Millionaire Goes Homeless To Prove Anyone Can Make $1,000,000

Summary

Mike Black, a millionaire turned homeless, embarked on a 12-month challenge to rebuild his wealth from scratch, aiming to earn $1 million while documenting his journey. Faced with adversity, including homelessness, health issues, and his father's terminal illness, Mike's project became a testament to resilience and optimism. Despite setbacks and personal struggles, he continued to innovate, building a coffee brand and leveraging social media, ultimately impacting lives and inspiring hope in others.

Takeaways

• 🚶 Mike Black, a millionaire, voluntarily became homeless with the goal of making one million dollars from scratch in 12 months while documenting the journey.
• 💼 He started with no money, a cell phone, a backpack with camera gear, and a single pair of clothes, leaving behind his business and belongings.
• 🤔 The project began as a response to many people losing everything in 2020, aiming to show that a comeback is possible even at the lowest point.
• 🛏️ Mike initially faced difficulties, including sleeping on benches and struggling to make money through panhandling.
• 📈 He began to turn things around by selling items from Craigslist's free section on Facebook Marketplace for a profit, acting as a middleman.
• 🏠 With the little money he made, Mike was able to buy essentials and eventually find a place to live by leveraging the kindness of strangers and smart business moves.
• 🔄 Mike's project rules included going undercover as 'Scott' to avoid receiving extra help, which added to the challenge.
• 💡 He launched an e-commerce business with a niche product: a coffee brand for dog lovers that donates a portion of profits to saving dogs.
• 📉 Despite his efforts, Mike faced numerous setbacks, including health issues, a failing project, and the emotional toll of his father's terminal illness.
• 💔 Mike's father was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, adding a deeply personal layer to the project and influencing Mike's decision-making.
• 🏆 The project's goal was not just financial success but also to impact people's lives positively, as evidenced by a stranger's message about finding hope through Mike's story.
• 🔚 Ultimately, Mike decided to end the project early to focus on his health and spending time with his father, reflecting on the true meaning of success beyond financial milestones.

Q & A

What is the main goal of Mike Black's project?

Mike Black's main goal is to make one million dollars from nothing in only 12 months while documenting the entire journey online.

Why did Mike decide to undertake this project?

Mike decided to undertake this project to be a living example that one can make a comeback even at their lowest point, inspired by the many people who had lost everything at the beginning of 2020.

What was Mike's initial plan to make money while homeless?

Mike's initial plan was to panhandle and make a few bucks, not worrying about food as he could go a couple of days without eating.

How did Mike's first attempt at selling items for profit work?

Mike started by taking ads from Craigslist's free section and Facebook Marketplace, acting as a middleman between the buyer and seller, and selling the items for a profit.

What was the turning point that allowed Mike to get back on his feet?

The turning point was when a kid offered Mike a place to stay, driving 30 minutes to pick him up, which provided Mike a short window of opportunity to start making money.

What was the strategy Mike used to finally have a stable place to live?

Mike used a strategy called 'rent hacking' where he rented a four-bedroom place and sublet three of the rooms for a total that covered the cost of the rent, giving him the fourth room for free.

What business did Mike decide to build towards the end of the project?

Mike decided to build an e-commerce business, a coffee brand for dog lovers that donates a percentage of profits to saving dogs.

How did Mike's personal life affect his project?

Mike's personal life, including his father's terminal diagnosis and his own health issues, added significant stress and challenges to the project, affecting his ability to focus on business growth.

What was the impact of Mike's project on others?

Mike's project had a profound impact on at least one person who was contemplating suicide but found hope through Mike's content, which gave Mike a sense of fulfillment despite not reaching his financial goal.

What was the financial outcome of Mike's project?

Mike made approximately $65,000 through his project, which was significantly less than his one million dollar goal.

How did Mike handle the challenges of balancing the project with his personal life?

Mike had to make strategic decisions about time and money, cutting expenses, hiring freelancers, and eventually deciding to end the project early to focus on his health and spending time with his father.

