JOB is Just Over Broke? Should I start a business instead?

Just Over Broke (JOB) phrase is quite a popular joke among those who aspire to be in the business or entrepreneurship world.

“The money is in the business, and JOB stands for Just Over Broke!”

“You’ll never be rich working here.”

“There’s no financial security if I were to continue working here until I retire.”

“I want to get rich, so I am quitting my job.”

If you look carefully, and if you look hard enough, you will notice that many a time, these words come from people who are yet to start a business! They come from people who are presently working, perhaps in your own department, next to your very own desk! (Or could it be you?). They are just words uttered as a disguise for their frustration and hatred for the job they’re currently doing. These people hate their job, yet they don’t do anything about it. Just talk. I have a friend, who for the past 4 years has been telling me that he is quitting his day job to start a business. Today, he is still working and is yet to start anything.


The reality of life is that, you can have a lot of money or not enough money doing your current job. Similarly, you can also be rich and be broke if you’re an entrepreneur minding your own business. It is down to how you manage your money regardless whether you’re currently an employee, self-employed, business owner or investor. If your income is RM5000 and your spending means are capped at RM2500 per month while the rest is put into good saving and investment vehicles, you can reach financial independence before you stop working.

The problem is, as our salary increases, our expenses and living means also often increase. Promotion and pay rise are always followed by arrival of bigger homes, latest model of Suzuki Swift, a piece of Rafflesia pearl for girl friend and new golf clubs. As a result, we become trapped in the rat race. We can’t even think of quitting our job. As a matter of fact, you’re only one month salary away of being a bankrupt. What if tomorrow you’re fired from your job?

When money is concerned, there is a lot of emotion attached to it. In his book, The Millionaire in Me, Azizi Ali refers money as ‘tool’. While in The Cashflow Quadrant, Robert Kiyosaki refers it as ‘drug’. Both are correct.

As a tool, money is used to: make our life comfortable and more meaningful, live life to the fullest, build comfortable life to the fullest, build library or mosque for the community and help those in need of money.

As a drug, money makes someone happy when they have money, and upset, down or moody when they do not have money. Just like a drug addict gets high when his body is infiltrated with heroin, they get moody and violent when the body is without it.

And if we believe in the “JOB is Just Over Broke” philosophy, how come Azizi Ali becomes a millionaire while still being a full time employee? You may also want to re-read The Cashflow Quadrant book, particularly the part where Kiyosaki told about his 2 friends working as firefighters who both became millionaire while working as full time employees.

The first of his 2 friends buys old houses, fixes them up and collects rent. He keeps on positive cash flow, and buy more houses, one after another. He owns more than 40 houses that pay him US10,000 a month net, after debt, taxes, maintenance, management and insurance. While his full time job pays him only US3500, the total monthly cash flow in he is getting will be enough for him to attain financial independence before he retires.

The other friend spends his time analyzing companies and taking major long term positions in stocks and options. His portfolio today is more than US3 million. He can cash out and invest in more stable investment vehicles that can earn him a handsome US300,000 per year and increasing, for life. Not bad for a government employee with two kids, huh?

I am not writing this to say that being in a business is bad and neither being an employee working for other people is good. Life is about choices. Take your choice . The good thing is that, you can be both! Yes, you can work full time and at the same time own your own business. If your business is doing good and your feel it is time for you to quit being an employee, who’s there to stop you? Just don’t forget to drop a “Wish Us Luck” note before you board the cruise. Robert Kiyosaki has done it. Bill Gate has done it. Richard Branson has done it. Many other people are doing it. And if you’re one of them you can also have me add your name to the list here.