You lazy a**.  Rich kid.  Used to having things done for you.

In this business you have to be a self starter. NOTHING is handed to you.

We are working stiffs, trying to make a living.  You are probably sitting in your beanbag chair eating Doritos and drinking a Mountain Dew.

Do it yourself.  The research is out there.

Caution, you may have to get your hands dirty.

[quote=vbrainy]

You lazy a**.  Rich kid.  Used to having things done for you.

In this business you have to be a self starter. NOTHING is handed to you.

We are working stiffs, trying to make a living.  You are probably sitting in your beanbag chair eating Doritos and drinking a Mountain Dew.

Do it yourself.  The research is out there.

Caution, you may have to get your hands dirty.

Thank you V!

It's almost oxymoronic isn't it "Ambitious College Grad" especially "In your 20s". If you had real ambition you'd have dropped out of college and taken life by the short curlies!

College Grads only get real ambition after they've found out that the world doesn't give a fart about them!

comfortable resources for entrepreneurship

Start a tea company. Call it Tazo. When you get tired, sell it to Starbucks.

Wow. If you don’t care or have the time to give a few pointers, then DON’T RESPOND. I’m sure there are some vets out there willing to lend some advice.
Furthermore, by “ambitious college grad”, I mean that I enjoy this field, study it, and am doing every thing I can to gain an edge. When you say “do research”, you may forget that getting peoples opinions who are in the field IS research. A forum is actually the perfect medium for gaining knowledge essential to what I am trying to do.
I know that I want to go indy eventually, so I am scoping out the paths.

Vbrainy, if you don’t want to lend a brief piece of advice, you don’t have to. There is no need to be rude here. Also, I don’t own a beanbag chair, or like doritios and mountain dew. I have been meeting with FA’s in my greater metropolitan area almost daily to gain insight. I am not lazy, thank you.

If any vets have some wise words, I would love to hear them.

My advice…get a sales job outside of this industry for a few years.  Learn how to sell, network and deal with business owners before leaping into the financial services industry.  The most successful FAs I know are the ones who entered the business in their thirties.  Not that it can’t be done right out of college but it most certainly will be much more difficult.

"I know that I want to go indy eventually..."

That's not what you said. You said you wanted to start out indy.

You got to pay your dues if you want to sling the blues(chips).

Until you've actually lost money for clients, you have no idea what this business is about. So to think that you're ambitious enough and it's easy enough for you to start out creating your own firm is insulting to those veterans among us whoes advice you're asking for!

You don't want wise words, you want kind words.

When I was a young 20 yo and had drive and ambition to be a chef, and I asked chefs what I should do, they all told me the same thing "Stay OUT of this business!" Every one of them.

I went in anyway. I got pretty good, you know what? The old guys were right! That job sux!

Sorry.

First, don't get discouraged before you get started. You likely know, it can be great career, and there is solid demand for good planners.

Bottom line, get someone to pay you to learn the business, and don't think too much until you start having a little success.

But don't think too much after you are successful, otherwise you'll end up like Whomit, who appears to be miserable owing at least in part to his or her superior logic.

Just kidding.

I assume your comfortable resources extend beyond your intellect and desire. In which case, don't throw yourself in the sales training pen, rather, join an established group and do some grunt work.

After you learn the ropes a little, you can have your own practice, which will meet other needs.

[quote=planrcoach]

comfortable resources for entrepreneurship

Start a tea company. Call it Tazo. When you get tired, sell it to Starbucks.

[/quote]

I bought a box of this tea from Starbucks recently.  All of the strings were detached and the tea pouches were loose. (great quality!)   You can also buy this in the grocery store, too (no problems with the tea from the grocery store, though.

"First, don't get discouraged before you get started."

Yeah, there'll be plenty of time for being discouraged AFTER it's too late! 

"Bottom line, get someone to pay you to learn the business..." Good advice!

" and don't think too much until you start having a little success." (he he he hehehehehehe!)

"But don't think too much after you are successful," Take it from him, he's an expert on not thinking too much!

"I assume your comfortable resources extend beyond your intellect and desire." The rest of us assume your comfortable resources are anything BUT intellect and burning desire!

