Make Some Money Guide

"Making money," Elias would say to anyone under thirty who would listen, "isn't about a paycheck. It’s about seeing the gap between what someone has and what they actually need."

On his last day, he went to see Elias. He tried to hand the old man a hundred-dollar bill as a "consultation fee."

Leo thought about the spray paint, the espresso machine, and the greasy lawnmowers. "That money doesn't come from a boss," Leo said. "It comes from solving a problem someone else is too busy or too tired to fix." make some money

Elias pushed his hand away. "Keep it. But tell me, what’s the most important thing you learned?"

"I don't have a job for you," Elias said, leaning against his truck. "But I have a strategy. Look at that curb." Leo looked. It was just a curb, gray and sun-bleached. "Making money," Elias would say to anyone under

Under Elias's guidance, Leo bought a "broken" commercial espresso machine for $100. It wasn't broken; it was just scaled with calcium from hard water. Leo spent four hours scrubbing it with vinegar and replaced a five-dollar rubber gasket. He sold it on eBay three days later for $650.

By August, Leo hadn't just made enough to fix his car; he had enough to pay for his books and a significant chunk of his tuition. "That money doesn't come from a boss," Leo said

One sweltering July, a college student named Leo came home for the summer with an empty bank account and a desperate need to fix his car before the fall semester. He approached Elias, asking for a job.