How Would You Like 5 Million Dollars?

B00Mer

B00Mer

Keep Calm and Carry On
Sep 6, 2008
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Rent Free in Your Head
www.getafteritmedia.com
How Would You Like 5 Million Dollars?



Here’s the scenario:

You have a business idea that you could build up and sell in 3 years for $5 million – guaranteed. However, during those 3 years, you will be required to work an average of 75-80 hours a week.

Would you do it? Why or Why not?

I had asked this question to my fans yesterday on my Facebook Page, and the response was incredible. Within a few hours, over 25 people responded with various reasons why they would or wouldn’t go through with it. All had very valid, but different reasons.

What’s the purpose of this exercise?

The purpose of this thought exercise is to get you to really think about what’s important in your life. Thinking about this may put things into perspective as far as the lifestyle that you live now, the lifestyle you’d live while working 80 hours a week, and the lifestyle you’d have after you sold your business 3 years later.

What’s important to you?

It may have an effect on what you end up doing now.

Please assume that the $5 million is totally guaranteed (don’t ask me how, it just is. This is a hypothetical thought exercise people!), and you must do all of the work yourself (i.e., you can’t outsource any part of it).

Finally, I still have a few new versions of The 4-Hour Workweek to give away. I’ll select one random commenter (I’ll email the winner on Friday, 1/29) to send it to free of charge, so long as you answer the entire question:

Would you do it? Why or Why not?



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Note to readers: this is not me..

I just found this online and thought it would be and interesting question for forum members.

Now to answer this question.. when I was young I would have said yes.. Now, time is more valuable. Time at home, with family and friends.. so, today. Nope, wouldn't do it.

...
 
SLM

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
3
36
London, Ontario
How would I like 5 million dollars? In small, non-sequential, untraceable bills please. ;)

In all honesty if I were much younger I'd go for a limited amount of time working 80 hours a week in order to build up the nest egg. Provided of course that those kind of work hours would end eventually. I have no desire to work 80 hours a week now though. My own time is too valuable to me, I wouldn't give it up.
 
W

wulfie68

Council Member
Mar 29, 2009
2,014
24
38
Calgary, AB
If it was guaranteed, I would seriously consider it. Money may not buy happiness but it can eliminate a lot of stress that interferes with it. The numbers of couples who argue over money is always high and although I know some of it is relative, but a lot is related to being able to address their needs.

Personally, I am a man of modest needs and the security 5 million could provide to my family would be worth it IMO. 2% of 5 million is 100K which is easily doable and more than my family would need to live on for a year without needing to tap into the principal. No student loans for my son when he goes to university (well if he misses out on the MIT scholarship he's going to get! :p ), no worries about retirement. I'd be 46-47 when it was said and done, so my wife and I could relax and enjoy our lives... including charity work (one of the things she is always talking about is getting involved in charitable urban renewal projects but time and resources are issues for us).

In some ways this is like the "what if I won the lottery" discussions. Too bad these things (in the original email you received) are always scam/pyramid set ups...
 
skookumchuck

skookumchuck

Council Member
Jan 19, 2012
2,467
0
36
Van Isle
For cripes sake! When do i start?
In 1965 at age 20 i went to Ft Mac to work for GCOS. Camp living, -40 and 12-16 hr days were the norm and welcomed! A year or so with only a few trips "out", i had my debts paid off and several thou in the bank. (big bucks in those days)
Got churched the first time and it was all gone. When do i start? "I promise not to piss it all away this time" as the old bumper sticker said.
What a bunch of wimps much of society has evolved into........
 
MHz

MHz

Time Out
Mar 16, 2007
41,030
43
48
Red Deer AB
I would put in more time than that, basically eat, work, sleep, much like a busy farmer. Then at the end of the 5 years sell, turn back, walk away (into something you would rather have been doing in all those 5 years.) don't look back once at the old business.

Try one that has a 20 year business plan where you get 5 years and 3 others get to run it for 5 years each and then at the end of that it is 'sold' and the 4 get their' winnings' based on true value at the time of the sale.
 
Cannuck

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
30,245
99
48
Alberta
I wouldn't do it today but in a few years when the kids are done school, I don't see why not. The only real question I would have is whether I enjoyed the job or not. Three years of doing something you absolutely despise for 80 hours a week would not be worth it.
 
taxslave

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
36,362
4,337
113
Vancouver Island
I tried it. Did almost 20 years. Didn't get out with no $5mill either. Had lots of fun sometimes. Two biggest problems is collecting and dealing with all the bazillion bureaucrats that think they need information yesterday.
 
B00Mer

B00Mer

Keep Calm and Carry On
Sep 6, 2008
44,800
7,297
113
Rent Free in Your Head
www.getafteritmedia.com
taxslave said:
I tried it. Did almost 20 years. Didn't get out with no $5mill either. Had lots of fun sometimes. Two biggest problems is collecting and dealing with all the bazillion bureaucrats that think they need information yesterday.
Click to expand...

What did you do, what career?

Taxsalve I just noticed your signature.. 10 points for that.. LOL

Grow yer own dope
Plant a politician
 
F

fuzzylogix

Council Member
Apr 7, 2006
1,204
7
38
Actually there is a far easier way to make much more than five million. You embezzle millions of dollars from your workplace or investors in your company. You have a wonderful lavish lifestyle as you develop your Ponzi scheme. When you are caught ( which is not a given) and if you are convicted (which is not a given), you get your three years or so in jail which actually is over an 80 hour work week, but is in fact, a wonderful time to read all those great books you've been meaning to get around to as you rest in your minimal security "home". When your time is up, which will be about eighteen months with probation, you pop off to the Bahamas where you have stashed away your loot and enjoy! After all, no court ever orders you to pay back all of the money you skimmed.
 
taxslave

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
36,362
4,337
113
Vancouver Island
B00Mer said:
What did you do, what career?

Taxsalve I just noticed your signature.. 10 points for that.. LOL

Grow yer own dope
Plant a politician
Click to expand...

Logging and road construction. I wanted to see the coast and that was the only way I could find to get paid for it.LOL
 
Liberalman

Liberalman

Senate Member
Mar 18, 2007
5,623
35
48
Toronto
If anyone has a $5 million dollar idea check out the web site below and if you want to buy an invention and bring it to market this is the web site for you.

 
JLM

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
547
113
Vernon, B.C.
B00Mer said:
How Would You Like 5 Million Dollars?




...
Click to expand...

For starters it's about $4 million more than I could every use. I could keep $1/2 million for the wife and I and split another $1/2 million up among family- the idea being to give them a boost without ruining them and making useless parasites of them. There are a lot of places in the community that could use $4 million. Our healthcare service is burdened with long term care patients being kept in acute facilities, so for about $1 million you could build a pretty fancy resthome and hire someone to run it.
 
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