Admitting there's a problem is the first step.

[AubreyJ]

I thought about not posting this but I felt it would be doing you a disservice to not tell you.

You don't need this thread.
You don't need any of the "top guys" of this forum holding you accountable.
You don't need to romanticize your "struggle"
You don't need to post updates every day telling strangers you picked up the phone, made one call, and felt you did something for the day.

You're action faking. Even your "I'll give people money to hold me accountable" is action faking. Does zen******* have his check yet? Why not? Why do you tag every major player of this forum in your posts? Do you think MJ gives a shit? Every one of your posts in this thread is either an action fake or an approval grab.

Look at the "support" you've received so far. The only reason they're even offering you SOME help is because your posting right now embodies everything that they hate. Laziness, Pity, Weakness, Helplessness. These are the things that they've purposely had to crush within themselves. You think they don't have those feelings? Think again. The difference between them and you is that they beat it. They didn't succumb. They bailed themselves out. When you post and remind them that this mindset still exists it exasperates them. It really says something about the quality of the people on this forum that this thread has been entertained for this long.

I think you're going to fizzle out. I think Zen will become $1000 richer (if he ever receives your checks). And I think that homeless shelter will miss out on a care package. So if your success is a stock, I'm shorting you.

Did I strike a nerve? Prove me wrong. Everyone's watching.

I love this post so much.

Knowing the owner/CEO's name got me past every gatekeeper I've ever called (100% success rate). The person answering assumes that if you know the principal's name, you must have a personal connection and thus they shouldn't interfere. To the OP LinkedIn and googling are your friends here.

This is true. My "mentor" is the CFO of a fortune 100 company, and she has told me many times that if you are trying to talk to someone powerful (like a CEO) address them by their full name, and say it with confidence as if you do in fact personally know the CEO, CFO, or whoever you are trying to contact. A lot of times the secretary won't question it.

But I am rooting for you! I really love this thread and I'll be following your progress

 

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[IceCreamKid]

nothing worse than going full speed at the wrong target. some minor target correction is part of the process of NOT getting the checks cashed. massive action in the wrong way does not equal good forward momentum.

What was wrong about the target? I.E. no demand for product, declining market demand, oversaturated market, no control, etc?

 

[Magik]

Damn OP, you've got many of the top posters helping you out. I hope you understand how HUGE that is. Many of us didn't get that level of attention.

My recommendation is to kill your slowlane job as quickly as possible. I asked if I should quit, @zen******* told me to go for it, and I did. BEST DECISION, I am forced into process and action. No choice now.

 

[KLaw]

What was wrong about the target? I.E. no demand for product, declining market demand, oversaturated market, no control, etc?

Hold up. You don't have time to be asking such questions!! You should be diligently working on this -" Okay man, I'm going to write up a list of action steps". You know Im just kidding but I am excited about what steps you list.

 

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[IceCreamKid]

Hold up. You don't have time to be asking such questions!! You should be diligently working on this -" Okay man, I'm going to write up a list of action steps". You know Im just kidding but I am excited about what steps you list.

I was planning to write a list of action steps for him then Z chimed in and said that he helped him re-calibrate the target. That's why I was inquiring about what was wrong with the original target...I don't want to spend time creating an action plan if he already has one from the dolphin lol

 

[KLaw]

I was planning to write a list of action steps for him then Z chimed in and said that he helped him re-calibrate the target. That's why I was inquiring about what was wrong with the original target...I don't want to spend time creating an action plan if he already has one from the dolphin lol

Man,you dont have to explain yourself to me - but thanks anyways. I just thought it would have been a very interesting read.

 

[IAmTheJeff]

@IceCreamKid, my original plan was waaaaaaay too broad and it included the product that I'm shooting for now. No effing way was I going to compete with the big guys like SalesForce, so this one is more something that SalesForce would look to acquire, rather than squash like a bug (thanks Kevin O'Leary)

 

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[IAmTheJeff]

@Magik, Yes, I completely understand how huge that is, and I appreciate the living shit out of that fact.

I don't even know what else to say about it. Seriously, I'm speechless on that front.

 

[Simon Ashari]

Good, because it's 10:37pm here.

My mistake.

