Full-Time YouTubing, Medical Tourism, and Retired by 30|Mike and Lauren - a podcast by Cody of Fly to FI and Justin aka Saving Sherpa
from 2019-01-15T08:00:23
In today’s episode, Cody and Justin bring you the dynamic duo of Mike and Lauren. You may know them from their fantastic DIY YouTube videos or hearing about their huge European travels.
These two have had some interesting jobs: experimental marketing, gemologist, commercial real estate, and YouTube guru to name a few. They've never had a typical desk-job but that hasn't stopped them from being retired by age 30!
Oh, and did I forget to mention they have two kids which they gave birth to in Costa Rica? Trust me there's a lot to unfold her so you'll want to listen for sure.
Episode SummaryMet when 12
Dated at 15Married at 19 and 21
Never had a desk job but have been employed a couple timesStarted a commercial cleaning company in college in 2007
Got successful so he dropped out of collegeShe moved to New York City and became a gemologist
They lived with family while she was getting her gemologist certificationShe now stays home with her two kids
She started making $50k after her 6 months of schoolingHe then got into this experiential marketing gig where one of his jobs was to create a mobile quicksand booth
He talks about the hardest part of starting his cleaning his business was going door to door and getting told no so many times as he tried to get the word out
They got their first big contract was through word of mouth but they underbid by a large marginThey initially bid $10k per month and then quickly realized they needed to increase to $24k per month and their client was totally cool with it
She worked at Saks 5th Avenue and Tiffany's
They loved NYC but it was just too cold for them after 3 years thereHe did some lighting and production for a church and she worked at a friends Jewelry store when they moved back to Florida
They both worked at those for 4 years and quitShe quit to have their first son and he quit to go full time on YouTube in 2016
His first year on YouTube he made $20kHis second year that jumped to $68k
They did a 10 week trip for two across Europe for $10k which spurred the idea of doing YouTube travel videosThey jump into how they still continue to travel even with kids including a 7-week backpacking trip to Europe
They recommend traveling a little slower with kids and not bouncing from city to city every couple days but maybe every weekAfter seeing some success from their YouTube channel they started making online courses
They gave birth to both kids in Costa RicaThey did so to get dual citizenship and avoid a lot of health care costs
U.S. healthcare wouldn’t give them exact quotes while Costa Rica gave them a specific menuThey gained full citizenship and their children gained dual citizenship to Costa Rica
They had the affordable care act plans which allowed them to have really low cost of insurance due to their low income when coveredThey pay $50 per month to be a part of Costa Rica’s universal health care system as a fall back plan
They retired when he was 30 and now just blog, YouTube and travelThey’re cash flow FI vs the traditional large nest egg FI
They completed the purchase of a warehouse were the cash-flow comes from through owner financingThe warehouse needed a good bit of work that Mike was able to do mostly himself outside of some plumbing and electrical
Key TakeawaysStability isn't necessary: We often stay focused on building careers and working our way up ladders. They showed that we can keep things fresh and do a wide variety of jobs and still make perfect progress towards early retirement.
Don't assume America is the answer: They chose to go outside of the U.S. for healthcare and it was only partly to save money. They also appreciated the transparency and stated that the level of care was beyond what they would have gotten at a local hospital anyways. Challenge assumptions such as the U.S. being your option for healthcare.
Further episodes of The Financial Independence Show
Further podcasts by Cody of Fly to FI and Justin aka Saving Sherpa