I wrote this introduction, well ¾ of it a few months ago but was hesitant on posting it. I am a gigantic introvert that borders on crippling social anxiety, I assume everyone hates me just because I am me. To succeed I must move out of my comfort zone so here it goes.
Can I be a Fast Laner? Well to answer a question like that you need to know a little bit about me.
My name is Richard, if we were in person I'd shake your hand but since we are not a simple hello shall have to suffice. I am a 24-year old entrepreneur, aspiring writer, a husband and father of three. I live in northwest Ohio and run a small wood working company. I'm not your average run of the mill youngster running around getting boozed up and racking up debt. Not saying everyone my age does that but let’s be honest here, the majority do.
Let’s see a little more about me. Hmmm... Well I have listened to Unscripted about 8-10 times now and the Millionaire Fast Lane 4-5 times. M.J. if you happen to read this I would like to personally thank you. Your books have given me the one thing I have been lacking all my life CONFIDENCE.
Your logic really spoke to me. I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought Unscripted but I wasn't expecting to listen to the words of someone that has a mindset close to mine. At least what I've gathered about you from your writing. I have always been kind of an outcast and a loner my entire life. Knowing someone out there that has at least a little similarity to me and has been successful really made me change my perspective about myself. Thank you, you have helped me change myself. I wish I had known someone like you while growing up.
I was born into a lower-class family. My father was physically abusive and my mother neglectful. I grew up in constant flight or fight mode. Everything in my life was constantly stressful. Aside from being real d bags my parents were also grossly incompetent in every aspect of life. Before the age of 18 I had lived in 3 different states, 13 cities and 23 different houses. I didn’t even get to go to high school. I have also lived in a truck, hotels and stayed with complete strangers. There were times we went hungry, went without electricity, heat and running water. No, I do not want your pity or for anyone to feel bad for me. Trust me I learned a long time ago that nobody gives a shit and I do not expect anyone to. Plus, honestly it could've been worse. I could've been born into a third world country or had parents that left me in a hot car to die. My point is I know what it's like to have a life that isn't exactly grand.
When I was a kid I wanted to be an entrepreneur I just didn't know it yet. I remember being 6 years old and helping my 88-year old neighbor collect vegetables from his garden for $1 a day.
Then in third grade I started writing comics and selling them to my classmates for 25 cents a pop. After that at the age of 10 I started Greene’s Lawn Care and Landscaping. At one point I was bringing in $150 a week! Before dear old Mom and Dad confiscated my production that is.
At 21 after I was done with community college and figured out that my associates degree in Programming Business applications that cost me $30,000 didn’t mean jack and I might as well wipe my a$$ with it. I started Greene’s Greater Goods. I was a drop shipper lolololol. No idea what I was doing plus the companies I drop shipped for had shit products that either didn’t work as advertised or didn’t work at all. It was hard enough getting customers in the first place because I was peddling crap that no one wanted nor needed. Once in a great blue moon I would get a customer and then a complaint almost always followed.
The companies I was drop shipping for didn’t care. Hell, they got their money and me? I got stuck with refunding and having my name besmirched. Long story short after 9 months and only $129 in profit I decided it was time to quit. I was tired of the crap products, the complaints and not having control of anything except handing out refunds. I worked at a machine shop for awhile 70 hours a week on average and still making next to nothing. Pay bills, and have a few hundred left over for the month and that’s it.
Well I hated that job so I saved and saved and worked more overtime and saved. I flipped thrift store products and managed to save up around $12,000. I quit and went to work as a forklift operator (still doing that). Not an awesome job but I only have to work 3 days a week and still make enough to support my family. I took this opportunity of time and started my wood working company. I spotted an opportunity and seen that the niche had value to be added. I am doing better than my last business. In 7 months I have had around $3,000 in sales (most of the sales is profit) and not a single complaint. I have smiling and happy customers every time.
I have been serving my small local market but everything is starting to go down hill. My area is being flooded with people who want to be their own boss and start their own wood working company. They compete solely on price and no matter how I skew value with other attributes they always win the sale. I have had people tell me sorry but we aren’t doing business with you anymore because so and so has this price and so on. I honestly have no idea how these people are even turning a profit. It also doesn’t help that my main ad platform is FB market place haha trust me I already know.
Any who, I am taking to the internet which was my plan in the first place. I have set up an Etsy shop for one category of my products and taking to eBay for another. I am also in the process of setting up a website. My main struggle is marketing but I am reading book after book to get better. I am a bit discouraged at the time of this writing because it has been about 3 weeks since my last sale but I will just keep chugging along. Sometimes I work 18 hours in a day on my business, average is 8-12 hours a day and not a day goes by without me working on it. Even after I get done with my 14 hour shifts at my job, I will come home and work for another 3-4. It isn’t a matter of if but a matter of when I start seeing results again. Patience, Patience, Patience is what I keep telling myself. Well that is enough about me. I will stay on this forum and contribute whatever I am able to. Hopefully someone reads this that is also struggling and it will give them that tiny glitter of hope that stops them from giving up. Get out there provide value and try to make this world a better place one step at a time.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I wish you all happiness in your pursuits.
P.S.