 

[IAmTheJeff]

My mistake.

No no, I apologize. I got defensive, and that was not warranted.

 

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[Simon Ashari]

No no, I apologize. I got defensive, and that was not warranted.

All good.

 

[startuprob]

I'm not sure it will help, but know that you're not alone. I went through this. Most successful entrepreneurs have gone through this.

I used to think a lot about the "potential" a business had and I think this really hurt me. I spent 2 years starting a new project every other month just to quit when I found the first roadblock because, "Well, that can't go as [INSERT ADJECTIVE HERE - FAST, BIG, ETC.] as I thought it would."

In all reality, if I would have tried to enjoy the journey a little more and build something that I was passionate about - it would have led quicker to where I am now. I just wrote a blog post yesterday about this topic that you might find interesting - http://www.startuprob.com/lifestyle-design-muse-didnt-work/

 

[LightHouse]

3 more pages of explaining...

 

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[Skys]

A tip that helped me in certain areas of my life (it's a principle with you can apply to almost anything).

Make a time schedule like this:

00.00 - 01.00:
01.00 - 02.00:
02.00 - 03.00:

Make this for 24.00 hours

then make 7 pages, so it will be 7 days.

Then, for an entire week, you write down what you did the last hour.

For example, for me a morning could be:

06.00 - 07.00: sleep
07.00 - 08.00: Meditation, shower, breakfast
08.00 - 09.00: drive to work

You can also make this more detailed, for example:

00.00 - 00.15:
00.15 - 00.30:
00.30 - 00.45:
00.45 - 01.00:
01.15 - 01.30:

Actually, I would do it more detailed.

Then you might be shocked because you become aware of your habits/rituals

it might look like this for you in the evening:

19.00 - 19.15: reading the fast lane forum
19.15 - 19.30: Thinking about everything I read about the fastlane forum and got an AHA moment
19.30 - 19.45: Posting on Fastlane forum about my lessons
19.45 - 20.00: Reading responses on Fastlane
20.00 - 20.15: Reading responses on fastlane forum
20.15 - 20.30: Reading a book about marketing
20.30 - 20.45: Reading a book about marketing
21.45 - 22.00: Reading a book about marketing
22.00 - 22.15: Coming up with brilliant new marketing plan
22.15 - 22.30: Posting marketing plan on fastlane forum

Etc

Not saying this actually happens, but you will become aware of your habits.
If you then see you spend, i don't know, 4 hours a week on this forum... you might want to reconsider if you want to spend that ammount of time and reflect of this is time best spend if you look at the bigger picture of your goals.

Or you might notice that you spend 20 hours reading a week, but you have little to no real action (making thing happen).
You might decide that is a balance you find off, and you decide to spend less hours reading.

First you become aware, then you make a plan of execution. Then you stick to it. You might even be able to get feedback on your plan of execution on this forum.

Good luck

 

[johnp]

On the weekends I'm up at 4:30am to get to the flea market to find better deals.

For the stuff that you flip...
Have you ever been to Rices Market? If you need to sell stuff fast then go there. It's huge and you can sell almost anything there.

It's about a 60 minute drive for me but it's worth it. I have been selling shit there since I was 17.

Actually, last year I wanted to do some ecommerce. My business is all online but I needed some extra money. So I went up to Rices to see if I could find something that would sell that other people were not selling. I figured out a product and I started making some good money after I got my hands on the product. Now it's like my own personal cash machine. I go there whenever I need money. Oh and I used Rices to test to see if the product would sell. Then I put the product online and it started selling pretty fast.

Check it out if you don't already know about it http://www.ricesmarket.com, but don't let it distract you from your main goal. I only go on Saturday mornings. I think that they are open twice per week, Saturdays and Tuesdays.

 

[IAmTheJeff]

For the stuff that you flip...
Have you ever been to Rices Market? If you need to sell stuff fast then go there. It's huge and you can sell almost anything there.

It's about a 60 minute drive for me but it's worth it. I have been selling shit there since I was 17.

Actually, last year I wanted to do some ecommerce. My business is all online but I needed some extra money. So I went up to Rices to see if I could find something that would sell that other people were not selling. I figured out a product and I started making some good money after I got my hands on the product. Now it's like my own personal cash machine. I go there whenever I need money. Oh and I used Rices to test to see if the product would sell. Then I put the product online and it started selling pretty fast.

