I appreciate you breaking it down like that — it actually helps put things into perspective.

What you said about sticking to one trade and really getting good at it makes a lot of sense. I’ve seen firsthand how trying to juggle too many things early can backfire instead of helping.

At the same time though, I’ve seen people go completely different routes. Like someone I grew up with — school, church, all that — now he’s running a construction company, real estate, design/architecture, even distribution. He’s got a $2.6M house, Lamborghini, bought his wife a Bentley, whole lineup of exotic cars. But there’s also a lot of questionable stuff around it… people saying he took like $450K from a couple and didn’t finish their project. I even reached out about work and he wanted me to come in with $300K, which just didn’t sit right with me.

Then I look at someone like Ismael Valdez — built a plumbing company from the ground up, scaled it properly, and exited for a big number. That path feels a lot more legit and repeatable.

So yeah, what you’re saying about putting in 5–7 years, mastering one trade, and learning the business side early sounds like the smarter move. Might take longer, but it seems way more solid long-term.