How to Double Your Salary in 4 Years Without Kissing Anyone's A**
Back when I was in college, I worked nights at the local gas station. I knew how to do everything there and had more seniority than most. I certainly should have been making more than $6.95 an hour. It was right around this time of year (mid-December) and you know what that means... holiday bonuses were around the corner. At the annual holiday party, I was given my envelope.
The bonus was quite modest, but after all, I worked for a small operation in a very small town. I knew they couldn't afford much more. I felt great about it all up until I heard from a fellow co-worker/friend of mine about how much her check was. Boy, I felt taken advantage of after that.
I've never been one to suck up to my boss, because the thought of it makes me sick. My relationship with my boss at the gas station never went any further than just the kid working there and the guy signing his paycheck. I've learned since then that if you don't have a relationship with your boss/the one who's paying you, you're probably not going to be paid a lot. Tough luck.
I eventually transferred to the big city university to study business and upon graduating, I fell into an opportunity at another small business, smaller than the one I'd worked for earlier, but much more full of potential. I started out making double what I made at the former job, thanks to my big wig college education, but not as much as many recent graduates were making.
I could barely pay my own way as I was now in the "real world". I had rent, utilities, student loans, gas, furniture and groceries to buy. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about here.
Over the next four years, I'd double my salary from barely getting by to being able to save enough money to quit my job. Reactions from friends and family went from "you don't have benefits?" to "can you get me a job there?". It was all done without kissing any a** either, if I may add.
How I Doubled My Salary in Four Years
I have no idea if what I did will work for you, but here's what I did to double my salary in just four years:
I showed up every single day - In the six plus years I worked there, I didn't once call in sick. I know you can't help it when you're sick, but sometimes you just have to plow through it and go in. This doesn't mean I never took days off because I did. But I went in whether I was sick or not and plowed through it, for over six years.
I learned all I could about the business - I was a sponge that first year or two working there. I kept an ear turned towards my boss's office day after day, learning everything about the company and what he was trying to build. I never turned down an opportunity to learn something new that could help me add value. Headphones? Never. I needed to be listening for opportunities.
I kept my boss's interests top of mind - In addition to learning all I could about the business, I also learned about what my boss was trying to accomplish in the coming months/years. I'd start planning my goals/projects in alignment with his goals. I'd even help others build their plans around my boss's agenda. After all, it didn't matter what I or the other people on the team wanted, it only mattered what my boss wanted, since he was signing the paychecks.
I learned to NOT be selfish as much as possible - I think this one set me apart and might be the most important thing I did. I learned to not put my needs first. Back at the gas station job, I put my needs first. I didn't care about the success of others, and that hurt me. But at this job, I learned to care about the success of others. For some reason, I had seen more success than most, and I wanted to help them all get to where I was.
So I started listening to others. I started showing them what I knew. I included them in on my conversations and asked them if they wanted to help with my projects. Soon, I'd become their "mentor" naturally. At my 3rd holiday party with the company, one of my favorite co-workers of all time actually started crying when mentioning how I helped her. From then on, it was game on with helping my co-workers. Even if it wasn't going to help me, I knew it was helping them and that became important to me. *Miss ya Amy!
I learned to mingle and schmooze - I'm an introvert. I don't really like talking to people (okay.. that's not true), but I don't care for small talk, especially on topics that I'm "not into". Mingling with industry executives at conferences and conventions purely for the goal of impressing my boss and helping to create sales is probably on my top 10 list of most uncomfortable things to do. But, da' gummit, I learned to do it and do it well.
Soon, this introvert was out drumming up all kinds of business, even though it was terribly unnatural. The trick is to just do it, even if you're not that great at it. I wasn't great at it, but just the fact that I was willing to do it put me miles ahead of most.
I asked for forgiveness instead of permission - After a year or two of doing all these things, I was the guy people looked to before acting. I was that guy people went to for help and who they looked to for making decisions. Why was this? Probably because I just made decisions, regardless of whether or not it was the right one. Knowing what my boss wanted to accomplish, (or at least thinking I did), because I spent so much time listening to what he was doing, I just started making decisions based on "what I believed he would do".
