262 – Distance learning and working is more important than ever: Tom talks Learning and Working from Home

Episode 262 – Learning and Working from Home
[00:00:09] Welcome to Screw the Commute. The entrepreneurial podcast dedicated to getting you out of the car and into the money, with your host, lifelong entrepreneur and multimillionaire, Tom Antion.

[00:00:24] Hey, everybody, it's Tom here with episode 262 of Screw the Commute podcast. This is distance learning and working and it's because of what's going on in the world with the Coronavirus. I thought it would be a good time to remind people of what I've been preaching since 1997. Of course, I've been pushing Internet marketing training, and I certainly want you and your children and grandchildren to join my school, but distance learning in any topic that makes sense has just tremendous benefits and working remotely has even more. And I'll get to all that in a minute. Hope you didn't miss episode 261. That was Lou Bortone. He's an introvert who makes quirky videos that he's kind of a video expert. So check that out if you missed it and grab a copy of our automation e-book at screwthecommute.com/automatefree. You will thank me for it. It'll save you tons and tons of keystrokes and it'll let you take care of customers so much faster, which means more money for you and it won't go to your competitors. Then grab a copy of our Screw the Commute podcast app at screwthecommute.com/app. We have complete videos and screen captures to show you how to use all the fancy functions so you can take us with you on the road. And of course, our sponsor is the Internet Marketing Training Center of Virginia. It's currently a distance learning school. But this summer we're supposed to open up for in-house classes because we're trying to get accepted to take the G.I. Bill and they want us to do in-house classes. And we have a plea that's going out to everybody. If you know a veteran friendly accountant doesn't have to be a veteran accountant, just a veteran friendly accountant who is qualified to do full blown audits, we need their help. We need their help to give us a great deal or trade us for a scholarship or something to get that done so that we can qualify to do the G.I. Bill. So let me know if you know anybody like that. The school is IMTCVA.org.

[00:02:45] All right. Let's get to the main event. Distance learning and working. I must start out with distance learning and then I'll get the distance working later. How many of you know I have a quiz and a great disdain for the way traditional learning institutions are ripping off students and families. And now I heard an even worse thing that just happened. I saw on TV that Stanford closed its campus and sent everyone home to participate in distance learning. This is because of the Coronavirus thing. And that's perfect. No problem. That makes sense. But not only did they not give the students any tuition rebate from the supposed value of being there in person. They did not give any housing rebates when the students were forced out of the dorms. Now, I hope the TV segment shames them into doing this since the report said they had something like twenty seven billion dollar endowment. They got plenty of money. They should take care of these students.

[00:03:50] Anyway by picking distance learning first rather than getting sucked into the traditional college brainwash machine. You can save a fortune and you can rapidly increase your entry into the job market or actually be in the job market as you study. Especially if the courses are asynchronous and that means you can study online whenever you can fit it into your schedule. You don't have to show up online at a certain time every day. And it doesn't matter whether it's day, evening or three o'clock in the morning, so that's asynchronous learning.

[00:04:30] Also, you don't have any ridiculous fees that are imposed at traditional colleges and universities. I mean, literally. I've identified 10 fees including listen to this one. A school spirit fee. What the heck is that? I mean, they're imposed mostly in a mandatory fashion these fees on students and families. I mean, you don't even know the actual amount these fees are until you get the bill when it's too late to dispute them or opt out if they even give you a chance to opt out. School Spirit Fee. Now, the next thing to consider is the cost of housing, which can be more than renting an apartment. I mean, even if you go to a local community college, you have transportation fees, bus, subway, car, gas, insurance and parking. And this subject really makes me mad. Colleges are putting codes in books and other shenanigans that you'll learn about if you take my quiz at IMTCVA.org/quiz. Of course that'll will be in the show notes to make the books obsolete so the students can't resell them and then the next student has to pay full price at the college bookstore.

