Sorry guys, been super busy. Donation is being delivered today. Third package finally came in, almost a month after it was sent. USPS <eye roll>
The action that I took to satisfy the challenge: I found a product that I
believed would solve a need. I tested it a bit, got some sales, made some money, tried to go further with it, and it immediately dropped off. I killed that product, called it a failure, got excited to get the first one out of the way.
Intelligently, I went and got a job. Wantrepreneur wants to be jobless and free, entrepreneur recognizes that shit takes time, and being hasty is F*cking stupid. Took a few days of letting the excitement of my failure to set in, and went back to looking for an ACTUAL need.
In my "job," I use a ladder with either a hose or a cord, running up and down it all day every day. I thought I a product that I wanted to develop and prototyped it. It worked great!!! After talking to about 300 people that would potentially be my market, I discovered very little interest (8 of the 300 said they'd be interested, at a price lower than the lowest estimate I got to have it made). Product: failure. I'm not calling it a significant failure, but it was significant for me to learn that surveying a market is an extremely valuable tool that will validate or toss away your product/concept/business/idea.
Another idea came along, I mentioned it to Z, he didn't seem enthused. I believe he was frustrated with me.
A few days later, it hit me. "I am being F*cking retarded, I'm not listening to the most valuable information someone could give me, I'm trying to do it on my own!" This epiphany was a revolution in my mindset.
Let's break it down from beginning to this revolution:
1. Action faking like a bitch, scare to do anything, including just trying to do something on a tiny scale.
2. Picked an industry and a business concept, made a shit ton of calls, got no where.
3. Found an opportunity in the niche I've understood best for 10+ years.
4. FINALLY TOOK REAL ACTION,ordered some product, got a website up, made a few sales, but largely failed. First REAL action and mindset shift.
5. Thought about an immediate need for myself, prototyped it, marketed the concept, and failed before I put too much in to it. AWESOME FEELING, knowing that you wasted very little time and very little money in learning a lesson that will save years and THOUSANDS of dollars in the end.
6. Had a revolutionary epiphany, which allowed me to gtfo of my own way, open my damn ears, and LISTEN to someone with much more knowledge and experience than myself. Supplementary mindset shift.
Now, I'm in a Skype group with some effing awesome guys, studying the hell out of TBB 2.0 to learn more about media buying, which is leading me to 2 things that a brilliant mind on this forum discussed with me: Learn how to make money, and learn a skill. Exact quote: "copy, sales, phone skills, i dont care. but get some income in."
Media buying is what I'm currently working on, I'm starting with an affiliate offer as soon as I finish TBB. I got an awesome tip from another brilliant mind, I think I may know which offer I'm going to go with.
Without the help of @
Vigilante, @
zen*******, @
RogueInnovation, @
KLaw, and all of the people here who have contributed to this thread, every other thread on this forum, and @
MJ DeMarco for creating this forum in the first place, I'd be sitting with a thumb up my a$$, being pissed off every time I see a Ferrari drive by.
Am I in the Fastlane with my life yet? Nope. And I'm glad I'm not. A claimed "Fastlane" this early in my development would be a recipe for disaster.
Quick lesson about the Fastlane everyone - especially the newer guys out there. If you don't have income, you're probably not going to make it. Don't quit your job with a year worth of bill money, thinking you can DEFINITELY make something happen inside of a year. You'll probably blow through it trying (read: spinning your wheels) a bunch of stuff, never actually learning what you really need to do. The Fastlane is a road that you build yourself, it's NOT something you can switch to with a turn of your wheel. @
JasonR's story of when he started his business is what you should aspire to. Be a superstar employee, because if you cant work your a$$ off for someone else, you're going to be even worse when no one is looking. I've been at my job for a month, and today I got a 20% raise, two months before i "qualify" for one.
I wake up at 6am to go to work, get home by 6pm, eat dinner and get right to working on my future til 3am, and finally go to sleep. Does it hurt? F*ck yes. Does it suck? You better believe it does, but I love every second of it. I know it's for the greater good in the long run, I know this is just temporary and it will accelerate my path.
Sorry for what seems like a ramble. I wanted to get it all down so I can get back to work. Lots to do, full time business mindset for the weekend. I might not respond to anything for a few days, so don't get mad, guys!