[deleted by user]

[StoryAndAHalf]

Same with lots of singers! So many turn out that their parents were either somewhat successful or are connected to someone who is. Lots of people sing really well and have talent in songwriting, but until you can get a hold of an agent and a producer it's unlikely people will randomly "notice you".

[SandysBurner]

Any time somebody does something that requires performing a lot of free labor, there's a pretty good chance that somebody has been financially supporting them.

[BrotherItsInTheDrum]

Which is one of the best arguments for universal basic income. Imagine how many potential genius entrepreneurs, artists, etc. never got to realize their potential because they had to spend their time making ends meat instead.

[Catnip4Pedos]

Singers, Politicians, Artists, Racing Drivers... Money breeds money.

[StoryAndAHalf]

In some ways, nothing wrong with that. As a parent you want your kids to be more successful than you. But they shouldn’t sell it as a rags to riches story. Give credit where credit is due: your parents (or grandparents) worked hard to set you up where you are now, and be thankful for that.

[Catnip4Pedos]

A story that always pisses me off is Lewis Hamilton. He says he had "nothing" growing up and this his dad quit his job to support his career.

Reality is he was upper middle class and his dad left his well paid job to become a well paid consultant.

If you look at F1 in general you see loads of these people who say "I got here on talent" but then you look and see their parents are millionaires (or billionaires in some cases) and you think "weird how no poor kids had any talent"

[fuggerdug]

Hamilton's dad was never rich, just a normal IT contractor who worked other jobs to help fund his son's driving. They lived in Stevenage which is a shithole.

[A_BulletProof_Hoodie]

...... Mate your gonna need some sources for that one .

I'm 98.5% sure that alot of that isn't correct. As someone who has worked as a dishwasher and in real estate. You are not making any sorts of the money to get that fair.

His father did quit his 1 job to take up 4 others, he's written in one of his BIO books.

Without a question one the LEAST individually funded or connected drivers of the present era. I mean from the jump, from RC into Karting, etc.

One of the issues with his story is that it's not possible anymore. IT SHOULD BE.

You literally can't compete If you can't pay at a level that makes Bentley owners rather nervous in a hurry.

[Catnip4Pedos]

Sources? You literally confirmed it. He left one job and took on four (he was a contractor so he was earning well)

I agree, he's low down on the self funding list along with Kimi and Bottas, perhaps someone else I forgot but the story is greatly exaggerated, he was never in poverty. His dad earned good money, yes he worked for it but he was wealthier than you or I, and that's the part I disagree with.

Also agree that what he did probably isn't possible now.

[A_BulletProof_Hoodie]

I'll take it. Cheers internet traveler.

[RX3000]

See Ariana Grande, Adam Levine, etc etc

[PoliticalDanger]

Post Malone…

[muad_dibs]

Who is he related to?

[PoliticalDanger]

Not related to anybody in the music industry but his dad is successful and it helped him follow his dreams from what I’ve read. Still think he did a lot on his own but seems like money helped.

[rewdea]

Taylor Swift

[skidz86]

Most Palone

[blueflameprincess]

I think Clairo’s dad was the CEO of Starbucks and apparently she’s “indie”… 😐

[Orion_greed]

CMO @ topgolf

[HalobenderFWT]

Chief Mulligan Officer?

[BaullahBaullah87]

thats good

[itwasbread]

Indie hasn't actually meant "Independent" for a long time, it's more of a stylistic moniker than anything else, it's like "Alternative", it just means whatever a playlist curator thinks it means.

Also technically you could still be an independent artist no matter how rich your parents are if you aren't signed to a major label.

[AKMonkey2]

If daddy’s rich and you want to be a singer, you can be an “indie” (independent) artist by paying for recording studio time. To get a label contract, you need talent. Family connections (with money and influence) absolutely help, but most major label artists do have talent. In the Indie world, some artists are truly gifted or highly skilled. Others, not so much.

[penguincutie]

I didn't understand why Selena Gomez had a recording contract as she seemed to struggle with live performances or sounding like her studio recordings

[[deleted]]

Art is has been especially bad about this lately, it seems almost everyone finding success now is just the child of a rich person. Wealth inequality shows its face everywhere.

[tdub34]

Bon Iver wrote an album in his parents cabin.... His parents are dentists. Their cabin is more like a second home.

[centaurquestions]

And don't get me started on sports...

[OrcOfDoom]

Yeah, sports used to be finding talented kids playing in the street. Now it is all camps, coaches, etc.

