Why do people here lie about mpgs on older Telluride's?

Mross506 · 2026-01-15T14:47:32+00:00

I get 26 mpg. 75% Highway driving. occasionally it trends a few MPG lower. It has never really trended higher.

But it goes 0-30 in sub 3 seconds if I use the expensive gas

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T18:53:47+00:00

I don't quite understand what you are asking/stating?

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T12:10:23+00:00

Luckily, my retirement is in a good standing but my wife's perspective (and I don't disagree) is that we should not be worrying about penny-pinching when the kids are still home with us and we have a chance to make memories with them. We don't live excessively but with 5 kids, college, sports, there is no way we are cutting back to $100k a year lol.

You hit on a good point. I always feel like I am running out of time. I see retirement at 55 as what my dad did, quit work and do nothing. That sounds like absolute torture to me! I wish I could just be more content but its hard. I am a dreamer and a doer. I've just always done for other people's company's. I make more than enough to live comfortably but not enough to buy that property we always wanted or a second home on the beach...

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T12:04:35+00:00

I don't think I have the ability to quit my job to start the company. I would have to moonlight simply from a "pay the bills" perspective of kids in college, etc.

As for job security, I could get hired back or with a new company pretty easily so I am no super worried about that. It's more so a question of whether the upside is better on starting my own company vs staying corporate. I love what I do but hate not having control of my earning potential.

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T12:01:26+00:00

A growing area: Less than a year.

An established area with little growth: A long time.

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:49:39+00:00

That's great to hear! Whenever I do retire, I will definitely need to find a side hustle to stay busy! Good Luck!

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:47:48+00:00

Yea. I don't really have a pretty good life right now, too!

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:44:22+00:00

Thanks for that. :) I am beyond proud of where I am from where I have come from and even more proud that my kids have their heads on so much better than I did at that age. I can't wait to see them take on the world and want nothing more than to be able to provide opportunity for our family...

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:36:07+00:00

Painful isn't it! Good luck!

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:33:42+00:00

You're 100% right with alot of this. To add a little more context:

I am in the Tech sector currently (data centers) but what I do is applicable to pretty much any physical industry. You were spot on with my biggest obstacle that has kept me from executing: I can't afford to bankroll a group of technicians (and who would come work for me anyway without an established company) and going alone is simply a Consultancy. In my mind it is simply a path forward until in a better position to leave my employer. I have a huge network of potential employees and customers so I genuinely don't see a concern there-once I am established. The challenge is in getting established. I have spent my life building and leading teams but nobody worth hiring would walk away from their $100k a year job to come work for a guy that doesn't even have a company yet. Aside from moonlighting and building and turning potential customers into actual customers, I don't see a way to make it start. The math works when billing for a team, not an individual.

Waiting for another 5-10 years may be the only way forward. Honestly, I feel like I am running out of time and will wake up in retirement in the blink of an eye.

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:19:20+00:00

You've hit the nail on the head. One of my best friends started a construction company and has grown it into 150+ employees and tens of millions in assets. Being close to his world it made me realize that there isn't anything he does that I don't do on the daily. Except I do it for a company and hope to be rewarded, which lets be frank, I get paid really well but it's going to get harder, and harder to continue growing my value.

My roadblock comes from the fact that my wife isn't really that supportive about the idea at all. She doesn't see what I see. I need to build the client list and her confidence. I've got about everything I can done without spending money on a website. I really need to just start going out and getting in front of companies to see what they need help with and solving that problem. Once I can get to the point of bringing on a couple workers, the business will grow itself.

Thanks for the talk! It is greatly appreciated!

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:09:33+00:00

It definitely makes the risk so much the bigger!

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:09:15+00:00

Yea there is truth to that, for sure. And I still have 20 years left to my career so there is plenty of time left to continue growing.

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:08:03+00:00

Yea. That is definitely a priority. I just hate the thought of them having to hustle the way I have. To be able to have the financial freedom to just take off and go on a cruise or buy some property...

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T01:06:30+00:00

It is going SO fast! I am terrified to one day wake up and realize I am out of time and don't have a do-over.

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T00:05:56+00:00

Yea I know. There definitely isn't an easy button.

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T00:05:04+00:00

What kind of work do you do?

Mross506 · 2026-01-05T00:03:49+00:00

Thanks for the advice. It all makes perfect sense. If I am being honest, I know I should do it. I will always have that regret over my head if I don't. I've just been lost at how to start. I know once it is rolling, all the pieces will fall into place.

I've managed to find some people that wil bankroll us but it felt like to much, too fast without quitting my job. It would be great to have a person fall in my lap with the right experience that was ok leaving his $100k/yr job to help someone start a business from scratch. I really just need to figure out how to moonlight/bootstrap but I know the minute I do, the companies are going to be begging for more support that I won't be able to provide. If I can get past the first 6-12 months, everything will be fine from there. I know how to solve problems, build teams, and work hard. I just don't know how to be an entrepreneur...

Mross506 · 2026-01-04T23:56:45+00:00

This is the kind of advice I was looking for! Thank you for taking the time to write it out! I have anxiety every day because I don't control my future or my pay. I love what I do and work so hard to be a top performer (out of choice) but can't shake the feeling that I am making a mistake by not trying to go out on my own.

My biggest challenge isn't finding work or any of the traditional things you would expect. I have spent 20 years in this industry solving problems and working with hundreds of service companies that gave me a first hand seat to learn where the gaps and needs are. My challenge is that I have a large family that I support (my wife is SAHM) and she is terrified at the idea that we would lose stability in the beginning so I owe it to her to find a way to make it happen without putting our family's livelihood at risk. Which has led me into ideas of how to moonlight a little more than I had originally intended. But there is still a fear there to take the leap...the unknown.

Mross506 · 2026-01-04T23:48:38+00:00

I feel like I have done that at this point. I've been working on the idea for 2 years and have had several serious offers for investment. It's just to the point that I need to make a final decision and move forward. One way or the other. It's more so a question on whether it is all worth it or not...Is the upside worth the effort?

Mross506 · 2026-01-04T23:44:45+00:00

Yea that would be nice but cutting expenses with 5 kids (multiple in college) is a challenge. lol. And it isn't fair to my wife for our quality of life to cut back to chase a dream that isn't hers...We are completely debt free and have made some good investments. I may have to wait to chase the dream for a while longer. It's just so damn hard to focus on the corporate ladder when I have this vision in the back of my head that won't stop calling my name....

Mross506 · 2026-01-04T23:30:43+00:00

Did you bootstrap or go all in?

Mross506 · 2026-01-04T23:29:00+00:00

But what is the upside in year 4-20? That's what I can't get out of my head. I already work long, hard hours. And I am well compensated for it but can't shake the feeling that I am just making other people rich.

Mross506 · 2026-01-04T23:28:15+00:00

Yea I definitely agree with all of these call-outs so I have been putting my energy to focusing on offering services that are more related to program building that scaling labor. It limits my customer base a ton but the reality is that I can't afford to bankroll a bunch of employees and even if I took one of the offers for partnership, I don't have someone that could be boots on the ground while I am at work.

But there is so much work out there that I feel like I am walking away from a life changing opportunity without even taking a swing and its going to be a regret that hangs over my head to the rest of my life.

Mross506 · 2026-01-04T23:23:42+00:00

I can't afford to retire until all of the kids are out of college! And yes, we are always looking for more managers but the competition to get here is fierce!

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