When it's cold and there's no music...

As soon as I got my driver's license at 16 years old, I went and got my first job.

I applied at two places:  1) Hollywood Video and  2) A gas station that was just opening up near my house.

The first place to call me was the gas station and after a short interview, I had my first job.   To be honest, I really wanted the Hollywood Video job, but they didn't call til much later.

Until then, my only income was money I made from cutting my neighbor's grass.

I had an obsession to start making as much money as possible, so I began working the max amount of hours and volunteering to work every holiday for holiday pay.  That meant working every day after school and on the weekends, from 3pm til 11pm.  It was not fun.

About 6 months into working there, I remember the owner of the company, a multi-millionaire, coming into the store to ask me why I wasn't cashing any of my paychecks.   I told him it was my way of making sure that money is saved until I really needed it.  Cutting grass gave me the money for gas and food, but my paychecks are the savings account.

He said I needed to start cashing them because the $5,000+ in my paychecks that I was not withdrawing from their account was screwing up their books.

I believe that was the moment that the student-mentor process began.  He said it was time to start looking into ways of investing the money and he would help me.  For the next 5 years, I would watch his actions very closely.  It was sort of my pre-education into being an entrepreneur, and in fact he was the guy that recommended that I go to Duquesne University.  When I felt confident enough to venture out on my own, it was time to say goodbye to my teacher.

It's amazing how different my life would have been if that event didn't take place.

Forutnately, I didnt get what I wanted -  the job at Hollywood Video.  Fortunately, someone was able to mentor me through the whirlwind of wanting to become an entrepreneur.  Fortunately I was able to learn an early lesson - Self deprivation is one of the toughest things to do... but it could set you on the right path...eventually.