Wow, what a cool thread! I haven't read about anyone who's like me yet. So, what is my career choice? I'm a serial entrepreneur, and just like everyone else's career choice, it has its ups and downs.
I came to Canada when I only 1yr old from Vietnam. My parents worked hard but couldn't afford to buy me the things that my friends had (like a Nintendo, hockey cards, Transformers). So, at an early age I set out to figure out how to make some money. By the age of 11, I had started my own business. Ok it wasn't anything serious or maybe it was. I was that kid that was cutting everyone's lawn in Dover in the late 80's. Every weekend I would cut at least 5 lawns for $5 each. I did very well for a kid. I knew at an early age what I wanted to do when I grew up. I was gonna be an entrepreneur.
I haven't been "employed" by anyone for the last 15 years and I love my freedom. My potential is only limited by me and how hard I am willing to work.
Since 2000 I have been able to turn hobbies into businesses. I owned an eBay business, an auto parts retail and wholesale business, imported and sold import cars, a wildly successful
Calgary wedding photography business (JT Images) and a
Calgary photo booth business called Hoot Booth. The latter 2 are my current and main source of income. I don't work a lot of hours so that means I have a lot of free time and too many hobbies.
With my free time I'm always planning my next move because I can't sit still. So last year I started
TikTiks Inc. that some of you may have heard of. This upcoming hockey season will tell me and my partners a lot about how this one is going to pan out. We have a lot of work to do and I'm so excited to bring this product to the masses and make it great.
I'm also a part owner of a smaller startup called
Naturally Sweet Body and Wellness. We recently launched our e-commerce website. It's mostly products for women (for now) focused on all natural body and skin care.
So as of right now, I own and run 4 different businesses and only 2 have consistent revenue. Owning 4 businesses it doesn't mean I'm rich. Far from it! I am friggin poor! I've invested a lot into my ventures and also some that have failed that weren't mentioned. But what else am I gonna do? I don't have a degree. I don't have a trade. I don't have a specific skill set. I am a jack of all trades. I don't have any "work" experience other than a kitchen job in my early 20's.
There are some days that I start thinking to myself that I wish I had a "career" or something steady and guaranteed. I sometimes question my path and decisions. Because my income fluctuates every year, it can be really hard. But all I know is, I love being an entrepreneur. I need to be in control of my destiny. My dream is to create a profitable business where I can provide jobs to lots of people. I want to have a company where people love coming to work and love their jobs.
I'm a risk taker, a dreamer, a serial entrepreneur and there's nothing else I'd rather do.