Check it out if you don't already know about it http://www.ricesmarket.com, but don't let it distract you from your main goal. I only go on Saturday mornings. I think that they are open twice per week, Saturdays and Tuesdays.

I've been to rice's, but I prefer Columbus. It's closer and it's all blacktop, so a little early rain doesn't destroy your day. Sometimes I buy, sometimes I sell, it all depends in what cycle I'm in from throughout the week.

A tip that helped me in certain areas of my life (it's a principle with you can apply to almost anything).

Make a time schedule like this:

00.00 - 01.00:
01.00 - 02.00:
02.00 - 03.00:

Make this for 24.00 hours

then make 7 pages, so it will be 7 days.

Then, for an entire week, you write down what you did the last hour.

For example, for me a morning could be:

06.00 - 07.00: sleep
07.00 - 08.00: Meditation, shower, breakfast
08.00 - 09.00: drive to work

You can also make this more detailed, for example:

00.00 - 00.15:
00.15 - 00.30:
00.30 - 00.45:
00.45 - 01.00:
01.15 - 01.30:

Actually, I would do it more detailed.

Then you might be shocked because you become aware of your habits/rituals

it might look like this for you in the evening:

19.00 - 19.15: reading the fast lane forum
19.15 - 19.30: Thinking about everything I read about the fastlane forum and got an AHA moment
19.30 - 19.45: Posting on Fastlane forum about my lessons
19.45 - 20.00: Reading responses on Fastlane
20.00 - 20.15: Reading responses on fastlane forum
20.15 - 20.30: Reading a book about marketing
20.30 - 20.45: Reading a book about marketing
21.45 - 22.00: Reading a book about marketing
22.00 - 22.15: Coming up with brilliant new marketing plan
22.15 - 22.30: Posting marketing plan on fastlane forum

Etc

Not saying this actually happens, but you will become aware of your habits.
If you then see you spend, i don't know, 4 hours a week on this forum... you might want to reconsider if you want to spend that ammount of time and reflect of this is time best spend if you look at the bigger picture of your goals.

Or you might notice that you spend 20 hours reading a week, but you have little to no real action (making thing happen).
You might decide that is a balance you find off, and you decide to spend less hours reading.

First you become aware, then you make a plan of execution. Then you stick to it. You might even be able to get feedback on your plan of execution on this forum.

Good luck

I really like this post! Very useful, and I think I should have been doing this the whole time. I'm going to start this Monday and get a really good idea of my time allocations throughout the day.

Yes, I'll post a generalized version of my master copy on Monday night, after midnight.

 

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[Gale4rc]

Jeff,
I'm writing this post because I want you to succeed and I've tried being nice and helping over Skype and lately not so nice but, you are just stuck and I can't figure out what it is.

Stop looking for a get rich quick scheme - I know you're not in that mindset but, you're looking for the perfect product with the perfect market opportunity.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING

Whatever you choose to import (if you go that route) there is going to be competition.

Here's a list of things that have happened while you have been trying to find one product to import:

I met a guy at starbucks on Tuesday, ended up talking about importing and he was interested. He got my contact information and hit me up on Facebook for advice - Which I gladly gave.

Didn't hear from him again after the initial FB chat until I saw him at Starbucks again on Friday.
in 3 days:
He found someone locally who already imports a vape product
He got product from the guy
AND SOLD IT !
Now the guy who imports stuff, offered him a position in some sort of JV type deal.
Anyway the point is he took action.

If this was you:

You would've found 10000 different vape manufacters
You would've said the competition is too stiff
You would've complained about price
You definitely would not of taken action.

Why is it so hard for you take take a single F*cking step?

What i've done since we started talking:
Lost a developer, almost lost the startup i've been working on for 6 months.
Found a new developer
Found a investor for the startup
Started e-commerce business
Sold out 2 shipments
3rd shipment on the way of a completely different product, took me a couple hours to find.
Started a personal blog (2 weeks ago) which is growing everyday http://take.ms/09mQ4

Alright, well I haven't decided on a product yet, but I did decide that I'm putting my software project on the back burner for now and I'll be buying a product TODAY. No time for F*cking around, I'm doing it.
-Jeff

^ He told me that yesterday. Then new excuse came of course.


