



, writes the Gang Member-Turned-Millionaire Entrepreneur Ryan Blair.There are negative and positive beliefs when it comes to money; the ‘money goes to money’ proverb is a negative belief. In America, we also have a similar saying ‘it takes money to make money.’ This is also a negative belief that does not serve people trying to transition out of poverty. When I was growing up I had a mentor who taught me about positive belief systems regarding money. He would correct me when I would say, “it takes money to make money.” He would tell me it takes traits such ambition, creativity, work ethic and intelligence to make money. And then he would ask me which traits I could embody and help me to do so.Having nothing to lose is a mindset that serves you if you combine it with ambition and a desire to learn. Combine those three and you can do great things.It is easy to be successful when times are going well; it is much harder to be successful when times are tough. Difficult times require you to be innovative. In the case of Visalus, we were going through a difficult period prior to the 2008 crash. When the economy was booming and people had plenty of cash to burn they were not as open to our business. Then the financial crisis hit which forced us to remodel to meet the needs of the new consumer who was looking for ways to save more and spend less. We became an attractive value proposition and were able to thrive during the recession because we adapted to the needs of our consumer while our competition did not.Your work ethic will propel you to success. You have to put in a significant amount of hours to truly master your craft. Most people do not devote the hours necessary to become a success. Maintaining success is a whole other story. In order to do that you have to make smart decisions, evaluate risk, surround yourself with great people and never stand still, because in the business world success can be ripped away from you quickly, especially by someone with nothing to lose.The way you turn a failure around is in your perspective. Failure as a learning opportunity, if you figure out the mistakes you made and never repeat them you will be better for it. And if you’re better for it, that’s not a failure, that’s a success.The most valuable lesson I learned from gang life is survival. When you have lived in fear of life, or death, you realize survival in the business world is not nearly as hard.Yes, a gang is simply an illegal form of entrepreneurship. Obvious parallels exist between both legal and illegal entrepreneurship. The recruitment of talent, compensation systems, and a variety of other elements. However, I would not recommend gang life as a training platform for aspiring entrepreneurs. I recommend turning the pages of a book vs. turning to the streets to learn the subject.The answer is yes, but I cannot be certain I would have come this far without what he taught me. I am eternally grateful to my stepfather and the guidance he gave me which is why I decided to make my life about mentoring others as he did to me. I find myself applying his lessons in my real-estate business almost daily.There is so much external noise in our society that if you do not learn to focus, learn to drown out the negativity, learn to trust your instincts, and follow your gut, you may end up living a life you did not design. One designed by someone else.I do not spend time living in fear. I am however constantly evaluating my businesses, my finances, and making difficult decisions. I ask myself if I am still operating from the nothing to lose mindset. Or will I lose to a competitor who does.That he can do anything he puts his mind to.The differences between myself and other speakers are the results.