And so I did this. Half the time my boss would come back and be unhappy with me for it, but the other half of the time, he would say "Hmm.., okay". Often times, six months down the road from the decisions he didn't approve, he'd come back and say, "Wow, that was one of the best things we've done here". Sometimes, when you make decisions, they take months to actually show positive impact. Boy, those months can be hard too when your boss doesn't especially believe in your decision.
My Overall Lessons Learned
All in all, it was the thinking about others and helping them that created the value for my boss. He and I had a good relationship for the most part without any a** kissing. In my world, that's an IDEAL relationship to have with your boss.
One thing I never was able to do was "stay under the radar" and just do my job, quietly. I always made ripples, because that's just who I am. Making ripples is how things get changed. I changed countless things, all the way from the way the teams were organized to the way three-quarters of the company used and shared information.
In order to increase your income, don't think about entitlement. Instead, ask yourself this question: What can I do to create real value for my boss and this company/organization? And don't ask permission, just start doing it. No one's going to tell you what you can do to get paid more. If they do, it's for a mere buck or two an hour raise. If you want to increase your salary by $20,000 in a single year like I did, you'll need to think big thoughts like:
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How can I change the way our team manages their day-to-day projects?
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How can I change the attitudes of our entire team?
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How can I create a new information system to track x, y and z and increase a, b and c exponentially?
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How can I help Jane, John and Sally be more awesome?
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How can I help my boss accomplish x?
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How can I make some serious waves here?
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How can I borrow/buy and read the book "Linchpin" by Seth Godin before work tomorrow?
Oh and by the way, don't call in sick, unless you're in excruciating pain, throwing up every 10 minutes or dying. If you're going to put in 40 hours every single week and basically give up most of your life for your job, you might as well give it all you got, increase your pay exponentially and make a serious impact on both your company and all the people you work with. If you're not doing those things, then what's the point of it all? For a mere paycheck? Psssh. That's no way to live.
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24 Comments
- Fast Weekly says:December 15, 2013 at 6:31 PM
Funny how many employees never do more than "just showing up". I know I expected more than that from my team, and anywhere (that's worth working at) will also. Think you'll double your income in 2014, as compared with 2013? -Bryan
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 15, 2013 at 8:38 PM
Bryan, I can't tell you what's all in store for 2014. I sure hope it's a successful year, but I'm prepared in case it takes longer than just the year. I hope all is well and that you've got plans for a great holiday season! Talk to you soon!
- Sam says:December 15, 2013 at 9:25 PM
Congrats for your success! How much did you end up making? Double in four is huge! Cheers
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 15, 2013 at 9:28 PM
Sam, Thanks. I actually don't feel comfortable putting that out there for several reasons, mainly with former co-workers being readers. Feel free to send me an email if you'd like to discuss privately. Hope you're doing well and having a great holiday season!
- Financial Samurai says:December 16, 2013 at 12:39 PM
No worries man. I was just thinking having an actual number would provide a little more perspective.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 16, 2013 at 12:41 PM
I didn't make six figures, put it that way. Far from it. But I was still able to save over half of my take-home pay. It just goes to show that it can be done without a huge income. That's one of the reasons I'm so inspired by what Jason's doing over at DividendMantra.com.
- Cash Rebel says:December 16, 2013 at 7:26 AM
I remember exactly where I was when I truly realized why some people got paid a ton, and why some make almost nothing. It's all about how much value you can provide to your business, not how uniformly you do your prescribed role. The first project that saved more than double my salary each year for my company finally made me understand how to be successful and increase my salary at an alarming rate.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 16, 2013 at 9:35 AM
CR, You're right. And if you're in a job where simply showing up gets you the paycheck, you're probably not going to be making much or getting a pay increase. Again, the book, Linchpin is a good one on this topic. Have you read it? Take care,
- theFIREstarter says:December 21, 2013 at 10:56 AM
I have only come to realise some of these facts of business very slowly over the course of my career, in the last few years really. I wish I'd read this article 10 years ago! Although would I have paid attention to it? Maybe not. Just turning up to work does not cut it, and being as selfless as possible are the two key things to realise in my opinion, and as soon as you realise that your pay rises will start going through the roof. Finding the passion to get started is sometimes hard as you have to trust in that your hard work will pay off with no promises, but as it starts to then it becomes easier to keep going at it even harder. Unfortunately most people do not realise this or find it hard to motivate themselves, but fortunately for those of us that do, we get paid more! Win! :)
- December 16, 2013 at 9:02 AM
I more than doubled my salary in less than one year, but honestly it was only because I was grossly underpaid at my first position. I am going for a 20% pay raise in the next month of two as well, so I feel like four years from now I will definitely be able to say something similar. Congrats!
