Peace to the blog Fam! As you know, this is The Hustleman Chronicles dedicated to all things Hustle (business) related and then some. First off if you haven’t downloaded your
FREE copy of “
Wealth Programming and The Science of Getting Rich” AKA “The Little Book”, then don’t hesitate and get it now!
CLICK HERE (make sure you come back though LOL)
This past week has been extremely busy for me, then again I’m always extremely busy... I’m juggling so many things I feel like an acrobat for real. There’s a new business in the pipeline (known as the M2 project – my SECOND step toward manifesting my first MILLION), a new love interest, I’m holding down my other 2 businesses, striving to stop smoking cigarettes once and for all and also making posts here on the blog so you can share my journey, the good and the bad.
*** WARNING!!! This is a very LONG post. But for good reason. ***
I was going to split this up into parts but I have never made a post of what it’s like to get into a new business so I know many of you out there would like to see how I learn and do what I do. There’s a lot of Game in here if you know what to look for and it also represents how much easier things can be if you can have someone to show you the ropes. I literally saved weeks of work and a few thousand dollars just by being introduced to the right person.
The new business venture is ahead of schedule but definitely on time.
Also this post is broken up into “
Chapters” so you can stop and come back later if you need too.
There’s so much to catch you all up on but let’s cover the important stuff first. Let me introduce you to a new character in the world of your Hustleman; the Bossman Low. My Hustle partner New York has connections all over the place but he only does business with a few. He first introduced me to the Bossman Low a couple of months ago, they do alot of business together so it was only natural that we would meet sooner or later.
He’s a laid back African brother, but his accent isn’t all that prevalent. New York refers to him as the quarter million dollar man for good reason; he runs about 5 businesses, all legit. Low is an old school Hustler pure and simple. He plays by high standards of integrity and has his hands into a little bit of alot of bit.
I’ve seen Low from time to time and I always greeted him respectfully mainly because he was New York’s man. We never had what you would call a conversation but he always returned the respect. I did notice that this dude would pull up in a different vehicle almost every time he came through the block but I never asked any questions, it wasn’t my place. Important street rule: KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT IF YOU DON’T KNOW! AND EVEN IF YOU DO KNOW, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! So Low never said anything and I never asked.
>>> Wednesday: February 14th – Opportunity Knocks
“Hey yo Shai!” New York said calling me by my street AKA, “Low’s going to the auction nigga! You should come.”
“Come where?” I asked
“Low goes to car auctions, he’s going this week coming up. You got some money stacked?”
“All the time. Low has a car dealer license?” I asked very intrigued now.
“Hell’s yeah! You didn’t see all those cars he comes up in? He gets those at auction nigga. We’re going Monday and’ll be back like Tuesday night. So… what’s up?”
I paused a moment. It’s funny how when you look for things they sometimes come to you. Let me explain… I currently have 5 Millionaire projects planned; one of which was used car buying and selling. It’s an easy Hustle from what I heard just as long as you know what you’re doing. This was the perfect opportunity for me to see how it’s done from the inside. This is the way I like to learn new things, although that doesn’t always happen when the opportunity comes I jump on it.
“Yeah I’ll go. Shit, how much money you need?” I asked
“Take about a stack (one thousand dollars) and you’ll be straight. Plus gas money you know in case you get somethin’.” New York said this with his not so subtle grin that always let’s me know he’s planning a move.
“A stack? That’s it?” Didn’t sound right to me but then again I knew little about the business. But going off of what I heard, you can get cars for literally pennies on the dollar. I continued.
“Shit nigga, no problem I got that. But that’s on your man though. He’s the one with the license.”
“Shai!” New York switched to his confident voice. “My face is as good as gold. If I tell him (Low) my man wants to come he’ll say yeah. Watch what I tell you.”
True to form, a man of his word; next time Low pulled up he asked him on the spot.
Low looked at me briefly with the kind of look that sized me up to see if the money matched (which it doesn’t, but I’m far from broke feel me?). In other words, was I a sucka part-timey Hustler looking for a free trip or was I serious? I didn’t flinch. Low’s been around enough to see how I take care of business so I wasn’t worried. He looked back at New York and was like “Yeah.” Enough said. Fast forward…
>>> Tuesday: February 20th – Up and Out
I’m up early. For anyone that knows me I’m NOT a morning person. Hell, I usually don’t go to bed until around 3,4 or 5 AM. The original plan was to go to an auction in Pennsylvania but Low switched it to a public auction in Darlington, South Carolina. The prices would be lower and less competition. Also this would be an easier place for me to learn the Game and get my feet wet, follow me? New York already had a little experience so he knew what to expect.
