Every weekday for almost 2 years I would wake up at 4:45 am and take the shuttle from San Francisco down to Facebook in Menlo Park.

I hated it SO MUCH.

What I hated about my work was reporting to a manager, working on things I didn't care about, not having freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted, and a sense that I was still a child who had to ask for things like taking a day off. That's not how I wanted to live my life.

On the 1-hour commute down the 101, I would listen to podcasts, read books, or blogs about entrepreneurs, business ideas, and different ways to make money. It was all an effort to become inspired or find the right idea.

During these 2 years, on my nights & weekends (and also during my working hours) I looked into other careers, opportunities, and ideas.

I even worked at a Domino's to see if I could run a franchise. I lasted 1 day and was the worst pizza-maker ever. I couldn't even take orders over the phone -- being able to select the right things on the screen while talking at the same time is a multi-tasking skill I don't have.

I still remember the day I left FB. The HR team announced that we were ranked as the #1 place to work. Everyone celebrated.

I realized if we were #1, there was no way I could work anywhere else. I decided right then and there that I was quitting.

My last exploration of careers was Real Estate Investing (not the land flipping). It seemed to be an area I really liked and that I might have a unique ability to excel.

I reached out to a lot of people and connected with someone who's life, work, and personality I admired.

Through persuasion and showing him I could do good work, he took me under his wing and began teaching me -- it was sort of a mini apprenticeship.

Side note: One way I convinced him was by underwriting over 100 deals in 30 days. I proved to him my underwriting ability & hustle.

I began taking as many things off his plate as I could. Underwriting, Project Management, Setting up meetings, taking notes, etc. I said "yes" to everything.

I was paid $0 for all of this work but I didn't care. It was probably the most valuable work experience I've ever had.

After some time, I had to break the barrier to move on to my next phase of growth. I found partners I liked and had done deals with. We formed a company.

From there, the rest is history.

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