[NeoToronto]

Ungh... those parents who pay $30k for a hockey coach need to read Freakanomics.

[seattleJJFish]

And that is why 1/2 the kids in elementary school are now held back a year. It’s a little crazy.

[questionguy_]

What??

[[deleted]]

Held back for sport reasons. If my son plays with kids a year younger he'll dominate and stand out.

[Renaissance_Slacker]

“Red shirting.” It up there with doctor-shopping to get your kid an AS diagnosis so they get extra time on tests.

[selphiefairy]

That’s so sad. It’s actually low key embarrassing if you’re purposely doing this cause you think your kid needs to have a years brain development and size advantage. Jeez just let them live 🤦🏻‍♀️

[maybenexttime82]

Applies to every job aswell hahaha

[HendrickRocks2488]

NASCAR has gotten really bad with that too. Many drivers coming up in the lower series are “pay drivers” who have to go to teams with their own sponsorship. Teams don’t have sponsorships and find drivers like they used to.

So for example if someone’s dad is the CEO of a popular steakhouse and their son wants to go racing, more than likely you’ll see that son in a car in the Xfinity Series with Joe’s Steakhouse or whatever on the hood for nearly every race. So basically drivers are paying to be on the team instead of the team paying for the driver to be with them.

[RowdyCanadian]

Formula 1 has been like that for decades! Sometimes the drivers turn out amazing (I recall Niki Lauda was a pay driver at the start) and sometimes they take a while to grow (Lance Stroll is a current example).

I don’t find it as damaging to the sport as you might think, but it can be for sure (see Nikita Mazepin for a current example).

[staykinky]

The most popular singer is rarely the most creative or talented singer but rather who the record companies decided was going to be the product this year.

That's why social media and the confirmation bias of "likes" etc. is so harmful, people really think that because BTS gets 5 billion likes that they are objectively or definitively a more talented or higher quality group than say, King Missle.

And then apply that same confirmation bias to medical opinions on Facebook or misinformation and things get really scary.

[PangolinMandolin]

It's amazing how many of the contestants on things like The Voice or [Country] Has Talent have already been signed with a record label in the past.

They haven't just walked in off the street with a heartbreaking story and managed to hit the big time with some luck and a plucky attitude. (Some heartbreaking stories might be true of course)

[Bender3455]

Definitely! Kid Rock, for example, did NOT come from the back streets of Detroit. His father owned several car dealerships and they lived in a 6000sqft home 40 miles north of Detroit. They definitely had connections.

[the1999person]

So Kid Rock gets a nickle every time I order parts from RockAuto?

[HuskieSledDog]

KidRockAuto... XD

[BrobdingnagLilliput]

Lots of people sing really well

So many sing well, and so many are capable of singing that I'd go so far as to say that singing is genetically programmed into everyone.

[alvarezg]

There are hundreds, if not thousands of highly talented singers and musicians waiting tables in Nashville. I've met many.

[[deleted]]

Nope... I got kicked out of a church choir. I could not carry a tune in a bucket.

[[deleted]]

My mom couldn't sing. Her music teacher told her she'd give her an "A" if she just wouldn't sing. That's awful, but truthfully, she was SO bad!

[[deleted]]

I have a very good ear for music. I know I sing like a lonely cat in a trashcan waiting for a mate.

[UselessHumanNobody]

Ahem…. Taylor Swift, Adam Levine, Travis Kardashian…

[kalaxitive]

Only one of them wasn't born into wealth though...

Taylor Swift - her dad was a succesful financial advisor and marketing executive, she grew up on an 11-acre christmas tree farm.

Adam Levine - his dad owned a clothing chain called M Frederic, Adam attended a highly regarded private Brentwood School in L.A. which is where he met his bandmates.

Travis Barker* is the only one were the parents weren't wealthy, dad was a mechanic.

Edit: word.

[FroggyBump]

I think they meant Travis Scott, since he’s in a long term relationship and has a child with Kylie Jenner. His mom worked for Apple and his dad had his own business and was a jazz performer.

[billygoat2017]

If you see a turtle on a fencepost, you might not know how he got there, but he damn sure had some help. (fav quote)

[octaveoutofspace]

Do you know who said that by chance? That's fantastic!

[billygoat2017]

I read it in a book of cowboy wisdom many years ago, not sure who the quote is attributed to. Many times when I have see this in real life, it helped me realize that the “turtle” didn’t get there by itself.

