The Recipe for Wealth........ #32
- Adrian Dionisio - business737 owner
- Aug 25, 2021
- 10 min read
Updated: May 21, 2024
Every evening at sundown Luca and Alfredo made the frantic dash from one side of the town to another. Their scooters made a huge racket as the sped from location to location collecting the fresh bread, wine, olive oil and cheese requested by Mr Marcos.
“Tomorrow we are going to meet 30 mins earlier” shouted Luca as they sped towards the marina.
“You always say the same thing” grumbled Alfredo, “but every day you make us late and go on this crazy race”.
“Have we ever been late for Mr Marcos? “countered Luca instantly. Alfredo didn’t reply as they saw Mr Marcos’s boat enter the marina.
As Mr Marcos’s boat docked, the two teenagers securely moored it, as they had done many times before. They helped his lady friend off the boat and gave Mr Marcos the hamper full of the fresh delicacies they had collected for him.
"Thanks you boys" said Mr Marcos jovially as he discreetly handed them a crisp note each.
“Thank you Mr Marcos, enjoy your picnic” said Alfredo.
“Mr Alberto said he put something extra special for you with your prosciutto” added Luca. The boys watched as Mr Marcos and his lady friend got into their car and drove to the Sierra for an early evening picnic.
“That Bastardo” said Luca playfully as he watched the open top car drive into the distance.
“How every day does that old man have a goddess one more beautiful than the other. Every day he takes them around the marina in the boat and then he go for his picnic in the Olive grove by the Church of St Adelphi”!
“I wish I could be like him” sighed Alfredo. “We have to find more work to get rich like him”.
“It’s nothing to do with work!” laughed Luca. “They say when he lived in America he was the luckiest man alive. He found a suitcase of money, went to the casino there and made his fortune!”
“Rubbish!” snapped Alfredo. “Don Mafasone said he never gambled and he made his fortune with his own hands, from nothing”
“How can you make that much from nothing? You are foolish Alfredo. You know Genero? Well his uncle said that he was also involved with the Chiesi family when he lived in America, and that’s how he became rich”.
“Does he seem the kind of person that would be involved with the Chiesi family? Rubbish. You talk rubbish Luca not me!”
“You know what they say Alfredo, never judge a book by the cover. There is only one way to make so much money, and it is not taking the straight road my friend”.
“Ok, ok” said a fed up Alfredo. “Let’s find out once and for all. Every Sunday when we clean his boat he comes to check it and pay us. I will ask him how he get so rich and we will know the truth. If anyone can tell us how to make a life like his life, it’s Mr Marcos”.
Every Sunday afternoon, after their lunch the two boys would make their way to the Marina Corta to clean Mr Marcos’s boat. He never used his boat on a Sunday. It would take them all afternoon and was hard work, but Mr Marcos was generous. The pay was good. He would always appear just before they would finish. He would pay them and tell them his boating plans for the week ahead. This particular Sunday the boys worked without stopping. They wanted to finish everything before Mr Marcos arrived. They wanted to find out his secret, how he achieved what he had achieved.
Mr Marcos arrived and Alfredo didn’t miss the chance.
“Mr Marcos, I appreciate what you pay us and the chance to work for you, but please tell me how did you get all these riches you have!”
Mr Marcos smiled a huge smile and laughed heartily. I can tell you the story boys, let’s sit and have a refreshment. Hopefully you will understand what I have to say. I hope it will not only last your lifetime but you can pass it down through generations. Unfortunately, many have asked me this very question and it falls on deaf ears. Nevertheless, I feel I have a duty to pass on the learning that I have been blessed with and lucky enough to receive. Listen now my young friends, listen with open ears and an open mind and heart.
"As a man leaves childhood behind, he starts to increase his desires, wants and ambitions. Everyone wants a happier life with more freedom, opportunities and more doors open to him. Everyone has plans, desires and certain goals? Ask yourself, how man people actually know how to fulfil them? It is often not that easy. Many people spend their entire lives without every finding a map or path to get where they want to beg".
"Everyone has a vision of the life they want to live, but only a few know how to accomplish it. I can’t answer why that it is, but when you travel the world you can see all around you that it is an undeniable fact. Too many people stumble around in darkness not knowing the light needed to find their path is always and has always been inside them".
"Money is a necessity for you me and everyone else. Money doesn’t make you happy, for many this is true. Money is the root of all evil, for many this too is true. It all depends on the individual. But what is true, for everyone, is that money is a necessity for surviving and also for reaching your true potential. It allows you to fulfil the highest expression of yourself".
"It’s it not difficult to get rich, what’s difficult is to stay rich" Mr Marcos continued. "Being wealthy and successful is a skill, an art. Money has rules and energy that governs it, a universal law that never changes. This law governs its acquisition, maintenance and increase. My father taught me this, God rest his soul".
"Do you know I grew up in this town? Yes, when I was a young boy my father took us all to Chicago. He had a cousin there and was convinced of the opportunities he would have there. So we packed up and left. He had been working and saving for years to be able to do so, and he was determined to go this this land and make his dreams a reality".
"My mother and father sold everything and off we went. I will never forget the dirty smoke filled air of Chicago. The constant noise of traffic, car horns, shout and screams. It was nonstop, incessant, no one paused there for even one second. This is where you can make things happened my father told me full of enthusiasm. I will not bore you with all the details but three days after my 17th birthday my father was killed in an accident. He was well on his way to achieving all that the wanted before he was taken from us".
"After the funeral, my mother gave something to me. As the oldest of 5 children and now the man of the house, she wanted me to have my father’s notebook. She said this book was the result of his study leading up to us leaving for America. It was his plan and formula how to make generational wealth in New York. My mother said it was ten years in the making and how he re-read it every night before reading some verses of the bible. It was a small worn out note book and on it was written “la ricetta”; the recipe".
