How can I support myself or my family while doing what I enjoy?
As a young man I asked myself this question constantly. — It took me ten years to get my first college degree. I had a wife and a daughter to support. I worked in restaurants, dug ditches for the water district, and was a nighttime janitor. My wife stayed home and cared for our child and me. I was the breadwinner and responsible for making enough money for us to live on. Times were difficult for us during those years. But once I graduated, I became a high school teacher. I began earning a better paycheck and life got more stable and less stressful for awhile.
But in a few years, as my family grew, finding a home to buy became a necessity. I could not qualify to buy one on my teacher’s salary. — I had to find another way to provide for my family.
I began thinking of starting my own business. I went through a list of all the companies I could find and tried to imagine me doing that. Nothing stood out. But there was one business that seemed affordable to get started and was something I could do. – All it required were basic cleaning skills. — So, I decided to start a janitorial cleaning business.
I purchased some basic cleaning equipment, printed up some business cards, dressed professionally, and then walked down my town’s business district and began knocking on doors. – There was a learning curve I went through; but I earned several times more that year than I had ever before! — In 3 years, I was able to sell that business. Then I started several more and sold them too.
For the last 20 years I been running a non-profit for US Military, Veterans, and their families: Patriotic Hearts.org. — One of my programs is US Military Clean. I get US veterans started in their own janitorial business. Over 100 of these V.O.B.s have gotten started so far, in 39 states. It has changed the lives of hundreds of US veterans, including the hundreds of other veterans they employ. – And it has brought great satisfaction and personal joy to me too.
And now, after a long life lived, I have taken the time to do what I always really wanted to do more than anything ever since my early youth: Write books! — Recently, I published The Breeze of Romance: Poems for Loving Couples and More Than Conquerors: Living A Believer’s Life. They are available on Amazon.
If you are young or old, you can always choose another path that may be more enjoyable than the on you are on now. If you want to talk, reach out to me. I am always glad to help anyone I can.
Let’s Connect! Mark Baird
