Hey there!
I am James, founder of The Million Dollar March website. I am a former firefighter and long time wannabe entrepreneur. For the last 20 years plus I have attempted and struggled to start a sustainable business of my own while working one to three other jobs. I have now retired and find myself with plenty of free time and no ‘good’ excuses to not buckle down and create a successful business. Through this website I will be documenting my journey to what many consider a benchmark for success, one million dollars in wealth! In addition I intend to provide insight into my quest to achieve better health, as my previous career and genetics/environment have left me with a number of health conditions, some chronic and some more acute. I am doing this with the goal of putting my actions out there, to hold myself accountable and to hopefully inspire and provide some insight to others looking to take charge of their own health and finances through entrepreneurship and dedication. Let me share with you some of my journey so far.
Procrastination, Lack of Motivation, a bit of Complication
Over the years I have started and quit or failed at a number of businesses. Having been a firefighter for over 25 years I did have the comfort of a steady paycheck to fall back on. I also worked many side jobs, ranging from laboring for construction and roofing to cleaning beer lines in bars and restaurants to working at a small local credit union as a loan officer and eventually Vice President. These provided me with steady income and, quite honestly, a lack of motivation. It was easier to go get another job when I needed extra income for my family rather than put in the work and take the risk of starting a business. This has led to a feeling of disappointment and fear of never achieving my dream of being my own boss and loving a business of my own. It made it all too easy to put things off when I found a new business idea…I can start that next week, next month, maybe next year the economy will be in better shape to get this going…blah blah blah.
I did in fact start a vending business back in early September of 2001. A location for my first machine was secured and I was excited to begin generating revenue and putting it back in my business when the events of 9-11 occurred. This greatly affected the insurance industry and I was unable to afford a liability policy for just one machine as now the rates became based on having 20 or so machines at a minimum as the insurance companies I contacted needed to raise their premiums. That became a no go. I published a Children’s Book, tried selling credit card processing, got my real estate license and made some sales, and gave several other opportunities a shot but always found a reason to end the adventure and just simply ‘go back to work.’
The March is My Mission
I lost everything I had twice in my life. Once after the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, thank you big banks, among other institutions, and once again several years ago when I sustained a serious back injury resulting in being placed on disability from a career I loved. All this to say I have found the free time and proper motivation.
I do collect a pension which was hard earned and for which I am supremely grateful. It is modest by today’s standards and I don’t currently own a home. I seek money for the freedom it provides; the freedom to obtain proper health care, the freedom to live where I choose, the freedom to provide for my family. I now have the time and I am extremely motivated to be independently wealthy for the freedom and choices I believe money can provide.
Journaling the Journey
My aim of this blog as previously mentioned is to hold myself accountable and keep a high level of motivation. I intend for it to provide a log of the actions I take to review and revise if need be. I hope this will inspire others to start and stick with whatever passion they may have. Within these posts I intend to paint a clear picture of the steps I take to achieve true financial independence and more importantly great health. None of this is intended as financial advice and should not be taken as such. I am simply some dude who is sharing his steps in life to make it a better one for himself and his family.
Thanks for reading and best wishes to all !
James McDonald
TheMillionDollarMarch.com