First $100k Is an Absolute B*tch

The Power of Persistence, Overcoming Challenges.

Honestly, the first $100,000 is an absolute b*tch. It’s a significant milestone that breaks the psychological barrier of six digits. From a compound standpoint, you're 33% of the way to a million dollars. I won’t dive into the technical aspects of how I got there, as I believe the mental and psychological factors hold much greater weighting.

Let’s explore my mental journey from absolute rock bottom to where I am today. What led me to flip the switch at age 24 and get my life together? It all began when I started a startup with my cousin, which secured private equity funding and won grant money through the RRC Polytech innovation competition. Unfortunately, it ultimately failed and strained our relationship. The key lesson? Don’t mix family and business together.

After that, I launched my own personal business, which also failed and nearly brought me to bankruptcy. Key takeaway: It doesn’t matter how great the business is if nobody knows about it—marketing is crucial. At this point, I was lost, so I decided to return to college for business administration. It turns out that having dyslexia doesn’t help in school; my grades were, well... subpar. Let’s just say I'm now a college dropout. Key takeaway: Have a sense of direction with focused intent.

At this stage, I was throwing darts at the board, hoping something would stick. I wanted to make money, so I decided to get my Class 1 driver's license. I ended up failing the test twice after gently hitting my back wheel on the curb, which is an automatic fail. Key takeaway: Some things are just not meant to be, and that’s okay.

This period led to a downward spiral: day trading and losing $20,000 in less than 24 hours. Key takeaway: There’s a reason 95% of day traders lose money—statistics matter. These accumulated failures plunged me into a several-year battle with gaming addiction and depression; this was rock bottom. Yet, I began to notice a trend: every failure brought growth and valuable wisdom that can’t be found in books, only through experience.

The ascent begins here. With my back against the wall and nothing to lose, I started accumulating small wins: passing my pre-employment program in carpentry, securing an apprenticeship, and buying my first car. Remember, I had relied on public transit my whole life; this was a massive win for me. I began believing in myself, started investing $10,000, and passing my level 2 apprenticeship. This had a compounding effect, allowing me to invest my next $20,000 and pass my level 3 apprenticeship.

As my confidence grew, so did my investments, moving from $20,000 to $50,000 and eventually breaking the $100,000 mark. This had a multiplier effect.

If I look back, it’s been six years of accumulated failures and three years of executing a game plan. If you’d talked to me at age 24, I would’ve never imagined being in the position I am today at age 27. At this point in my life, I know myself well enough that no amount of failure or setbacks can take me off course. I can’t explain the feeling of having internalized confidence, and being calm in any storm. It takes circumstances like these to develop qualities like patience, resilience, and discipline.

Even today, I continue to face failures and adversity. As we speak, I'm currently taking the last level of my carpentry program, where I'll have to write an inter-provincial exam. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky and pass on my first attempt or my fourth. If you understood the challenges of not being able to read, write, and communicate well, how would you navigate the world around you?