Execute, Execute, EXECUTE!

[phenom4hire]

So like most I have all these "ideas" that are just waiting to be exploited. You know how it goes, if I do so and so I would be so rich, or if I sell this or that I could corner the market and on and on.

Ill be the first to admit that I sometimes suffer from analysis/paralysis. Its in my nature to be skeptical and question everything in sight. I am slowly but surely changing that. Whether I believe something is too good to be true or not should be an indicator of how impressive someone's success is versus the alternative/negative thought patterns commonly associated with someone else's success.

So after going through this phase in the cycle many times in my life, Ive decided it is time to cut the bullshit and do something for once. It SUCKS being on the outside and looking in and seeing others' success even if I am truly happy for them (which I am). How does one combat this mindset? Join them on the inside. It all starts with a change in thought pattern/attitude and moving on from the stage of creating/planning into execution mode.

I am not chasing overnight success here but instead feel that to jumpstart my journey to success, I need to do something, anything other than come up with more ideas without executing them. So after some deliberation the past week I have found an idea that Im gonna EXECUTE for the first time. Ideas are a dime a dozen. I have notebooks full of them, but never forced myself to move on from the "idea" stage. That changes today. Right here, right now is the catalyst for a new me. I am gonna see this idea all the way through whether it be a monumental success or a colossal failure is of no worry to me because Im finally taking action which is at least half the battle for me.

I feel that this idea will teach me skills necessary to parlay other ideas into the market as well. I expect to improve on my web skills, sales skills, learn new processes, re-evaluate how I spend and manage my time better among other things.

This thread will serve as my progress bar to financial/fastlane freedom and I can't wait make it happen!

 

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[100k]

You're still just talking in this thread.

Just get on with it. Tell us when you have done it, don't sell us your promise of finally executing, just execute.

 

[RazorCut]

You're still just talking in this thread.

Just get on with it. Tell us when you have done it, don't sell us your promise of finally executing, just execute.

Give him a break. He's just drawn a line in the sand:

I have notebooks full of them, but never forced myself to move on from the "idea" stage. That changes today. Right here, right now is the catalyst for a new me. I am gonna see this idea all the way through whether it be a monumental success or a colossal failure

It's what comes next that matters. Looking forward to your updates.

 

[100k]

Fine, I'll be owning at least 5 super cars, tired of the whip I'm currently driving.

But give me a break, I'm just drawing a line in the sand.

Please. Stop telling us what you will do and just get on with it, tell us what you have done instead.

No hate, just tough love.

 

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[RazorCut]

@100k It's called creating accountability. Hopefully that opening post will spur him to action and keep him focused and moving forward.

Negativity breeds negativity. If you don't like his post put him on your ignore list rather than just ridicule.

Again, no hate, just tough love.

 

[phenom4hire]

You're still just talking in this thread.

Just get on with it. Tell us when you have done it, don't sell us your promise of finally executing, just execute.

Your right it's all talk but it is now specific and public so I feel more pressure/accountability.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[phenom4hire]

Ok so this morning got off to a bit of a rough start. The neutral bar on my electrical panel shorted out and blew all the lights and possibly damaged some appliances and maybe more. At least one TV is fried(less distraction). I'm on the way to get a new panel, and pick up materials for a prototype of my idea, and some new rotors and brake pads for the wife's car. I said this not to complain or make an excuse but acknowledging that sometimes life just kicks you in the balls. It is up to the Individual to pick themselves up and move forward rather than giving up everytime things get tough. I am done being a victim of circumstance. Will update once I have materials in hand/functioning working prototype.

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[Mattie]

The way an extrovert executes. Do Do Do think Do Do Do
The way an introvert thinks. Think Think Think Do Think Think Think Do.
This was a hard lesson for me to learn the last year. Stop thinking so much. lol

 

[phenom4hire]

The way an extrovert executes. Do Do Do think Do Do Do
The way an introvert thinks. Think Think Think Do Think Think Think Do.
This was a hard lesson for me to learn the last year. Stop thinking so much. lol

Your absolutely right. It's hard to turn off sometimes though. I've executed before on a different level so it's not totally alien to me.

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[Mattie]

i think it was an aha moment why Entj's and Estj's always got frustrated with me. They get irritated because they like concrete and now action. Where I'm abstract and think before I take action. I suppose though it can be a good thing sometimes, because they don't always think about the consequences of their actions. Where we do. So I suppose we can both be good at different things in different ways. I know what you mean. Although I've gotten better at it because I know I'm doing it on purpose now being aware of it, or I'm taking action. I guess I use it as an anchor. How long am I pondering on something? If it's to long than it's not good.

