A CASE OF - RIM ENVY!

I had a case of rim envy last night.

There is this guy, who has a new Dodge Charger, rimmed up, who lives in my complex. I looked at my Grand Prix with the dents and broken mirror, then looked at the shiny 2007 Charger, and caught Rim Envy.




Symptoms include:

1. A feeling of fund-lessness
2. A feeling that no music video hoe, will give your car a second look
3. A feeling that no High School kid will think you are cool.
4. You began to look at your clothes and footwear as inadequate, as not being "cool".
5. You are dissappointed that you did not buy a round of drinks at the bar, or blow $1000 bucks at the Casino when everyone went last week.

Then I thought to myself, “First, Relax, it’s only a Dodge Charger. Second, dude is probably paying like $400 / month in payments, and Third, It’s a Dodge Charger”. My money is being used to increase my wealth.

What a Dodge Charger with rims translates to me is, that you have reached the height of your earning potential and you would like to plant a flag at the top of your peak. A Bentley with Rims means, “Hey this car would look better with these rims”.

What’s the cure for Rim envy……..Looking at real cars with real rims. Rim Envy becomes real motivation. Anyone with a savings account and a job can afford a Charger on Dubs, don't be too impressed. Have your money work for you. Any car less then $50,000 is just getting you from A to B. Other then saftey ratings you should only be concered with reliability.

Over $50,000 and you are saying something. Over $100,000 and you might officially be ballin!. You have to have real money to afford these cars with these rims.

Gallardo…….I’m coming for ya!

-MJL












small+business,
Gallardo,
Millionaire
Mercedes
Bentley
rims

Mariah Carey's Rider

After 6 emails and 1 comment: I had to add Mariah Carey's Rider

Compliments of www.thesmokinggun.com

It's Spring Again!

IT'S SPRING TIME BABY!!

You know you are "on the come up" when you can quote yourself. Back in July of 2006th I posted the following:

'WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING PREPARE FOR THE RAIN
I know it sounds a little depressing but it's true. People definitely do not do this enough. When faced with adversity, we dig in deep, kick ass, take names and prevail. Once we are in the winner’s circle we forget the things that got us there. We forget the dedication, the focus, the struggle. We get complacent and end up in the same situation we've just fought our way out of. When you are just winning the first battle of the war you must continue to fight just as hard until the battle is over. "

Running a small business is just not easy folks. With the start of the Spring (automobile) detail season, and equipment that has been beat up all winter, my pockets were hit. I have 6 banks accounts and as of Tuesday of last week, I had a total of -$4.23 in all of them, and $5.00 in my pocket. That was the sum total of everything, including my business account, which was overdrawn; new job, bigger salary and all.

Don't start a business unless you are in it, to win it. This is no joke. I knew last August that I was going to be losing thousands per month to keep my business running. This steady loss of money was supposed to happen until April 1st of this year. One week from now. What I didn't account for was business growth during the down season.

Each new account you acquire comes with a lot of upfront costs. Some accounts require insurance policy modifications, which can not be financed monthly like personal policies. They have to be paid with a one time annual payment. Other accounts work on a 45 day pay period. This means that all upfront costs are paid by you, including: man power, equipment, and supplies for 30 days before you send a bill. Then your customer has 45 days to pay. There is a total of 75 days from the day you start working on the new account, until you are counting your cash money. That's 2.5 months.

The plus side in all of this is that I'm grimy, and my staff is grimy. We have been broke before and any of us can thrive for a week with $5.00 in our pockets.

I have been dumping money into this business for years. Every chart I’ve created and every Microsoft Excel spread sheet points to April 1st 2007 as the breakthrough month and I received the 1st breakthrough check today a week ahead of schedule.
I have arrived.

As John Brown, the Great White Rapper would say,
“Hallelujah Holla Back!”

Now what's important is that I keep the same hustle and grimy mentality. The brains and strategies that I used to keep my business in business, will now be used to increase profits, expand and diversify.

This doesn't mean that I can sit back and rest, but instead it’s time to step up my game, perhaps work a little harder if that’s possible.

It's like getting to the NBA. Now you don't sit back, you have the best equipment in the world. You grew up playing with milk crate rims, and practicing dribble drills in your driveway. Now you have the best equipment, best coaches, and state of the art weight facilities. You can increase your level of play exponentially.

The same laws apply. That's how the rich get richer! The best get better.

When you lose a little weight, you get more energy, and your stomach shrinks allowing you to eat less and work out more. It's easier to get better.

Well, money means time and resources. Which means I better use it wisely. I'm supposed to be the hero of this blog and I won't let my readers down. I'm on the road to riches and I will post and blog every step of the way. If you don't want to put the work in yourself, then ride with me! The Gallardo is parked out back. By the way I learned it’s pronounced Ga-yard-do…..Now, I know how to ask for it at the dealership.
-MJL



small+business,
Gallardo,
Millionaire

Hustlers Syndrome

I have been watching the Aviator with Leonardo Di Caprio. That was my workout movie last week. (Work out movie – A movie that you can only watch while working out. The movie is usually so good that you are inspired to work out, so you can complete watching the movie)
I usually mix up a Movie with a TV series on DVD. The current series happens to be “The Wire” . I know…but better late then never.


Anyway, I happen to think that the movie is fabulously done; another Scorcesee masterpiece. Now, I understand and can appreciate the buzz that was generated at the time of its release to the theaters. If you have seen the movie, great; if you haven’t I will explain something that I just realized.

