Four years from today (4th September 2029) my twins will start Primary School.
My situation at the moment is not great. I have:
- A failing business that’s been losing money every month since April.
- No Savings (well, I have about £1000).
- No Pension.
- No Investments.
- I live with my Girlfriend in her house and pay half of all the bills.
- I drive a 2013 BMW X1 that cost me £4350 a couple of months ago.
So while my situation is quite dire, only a few short years ago I was £55,000 in debt. Credit cards, loans and an overdrawn Director’s loan from my business.
I finished paying all that off in July last year. Since then I’d put the odd bit here and there on credit cards which I’ve just managed to pay off again due to a tex rebate from HMRC. So although the starting position isn’t great, at least I don’t have a thousand pounds in minimum payments every month anymore.
I saw this tweet today on Twitter (X) which really struck a chord with me and it’s something that I wholeheartedly want to pursue.
I’ve been self-employed since 2008, so 17 years at this point and I’ve always been disappointed by the business I ended up in. I have a great idea for a new business, one which avoids all the negatives of my existing business and something that I really feel could be successful and something that I think I would be good at.
I’ve decided to use this blog to document my progress over the next four years and beyond and excited to see what I can achieve. I’m not looking at it as starting from zero, I’m looking at it as starting with 17 years of experience.
So, as a bit of motivation, here is what I want to achieve in the next 4 years:
The Business
An online challenge and community brand
- Makes a difference and improves peoples lives
- Online and Offline community/meetups/retreats
- Small and exclusive but offers real value and ROI
- Monthly membership – I don’t want to start each month at £0
The House
A 5+ bed detached in Shrewsbury
- Driveway for four cars
- Garage with self-contained apartment/office above
- Large guest room with en-suite for family to stay
- Open kitchen with bifold doors out onto the garden
The Car
A BMW X5
- Something that I can easily afford, leased through the business.
The Security
- I want the above but above all that I want security. I don’t want to have to stretch myself to achieve that. I want to be able to easily afford it as well as having my savings, investments and pension sorted.
Stretch Goals
Here are some stretch goals or something for the future:
A place in Spain or Greece
- Can be locked up and left
- Used by family
- Can be used for biking, hiking, kayaking and family time
- Bought to get EU Visa
Private High School for the twins
- To be paid for off the returns from investment property
Commercial Units
- A small ‘industrial estate’ but with a cafe, gym, creator spaces, co-working space, offices, units, like a co-working place but with facilities and lots of parking.