I got dressed and mentally prepared to be alert; to watch, listen and soak up Game. I met New York at his place and was just getting there as he was escorting one of his many females out the door. His latest catch was a younger sister who supposedly had been lesbian for about 8 years and was tired of the lifestyle. Of course New York was more than willing to help her make the transition back. What a caring gesture from such a nice dude.
We had a 4 hour plus drive to South Carolina. We were taking New York’s truck. The auction started at 6pm and we were almost running late. We picked up Low in Jonesboro and then we were on our way. We stopped, gassed up, grab some snacks and headed out. New York already tired from his morning activities wanted to sleep so I took the driver’s seat with him taking shot-gun, Low sat in the back.
Being already tired after about 3 hours I had to stop. Low took over at the wheel and New York continued to sleep.
It was about 4:30pm when we finally arrived. The weather was cool with a strong breeze but not too cold. It was overcast but I was amped, I was ready to pick Low’s brain about what to do and what not to do, but he had some business to take care of so he went straight to the office and New York and I began to check out the cars.
I was like a kid in a candy store. They had it all; trucks, economy sizes, luxuries, SUV’s, mid-sizes. Every make and model you could possibly think of. They even had tractors and golf carts.
The area was all dirt and went on for a good distance. Vehicles were scattered everywhere. All in all I probably counted about a hundred and fifty and it was still early.
New York and I hopped in and out of cars. They leave the keys in so you can start them up and even drive them if you want. Some cars were clean and in good shape, others were just plain garbage.
Outside of the gate a long line began to form with even more cars coming in to be auctioned off.
Now from a business stand point I was looking for good quality economy to mid-size cars, they move the fastest and are relatively cheap from what New York was telling me. The nicer more upscale vehicles represented a larger upfront investment but could actually be sold for more; more profit but would take more time to get off your hands.
Being as I’m just getting in the Game I focused my attention of cars I could quick flip. My dumb ass forgot though to write down the auction numbers written on the cars so I could remember which ones I thought were good quality. If I would have done this it would have been a hell of a lot easier to remember which cars to bid on and which ones to avoid. Ah well, lessoned learned, I’m never afraid to make mistakes. I’m a Hustler; I take calculated risks every single day.
Low finally came back and began his walk around looking at what was available. He was meticulous to say the least.
He looked over the body and the tires, popped the hood and checked out the engine. He then started up the car and tested all the gears to check the response of the transmission. He then would rev up the car to listen to the engine. Next he would check the lights, the radio and the windshield wipers.
He did all of this in a matter of one to two minutes. I could see him making mental notes so I asked him what he looked for. He spit some Game at me and I soaked it up.
Between all of this we lost track of New York. New York already has 3 cars so he wasn’t looking for something to flip as much as he was looking for a car to floss in. He also looked over some of the older vans for business purposes.
Whenever I look into a new business venture I look at the upside first and then the downside. EVERY business has a downside. I focus on the upside but I don’t ignore the downside, follow me? This is how a Hustler thinks. We always want to maximize our upside and minimize our downside. I immediately recognized the potential in buying and selling used cars. It has very little risk to be honest, IF you know what you’re doing.
The profit margins can be a little smaller than what I’m used to and it’s not quick money (at a beginner level) but it’s solid. You really can’t lose if you’re smart and keep your head on straight.
Still with me so far? Let’s continue…
>>> Auction Time: 6pm – Let the Games Begin
So here I am standing in a large gutted out warehouse. The crowd is there and being that it’s an auction open to the public I began to pick out the regular people and the professional car dealers (yes they were there too). It wasn’t hard.
The car dealers we much more relaxed and confident; you could tell they’ve done this before. An advantage of having car dealers there was that they would bid more carefully, I watched them as the auction went on to see at what price they would stop to get a feel of what I should be bidding on for certain years, makes and models. The dealers would never let the bid price get too far out of control.
There were 2 lanes through the warehouse where cars could drive in. They would come in from one side, stop infront of an auction booth to be auctioned off and then leave through the other side.
The middle area was clear for bidders to stand in as well as the outside of both lanes. Also on the outside of the lanes were the auctioneer booths set up with mic’s and speakers so the auctioneers could run their auctions. There were two on each side for a total of four.
I immediately realized that having four auctions going at the same time, although a way to speed up the whole process, also served to created confusion. They subtly forced you to bounce from booth to booth to see what car was where and if you didn’t pay attention, you could be bidding a lot higher than what you originally intended.
Game recognized Game here.
Also what comes into play is the case of the car title. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not. This particular auction doesn’t mail them so if you want it, you have to go back and get it. You have to pay close attention at all times.
Low stood in front of New York and I and said in a low tone so not many others would hear, “Wait until later in the auction to start bidding, people will run out of money and the bids will be lower. You can catch something good that way.”
