Sean Kreuz

Back From Vacation - Quick Post

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:59:14 -0400

Hey All,

I’m back from vacation and trying to catch up to all of the craziness that goes along with returning from vacation. But I wanted to drop a quick note because of the time I spent away and a few things I learned. Yes, even if you’re on vacation you can learn something. Actually, I think you learn better because the mind is more relaxed.

Anyway, I got to know my niece’s boyfriend (soon to be fiance-I’m pretty sure) who happens to own and operate his own restaurant. We got into some pretty cool and enjoyable business conversations. No, not the boring “How do you think I should lower my cost” kind of stuff, but deeper “big picture” more philosophical talks.

But I came to one pretty sizable conclusion during and after this awesome discussion. “If you are going to venture off into business of any kind, you better be prepared to take some licks along the way.”

Now some of you might be thinking, “Okay what’s your big revelation, Sean?” No it’s not just the words it’s the bigger picture. You see I was the victim of a pretty sizable scam, (which I planned to get into on this blog) and although 9 people went to jail and I recovered next to nothing of the near 100 grand I lost, I have always felt along the way that this was “very unique” and I always felt very alone. Well the realization is, these things happen and it really wasn’t all that unique.

Sure, it was unique in the sense that the Federal Trade Commission & the Post Master General were both involved and I spent time with the the investigator from the US Attorney General’s office, but the basic event of getting scammed, really is not that unique.

So last week, late at night over some really tasty cold drinks I made this realization and at the same time made a decision for this blog. At that decision has given me direction.

So over the next few weeks I’m laying out a full blown schedule for the next [possible] year of what we’ll be covering in this blog. As I work this blog I’m going to form it into, something everyone will be able to use for learning, education, reference and outlining what your plans are for your life and goals.

I’m so excited i can hardly sleep, but I have finally found a way that I can take all of the “learning experiences” and form them into a very positive result that I can share with you.

So I’ll continue to post on a weekly basis and once I get the schedule, I’ll post that and then we’ll be off to the races.

I didn’t get to post last week, so belated happy 4th of July! I hope you all remembered the fine men and women that laid their lives down in the name of Freedom!

God Bless America!

Sean

Getting into debt is like B.A.S.E Jumping!

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:00:25 -0400

I’ve counseled people and I’ve use the term many times before: “Getting into debt is like B.AS.E. jumping into the Grand Canyon!” Sure it takes a bit of preparation, but at the end of the day It doesn’t take all that much effort. You walk to the edge and take the massive plunge. The ride down is thrilling and exhilarating, then you pull the chute and you begin to slow down. You soon land softly at the bottom, now your left with a treacherous hike up and out of the canyon.

Think about the it for a moment.

You walk into a dealership of some sort. You carry a decent credit rating (some preparation) and you take the massive plunge - BUY SOMETHING ON CREDIT. Whatever you bought has it’s initial thrills and excitement, but it begins to fade quickly. Then you have months and mabye thousands of dollars of debt to cover, from money you haven’t even earned yet!

I like to use the analogy because it give people a reference that makes sense, something you can visualize. And if your not aware of it you can fall right into the trap by getting “caught up in the moment” and making a purchase that you might soon regret, i.e. BASE jumping into debt!

Being aware is the first step to getting control of your finances and achieving financial freedom, “The ability to make the choices that you want to make.” It’s funny, as I have counseled my clients on their finances in general and specifically their financial goals, most of them have absolutely no plan of any kind let alone a basic sketch of what they are trying to achieve. Which is why most of them fail.

I’m not going to lay the cliche on you, but it is the absolute truth and getting started is the most important step. I can talk to clients for 15 minutes and it never fails that they udder the words, “I never thought about it like that.” My first goal is to create awarness and that is a huge step.

Become aware of what your doing with your money and you are already moving in a massively positive direction. If you’re not sure what to do or how to start, go to the drug store and small spiral pocket notebook. Change nothing about what you do and how you do it, except carry it with you everywhere for one month and record everything you spend money on, literally everything. Then at the end of the month put it on a spreadsheet and take a look. I guarantee that you’ll have an awareness about your money that you’ve never had before.

I did this and couldn’t believe my eyes. I dare you to try it!

Sean

Let's Get Started!

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:48:03 -0400

Greetings All,

I plan to do a lot with Audio and Video, but to get started let’s just crank it up the old fashioned way - Text.

As we begin, I’m excited to be here sharing what has happened to me along the way and hoping that my experiences can help you avoid stepping on the same land mines that I stepped on. Yeah, it’s simple, but the fastest and easiest way to get through a mine field is to follow someone who has already walked through. Lets just say that I’m through the field but I walked into the field, made it through alive, but I limped out!

Bottom line I have had my ever lovin’ Ass kick all over God’s green earth when it comes to business and that life long quest for financial freedom or independence. Sure I’ve had my share of successes but unfortunately I’ve had the failures - “Well Learning Experiences” - too!

To get started, let me give you a glimpse into my background by giving you a snapshot of my path. My original career was in professional aviation. As I began my career as a professional pilot I took on second jobs to help buy groceries and pay for rent. Along the way, a silly part-time evening sales job turned into a profession that paid much greater than flying airplanes for a living. Plus by the time the aviation industry came back and jobs were available again I had a family and I got used to being home. So I pursued my sales career.

As I began this new path I knew one thing, that some day I wanted to be financially independent. RICH? Well not necessarily (This one I’m going to cover) Rich is such a relative term, but independent is very clear. I wanted to be able to wake up one morning and be able to say, “I’m going to do exactly what I want to do today, because I can.” Be able to call the shots that I wanted to call.

Unfortunately my drive and energy, although positive and exciting, wasn’t focused and detailed enough, which let to problems. The problems arose because I was so anxious as to how I was going to “make it” I got excited about almost any Biz-Op I looked at, which led me to make poor decisions.

In short I got suckered into purchasing an airplane, not not a small 4-seater for sight seeing, a cabin-class Piper for flying business people around. Then I walked into a full-blown scam. Yes a Scam!, just like the Bernie Madoff scam. I ended up parting with about 65K for which I have yet to see again. Yep, I taken some hits!

So we’ll get into all that as we go. But that’s just a taste of what’s to come.

Until next time, keep the dream alive!

Never Quit!

Sean