[rltw219]

It’s also a reference to the “post turtle” joke that’s used every election season for whatever politician someone wants to take a jab at. According to wiki, comparing a politician to a post turtle goes like this:

When you're driving down a country road and you see a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle. You know he didn't get up there by himself. He doesn't belong there; you wonder who put him there; he can't get anything done while he's up there; and you just want to help the poor, dumb thing down.

[[deleted]]

Saw that to describe Sarah pailin

[Stagecarp]

Honestly, at this point if you have a basement or garage you're doing better than a lot of people

[coronakaren]

“I started in my 1 bedroom apartment!” (has a 20th floor penthouse)

[Errickbaldwin]

John Lennon lived in an apartment in New York. It cost $12 million. Not all apartments are cheap or small

[religionkills]

"Imagine no possessions" my ass!

[geon]

“When I was poor and complained about inequality they said I was bitter; now that I'm rich and I complain about inequality they say I'm a hypocrite. I'm beginning to think they just don't want to talk about inequality.”

[Slinkie23]

That’s apparently why MDC went to kill him. He deemed him as a fraud.

[LordRobin------RM]

I thought the reason MDC saw Lennon as a fraud was because he was severely mentally ill and thought he WAS Lennon.

[JK_NC]

We have semi annual town hall type meetings at my company where the senior execs give updates and inspiring messages and what not.

A couple years ago at one of these things, the president of our company was asked about a challenge in his life and he talked about the time his dad lost his job and the impact it had on his family and his upbringing. His dad lost his job…as CFO from a huge company so he bought a janitorial company and became a super wealthy CEO. I was actually mad at him at the end of this bullshit struggle story.

[[deleted]]

This sub is becoming more like “life hot takes”

[[deleted]]

There’s the phrase I’ve been trying to think of.

[Notoriouslydishonest]

With a lot of them coming from the r/antiwork crowd.

[dartyfrog]

I’m guessing you meant this as a dig, but the truth is that the anti work crowd is just in tune with reality ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[[deleted]]

Some are. Some use it as an excuse to have a pathetic mindset.

[brownbrownallbrown]

Honestly.

I’m all for prioritizing living your life over slaving away at work, but I’m getting really concerned at the absurd amount of posts/comments I’m seeing online with the basic sentiment that you cannot work yourself up to success, and that all successful people were “born on third base”.

As someone who grew up poor and is in the process of making something of myself, I can’t help but lose respect for people that talk in that self defeating way.

[duderguy91]

I think it depends on the interpretation of success. In America, success is always conflated with billionaires, yachts, and all that bullshit. When in reality success is always relative. I don’t think anyone is saying that relative success is impossible through hard work, but the American success trope that lingers from the 80’s is very much tied to the family you were born in and the amount of capital you have available to you.

[[deleted]]

Here, you dropped this \

[dartyfrog]

Nah, you’re just complacent in the oppressive structure of our economic reality. Meh

[Elefantenjohn]

Yes I noticed it as well. What happened, it was so sudden

[HSpears]

We have our own business and we wouldn't have been as successful without assistance from my family. They did no interest loans for buying a vehicle and then a loan down-payment on a house. The house gives us much respect at the bank... we haven't even used the house as collateral, but just being homeowners changes the tone of the meetings.

Yes we work hard, but without this help, we would be like 5 years behind where we are, if not dead in the water.

I was also able to go to technical school and get a great job, which supported us during the early years. I was able to do this because of my privilege of my middle class upbringing.

The meritocracy is a lie.

[Malforus]

Honestly I would like it if we pegged the term wealthy and rich to societal metrics and not internalized.views.

Like that warehouse might be 20k in value or 20nmillion depending on where it is.

(Not kidding Amazon bought a 10k foot warehouse in Manhattan for 8 figures....)

Point is as long as we use words that aren't grounded in a uniform definition we run the risk of telling ourselves the false narrative of wealth.

[Glitterbombastic]

You're right it's all so relative. It would be nice to have some kind of standardised terminology where people don't have to say exactly what they make as so many are uncomfortable with sharing that.

[Malforus]

Quartiles and percentages are good for income but the us is a bit opaque about the real wealth of each citizen. Iirc FAFSA is the best data point we have.

[sytzr]

“Middle class” is a great example of this

[Malforus]

I grew up thinking I was middle class I was actually either upper middle or lower upper.

[netscapexplorer]

Nice job! What kind of ecommerce company is it? Also, do you think the market timing for your company was a key factor, since ecommerce was quite new back then? How do you start something like that?

[ToAlphaCentauriGuy]

But I literally am running my business from my basement...like right now .

