Millionaire makes himself homeless in experiment to try and prove anyone can make $1million in 12 months
A man made himself homeless in a social experiment to try and prove that he could make $1m (£802K) in 12 months.
Back in 2020, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mike Black stepped away from his seven-figure business and started sleeping on benches.
He cleared out his bank account, said goodbye to his family, and set out trying to prove that he could make a 'comeback' in 12 months.
He committed to the challenge - named the Million Dollar Comeback - in a bid to inspire others and show how you can go from 'nothing to something'.
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When he first began, Black totally cut himself off from his network and left his home.
In one video, he explained how his first steps were finding a place to sleep for free, in exchange for work.
"I'm willing to sleep on a floor, couch, doesn't matter," he said.
Eventually, Black was put in touch with a stranger on Craigslist who allowed him to sleep in his van for free.
This allowed Black to start working on his comeback, with his first move focussed on selling Craigslist furniture for a profit.
On the side, he also started doing odd jobs such as telemarketing and delivery work.
"One of the best things to sell are tables," he said. "I started taking ads on Craigslist in the free section, putting it on Facebook Marketplace and selling it for a profit.
"I acted as the middleman, handling all the logistics between the buyer and the seller."
On the second day, Black made $250 in profit and saved every penny, eating beans and plain spaghetti at mealtimes.
The next stage of Black's plan was figuring out what business he wanted to launch.
While he first considered starting a cleaning business, he later decided to launch a coffee brand that donated proceeds to animal rescues.
But sadly, Black suffered a number of severe setbacks in his experiment, the first of which came when his father was diagnosed with stage four cancer.
Despite trying to battle through and continue, Black then began suffering from health issues himself - including two autoimmune diseases and a tumour on his hip - which left him in agony.
Black was ready to throw the towel in, when a stranger messaged him, explaining that his project had stopped him from taking his own life.
Black ploughed on, implementing a subscription model for his growing business and commissioning advertising.
But with two months left until the end of the experiment, Black ultimately made the decision to end the project.
Admitting he had had the 'worst six months of his life', Black said he needed to put himself first and focus on what was important.
He did, however, make $65K (£52K), which is still an impressive feat.
"I have officially decided to end the project early... I've been dealing with a lot of things personally... my health has declined to the point that I need to start taking care of it," said Black.
"A lot of what's come to light for me is what truly matters, health and gratitude."
You can catch Black's full journey on his YouTube channel now.
Lucy Devine