There may be no such thing as a cash tree, but for Justin Gilmore, ATMs come pretty close. The 36-year-old entrepreneur has been running his ATM business since he was 21, but it’s been a tough journey, full of rich experiences and hard lessons to get here. Gilmore has been very open about the struggles he’s faced in his early life, as well as the lessons he’s learned as a business owner. Now, he’s helping other aspiring entrepreneurs (and people looking for a legitimate side hustle) come out ahead through his online ATM business course.
Life may be flourishing for Justin right now, but that wasn’t always the case. Unlike many entrepreneurs out there, he didn’t get his start due to having the right contacts or getting a lucky break. Instead, it was thanks to a concerted effort to escape his dire reality during his formative years, when the opportunity to start up his own thing felt like the only option for a better future.
Gilmore’s early life was fraught with uncertainty and financial adversity. He lived with his brother, sister, and mother, a single parent who had to work two jobs to get food on the table. That meant that he and his siblings were mostly left to take care of themselves, which didn’t pan out well for him, as his grades suffered immensely and his identity became defined by the “troubled kid” stigma. After failing both the sixth and seventh grades and having to do them again, Justin was eventually kicked out of school when he was 15. Not only did this leave him with no idea about what to do with his future, but it also led to a lot of disappointment from his family, especially his mom.
It was that very disappointment, however, that finally drove Gilmore into wanting to better his life. So he got a full-time job and started various side hustles at 17, so he could help pay the bills. Simultaneously, he began reading books on entrepreneurship and personal improvement and tried out self-learning courses to help him learn the skills he needed to start his own business. Gilmore even got a real estate license when he turned 18. “I probably read every self-help book in existence, which is why I like to say I’m not uneducated, I’m self-educated,” he adds.
That massive change in attitude certainly paid off, as it led to him finally getting his shot when he discovered how the ATM industry worked. He saw an opportunity to take control of his own life by fulfilling a need that few others recognized.
Currently, Gilmore is focusing on expanding his company while helping others get started in the ATM business, as well. He emphasizes that it is possible to start a business that will net people six-figure incomes without them needing any prior capital or experience because he did it. That’s quite the inspiring message for anyone out there who feels discouraged, thinking they can’t achieve anything in life because they don’t have the necessary startup funds or skills. Follow Justin Gilmore on Instagram at @atmmachines_com to learn more about his ATM company and see what he gets up to every day.