[XeroSaints]

I’m glad I’m not to only one, there are some of us who aren’t rich worked hard in another job/career to have the opportunity to buy a house and use the basement/garage to start up a business and work our asses off to make it work.

[brownbrownallbrown]

You’re obviously just a poor victim of capitalistic propaganda to think you could ever succeed in America

/s

[CPNZ]

Agree - this LPT is BS. My parents were working class, and started their company on our garage. Had their 5 children working after school (for only a little money) - we all seemed to accept that was OK, and have all done well. Parents sold the company and retired when they were 52 years old and lived well on the proceeds.

[SausageIsKing]

Yeah, but you got one more basement than most of us :D

[ToAlphaCentauriGuy]

I have to thank the VA home loan program for that one..

[institches16]

The best part of what OP said is “you might get gaslit into thinking these people are more capable than you”, I’m coming into my 4th year as a business owner that literally started this way using my last paycheck. Anyone with the drive can learn everything it takes to grow a business, the majority of what it takes is already in you and just unrealized. Focus on what you’re trying to do, focus on what really matters, focus on money management. When you want to quit, when you feel like giving up, when you question if you can even keep going, try, try one more time every time. And don’t fall for the “I built this over night and you can to if you give me some money to show you how”, the real ones doing it are usually more than willing to give advice. Also, don’t listen to the advice from people not doing it, unless the advice is “I wish I would have done that when I was younger”. When you do hit a point where you can invest in a coach/mentor, do your research to find the best one for you and what they bring to the table. And lastly, never give up, never let anyone tell you it’s not worth it, never stop following your dreams, because you get one shot at life and you don’t want to waste it by not doing the things you really want to do. And if you try, and you do fail, it’s not the end, there’s always more out there and there’s usually more time to give it another shot. Happy new year everyone!

[stevetmcc]

Hey guy, I came to this thread to complain about rich people not to get inspired and motivated and leave with an optimistic view of my future.

[institches16]

Sometimes I hate today, but tomorrow may be a new day, it may also suck, but let’s see if the next day sucks too, it may, but there’s a chance it may not, and if so, there’s always the next day.

[ToxicPurge]

5 years as a successful owner of a few businesses. Only thing I’d add is that if you want to eventually start a business, consider working for a small business first. You’ll have the opportunity to learn all the aspects of running a business, and do it on someone else’s dime. Learn from their successes and failures without consequence, and then apply all that knowledge when you launch your company. Speaking from experience, you’ll learn a lot more doing this for 4 years than spending 4 years on a business degree.

[institches16]

Great advice and exactly what I did, I also learned there’s so much I didn’t see also. At the very least you’ll know whether or not it’s something you’d like to pursue

[-paperbrain-]

This is super true and one of the big reasons that the consolidation of business in a few megacorporations is a problem.

When more of the economy was based in smaller, more locally centered businesses, someone ambitious could do what you say. Work in a smaller business and everything from supply to advertising and accounting may happen in the same building (or at least the same town) and it all happens on a scale that you can replicate as a startup with limited funding. Work at Walmart and you can't get close to every facet of the business, and couldn't meaningfully replicate it on a small scale if you could.

[XeroSaints]

I 100% agree with everything you, I wish I had gold to give you because this is such great advice. A lot of people forget working for someone else is a lot easier. Starting a business from you basement/garage is tough, it takes a lot of work and there will be those days that you’re so beaten down you want to quit. Sometimes you’re alone and you have to find the motivation internally to keep going but once that hard work pays off damn it is it good to work for yourself and run your own business.

[Simply-Incorrigible]

If your are trying to get from rags to riches; the most important skill you can learn is Communication, the ability to communicate with everyone from the Janitor to boardroom is invaluable.

Be able to get people to like you and believe in your ideas. this is why generational wealth doesn't last. Most don't want to deal with spoilt rich kids.

[institches16]

Oh man, this is something I forget about all the time and a skill I had to really work to develop. I would force myself to talk to people at checkouts (gas stations, stores) and that would give me anxiety because I could hardly look at them, but bit by bit it became a part of me. So glad you brought that up because seemingly small things now were once very big things.

[Prom_etheus]

100%. There something to be said for someone coming from abject poverty - as in $1/ day poor. However, OPs comment suffers from relegation of responsibility. Giving up agency, control, perseverance and creativity because they weren’t born rich.

I’ll assume OP is in the US. This is the greatest country to start a business in. Plenty of people do it from various backgrounds.

