I Got There: Summary and Review
I Got There: How a Mixed-Race Kid Overcame Racism, Poverty, and Abuse to Arrive at the American Dream by JT McCormick
Review
JT’s story is incredible, but the book is mediocre. You can skip the book and listen to JT’s interview on the Noah Kagan show instead, the podcast production is much better:
How JT McCormick Went from Broke and Homeless to CEO of an 8-Figure Business
The podcast interview already covers most of JT’s memoirs (it overlaps perfectly with the book); you can read the book only if for some reason you want more nitty details that fill in some edges but aren’t that memorable or important to his life story.
My favourite part:
If JT were to lose everything, he’s confident he could get it back.
He even says he could make millions again by starting his career over at McDonald’s!
Months 1-3 - Make a good impression: Show up on time every single day. And no matter what tasks you’ve set, dominate them. If you’ve got to start mopping the floors, make sure they’re immaculate.
Months 3-6 - Take on more responsibilities: “Can I learn fries? Can you teach me burgers?” At this stage, learn as much as you can about the business and how you can help.
Months 6-9 - Take another step up: Turnaround in fast food jobs is quick, so by 6-9 months, you’ve been there longer than most. Now it’s time to ask for more responsibility… “Can I manage the checkouts? How about running the drive-thru?”
Months 9-12 - Assistant Manager: Having outlasted many of the staff, now is the time to become an assistant manager. You’ve shown in the previous nine months how quickly you can learn and how keen you are to take ownership… and now it pays off.
Months 12-18 - General Manager: Now’s the time to step up and manage your own store. You know the place inside out and the people hiring for this role will know all about your work ethic and results.
Months 18-24 - District Manager: “OK, can I be a district manager?” You’ve had success in one store, now you want to start running multiple locations. What it all boils down to is simple: Working hard and doing the best job you can possibly do.
With this approach, JT could go from a minimum wage starter to an district manager in 18-24 months.