Travis Millward

This blog topic is specifically written to entrepreneurs and business professionals. Graduating from high school the most common practice is to go to college...that is what we are suppose to do right? So what do your peers think and what do your parents say if you don't go to college and decide to go without? Many of the business greats don't go to college at all or simply drop out. Do you need to go to college in order to become a millionaire?

Here is a simple rule of thumb...only seeking learning from those who make more money than you do. For example how much do college professors make a year? And how many years do they have out on the street doing business? Most professors are full time academia people and no real life experience and are really good at research - thats it.

In my case I did attend college and I did graduate with a Bachelors degree. I did want to drop out when I began my 3rd year...but my wife insisted that I finish. I am an advocate of not giving up and finishing something you start...so it was best that I finish what I started. I didn't want to be a hypocrite.

My first two years of college I studied Wildlife Management...then I switched to Business. After doing some research and counseling with a College Counselor on how long it would take me to graduate with a Bachelors in Business...I decided to take the path less traveled. I ended up graduating in General Studies. One may ask why and what the heck is that? Well it allowed me to not have to take those silly math classes that I would never need, it allowed me to skip out on english classes that I did not enjoy and it allowed me to custom tailor my own curriculm.

So I took classes that I would need and would help me throughout my life, for example: auto shop, wood working, photography, ecology, personal finance, housing, real estate, real estate finance, consumer education, real estate appraisal, microsoft office, urban geography, marketing, insurance, etc. So that way I was able to enjoy myself, learn applicable - real life information. There is nothing worse than to have to go to college. I can't stand that feeling of having to be somewhere, that I don't want to be and what I am learning is totally irrelevant. Its the worlds way of brainwashing us to be employees.

Do you know what happened after I graduated from college? I couldn't find a job. I couldn't keep a job...so I ventured off on my own to work for myself. I felt it was the only solution. Now did school come in handy? Did I learn things from college that I needed and used? My answer is yes. But I am not saying that one needs to attend college. If you know what you want to do...you can learn what you need at seminars, from mentors, books, etc. But we will discuss seminars at a later blog. You also have to take into account the cost of school?

As a business person...is it really worth your time to spend $50,000 plus dollars, 4 plus years to walk away with a degree that means what? Are you treated differently because you have a degree? Are investors going to fund your project because you are a college graduate? Another topic we will discuss will be networking...its who you know and how to leverage your relationships in a good way.

Hi all! I'm pretty new to blogging...so I have a lot to learn...but pretty much what you will be reading and learning here are the insights to my crazy business mind. I have been thinking for awhile now what exaclty I want to write about and I have some pretty cool ideas. Allow me to introduce myself. I was born and raised in Southern California. I know what you are thinking "Gee that sucks for you Travis...all those malls, beaches, people and terrible weather." I know it was tough...but I survived. Growing up as a small kid I wanted to be a scientist. Then in high school I got some sense knocked into me and decided I wanted to be a Game Warden in Idaho making a whopping $29,000 a year! (despite the fact that is more than I have made this year (2008) as a freaking bootstrapping entrepreneur - something I really don't want to discuss right now).

Anyhow, as a goal oriented individual I found myself in Rexburg, Idaho going to school at Ricks because I needed residency in order to attend the University of Idaho (for cheaper-I understood what bootstrapping meant back then-go figure) to pursue my career as a game warden. There in Rexburg or what I prefer to call it 'Iceburg', I met my incredible wife at the library, of all places. Its a great story...I will share it one day.

My point is, we eventually got married and right after our wedding of course, we had absolutely no money, so I decided to enlist us into summer sales for Moxie Pest Control. We did door to door sales in Houston, Texas selling pest control contracts to have people whose homes needed to be sprayed eradicating all their bugs. "The spiders and the ants are just terrible out here." Was one of our favorite lines at the door and the homeowner would be like "I know, tell me about it." Then I would close them.

That summer of 2003 in Houston, Texas I had my birthday and my wife Mary bought me this crazy book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. At the time I didn't even know what a mortgage was let alone anything about business or real estate.

So we finished up our awesome summer sales job and transfered up to the University of Idaho...the college of my dreams to pursue my career as a game warden. Only one problem, the rich dad, poor dad got my wheels spinning. The other problem was my wife didn't even want to attend the UI but she came anyways to support me. The day I arrived I had a special chat with Mary and it went something like this, "Babe, I want to change my major to study Business & Real Estate?" She was not happy with me. Just as a note to all of you entrepreneurs out there, its difficult for our spouses to be married to us-just want to give you heads up.

So that was kind of the beginning, the first chapter of being, doing and becoming what I am today.