School Days
Most kids go to school to learn something. Not krantcents! In nursery school he was teaching the other children how to tie their shoes. Not bad for four (4) years old. That was the same year he started piano lessons. He quit after three years because practicing interfered with working. At seven years old, he started his first business, renting parking spaces for ten cents. He took his weekend earnings and bought a wallet. This was his first mistake; he did not have any money left to put into it! He worked sixteen hours over every weekend in his parent’s businesses. Anybody else would be considered an overachiever, except in this family.
Boy Scouts, and 4-H Club came next. He did not do too much in scouting because he did not care for camping and stuff. 4-H Club was more fun, taking care of animals and winning medals at the County Fair. Other club activities included learning to shoot rifles, woodworking and fund raising (selling candy). Sales were an important experience for the future. This lasted three (3) years until he entered prep school. School meant living there, at 12 years old, it was a traumatic experience. It was a military school which was filled with rich kids from around the world. Networking 101!
Lessons learned included put downs, teasing and discipline. Just like home! Krantcents was an average kid in an above average environment. He managed to excel in this competitive environment and graduate at seventeen years old. College was much more fun! Summer jobs included door to door sales, manufacturing and office services. These experiences shaped his future more than he realized. Summer employment earnings became spending money for college. During this time, many personal finance skills were developed. Some of these skills are described in First Job Lessons.
Soldier/Teacher/Leader
College graduation was poorly timed to coincide with the height of the Vietnam War! Within six (6) months, greetings from Uncle Sam! He was drafted and entered the US Army on Friday the thirteenth at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Thanks to the junior ROTC at military school, he was placed in charge of the basic training company. A leader at 22 years old! He demonstrated everything that a recruit needed to learn. Leading the company to the rifle range, scoring expert in five weapons and damn lucky! The lucky part was not going to Vietnam!
He entered MP school where again, he was selected to lead. Graduation meant Vietnam, no way! Lucky again, he was sent to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas to work at the USDB (armed services prison). Lucky again, he ends up teaching business classes to the inmates. He stayed there for the whole time, promoted very quickly and left early to go to graduate school. Next step, the business world!
He went through a series of management roles in finance, accounting and administration with large and small companies. Controller, Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer were opportunities to demonstrate his financial and administrative skills. At thirty-one, he set a goal and created a plan to be financially independent before turning forty (40) years old. At thirty-eight (38) years old, he accomplished his goal!
Entrepreneur/Teacher/Blogger
This was accomplished by investing in income property, and a fast food restaurant. During this period, he added studio catering to his series of businesses. Seven years later, he moved on to the next phase of his life, returning to corporate America and financial consulting. For nine (9) years, he performed as a contract controller and independent consultant for large and medium size companies. During this period, his children graduated college and moved out! He and his wife downsized and entered another phase of life. Giving back or finding your passion? He became an educator! This may have been fate, if you recall his experience at four years old.
As an educator, he introduced a business perspective to education. He developed project oriented classes in computer applications and started a computer certification class. A financial literacy class soon followed and then a exploring careers class. Two of his favorites, this is the basis for his blog! Krantcents.com is a personal finance themed site with articles on how to manage, control and make better decisions about money. It is intended to be an interactive and timely exchange of ideas. This is another opportunity to influence people and their lives. What influences krantcents? Krantcents joined the Yakezie challenge when his Alexa ranking was over four million and thanks to the support of the other financial bloggers in the network, he is well under 150,000. The benefits and influence of the Yakezie community can be seen in his writing. This blog is the beginning of sharing some of his thoughts that you may find interesting and useful.
This is a great way to get to know you krantcents. My dad got lucky too and was able to get out of the Army after 9 years in 1969 before going to Vietnam. Sounds like you have lived a full life. It is great for you to be able to share your wisdom.
Two of my uncles missed Vietnam. One went to college before the draft was ever announced, then I’m not sure on what happened to my other uncle as he was enlisted, but didn’t have to go.
Wow KC! That is an incredible journey! I find your blog informative and entertaining!
What a path! Thanks for sharing. As someone just entering the job market, I love hearing about how other people got to where they are, since it’s never as simple as it looks from here. It sounds like you had a lot of unpleasant experiences that luckily taught you some great skills.
Isn’t it neat hearing how people got to where they are? I’ve never heard the same story and they all seem to be interesting. I hope people think the same about my story later on in life when I tell it. :)
I thought I just sat through a movie! Cool member post. Teaching at four? You’re lucky you found your calling. Your posts are always informative and entertaining. Glad I got to know you better and thanks for sharing!
