I Spent Money I Didn't Have And It Changed Everything

The First Leap: Buy the Thing That Forces You to Act

In 2015, I was working at a Walmart distribution center (forklift life), listening to podcasts for hours and thinking about building a business.

Then January 11th, 2015, I did it:

I bought a course I couldn’t afford.

$1,000 credit limit. Already buried in debt.

Had to sell my wife at the time on the idea that if this didn’t work, I’d go back to school and do accounting (thank God that didn’t happen).

But here’s the key: I took a shot on myself, and the purchase forced action.

It forced learning.

It forced implementation.

It put me in a community.

It made it real.

And within a year, I built and sold my first business.

Actionable takeaway

• If you’re stuck consuming content and “researching,” buy the thing that creates accountability and makes you move.

• Don’t buy to feel good. Buy to implement.

• Choose programs that include community or direct feedback—because isolation kills momentum.

The “Serendipity” Pattern: Doors Open After You Commit

That first course had a retreat in Thailand.

Financially, I had no business going.

My wife and I are talking it through, stressed, trying to figure out how this is even possible…

At her parents’ cabin I flip open a random magazine to a Capital One ad about flying to Thailand… to the exact islands where this retreat was happening.

Call it coincidence. Call it serendipity. I don’t care.

We put the tickets on a credit card and committed.

And then sales started coming in like they never had before.

Magically, we had enough.

What mattered wasn’t magic. It was movement.

Commitment creates urgency. Urgency creates action. Action creates results.

Actionable takeaway

• Don’t wait for confidence. Make the commitment that creates it.

• If you do decide to spend: immediately pair it with an execution plan (what are you implementing this week because of this?).

“You Can’t Meet These People on Your Couch”

That Thailand event wasn’t just a trip.

That event created a chain reaction:

• I started my first podcast at the event (took me until the final day to pull the mic out… but I did it).

• I met people who became mentors and business partners.

• That led to adult coloring books, then gel pens, then Paramount Pet Health, eventually a strong business and a great exit.

You know what doesn’t happen when you stay home?

You don’t collide with opportunity.

Actionable takeaway

• If you want a different life, you need different inputs: be in different rooms, with different people, having different conversations.

• Go to events with one goal: relationships, not inspiration.

• Track who you meet, follow up fast, and look for “collaboration triangles” (who they know, what they’re building, where you can help).

The “I Never Sat in the Back Again” Moment

There was a retreat in Hawaii in 2016.

I got bumped to first class—first time ever.

I walk on the plane in shorts, not “first class energy,” and the lady next to me is giving me the look. Fair.

But I’m working on my business on the flight, and she starts asking questions.

I help her. I connect her with Jon (my business partner now). Jon becomes the Australian distributor for her brand.

That one upgrade became a literal business connection.

And I’ll tell you this: I never sat in the back again after that.

Not just on planes but mentally.

That’s what happens when you put yourself in rooms where growth is normal.

Actionable takeaway

• Raise your standards intentionally: travel, environments, peers, expectations.

• Don’t “look” like you belong—show up like you belong by contributing.

• The fastest way to belong in high-level rooms is to be useful.

More Proof: Every Major Partnership Came From Showing Up

Traffic & Conversion Summit (San Diego):

• I went alone, didn’t know anyone.

• I ran into Brian Angel (someone I vaguely knew online).

• He became one of my best friends and later a business partner connection that helped lead to major moves and exits.

E-Commerce Fuel Live:

• I met Leanna Patch (became my partner at Paramount Pet Health).

• I met Bill D’Alessandro (mentor type energy, warehouse tours, higher-level thinking).

This pattern repeats because it’s real:
put yourself in the environment → meet someone → take action → compound results.

Actionable takeaway

• Go to one event per year minimum if you’re serious.

• If you’re more advanced: one paid room/retreat/mastermind per quarter can be the difference between “staying busy” and compounding.

• Attend with a simple plan:

  • 10 quality conversations

  • 3 follow-ups within 48 hours

  • 1 collaboration idea per event

The $20–35K Mastermind Lesson: Your Value Is Usually Underpriced in Your Own Head

I joined a mastermind that hurt financially.

And it changed me.

It changed how I think about marketing.

It changed how I think about business.

It changed how I see myself.

I walked in feeling like I didn’t belong.

Then I presented on SEO—basic stuff to me—and the room was flabbergasted.

And then the leader asks:

“What do you charge for consulting?”

I said: $100/hour.

He said: “You’re telling everyone today you charge $500.”

I did.

And no one said no.

That wasn’t about ego.

That was about reality: I had been undervaluing myself because I was measuring myself from the inside.

Actionable takeaway

• If you’re good at something: charge more than you’re comfortable with.

• Price is positioning. Undercharging attracts the wrong clients and keeps you small.

• Let the market correct you, don’t pre-reject yourself with low pricing.

Founder Advice: Pay to Skip the Line (And Then Actually Skip It)

I’ve paid tens of thousands for consultants:

• SEO

• Ads

• Ops

• Mindset coaching (yes, that counts)

Here’s why:

They’ve already made the mistakes you’re about to make.

So ask yourself:

How much money are you losing by not knowing what they know?

Also—your competitors are paying for help.

They’re buying speed.

They’re buying solved problems.

Actionable takeaway

• Hire consultants when:

  • the problem is expensive

  • the learning curve is long

  • mistakes are costly (ads, SEO, ops, legal, supply chain)

• When you hire someone: do exactly what they tell you to do.

  • Most people pay for advice and then freestyle it. That’s how you waste money.

The Real Lesson: Mentorship Only Works for People in Motion

Here’s the truth nobody wants to hear:

If you’re just “thinking about doing something,” almost no one is going to help you.

If you’re actively building, shipping, selling, testing, failing, learning, people above you love helping.

Because you’re doing the work.

Entrepreneurship is the greatest self-development program on earth.

You’re going to bump into your insecurity.

You’re going to self-sabotage.

You’re going to feel unworthy.

Do it anyway.

Tons of doors open once you start walking toward them.

Actionable takeaway

• Momentum attracts mentors.

• Proof of effort beats “potential.”

• Build in public (even a little): share wins, lessons, experiments, people will lean in.

The Questions to End On (Because They Sting for a Reason)

So let me ask you:

• Who’s the mentor you need, but you’re telling yourself you can’t afford?

• What room are you avoiding?

• Where are you still sitting in the back?

You’re never going to feel ready.

The door only opens when you walk towards it.

And if you commit, then implement, then keep showing up?

You won’t regret it.