AS SEEN ON...
"My life was a mess back then..."
As a lost college student, this was the easy answer. It implied I would have a prestigious and successful career, and it distracted me from the fact that I wanted nothing to do with getting my medical license.
When I was younger, I didn't have the guts to face both my parents and myself with the truth. Since I was "good" at science, I figured I would just go the doctor route. But you guys have to understand that just because you're good at something, does not mean you need to devote the rest of your life to it. There are many things we are good at, which would make horrible careers or just don't match your vision of the future.
With no job offer upon graduation, I just started working on tons of side hustles and getting by. My rent was only $450, and I had very little expenses. I started tutoring high school students by posting on Craigslist, doing photography jobs, and even doing commercial print modeling.
Honestly, it was a great time. My schedule was free, I was hustling hard, and it was a good change of pace from being in school. I signed up for an EMT class through UCLA, got my EMT license, and started the hiring process at a local ambulance company. Little did I know that I would end up failing my practical exam, which meant I simply had to take it again with another proctor. No biggie right? Any other trainee would just go back and re-take it. But I saw this as a sign...
At the time, one day of graduation photography could make almost a month of EMT wages. I decided I hated working for so little and just never went back! My life was a mess back then - shortly after, I didn't get into medical school, and I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. One night while on vacation with my family, I remember my mom telling me she was super disappointed in me. That stung, and I didn't know it yet, but I would do something about it in the coming months.
I started looking up ways to make money online, and came across something called Amazon FBA. It intrigued me, and when I was searching for a product I needed on Amazon, I realized that I should just make my own. The profits were good, it was cheap to make, and it would get my feet wet in e-commerce which was always something I had liked.
Unlike most people, I like to just jump straight into things and learn along the way. I watched a lot of YouTube videos, found a factory to make my product, and made my first big order of 500 units. At the same time, I was also working on building my athletic clothing brand called CHVRG (Charge) and was in full entrepreneur mode! I loved it, and I knew that this is what I wanted my life to be like.
I've had so many failures that I'm no longer scared of starting new businesses. I've come from a place of complete inability to chase after my dreams, to becoming a full-time entrepreneur living a pretty kick-ass life. My goal is help you guys do something similar, and in fact I believe you can do WAY more than I have. I'm nothing special, and anyone who dreams of living a non-traditional life devoid of prestigious careers, deserves to have their dreams realized.
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Charlie Chang