 

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[phenom4hire]

Well I got my drivers license replaced, brakes fixed, wired and installed a new electric panel, replaced the microwave, stove, fan, tv that got fried, and ......most importantly got a working prototype of my product. I was determined to make some, any kind of progress today. I have a few people in mind that I am gonna pitch my idea too with prototype in hand. Interested to see what kind of feedback I get. If I get a positive response, I ask them about any changes that need to be made or if they would use the item more like it currently sits. This part wasn't as hard as it could have been, because I have most of the necessary equipment/knowledge to design/build a lot of simple items and a few more complex ones. I have been building one off projects that fit a particular need for me all my life so the next step was just to fill a need for larger group of people. I think I'll be able to produce the item fairly cheaply putting it within the financial reach of most that could benefit from it. It is fairly lightweight and could be done in varying sizes but overall the shipping should also remain reasonable. Once Ive completed the validation process and assuming I continue to pursue this idea, I will move on to a focus on marketing, web, sales side of things. Ive jotted down a few ideas on this that I will look into more as I move forward. I chose this idea because it is such a simple concept that it does not require a bunch of capital, licenses, storage, etc that a lot of other ideas I have might require. I figure when I execute this idea and make some sales, the experience gained with bringing a unique product to market and all the other behind the scenes stuff, then I will be more prepared when I decide to pursue other ideas/markets. I am officially one step closer to my goal as of today. Tomorrow I will be a little closer and so on. If all goes well, I could have something in place ready to go before Christmas.

 

[phenom4hire]

Minor update: Reached out to two friends whose opinion I value and did a kind of soft pitch to them. They both thought it was clever and could make a splash because its an original take on an age old idea. Im glad I asked, as they pointed out a few things that could make my offering really stand out. Im gonna research and think about how to implement these suggestions as I believe the return on investment would be worthwhile. Giving myself to the end of the week to have a tweaked prototype and a drawn up plan of how I want to introduce this to market.

 

[Andy Black]

Good work. Keep going.

Play with white space and paragraphs. You'll need to get people to read your copy later anyway. You can practice on your progress thread.

 

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[spence_douglas]

I have this problem too but I might have a solution that takes a little practice. Here is the advice. Stop focusing on your image. Stop worrying how you look. Stop thinking about what people think of you. Stop trying to read people's minds. Instead. Focus on your what you want to get done no matter what people think. Focus on your purpose. Remember a time when you where unstoppable? You had a purpose and you didn't care what anyone thought. You just kept plowing ahead. Repeat this mentality. You can focus on image or focus on substance. And substance has it's own image so let image take care of itself. Focus on your purpose and block out any thoughts of your image. It takes up too much mental RAM. Make sense?

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[LateStarter]

Will update once I have materials in hand/functioning working prototype.

View this thread as something to be accountable for. Take action every day, no matter how small, and document it in your progress thread. Not only will it be breadcrumbs for others and allow you to give back to the community, but it'll also build a habit of taking action and journaling your progress.

I'm a classic introvert and over-thinker so I understand where you're coming from.

So what have you done since your last update?

 

[phenom4hire]

Honestly,

Work has been brutal the last two days. Ive read some chapters on copy and asked a few more friends in different environments/lifestyles what they thought of my idea and overall the response has been positive. Ive come to the conclusion that the success or failure of this will all depend on my approach and Im taking the steps to map out the appropriate one. I have some free time during the day tomorrow and then have to work all night so Im trying to schedule my day tomorrow as to take advantage of the time Ill have. I read most of IceCreamKids thread and it offered another perspective that I had been ignoring somewhat. I have taken the steps to correct that in the plan I have been working on and think that it will benefit the venture as a whole. I hope by weeks end Ill be ordering more supplies to crank out a small batch for testing. Im trying to keep options and configurations simple to start with for my benefit as well as the customers. Will update tomorrow with progress.

 

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[DamienP]

I'm sorry but you're still thinking and over analysing. Reading your posts is like..... And ...... And ....... So what happened? Like when a soap opera cuts out just as the action kicks off.

Stop jotting down ideas. Asking friends, reading endless threads on this site. Just take real and decisive actions to get this baby launched. That means actual tangible actions, not more analysis of what might happen if you take a variety of actions

I don't mean to be mean. I know exactly where you're at because I used to over analyse all the time, because it meant I could delay taking action, and actions are scary. Just do it.

 

[phenom4hire]

I GET IT...trust me. Everyone needs to vent a little. If I was a complainer I could write a novel about the last 6 months filled with obstacles, problems, etc. but I choose to glance over all of these issues on a daily basis to keep myself as grounded as possible. Not everyone can dedicate 12 hours a day to an idea, business, book or whatever with all of life's other responsibilities. Not saying you can't do anything, just saying that the reality is sometimes you just have to grind out what you can when you can.