I didn’t look at this perspective so I’m glad the Bossman dropped that wisdom on me. This Game was about patience, I’m all for that.
The bidding began. The cars rolled in. Now, if you’ve ever been to an auction before (or seen one in a movie or on TV) you know that the auctioneers talk fast. I mean REALLY fast. Again, more confusion thrown in the mix to keep you off balance so you might make a mistake. Also they start high in price and if no one bids, they slowly work their way down. Low and New York put me on Game with this, so I watched to get the feel and rhythm of it.
The crowd was amped and the energy in the place was electric. Being that I’m used to being in unfamiliar territory I settled myself and blended in. I was watching and listening closely.
To get myself recognized by the auctioneers (and to let them think I was a possible dealer), I bid on a few cars and would stop long before the final bid was placed. I was very careful about this; I didn’t want to get stuck with some bullshit. You know your Hustleman, I jump in with both feet. Hesitation gets you no where.
Throwing out bids like this also allowed me to get comfortable with the whole bidding process which really is just a matter of shouting out numbers. But you have to make sure you’re shouting out the right numbers, feel me?
Keeping my budget in mind I came to the conclusion that I would have to eventually bid on a late 90 models, so that’s what I focused on. I ignored everything else. I’m focused at all times.
I began to really enjoy the vibe of the place. This was a place for Hustler’s plain and simple. If you’re smart you win and if you’re not, you lose. If you’re focused you win, if not you lose. If you have the balls to push ahead and the next person doesn’t, you win and if not, you lose.
>>> Play Time Is Over
So after about an hour I’m comfortable now, my confidence is building and I think I have a strong grasp as to proper bidding prices. New York is running around from action booth to auction booth doing what I was doing; seeing what things went for what price.
Low on the other hand was like a damn ninja; there one second, blink and then POOF! You don’t see him anymore. He actually left one time to get something to eat from one of the food vendors. This dude was serious! He was not rushing for any reason. He was walking around eating while the rest of the people were eagerly shouting out numbers trying to get a good deal.
I thought there were still some good deals moving so I decided not to wait too long and began to get serious with my bids. A car would pull up and if it fit my criteria I placed bids on it. When the price got beyond a certain point I stopped bidding.
I missed out on a 98 Cadillac Deville (I would have honestly kept that for myself – but I tried to keep my emotions out of the equation – I was here on business). I also missed out on a 98 Honda Accord – I got to the auction booth too late.
About an hour had past and the crowd was getting impatient, I could feel the tide changing. People felt as though they were going to miss out. At the same time though, they didn’t want to make any mistakes so I was ready to strike at any and every opportunity I could get. They were hesitating so I saw opportunity.
My time came pretty quick. A silver 94 Pontiac Bonneville pulled infront of one of the auction booths. A couple of dealers ran up to the car to check the mileage and lift the hood to look at the engine. I trailed behind.
This thing was clean! I mean no cracks on the body or in the interior. The fabric seats looked freshly shampooed and the tires were a little worn but in excellent condition.
The engine was clean and I could see new wires and a new battery – this car was obviously taken care of and fixed up just for the auction.
I listened to the engine and it seemed to run fairly quite – as much as I could hear with all the noise in the air anyway.
In all of that I forgot to check the mileage. Another mistake. Lesson learned though. The bid started at around $2,000. No bids came in. The auctioneer went down to $1,700 then $1,500 and so on until eventually he was at $550. One of the dealers called out $550.
“6 do I hear 6?” The auctioneer called out. I jumped in.
“6 hundred!” I yelled out loud enough to be heard.
The dealer didn’t hesitate, “6 twenty-five!”
“6 twenty-five, 6 twenty-five do I hear 6 fifty? 6 fifty?” The auctioneer went on.
I stalled for a moment faking lack of interest. Another bidder, obviously a dealer, chimed in, “6 fifty!”
The auctioneer continued, “6 fifty blah blah blah (couldn’t understand a word he said). 7 do I hear 7?”
The first dealer jumped back in, “7!”
I jumped back in just to test the waters, at this point my heart was beating fast and my blood pumped. I held a poker face and calmed myself down. I hate to lose but I couldn’t be stupid here. We had 2 and a half more hours to go in the auction. I wanted to see if these two dealers would out bid me at $750. If so, maybe the perceived value of this old 94 was more than I thought.
“7 fifty!” I yelled out. The second dealer was silent but the first dealer came right back in.
“8 hundred!” He called out. Seems I was right. I was even more surprised when the second dealer came back in with $825.
I called out, “8 fifty.” It was a little higher than I was willing to go but what the hell I thought, if worse came to worse I could easily sell this car for $1,200 to $1,500. Not much profit but I didn’t lose anything and the experience would more than pay for itself.