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 16, 2013 at 9:37 AM
Alicia, Perfect. Sounds like a good plan. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you as obviously, pay increases as an employee are usually outside of our control (one of the reasons why I decided to venture out on my own). Good luck again and take care!
- Dimitriy says:December 16, 2013 at 9:55 AM
Awesome Post Bro. Not really on topic here but.... Just want to say that I trust the advice here because I've been reading your posts for over a year now, and know what kind of honest guy you are. On the other hand, there is so much job advice on the web that I wouldn't know, whether to trust or not because I just don't know the source. It's awesome to be able to go to a sight and not worry about whether or not content is the truth. Great Site!
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 16, 2013 at 9:57 AM
Dimitriy, I appreciate that. Thanks a lot. Take care,
- Pura Vida Nick says:December 16, 2013 at 1:30 PM
Kraig, I love your last paragraph - if you're going to be giving so much time to your job, might as well give it all you've got and increase your pay, and make an impact on the company and people. Great stuff!
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 16, 2013 at 2:20 PM
Nick, Yes, otherwise, what the heck is the point? Just doing it for a paycheck is not worth it, in my opinion. Take care, Nick!
- This Life On Purpose says:December 16, 2013 at 4:51 PM
This is great advice. I have a hard time going in when I feel sick, even though I know some people go in when they feel sick and just power through. I just feel as though my health should be a priority over my job, and I generally don't perform my job well when I'm feeling under the weather.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 16, 2013 at 4:53 PM
Noëlle, Point well made. Your health is more important than your job. If it's one or the other, definitely pick your health. But if it's not going to affect your health by going in, then I'd say just go in. Hope all is well and that you're staying warm up there!
- Betsy @ ConsumerFu.com says:December 21, 2013 at 9:14 PM
It is fine to go to work if you don't feel well, but if you are actually sick with anything other than the common cold, stay home. Nobody thinks you are a hard working hero when you are spreading strep, flu or pneumonia around the office. Like Nick, I like the final paragraph. I had a job once where I dreaded going in each day and I literally psyched myself up for it and threw myself into the job. I quit dreading the work. I still didn't like the people I was working with, but I liked our customers and by putting my entire focus on them I changed how I felt about the job. That was a heck of a lot easier than changing jobs!
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:January 31, 2014 at 8:51 AM
Betsy, You're right. Spreading sickness isn't a good idea. Yes, changing your attitude and "psyching yourself up" everyday before work sounds like a great plan! I definitely did that many times and it worked out well for me. Take care,
- Wade says:December 25, 2013 at 9:50 AM
Merry Christmas Kraig and all readers!
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:December 25, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Thanks, Wade! Merry Christmas to you too!
- Dan says:February 4, 2014 at 8:54 AM
The most important thing that you listed here, by far, is asking for forgiveness rather than permission. If you can do this while keeping you boss's and your company's goals in mind, you'll be a rock star. Thanks for the insightful article.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:February 4, 2014 at 8:57 AM
Hi Dan, The point you picked is a great one. I do agree that it's likely the most important. With the limitations of having to ask for permission to do everything, you'll just never be able to do big things, as you know. Obviously, the only way to do things is with the company's goals in mind. You bet. Glad you stopped by!
- Thomas Sumrak says:April 7, 2015 at 3:15 PM
I have always identified myself as an introvert as well and it was terribly difficult to "just do it." I would literally feel sick before talking to someone. What ended up helping was to make it into a sort of goal/game. I would need to initiate so many conversations with strangers at a party or send out a certain number of emails. While it still is uncomfortable, I've found getting past the point of comfort has really brought some great benefits for my career and self esteem. But yea, great post that I could really relate to. Thanks!