I just re-joined not 2 weeks ago and its given me the spark I needed to take action, and I have already begun which was a small hurdle in itself. I appreciate all the criticism/encouragement whether harsh or not. As for browsing threads, I have a lot to catch up on that Ive missed and there is some gold in many of these threads that I can apply to myself. Why pay for an INSIDERS membership if I'm not going to get some value out of it. I guess I'll just refrain from posting until I make a huge leap or something. Will report back when I have something fruitful and stop wasting my time and traffic on a forum meant for like-minded people. Doesn't make much sense to me but...ok.

 

[phenom4hire]

I guess its time for an update on my little project. So far I'm into it for under 100 dollars with my total costs to start hopefully being under 500 by launch. I have confided in some trusted friends for feedback and actually made a sale before even fully set up. They offered to pay, I offered to do it for free provided that they gave me their honest feedback which turned out to be mostly positive. Ive implemented a few more add-ons to really differentiate my offering. There are only a handful of competitors in this niche and I have found several ways to make my product stand out to those that already exist.

Here are some details for those interested in what Im working on:

• Product offerings are from 8-30 dollar range. Im looking at probably 3 tiers for my offerings. These are physical products not info or online only products.
• Profit Margins should net me between anywhere from 50-100 percent on each sale with a few excepetions. An example would be a 8 dollar sale would net me 4 dollars in gross profit. I am tweaking my offerings and trying out different combinations and bundles and packaging just to see what will work best for me.
• Manufacturing and material sourcing will be handled solely by me to start with. I believe at this stage I should be able to crank out 25-30 products an hour depending on variations and complexity of each offering. Even with me doing this part myself, the quality of my product is in my opinion two steps above anything out there in this niche which should be a main selling point. Customers can get the Honda or they can get the Ferrari for the same price in essence.
• My product is easily changeable if quick adjustments are needed to the design or whatever. Customers will be able to add their personal touch to most of my offerings which raises the value even more.
• Website is in the works. This is where I can crush the competition if I can put it all together. Only one competitor has a website of the quality that I would consider similar to what Im working on. The funny thing is their site says that are all sold out and its been like that for a few days. No worries, Ill take all that overflow and your other customers as well.
• Marketing will be key in the beginning. Im taking advice and reading and learning more about copy and some online marketing. I plan to offer a side service on the site that should bring in lots of good publicity and customers when word gets out.
• The main problem I have right now is procuring/building all of the tools needed to produce said product. Here is something awesome though. The main tool I need to speed up production also has very few competitors on the market and guess what they are all lower quality than what Im building as well. If I can source a decent supplier for the main material that is cost effective, I could probably spin the tool itself into another side business with higher overall costs and similar margins. Ill have between 75-100 total in each one that I build and they are sold for at least twice that. So something to think about as Im moving forward.

So that is a summary of what Ive been up to over the last couple of weeks. Ive decided not to rush anything and time my entry to market with said product at a particular time TBD. I have a couple of tentative dates in mind that coincide with increased interest for my product.

I have also come up with a somewhat guerilla marketing campaign that should drum up early interest. It will probably push me over the 500 mark overall but I think the return on investment will be well worth it.

Last but not least I came up with a holiday oriented way to really make my product stand out vs my competitors.

Final thoughts: To say I am excited would be an understatement. The whole process thus far has given me a whole new perspective on entrepreneurship as a whole. I am finding out what kind of entrepreneur I will do best as, as well as what kind of products that I feel I can succeed with. Needless to say its a little different than most of what you read about here so hopefully down the road I will be able to contribute some valuable posts to others wanting to travel the same path.

 

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[phenom4hire]

I haven't updated in awhile but never fear as I am still working towards my goal. Sometimes other things consume more of my time than I like, but thats life. Ive cut out any unnecessary distractions such as tv, video games, golf and anything else that was taking up to much time and or money. Still my time is stretched thin right now but I see some relief coming my way and plan to double down on my projects to make up for some of the time Ive lost. I am 75% set up on the ecommerce end and almost ready to source for mass production. Ive gotten sales and there is interest, so Im moving forward with the product with a general scale up model putting all profits back into to sourcing larger quantities and so on.

I am also in midst of a second product start up. This is still in the infant stages. 50,000,000 search results and one seller. Its a bit of a speacilized niche, but I see value there. I have already begun working on a prototype with multiple improvements over their product. Along with better quality, and more variety, I plan to make myself an expert in this niche and use it to drive more sales to my site. I will implement on my own site as well as ebay and amazon to cover all the bases.

I plan to be live with my first product by mid-February and with my second shortly after as I understand the process better which should speed things up. Im excited to see the results of both and will keep you informed.