How We Live in Two Cities At Once

Several years ago, my girlfriend and I were both full time bartenders in Austin, TX. We had dreams of getting into the movie business (her as an actress, and I as a director), but we were slaves to our jobs at the restaurant. We quickly realized that the rat race we lived in wasn’t allowing us enough time freedom to pursue our creative interests.

We decided that the only way we were going to be able to regain control of our lives and achieve our dreams was to start collecting passive income-producing assets and move to Hollywood. (Read Three Steps to Success for Creative Geniuses for my strategy.)

The First Piece in the Puzzle

Since we didn’t have any money, we started small. We saved $250 to buy a bulk candy vending machine and the candy to fill it. We used our connections to place it in the lobby of the restaurant we worked at. (Read How to Start a Bulk Candy Vending Business for details.)

We watched it every day, but resisted checking how much money it had made until about a month later when it was about halfway empty and we couldn’t wait any longer. When I opened it up late one night, after closing down the bar, quarters spilled out everywhere onto the floor! We quickly rushed home and counted up the money: over $100 in quarters!

Expansion

With the success of our first location, we began using the profits it generated to buy more and more machines and finding locations around Austin. Our improved financial situation allowed us to buy a piece of cashflowing real estate. We were finally getting closer to our goal of time freedom.

Then, in the summer of 2006, we reached the point that we had been waiting for. We had saved up enough money to move to Los Angeles and pursue our film careers full time. To make things even better, we found a man who was selling his L.A.-based vending business on eBay and bought it with capital from our existing business.

Hollywood, Here We Come!

Even though Austin has a thriving independent movie scene, L.A. is still the only place to be if you really want to go for it. Most people have to live in one city or the other, but we were about to get creative.

Everyone wanted to know what we were going to do with our vending business when we moved to L.A. They were shocked when we told them that not only were we keeping it, but we weren’t hiring anyone to run it!

How We Live in Two Cities at Once

You see, we worked all our locations so they could go about two months before needing service. We had built up enough locations to pay for plane tickets, rental cars, and lodging to get us back and forth.

Even though these expenses cut deeply into our profit, they allow us the freedom of living in two places at once. We are able to keep our ties to the Austin film community as well as keep our eyes on our rental property there.

We love Austin, and it gives us a nice vacation away from the congestion of L.A. at timely intervals. We keep in touch with our friends and enjoy the time we spend there.

The real estate market in Austin is great compared to Southern California, so it gives us a chance to keep our thumbs on the pulse of a market that’s still affordable. Also, we’re accumulating airline miles that will amount to one or two free vacations a year depending on location.

Business for Opportunity, not Just Money

I look at business as more than just a way to make money. I see it as a way to allow us the opportunities and circumstances that we want in our lives. We would keep our candy vending business in Austin even if we were just breaking even after travel expenses. The perks that it provides us are worth something more than money can buy.