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Friday, January 11, 2013


Envy is Not A Good Thing…..I’m Just Sayin

by | on January 11, 2013


This is my post about Envy.

I had a conversation with my brother the other day about the current state of the economy, what a challenge the last five years were, and how it relates to our construction businesses.

For a little background, we grew up in Central New Jersey.

Our Dad who was an Italian Immigrant, had a Mason business. Being a proud person our Dad insisted that we learn the mason business as well (worked us like dogs!). Through the years, as much as I tried to break away from it, I eventually married my beautiful wife.  I decided that since I knew the business, and was really good at it I would start my own masonry company. A few years later my brother followed suit. It was a good business, hard on the body, but I was able to be a sole provider and that allowed my wife to be home and raise our four children (she did an AWESOME job!). Again, my brother followed suit.

As the years went by, I grew my business in different ways. I took chances, took classes, and diversified my business. I started doing full additions, built a spec home, became an authorized dealer/installer for a water softening company, and I continue to grow. My brother did not follow suit this time. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy and is a GREAT mason, and does really complicated brick paver driveways, and amazing patios. He does the most BEAUTIFUL cultured stonework I have ever seen. But the one problem is he is stuck in this notch. He did however dabble in the DJ business for a while, but his main focus is the mason business.

Back to the ENVY part of my story…

So the other day I was telling him that I was taking a marketing course, and our instructor (who by the way just made over $500,000.00 in our co-op venture) had an idea that our whole online class should join an up and coming, incredibly successful online marketing company. The facts were overwhelmingly exciting for my wife and me. After all…..where can you get a 100% commission on a sale? Empower Network is where! As I was telling him, he had questions, which is normal, even smart, because like myself, no one wants to get burned. Then he says to me:

"Well, you go ahead and try it out. When you start making real big money, then maybe I’ll join. I don’t have that kind of money laying around, and who am I gonna sell a “blogging” system to? You should be careful and maybe reconsider your endeavors."

What immediately came to my mind was this really funny movie I had seen a few years ago. The name of this movie is ENVY, starring Jack Black and Ben Stiller. The syopsis is basically the guy who Jack Black plays has an idea to make a lot of money by inventing a product which “gets rid” of dog poo. He names it “Vapoo rise” The character that Ben Stiller plays is Jack’s best friend and he believes a 9 to 5 job with good evaluations is the safest way of life. Jack begs Ben to “Go All In” with him, but Ben scoffs and thinks Jack is a fool.

But now the ENVY starts……..

Jack does follow his heart, and becomes a millionaire, and Ben hates this, because he knew he really should have supported his friend. Here’s a funny clip from the movie Envy:






This is where I relate to this movie. I’m Jack Black and I have an opportunity of a lifetime. I KNOW this is going to be “The winner“! My brother is Ben Stiller. He’s a bit pessimistic,  a bit too cautious, and thinks that working “just a little bit harder” is going to end his suffering with this economy and his struggling business. I have had a few other lucrative opportunities, and they were all winners! I guess I just have a gift. I’m going to convince him, because he knows that I rarely lose, and I love him!

So in closing, DON’T be Ben Stiller. Don’t fill your heart with Envy for others’ successes.

Be a WINNER! Come and Join us at Team BriteStar and join the Empower Network family of Jacks (winners)……Leave the Envy for others……Just sayin.

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