[00:05:49] What a rip off. And I guarantee you they didn't even revise the book much, if at all. I mean, it's clearly a rip off. And one of the biggest things people don't factor in when choosing a traditional college is loss of income from not being in the workforce. I mean, even at a 40 to 60 thousand dollar per year starting salary, which is kind of average, that's a loss of a hundred and sixty thousand dollars to a quarter of a million dollars loss because you're not in the workforce. Yikes. I mean, that's a lot of money. Now, for many that are retraining themselves or have family obligations. You would not have any childcare costs when you're doing distance learning, which can cost way more than a house payment. Now, for those homeschool people out there who care about the quality of education their child gets, plus many of those parents do not want their children exposed to excessive partying, drinking, drugs and what appears to be an indoctrination to radical views by many ultra liberal professors. So you see, there's a lot of benefits to quality distance learning.

[00:07:08] Now let's talk about working from home. Well, in the old days, any job that said work from home was considered a scam right off the bat. Some of you may remember the old stuffing envelopes scam. It was one of the most famous. Probably a lot of you don't remember that it was a big one. Now, as I sit here and the governor of New York just required a hundred percent of companies to have their people work from home. You know what, folks? The world has changed. And of course, this doesn't apply to essential services like grocery stores, hospitals and gas stations. But still, lots of workers are getting laid off or let go. There's some I don't know, 8 million people applied for unemployment in one day last week. Something some crazy big number, I don't know, 30 times bigger than ever before in the world. I mean, servers are losing massive amounts of tips that they need to survive. Now, I'm in a fairly unique position because I'm a person who has always worked out of my home my entire 43 years in formal business.

[00:08:20] I even had a nightclub, but I lived above it. Now, I'm not recommending that idea unless you like gun fights, knife fights and bikers trying to kill you. But even that at least some good came out. But I learned how to survive some pretty violent stuff which led to my creating a website BrutalSelfdefense.com. You can check that out and you might need it in the coming months if things get even worse.

[00:08:48] Anyway, when you legitimately work from home for other companies, for yourself or or both, you knock out a lot of the things that regular workers are suffering right now and no one knows how long this pandemic will last. And when most businesses will get back to normal. And I'm not saying that just the fact that you work from home will automatically make you successful in a worldwide problem like we're facing now, if no one's buying anything, you still have a tough time. But most of the time, it's not that way when you're working at home, especially selling online. If one country is having a hard time or bad economy, you've got one hundred ninety four other countries to sell to. Also, if you'd been smart about it, you have less commuting costs. They include wear and tear on your vehicle, maintenance and gasoline. I mean, my vehicle's last like crazy. My pickup truck is two thousand two model. It's 18 years old and it only has thirty thousand miles on it. My everyday vehicle is now 7 years old and only has 50 thousand miles on it. It looks brand new. And I got these figures from gas costs archives and they were based on just 15000 miles per year.

[00:10:15] They said a small sedan will spend six thousand seven hundred thirty five dollars or roughly forty five cents per mile, I think. That includes maintenance and gasoline. A full size sedan will spend eight thousand nine hundred and forty six dollars or roughly fifty nine cents a mile a medium SUV. Ninety four hundred and fifty one dollars and a pickup truck. Ten thousand and fifty four dollars. Most of that is wiped out if you work from home and you aren't burning up the highway or sitting in traffic five or six days a week. Here's another really important benefit from working at home. Especially now you aren't exposed as much or in close quarters with other people who are sick. I hardly ever get sick and I don't think it's because I have any better immune system than anybody else. In fact, until recently it's probably been worse because my eating hasn't been all that great over the years. I'm certain it's because I'm not exposed to tons of people who might have flu or other symptoms, but they feel compelled to come to work either out of loyalty or maybe just because they need the money.

