Working six days a week from 8am through to 6pm, Ian left for work when his young children were asleep and often arrived back from work when they'd been put to bed. 

He was making a good living, had a company car, holidays, and all the trimmings of material success but felt that something wasn't quite right, literally that the life was being sucked out of him, day by day.

Inspired by his love of cars, Ian had started out his working life as a mechanic, and worked his way up to senior management in the car industry. But senior management wasn't all it was cracked up to be, with constant targets to be met and number driven business goals. He didn't have any quality time for himself or his family and was well and truly part of the rat race. 

Ian became increasingly aware that there was more to life than the daily grind and the monotony of pacing car showrooms, balancing books and meeting targets for someone else's profit.

So Ian began researching his options for a get out plan and came across Nick James's story online. Nick's story struck a chord, his personal journey to success resonated with Ian and he thought, “I need to speak to this guy.”
Ian was still working full time at this point. He took the plunge and called up Nick and has never looked back.

After a long phone conversation everything clicked into place. Nick invited Ian and his wife along to one of his ‘Cracking the Code' Masterclasses in Heathrow and Ian remembers this as the turning point:

Ian recalls “I was very impressed with Nick and the Masterclass and came away full of ideas – with the information overload everyone speaks about. I then had to set to work breaking down the information but I knew, I knew instinctively, that I was then armed with the tools to make it work.”

One day, soon after, Ian finally had enough of the stresses of ‘senior management'. He'd had one board meeting too many – handed back the car keys and walked out of the car dealership.

Yes, he had a mortgage, but he also had a skill for fixing classic Ferrari's – which he could apply for pocket money – a ‘hobby' he could use to pay the bills whilst working on setting up his new business plan. Now he needed to fill in the rest of the salary.

Following the Masterclass, Ian joined Nick-James.com and found it to be a comprehensive resource. Ian comments: “It was and remains the first place I go to for advice – as Nick has done it all. Nick helped me turn my business idea into reality, and has been an invaluable support throughout the journey.  From guidance on website design and hosting through to consultation on sales letter copy, content and marketing ideas – Nick has helped me focus my energies and been a sounding board for new ideas.”

With advice and guidance from Nick-James.com along with nearly three decades of personal experience, Ian wrote and self published ‘Garage Secrets' – the first book he's ever written. It's selling very nicely indeed.

And what's Ian's life like now? Well, he's bought the Ferrari that he'd dreamed about for the past twenty years and is rapidly closing the income gap left through leaving his last job.  He can see a clear income progression and now knows how to make money – and make money work for him. In fact, he'll freely admit to having caught the entrepreneurship bug. 

He spends more time with his wife and three children; and has gone from the man who couldn't make parents evening to the dad who does the school run.

Ian concludes “There's a way out of the rat race. It's not easy, trust me, but it can be done. The reason people put up with the 9-5 are the responsibilities that come with it. When I left the dealership over a year ago, I had a backup plan – that if I couldn't make it work alone I'd go back there.  I now have a lot of rather curious friends – friends who are still in suits.  It has been poignant; every time I see them they always ask me when I'm coming back. And we both know that I won't be.  I already have so many new ideas for books and projects, I know I made the right choice.”

“I came out of a different world – Nick has opened my eyes to possibilities – I feel like I've started again.  My final words? You can do this on your own, but you're going to get stuck – and that's where Nick comes in.”

See http://garagesecrets.co.uk/ for Ian's latest project.