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First, a word of reassurance: I didn’t do it by selling that headline or any other coaching bullshit (and never will, God willing), so no need to worry about any forthcoming offer to buy my "usually $1999, now just $79 Exclusive Training System”.
I did it by screwing up to the point that the statistics gods took pity on me and gave me a win. Let’s just say that the threshold was embarrassingly high. Some cringe-worthy moments for your enjoyment:
>Formed an LLC and opened a company bank account before I had an actual company. Ended up having to pay hundreds of dollars in fees for an idea I quickly realized would never work.
>Flew out of the country for sales meetings at age 19. Closed a customer for $5k+. Never followed up.
>Grew a prelaunch instagram account in 2 months to 5k people that actively wanted what I was planning to sell. Then I got really sick and forgot about it for months.
This is a micro-selection of my F*ckups, as I’m still hoping for a bit of respect here.
So what finally worked?
This is going to come as a huge surprise *sarcasm*, but it was the simplest thing with the greatest demand. It’s not fun, sexy, or easy (unlike the sex toys I once tried selling).
I’m a writer.
Back when I started this whole “entrepreneur” thing, I began working on Upwork. My very first job was some editing for a legal blog.
I F*cking hated it and the pay was shit. But people had always said I was good with words, so I kept going.
As I tripped all over myself in the “real” business world, I kept taking Upwork jobs for extra spending money. I ended up going to an in-state school that I hated, but kept writing.
And then I hit that magical point in the hockey stick curve.
Suddenly, I had something of an impressive portfolio. And clients were willing to pay what 20-year-old me considered to be absurd hourly rates.
So I stepped it up. My focus shifted away from “Introduction to Environmental Ethics” (don’t laugh, it was required and I hated it) and into sales books. I read everything I could on people skills, got over my lifelong fear of phone calls, and had a huge number of embarrassing rejections.
Flash forward to fall of 2017. A big client called, furious about a misunderstanding and consequent F*cked-up deadline. She was intent on firing me.
After 15 minutes on the phone, she was paying me double on a new project.
Now, I think of myself as something of the “Business Owner Whisperer”. If I get contact, I’m almost certain to get the contract. I use Upwork to hire help, not find jobs.
And, surprise surprise, it turns out that actually WORKING at something for four years and building it from the ground up is what sparks real passion, not some baseless feeling of liking something. (Where have I heard that before?)
Then, the day before my 22nd birthday, my doctor gave me the test results.
(To be continued)
I did it by screwing up to the point that the statistics gods took pity on me and gave me a win. Let’s just say that the threshold was embarrassingly high. Some cringe-worthy moments for your enjoyment:
>Formed an LLC and opened a company bank account before I had an actual company. Ended up having to pay hundreds of dollars in fees for an idea I quickly realized would never work.
>Flew out of the country for sales meetings at age 19. Closed a customer for $5k+. Never followed up.
>Grew a prelaunch instagram account in 2 months to 5k people that actively wanted what I was planning to sell. Then I got really sick and forgot about it for months.
This is a micro-selection of my F*ckups, as I’m still hoping for a bit of respect here.
So what finally worked?
This is going to come as a huge surprise *sarcasm*, but it was the simplest thing with the greatest demand. It’s not fun, sexy, or easy (unlike the sex toys I once tried selling).
I’m a writer.
Back when I started this whole “entrepreneur” thing, I began working on Upwork. My very first job was some editing for a legal blog.
I F*cking hated it and the pay was shit. But people had always said I was good with words, so I kept going.
As I tripped all over myself in the “real” business world, I kept taking Upwork jobs for extra spending money. I ended up going to an in-state school that I hated, but kept writing.
And then I hit that magical point in the hockey stick curve.
Suddenly, I had something of an impressive portfolio. And clients were willing to pay what 20-year-old me considered to be absurd hourly rates.
So I stepped it up. My focus shifted away from “Introduction to Environmental Ethics” (don’t laugh, it was required and I hated it) and into sales books. I read everything I could on people skills, got over my lifelong fear of phone calls, and had a huge number of embarrassing rejections.
Flash forward to fall of 2017. A big client called, furious about a misunderstanding and consequent F*cked-up deadline. She was intent on firing me.
After 15 minutes on the phone, she was paying me double on a new project.
Now, I think of myself as something of the “Business Owner Whisperer”. If I get contact, I’m almost certain to get the contract. I use Upwork to hire help, not find jobs.
And, surprise surprise, it turns out that actually WORKING at something for four years and building it from the ground up is what sparks real passion, not some baseless feeling of liking something. (Where have I heard that before?)
Then, the day before my 22nd birthday, my doctor gave me the test results.
(To be continued)
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