How getting fired turned me into a millionaire

Fear. Have you ever felt it? like truly felt it? well, I did back in 2008 when I moved to Kelowna as a then young engineer . I was hoping to climb the corporate ladder towards a director or president position and one day retire as an old, rich man. To my surprise, this naive dream didn’t happen, and instead I was laid off due to the economic recession at the time.

I had no debt thankfully but I also had no assets, and zero savings. I had no other source of income and no idea how I was going to eat or pay rent. I used my last bit of cash to buy a phone so I could apply for new jobs (my old phone was the company’s). I won’t lie, I had a mini breakdown and allowed myself to feel sorry for myself for a day. Then it was back to figuring out my new life as a “highly educated” unemployed engineer.

So I did what I could, I got a roommate for my apartment, got a free bike from a friend to save on gas, started teaching Spanish, math, physics and whatever else I could to make it. Day by day.

I was fortunate that I had some good friends around me who helped me with some cash to fill up my fridge here and there. I had to be super careful with my spending, even driving to a job interview or getting a haircut to look professional was a big expense back then.

I know I am not the only one who has been thrown into this situation, but not coming from a family with money meant there was no safety net. Nobody was coming to my rescue. If I didn’t figure out how to make money that month I would either not eat or could be evicted by my landlord (yes, the irony eh).

I won’t lie, it was rough and one of the lowest points in my life. I experienced self-doubt, anger, perhaps signs of depression, and even regret for leaving my family back in Mexico. It felt that I was just surviving everyday while I was watching others thrive. Others were talking about buying houses or trips, and I was just focused on getting food and time to breathe. I will never forget the struggle. Ever.

I had to do something, I had to stop blaming the economy or my old boss and I decided to put it all on me. I had to accept that maybe it was my fault that I lost my job, that maybe it was the cumulative decisions I made or didn’t make that led me to that shitty point in life.

I also made a promise to myself that I would never be so exposed again. I promised myself that I was not going to live a life where at any moment, anytime I could lose it all again.

I came up with a plan to take control of my life. Of course step ONE was finding a new job which took me 11 months to find. Those were the longest 11 months of my life. I thought it would be easy as I thought I was smart and good with numbers. I even got an MBA. But I realized I was wrong. I was actually financially illiterate.

So I started reading as many books as I could, talking to people who were successful, and listening and watching videos about investments. I eventually came out of that stretch with better education than all my years in universities in Mexico, Canada, and the US.

By the time I got my first paycheque from my new job, my plan officially kicked off, with a budget, and a clear goal.

I didn’t know back then that I was creating a beautiful monster, but I knew that I was on the right path to never feel that level of fear again.

Today, I am thankful for those 11 horrible months. Today I am humble and proud that I endured that fear, made the best of my time, and turned it into my passion. In return, it will take care of me forever.

That’s how the Salmon Group was born, out of fear and into my financial freedom.

I hope my little story inspires you to take control of your life and create your own beautiful monster.

Thank you for reading.

Mucho amor,

Abe