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Her daughter, presumably working in the business too, would also have her own one-year Freedom Day goal in
the form of an educational savings account.
I also thought Patricia’s desire to own and run a summer camp was a worthwhile vision, and I was eager to help
her achieve it.
In order to kick off the Wealth Cycle Process, we needed to start with the Cash Machine building block; Patricia
needed to make more money. Patricia’s skills prompted me to suggest that she create a Web design firm as her Cash
Machine. In order for Patricia to learn how to earn, she needed to use the knowledge and skills she’d learned and the
relationships she’d built as a project manager at the Web design firm to start her own Web business. Though she
found the idea unappealing, and seemingly off track from her vision of a summer camp, it would enable her to
bridge the gap from business know-nothing to business know-how.
The business has to be real, not some esoteric dream, so that you can establish a working Cash Machine while
gaining valuable experience. For example, a teacher should start a tutoring company, a computer programmer
should start an IT business, and a school counselor should start a family and marriage therapy practice. When I left a
large corporation and then returned to them as a consultant, I made three times what I was making as a salaried
employee. By the way, to show the reluctant among you that you are not alone, I waited until I was fully vested to
leave that company. That wasn’t just because I don’t like to leave money on the table; it reflected remnants of my
scarcity conditioning.
You must first hone those skills required of a business owner, such as marketing, sales, finance, operations, and
management, before you can establish the company of your dreams. Whatever you do decide, your first business

1. Should have a low barrier to entry. That is, you should be able to have it up and running and possibly
generating real money within 24 hours.
2. Shouldn’t take more time than you can allot, though perhaps you can get up an hour earlier every day.
3. Shouldn’t take more of your capacity than you can allot, though it will be a stretch.

4. Should diversify your income.
5. Should give you a nice return on your investment.
If you have a job right now that you are not willing to relinquish, I understand. But you need to consider a
transitional plan, a bridge out of your job and into the management of your empire of entities and your multiple
streams of revenue. It may surprise you, but I actually do not believe that if you do what you love, the money will
follow. Ask any poet how that’s going for him or her, and I’m sure you’ll be hit up for a loan. I think it’s important
to hold onto your day job until you can establish a formidable flow of cash from your Wealth Cycle.

Just Say Yes and Figure It Out
Your skill set is the obvious place to look when brainstorming ideas for a Cash Machine. And these are not restricted
to just those skills you’ve most recently used. For example, if you worked as a babysitter when you were younger,
you could consider a business around day care. One of the clients I mentioned in the introduction, the receptionist at
the law firm who created the successful dog-walking business, didn’t think she had any skill sets she could convert
to a business. Then she recalled that during college she had worked in a veterinary hospital and that she felt
comfortable around animals.
I also suggest that people look at the market and see what other suppliers have to offer, what distinctions are
being valued and what’s missing. I created my coaching business when I noticed that financial education speakers
were not providing any follow-up support after their seminars. Ultimately we established the idea of financial
coaching in its formal, intense state. Eventually, we became the speakers. But it was the coaching skill set and this
gap in the industry, the lack of postseminar support, that helped me begin my business. Additionally, I always
recommend that my clients think in volume when they’re starting a business. It’s best to build it once and sell it
many times, so always think in group volume, not individual volume. Individual volume is exhausting. A Cash
Machine idea that targets a group, such as the AARP and its database of clients, rather than every person over 55, is
going to be a much more profitable and efficient venture. Joint ventures with others already doing a similar or
complementary business are also great inroads to establishing your Cash Machine.

Committed to the Commute