I used to work with a get rich quick master! He was into Bling, lots of it! He was at every show and get together that came through our part of the world. He started out selling household products, then he was selling some other companies household products, he slid into the stock market for a few months, then on to three or four failed pyramid schemes. He was also a new, then used car salesman, tried to get into real estate with an early version of house flipping, precious metals speculation. And I do not know how many other sure fire programs he either tried out, or tried to sell to others. Unfortunately his enthusiasm for getting rich quick thinking cost him his car and his family. But no one could ever accuse him of not having focus!

His involvement in his last and biggest pyramid scheme came under the scrutiny of the Attorney General of the state of Colorado. It is a good time to mention that he did not approach all these ventures all by himself. He always took someone with him. By the time he talked me into joining him at these money ,aking wonders he was near the end of his career. I went with him to listen to more than one or couple who drove up in a sixty foot RV talk about how they made it to that level, and how we could to, with just a little effort. My friend after listening to these ‘talks’ would be twisting and squirming in his chair like a man with pain where the chair meets the seat. He usually looked like he was ready to jump up and scream ‘Amen’ or something similar [I thought] at the end of these talks. We would always have about the same discussion driving home. What do you think?, he would say. I think it is a great program if you are willing to invest the time, I would reply. I think this is the one – like I never heard that one before. And so on and so forth until the next opportunity arrived.

After he explained this last one to me, he asked what I thought. It is a pyramid scheme I told him, this one is so obvious I can’t believe it is still going on! No it’s not, he said, it went to court in ‘some state’ and it was declared perfectly legal. But that is not this state, I replied. Doesn’t matter, if it is legal in that state, they will make it legal here too, was his response. He ever the money making optimist. Off he charged with this guaranteed program with fire in his eyes. He definitely was believer this time, he talked about ten people to jump right in with him. His own little empire in the making and he was at the top of it. He told me how the money would be rolling in. I mentioned to him about this getting attention in Colorado, and the Attorney General declaring it illegal. He laughed and said it would not happen here, I was not as up on the law as he was.

Just a few months later and he was scared, terrified actually. Arrest, and prosecution were a very possible future for him. He might be arrested any moment, and could be facing serious prison time for a variety of offenses the State had declared occurred. Several months passed, and for my friend it was a mixed bag. He managed to keep himself from being arrested and going to prison, but it was at a very high price. Remember at the beginning when I mentioned him losing his car and his family? He had put a lot of money into this deal, and what little he kept out, went as a down payment for his legal fees. On top of his car, and his family, went his job, and his self respect. For all his dreams, he went and joined the ranks of those that give up on life and started down the spiral path that is so hard to get out of.

I wish he would have been a little more cautious in his ventures. I said many times that any valid and legal business venture will make anyone wealthy if they are willing to put in the time. He never thought about working to make his dreams come true because he wanted it all right now.

I doubt he had taken the time to even see if his wife was okay with his plans for their ever bright future. He should have at least had her blessings in his ventures. I wish he would have actually put some real effort into his ventures. He went forth into these ventures with stars in his eyes, and in his haste he ended up on the dark side of the moon.