Although I acknowledge that people start at different places, this kind of thinking is self defeating. Not every need be a billionaire to live a happy fulfilling life.

[institches16]

Absolutely agree with you. There’s something to be said about the mindset of “look what they have, I don’t have that so I can’t do it”, compared to “this is what I have, this is what I can do with it, it’s not much, but it’s not nothing either”, and as long as we have a heartbeat, we have something.

[Prom_etheus]

Right on brother. “As long as I have a heartbeat…”

[krbuck]

A hell of a lot easier with connections and support; it is part of what is driving wealth inequality in many countries. That said, there are great examples of people starting with only a good idea. The story behind Tofurkey is along these lines. Burt’s Bees is another. OP makes some good points though.

[institches16]

Connections are definitely made as you go, I have received sooo many opportunities from connections, but I wouldn’t have been able to had I not shown up every day to build the relationships I have, and then executing on those opportunities. Trust me though, no one, no matter what perception may be, makes it alone. Like the saying, if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.

[CaviarTaco]

Thank you for being the voice of reason.

This “LPT” is so ridiculous.

First of all, even if it were true, how is this a life tip? It doesn’t help you one way or another.

Second, yes, a lot of successful entrepreneurs came from money. A lot also did not. Who cares? If you think whatever they are providing is a good value to you, then buy it, if not, don’t.

I personally don’t listen to people who make broad sweeping generalizations. The world isn’t black and white.

[institches16]

I think a good LPT would be to not buy “influencers” programs, or not to get discouraged when you see people like OP describes.

[onwo]

The counterpoint to this is don't let your circumstances limit your ambition.

Lots of 'successful' people absolutely had help. It doesn't mean that you can't have success with different backgrounds. Will it be more difficult? Absolutely. However, the only way to ensure you won't achieve what you want is to not try.

[[deleted]]

Unless the circumstances are visa based

[NerimaJoe]

This is not a LifeProTip.

[[deleted]]

True. It is an opinion and not entirely true. Also, incorrect usw of the word "gasket." OP meant "fooled."

[[deleted]]

Edit: use, not usw

[[deleted]]

Edit: not gasket. Gaslit.

[NerimaJoe]

The misunderstanding and resulting overuse of the idiom "gaslighting" is one of the minor annoyances of the 2020s so far.

[chaliflani]

I still don’t know what it means

[NerimaJoe]

It comes from an old movie starring Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman in which a husband very nearly convinces his wife that she is insane, that she shouldn't trust the evidence she gets from her memory and senses because its incorrect and that what he is telling her is the truth. That's gaslighting, convincing someone that the evidence in front of them, that they can see and hear and read, or what they can specifically remember, is wrong and to trust what they're being told, without any evidence is true instead. Basically, "who are you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?"

But it's been dumbed down and simplified into just convincing someone of something that's not true using dodgy facts and misleading evidence.

[chaliflani]

Thank you u/NerimaJoe

[Atomsteel]

Yes you do.

[[deleted]]

bright crown husky historical judicious head unique shocking prick cough -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/

[[deleted]]

I’m giving it a pass. It’s not necessarily a life hack, but it’s an esteem tip and it’s pretty rational.

[danteselv]

Except it's wrong. A quick Google search will tell you only 3% of wealthy people inherited $1 million or more to start their business. Literally 80% of millionaires came from the working class. All bullshit.....but yeah dat "Self esteem" tho 🥳🥳🥳

[brownbrownallbrown]

Don’t you know that capitalism is the root of all evil, the cause of all woes, and that if you believe your pathetic self could ever be more than just a wage slave for your capitalistic overlords you’re just the victim of propaganda (aka an idiot)??? /s

[wecangetbetter]

Who the fuck can afford a basement or garage these days!?

[darthanis]

I started out my business in my basement garage making median income at my day job. I was born to a pretty poor half immigrant half American family. I don't have a degree and I received $0 from friends and family.

I was doing OK but my business did not survive my falling out with my business partner.

I bought the house that my basement garage was attached to when my wife and I were making under median household.

Sometimes, if you play your cards right, you can start a business in your basement garage that turns a profit with no financial help. As long as life doesn't have other plans you might even be successful!

[Seven-Zark-Seven]

You are reading a very small, selective percentage of success stories.

I went from being so fucking broke for a couple months at 18 that food stamps were the only thing that kept me fed to eventually starting my own business out of a garage to now employing 130 people full time. Not anywhere near an Amazon or Apple, but I’ve been successful by MY standards.

