I've been a forum member for a few years now and I've had little financial success. And its been all my fault.
I'm an IT data guy (62 years old) that always has to analyze the shit out of everything before I do anything. Everything has to be planned down to the gnat's a$$. Works great for some things, but not business. At least that's been my experience so far.
I don't have a job and for the last year or so I've been "getting ready" to provide Adwords and Google Maps ranking services to contractors. Roofers, remodelers, you get the idea.
I bought courses (some expensive) to learn the process and I actually ended up doing some low cost work for a few contractors - building web sites and doing Adwords. It's such a difficult sell for me that I finally gave up on it. Most contractors (at least those in my area) are booked months out. So even though their sites are terrible, they could care less because they're super busy and making money. I chose the wrong vertical.
This thread is something to track my progress as I completely "shift gears" and move into something non-techy.
About 10 days ago I started looking into cleaning out our garage and I needed extra storage. A shed like we wanted costs about $3,000. So I thought - "screw that, I'll just build one myself". I priced out the materials and they are only about $900.
Then my analytical wheels started turning.
CAN I BUILD THESE AND MAKE MONEY?
And that's when I "poked the cat". If you're not familiar with that term, see Chapter 39 in Unscripted .
I placed an ad in my local area and to my surprise I got about 1 response every other day from potential customers.
THE CAT LET OUT A SOFT MEOW! That's all I needed to hear.
So now I am pursuing this opportunity, but I have to work through a few challenges that include:
1) I live in California and to do this kind of work you need a contractor's license. I don't have one.
2) I don't have a truck.
3) I don't have anyone in mind to help me build these.
4) I've never built one myself yet.
A single meeting that I had today solved all of these issues at once.
We had a new deck put in two years ago. I hit it off with the contractor, I did some Adwords work for him and we've kept in touch. Today he solved all my problems.
He's 73 years old and almost blind. Probably legally blind. He told me that he brings in $1,500 a month in Social Security and his rent is $700. He said he could really use more money, but he can't really do much work any more. Pretty sad.
Here's what came out of my meeting with him:
- He's willing to be a small part of this and so I'll be able to use his contractor license number. Problem solved.
- He has a truck we can use. Problem solved.
- He has reliable help that we can use. Problem solved.
- I will pay him a fair amount on every shed that is built. His problem is solved.
For now the one single most important thing I have to do is contact the people that were interested earlier and make a sale.
Once I do that we can go through the building processes and see how things go.
Best of all... all the stuff that I learned and couldn't get other contractors to buy can now be used by me in this business. Website, Adwords, Google Maps, etc.
I'll continue to update this as things move forward.
I'm an IT data guy (62 years old) that always has to analyze the shit out of everything before I do anything. Everything has to be planned down to the gnat's a$$. Works great for some things, but not business. At least that's been my experience so far.
I don't have a job and for the last year or so I've been "getting ready" to provide Adwords and Google Maps ranking services to contractors. Roofers, remodelers, you get the idea.
I bought courses (some expensive) to learn the process and I actually ended up doing some low cost work for a few contractors - building web sites and doing Adwords. It's such a difficult sell for me that I finally gave up on it. Most contractors (at least those in my area) are booked months out. So even though their sites are terrible, they could care less because they're super busy and making money. I chose the wrong vertical.
This thread is something to track my progress as I completely "shift gears" and move into something non-techy.
About 10 days ago I started looking into cleaning out our garage and I needed extra storage. A shed like we wanted costs about $3,000. So I thought - "screw that, I'll just build one myself". I priced out the materials and they are only about $900.
Then my analytical wheels started turning.
CAN I BUILD THESE AND MAKE MONEY?
And that's when I "poked the cat". If you're not familiar with that term, see Chapter 39 in Unscripted .
I placed an ad in my local area and to my surprise I got about 1 response every other day from potential customers.
THE CAT LET OUT A SOFT MEOW! That's all I needed to hear.
So now I am pursuing this opportunity, but I have to work through a few challenges that include:
1) I live in California and to do this kind of work you need a contractor's license. I don't have one.
2) I don't have a truck.
3) I don't have anyone in mind to help me build these.
4) I've never built one myself yet.
A single meeting that I had today solved all of these issues at once.
We had a new deck put in two years ago. I hit it off with the contractor, I did some Adwords work for him and we've kept in touch. Today he solved all my problems.
He's 73 years old and almost blind. Probably legally blind. He told me that he brings in $1,500 a month in Social Security and his rent is $700. He said he could really use more money, but he can't really do much work any more. Pretty sad.
Here's what came out of my meeting with him:
- He's willing to be a small part of this and so I'll be able to use his contractor license number. Problem solved.
- He has a truck we can use. Problem solved.
- He has reliable help that we can use. Problem solved.
- I will pay him a fair amount on every shed that is built. His problem is solved.
For now the one single most important thing I have to do is contact the people that were interested earlier and make a sale.
Once I do that we can go through the building processes and see how things go.
Best of all... all the stuff that I learned and couldn't get other contractors to buy can now be used by me in this business. Website, Adwords, Google Maps, etc.
I'll continue to update this as things move forward.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