Outlines

00:00

💼 The Million Dollar Comeback Challenge Begins

Mike Black, a millionaire turned homeless, embarks on a 12-month mission to make $1 million from scratch while documenting his journey. He starts with no money, a cell phone, and camera gear, facing unexpected challenges. Despite his initial struggles, including a failed attempt at panhandling and a lack of food, he remains determined to inspire others and prove that a comeback is possible, even from the lowest point.

05:02

🏠 From Homelessness to Business Growth

Mike's journey takes a turn when a stranger offers him shelter, leading to a series of fortunate events. He begins to make money by selling items from online marketplaces, allowing him to buy essentials and eventually secure a place to live. Mike's entrepreneurial spirit shines as he starts trading time for money, working various jobs to fund his project. He also faces personal and professional setbacks, including a cockroach infestation in his RV and the pressure of maintaining his project's momentum.

10:02

🚀 Scaling Business Amidst Personal Challenges

Mike's ambition to reach the one million dollar mark leads him to establish a scalable e-commerce business, a coffee brand for dog lovers that donates to animal rescues. Despite the time-consuming nature of his project, which affects his health and personal life, Mike remains committed. He implements strategies like rent hacking to reduce expenses and increase his income. As he faces the reality of his father's terminal illness, Mike is inspired to continue the project, not just for financial success, but to honor his father's values and resilience.

Keywords

💡Homeless

The state of having no home. In the video, Mike Black intentionally becomes homeless to demonstrate that it is possible to make a million dollars from nothing in 12 months. This extreme condition sets the stage for his journey and the challenges he faces.

💡Million Dollar Comeback

The title and main goal of Mike's project. It represents his attempt to go from having nothing to making a million dollars within a year. The 'comeback' aspect underscores the project's focus on resilience and recovery from a low point.

💡Panhandling

Asking strangers for money in public places. Mike considers this as a temporary strategy to survive when he first becomes homeless, highlighting the desperate measures he contemplates at the start of his journey.

💡Craigslist

A popular online classifieds platform. Mike uses Craigslist to find free items, which he then sells for a profit on Facebook Marketplace. This resourcefulness is key to his initial income generation.

💡Flipping

Buying items at a low price and selling them at a higher price for profit. Mike flips furniture and other items to make money quickly. This strategy illustrates his entrepreneurial skills and ability to identify opportunities.

💡Production Team

The group of people hired by Mike to document his journey. The team's involvement underscores the project's transparency and the pressure Mike feels to succeed publicly. Managing this team also adds to his challenges.

💡E-commerce

Online commercial transactions. Mike decides to start a coffee brand for dog lovers as an e-commerce business, aiming to create a scalable and sustainable income source. This shift represents a strategic move towards a long-term business model.

💡Rent Hacking

A strategy where Mike rents a large house, leases out most of the rooms to cover the rent, and lives in one room rent-free. This innovative approach helps him reduce living expenses and demonstrates his creative problem-solving skills.

💡Autoimmune Diseases

Conditions where the immune system attacks the body. Mike mentions having two autoimmune diseases, which add to his physical and emotional stress. These health issues represent significant personal obstacles in his journey.

💡Stage Four Colon Cancer

An advanced and severe form of cancer that Mike's father is diagnosed with. This personal crisis profoundly affects Mike, influencing his decisions and highlighting the emotional and familial aspects of his journey.

Highlights

Mike Black, a millionaire turned homeless, aims to make one million dollars from scratch within 12 months.

He documents his journey online to inspire others that a comeback is possible even at the lowest point.

Mike starts with no money, a cell phone, and a backpack with camera gear.

He faces the challenge of panhandling and surviving without food for days.

Mike receives unexpected help from a stranger offering him a place to stay and a chance to get back on his feet.

He begins by selling items from Craigslist's free section for a profit, acting as a middleman.

Mike's first successful sale is a couch for $100, which allows him to buy essentials like clothes and food.

He struggles with the balance of documenting his journey and building a scalable business.

Mike's project includes a coffee brand for dog lovers that donates a portion of profits to saving dogs.