As a Hustler you never want to pay more for something than you can get back for it. You may not make a profit, but you won’t lose money either – you can break even easily.
The auctioneer ran with my bid, “8 fifty, 8 fifty do I hear 9 hundred? 9 hundred? 9 hundred? 8 fifty do I hear 9 hundred? 9 hundred? 8 fifty, you bought it!” he pointed at me and I went up to the auctioneer booth to fill out some paper work.
For a brief moment I wondered if I had made a mistake. Should I have really bid $850? New York and Low weren’t around to check me on this, I worked off of pure instinct. A couple of days later Low would come through to check out the ride, he did his inspection on it and said I actually came out pretty good.
>>> The Bossman Cometh… FinallyJust as I get through with the paper work inside the auction office, New York and Low come by. I asked Low where do I pick up the car and he pointed me in the right direction. I went to find it and sat inside. I looked at the interior and started the car up.
It was dark by now so I fumbled around to look for the interior light switch and I eventually found it. If I was smarter I would have just left the door open for the lights to come on by themselves LOL. I was excited though, I wasn’t thinking quite straight.
Plus, this was my time to see if I had made a big mistake and if my instincts failed me.
I looked around and finally my eyes rested on the mileage. Over 300,000 miles! Damnit! That’s waaaay too many miles, even for a 94. Shit, I thought, I got a little ahead of myself in the auction.
I drove my way out of the car lot and into the outside parking area. I parked by New York’s truck and made my way back inside to the auction. I had to see the Bossman Low in action. He hadn’t even started bidding yet.
The crowd was thinning out and once again Low was M.I.A. New York was walking around and had finally decided to get him a car to floss in. His budget was bigger than mine so he had more room to work with. He looked seriously at the Cadillac’s and Lexus’.
As the night rolled on Low finally showed back up and finally began bidding. He was smoothly moving from auction booth to auction booth looking at cars. He eventually won an auction for a 97 or 98 Crown Victoria. From what I saw it looked damn good and ran pretty well.
New York began to feel the pressure and began to panic. Time was running out and he refused to be the only one that didn’t buy a car. He made a bid just for the hell of it on the VERY last car. A 98 Ford Taurus. Not in the best condition. Matter of fact, we couldn’t even get the windshield wipers to stop and once he had a chance to get in it and drive it he was pissed!
“I got fucked!” was his choice line for the night. I laughed on the inside but I told him he should’ve followed his instincts; he fucked himself. Once he finally settled down slightly, he agreed. But that didn’t stop him from being 38 hot.
He actually left the car at the auction and said he’d take that loss. He didn’t want it. He has since changed his mind though, so he’s going to go pick it up this week. The car seems to run fine for the most part so it should make the 4 hour trip… hopefully.
Rest of the story short, we stopped and gassed up all the vehicles and stopped to get something to eat. Low left his Crown Vic at the auction and switched to a mini-van that he had purchased a week before. We made our long trip back to the ATL. By the time I made it back it was about 3 AM. Saying I was exhausted was an understatement. I called up Mz Chanel, my current Lady of sorts, to fill her in on what went down and to say goodnight. My Ex, Mz Mental, who I live with, was already sleeping when I got home. I showered, shaved and went to my room to get what little rest I could.
I woke back up around 10am; I had to get the car insured and get ready to hit the block. It was time to put some work in. When I get hold of the car title I can put the car up for sale. In the meantime Low is schooling me on the easiest way to go about getting a car dealers license and how to make the best use of it – I HAVE to get in this Game. The M2 project should be up and moving in about 2 to 3 months. I’ll keep you all posted on the progress as it happens.
Thanks for taking out your time to check out your Hustleman, it’s greatly appreciated.
Peace and blessings Fam! Keep it moving and keep it simple – always.
Peace and blessings Fam! I’m amazed at how time is flying past us. I looked up and Bam! It was May already. I don’t know about you but my year has been pretty good so far. A few bumps here and there but hey, what’s life without those? It makes you appreciate the good times even more.
So I woke up on a Monday morning. I wasn’t my usual self, in fact I felt a little under the weather. I don’t know what’s going on exactly but a few weeks ago Georgia weather had flipped from spring hot to winter cold. Hell, we even had snow flurries; just goes to show the weather is really out of sync.
Peace to the blog Fam! As you know, this is The Hustleman Chronicles dedicated to all things Hustle (business) related and then some. First off if you haven’t downloaded your FREE copy of “Wealth Programming and The Science of Getting Rich” AKA “The Little Book”, then don’t hesitate and get it now! CLICK HERE (make sure you come back though LOL)