The notebook was filled with notes, scribbles, torn and missing pages. It had endless quotes, reminders, lessons but it was all summarised by the centre pages where “la ricetta” was written. I hope you guys will never forget this recipe to get riches.
1. Work – money is earned not made
2. Control expenses – there will always be an urge to buy many things on offer but you must have self-discipline and control spending in relation to your earning.
3. Multiply – what you have saved by making wise decisions
4. Protect your money from loss
5. Pay generously for what is important like where you live and the food you eat
6. Plan to secure future income
7. Continually increase your ability to earn
These seven commandments are all you really need to know. But it is not enough just to know them, you must understand them deeply and profoundly throughout your essence.
Let me tell you, in Chicago I grew up with 3 close friends with whom I shared the secret of my father’s notebook. Freddy Affaludo, Mikey Pimencano and Richie Vialli all knew my father well. They all respected him. Often they would come over and my father would cook us risotto and we would eat till our stomachs nearly exploded. We were good friends. We were on our own and had little help apart from the advice from beyond my fathers grave. We set about building our fortunes".
"We all worked hard and earned money wherever we could. Freddy worked in the kitchens and soon built a fine reputation as a great chef. Mikey worked at the docks and became known as the guy who could get you anything at a fraction of the normal price. Richie and I worked together in construction. None of us had glamorous jobs but the money was coming in and we were building a foundation and platform for ourselves".
"Now out of all of us, it was Freddy and Mikey who were earning the most money, perhaps three times as much as Richie and I. For all the money Freddy was making he soon gambled it away. At first, it was not a big problem, but after he got married and had children, well, that’s when it got really bad. The stakes were now much higher, and he kept chasing the big win. Still to this day he lives in Chicago and his situation hasn’t much changed from his mid twenties, apart from he is divorced and older, he is still chasing that illusive win. The tragedy is when he gets it, he will soon lose it, and start the chase all over again. That’s how gambling works".
"Mikey never gambled but his loved the drink and smoke. That led him to disaster. The more he made the more he would party. He started to live for the weekend, whatever he made, he spent. He earned very well and has a few side hustles so, for many years, he could easily support this lifestyle. We drifted apart. As the years rolled by he stayed with the same mentality and never elevated beyond this position. Times got harder for him and he started to lend his limited money at high interest rates. He had read in the notebook where it say lend a friend money, lose a friend. Often it’s better to give a friend money rather than borrow it. I have learned that through experience. I have also made poor investment decisions, fortunately not that disastrous because they were always made with care and caution. Mickey got a life sentence for trying to get a debt repaid, sometimes it is better to let it go and swallow your pride as they say".
"Richie Vialli didn’t make nearly as much as the other guys but he saved and protected what he made. He took every opportunity to work overtime and other jobs too. He reduced his spending to a minimum. He always said how he wasn’t going to waste what the worked so hard to get. He would only spend on the essentials and while he was young, full of energy and strength he wasn’t afraid to put in the hours".
"Richie saved, saved and saved. Then, at the right moment, when the correct opportunity came by, he invested wisely. An uncle of his needed an investment partner in a venture to bring clothes from Milan and sell them in downtown. His uncle was a very honest, hardworking and prudent business man. His had integrity and his word was his bond. Richie invested his money and would see it frequently double if not triple. He would continue to save and soon after he had accumulated enough to purchase property which he duly rented out whilst still sleeping in the basement of a house share. Richie roughed it whilst he was single and with no family nor responsibilities".
"After many years in the construction industry he became very experienced and skilled. He started his own interior decoration and refurbishment business on the North side. Again, he was prudent with his money. He kept all his business accounts up to date and reinvested all his profits to grow his business. He grew is and as he got bigger he started to buy run down dilapidated properties for cash, renovated and sell them at a huge profit".
"Richie Vialli and I followed the same path. We did everything together. We were partners and had an equal mindset. We regularly referred back to my fathers notebook, the recipe and this set the foundation for our success. When I moved back here Richie went with his wife to Cancun Mexico where he lives a good life and like me, we enjoy the fruits of our labours".
"One more thing I will tell you about my father’s notebook. It he mentioned 5 golden rules to which he said we should always adhere to. Save at least 1/5 of your earnings for family and the future. At the very minimum. Find work for your money so that it can flourish and multiply. The money is loyal, and it will stay with the owner who protects and looks after it. However it will escape from those who are not loyal, committed and protective. IT will escape from those who leave it under the supervision of frauds, trickster and the dishonest".
"So youngsters, what more is there to say? There is no short cut. You both at a young age realise that hard work is necessary. May you both stay with this mindset forever. But remember, you work this hard, so waste not and want not, as the scriptures tell us. Pay your debts on time, take care of your family and be compassionate. Acquire wisdom, knowledge and understanding".
"Always invest in yourself and increase your skill. This is the best investment you can ever make, invest in yourself. I see so many people now enticed by the magic beans, get quick rich solutions. Investments may or may not work. Don’t invest your money with fools. Remember, with investments there is always a risk, so ask yourself; can you afford to lose this money if all goes wrong? The best investment is in things that you can control, things that you will keep forever, and that is investment in yourself. Always increase you knowledge, skill and understanding. With that you can never go wrong. Remember, don’t listen to what people say but watch what the best people do".
"Now go home, take this for today’s payment, the advice is free. I will see you both tomorrow and I will ask you both to tell me what is your version of la ricetta, I’m sure my lady friend will wait while I talk important business with my two young proteges".
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