He experiences a major setback when his ad account gets disabled, causing financial strain.

Mike's health declines due to two autoimmune diseases and a tumor on his hip, adding to his challenges.

Despite personal struggles, Mike continues the project, inspired by his father's terminal diagnosis.

His father's optimism in the face of adversity fuels Mike's determination to keep going.

Mike adopts a 'rent hacking' strategy to live rent-free and make money from renting out rooms.

The coffee brand launches successfully, and they receive their first coffee club subscription.

A stranger's message about being saved from suicide by Mike's content highlights the project's impact.

Mike decides to end the project early to focus on his health and spend time with his father.

The project's success is measured by the positive impact on people's lives, not just the financial goal.

Transcripts

today has been really tough

this is a bench right here gonna be

sleeping on tonight so this is mike

black the millionaire who went homeless

with the goal to make one million

dollars from nothing in only 12 months

while documenting the entire journey

online for everyone to see i'm coming

off my entire network i'm draining my

bank account to zero dollars i'm leaving

behind my seven-figure business putting

all my belongings in storage and i won't

even have a place to live this is the

million dollar comeback

did you know the project is gonna be

like this no everything was a curveball

this is my one pair of clothes that i'm

taking with me i have a cell phone and i

have a backpack with camera gear the

keys are officially turned in the

project has started now i gotta figure

out what the to do what mike didn't

know at the time was that this was going

to be the toughest year of his life but

why did he decide to do it i'm gonna try

to panhandle and make a couple bucks not

worried about food at all i can go a

couple days without eating hey how are

you i was wondering do you have any like

water cups by any chance finally someone

nice enough to give me some water see it

was the beginning of 2020 and countless

people had lost everything and he wanted

to be a living example that you can make

a comeback even at your lowest point but

could it really reach 1 million dollars

in 12 months again everything i tried

didn't work i did have someone message

me on craigslist that said they'll give

me a hundred bucks if i let them

i started thinking like i'm gonna be

sleeping on the streets a lot longer

than i thought i don't know if i could

do this all right so it's 11 o'clock

didn't make any money my bench right

here that uh i'm gonna be sleeping on

tonight so but there was no going back

now he had publicly committed all over

social media hired an entire production

team and this was about something bigger

than just himself the goal of the

project was to help as many people as

possible so giving up was never an

option but things took a turn something

amazing happened out of nowhere like

this kid hit me up and said like hey man

you can crash here offered to drive 30

minutes

to uh pick me up

i'm just really emotional how nice of a

knack this was i promise you i will

repay you for all this okay thank you i

mean you don't have to but just thank

you so much

this is the rv

that i slept in last night now this was

a short window of opportunity to get

back on his feet i still have one pair

of clothes look how gross this is i get

to put these boxers back on so he had to

make some money but this time he had a

plan what i started doing is just taking

ads on craigslist in the free section

putting it on facebook marketplace and

selling it for a profit i acted as the

middleman handling all the logistics

between the buyer and the seller

and it worked i just sold my first couch

for 100 bucks although this was

literally only 0.01

towards the final goal with that he was

finally able to buy some clothes some

decent food after not eating for days

and most importantly deodorant

sorry on day three he made a whopping

250 flipping more couches hey mike what

do you got that's a nice computer yeah

that's just a brand new used chromebook

i'm gonna take that oh it's just not

working

but mike had to figure out how to get

his own place because isaac the guy who

helped him on day one and now lived with

in the rv still had no idea about the

project and who mike really was because

he was going undercover as scott so he

wouldn't get any extra help if isaac

found out mike would have to cut off

contact which is one of the many rules

he set up for the project and then he'd

be back on the streets again so he had

to get more benjamins into his bank

account i applied to 10 different jobs

in one night and the next day i woke up

and i had three interviews so he spent

the last 40 dollars he had to join a

co-working space where he could use much

better computers and start trading time

for money even if that means working as

a telemarketer for only ten dollars an

hour twenty-five dollars an hour working

for a law firm is a virtual assistant so

i went over to isaac i was like hey

would you be cool with lending me your

car and i'll do food delivery i'll give

