As Mark told you in this Creating Wealth essay, the most profitable thing he’s ever done in his entire career of building wealth has been investing in startup businesses. Here’s what Mark wrote:

Last time I checked, the returns I have enjoyed as an investor in small businesses have exceeded 25% per year.

 

There was a time when people thought they could earn that
kind of ROI in the stock market. That was a very stupid and very costly notion.

If you are a great investor, you can make 10-15% in the stock market. But you can make 10 percentage points more than that, on average, by starting and/or funding small businesses that you understand.

Startup businesses have given me so much—a steady growth of income, a base of wealth that has doubled every three years, the opportunity to get involved in so many other, interesting investments, and a rich and stimulating business life.

Although I sometimes grouse about working too hard, the truth is that I love starting new businesses. It’s challenging, but it’s also a great deal of fun. And when the business starts to work and the money starts flowing… well, it feels pretty damn good.

Thirty years ago, my track record at starting new businesses was a very mixed bag. But these days, I am usually confident that the businesses will work. This kind of confidence comes from 25 years of accumulated experiences, good and bad, and learning from them.

So if you were to ask me, “What is the absolute fastest way to become rich?” I’d have to answer: by starting a small business.

If you want or need to generate the returns people like Mark and the “superrich” enjoy, there’s no way around building your own business. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you might think. Mark devised a dedicated portion of the Wealth Builders Club to help club members achieve this goal. His essay series is called “How to Start a Million-Dollar Business for $25,000.”