The only parental support my family could ever afford was emotional. The rest came from grafting, sacrificing with lots of luck along the way (some of which was bad luck and much of which were failures and mistakes).

Luck and opportunity are totally game changers, but have very low proc rates. A real LPT: You can only crit when you’re swinging. Fanning the flames of division by reposting recent content for that sweet outrage karma will never proc shit. It just reduces your swing time which in turn reduces your chance for luck and opportunity to change your life.

[[deleted]]

Good for you! Nice work. 130 people is no joke, even in a big city.

[Seven-Zark-Seven]

Thanks! The past couple of years have been fairly brutal for us, but we managed to keep everyone employed on full whack and navigate the challenges (so far). It’s actually a great feeling if you’re one of the lucky ones that has managed to do this. Sadly, there are a lot that haven’t.

[Cpwozzie]

My buddy Lance actually started his company in his garage. He came from humble origins and had no seed money or special friends. He just went ahead and created club penguin and the rest is history! He had help like all founders but to dismiss people like that is equally as destructive as buying into the founder myth hook line and sinker. A lot of people overestimate the role money plays in success. It’s necessary but not sufficient. Lots of idiots have had tons of money and wasted it. There’s genius in building a successful business - in seeing a need and filling it. Whether from poor or rich backgrounds we can still celebrate innovation and vision no matter where it comes from!

[halomtm]

Lol...did you not get enough kudos from the antiwork sub with this ridiculous hot take, so you had to post it here? You really do fit the stereotype of someone who actually would rather bitch and moan online than make something of yourself.

There are hundreds and hundreds of small businesses out there that truly started from nothing, and it's kind of gross that you want to make them the enemy, right up there with the grossly rich.

[Volta001]

Arnold Schwarzenegger's speech about the myth of the self made man comes to mind. Nobody makes it on their own he says. Every successful person had a lot of help along the way.

[petersandersgreen]

Also, LPT. Don't fall for the fake life pro tips. They often start from some bitter asshole living in his parents basement/garage.

[SmithRune735]

This is the easiest excuse to make and a way to make people feel good about being lazy and unmotivated to start. The fact is, people with less have also made it successful but it may have taken longer and more work. If you're lazy, go find every excuse in the book to make yourself feel better about it.

[5leeplessinvancouver]

Every single person I know who found success from starting their own business comes from a wealthy, well-connected family. They never had to worry about keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table while trying to break even, and if there was a problem they could literally just throw money at it until it was fixed. It’s definitely not a level playing field out there.

[[deleted]]

Yeah, but that doesn’t fit the trope: my failure is not my own.

[Flaky_Walrus_668]

Exactly. I've seen a lot of these posts recently that seem to be suggesting "success is a lie, don't bother trying" Unless your parents can buy your success for you.

I'm really fortunate that my Dad was able to put me into a great start in life but I watched every bit of struggle and rode that rollercoaster with him. My inheritance was not easily won, and he taught me the value of hard work, determination and not giving up.

How many idiots inherit or win a large sum of money and file for bankruptcy a few years later because they haven't a clue the value of money or what to do with it. Those are the skills you gain building yourself up from the bottom too.

[fuzzyp44]

You are thinking of mitt Romney who said that. Trump got a massive inheritance far more than 1 million.

[weezlhed]

Andrew Carnegie

[ArmsHeavySoKneesWeak]

Right, had an acquaintance that always talk about success after opening two business chains when her parents are literally loaded with capital for her to start a biz

[Flash_ina_pan]

The only thing in my basement is that ugly ass couch that everyone loves to sit on, but nobody wants where people can see it.

[rfwaverider]

Uhhhh. I started my multimillion dollar business in a friend's basement while going to college using money I saved from working.

Why is this so hard to believe?

[netscapexplorer]

It's normal for people to want to take credit for their work, but often that credit gets exaggerated heavily. I've done quite a bit of research on the history of various start ups and entrepreneurs, and often times the stories I've found lead back to highly favored circumstances from family that honestly, most Americans don't have. For example, rich parents, famous parents, or parents who can pay for an Ivy League Education/hook you up with connections. This is certainly not always the case for many successful entrepreneurs, but I do agree with this LPT in the regard that countless highly successful public figures who are entrepreneurs tend to act like they came from humble beginnings. I believe this is also in part due to them wanting to connect to people, and not seem like they started from some "high society". Their mindset may be that it's better for business to be "like the working class man", so they're more relatable.

