myEmpirePROWho is Anthony O’Neal?
He is a guy who apparently went from $35,000 in debt at the age of 19 to becoming a best selling author.
He was a sidekick on Dame Ramsey’s show which is all about personal finances. So I would guess that the Dave Ramsey brand has helped kick his influencer and content marketing career off well.
I promise. I won’t use that as an excuse to not keep on building this platform beyond 3,500 subscribers. I appreciate every single one of you. Actually, I am about to share with you some specific reasons why I am inspired.
What does Anthony do?
He is a content creator; a YouTuber. He hosts a show called “The Table with AO” where he interviews many other successful people, with an audience of over 450,000 subscribers.
I stumbled into him on the episode where he was interviewing Tony Gaskins on relationships which is another favorite topic that I cover on my platforms.
Personally, I will be watching some more of his videos. He’s interviewed people from stock traders to course creators, real estate investors to multiple 6-figure IT and Tech guys.
I can only imagine that he is inspiring so many young people in taking control of their financial profile as well as showcasing ways to build sustainable income.
I am not mad at that at all.
What did Anthony Say?
Well, this platform is supposed to be about marketing. But I promise, we will get there soon.
The first video I stumbled into as I was trying to know a little more about Anthony is a video where he was being interviewed by a lady; Cherie Johnson.
She explains how she first ran into Anthony after he shared a story about a lady he really liked but she insisted on a date to a particularly expensive restaurant.
Anthony would tell his potential date that his budget for that month won’t carry it. He promised her the date for the following month.
Then another gentleman in that conversation asked Anthony. “Let’s just say you’ve got a relationship, you are with your woman, and she wants to go out and you ain’t got it. What would you do?”.
Anthony answers. “That’s my woman. A man has gotta keep it 100 with his woman.” Anthony, what do you mean by 100… elaborate please.
But in that same video, Anthony talks about how he saves, invests and gives away about 40% of his income. He is apparently the money and budget guy.
Just like you, I was now on the edge of my seat and I want to share some of the insight I got from Anthony. In Particular, I will share my thoughts about these 7 quotes.
- Having an 800 credit score doesn’t mean you are good with money; It just means you are good with paying back debt.
- My philosophy is that cash is king.
- Debt is not sexy.
- From 19 years old in debt to best-selling author at 35.
- There are a lot of people on social media who look wealthy but they aren’t.
- 53% of people who live paycheck to paycheck are people who make good money.
- Don’t be afraid to say this is not in my budget.
Who am I?
My name is OLA and I am the founder of myEmpirePRO. myEmpirePRO is all about learning, earning and building empires.
I am also the author of 4 books namely Digital Marketing Certified, Smart Real Estate Wholesaling, Get My Marriage Back co-authored with my wife Lola and Real Estate Money Secrets.
What are my thoughts on these tips from Anthony O’Neal?
I do not disagree with any of these tips as usual. I am just sharing my thoughts and may be adding a little context here and there. As you know, it’s easy to turn talking points into absolutes and religion in ways that it can hurt us.
So let’s countdown down Anthony’s tips.
Tip Number 7 – 800 credit score is a Leverage.
He is absolutely right about this point. In fact, one of the quotes you can attribute to me is this right here. If all you’ve got is a good credit score, it’s not sustainable all in itself.
It’s only a matter of time before you destroy the credit score if you do not have real income with consistent cash flow to keep fueling it. Anthony said, “it’s just a sign that you know how to pay debt back.” I agree.
I would add that paying debt back is different from paying it down.
Tip Number 6 – Cash is king.
Sure cash is king. But if cash is king, then cash-flow has got to be the emperor. At press time, I am still listening to Anthony. So I am sure he is going to talk more about income and cash-flow.
A lot of his beliefs around saving, investing and giving 40% will literally be impossible or at least unsustainable without consistent cash-flow.
From what I have observed so far, Anthony’s digital marketing strategy is content marketing. It seems to be the source of his cash flow; YouTube, podcast etc. He is a master at this game and I will be paying attention to a lot of his moves.
Tip Number 5 – Debt is not sexy
I see where he is coming from. But let’s add a little context. Wouldn’t that depend on how you utilize debt? As I share in my addition to Tip number 7, debt, just like an 800 credit score, is a leverage.
As an entrepreneur and high achiever, you already know that leverage is key to success. So abusing debt is not sexy. Debt, just in itself, is not sexy. But how you leverage debt can absolutely become the sexiest thing you can ever do.
It’s no surprise that Anthony is prioritizing paying off his house mortgage in the same sentence as building net worth. That sounds like a Dave Ramsey talking point. There is more to it.
Tip Number 4 – $35K in Debt at 19 to 38 years old Success
I love that Anthony continues to share this story of how he was homeless at the age of 19 and how he was kicked out to go figure things out ending up with a $35,000 debt. It’s inspiring.
But I want you to be clear that at press time, Anthony is about 38 years old. That’s another 19 years to figure things out and learn all this wealth of knowledge that he is sharing with us.
I am asking you to recognize that patience and respect for process in going after your own dream are major keys to his success.
During the process, 19 years can feel like a long time. When you start telling your own story, it will be all worth it.
Tip Number 3 – Faking Wealth on Social Media
While you have to be careful with this present culture of faking it to make it on social media, it’s important that I point out a little nuance there.
Anthony told an Ocean California story where he caught himself flexing beyond his means with his friends after college even though he was broke like a Church mouse.
I think presentation matters. There is a fine line between faking it and ensuring a compelling presentation in a marketplace.
Outrightly “faking it” with no value based purpose is not sustainable but you can present with value as part of your personal branding efforts and strike a sustainable balance as you are marketing and building your brand.
That’s why content marketing is the most profitable marketing activity in this era. But let’s not be stupid. Presentation still matters.
Tip Number 2 – From Paycheck to Paycheck.
Anthony presented a stat of the fact that people who live paycheck to paycheck are people who make good money. That makes complete sense to me.
It always comes down to your ability to manage the resources at your disposal. You can also think of it as your ability to play the cards you have been dealt.
If you don’t have these skills, all the money you are making will continue to find its way out of your life.
Tip Number 1 – Not in my budget.
Anthony talks about not being afraid as a man to tell a lady that a certain type or caliber of date is not in your budget.
What do I like about what Anthony O’Neal said?
I’ll tell you this. Anthony can definitely teach me so much more about branding, marketing, personal financing and so much more. This brother has it.
But with all due respect, it is quite obvious now why he is not married (contrary to his expressed desire) at the age of 35 plus. We are about the same age and I am happily married to my wife of 15 years.
Anthony, my brother. A woman needs to have a little more to wonder about you. All that transparency stuff, especially during the dating phase, has less romantic values than even the least sense of mystery.
Within this present social construct, the right woman will simply follow your lead as she looks forward to more and she wants to spend time with you any way you want; not demanding where and how she wants.
And by the way those girls still exist.
You should never feel the need to “mansplain” your budget to a woman who is not your wife already. If that’s necessary, it would be obvious already. There is no paycheck next Friday. This is simply the reality in the romantic context.
I can’t wait to explore more of his reports on 500 scholarships. Avoiding college debt for my kids definitely has me hooked now.
Why should you download my free books?
Understanding context, audience, value and content marketing as a business strategy is something that I cover extensively in my book “Digital Marketing Certified”. Chapter 2 and 3 is where you might want to pay particular attention to.
And by the way, you can download the book for free at www.DigitalMarketingCertified.com