entrepreneur: markus frind.

yes. it is a brand new day. in a brand new year [feels like the old one]. each new moment is an opportunity, an instance in time to either add to the wealth of knowledge and achievement in human history, or to simply survive [corny motivational speaker: "to thrive or just survive.."].

i always find inspiration in the pages of business magazines fastcompany and inc. they provide excellent insight into innovation and entrepreneurship in addition to chronicling struggling and successful business owners from around the world. i found an article from inc's jan 2009 issue about markus frind, the owner of plentyoffish [the largest online dating site in the world, by traffic] and how he single-handedly took over an industry from the comfort of his apartment and now only works 1 hour per day while banking $10 million gross revenue per annum.

It's a 21st-century fairy tale: A young man starts a website in his spare time. This person is unknown and undistinguished. He hasn't gone to MIT, Stanford, or any other four-year college for that matter, yet he is deceptively brilliant. He has been bouncing, aimlessly, from job to job, but he is secretly ambitious. He builds his company by himself and from his apartment. In most stories, this is where the hard work begins -- the long hours, sleepless nights, and near-death business experiences. But this one is way more mellow. Frind takes it easy, working no more than 20 hours a week during the busiest times and usually no more than 10. Five years later, he is running one of the largest websites on the planet and paying himself more than $5 million a year.

i found it particularly interesting that he lacks a post-secondary/graduate degree from an acclaimed educational institute. instead of reading case studies about what people are doing, he simply did it. he hired three customer service employees and moved into a proper office, but he still has the ability to vacation and enjoy a beautiful canadian life at 30. if that aint living the dream, then i dont know what is.

i live vicariously through the successes of the collective written-off underdog. 2010, i know exactly what is in store..

in the eternal words of lil wayne: "the, the money is the motive.."

im on the road to mogul-dom. im living a movie, not living by rules. and the script is called 'thug motivation 101: lets get it.' c. young jeezy.