Good morning! Today I am having Ben Edgson, the owner of workfromhomeblog.net who wanted to share how he got a fresh start from nothing. Ben is a born and bred Londoner. However he gained most of his life experience over the last 4 years in America. Coming back to England broke, he’s on a mission to change his life and create passive income online! Follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.
Let me know if you would like to guest post on MMYW.
Hello Readers of MakeMoneyYourWay, Pauline, first of all, fantastic site! Thank you or letting me be a guest on your blog.
I wanted to share my story and hopefully inspire others that may be a little behind credit wise or financially. Maybe life has thrown some obstacles at you? Having spent the last 4 years in America and having loads of adversity thrown at me I needed to hit the reset button on life and make some changes! During the last 4 years I have: Had my dream car repossessed, been fined $15,000, been to jail twice, been homeless and gone through a divorce. All of it, in fact happened during my last year in America.
I made the decision to start afresh, I had enough money for a plane ticket back to England and I already had a suit due to me being a banker. When I landed I checked my account to see what I had to play with for the next few weeks, £12! Oh well, a coffee and a bag of chips it is!
My very dream is to be able to work from home blogging and create passive income. It’s an absolute dream to do what you love and get paid for it. I hope to do just that, but for now, having just £12, I need a job!
The week before my flight I had arranged five interviews for when I was back in England, the very first interview was the very next day after I had landed. I had set it in my mind that I WAS going to get this job, nothing else in life mattered at that point, I had no money, no job but I was certain and determined to get this one job out of the five possible jobs I was going for. I borrowed £100 from my brother to get up to London for these interviews, I had been well prepared for the interviews as I knew the job inside out, I was going for a Sales manager position at a health club. After the five first interviews and a round of second interviews I was offered 4 positions. The one job I wanted was included in that so I took it in a heartbeat, I started the very next day after being offered the job.
It took me two weeks to get a job and start it after landing. After building my team and implementing a high positive energy in the office we hit budget for the next consecutive 3 months meaning I would receive a bonus for each of the months! Phew, what a relief, after the second pay check now had a £1,000 in savings. I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.
So what do the next few months have in store for me? Well October and Novembers pay checks are going to be tasty, this should give me the money I need for a deposit on a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment somewhere outside of London. This will mean I am commuting to work each day but being able to own a property and pay less on a mortgage compared to rent makes it all worth it to me. I aim to have this done by December 2013, this will mean that after having landed in England with £12 and a suit, 6 months later I can potentially be a property owner!
I do however need to improve my credit so I am writing a lot about improving my credit score over on my blog. This should be done over the next couple of months, and coupled with a deposit and pay slips should ensure I get the flat I want!
Morale of the story, no matter what life throws at you, with a positive mindset and hard work you can make a choice to change your situation. As Zig ziglar said “Positive thinking won’t let you do anything, but it will let you do everything, better than negative thinking will”.
This post was featured on the Financial Planning, Aspiring Blogger, Financial Nerd, Festival of Frugality, Carnival of Personal Finance, thank you!
It’s never good to hear about anybody going through such harsh times, but your story is quite inspirational and indeed proves that as long as you can stay strong, have a plan and focus on taking action, you will succeed. Congrats and keep up the great work!
C. the Romanian recently posted…Financial Lessons Learned after Getting Drunk Last Night
What an inspirational story. Glad things are going well for you and sorry about prison: doesn’t sound like fun :).
maria@moneyprinciple recently posted…Should we buy property?
Inspiring post! I also would love to make money full-time money from blogging, so I can relate to you on that front. It’s great that you landed a job within 2 weeks and were able to collect those bonuses.
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted…How Eating Healthy Can Reduce Your Grocery Bill and Save You Money
Great job, it’s impressive to see your determination after such a rough last year in America. You obviously believe in yourself!
FI Pilgrim recently posted…What’s Your Favorite Halloween Candy?
I think this is awesome! It shows that it really can be done if you work hard enough. Good job.
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted…Scary Money Confessions
Congratulations. I’m glad to hear of a success story but I have to say I’ve known people who apply themselves and work hard for months and months before they’re able to land a job. Those who stick with it generally succeed, but it doesn’t necessarily happen quickly.
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life recently posted…Part Time Work and Unemployment. Is it Worth It?
Wow. Two weeks is a fantastic turnaround. Very smart of you to line up interviews, but perhaps it was even smarter to hold onto that suit and your banking skills… in addition to the 12 quid of course 🙂
Congratulations on making it work
Debt BLAG recently posted…Why your significant other’s spending is even more important than you think — especially for millennials
Nice “rags to riches” story. I’m glad you were able to count on your brother for that initial stake. Four job offers out of five interviews is impressive.
Bryce @ Save and Conquer recently posted…Another Post on Why Investment Costs Matter
Nicely done Ben. I do work form home and make my living on my terms so I know first hand where you are coming from. I’m also glad that even though you appear to have a great gig now, that you intend to follow your true passion of working from home rather than doing the same old same old!
Take care and all the best to you.
Lyle
Lyle @ The Joy of Simple recently posted…Happy Halloween And Guest Post #2 🙂
Maybe I missed something… but you were unemployed with $12 then got a job and now have money? What exactly is inspirational about this, the speed in which you found a job?
That’s wonderful that you were able to take so many negatives and make a positive. I’m curious what your back up plan would have been if you hadn’t gotten any of those jobs.
Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted…A Wake Up Call and My Plan for Early Retirement
This is a great story, hope things keep going well for you Ben!
Adam @ Money Bulldog recently posted…How to Build a Credit Score
What an inspirational story! It sounds like your brother really believed in you and knew that you were capable of so much more. That’s really sweet. Congrats and great job turning your dreams into a reality! I hope to do the same with a little hard work as well.
Wow never give up! Inspirational story but sorry you had such a hard time hear in America. 🙁 Good luck to you!
Budget and the Beach recently posted…November Goals
Thanks for sharing a great and powerful story! Your journey proves that hard work and determination do indeed pay off. Best of luck to you in your new endeavors!
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…Money to Spend, No Internet and Great Reads for the Week Ending 11-2-13
Great inspirational post! I’m featuring it in my latest roundup.
Anton Ivanov recently posted…Introducing my First eBook – 7 Steps to Financial Freedom
Makes me really wish I had a job that paid me bonuses for hard work. But hey it still motivates me knowing that it is possible to come out on top after life beats you down. Good luck with the new property!
Levi Blackman recently posted…Four Horsemen Documentary (Full Video)
Truly inspiring account. Particularly like that punching qoute from Zig Ziglar, positive thinking will enable one do a whole lot. The rest boils down to some hard work and perharps luck once in a while.
Wish you the very best on your goals.
Simon @ Modest Money recently posted…Scotiabank Gold American Express Credit Card Review
Nice job! Shows that persevering and working hard can dig someone out of a tight situation. Best of luck.
Digital Personal Finance recently posted…Someone Tell Me: Why Do People Take Out Long-Term Car Loans?
Incredible! It’s amazing how you went from so little to where you are now!
Lisa E. @ Lisa Vs. The Loans recently posted…Links Lisa Likes – 11/4/13
Congratulations! This was a great story similar to that of the Phoenix– having everything, losing it, and then rising from the ashes into greatness once more. The story is inspirational and shows that you can always work your way up. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you get the place that you want!
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