Do it for the Money

Money is the physical form of freedom.

I was born in the country of Iran 3 years before the revolution that led to the hostage crisis that led to the Iran-Iraq war. Infants in war torn countries have low survival rates. So I’m thankful, very thankful, that I’m alive. I’m grateful, especially to my parents who sacrificed their lives, that I’m now a citizen of the United States. This means something to me that I dare not take for granted. It means I am free — free to live up to the sacrifices they made for me.

My gratefulness manifested itself through hard work. I achieved everything I thought I ever wanted. Got a great job dealing cards in a poker room, which allowed me to buy a condo. My goal of self sufficiency and the American dream of owning a home was realized.

But a long period of comfort lead to apathy and apathy to resentment. I questioned my purpose. I questioned my very freedom. Was I free? Even if I was, I was definitely not autonomous. My job demanded that I be in certain places at certain times that were not of my choosing and sometimes at the cost of my health or well being.

Often I would have to interrupt important aspects of my personal life to go to work to be a cog in someone else’s dream machine. So, desperate not to let go to waste the sacrifices my parents made, with their lives mind you, to ensure that I have the freedom to live up to my true potential, I embarked on a new journey. One that would lead me to the highest form of freedom: autonomy.

In our society, who has true autonomy? Who is able to live their purpose, to do meaningful work towards the betterment of humanity without worry of food or shelter or financial uncertainty? There are two such categories of people, those at the very top of their chosen profession, and the wealthy. Often times, these are synonymous, and when they are not, they rely on each other heavily.

Either way, wealth is a necessary component of autonomy. More money equals more freedom. If the pursuit of money is essentially the same as the pursuit of freedom, why are they treated so differently in our culture?

If slavery is immoral then so is poverty. If freedom is a virtue then so is greed.

In a utopian future, wealth and autonomy are mutually exclusive. All humans are free to do whatever it is they choose without compromise of their time for mundane tasks or worse, their health. But that’s not the world we live in.

Even if I knew my life’s purpose, I would not have the autonomy to achieve it. Therefore obtaining that autonomy itself has become my life’s purpose, or at least the most immediate and urgent goal. In other words…

People will tell you, do what you love, get really good at it, and then the money will follow. I say bullshit. How will the money follow? You still have to know how to sell the thing you are creating, or find someone who does.

In the meantime, despite the fact that you are doing the work that you love, you still will suffer from a lack of autonomy because you will still be living paycheck to paycheck.

Faced with these realities I chose the obtainment of wealth, better known as entrepreneurship, as my new profession. Armed with knowledge, confidence, and passion, I set out to build businesses around work I loved doing. Those businesses failed. Now, instead, I’m building a business around work that is needed. My first priority is no longer passion but success.

First let’s define success. I learned from Think and Grow Rich the importance of specifying a dollar amount. I define my own success as building a company with a valuation of $10,000,000.

The question I asked was: What sort of company will give me the highest chance of success? Everyone’s answer to this question will be different based on their skill set. I assessed my strengths — service and hospitality. I assessed the market — a behavioral shift towards push button on demand services that save time. My answer became a laundry company, and that’s what I created.

I used to think it’s better to lose at something you like than to win at something you dislike. I know now that’s not true. It’s better to just win. Pick a game you know you can beat and beat the shit out of it.

What frustrates me is the stigma attached to greed kept me from understanding this concept sooner. Those who stigmatize the pursuit of wealth do us all a disservice. They create cultural obstacles and emotional turmoil for those of us who pursue wealth for it’s own sake because we want freedom for it’s own sake.

This story is part of a series documenting the journey of a 2016 Dallas startup called Feather. For your reference here is the Table of Contents for the series.

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