Owning Your Own Business is the Path to Freedom

What do you want? Most of America is satisfied with the 40 by 40 plan, which is 40 hours per week for 40 years. In choosing a career, you see, we pick between two different factors: freedom and security. At first these two are opposites. If you choose security you will never achieve true freedom. If you choose freedom you will likely begin with no security at all and only achieve it after time. That is why the first decision you must make is Freedom; freedom over your time, your resources, and your property both material and intellectual.

As long as you trade your time for money you cannot achieve freedom. Some people argue that being paid salary or being self-employed doesn’t constitute trading time for money but I disagree. Ask yourself this question: If you don’t do any work for the next two weeks would your paychecks still arrive? If you answer no than you are still trading your time for money. The only way to stop this cycle is to own your own business system. See the Diagram:

Owning your own business system provides an opportunity for freedom because by employing others in a predictable pattern of activities you can achieve greater results than you could alone. If you get paid on the efforts of other people you begin to have leverage, and leverage is the key to financial freedom. Kiyosaki’s diagram shows us that only in the “B” & “I” quadrant can you achieve big results. You must make the conscious decision to move to the “B” quadrant and become the owner of a duplicable business system that doesn’t require your daily involvement.

Notice I said a business system that doesn’t require your daily involvement. Having your own business isn’t enough. Most business owners in reality only own a job. You must create or buy a business system that doesn’t require you coming into work every day, every week, every month, or even every year. This may not be possible during the first 6 months to a year of your business but it must be the end goal and your system must allow for it.

Only by making the conscious decision to desire freedom, own your own business, and create a true leverage based business system can you achieve your goals.

Jacob S. Paulsen