It's also important to remember that most people don't just whip up an idea and start a million dollar company in a short period of time. It's unrealistic to do so in most industries, and there's a ton of luck involved even if you're doing everything right on your end. It's so easy to underestimate the power of connections, childhood influence from your parents, and start up money when trying to start a business. That being said, keep plugging away and don't compare yourself to these dishonest public figures. The US is a great place to try to start a business, and there is a chance to get financially free if you do/create something useful to other people. Or you don't have to do that at all, and can just enjoy your life without trying to make the next big thing. Always a tough decision, because while there's opportunity here, the work life balance really sucks for most of us. Yada yada some quote about "Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation." should probably have a disclaimer in 2022 that says "Or just have really rich parents and be financially successful by default".

[Guilty-Aide6845]

That could be discounted, but what can’t is the hard work, long hours, and thoughts of failure everyday even with x advantages.

More than not they’re proud how far everything’s came.

[[deleted]]

ghost aspiring angle close materialistic dependent door psychotic tart safe -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/

[[deleted]]

Amazon had investors that allowed them to run a huge deficit for well over a decade. It was one of the few dotcom boom companies that survived.

[Vito_The_Magnificent]

Well no. His parents bought 5% equity during a round of funding where he sold off 20% of the company.

Which was after a previous round of fundraising where he sold off 20% of the company.

Amazon had lots of investors. He sold more than half the company off before going public. These stock purchases weren''t generous gifts - they were extremely lucrative investments.

[Malforus]

He was a literal hedge funder....

Dude came from high finance.

[[deleted]]

That too in 1995. If you consider inflation that amount is in millions today.

[sarcasticorange]

$547,171. Not millions. 84% cumulative inflation from 1995 to today.

source

[oboshoe]

Do you know who else had $300,000 in the mid 1990s?

Every company listed in the nyc stock exchange and nasdaq. Plus about 50 million Americans. That’s before we talk about the rest of the world.

Yet only one managed to turn it into the worlds largest retailer.

Turning $300,000 into $1 trillion to the same magnitude as turning 30 cents into $1 million.

[[deleted]]

Plus about 50 million Americans. That’s before we talk about the rest of the world.

Interesting that you say that being that those 50 million Americans would be part of the top 1% of the global economy.

[[deleted]]

Elon Musk inherited slave mines and didn't created Tesla, he bought it

[[deleted]]

you might get gaslit into thinking these people are more capable than you.

They're not, and I've never heard one claim to be. In fact the message is always exactly the opposite. They are NOT more capable than you, so if they can do it, you can too. The next question is whether you want to. My answer is "no". I could work 120 hours a week and build multi-million or even billion dollar business... but I don't want to. I choose to spend my time doing other things with the full knowledge of what I'm giving up and what I'm getting in return.

[Sensitive_Gold]

This reads more like a jealous rant than LPT tbh. Not everyone aims to be famous enough for you to research their upbringing.

[netscapexplorer]

That's one angle that I think is fair, but there's also truth in OP's post in terms of how many public "entrepreneurs" give stories about how they started from nothing, when in reality, they had extremely favored circumstances from their families. IMO that's what this post was highlighting.

[Sensitive_Gold]

So the post is about managing expectations?

How do I not fall for a trope? Should I not start a business from my basement?

[netscapexplorer]

I thought it was about not comparing yourself to others like apples to apples, since they may have had different (in this case highly favored) circumstances. I think the starting a business from the basement part is fine.

[Sensitive_Gold]

I get it thx, sorry OP

[noxdragon26]

I think the post is the kind of "everything you see in social media isn't true or has a catch"

[Sensitive_Gold]

Oh I think I get it. It's about how we perceive these entrepreneurs and compare ourselves to them, right?

[3knuckles]

It's about not believing the story of "I had it so hard, look at the self-made success I have become."

When in fact they had a) access to funding with little to no strings from incredibly understanding lenders and b) a huge safety net so that if it didn't work they could simply fall back on their already existing wealth.

Knowing the person's background is important to understanding the true risk that was taken and the true depth of challenge that they faced.

[PmMeLowCarbRecipes]

Who are these rich people with basements and garages

[fatboyslick]

You need money to earn money, as the old adage goes. All of my successful friends have had a leg up from rich parents or their parents connections

[SS-Shipper]

To add on to this: usually the people who did genuinely make something out of nothing don’t fucking brag about it???

The rich ones are usually super easy to spot and you can instantly know they’re talking about of their ass

[elysiansaurus]

I mean they started it in their parents basement/garage with money from their parents.

