The Future Millionaire Next Door – Andres Zuleta

Who He Is:

Andres Zuleta is the President of Boutique Japan, a luxury travel consultancy specializing in unique Japan travel. He has taken the typical path through the corporate world before recently launching his own company. Andres is the first American born in his family, and has lived in Manhattan, Japan before settling in California where he lives now… at least until he moves back to Japan! He is a normal guy with an insight and ambition that will make him, The Future Millionaire Next Door.

His Career:

Andres built his wealth to date the old-fashioned way, by working for a company, cutting expenses, saving and paying off debt. Over the last few years he has actively searched for ways to make more money at work, and now his source of income is through his own venture, Boutique Japan. Here, he is niching down to luxury travel in Japan, where he plans to get more “bang” (money) for his “buck” (time) while also doing it in his own way.

Suggested Career Path:

If he had to do it all over again, Andres would have taken mother’s advice (they are always right!). He would have taken a year off and traveled the globe. Andres was dead set on going to college, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do in life just yet. “College doesn’t hold much value unless you have a purpose.” If Andres had taken some time off to learn more about what he wanted to do, he would have gone to college more consciously making it more valuable than maybe it was. In addition, Andres would start a business sooner. “Really, true financial independence can only come from entrepreneurship.” He strongly encourages all young professionals to learn, experiment, and start low risk businesses. Just get your feet wet and start the momentum. Also, read a lot of books and listen to podcasts (like YoPro Wealth, to be launched in the end of November!).

Definition of Wealth:

“Wealth goes beyond pure money. Money is a tool that is beneficial to have, but wealth in a financial sense is not having to worry about daily financial issues – living month-to-month, or having debt. All of these things are the basic foundation of wealth. Beyond that, I consider wealth freedom. A person with $10 Million but is a slave to their job is not wealthy. However, someone with much less than that who is living the life of their dreams for whom their work is joy and passion, to me, that is true wealth.”

The Biggest Financial Failure:

Andres racked up $10,000 in credit card debt and kept it that way for numerous years. He thought that this debt was “normal”, before realizing that it was actually just foolish. “Having a car payment, a student loan payment, etc. is not acceptable,” he said.

The Epiphany:

Andres was living paycheck to paycheck while carrying a load of debt. He happened to start listening to audiobooks and podcasts, and reading books, and the rest of his financial life was altered. Dave Ramsey made him realize that we was just going in a circle and not making any progress. Andres, like a lot of Americans, thought it was OK to have a certain amount of debt. It was “normal”. But with Dave Ramsey’s guidance, he realized that he could have complete control of his financial destiny. Andres seized the challenge and hasn’t looked back.

The Importance of Mindset:

“A mindset can move mountains for someone,” he said. Andres was making the same exact amount of money before as he is now, but he was living paycheck to paycheck. He found out a way to get out of debt, then started to save and built up a cushion of savings. And he is just getting started. This is all attributed to a change in mindset.

Best Book on Money & Wealth:

The History of Money, by Jack Weatherford

The Best Piece of Financial Advice Ever Received:

“Get out of debt!” Before you get the fancy car, and even before you start investing. Go pay off your debt!

Parting Piece of Advice:

Andres recommends, if you’re not happy with your finances or you’re in a job that you’re not in love with, take a step back and reconsider everything as he did while in New York City. “Especially in the U.S., we have so much stability, so much freedom. We can truly do anything we want. Anyone can be happy, they just have to take control of their destiny.”

 

Well said by The Future Millionaire Next Door. Andres is a rising star and the go-to person for all travel to Japan (and many other locations!). Connect with him here and visit his website, BoutiqueJapan.com today.

Action Steps:

1. Step back and analyze your finances and career path. If necessary, take some time off and find yourself!
2. Read often and listen to podcasts to shift your mindset towards true wealth!
3. Pay off any debt ASAP!
4. Start to dabble in your own ventures, and test entrepreneurship.
5. Reach out to Andres, and say hello!
   1. Twitter (@btqjpn, @theandreszuleta), Facebook

 

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