Love hearing your story KraftCents! I love reading your blog articles. I gotta say, you definitely kept my attention with this post. I can relate with entering the job market. The path that you end up taking sometimes is totally different than your original plan. It’s a good life skill to be able to go with the flow and take things as they come and adapt. keep up the good work!
No kidding about that Jon. When I was in high school, I was convinced I would be a professional musician! It never happened. I somehow ended up going down a much different path! :D
good to get the insight KC, thank you. admire your experiences, though many not so ideal, am sure have contributed a great deal to your success today. all the best
I appreciate your story, and admire the way you have continued to learn throughout life. It is just so difficult to imagine a draft today, and even more difficult to imagine many graduates going though it. Life can throw curve balls at any moment, and it comes down to us to make the very best of the situation and not let the circumstances defeat us.
You pointed out something interesting that I missed on the first read. Education has been present throughout all years of his life. I know this is true for all of us to some degree, but his is quite pronounced from the way it is presented. Thanks for adding the good insight!
Hi KC,
I got to meet you from your comments and could tell you were an interesting guy right away. I’m not surprised that you’ve had so many avenues and successes that have culminated up to this point. Thanks for such a great history.
What was the most surprising part about running a fast food restaurant? To clarify, were there any unexpected roadblocks, difficulties, successes, or interesting things that you never would have thought of before going into business? I’m always terribly interested in peoples’ experiences with running their own businesses.
Thanks,
Timothy
Vietnam? Wow. You’re kinda old… ;) Glad you didn’t end up over there, and instead got the experiences that you did that led you to be a member of the Yakezie. Glad to have you, krantcents!
BeatingBroke is great for an honest comment, LOL! That was funny. I’m glad he didn’t end up over there either!
Hey BB, that’s not the way to treat us old people, me, Barb, Joe, and KC will kick your ….(sorry Barb, I probably shouldn’t have included you…)
Yeah, there’s no way that Barb is as old as you guys are… ;)
My previous comment still stands :) lol.
Thanks for the personal story KC! You have really been through a lot, and are obviously a very intelligent individual! It really inspires me to do more! :)
I read with rapt attention. You are an inspiration to all and look forward to reading more of your insights.
Welcome to the network, officially. What a story. You have done so many different things. That is awesome. I have gotten to know you a bit by your comments on my blog. Thanks a bunch for the discussion. I really enjoy it. Best of luck with everything and keep the stories and insights coming.
That’s how I met KC also. He lit our blog up with comments. :D This may be the official welcome, but he’s definitely been around the network for sure! :)
Great to have you here Krantcents! Thanks for all the participation you have given me on my blog over the past year!
Krantcents, what an amazing story. How many different lives have you lived in this one? You must be a great teacher! I read your story with rapt attention.
Good question. You’ve got Teacher, Entrepreneur, Mentor, Soldier, Executive, and blogger. I’m sure I missed some in there, lol!
Fun story! I’ve followed your site and its great to hear more about you!
Great background! I knew you had an interesting story, but your history is much more rich than I imagined!
Looks like I’ll be sending my kids over to read your site when they are a bit older!
From what I’ve read, they’d learn well. If they’re anything like me though, you’ll need to tell them to pay attention often. It didn’t matter how interesting something was. I’m better now though!
krantcents, you’ve had quite an interesting journey through life. Welcome to the Yakezie and thanks for sharing a bit of your story with us!
KC has to be the most prolific commenter ever! Makes me tired…
Do they make little blue pills for commenting, Doc? Maybe that’s his secret… ;)
I literally LOL’d. That’s fantastic.
Larry, you’re an overachiever in an underachiever’s world. :) Congratulation on making the member!!!
Wow! only 7 years to financial independence? That’s definitely a way to show everyone that it’s never too late!
That’s quite a journey, Krantcents! Thanks for sharing more about your background, it’s quite interesting. Welcome to the group.
Krantcents, I knew you are super knowledgeable about personal finance (and life) but now I know why. Your wealth of experience and expertise is great for this group.
Thanks for sharing your story! Being 12 is hard enough, can’t imagine what it must have been like at military school. Glad to hear you’re doing well and have accomplished so much, congrats!
[…] I managed a department that supported a large international high technology organization. I had exposure to every layer of management and every organization. I could be rewarded or criticized for everything I did. It sounds like an enviable situation. I did my job so well, it was outsourced to headquarters. I transferred to another division in a senior staff position to do long range planning, budgeting and monthly performance analysis. It prepared me for the rest of my career. Maybe I was unhappy or bored, but I wanted out! I decided to act on my plan for financial freedom! Maybe I was always an entrepreneur. […]
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