The 4 main paths to becoming a millionaire

I read this somewhere recently*, and it made sense.

• The Company Climbers path: These people devote all of their time and energy to climbing the corporate ladder until they land a senior executive position with a very high salary.

• The Saver-Investors path: These individuals make saving and investing part of their daily routine

• The Virtuosos path: These are people who are the best at what they do and they’re paid a high premium for their knowledge and expertise

• The Dreamers path: People who pursue a dream like starting their own business, becoming a successful actor, musician or best-selling author

What worked for me was a combination of the first and second option; Climbing the corporate ladder, and being a saver & investor.

Looking back at my 20-year career, it looks pretty easy from today’s perspective. What I’m most proud of, is that I haven’t sacrificed anything, e.g. I wasn’t subsiding on rice & beans while having thousands of euros saved.

I chose a path of not saving anything in my twenties, and accelerating that in the thirties. It wasn’t planned, let’s be clear about that, but it worked. Twenties are for building memories and experiences, thirties are for building the fortune. And it also somehow coincided with the natural rhythm of my life — in thirties, you start slowing down, you start thinking more rationally, and the fun/hangover ratio gets too painful to party all the time.

There’s this joke:

Going to bed early

Not leaving my house

Not going to a party.

(My childhood punishments have become my adult goals).

And because it seems so natural to me, and not as straightforward to some other people I’m talking to, I’ll write more about this path.
Most of the writing these days seem to be about the entrepreneurship porn, and the hustle porn, leaving the 9-5, … but I know that there are great corporate gigs out there, and it’s not all 9-5, and definitely not in the remote #WFH times. And all the benefits and the opportunities they offer for a joyous lifestyle far outweigh any potential challenges.

I’m all for the intrapreneurship, for Choosing Yourself inside the corporation, and designing your life this way. But you’ll have to find a proper corporate job first. I still believe it’s easier than bootstrapping your business, and the success rates are much better.

Would you agree or disagree with my point of view? Hit me up on Twitter or send me feedback:

*can’t find the link now, do you own fu#@ing homework 😉