Is it actually possible to make it on your own in America?

Defining success is pretty subjective. For me, it’s about hitting those tangible milestones: steady financial growth, owning a decent home, upgrading to a reliable mid-range car every few years, and maybe catching a summer breeze on the Gulf Coast.

Lately, I see everyone trying to measure their own progress by comparing themselves to other countries or entire continents.

Personally, I think that’s a losing game. It’s especially useless for young people to constantly draw comparisons between life here in the States, Western Europe, or—heaven forbid—some idealized version of America.

In this part of the world, success isn't just about what you know; it's about who you know. You need that specific connection, someone in your inner circle, just to get a little nudge when you're trying to make a move.

If you look at the 99% of people who actually launched a small business or landed a high-level career, they almost always had someone pulling strings behind the scenes.

Is it just my skewed perspective, or am I onto something?😁

Don't get me wrong, things might be fantastic elsewhere, but even then, I still feel like the playing field is tilted differently depending on where you stand.

Samuel Sanders6 said:Defining success is pretty subjective. For me, it’s about hitting those tangible milestones: steady financial growth, owning a decent home, upgrading to a reliable mid-range car every few years, and maybe catching a summer breeze on the Gulf Coast.

Lately, I see everyone trying to measure their own progress by comparing themselves to other countries or entire continents.

Personally, I think that’s a losing game. It’s especially useless for young people to constantly draw comparisons between life here in the States, Western Europe, or—heaven forbid—some idealized version of America.

In this part of the world, success isn't just about what you know; it's about who you know. You need that specific connection, someone in your inner circle, just to get a little nudge when you're trying to make a move.

If you look at the 99% of people who actually launched a small business or landed a high-level career, they almost always had someone pulling strings behind the scenes.

Is it just my skewed perspective, or am I onto something?😁

Don't get me wrong, things might be fantastic elsewhere, but even then, I still feel like the playing field is tilted differently depending on where you stand.

I cleaned up your post. You're talking about being "normal," or just average. 😁
True success should be much more than that: a great house plus a vacation home, two cars, traveling the world when you take time off, all without debt. You have the cash and don't worry too much about spending because you earn well and your job is secure.

Personally, I don't know anyone who opened something and moved beyond a basic American middle-class level; small shops or local businesses didn't really help them move up.

It's sad that what you're describing is considered "success" by so many people....🤣

coastallynx30 said:I cleaned up your post. You're talking about being "normal," or just average. 😁
True success should be much more than that: a great house plus a vacation home, two cars, traveling the world when you take time off, all without debt. You have the cash and don't worry too much about spending because you earn well and your job is secure.

Personally, I don't know anyone who opened something and moved beyond a basic American middle-class level; small shops or local businesses didn't really help them move up.

It's sad that what you're describing is considered "success" by so many people....🤣

To start, those things are just foundations where you build capital, and depending on how ambitious someone is, they might actually launch something bigger.

Take this one guy, for example. He's young, and he had help from his parents—specifically his wife's side of the family (they supported her, which indirectly helped him).

They have plenty of resources; they provided the gear, bought him some heavy machinery, and even a truck since he trained as a driver and didn't have many other options. He's working now, building up capital, and slowly upgrading his setup.

In the beginning, he had both financial and moral support. Now, he also has the right connections, so he's going to try to break into a much larger market.....

It's tough. If you're insisting on playing strictly by the rules, it’s going to be a struggle.

It’s tough—honestly, almost impossible, at least from what I've seen firsthand—but without some serious backing, they wouldn't get an inch, no matter how much drive they have or how brilliant the idea is.

If you aren't heading out for a ski trip between January 7th and January 31st, you are essentially missing out on the entire season

The American government is an utterly corrupt institution that shows no signs of changing, much like Greece was when they first joined the EU

It is quite simply a way of life, and that is just the reality of things

It functions somewhat similarly to the caste system in India, where if you happen to be born into a wealthy class, you will undoubtedly remain wealthy

Otherwise, you are destined to stay at the bottom

To be perfectly honest, I am uncertain as to what the absolute truth may be

Samuel Sanders6 said:Defining success is pretty subjective. For me, it’s about hitting those tangible milestones: steady financial growth, owning a decent home, upgrading to a reliable mid-range car every few years, and maybe catching a summer breeze on the Gulf Coast.

Lately, I see everyone trying to measure their own progress by comparing themselves to other countries or entire continents.

Personally, I think that’s a losing game. It’s especially useless for young people to constantly draw comparisons between life here in the States, Western Europe, or—heaven forbid—some idealized version of America.

In this part of the world, success isn't just about what you know; it's about who you know. You need that specific connection, someone in your inner circle, just to get a little nudge when you're trying to make a move.

If you look at the 99% of people who actually launched a small business or landed a high-level career, they almost always had someone pulling strings behind the scenes.

Is it just my skewed perspective, or am I onto something?😁

Don't get me wrong, things might be fantastic elsewhere, but even then, I still feel like the playing field is tilted differently depending on where you stand.

There is absolutely no way we're ever going to see a real shift in mindset, especially regarding that whole boss-versus-employee dynamic we always claim to want from the West.
Based on what you said about how an owner practically has to walk around with a gym bag full of cash just to grease the palms of all those parasites who hand out contracts, it's a mess.

Even in the West, commissions exist, but they’re usually legitimate, documented on an invoice, and sit around 3-10%, where the government takes its tax cut too. Lately, it feels like things are sliding because of bad influences, so people end up dealing in envelopes, but then the heavy hitters in law enforcement step in and directors end up in prison. The difference is that over here, you somehow end up looking like a hero for dodging taxes, while in a functional country, you'd be rotting in a cell for 15 to 30 years.

So, if you actually join some entrepreneurial circle and play by the rules—paying your workers fairly, giving them vacation time, and filing your taxes—you just end up looking like a sucker, because everyone else ignores the rules, faces zero consequences, drives flashy cars, and competes over who can exploit their staff the most.

To wrap it up based on your point, I know very few people who are actually "crushing it" in business without having crossed a line, but compared to the "successful" ones, at least they sleep soundly at night.

The principle of non-aggression😁

I personally know a handful of people who started their own companies here in the States about 10 or 20 years ago, and now they’re sitting on millions. It was all technical stuff—IT, engineering, that kind of thing—and they weren't relying on government contracts or local municipalities; they were playing in the open market.

But then again, I also know way more people who tried the exact same thing and just went bust or ended up struggling to get by.

Then there are the younger lawyers I know. A few of them started their own practices a couple of years back and are finally starting to see the fruits of it—buying condos, getting nice cars, actually taking vacations. But if you look at the actual data, there's still a massive number of lawyers being forced to shut down their firms entirely.

Looking at those successful folks I mentioned... the common thread is that they’re aggressive, they’re sharp, and they work their tails off. It didn't just happen by accident.

Samuel Sanders6 said:The principle of non-aggression😁

Happiness = reality minus positive expectations.
The more reality you have and the fewer lofty expectations you hold, the happier you'll be.

Some people mentioned that firms over here mostly just work with overseas clients.
In the US, the real issue is having mountains of work that nobody actually wants to pay for.
Everything from legal services to individual clients.

It’s funny how people say it—solid companies do well, and great ones do even better. But here in the States? It feels like the solid ones just wither away while the greats are barely hanging on by a thread. You see it all the time with those "nice story sunday" features—profiles on some business that’s somehow managed to stay afloat for twenty years without going under.😁