"In which case, don't throw yourself in the sales training pen, rather, join an established group and do some grunt work." He's right again! A rut is SO much better than a pen!

You know what this business is all about? Timing. And the first thing that veterans want to be able to do is to unload on some poor sap after a 400 point down day in the market!

In my mind, Planrcoach is still one of us, he still has clients that he had this morning. You, you're someone who didn't have the brains to think that today might not be the day for you to bother us! AND you bothered us here instead of taking your sillyassed question into the Rookie section where we veterans can avoid pissants like you!

They're going to toss me again. Oh well, as long as they accept hotmail addresses for registration... (how lame is that?)

[quote=Closer]Wow. If you don’t care or have the time to give a few pointers, then DON’T RESPOND. I’m sure there are some vets out there willing to lend some advice.
Furthermore, by “ambitious college grad”, I mean that I enjoy this field, study it, and am doing every thing I can to gain an edge. When you say “do research”, you may forget that getting peoples opinions who are in the field IS research. A forum is actually the perfect medium for gaining knowledge essential to what I am trying to do.
I know that I want to go indy eventually, so I am scoping out the paths.

Vbrainy, if you don’t want to lend a brief piece of advice, you don’t have to. There is no need to be rude here. Also, I don’t own a beanbag chair, or like doritios and mountain dew. I have been meeting with FA’s in my greater metropolitan area almost daily to gain insight. I am not lazy, thank you.

If any vets have some wise words, I would love to hear them.
[/quote]

Ok here’s some advice newbie…look at the various categories on this bulletin board.  There’s one on here called “Rookies”.  Post your question there.

"First, don't get discouraged before you get started."

Yeah, there'll be plenty of time for being discouraged AFTER it's too late! 

"Bottom line, get someone to pay you to learn the business..." Good advice!

" and don't think too much until you start having a little success." (he he he hehehehehehe!)

"But don't think too much after you are successful," Take it from him, he's an expert on not thinking too much!

"I assume your comfortable resources extend beyond your intellect and desire." The rest of us assume your comfortable resources are anything BUT intellect and burning desire!

"In which case, don't throw yourself in the sales training pen, rather, join an established group and do some grunt work." He's right again! A rut is SO much better than a pen!

You know what this business is all about? Timing. And the first thing that veterans want to be able to do is to unload on some poor sap after a 400 point down day in the market!

In my mind, Planrcoach is still one of us, he still has clients that he had this morning. You, you're someone who didn't have the brains to think that today might not be the day for you to bother us! AND you bothered us here instead of taking your sillyassed question into the Rookie section where we veterans can avoid pissants like you!

They're going to toss me again. Oh well, as long as they accept hotmail addresses for registration... (how lame is that?)

Hey Closer, don't take anything personally. This character whomit seems to just excercising his or her right to have the proverbial undies in bundle. Bad market day, bad transition from a broker dealer - got shut out for low production, or something.

Which brings up a point: this is a profession, and a sales job at the same time. In order to really run things your own way, you need to have your own shop, and that is not easy. Without going into all of the details here, let me just say that if you can do it, it is better than wonderful, well worth the effort.

It must be like the utopia described in " Atlas Shrugged" ": a capitalist preserve of efficiency and productivity, where only cool people are allowed. At least, that is the way I feel about my clients and my practice. Although I am affiliated with a broker dealer, I am only required to attend one meeting per year, and have one office inspection per year. I spend all day with my clients, mostly on the phone and also in person. I'm not a big producer, but this is the coolest I have ever done, and it beats working overseas and working in a corp for me.

So, after your brief time here, I urge you to stay encouraged to find your own unique, creative path to success as a planner.

[quote=joedabrkr]
Ok here’s some advice newbie…look at the various categories on this bulletin board.  There’s one on here called “Rookies”.  Post your question there.
[/quote]

Hey, cLOSER,

Tell us some more about your wonderful "People skills."

You come into our house and start off by telling us that any schmuck with a trust fund and a piece of sheep skin can do what we do.

Let's imagine you did this in any other profession...

Military: On a day when stuff is getting blowed up all around them (and they just almost had the Veep getting blowed up) and you write in their message boards, "Hey, you Colonels and majors. Imagine you had some really brains and some really ballz and you were still young and good lookin' how would you go about becoming a General? Should I start my own Army and then merger my way up to taking over your Army?"