I am writing this because I want you to stare at it every time someone reply's to this thread so it sinks in.

If the car product is too expensive, find something cheaper.

Any real hustler would've had a product on it's way a long time ago.

You could have the greatest idea in the world and you wouldn't get anywhere with it.

You might want to consider just getting a regular job. This path doesn't seem for you.

 

[IAmTheJeff]

Sweet. I'll just go cancel INSIDERS now and wait for my bank account to empty.

For the record, I'm not actually doing that. I have to deal with some personal shit to deal with this weekend so I'll take care of it and hopefully get my mind right.

@Gale4rc, ok thanks for all your help. There's a lot more to the story that I haven't shared...with anyone...so hopefully I can figure it all out.

Have a good weekend everyone.

 

[Silverhawk851]

I will Add 100 bucks Cash to this when Vig Sends it. SO I'm investing in your ACTION
now stop F*cking around.

People you've never met putting up $ to invest in your success ...Why I love Fastlane

P.s Everything Vig said. You are not what you say you are, you are what you do. You actions are who you are. Man up

 

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[Skys]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buyer's_remorse

 

[IAmTheJeff]

Small update: I bought something fin a US supplier, should be here before the weekend. Really wish I would have remembered this source from the start, instead of trying to dig blind, in a market I didn't understand at all.

Today I'm working on packaging and a brand name, determining which markets will be most profitable and finding the most effective way to market to them.

With margins as high as I can achieve with this product (300% markup for wholesale, 600% for retail) I'm shooting to position myself as a brand just below premium, with superior customer service.

I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger on something. Thanks for the reminders throughout this thread that action fake is a sure fire road to failure.

 

[Simon Ashari]

Small update: I bought something fin a US supplier, should be here before the weekend. Really wish I would have remembered this source from the start, instead of trying to dig blind, in a market I didn't understand at all.

Today I'm working on packaging and a brand name, determining which markets will be most profitable and finding the most effective way to market to them.

With margins as high as I can achieve with this product (300% markup for wholesale, 600% for retail) I'm shooting to position myself as a brand just below premium, with superior customer service.

I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger on something. Thanks for the reminders throughout this thread that action fake is a sure fire road to failure.

Good stuff man. Noticed you've been absent from this forum for the last number of days. Promising stuff.

But have you sold any of it? Working on packaging sounds like someone who gets company branded stationary. Sounds like an action fake.

For those more experienced than myself, am I out of line saying this?

If you have made sales, let us know about it.

 

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[IAmTheJeff]

Good stuff man. Noticed you've been absent from this forum for the last number of days. Promising stuff.

But have you sold any of it? Working on packaging sounds like someone who gets company branded stationary. Sounds like an action fake.

For those more experienced than myself, am I out of line saying this?

If you have made sales, let us know about it.

I'm not reselling something under my supplier's name. I didn't join an MLM, I'm not a sales rep. I'm creating a brand with someone else's product.

I did figure out a name and contacted a few designers for my labels. I found a local plastics company that makes bottles similar to what I want to use, so I'm visiting them tomorrow to pick up some samples and check out their facility.

 

[RogueInnovation]

Cool, you are firmly taking action daily. Keep pushing creatively to optimise cashflow. I like that you sourced a good, cuz if you cannot sell it you can source another that you can, until the wall breaks into sales, its more immediate than "branding" and "developing software" because, each software build will fail just as easy as a good, so its a great lesson in not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Is there anything else you can do during the wait? Anyone you can contact or anything you can do to speed the execution of the next steps?
Set up a reference frame, and tick off jobs as you get them done.
Packaging:
- Design/er (get a concept, then contact a guy to see how well he can execute)
- Supplier (who are the packagers and how can you get best price for what you need)
- Competitive analysis (what packages do they use, why?)
- Amount will fit per crate
- Transport cost for crate, cost for smaller methods

That way you can avoid just seeking one supplier and better negotiate. (also make sure the guys aren't going to be spanners later on when selling, make sure they are guys that can be worked with)
Also, who are all your buyers, and what are they buying currently, how are you going to break down that door and get them the deal.