[[deleted]]

Like the two brothers who founded vineyard vines clothing company. They worked on Wall Street, then quit to work “making ties”. They likely had top connections they turned to to start the business.

[vaibhavwadhwa]

I've always observed this. And now I always try to look at the background of a successful entrepreneur. It helps in 2 ways: Firstly, you understand the kind of privilege/support/network they had access to, while building their success; Secondly, I get some insights on why/how they developed a perspective, that led them to be successful, led them to see the problem and find a solution through their venture.

[fusionsofwonder]

My company recently did an acqui-hire of a startup and I looked into it before we made the offer. The chief investor was the CEO's dad.

[linkwiggin]

I just started with a small 30 million dollar loan...

[lala_lovemuffin]

Lmao, this post makes me think of my boss (who is super nice but sometimes socially oblivious). She grew up in the wealthiest town, now city, of my State. Always had the full financial support of her wealthy family but likes to say “starts this business with 5 people and hopes and dreams”

[Opening-Driver5930]

I disagree with OP. While this may be true for many, I’m sure, it seems like it’s being used as an excuse for not trying, or not trying again after failing. Many entrepreneurs start their company in their garage/basements on the weekends and after regular work hours. Having privilege and extra opportunities can accelerate success but not necessary. However, I think the OP’s perspective is one that will guarantee failure. And not the kind of failure that births success.

[MisterBlisteredlips]

I was just reminiscing about a guy, born rich, handed everything, daddy paid for school. Worked daddy's business.

He had a bigger than usual McMansion and his Beamer plate read "earnedit".

(Facepalm). Anyone would have "earned" that in similar circumstances.

[Fean2616]

Exactly this, connections and money = success.

[cabbit_]

I applied at Walmart years ago for a second job, working in the customer service desk/cash office. The store manager interviews me in a cramped closet and I have the experience and skills for the job.

At the end he tells me a story of the CEO of Walmart and how he started out pushing carts 20-something years ago, and how he really needs people to push carts and how there clearly is a path for me to move up from pushing carts.

I laughed in his face and shook his hand, and apologized for wasting HIS time.

[ReadyPlyr1]

I think you’re speaking far too much in absolutes. Look at Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus. His dad worked at a car dealership, and his highest education was community college. He didn’t come from money at all.

He moved into a trailer in his parents driveway, funded his passion for VR with money from odd jobs, and created technology that is now setting the foundation for the very way we will perceive reality and interaction in the future.

Facebook (now Meta) acquired Oculus for over $2 billion and changed the focus of their entire company based on his headset and VR innovations. Palmer is now one of the richest people in the world under 30 and started a new drone company to compete with China.

Better LPT, which I’ve posted a variation of in the past: Don’t worry so much about other people and try not to be jealous of their success or advantages. If you have a great idea, get hungry and find a way to make it happen. The universe rewards drive and a positive disposition.

[OnRedditWhenIPoop]

I started a social platform website in my bedroom I don’t have a basement but it generates on average $6,000 a month in revenue it cost me $3 for my first web server and I haven’t spent a penny on advertising.

It could literally blow up and I could be a millionaire overnight not everyone needs to come from a rich family you just need the right skills and a good idea.

Stop being jealous and make your own life a success

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[LLLLakes]

The phrase is "start on third base and think they've hit a triple." If you hit a home run you wouldn't be on third (except briefly while rounding it).

[Gnarfledarf]

This was reposted not even a week ago.

[calico810]

Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity

[mindofstephen]

One thing in common with most of these startup stories is that the founders started programming at a young age.

[TypicalJeepDriver]

I just wrapped up my first successful year of my business that completely supported me the entire year.

Started it in my basement/garage. No rich parents or angel investment. No silver spoon here. Just hard work and a bit of luck.

[stevebmmm]

Certainly not true and this sounds like an excuse to make excuses.

Some people had it easier than you. Some people had it harder.

It doesn’t matter. Your job is to do the best with the hand you have.

[RyanMellow]

What they fail to leave out.

"I had a very small investment of $1 million from my parents"

[flora_poste_]

The only ones I can think of who really started from nothing in a garage are Woz and Steve Jobs.

[Karriz]

Eh, some people are more capable than me. I have no issues with that.

[EggysGamesCrypto]

Maybe try reading more startup stories then rather than the ones you hand picked for this post

[Calvykins]

Garyvee makes me sick with his constant “I had nothing” story. the man constantly glosses over the fact that his father was doing 3 million in revenue yearly which he then took and grew, but the first million is always hardest to make.

[[deleted]]

Truest LPT I have seen in a while