What is the first thing you do to get money when you have none?

Resources are scarce. You do not have any money to pay your rent. Your child support is coming up. You have no idea how to put gas in your tank. You have some money in your wallet. It is a decision between buying food and taking a chance. How in the world can you become a professional entrepreneur in this situation?

I was in a similar position once.

During the height of the real estate collapse I lived in something called the “Cinder Block”. It was a concrete block house, with a dirt drive way, a covering for a garage port, with the washer and dryer outside.

After 7PM every night raccoons would come in to claim their territory. My daughter’s mother would not go outside to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer. She was petrified at having to shoo away raccoons. I usually chased them away with a broom. The rent for the entire place was $550. I couldn’t afford the rent. I convinced an older brother to “move in” to help out. My older brother paid the entire rent. I needed my own house but could not afford it. We had a new born. We had a full size bed to accommodate me, my daughter and her mother.

One in a half year earlier I owned a total of 19 residential properties in Land Trusts. I also owned 2 commercial spaces in downtown Orlando through membership interest units in a company. This company owned two suites in the premier “Orlando Plaza”. The company had two office suites on the 15th floor. I met the woman who would be my life partner during this time. I took her up to the 15th floor balcony. I did this to “impress” her with a night time view of the city. Imagine this, less than 2 years later I would be in something people refer to as a “Trap House”.

I had no money in my bank account. My accounts in Wachovia were overdrawn at least $100. How in the world did I get out of this situation? How in the world did I go on to continue my career? My career spanned nearly 14 years to the day since I am writing this.

Does this situation strike a chord with you? Are you sitting around in poverty wondering how you can improve your life? Do you have a calling to be something more than you are? No one giving you a job even though you know you work harder than everyone else?

Let me tell you the first thing I did to change my situation. It’s something you will have to do if you want to change. Your bank account does not matter. The fact you do not have a car to get to where your going doesn’t matter. The clothes you have do not matter.

One of my brothers’ fathers in law said something to me that I have always carried. This man was Glenn Wesley Turner (Dare to Be Great). He said, “The only thing that separates you from any other person is one decision. No person is greater than you no matter what side of the table they are on.”

See any person can be impoverished. Any person can be wealthy. When a person makes a decision something happens. I made a decision to walk into a law office with no money, no resources, and three things.

I had my character. I had my integrity. I had my wealth.

My wealth was my knowledge. Knowledge was my asset. Money does not make money. Money gives people with “knowledge” the opportunity to make prudent decisions. Based on these decisions money experiences a profit or loss.

Profit is found in “knowledge”. Never devalue the fact you know something. Remember there is someone out there that does not know what you know. Don’t ever let money define your value. Your value is defined by what you can provide someone to earn a profit. Profit will always be found in people not money. There exists no business on this earth that is not powered by people. When artificial intelligence finally comes it will be invented by “people”.

I had “knowledge” to do financial analysis in real estate.

I would do my first action with character, integrity and knowledge.

I convinced people in that office that I qualified to be a compliance officer for real estate. I told lawyers there I could originate clients. With my skill I could bring retainers for real estate based opportunities. I would use the credibility of a law firm to substantiate my resources to locate real estate deals. I built a Credibility Box with no money just knowledge. I used my Credibility Box to solicit prospective clients. Those clients believed I could locate deals for them due to my integration with a reputable law firm.

The law firm paid me no money up front.

I have a rule about “credibility” I previously wrote about. The easiest way to get into a deal is to tie everything you do to “performance”.

You must believe in yourself when no one else will.

If you have neither references nor a professional license you have to do something else to instill confidence for your deal. You have to be willing to get paid after you deliver. Prior to instilling confidence you must do your first thing.

The first thing you do is “Build a Credibility Box”.

You do not need to have money, expensive clothes, or fast cars to have a “Credibility Box”.

Once you have your Credibility Box approach a prospective client. Present your opportunity with clear path to earn a profit.

I built my Credibility Box with no money. I used my Credibility Box for a deal that took me to New Zealand. That opportunity would generate me nearly $400,000 in cash over 18 months. The opportunity gave me the experience to qualify as an Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Becoming an AFA with verifiable experience gave me an independent Credibility Box. This is more important than money. I seized my opportunity to turn a profit. More importantly I personally became a Credibility Box.

You can do the same thing.

I left my Cinder Block after four months. I would never go back there. I was impoverished as the most impoverished person there was. The difference was I made a “decision” to use my knowledge. My knowledge was valuable enough to form a Credibility Box. With that Credibility Box I converted my knowledge to cash. Knowledge is an asset. Real estate is an asset. Gold is an asset.

All assets can be converted to cash.

You just have to “know” how to do it. Each asset has a conduit to convert to cash. Gold has a refinery to convert your raw product to cash. Real estate has bank support to offer money to pay for it (usually). Knowledge for a Professional Entrepreneur needs a Credibility Box to be its conduit.

Go form a Credibility Box and convert your Knowledge to cash.

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About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Entrepreneur. Christopher has opened over 7 businesses in his 14-year career. Christopher’s purpose is to take advantage of various market-driven opportunities. Christopher is a certified Master Project Manager (MPM) and Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Christopher previously held his Series 65 securities license. Christopher also has his General Lines — Life, Accident, Health & HMO. Christopher has managed a combined 286mm USD in reported Assets Under Management & Assets Under Advisement. Christopher has work experience in 29 countries, raised over 50mm USD for various businesses, and grossed over 7.5mm in his personal career. Christopher worked in the highly technical industries of: biotechnology, finance, securities, manufacturing, real estate, and residential mortgages. Christopher is a United States Air Force Veteran. Christopher has a passion for family, competitive sports, fishing, martial arts and advocacy for entrepreneurs. Christopher provides self-help classes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Christopher’s passion to mentor comes from belief that entrepreneurs need guidance. The world is full of conflicting information about entrepreneur identity. See more at www.christopherklopez.com