you the majority of everything i make

best delivery driver ever you heard it

dude i could flip this bike by the way

it sells for like 300 400 bucks flip

just left the thrift store got all these

shirts you're looking for a sugar daddy

hit me up 220 bucks but still with all

this work he was barely getting by for

the first time my bank actually overdrew

i was not expecting this to take this

long for me to get out of this situation

until things got even worse we didn't

put this in the footage but the rv had

gotten a cockroach infestation it was

really bad imagine trying to sleep in a

place where there's cockroaches

everywhere imagine them crawling on you

well one night i looked at my arm

there's a cockroach just swiped it off

and i was i sat up i'm done i will not

live here another week he just had to

get one client for some service that

would pay him a few grand i literally

just spent all weekend i sent so many

sales proposals

until he finally got someone to pay him

for monthly marketing services fifteen

hundred bucks government is blasting

through my head i have money now so he

was able to move out of the rv into a

small shared room and to come full

circle now he could finally repay isaac

by helping him sell the rv for two

thousand dollars more than he expected i

bought a macbook for him as a thank you

present paid for by my business i was

going to pay for two flights of germany

because he really wanted to go to

germany just thank him for everything

and then he just stopped responding to

my text who knows maybe he reaches out

now if he sees the video i want his

germany tickets but in order to

eventually reach the one million dollar

milestone he had to build a real

business ideally a scalable one like an

e-commerce company i am at the farmer's

market here i'm looking for people that

are selling product i can maybe partner

with and sell online and after making

some connections with a manufacturer and

looking at trends he decided on a very

specific niche a coffee brand for dog

lovers that donates a percentage of

profits to saving dogs but what got in

the way was the fact that he had to

document everything i was spending it 40

to 60 hours a week on production and

marketing and running the production

team alone while i was homeless in the

beginning of the project i remember

being in meetings with the guys and i'd

be like i haven't eaten today i don't

have money to get back to the rv park i

gotta get out of this meeting and you

guys have to figure it out because if i

don't flip a couch today i have to sleep

at the office we need to shoot quick

overview we need to shoot how to our

animator overseas just quit you're

spending 25 grand a month on production

25 000

burned per month on producing the

project and marketing paying for it out

of his own pockets i only spent one hour

in my business this has been a

consistent theme i'm not gonna be able

to build a million dollar business like

that how much money have you made so far

it's underwhelming you're making this a

minimum wage you feel like a failure i

can't be working all these hours i i

need to build my business do you feel

the pressure of having people look at

you of potentially failing in public

does that keep you up at night i'm so

tired i just got word the client decided

to i guess fire us

he had to get really strategic with his

time and money either cut expenses to

invest more into launching the

e-commerce business or invest money to

save more time for example by hiring

freelancers still working on the home

page

jay there's you logged two and a half

hours you said you're going to log a

full day today dude we need to get this

site up oh god i've never gotten that

pissed it's starting to get to the point

where i'm like over my head being able

to hit this goal i don't feel like i'm

far enough but out of desperation mike

came up with a brilliant idea they would

not just cut his biggest expense but

might actually make him money i am

finding a location let's say it's four

thousand dollars a month to rent i'm

gonna rent out four of the bedrooms for

a thousand dollars a month so it pays

for the place and that fifth bedroom i

would get for free that is what i call

rent and hacking this is a four-story

place it's gonna be my room walk-in

closet here this would be my bathroom

i'd be going from rv park this three

months i made this like a podcast room

or something wow this place is big he

makes it valuable by setting up this

house specifically for like-minded

business owners and because his fake

identity scott doesn't have a good

credit score he just found someone to

co-sign it what do you think's like a

fair percentage of profit to do for you

doing like the credit partner stuff all

right i got the official lease how cool

was it that i went from living in an rv

to this place

rent free plus i would make money and

also the coffee brand was finally ready

to launch oh we're in business

we got coffee baby we got our first

coffee order ever this time four months

ago guys i was thinking about sleeping

on a bench if you're like i hate my job

i can't stand my job

quit save up some money downsize quit

