The best and most obvious advice... ever.
The best advice I ever received and ever followed was simple: Save money. Live below your means by eliminating costs and personal belongings and expenses so that you have money left over to save in an account. What you do with the saved money is either let it sit there for a long time (not the wisest thing around) or invest it (a good idea but not all of it, and this sounds like a pretty bad idea had you done this just 18 months ago, right!?). Seriously, though, making sure you have a large stash of cash around for yourself is probably the best thing you might end up doing for yourself. There are thousand-and-one reasons why you will one day need that cash and I can assure you it won't be to help finance a new yacht.
For me, it's what allowed me to start my business and leave my full-time job so I could invest my efforts full-time into the new business. Most new businesses, naturally, don't start making significant revenue or profit for awhile. We're fortunate enough to have started a business that generated some cash practically from day one but still, making the money over time does take patience and discipline. Nevertheless, things would have taken even longer had I not been able to go full-time and I guarantee you that I wouldn't have been able to go full-time had I not saved money.
It's so simple... the concept, that is. Just save a little money and build a stash. Don't touch it, just keep adding to it. Keep most of it in cash and you'll know you're reaching a significant point when you have *at least* 9-12 months of living on the cheap stored in your stash. Some people suggest 3 months, maybe 6 months, but they're usually suggesting that for people who leave their jobs (or are fired or laid off) and need some cushion to find a new job. I'm talking about leaving your job for good and doing something else with your life to make a new living. Trust me, build cash, save it, and then be ready for that day when you'll need it. I promise you, one day you will need it, and you'll be glad you saved that money. Very glad.
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We met briefly at Brother's afterward, and I wish there had been more time to talk. I did not get your business card, so this site has been a nice way for me to follow-up. Best wishes and regards, Nathan.
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