Sweat or Blood Equity: Strategize Your Dive into Business

By Sherwood G. Conde

Often, we are our own obstacle to success. But if we explore who we are and implement our appreciation of ourselves directly into the task of business ownership, we will succeed. Sherwood Conde guides the reader through the critical steps of thinking about starting or kick-starting a business. This thought process is reflected in the author's ow

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sweat or blood equity
• Release date: Apr 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638370123

Sherwood G. Conde

Sherwood G. Conde was born and raised in Queens, New York, by Colombian parents and grandparents who put their lives on the line to move to a safer place. Sherwood has never taken these sacrifices lightly and is proudly determined and unbreakable to be a successful person by working hard and creatively. He has a degree in Architecture, owns a self sustainable renovation company, and recently has been a Partner and a Consultant for several businesses. He has designed and engineered patents for an innovative building technology. As a serial entrepreneur, Sherwood's path has been one long learning experience, which he would now like to share with other potential entrepreneurs. He wants his readers to learn from their own failures, become efficient with their time, and advance as quickly as possible through their growth because time is of the essence. To grow their careers and businesses at a velocity that allows for good living right now and a quality of life through the growth process. Many of his associates and acquaintances have literally worked themselves to death. They all disregarded their health and made the business hamster wheel more important. Sherwood believes there is no need to sacrifice health, time, or money to achieve your goals. Success should come from sweat equity and hard work, not from blood equity and the destruction of life. He states, " Let's not waste time or waste people anymore, let's do what we love and make money now!".

Book preview

PREFACE

Introduction to the Process

This book is intended for those who have the desire to open their own business or grow it quickly. The books to follow will speak of topics relating to the next levels of business ownership. This book also serves as information for those who already have a business that is currently at a plateau or even declining. If you are looking to make a change in your business career, read on. I will state some facts and reflect back to my own experiences as I take you through a journey of change. At the end of these volumes, you will have a trajectory and you will have good tools. You will also be able to identify when you feel like giving up and why you feel that way. You will know if you really want this for your life or if you are better off just being an employee for the rest of your life. Only read these books if you are willing to put all and everything on the line and if you are willing to succeed. I will discuss the term working hard, which is working smart. Working hard means putting in some sweat equity and all the while making sure it does not become blood equity. These books are about balance. Discover your maximum effort without killing yourself or destroying life relationships.

When the equity is blood, business becomes grim. This has driven people to personal suicide and sometimes kamikaze actions—like the plumber who worked his health away and died of a heart attack, leaving behind a family in debt, or the electrician who got divorced twice and cannot afford to live a decent life due to his alimony and child support. Instead, sweat equity is just as good as sweating when you are working out. There are always problems in a business, but the problems that will exist need to be project- and client-based. Your workout will be to build wealth, muscles in experience, and valuable failures. You can become a super strong businessperson by working out every day and sweating it off.

CHAPTER 1

Desire and Passion

I was twenty-eight years old in a carpooled ride, and I was riding with my aunt in her used and worn-out Mazda 323. The Mazda was gray and not all the buttons worked, but we still had heat in the winter. We headed into Manhattan at 6:30 a.m. on Queens Boulevard every day and took the same car back into Queens in the evening. My aunt was working at Eagle Electric on the production line making light switches. I was working for a general contractor in Midtown Manhattan. On the drive, I would notice all of the trade trucks—the plumbers, the electricians, and the carpenters. Wow! I dreamed of having my own fleet one day, having twenty to thirty trucks, and that would be when I would certainly feel accomplished. I would work for three days so I could play golf on Thursdays and spend time with my family on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Imagine having free time, toys, financial independence, retirement, and a solid money-making machine. This was the dream since I knew it was possible. I mean, I saw it all around me, and I was born a New Yorker. How could I fail? How could I not make it? I noticed immigrants opening restaurants and making a killing. How could I fail? I was so determined. In the ‘80s, I saw rich people on TV and in limousines. It could be me, too, no?

You have heard that the journey is key in life. However, our immediate thinking is that when we are successful—when we are rich, when we have that house, that yacht, that car—then, and only then, does life start. As you go through these stages of lifestyle change, you begin to ask yourself, Am I successful now? What about now? Things are the same, only the numbers get bigger. Well, this will probably be the biggest and most valuable lesson from all these readings. You will question yourself at times: Is it worth it? What exactly are you willing to sacrifice? It’s easy to put it all on the line: your time, your marriage, your children, your family, what you currently own, and what you owe. These are all factors to consider during every conversation and transaction while conducting your business. I will make a mirror for