The question Can I be a Fast Laner? was to hopefully grab your attention. I don’t need anyone’s affirmation or approval. Thank you.
Can I be a Fast Laner? Well to answer a question like that you need to know a little bit about me.
My name is Richard, if we were in person I'd shake your hand but since we are not a simple hello shall have to suffice. I am a 24-year old entrepreneur, aspiring writer, a husband and father of three. I live in northwest Ohio and run a small wood working company. I'm not your average run of the mill youngster running around getting boozed up and racking up debt. Not saying everyone my age does that but let’s be honest here, the majority do.
Let’s see a little more about me. Hmmm... Well I have listened to Unscripted about 8-10 times now and the Millionaire Fast Lane 4-5 times. M.J. if you happen to read this I would like to personally thank you. Your books have given me the one thing I have been lacking all my life CONFIDENCE.
Your logic really spoke to me. I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought Unscripted but I wasn't expecting to listen to the words of someone that has a mindset close to mine. At least what I've gathered about you from your writing. I have always been kind of an outcast and a loner my entire life. Knowing someone out there that has at least a little similarity to me and has been successful really made me change my perspective about myself. Thank you, you have helped me change myself. I wish I had known someone like you while growing up.
I was born into a lower-class family. My father was physically abusive and my mother neglectful. I grew up in constant flight or fight mode. Everything in my life was constantly stressful. Aside from being real d bags my parents were also grossly incompetent in every aspect of life. Before the age of 18 I had lived in 3 different states, 13 cities and 23 different houses. I didn’t even get to go to high school. I have also lived in a truck, hotels and stayed with complete strangers. There were times we went hungry, went without electricity, heat and running water. No, I do not want your pity or for anyone to feel bad for me. Trust me I learned a long time ago that nobody gives a shit and I do not expect anyone to. Plus, honestly it could've been worse. I could've been born into a third world country or had parents that left me in a hot car to die. My point is I know what it's like to have a life that isn't exactly grand.
When I was a kid I wanted to be an entrepreneur I just didn't know it yet. I remember being 6 years old and helping my 88-year old neighbor collect vegetables from his garden for $1 a day.
Then in third grade I started writing comics and selling them to my classmates for 25 cents a pop. After that at the age of 10 I started Greene’s Lawn Care and Landscaping. At one point I was bringing in $150 a week! Before dear old Mom and Dad confiscated my production that is.
At 21 after I was done with community college and figured out that my associates degree in Programming Business applications that cost me $30,000 didn’t mean jack and I might as well wipe my a$$ with it. I started Greene’s Greater Goods. I was a drop shipper lolololol. No idea what I was doing plus the companies I drop shipped for had shit products that either didn’t work as advertised or didn’t work at all. It was hard enough getting customers in the first place because I was peddling crap that no one wanted nor needed. Once in a great blue moon I would get a customer and then a complaint almost always followed.
The companies I was drop shipping for didn’t care. Hell, they got their money and me? I got stuck with refunding and having my name besmirched. Long story short after 9 months and only $129 in profit I decided it was time to quit. I was tired of the crap products, the complaints and not having control of anything except handing out refunds. I worked at a machine shop for awhile 70 hours a week on average and still making next to nothing. Pay bills, and have a few hundred left over for the month and that’s it.
Well I hated that job so I saved and saved and worked more overtime and saved. I flipped thrift store products and managed to save up around $12,000. I quit and went to work as a forklift operator (still doing that). Not an awesome job but I only have to work 3 days a week and still make enough to support my family. I took this opportunity of time and started my wood working company. I spotted an opportunity and seen that the niche had value to be added. I am doing better than my last business. In 7 months I have had around $3,000 in sales (most of the sales is profit) and not a single complaint. I have smiling and happy customers every time.
I have been serving my small local market but everything is starting to go down hill. My area is being flooded with people who want to be their own boss and start their own wood working company. They compete solely on price and no matter how I skew value with other attributes they always win the sale. I have had people tell me sorry but we aren’t doing business with you anymore because so and so has this price and so on. I honestly have no idea how these people are even turning a profit. It also doesn’t help that my main ad platform is FB market place haha trust me I already know.
Any who, I am taking to the internet which was my plan in the first place. I have set up an Etsy shop for one category of my products and taking to eBay for another. I am also in the process of setting up a website. My main struggle is marketing but I am reading book after book to get better. I am a bit discouraged at the time of this writing because it has been about 3 weeks since my last sale but I will just keep chugging along. Sometimes I work 18 hours in a day on my business, average is 8-12 hours a day and not a day goes by without me working on it. Even after I get done with my 14 hour shifts at my job, I will come home and work for another 3-4. It isn’t a matter of if but a matter of when I start seeing results again. Patience, Patience, Patience is what I keep telling myself. Well that is enough about me. I will stay on this forum and contribute whatever I am able to. Hopefully someone reads this that is also struggling and it will give them that tiny glitter of hope that stops them from giving up. Get out there provide value and try to make this world a better place one step at a time.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I wish you all happiness in your pursuits.
P.S.
The question Can I be a Fast Laner? was to hopefully grab your attention. I don’t need anyone’s affirmation or approval. Thank you.
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