Episode 88
066: Lessons from Partnerships & Achieving Financial Freedom with John VanDerMeulen
John started working at a local farm at the age of 9, where he learned discipline and the value of hard work and took over his family’s manufacturing business at 22. In 2009 John purchased the business outright with his brother-in-law and ran the business until they sold it in 2016. Along the way, John and his eliminated all of their debt and eventually achieved their goal of financial freedom. Today John runs a part-time Amazon business and enjoys spending lots of quality time with his wife and four children, two horses, two cows, 18 chickens at their property in Michigan.
Highlights:
- John learned a lot about work, discipline and making money growing up on the family farm
- Grew up working with his dad in the family business
- John’s goal was always to run the family business
- The challenge of managing workers older than yourself and laying people off early on
- Lessons from partnering with his brother-in-law
- Don’t ever assume who is going to take care of what: get it in writing
- John and his wife became debt-free (including the house) in 2012
- Weighing investment returns vs. the freedom of having no debt
- Two big keys for success: Personal development and surrounding yourself with successful people to help bring you up
- Importance of continuously reading and learning to grow
- Coaching is the quickest way to get to the next level
- The challenge and focus when so many opportunities come your way
- Advice for entrepreneurs: Just start
Links:
If you are interested in coaching or have feedback or questions on the podcast, feel free to send me an email: andy@andystorch.com
