serve your life — not the other way around.”  I wish someone would have helped me understand the contrarian view sooner.