When I made $1 million, friends and family kept asking for money. I had to cut some relationships out of my life.

"I'm a first-generation American who grew up in an immigrant household where finances were rarely discussed. I knew my mother and stepfather worked hard, sometimes with multiple jobs, but I was not aware of the specifics of their debt, savings, salaries, or how they managed their finances. When I was 14, my parents found religion, and it changed the trajectory of our lives. When I told my parents I didn't want to go to seminary and become a pastor, they kicked me out of their home when I was 17 years old."

"At 18, I earned my commercial driver's license and started making money with my first business. That's when people started asking me for money, and the requests only intensified when I became a millionaire years later. My circumstances changed when I started a business at 19 I was working as a delivery driver for a bakery when I got the opportunity to start my first business, which involved deliveries. That business made a lot of money quickly. When my family and some friends saw how well the business was doing, they paid more attention to me. I thought those who'd been cold to me were coming around, but instead they asked for loans or for me to give them money outright."

"I eventually sold my delivery company and started an online business because I wanted to work from anywhere. I've been building my online business since 2011, and it's only grown. In 2023, I achieved a new level of financial success by surpassing the $1 million mark in cash collected. I set a goal for myself and made my first million. The requests only intensified, so I cut people out"

A first-generation American grew up in an immigrant household where finances were rarely discussed, and parents worked multiple jobs without revealing debts or savings. At 14 the family embraced religion; by 17 the person was expelled for refusing a seminary path. At 18 a commercial driver's license enabled the first business; by 19 a delivery company produced rapid income and attention from family and friends seeking loans and gifts. The entrepreneur later sold the delivery firm to build an online business from 2011 onward and surpassed $1 million in 2023. Persistent requests for money intensified, relationships fractured, and therapy helped establish financial boundaries.

Read at Business Insider