#人物故事##破产##英国留学##短租##财富自由#
This is the 3,691st real story we have told
I'm Huang Ben, I'm from Hainan, and I've lived in my family's comfort nest since I was a child. It wasn't until I entered college that I stumbled upon an unpopular major, and inadvertently broke into the spiritual land led by countless masters.
At that time, my mind awakened for the first time, and I began to think about things outside of the world, and my life became meaningful.
Later, I studied abroad and brought a new way of thinking to my studies. At that time, I was able to learn well, my life was colorful, and I enjoyed the good times of my youth every day. Unexpectedly, one day I suddenly received a call from home, and my beautiful life came to an abrupt end, and it was split into two.
(This is me)
I was born in 1998 in a small county town in Hainan. My parents were in business, and when I was a child, my family's economic situation was relatively good, and they had their own small villas. Therefore, I grew up with a relatively prosperous life, and I grew up carefree unconsciously.
In 2016, I was transferred to Chengdu University of Technology, majoring in Marxism. I didn't know anything about this major before, but my personality was more casual, and there was no better choice at that time. In this way, I started my university studies step by step. Unexpectedly, after studying for a while, my mind was completely awakened.
It was the first awakening of my mind in my life. Although the philosophy major is facing difficulties in employment and the theoretical knowledge is boring, most of the students are like me, they have been transferred, and they do not pay enough attention to the professional courses. But I'm glad that I have gained a deep improvement in my thinking from my professional studies, and I didn't spend four years of college life in idleness like most of my classmates.
(After my family went bankrupt, I learned to cook by myself)
In fact, philosophy is a profession that guides people's thoughts, which can be applied to all walks of life and can also guide everything.
When I studied Western philosophy, I was deeply impressed by Socrates' spiritual midwifery, Plato's theory of ideas, and Aristotle's theory of substance.
When everyone around me is worried about the daily trivialities, I no longer think about time, the universe and life.
As Fu Peirong said in "Philosophy and Life": "If we compare life to navigation, philosophy is the compass of navigation, which will tell us where we are now, where the direction and goal are, and why we should achieve that goal." ”
I feel that philosophy is my spiritual navigation, and with its blessings, I can look at it rationally no matter what career I engage in, who I meet, or what difficulties I encounter in the future.
In the four years of university, I have gained not only because of Chengdu, which is a very open, tolerant and multicultural place.
The level of consumption here is not high, and the people are warm and happy. I have met all kinds of people here, all of whom have interesting souls, and the association with them is a new awakening for me.
(I love reading)
In 2021, I graduated from university, and I didn't have a specific plan for the future, thinking that I liked to draw since I was a child, and although I didn't formally study it, I have always loved it from the bottom of my heart. So, I decided to go to the University of the Arts London to study Visual Communication and Illustration Design on my own.
After working in art and design, I applied my philosophical ideas to my design works. For example, a photograph represents a freeze frame of time, but a video reflects the flow or change of time, which is a different variation of art forms.
When I first arrived abroad, everything was fresh. During that time, in addition to my normal classes, I often played with my friends. Europe is an ancient and fascinating continent with beautiful natural landscapes and a deep historical and cultural atmosphere. I was able to appreciate the traces of the Middle Ages, romantic fairytale towns, stunning architecture, a wide variety of Mediterranean cuisine and brilliant aurora borealis, and the warm people.
Just as I was studying and playing abroad carefree, I suddenly got unexpected and frustrating news. On a normal day, I received a call from my family that their business was bankrupt and they owed a lot of debts, and they could no longer afford to pay my tuition and living expenses.
(I went to work)
Although I had heard about my family's business downturn, I never thought it would go bankrupt and go into debt. The sudden change instantly made me confused.
Fortunately, I have always had a money-making mind. In the past, my family didn't give much living expenses, but when I was free, I tried to make money, such as reselling second-hand refrigerators, washing machines, typewriters, etc., which I had to deal with when international students returned to China. I bought these second-hand items at a low price and sold them to the next class of students the following year.
This not only solves the problem of international students handling items, but also helps new students, and I also earn pocket money, achieving a win-win effect. I've also done things like helping students store their belongings.
Although this money is not much, it is enough to support my daily social and travel. After learning about the changes in my family, I could only use my own savings, stop all unnecessary socializing, take the bus to and from school every day, buy groceries and cook, and live a simple and fulfilling life.
