Hello Babies, Financial Freedom, The Importance of Work, Bucking the System to Allow Single Mothers to Earn a Wage

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies-“God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

— Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Monday morning, 6:31 a.m., the pup woke me up; she is full of piss and vinegar; exactly how long does this puppy phase last?           We just had a battle for my shirt sleeve, was getting a dog the best idea ever? Even with the trouble, yes, she’s a gift, a blessing during this season of love. We will be heading back East, taking our new fur baby, introducing her to our family and friends back east.

Enough about Parker Van Halen Thompson, how are you? Did you enjoy the weekend? Did you meet new friends? We did many new faces and places. On our way to our hike last week, I stopped by the Sit and Bull to buy a T-Shirt, they were out, but I did scope out the place, and it was awesome. We went back for lunch yesterday, we have officially added it to our list of favorite places. We met the owner; our friend Bill was there, a new spot to meet and greet the locals.

We ran some errands, then met up with our new favorite friends Kris and Marzy; they are locals, similar values, sense of humor, and love of laughter. We hung out and then came home; I made some cheeseburger soup, the kids played cards, we had a lovely Sunday family evening.

But let’s talk about you, how are you faring this Monday? Do you have a big week planned? Do you have many appointments that will allow for a new cash stimulus to enter your bank account? Are you looking to the government for a handout, or do you possess the skills to create your wealth?  What can you do this week to remove financial concerns off your plate? Financial freedom is a glorious place to be; it creates opportunities in other critical areas of life. Building a system that allows you to earn money is a key to happiness. 

I do not worry about money; I never have; I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was a child, always having money in my account, working, earning, working, earning, and then working more. I’m not wealthy, but I do have the means and the cash flow to support my Queen and myself. I should add my Queen is financially independent; one key to a relationship is equal stature. Together we do well, well enough to enjoy a lifestyle of freedom and folly.

I’ve made investments in the market and real estate to provide a reasonable income when I retire. My father retired at 55 years old; I don’t think I’ll be ready in four years; I’ve got a plan to work another ten and then focus on my training company, allowing others to continue to run and expand TTG; I have a plan, goals are a basis of success.

I’ve got a few appointments today, planning on doing some prospecting this morning, making calls, and generating our firm’s opportunities. I’m not alone; many others in our firm are reaching out, asking how we could start a conversation about your fill in the blank. It’s a simple way to engage strangers; people like to talk and share; it’s easy to start conversations. 

We picked up a couple of new opportunities this weekend. Our bus was mentioned, and then the information was shared; we are growing our company in the West and back East. Launching a division 1187 miles away from home was the right decision. I must say as I drive around our area, the mountains make me smile.

I talked to another business owner this weekend, a company that employs many single mothers.  We talked about the new shutdown rules; they smiled; they will continue business as usual; the employees need to work. I think it a wise move.  We live in a society where to make money; you must work; a government stifling an opportunity to work is limiting one’s freedom.

Another business owner that has a steady stream of locals is changing their operation. Under the new rules, he could have eight people at any one time; many of us have committed to supporting our friend, we have a code, we will continue to spend money in large groups to help him ride this choppy economic wave.         

Our company shut our offices down on March 13th; we will continue following guidelines because we can work from home and not impact our clients. If a client needs us, we will go to their home or meet them to conduct transactions; I look forward to reopening our physical locations and following the guidelines. If I owned a company that needed to be open, I would open and allow my employees to earn a wage, not using my children’s future taxes to fund the salaries required today. I think many people don’t understand that the government handouts will someday need to be repaid.

I took a break from making my soup to get some exciting news. It’s not soup worthy yet, but soon my Queen and I will have an announcement about our family; it’s big news for our future, time to grab some shades. Life continues to provide blessings and opportunities. I can’t remember a time sans pandemic where I was this optimistic about our future. We live our life asking for the rules and then do our best to follow the guidelines creating an experience of wonder and enlightenment.

I have worked since I was twelve. My first job was my paper route, followed by my yard mowing business, and then my fireworks stand. I got my first real job at 14 and worked at my Uncles store, filling coolers, sweeping, mopping, and organizing the stock room. I took pride in my work back then and continue to take pride in the work being done by my company.     

Work is essential to me; it gives my life value and helps protect our clients’ assets. We are building something cool; I just learned one of our interns changed her major from Speech Path to Risk Management; she enjoys the work; she might join us when completing college. Of our staff of 20, 5 are under the age of 25 and 10 are under the age of 30. We are investing in young talent to help us continue the culture and uniqueness of our firm. We are not for sale; we are building something cool.

Well, time to get to work. Time to clean up email, take a shower, make some calls, check-in on my team. We have cocktails with a client this afternoon, looking to connect our younger team members with Denver’s growing force; we’ve been very fortunate to connect with some entrepreneurial rock stars, referrals also add to our growth opportunities. If you do a good job, people share the news, and others seek to work with you or your firm.  

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies-“God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

— Kurt Vonnegut Jr.