In the early ‘90s at age 20, Andrew Greenstein stuttered so severely that he could barely say his own name without a violent struggle. Believing the corporate world would never accept him, Greenstein launched his online term paper assistance site in 1994 (www.fastpapers.com and hundreds of others like it). By 1996, he had developed quite an operation from his small New Jersey condo via a dial-up modem. He had sales coming in globally, phones ringing off the hook day and night, and staff around the country working for him. He never had to say a word. It was all digital. Greenstein worked as many as 125 hours per week perfecting the art of the Internet sale, specialized in search engine placement long before it was called SEO, and was a multimillionaire by the time he was 25. He had created what were then unique online marketing strategies to dramatically increase website traffic with hardly any advertising budget at all. Long before Google was a household name or placed any importance on backlinks, Greenstein saw the practical importance of getting large volumes of relevant sites to “refer” their visitors to his own.
Before launching the term paper assistance sites, Greenstein’s only work experience was the high school jobs he had at supermarkets and fast food chains. He acquired a degree in marketing and business but knew he wanted so much more. He shares, “I always saw couples in their 20s and 30s so concerned about money, budgeting, and whether or not they could pay their bills. I wanted to simply create my own income streams and make enough to live such that I didn’t have to worry whether the lobster cost more than the crab on the menu.”
Greenstein squashed most of the competition in his industry and by the year 2001, he had sold his business for millions and retired at the age of 28 — with a plan to invest his huge nest egg in tax-free municipal bonds and live luxuriously off of the interest. He traveled the world, participated in unique charities, and even retired his own parents to Florida. On the side, he created a self-run search engine: Azoos.Com. While not very efficient, the search engine cashed in on that era’s “paid site submission” phase and brought in an extra easy $70,000/year while retired. He dabbled in sites like ChargebackPrevention.com to help online credit card merchants learn to prevent revenue loss from chargebacks — but, mostly, he spent those years doing what so few ever get to do: enjoying his success.
Since then, Greenstein has disciplined himself to overcome his stuttering problem, began doing motivational speaking from time to time, and has raised two children who are now in their tweens and teens, and has “gone back to work at home” while they’re in school. He now runs a successful resume writing site (ResumeWritingGroup.com) and has built 3 unique mansions he rents out to high-end tourists in the Orlando, FL area for vacations and family reunions. Most incredibly, he markets those 3 mansions strictly online — using the same tactics and strategies that made him successful in the first place. His game-themed estate home “The Great Escape Lakeside” (GreatEscapeLakeside.com) is on 10 privately gated acres, sleeps up to 45 people, and has been featured on Fox News and in The Guinness Book of World Records. His other estates have been on HGTV and in major travel, decorating, and other magazines. Greenstein says, “Just a few years ago, I never could’ve predicted I would own homes with laser mazes and escape rooms — or that I’d be marketing them as vacation rentals around the world.”
Greenstein remarks, “I think outside the box and try not to be a stringent, stressed planner like so many other entrepreneurs. I believe life is about being in the moment and just having FUN. When I live, love, and let go, ideas flow more freely. I don’t think time flies when you’re truly having fun. People get into routines, and then wonder, ‘Where did the year go?’ — but when your days and weeks are filled with truly unique experiences, you look back at last month and say, “Wow, that seems like so long ago now, so many experiences ago.”
Since 1994, Greenstein has worked only for himself … at home. His “goal” is to never hold any kind of corporate job and to continue to defy mainstream ideas about business and marketing, doing things “his own way” to generate his own income — when, where, and how he wants. He advises, “Be the boss you’ve always dreamed of. For me, that boss is smart, thinks outside the box, but is also relaxed, fun, forgiving, and willing to laugh and let go.”