Also, I'm sure guys that have imported before can actually help you refine some of that process if you reach out to them and ask nice.
Keep pushing and get to the gooey center of icecream .

Brand wise, don't let it become a time sink, set a benchmark of what quality you want to hit, that will sell and is reasonable considering the product and CLEAR, and do it swiftly enough that if it fails to sell, you can wash rinse and repeat with another better product or debug your process.

 

[IAmTheJeff]

Bought a domain, hosting by hostgator (I'm not sure I love the choice, but it'll work for now), scrapped the plastics company for my bottles. I'll save about $.60/ea by having the printing company supply bottles/labels. Working on getting the website up, ready for ecommerce/retail AND commercial account applications over the weekend. Stuff I ordered isn't in yet, but as soon as it's in, I have two sold. Don't have the labels ready yet, so I'll make a cheapie one somehow and slap that on a bottle for now.

Keepin' it movin'!

 

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[Vigilante]

In Philadelphia, PA, there is a shelter called the Drueding Center (on Master Street). Drueding Center was founded in 1987 by the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer to provide transitional housing and support services to homeless women with dependent children.

Here's your chance to make a difference.

If you have taken significant action in your life, and posted that via. a progress thread to the forum by May 15th 2014 (one month from now) I will send you a care package you get to hand deliver to the Drueding Center worth $500 retail. Our mutual (product) donation will benefit homeless women and children. You will get to see first hand what the impact of this is. You can hand deliver this to the shelter.

If you fail to take action, and/or make meaningful progress to push past your barriers, the deal is off. And see, in so doing, you have not only sat on your a$$, but you have cost other people something of value. I can do this anywhere. I want to do it with you. In your back yard. To your community.

So Go. No more bullshit posts. Just tangible, fast lane action.

Time to put my money where your mouth is. I look forward to your updates. Don't screw this up. People are depending on you.

http://www.druedingcenter.org/DruedingCenter/DruedingCenter.aspx

So... here's the deal.

Only you get to judge you.

Thursday is the deadline I set. The deadline for you to be in a completely different place than you were when you wrote the OP.

You know if you are or not. You know if you are still sitting in the circle jerk, or if you have broken free of the chains that bound you to repeat the same things over and over again.

If you have taken concrete, tangible action to move your life, your family and your legacy forward, you know it. It's not maybe. Either you are moving forward in a positive, tangible direction, or you are not.

If you are, you don't owe anyone here an explanation. If you are not, you don't owe anyone here an explanation.
However, if you are... you and I owe the homeless women with dependent children at the Drueding Center in Philly a donation. So, you get to make the call.

I will contact you with my email address. Email me the mailing address of where you would like the donation sent to. If you are moving mountains, reaching out to help these people who are significantly in need should be a pretty moving and milestone memory for you. A pillar or marker or altar stone on the way to who you are becoming.

You make the call.

 

[DeletedUser2]

Im in as well.
Z

 

[frieden70]

I'll add an additional $100 as well. @Vigilante, hit me up if he has.

 

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[IAmTheJeff]

So... here's the deal.

Only you get to judge you.

Thursday is the deadline I set. The deadline for you to be in a completely different place than you were when you wrote the OP.

You know if you are or not. You know if you are still sitting in the circle jerk, or if you have broken free of the chains that bound you to repeat the same things over and over again.

If you have taken concrete, tangible action to move your life, your family and your legacy forward, you know it. It's not maybe. Either you are moving forward in a positive, tangible direction, or you are not.

If you are, you don't owe anyone here an explanation. If you are not, you don't owe anyone here an explanation.
However, if you are... you and I owe the homeless women with dependent children at the Drueding Center in Philly a donation. So, you get to make the call.

I will contact you with my email address. Email me the mailing address of where you would like the donation sent to. If you are moving mountains, reaching out to help these people who are significantly in need should be a pretty moving and milestone memory for you. A pillar or marker or altar stone on the way to who you are becoming.

You make the call.

@Vigilante, email sent. Awaiting your response.

 

[Vigilante]

Donation will be shipped to your attention tomorrow. Congrats. Good luck. You are on a path towards independence.