figure out what you want to do and with

the roughly nine months left maybe it

was still possible to reach the

million-dollar milestone there's a lot

of people that have built a company in

nine months have gotten it to a million

dollars i'm healthy my family's healthy

that's all that matters

on tuesday i learned that my dad was

officially diagnosed with stage four

colon cancers yeah they said in my lungs

my liver my dad is the single most

important person to me in my life the

typical survival rate for that is 14

what i was told like 12 to 18 months

believe it or not yes it could be better

but also be much worse to me i'm the

luckiest guy in the world

i'll fight michael

the fight begins don't don't get upset

and here we see where mike got his

unwavering optimism from his dad he gets

a terminal diagnosis and still considers

himself to be the luckiest man in the

world after months of struggling

overcoming homelessness working 100 hour

weeks to run an entire production team

and trying to make a million dollars at

the same time now this happened this was

real life now mike had a decision to

make continue the project or quit some

things are going to change because i'm

going to be moving home to spend time

with my dad we're going to figure it out

you know this is what happens in life it

was like life was testing mike whether

you could actually be a leader live by

the message of the project and overcome

this adversity you get dealt cards you

had to play the hand near dell his dad

wanted him to continue because now this

was actually about more than just making

a million dollars it was about living by

the values his dad taught him making the

best out of every situation even in

times of struggle and it lit a fire

inside of him and i wrote it down i

wanted 20 000 dms people reaching out

saying you impacted my life in a

positive way that's all i wanted so

could he still reach the one million

dollar goal now that things got even

more challenging and i want to make that

very very clear like i don't think i was

gonna hit it but they had a pretty good

plan coffee is one of these consumables

that people buy again and again if they

love your brand so setting up a monthly

subscription would be a game changer and

if they could acquire new customers to

try out their products they might become

long-term repeat buyers smile dance we

put up our first tick tock and tick tock

went semi-viral almost 3 200 followers

holy what i think we got our first

coffee club subscription while i was

driving at t order etsy order 34 221

our ad account got disabled this is what

i do when i'm angry so i made a list of

things i'm grateful for the first is

mark zuckerberg i'm grateful for big

tech

so now i feel better things now started

moving faster but that also created more

problems mike was still juggling way too

many things spending only five hours a

week on the e-commerce company trying to

squeeze in family time making content to

document the million dollar comeback and

researching cancer to help his dad so

far he had spent 250 000 on producing

the project and the channel still hadn't

taken off his goal to impact 20 000

people seemed impossible with only a few

hundred views per video that was like a

layer of stress kept having to get the

team pumped up like guys we'll get these

views eventually until his own health

started declining as well throughout the

entire project we haven't shared it with

you but i've been in and out of the

doctor's office i actually have two

autoimmune diseases even start

developing a

tumor on my hip it's kind of the point

where i'm in pain every single day

health wealth relationships everything

in my life is at the lowest point i

wanted to talk about the project real

quick i don't know if i should keep

doing it i really should be helping out

my dad with his business my dad leaves

the business the business is totally

done should he end the project now he

was still far from hitting the one

million dollar goal and having a big

impact but then he got a message from a

stranger that changed everything there

was a guy towards the end of the project

he reached out i need to get on a call

with you gets in the call and he

literally just starts crying and he's

like dude i was going to kill myself i

came across your content it just gave me

hope that was the best feeling i've ever

felt my entire life if he ended it now

with only 65 000 made and one person he

deeply impacted would the project be a

failure or a success i wanted to help

people that were struggling get back on

their feet and prove that it could be

done a lot of things about this

situation suck but i'm in control of how

i see things throughout all of this no

matter how hard life hidden he made the

best of everything and lived by the

message he truly believed that's what

true leaders do so he decided to end the

project early to focus on fixing his own

health and spending more time with his

dad and now he's doing a lot better and

things are going really really well and

who knows maybe now with this video mike

is able to impact 20 000 people

[Music]

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