03/21/25 - Wakie Wakie 4:44

Welcome to Your 444 Newsletter!

Where wealth, opportunity, and leverage collide.

At 19, I bought my first business—a $2,000 gutter company.
Not glamorous.
Not flashy.
Nobody was stopping me in the store asking,
“Hey man, how’s the gutter game treating you?”

But it was my first leap into entrepreneurship.
And if I’d stuck with it, I’d probably still be hanging off a ladder screaming about clogged downspouts…
While my kids chucked rocks at me for entertainment.

Here’s what I knew back then:
I wasn’t about to waste my life chasing job titles or approval from people who don’t matter.
But that’s exactly what most people do.

They:

1. Spend years in school for degrees they don’t use.

2. Chase careers to impress people who don’t care.

3. Build “respectable” businesses they secretly hate.

And the people giving them advice?
Usually broke. Miserable.
And wishing they’d made a different move.

🚨 News flash:
Nobody cares about your job title.
They care about the life you build—and the results you brin

4 Thoughts to Reflect On

1. The “safe” path often leads to a life you don’t want.
   Comfort zones kill more dreams than failure ever will.

2. Job titles don’t buy freedom—results do.
   Freedom comes from what you build, not what you’re called.

3. Be careful who you take advice from.
   Look at their life before you follow their lead.

4. Waiting until you’re “ready” is a trap.
   The winners move before they feel ready.

4 Lessons I’ve Learned

1. It’s okay to outgrow your old dreams.
   What worked for you then might hold you back now.

2. Walking away can be the smartest move you ever make.
   Even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.

3. People will call you crazy—until you win.
   Then they’ll ask how you did it.

4. Permission is optional.
   The people who build wealth don’t wait for approval.

4 Challenges to Tackle This Week

1. Write down one job or path you’re glad you didn’t stick with.
   Remind yourself why you made a different choice.

2. Reach out to someone who’s living life on their terms.
   Get in their world. Ask a question. Open a door.

3. Launch something before you feel “ready.”
   Take the step. Adjust on the way down.

4. Audit the advice you’re listening to.
   Are they where you want to be—or just where they settled?

👉 Now I want to hear from YOU:
What job, career, or degree did you walk away from?
Did people call you crazy?
Was it worth it?

Hit reply and tell me.
I read every story. And there’s a reason I’m asking.
(Stick around… you’ll find out soon.)

Let’s talk.
Mark Evans DM
Former Gutter Master Chief

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