As Howard Hughes grows in wealth and stature his fear of germs and people spying on him increases. He begans to get very anxious, accusing people of having microphones and weapons. He suffers from ODD where he has to have certain things in certain places. He becomes a compulsive hypochondriac. As I’m watching this cat, I’m like damn! I feel what he’s feeling. There are certain impending events that cause the chest to swell up, and I can’t stop thinking about them. It’s similar to a Tony Soprano style panic attack. I don’t want to fall over into the grill like Tony (The Sopranos’s Season One), and I can’t afford an annoying voiced frog faced physiatrist like Tony, so I have to do some self analysis.

I began to write down all the times I feel stressed. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not feeling like a little bitch…on the contrary, I’m feeling like I’m quick to whoop somebody’s ass!

My lists began to look like the following in order of smallest panic to largest:
1. Phone ringing
2. Guest coming over
3. Sunday night – Thinking about starting the work week.
4. Going away for a weekend
5. Away from home, and my apt isn’t spotless

Looking at the list I realize a slight trend. The anxiety comes with my level of preparedness. If I am expecting a guest, and I am fully ready to receive that guest, then I’m not anxious. If my apartment is spotless then I’m calm and cool. If I’m going away for the weekend, and I create a list and handle everything, and I mean everything, then I am enjoying myself.

Part of the anxiety with the phone is running a small business. You can get a call at any moment and be out a couple thousand bucks. Something broke down, a client dropped us, the IRS. If that’s not cause for anxiety then I don’t know what is.

I can see why some people and bands are particular about their riders (riders are lists of wants a star requests for their dressing room. I have taken the liberty of posting a few riders below. Take note of Busta-Rhymes Condom and KFC requests) and why really successful people are so anal. They need to be prepared. Some are undoubtly spoiled but others need things precise, completed, and prepared.

After watching the Aviator I began embracing this anxiety thing, because it forces me to step up my game. I have created lists now, that I have to accomplish. This insures that I’m keeping my game at an A level and the since of calm I get from completing the list is like…..is like……smokin a phatty on the beach with Bob Marley himself……or lookin’ at your bank statement with six zeroes, a new fully paid for CLS parked in your driveway…smoking a phatty rolled by Snoop dog with week from Bob Marley’s personal stash. Of course I wouldn’t know, I hear there is a chance that weed makes you skip a beat, and as hustler that wouldn’t be conducive to my hustlers syndrome.

Now Howard Huges had a mental illness, but if hustling is a disease, then call me cancer.

When you don’t have that anxiety, I think you have officially surrendered your game which we will never do. Rich or Nothing people, No surrender no Retreat.

Summer’s almost here, let’s get that money!

-MJL



All riders and related commentary below provided compliments of www.thesmokinggun.com

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BEYONCE'S RIDER

SEAN PUFFY COMBS' RIDER

BUSTA RHYMES RIDER

The 13th Juror

Hey Sports fans,

I havn't been posting....I have been called to do my civic duty and become a Juror. I have been chosen to sit on a hearing and I will represent.

You know I'm coming back with tons of shzit to talk later.

In the meantime, look through the history and pick up some gems!

Holla

-MJL

Poor Britney? NO POOR US!!

Ok, in the wake of the Britney meltdown and the Anna Nicole death, I am in the supermarket and I hear, “Poor Britney” as this retired Go-Go girl, current, grocery purchasing specialist aka checkout lady, looks at the cover of US Magazine. I am 10 seconds from hitting her with a spinning back hand! Poor Britney? Poor Britney?

Poor us! It’s Saturday at 7:00 AM in the morning, and you are scanning my Speed Stick and Charmin. I'm buying 10 for $10.00 Lean Gourmet's and Kroger Brand Cola, at the crack of dawn on a Saturday, so I can get back to my 7 day a week, damn near 365 day hustle. Poor Britney….I told that lady, Britney is rich. She is not just 5 or 10 million dollar rich. She is filthy rich. She doesn’t have to ever buy groceries a day in her life. She doesn’t have to put out another album, all she has to do is don't act like an idiot and hold on to her money. Did you look at those pictures…Come on. Stars tend to be spoiled brats. They cry like they want to be treated like everyday people, but then carry on with their outlandish behavior. I never thought Britney was nearly as cute as everyone thought, but it’s going to be hard for me to forget her in those Bobby shorts, looking like a slim Uncle Fester. Look at that picture. She looks like the dude at Juffy Lube.

You might be thinking that I sound just a little jealous. Because I am.....You want to feel bad for her. Look at her crib. It probably cost a couple of million per year just to keep the place up.

The problem with people with money, is they don't know how it is not to have money. They get some paper and start "acting a fool". The people around them aren't true friends and are just worried when their meal ticket seems to be floundering.

For instance: Anna Nicole. I give her props because she made a fortune out of being “not talented” and even after her death they have E news specials on her. James Brown, the Godfather

of Soul, the man from which hip hop, and rap started from, got a 5 minute piece on E. Anna ruined her life with drugs and alcohol and she is getting week long specials. Look how good she used to look. She gets rich and starts looking worse. How does that happen? Guys

who have made millions by the way of the hustle, understand the hustle. Warren Buffet is in the process of giving his loot back through charity, he understands fully, how lucky he is, and how powerful his bank account is. There are some exceptions, but unfortunately the attention goes to those who don’t deserve it.

But while you are feeling bad let's take the time to feel bad for

DENZEL WASHINGTON

AND

EDDIE MURPHY

Let's go get this paper!!

-MJL