The Game: Earn a Million Dollars Starting with One Dime
My name is Sean, and my plan is to grow a dime I found on the street into a million dollars. I got the idea from a fairly well-known article by Stuart Goldsmith, called “Double Your Way to a Million.” I discovered it during one of those fits of daydreaming you have when you really ought to be working, but you hate your job.
If you’re like me, you like to hatch all sorts of wacky schemes to get your hands on what’s known as “go-to-hell money” (defined as enough money to be comfortable telling your boss to do exactly that). The Internet is full of get-rich-quick schemes, of course, and we all know that 99.9% of them are scams. Still, the breathless marketing language can make for entertaining reading (more entertaining than civil lawsuit motions, at any rate). So when I heard mention of Mr. Goldsmith’s report on one of the bulletin boards I frequent, I decided to have a look.
How to Earn a Million Dollars From Street Change
 The Original Million-Dollar Dime |
The essay describes a sort of “game” where you try to make a million dollars literally out of nothing. Like any other game, there are rules, and the number-one rule in this case is that you’re not allowed to use any of your own money. Your initial stake must come from change you find lying in the street.
Naturally the idea seemed a little silly at first, and I soon forgot all about it.
Big Internet Money Making Ideas
Then sites like One Red Paperclip and the Million-Dollar Homepage started popping up and proving that, as it turns out, these sorts of wacky ideas actually can work if you have the faith to follow through with them.
It comes down to this: If Kyle MacDonald can trade a red paperclip for a house, why can’t I make a million dollars from street change? I can’t think of a good reason, nor can I come up with an excuse not to try it.
Building Real Wealth From Nothing
I started scanning the streets like a hawk, and it wasn’t long until I found my starting stake, a shiny new dime. (Actually it’s from 1999, so it’s not all that new, but it’s still shiny.) This site is named after that first shiny dime, and will serve to track my progress. You can see my version of the rules here. I’ve made some minor changes to Mr. Goldsmith’s rules for convenience, and to reflect recent advances in the Internet, but I have made every effort to stick to the spirit of the original.
Just 24 Steps to Earn a Million Dollars
Starting with one dime, I only need to double my stake 24 times, and I will have almost $1.7 million. Just 24 steps — that doesn’t sound that hard, does it? I will document every transaction here on this site, so watch this space.
Last but not least, I encourage you to try the game as well!
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You’re insane. Good luck.
i found 95 cents in the gutter last week: that’s three quarters and two dimes, folks. i wonder how many steps it will take for me to pay off my student loans totaling 225,000 after interest. obviously, my degree didn’t instruct me on such matters, as i can’t do the math nor meet the monthly payments!
Listen, I can respect the game because now you are putting yourself on a track. A track of constant thinking and listening. Your listening for ideas and your thoughts and actions are drawing the type of responses you expect. Only, I believe you must take it seriously. It’s not impossible, go for it buddy. I am with you!
Good luck to you. You have inspired me to start a site called milliondollarnickel!
Hey, Man I’d been following you since you fist started! I hope there is something else going on and you haven’t given up! Keep Going!
Thanks Andy, check the latest post. I have not given up, nor will I until I reach my goal, but remember, the goal has no time limit
I’ve been reading through some of your posts and I love your views on passive income. I’m also attempting to turn money I found on the street into 1 million. I’ve been buying and selling items on eBay, but this is only going to get me so far.