The Myth of Absentee Owner Businesses

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Let me walk you through how my thinking has evolved.

I started with stocks. Long-term, buy-and-hold positions in companies I believed in.

It was liquid, technically — but the strategy wasn’t.

The whole point was to not touch the money.
So it didn’t help me generate cash flow today.

And because of that, cash became the constraint.
I couldn’t make enough to take advantage of the opportunities I was seeing.

That’s what sent me looking for something different.

Buying a Business

I wanted to own a business. Something real.
Something that produced cash every month — money I could reinvest and compound.

Why a business? A few reasons:

• I could use debt (something I’d never do with stocks)

• I assumed there were more inefficiencies to exploit

• And I figured I’d have more control over the outcome

Naturally, I started looking at absentee-run businesses.

The plan was simple:

Keep my 9–5 → Buy low-effort businesses → Stack them → Quit once the income surpassed my salary.

But here’s the kicker:

Truly absentee businesses exist... but they’re basically real estate plays.
Car washes, self-storage, RV parking, multifamily.

The problem? Everyone else wants them too.

Prices are inflated. Returns are compressed.
And unless you’re buying in cash, the numbers often don’t pencil out.

Active vs. Passive Income

That’s when I came across a quote that snapped it all into focus:

It hit me hard.

Of course everyone wants passive income — but it doesn’t scale.
It’s linear. It’s slow. And it only makes sense after you have money.

The real scale comes from active income.

The goal isn’t to start with passive income.
It’s to scale active income first — then reinvest.

That realization forced me to rethink everything.

Promotions at work? Sure, I’ve done it. But I’m tapped out.
Raises are slow. Political. Disconnected from actual value created.

If I want income that scales with effort, I need leverage.
And most W2 jobs don’t offer it.

The Pivot

So now I’m thinking differently.

I’m looking for a business I can actively grow — where I am the sales engine.

Where I talk to people. Solve problems. Build a network.
And drive revenue through relationships.

In other words, I’m learning to become a rainmaker.

The New Playbook:

1. Build active income by buying a business I can grow

2. Use the cash flow to stack passive income later

3. Buy back my time once both are in motion

Passive income still matters — but now I know it’s step two, not step one.

So how does this change my day-to-day?

Simple:

• Talk to more business owners

• Prioritize the relationship

• Be known as someone who listens, solves problems, and connects people

• Show up — locally, consistently, genuinely

• If I’m not building revenue or building trust, I’m off track

So if you’re in Metro Detroit and want to chat business, investing, or just share what you're working on — hit reply. I’m always up for a good conversation.

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