EFFORTPOST 33 year old bio major turned door to door solar salesman, 50'000 in student loan debt

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aoYP4nw4bqM

Michael, 33, Richmond VA

Self-rated: 1/10

Career:

  • Door to door solar salesman

    • Started working for them in February

    • Claims it's one of the best markets in the country for it

    • All commission, no base pay

    • Income so far this year, he brought a spreadsheet timestamp

      • Jan - $2163

      • Feb - $630 (Started Door to Door Solar here)

      • March - $3220

      • April - $3125

      • May - About $9000

    • Believes it will settle between 7'000 and 10'000

    • Payment model -

      • Paid 175 they see the presentation

      • $225 if they buy

      • 8-10 people -

      • Who in the world first answers their door to salesmen and two actually lets them do a presentation timestamp

        • "It happens, all the time" :marseyxd:

        • Apparently old people are a tougher sell, usually younger demographic

      • Talks to about 20-30 people a day, thinks he should be doing more

        • Started out doing 4-6 hours a day, started working 10 hour days in May tripling his income
  • Worked for a different Door to Door solar prior, made about 45'000, his first year doing it

    • Did it for 4 hours a day

Personal Life:

  • Last year was a "little chaotic" timestamp

    • Started a business for online marketing

      • Wanted to fill the rest of the day since he was only putting in 4 hours a day at the prior solar company
    • Goes more into this "business" later on when explaining Debts

      • "So basically you get access to a platform, right? And you can uh you can start your business from there" timestamp

    • Also sold roofs in Florida for 3 months?

  • "I've been in debt since I was probably... eighteen years old"

    • "About to completely run out of money" last Decemberish

    • Tries explaining how he got in this situation in broad terms timestamp

Debts/Expenses:

  • "Special Financing Company LLC" $4'012 timestamp:

    • Down to about 3'000 now

    • Minimum payment $320

      • 240 to principal, 80 to finance charge?
    • Personal loan he took out to start the marketing business

    • Doesn't remember what the initial amount was

  • Taxes due timestamp:

    • Has not paid the IRS jannies :marseychad:

    • filed extension so he has until September

  • Interpersonal debts

    • Borrowed from them since he only made 600 in Feb?

    • Owes roommate about a $1'000

      • Paid off
    • Owes parents about $2'000

      • Not paid off
  • Student Loans timestamp

    • $49'845

    • Got a biology degree from "Old Dominion University" (Not sure I heard the name right)

    • Thinks it's between 4% and 6%

    • Probably minimum payment of $500

  • Another shot of The Spreadsheet, debts section this time timestamp

    • Verizon $1321

      • Financed an iPad and iPhone
    • Credit Card $6'628 timestamp

      • Cut it up sometime last month when he started making more money

      • Losing $100 in interest every month (18% in interest)

      • $164 minimum payment

      • Made $68 in purchases

Savings:

  • Nothing set aside for taxes currently

  • Nothing saved for Retirement

  • $4000 in his checking

  • Savings account 2100 ending balance timestamp

    • 3600 in 2000 out this month, might have gone to checking? Some Dave Ramsey thing about maintaining 1000 in savings

    • He starts going through all the debit transactions

      • Mysterious $148 charge from Alient timestamp

        • thinks he knows but doesnt want to say :marseythinkorino:

        • When I google Alient I only see a ceramics company and something that seems to have been acquired by AT&T

      • Best Buy $742 timestamp

        • Doesn't remember what this was, seems genuine this time :marseyxd:
57
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Door to door sales is insanely brutal, and the companies are straight up pyramid schemes where they have to train new r-slurred rubes and take a cut of their sales. I had a third party MLM contracted by an office supply company harassing me for years. Straight commission, of course. So if you don't sign up, they don't eat that night, and it shows. They were trained to try to sneak past the front desk person to bug the decision maker. One of them lied to me about the cost to try to make the sale. They always seemed on the verge of a total meltdown. A phone company showed up at my house a couple days ago where the trainee didn't actually speak English so she couldn't tell me what the offer was.

Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Link copied to clipboard
Action successful!
Error, please refresh the page and try again.