The Business Deal

So after I started getting interested in personal finance and reading all of ‘The Millionaire Next Door’ type books, I started to realize that you have to do more than just collect paychecks from your boss if you really want to start stacking chips.

I flirted extensively with buying rental properties, more on that here, when a slightly different kind of opportunity came knocking.

My hippy friend had a clothing store that did OK, but died a premature death in the great unraveling that was 2008. Her friend, whom she had mentored, started a store across the street that did a lot better (accessories vs clothing).

Anyway my hippy friend had a solid knack for picking out the next fashion trends but was lacking in capital to buy the friend out and own the accessory business.

I used a HELOC and lent her $75,000.

We lawyered up for a contract and in the end I will get back my original loan at a rate of $1,250/month plus another $80,000 in month to month payments of 3.5% of gross profits.

We are in year THREE of this arrangement (started beginning of 2014) and everything is still going smoothly. The original loan is 2/3rd s of the way paid back and the gross profits payments average $425/month.

This was my first real attempt at leveraging money to make money.

It was an important step on my journey because it taught me that sometimes you just have to step off of that cliff and do it.