Medical: There's an outbreak of Ebola and you write "Hey, you guys who are good at this stuff, not the rank and file doctors, the ones that have been successful, imagine that you could do it right this time, right from the beginning, how would you do it? I ask only because my uncle wants to open his own medical group and he wants ME to be the head surgeon, I figure, what the hell, I'll get a license, then I'll concentrate on boob jobs and liposuction!"

Legal: on the day that tort reform is being signed you burble "Hey, legal dudes! Imagine if you can what it would be like if you had a college degree and a lot of ambition AND access to the internet! Now imagine that you had three uncles in organized crime so you know you'll ALWAYS have a lot of work built into your practice. Is there any advice you can give as to how you'd go about it if you were as young and smart and good looking and well connected and smart and young as me?"

If you wouldn't expect to get flambe'ed it goes to show that you don't have the people skills that you think you have. And judging from your responses to the flames reinforces that vision. 

Wow. If you don't care or have the time to give a few pointers, then DON'T RESPOND. I'm sure there are some vets out there willing to lend some advice.

I saw your post yesterday (yawn)and passed it over because I thought the same thing that many others have posted here. WTF how lazy are you????  Have you not read any of the many posts from us "Vets"here on this topic.  Lrn2search.   

It isn't that we don't want to sit down, hold your hand and plan your life for you.  Most of us are pretty generous with our advice. We were probably busy yesterday with the market dropping over 400 points and all.  As a matter of fact I am having dejavu right now.   I'm sure I have posted this before.

They're going to toss me again. Oh well, as long as they accept hotmail addresses for registration...

LOL...It must be a bitch coming up with all these screen names.

My advise is to first not listen to loosers and negative persons.  I started a company while still in college and by the time I was 23 we were on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.  When I was 24 I was in Inc. Magazine, Business Week and many other publications.  At the age of 26 I was become a Vice President for a well know company.  People told me I couldnt do what I did.  People were offended by me when I was 21 and I told them what I was going to do.  Just like you.  Forget this place. This is not the spot you will find greatness or even good advise. 

Get off here and do what you are doing getting out and talking to advisors.  Read everything you can.  Get recommendations from advisors you talk to.  Pick up the phone and call the big wire houses in your area.  Ask the receptionist to put you through to the biggest producer in the office.  Talk to that person. Just knock the door down.  Show up at the office and ask to meet with that person at 7am.  Be aggressive.  Be completely self confident and ballsy. Talk to as many of these persons as you can.  Ignore average persons.  They will usually be offended by you.   Ask a guy with a billion under management if you can work for free for him.  You'll get his coffee you'll dust his desk.  You'll do what ever he needs if you can just get the opportunity to learn.  You get the idea.

 If you are talking to successful advisors in your area, I think that is one of the best things you can do.  Forget "I can't and I need to put in years of b.s. learning the ropes."  THat is being average.  What matters most is DESIRE.  If you really have the buring desire to make it work then your desire will push you through the challenges.   

I know a guy who started right our of college.  By the age of 27 he was making $500,000 a year...maybe more.  When I first knew him he still had his crappy car he drove in college.  He is dorky looking and not connected but he had HUGE BURING DESIRE.  HE also is very intelligent and extremely hard working. 

Choose your dream and then go out and do it.  This forum is filled with small producers.  Loosers...Dont go to them for inspiration.    

OK. I’ll go ahead and apologize to the “vets” for being offensive, it was not my intention. I started the post on February 26, not February 27.



Whomit, you are taking this message board away from the realm of finance. Obviously, you consider yourself great at throwing together analogies, but you failed pretty badly here.
Military: There is rank system that separates privates from generals.
Medical: If you are an MD, you can perform surgery.
Legal: If you pass the bar, you’re as qualified as any.
Investment: There are no lofty degrees to attain, all that is necessary for success is a very strong work ethic, knowledge about the field, and “people skills”. I left med school for that very reason: too much red tape, and a ceiling for potential earnings.
I do not intend to marginalize this industry, but it is an anomaly in the working world.