True Freedom (final)

TRUE FREEDOM (First draft)

NOTE: For my first draft, I’ve left my roadmap in place (BOLD headings).

Persuasive introduction
I’m not sure when I first heard that, “There can be no real freedom without financial freedom,” but it motivated me to change the direction of my life. Along with that, it is driving me to help as many people as possible to achieve their financial freedom. That means not being a slave to a job or corporation (not that jobs or corporations are necessarily bad things), but free to do what they want, when they want, and with whoever they want; real freedom. By teaching, coaching, and mentoring with a positive attitude and a servant heart, I hope to inspire others to share the secrets of financial freedom, and change the course of individuals, their families, their communities, and perhaps even the world... for the better.

Background and context
Part of the American dream is being free. Free to make our own choices, determine our own lifestyle, and pursue our goals and dreams. This is essentially, one the most important tenants of the Declaration of Independence, “The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the American Industrial Revolution took place, marking a period of significant technological and societal transformation in the United States. This era saw a shift from an agrarian society to an industrialized one, driven by advancements in manufacturing, transportation, and communication. Workers were needed for the mines and factories and were lured off farms and ranches by the promise of steady pay and better living conditions to satisfy the need for a workforce to feed continuing industrialization.
Examples (to be expanded):

Company towns: Meant to provide better living conditions for workers, but often owned all shops and commerce, sometimes accepting only company script. Locking people into debt. “I owe my soul to the company store.” Poor working conditions.

Restaurant workers: Uncertain hours, less than minimum wage, wage theft, poor working conditions, still takes advantage of undocumented immigrants.

Salaried professionals: Fixed salary, but not fixed hours. Better pay, but often longer hours. Usually no provision for overtime. “You work until you get the job done.”

Thesis
Working a job, whether for a salary or an hourly wage, is a form of servitude. An employer dictates your hours, your schedule, your time off, your benefits (if any), and your worth (pay).
Being self-employed, and pursuing your own financial freedom, aligns well with the shared value of “Liberty and Justice for All.” Having financial freedom allows for greater liberty than toiling for a living wage where a boss or a job dictates the true amount of freedom available to you. Liberty also needs guardrails, laws that we agree to adhere to as a just society. My liberty should not allow me to negatively impact your life, liberty, or pursuit of your happiness. 
“Liberty and Justice for All” is just a trite slogan unless everyone has the opportunity to pursue their own liberty, AND that the laws and justice are applied equally to everyone (ALL). Sadly, it’s clear that Liberty and Justice are more readily available to the rich and the politically powerful... especially if there are leaders and political parties who will craft “justice” that protects them from having to adhere to the law.

Modes of appeal
Today, jobs are “at will”, meaning that most are project driven or dependent. It’s much less often that we see employees stay with a company for 30-40 years. Most employees today job hop every couple of years. Employees, not companies, are responsible for their own retirement savings or accounts (pension). Layoffs are common, with economic downturns, contract losses, and downsizing. Yet employers demand abject loyalty from employees, while showing them little or none.
There is a better way. I’m recruiting an army of volunteers who are willing to work, not just for financial security and freedom, but for fairness and equality for all. I am looking to develop leaders and mentors that share more than financial success. By teaching a business model that is built on everyone starting at the same point and having equal opportunity, it will reflect the concept that all are created equal... that everyone, regardless of race, creed, or background can achieve as long as they are willing to be teachable, coachable, and expend the effort.

Stakes
Wage gap. Have vs have not. There used to be rich, middle class, poor... now ultra-rich, rich, middle class/poor. The gap continues to widen.

Proposed solution
Becoming an entrepreneur, owning your own deal, is a path, not only to individual financial freedom, but also to mentoring others toward their financial freedom along the way. Success, building successful teams of entrepreneurs, depends on people recognizing and respecting the differences and equality of others... not just their own tribe. "I'd rather have 1% of a hundred men's efforts than 100% of my own," is attributed to John D. Rockefeller. It highlights the power of leverage and teamwork in achieving greater results than individual effort alone. By earning a small percentage of many people's work, one can achieve a larger overall outcome than by relying solely on their own capabilities.
While building the initial entrepreneurial teams, we use our voice to reinforce the founding principles of our free enterprise opportunity. The founding principles are reflective of freedom and equality:

1.     Universal - All walks of life are welcome to participate.

2.     Repeat - Products you use and consume on a daily basis.

3.     Unlimited - Potential to earn as much income as you want. No caps. No ceilings.

4.     Economy - In good times or bad, the opportunity will continue to flourish.

5.     Free Enterprise - The freedom to own a business and create a future for yourself.

Connection to identity and values
We start by offering people a vision of a future where they control their own financial security. That’s often very hard for people who have been trained that security is based on a job. From an early age, people hear: “Get a good education so you can get a good job, so you can have a secure retirement.” In today’s world, a good education has become a future financial burden. A good job has evaporated in an “at will” market, where employers can let you go at their will or decision. Although a little over half of American households have some retirement assets, a significant portion of Americans may not have enough to retire comfortably. Our senior citizens are not working the counter at McDonald’s, or greeting at Walmart because they love standing on aching, aged bones for 8 hours a day. They are working to pay for soaring food, medicine, utility, insurance, and housing costs... that their retirement savings just cannot keep pace with. It’s the same for young people trying to enter the housing market. In some areas of the country, many households need 2, 3, or 4 incomes just to make ends meet.

Call to action
It may be difficult to get people to immediately turn away from a lifestyle model they’ve grown up with. It’s simple, however to ask people: “Do you ever look at other ways of making money?” Most people respond with a resounding “YES!” At that point, they are usually open to see the opportunity. Along the way we can share our mission statement, which is: “Have fun, make money, help people.” We make it fun, easy, and immediately profitable for them to become part of an already successful team of free enterprise entrepreneurs.

Responds to counterarguments
Time, money, experience, background, bias, fear, pyramid scheme, doesn’t work. (Respond to each argument here).

Equal opportunity... everyone has an equal opportunity, however... not everyone comes to the table with equal talent, drive, dedication, or willingness to learn, change, and grow. 

Modes of appeal and evidence
Success stories, attitude changes. Add the varied personal stories of Jody and Kathy Victor, Dexter Yager, and Greg and Pat Howard as examples.

Community
Our free enterprise community connects, encourages, and reinforces itself through online meetings, seminars, and conferences. These are events where we can gain wisdom from crowds. All of these allow speakers to share wisdom, teach character, encourage growth, edify leaders, and expand upon free enterprise principles. Individual accomplishments are recognized and celebrated, emphasizing the fact that everyone has an equal opportunity to advance and succeed. This is especially strong at in-person events where people are better able to interact with each other. Being in a crowd that is obviously moving in a positive direction helps motivate and excite people to the common purpose, as well.

Leaves the reader thinking
Helping people achieve financial freedom, will help them to understand that true success lifts everyone, not just those at the top, and that eliminating bias and inequality increases their financial success (the opposite also being true). The opportunity must be available equally for all, even though there will be many who are too afraid to try, believe that a job is the only security, or are just too comfortable with the status quo. Those who will expend the effort to change and grow, will leave a bigger legacy in the lives of the families they have set free. Leaving a legacy, a positive impact on the world, is something that matters to me. By that, I don’t just mean leaving a financial legacy, but also spiritual and ethical legacies, as well... for my family, my church, my community, and the world.