RENT IS DUE: A Real-Life Reminder That Success Is Never Owned

On the wall behind my desk hangs a framed Monopoly poster with bold black text that reads:

RENT DUE SUCCESS IS NEVER OWNED. ONLY RENTED. RENT IS DUE EVERY DAY.

It’s the first thing I see when I walk into my office each morning, and the last thing I glance at when I walk out at night. That image — that reminder — has become more than decoration. It’s a philosophy I live by.

Because success isn’t a trophy you win and put on a shelf. It’s rent — and the bill comes due every single day.

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The Grind Behind the Glory

People often say to me:

“Man, your business is about to blow up.” “That car looks clean. That house is nice.” “You look like money.”

They see the highlights. But they don’t see the 3 a.m. wake-ups, the 11:30 p.m. lights-out, the missed swim lessons with my son, or the date nights postponed with my wife.

They don’t see me staying after the team leaves — responding to emails, running numbers, fixing an ad, tweaking a design, triple-checking product mockups because I can’t afford to let the quality slide — not once.

They don’t see the part of business that feels like parenting. Your brand becomes like a child — it needs attention, nurturing, constant care. It grows fast. It keeps you up. It doesn’t say thank you. And if you ignore it too long, it starts to fall apart.

But still, you show up. Because rent is due.

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Overnight Success Is a Myth

Everyone loves to tell the one success story — but nobody ever talks about the 200 failures that came before it.

The products that flopped. The ads that didn’t convert. The stores that never called back. The months where nothing moved. The experts who took your money and gave nothing in return.

We all fall for the highlight reel sometimes — we see a brand take off and think, “Wow, they blew up overnight.”

But what we didn’t see were the 10–15 years they spent grinding in the dark. The hundreds of rejections before the first store said yes. The content they put out, not knowing if anyone would watch. The deals they tried that never worked. The late nights. The early mornings. The prayers. The doubt.

Just like a magazine cover.

We walk past the image and say, “Wow, she’s so beautiful.” But we don’t think about what it took to create that cover.

We don’t see the 5–6 hours of makeup, the 6-hour photoshoot, or the 5,000 to 10,000 pictures taken that day.

We don’t see the 3–4 months of narrowing those down to the top 100… Then another 2 months picking the best 10… Then another month and a half selecting one final image.

And even then — it gets airbrushed, color-corrected, and retouched before it ever hits the shelves.

We fall in love with the final image, not realizing how much time, effort, money, and patience went into creating it.

Success is the same way.

What looks effortless took everything.

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Why I Keep Going

Every now and then, somebody stops me in public and says:

“Man, I tried your sauce — we used it on chicken, mixed it in chili, glazed ribs with it. Bro, we even put it on grilled corn... It’s that good.”

That’s when it all makes sense again. That’s when the flame reignites.

Because real success isn’t always a million-dollar payout. It’s not always your brand in every store in the country.

Sometimes, success is a returning customer who loves your product and tells a friend. Sometimes, success is knowing you built something people can trust. Sometimes, success is showing your family that the legacy you’re building means something.

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What I’ve Learned

Success isn’t permanent. It’s not gifted. It’s rented.

And rent is due — every single day.

If you’re trying to build something — a brand, a business, a better life — remember this: The day you think you’ve “made it” is the day you fall behind.

Stay humble. Stay focused. Stay consistent and most of all stay blessed!