[00:11:35] You can't discount the importance of this benefit and it couldn't be any more clear as I sit here in the safety of my home telling you this while other people are walking around the business district on egg shells wearing masks and latex gloves. Now, another massive benefit from working at home is flexibility. No employer or client is going to know or care if you take a break. Throw in a load of laundry or make yourself a snack. You can usually work around your kids schedules of being picked up from school or maybe they're in sports or other after school activities. Most super workers look back at all the things they missed as their kids are growing up. Now, if you're old enough to remember the song Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. It was a song about a hardworking dad that missed all the stuff his son did growing up. And then when he was old, the son was too busy for him. I urge you to look it up on YouTube and here's a little of the lyrics. They should be a little chilling to you.

[00:12:48] My child arrived just the other day. He came to the world in the usual way, but there were planes to catch and bills to pay. He learned to walk while I was away. And he was talking before I knew it. And as he grew, he said, I'm going to be like, you, dad. You know I'm going to be like you.

[00:13:09] Oh, man. I get goose pimples just reading that. And here's some more benefits. Clothing costs. I mean, most businesses expect a certain level of dress. You can't wear the same things every day or even once a week. Suits for both men and women are expensive, along with shoes and accessories mean even jobs that are more blue collar and don't have to be as fashion conscious, have boots and shirts and pants and overalls and all that stuff that take more of a beating than office clothes do.

[00:13:45] Working at home allows you to cut these costs drastically, and many people hardly get out of their pajamas till three o'clock when it's time to pick the kids up from school. And I know people who even cheated that wear and slippers and P.J. bottoms in the car going to the pick up lane at school.

[00:14:05] Now, when you hear the term lifestyle business, it really does mean something. I'm so spoiled because I've lived this for 43 years now and add up all that gas money I've saved that was spent on stuff I like rather than stuff to make a bunch of Middle Easterners rich. Now, the clothing saving, staying healthy. I mean, I almost wish I get sick so I can better take advantage of all the darn healthcare premiums I pay. I'm just kidding. I do not want to be sick. And don't forget tax deductions, see if you start your own business, and I've preached for years about making your hobbies and family interests tax deductible. Currently, if you go camping or have kids in soccer, you love golf, you pay through the nose with no tax credits. My training can fix that in a hurry. So you can do more of what you and your family love and not feel guilty about whatever money is spent on it. So these benefits can be yours.

[00:15:11] You're probably sitting in your house listening to this while all these quarantines are going on. You might be bored to tears since you aren't used to being around the house 24/7. But I can assure you all that changes when you're working from home, when you realize, like my friend and colleague Christina Hill said on the documentary about my life called The American Entrepreneur. Here's a quote from her. And she worked for one of the big TV networks with a cushy job. This is what she had to say. I was in the office of a female executive and I was looking at the pictures on the wall of her beautiful family that she never saw. And my heart sank. So when my baby was born, I quit.

[00:16:01] Now, I'm not again, I get goose pimples. I'm not telling you to do something radical and quit your cushy job, cold turkey. I'm just with no plan, that is. I'm just telling you that in today's atmosphere, you can legitimately work from home. Maybe you proposed it to the company you work at now. Many companies are sick of paying massive rent for you to sit in a cubicle or office when you could be doing the exact same work from home. Maybe you start your own side hustle online and then transition out of the job.

[00:16:35] Anyway, working from home can be some of the most rewarding work you ever do. Not only because you get out of all those expenses I listed above, and not only because you don't have to put up with office politics and not only because you get tax deductions, but virtually all the entrepreneurs I interview on this podcast on Wednesdays and Fridays say when I ask them what they like best about running their own business. All of them say freedom to do what they want and live the life they want, not the life some employer or faceless corporation tell them to live. Now, there are many ways to accomplish what I've talked about today. My school and mentor program are just two of them, but they're proven in a powerful way for you to change your life and the lives of your kids and even your grandchildren, if you have any. What a powerful legacy gift it would be to give them the power to start their own online business. So please get in touch with me to discuss how I can help you and your loved ones live a life of freedom.

[00:17:46] That's all for today. Stay safe out there please. Catch you on the next episode.

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