(I used all my free time to type like crazy)
In order to solve the problem of survival once and for all, I went to work in a Chinese supermarket, paid by the hour, six hours a day. In the process of working, I was not idle, using all the fragmented time, memorizing the English name of the product, looking at the purchase list, and calculating the gross profit margin of the boss. At the same time, I kept submitting resumes and looking for opportunities to make money.
In my spare time, I read a lot of books to enrich my mind. Feel ready for the next opportunity. My life is also getting back on track, and I am able to pay my rent on time to meet my daily needs.
Three months later, I went to work as a sales consultant at a law firm, where I was mainly interested in introducing the firm's immigration products and introducing people to professional positions.
Here, I have gained a lot, not only learned a variety of sales skills, but also learned how to communicate with others.
The salary here is also good, you can get 20,000 yuan a month. In addition, I also used my free time to work as a tutor, as a buyer, build my own community of international students, work as an information intermediary, start a short-term rental business, and have a variety of income sources, which has greatly stabilized and improved the quality of life.
(I love drawing)
I've been in the firm for a few months, and there's very little room for improvement. Besides, the short-term rental business I developed was very busy and very profitable. So, I quit my job and focused on running a short-term rental business.
Short-term rentals are a business that I have figured out. In the UK, March to June is the off-season for rentals, and there are almost no long-term tenants. I thought why not do short-term rentals? In the beginning, I took the vacant rooms that were vacant after the international students returned to China, and although there were only three small rooms, they were full every day.
Hotels in the UK are expensive, costing £200 a night, while I only charge £50. And the houses are all in the center of London, with convenient transportation, clean and hygienic interiors, and low prices, which are the best choice for tourists and students. As a result, the short-term rental business is extremely hot.
Later, I collected a large number of vacant houses, and at the most, I had more than 40 houses in hand. At this time, I didn't have enough energy alone, so I began to recruit agents to help attract customers, and each agent received a commission according to performance, which led to a wave of small climaxes in renting.
So, I further changed the service model and hired different people, viewing, tidying up, and checking out. In just five months, I earned my first million in my life. Not only did he pay off some of his family's debts, but he also bought a Rolex watch to treat himself.
(Treat yourself to a watch)
Some people say that you earn the first million in your life in five months, isn't it a bit exaggerated and lucky? In fact, what I want to say is that opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared, and my favorite thing to do in my free time is reading, which makes me more relaxed in the face of difficulties and make my choices more scientific.
I also bought a lot of courses online, studied like crazy, and with a keen business sense, I was constantly looking for new projects. My short-term rental business, behind the seemingly hot business, contains my careful observation, daily accumulation of popularity, and unique management philosophy. With the blessing of strength, and then seize the fleeting opportunity, you can create wealth that others dare not imagine.
If you're not ready for your own strength, never expect that luck will befall you. In the same way, a person who only thinks but does not act can only miss the opportunity.
As Dale Carnegie said, "Plan ahead, be prepared." Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared, and those who do not prepare for tomorrow will never have a future. ”
(Youth is capital)
I think that with the rapid development of China, there must be many opportunities. So, in September 2023, I returned to my home country after a two-year absence. The first thing I did when I returned home was to buy a bunch of books online and continue typing like crazy. At present, I am ready to send good domestic products to foreign countries, and related projects have been launched.
Looking back on 2023, at the beginning of the year, my family went bankrupt, and I went from a glamorous international student to a migrant worker who wore gloves to move goods every day. Doing things that I hadn't thought about or tried before, I took a lot of first steps. Although I haven't made any big achievements yet, I've been growing like crazy, and I think I will be invincible if I use my dreams as the core to support my growth.
Along the way, I consider myself more fortunate to have more opportunities for awakening than others. From a small county town in Hainan, to Haikou, then from Haikou to Chengdu, and finally out of the country, I practiced in London for two years, and I could understand something new everywhere I went.
(Welcome to pay attention to the protagonist of this article "Huang Aben")
Now, I've helped my family pay off some of their debts. I will continue to pay off the remaining debts, not only for the sake of my family, but also for my own responsibility. Finally, I want to tell my peers in confusion that reading can really change their fate.
When faced with a variety of choices in life, there is reading precipitation, judgment will be smarter and more scientific than others, and success can be predicted.
I don't have specific goals for the long-term future. But one thing is undoubted, and that is that I want to make a product that is valuable to others and that allows more people to benefit from the product.
I haven't reached the age of establishment yet, and I'm still in the initial stage of accumulation in my career. I think that youth is the best capital, and if you precipitate well when you are young, you will always accumulate and realize your dreams.
[Dictation: Huang Ben]
[Editor: Cloud Moon]
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