Tiffy Lagman
I once was an impulsive shopper; my mind is wired this way:
- “Ohh I might not see this dress or shoes again, I have to buy this.”
- “Ohh this looks good on me on this occasion.”
- “Ohh I should make an advance shopping for next 2 weeks’ event.”
- “Ohh they saw this dress at some pictures, I should buy more.”
- “Ohh this bag matches my shoes.”
- “Ohh I should buy another color that matches my dress.”
And a lot more! Relate much? I ridiculed myself and realized it’s not economic. Luckily, I don’t own a credit card to swipe every purchase, but what if? I might end up giving up everything and swimming in debt just with unnecessary stuff.
And so what I did so I could buy more, I sold some of the clothes I don’t really wear or have worn a few times while I kept my favorites. Nah I’m not giving up everything, but cleaning up the closet gave me an idea – to turn this into a real business. The money I earned from selling my clothes turned into a capital for an unexpected business venture. But of course I still can’t help the urge to shop. What I do for a quick check and balance is sell old items and use the profit to buy items I like for myself. It’s wise and allowed me to save and earn at the same time.
It came to a point that I was close to running out of clothes and items to sell while my compartment (my car) was full and ready for deliveries. I didn’t do this buy and sell thing for a living since I had a full-time job that also kept me busy including things I needed to do at home. So I was very eager to find a supplier before I totally run out of clothes to sell. I wanted to continue this kind of business so I just needed someone to supply me with clothes, so I can sell them by bulk and distribute them to retailers working at neighboring offices. Doing this made me feel fulfilled knowing that selling clothes and makeup wholesale I am helping other small entrepreneurs. At this point, it was becoming a really profitable side-business without me having to do a lot of work — this is what I proudly call working smart.
So you guessed what happened next, I quit my job and started investing more time and capital in this business. I realized that I can’t work forever (in something I don’t really enjoy) especially now that I know I have the real potential to own and grow a business. Unfortunately, not for long my “buy and sell” business failed for a lot of reasons. Good thing, I managed to invest in another business. It is true that you should not “put all your eggs in one basket”. It was a tough ride but I was able to pull through it and made a lot of partnerships along the way with people who have more experience in business. These people helped me understand the ways of business and how to manage money. Most importantly, they inspired me to strive harder until I achieved a return on my investments and grow it to an even bigger profit.
In my story, I did not mention anything about putting my hard-earned money in the bank. I do have savings but I keep enough only as a backup. The bulk of my finances are invested in other business ventures. You don’t really want all your money to be sleeping in the bank, when everyone knows how banks use your money but give you little back in return as interests. What I do instead, although takes a lot of time, effort, a little sacrifice and risk, is more valuable because of it’s huge return. Also, there is nothing wrong with being employed, both employment and business run their own risks and take effort but it’s good to know the difference in the benefits they give you. Business expedites growing your income potential (employment does not) in a shorter time-frame which allows you enjoy a balanced and happier life much sooner. Now this is what I call business with pleasure.
