Life won’t wait for you to get serious

I turned 35 this year.

And I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how fast life moves.

• 10 years ago, I was in the Army, fully expecting to stay there until retirement

• The day my daughter was born feels like it just happened — and now she’s five

• In 2020, I didn’t own a single business. Today, I have eight

It all passed in the blink of an eye.

If I’ve learned anything from the last decade, it’s this:

Life won’t wait for you to get serious.

Back in my 20s, I used to think I had forever.

I’d tell myself I’d get disciplined later… get serious about money later… think about legacy later.

Thankfully, I did (eventually) get my act together.

I started treating my time, money, and habits as tools to build a future I actually wanted — instead of chasing goals other people handed me, or wasting energy on short-term pleasures with no upside.

But a word to the wise: I wish I’d developed that stewardship mindset a lot sooner!

Because you don’t suddenly “level up” into being a successful adult at 30 or 40.

You arrive carrying the habits you’ve repeated, the decisions you’ve made, and the character you’ve built (or ignored).

We are the sum of all our choices, whether we like it or not. And if I’d understood that in my early 20s, I’d be a decade ahead of where I am now.

On that note...

Here’s something else I’ve realized:

Responsibility doesn’t shrink your life. It expands it.

I’m having more fun in my mid-30s than I ever did in my 20s... and not in the “clubbing and bottle service” kind of way.

I mean real fun — time with my kids, running businesses I care about, doing work that matters.

And it started with those small, almost invisible choices that don’t look like much in the moment but compound like crazy over time.

This stewardship mindset is what drove me to buy my first business in 2020.

I worked a soul-sucking job at JP Morgan, with young kids and a growing family to support.

But I knew I couldn’t wait for the “perfect moment” to start taking control of my future.

To me, buying that first business wasn’t just a career move.

It was me taking full ownership of my life.

Since then, my mission has been to help others do the same.

I’ve taught hundreds of students inside Acquisition Ace how to buy small, profitable businesses, giving them the tools to:

• Achieve financial freedom

• Reclaim their time

• And build a legacy they’re proud of

If that piques your interest (even if you’re brand new to acquisitions), I’d love to hear from you.

Fill out this quick 2-minute survey and I’ll keep you in mind as deals come across my desk:

👉 I want to buy or invest in a business

And if you already own a business and want to explore selling it, tell me about it here:

👉 I’m thinking of selling my business

Onward,

— Ben Kelly