It’s very strange that in a world full of opportunities, we only see two separate paths towards a rich and fulfilling life.
While there is a myriad of different paths one can choose, in many households, they all hold the same start and the same ending.
In some households, children are brought up to do well in school to do well in college. Such pursuits are desired for the goal of doing well in a chosen profession.
Such toilings is the path often mentioned as the good life. Yet, while education is the route many families take to break out of the cycle of poverty, it’s surely not the only way.
In other households families dare dream past their current standard of living. Instead, children are brought up to learn a trade and make money through hard work, sweat, and physical sacrifice. Surely, this was the path that I was shown.
However, if you’ve followed my story, you know a third path that many households don’t dare mention. That’s because it often comes with no guarantees — the path of entrepreneurship.
This was the topic of the latest episode of The Art of Making Things Happen with Steve D. Sims.
We spoke with Jeff Lerner, the founder of Entre Institute, the first and only online education platform dedicated to the third and often unmentioned path to a successful life, entrepreneurism.
In 2008, Jeff was a struggling musician, albeit an accomplished professional pianist. He recalls that he had reached the pinnacle of what a professional pianist could achieve in Houston at the time. Even then, he only made between $40 to $60K per year.
Even then, he knew he wanted more. He would spend his morning trying to start businesses. He had the desire but didn’t yet have the tools to be successful, which led to a series of poor business decisions throughout his 20’s.
By the time he was 28, he had started ten failed businesses, two failed marriages, and was $495,000 in debt, $330,000 of which he owed to the government for a small business loan. He was as low as low could get.
With his last $2,000 worth of credit left in the world, he spent one-fifth of it on a course teaching affiliate marketing. It was a desperate decision. As luck would have it, that one course changed the trajectory of his life.
With the knowledge gained from that one course, he could pay off all of his debt within 18 months! He then understood that we live in a broken system, and that system almost broke him.
Today, Jeff doesn’t worry about starting a business. Instead, he worries about helping others start their own businesses. As an accomplished entrepreneur who earns seven figures or more each year, he dedicates his time to helping others achieve the same dream.
Most people look at entrepreneurs from their endpoint and not their starting point. Unfortunately, this is the wrong approach.
To look at Jeff Lerner in 2021 is not the same as looking at him in 2008 when he first started his entrepreneurial journey. To meet Jeff a decade ago would be like being introduced to a different man because, in many ways, he was.
An inevitable growth happens when one chooses to become an entrepreneur, and that’s part of the curriculum at Entre Institute, which has helped thousands of students achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
Jeff’s goal over the next year is to make Entre Institute a household name. His hope is to provide people with a third option for building a successful life through learning the tips and tricks of some of the world’s top entrepreneurs.
If you’d like to learn more, please visit their site. Not ready to take the plunge, you can still learn more through Jeff’s podcast, appropriately named Unlock Your Potential.
As always, for more great content about entrepreneurism and more, make sure to check out The Art of Making Things Happen with Steve D. Sims.