FONENDI

If you’re young, hungry for more, and sick of the sugar-coated lies about money, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s cut through the noise. The world is set up to sell you on a “normal” life—a decent salary, two weeks of vacation, and maybe a new car every few years. If you dare to want more, you’re often made to feel like you’re asking for too much.

But let’s be real: what’s truly greedy is a system designed to keep you grinding just to get by, while a select few live with ultimate freedom. I knew from the start I wanted real wealth. So I walked away from my safe job in my early twenties and, in a handful of years, built a multi-million dollar life. I’ve lived the journey from scratch, and I know exactly what it takes to create—and keep—serious money.

That’s why today, I’m breaking down my five-step framework for building wealth while you’re still young enough to enjoy it. Let’s begin.

The Paralysis of Endless Options

“Get rich quick with crypto!” “No, do dropshipping!” “Day trading is the only way!” Sound familiar? This is the modern dilemma. With everyone screaming a different “sure thing,” you end up frozen, terrified of choosing wrong.

Here’s the truth: life isn’t a multiple-choice test with one right answer. There are many paths that work. But if you’re too scared to pick one, life will pick for you. And its choice will almost always be… to keep you right where you are.

Stage 1: The Drift

This is where it starts. Drifters float through life, letting circumstances dictate their direction. They hop from one job or “opportunity” to the next, passively hoping for a lucky break.

There’s a saying: “If you don’t build your own dream, someone will hire you to build theirs.” That’s the drifter’s reality. Let’s be honest—no one wakes up thinking, “How can I make my boss richer today?” You are the only person who will ever prioritize your success.

So ask yourself, honestly: Are you drifting? I meet countless young people who claim they want wealth, but their actions tell a different story. They hide behind phrases like “Money doesn’t buy happiness”—a convenient myth that’s been sold for generations. Money buys freedom, and freedom is the foundation of a happy life. Wanting it isn’t greedy; it’s sensible.

A drifter might stumble into money, but they will never consciously build lasting wealth.

Stage 2: The Obsession

How do you escape the drift? It happens in a single moment: the decision to stop being life’s passenger and become the driver. You must become obsessed with one thing: getting rich.

That moment of choice is everything. The results may take time, but that decision shifts your entire trajectory.

If the idea of obsessing over money makes you uncomfortable, you need to reframe your thinking. There is no nobility in struggle for struggle’s sake. Wealth means autonomy—the power to live life on your terms. And that demand obsession.

Many people I talk to claim they want wealth, but they’re kidding themselves. They say they want to be rich, and learn guitar, and run a marathon, and master a new language. Imagine a friend said they wanted to be a pro athlete… while also pursuing a dozen other massive goals. You’d see the lack of focus immediately.

Building significant wealth is a rare achievement. Why would you think you can do it while spreading your energy across a dozen other pursuits? I can tell you this: if I hadn’t locked in and focused solely on building wealth in my early years, I wouldn’t be writing this as a multi-millionaire today.

Stage 3: The Discovery

Obsession alone isn’t enough. You need a map. The cold, hard truth is you get paid in direct proportion to the value you provide. If you’re not rich yet, it’s because you haven’t built enough value.

So, how do you become valuable? You don’t need a revolutionary idea. You don’t need to invent the next Bitcoin. You simply need to discover something that’s already working for people right now and ask: “How can I do that, too?”

The fastest path to a high-income skill is to find someone who’s already where you want to be and reverse-engineer their proven pathway. Think skills like video editing, content creation, e-commerce, or copywriting. That’s the Discovery phase.

When I was starting out, I didn’t just open a business. I got a job in the industry I was curious about. I was a sponge—asking questions, listening to customers, noting what worked and what held the business back. I wasn’t just earning a paycheck; I was being paid to learn a blueprint.

Find someone who has the results you want (they don’t need to be famous) and discover their exact steps. It’s the ultimate cheat code, letting you skip their mistakes and accelerate your progress.

Stage 4: The Acceleration

Now, you execute. You follow the blueprint and start making money. This is the Acceleration stage, and it requires relentless practice. Start before you feel ready. Do free work to build a portfolio. Launch that first store. Your initial results will be messy, and that’s okay. You have to be willing to be bad at something before you can be great.

To accelerate faster, you need constant, constructive criticism. This is where most people fail. They ask friends and family for feedback, who (lovingly) won’t tell them their work isn’t good enough yet.

You need advice from people who are in the arena with you. This phase is often the Lonely Chapter. You might outgrow old friends who don’t share your ambitions, but you’re not yet successful enough to join the circles you admire. It’s a grinding, isolating middle ground.

My son went through this. He chose skill-building over university and for years worked in solitude, refining his craft. It was lonely, but necessary. This chapter is where the average give up. Don’t.

Find your tribe—a community of people on the same path, both beside you and a few steps ahead. Their support and shared wisdom are priceless.

Stage 5: The Freedom

When the money starts flowing, where does it go? Here’s the real secret: the most valuable investment you’ll ever make isn’t in stocks or real estate. It’s in yourself. You are the asset you’ll hold for life, and your skills compound like interest.

This is the Freedom stage. You’ve mastered a proven pathway. You can work from anywhere, buy what you need, and never answer to a boss again. The feeling is incredible.

But here’s the final fork in the road: Rich vs. Wealthy.
When you have high income, you have two choices:

1. Spend it on luxury cars, designer gear, and Instagram-worthy trips to impress others.

2. Reinvest it to build lasting, generational wealth.

Wealthy people aren’t impressed by flashy spending; they see it as a lost opportunity. True wealth is built by reinvesting in more skills, more assets, and more streams of income.

Most people never make this shift. They’ll drop thousands on a new phone but won’t invest $200 in a course. Remember: every dollar you spend on fleeting status is stolen from your future self.

Wealthy people reinvest. They spend hours each week learning, reading, and connecting. That investment has the highest return you’ll ever see.

Your future freedom isn’t found in a single hack. It’s built through focus, a proven plan, relentless execution, and the wisdom to reinvest in the one thing that matters most: you. Now, go build.