Thread: My Plan - Thank you MJ DeMarco, for kicking my ass

Hi all,

I thought I would share my fastlane plan. I am all about processes and details, I took a lot of what MJ put in the book to heart and now I am working my plan.

BACK STORY
I was let go on September 7^th 2011, from my VERY cushy corporate America job (close to a 6 figure salary) – I was actually let go on the very same day that my son was born, just a few minutes before I had to take my wife to the hospital. In the three days that followed, I read MJ’s book and it was just the call to action I needed to hear.

I thank MJ DeMarco for the kick in the ass, I thank my parents for a decision they made 33 years ago and I thank God for an opportunity to retire very, very early with my family.

I have a small little ‘nest egg’ that corporate America left me with and it is buying me a few months of freedom. Once that little ‘nest egg’ is gone I either have to knock this mutha’ out of the park or go scrub some toilets (while I still work my fastlane plan). Obviously, I am gunning for the former.

I think this is what MJ termed as “at the readline” – I don’t know how much more readline this shit can get (given my circumstance). I am at the brink, I can either fall flat on my face or soar into the sky, and yet somehow, this is the most “free” I have felt in a very long time.

I believe that my circumstance is here to test me, to put me at the readline and see what I’ll do. This is my opportunity, it just found me this time – I didn’t have to find it.

Will I create a business system and sell the shit out of it (in scale or magnitude)? Or will I lick my wounds and go confide in the first set of open arms I find in the slowlane?

THE PLAN
Website Backup Software, FTP Backup Tool, MySQL Backups | MyCodeTree.com

MyCodeTree.com is a website backup and security company that I have very recently created. The technical parts of the service took me 72 hours to code; I took 4 bathroom breaks and 2 food/drink breaks – otherwise I coded my way through 72 consecutive hours.

Essentially, when a user signs up and registers an account they are given a very simple and friendly process where they provide the details about their website. Once the user completes their setup, MyCodeTree.com installs the services on the user’s web server.

Once the service is installed and verified, MyCodeTree.com then automatically manages daily backups of the user’s website/databases and stores those backup securely on Amazon S3. Of course, all data transfers for the entire process are done through SSL (https).

MyCodeTree.com also offers two additional services, an uptime monitoring service and a virus/malware monitoring service.

Congrats.. Good luck.

I have not even read the book yet, have it sitting in the other room. I am trying to do it the hardway.

Originally Posted by bateati

Where did you work?

and I don't see any signup forms on your site?

Public registration will be opened 10/17/2011 (finishing release candidate trials this week). I'll send you a PM to let you know when it opens, if you would like.

I worked for an Industrial air moving equipment manufacturer called "Hartzell Fan" as a Software Engineer. The company is most noted because it used to own Hartzell Propeller (the airplane propeller company) back in the 80's.

happy for you,
I have a question tho how did you learn how to make the website
You see I wanna make a website but reading these books are making me unsure
if its the right way for me to go can you help me out.

SkuNK_, "Making a website" should be the last of your worries. It sounds like your still trying to identify your wealth mechanism.

The big push in the book about websites is simply because it is the easiest and most accessible venue with the largest possible audience.

Once you figure out "what" your going to do, then find ways to do it. When you get to the website part of things, look at Wordpress or Drupal if you want to fasttrack some of the site development time.

Remember though, there is know easy way to wealth, if you want to be wealthy quickly, you have to commit to doing what it takes; learning, reading, researching, writing, studying ..... whatever it takes.

Good Luck! How's it going so far?

rthconsultants, you're admirable on many levels. Maybe sometimes things feel shaky because they haven't taken off yet, but your sheer drive in the face of adversity is amazing. 99% of people would have frozen up or wallowed in their misfortune, but you used it as a launching pad to your fastlane business.

Whatever your success or failure with your venture (I'm rooting for success), you WILL learn from the experience, and it will only make your fastlane road better. Keep your dreams big, your feet on the ground and your eye on the prize, and you'll get there.

I only wish my fastlane idea took 72 hours to code! I'm chipping away at mine (I have a full-time+ job, meaning high indentured time and low free time to work on my fastlane biz).

Keep us posted, marlitamc

I plan to keep this thread updated along my journey, updating here and there. Please start from the top if you want the full story.

So, I have all but nearly exhausted the 'nest egg' that I had to support my family with for the past few months. Maybe it was the misguided understanding of a recently freed soul from the matrix; admittedly, I had hoped the nest egg would've lasted long enough to erect my fastlane business and to transfer my family's survival to it. Even with the strictest of budgeting, this nest egg is almost empty.

While my fastlane business is up and running and thriving (3 customers now), it has not reached a point where I can survive solely from its fruits. I have reached the point where I have to realize that financial needs must be met, regardless of my current wealth plan. With that, I have accepted the fact that I must re-enter the 5 for 2 trade, for the interim.

At first, reentering the 5 for 2 trade was a depressing realization; that is until I spent some time thinking about my circumstances and situation. At some point I came to the realization that rentering the 5 for 2 trade is only depressing if I thought that was all I could aspire to. If my goal was to get a job, so I had money; then yes, that WOULD BE, truly depressing.

That isn't my goal though, that isn't what I am trying to aspire to. I look at having to reenter the 5 for 2 trade as a necessary component in the engine of my vehicle, in order to travel on my fastlane. Not all vehicles may require this component but mine does, and I accept that. I accept that because I know that my eventual destination is worth the pain, suffering and humiliation that I may have to temporarily endure from time to time along the way.

While I was being introspective, I also discovered another way to capitalize on my fastlane. I am chronicling everything about my fastlane journey, once I reach my destination I will have amassed a wealth of content that should make for a nice book

This IS NOT a set back or detour, this is just part of traveling on my fastlane. If you have come to this same realization on your journey, just realize that it isn't a set back or detour, it's just part of the journey.

I'm not nearly 30% of where I want to be, but 3 months ago I wouldn't have thought I could be 30% of where I am now.

-me

Thanks,

Ryan

Originally Posted by rthconsultants

At some point I came to the realization that rentering the 5 for 2 trade is only depressing if I thought that was all I could aspire to.

EXACTLY! The job simply is a means to an end. Kudos to you for not getting depressed as sometimes bad jobs are simply apart of the process.

Your drive and determination are incredible, rthconsultants! I can't speak for others, but I am personally greatly inspired to continue on my plan (or developing the computer skills required to make my plan a reality, I should say) after reading your posts. I find being able to see real, tangible progress, even if it's not your own, is a great asset on the vast roadtrip that is the fastlane. I look forward to learning everything I can from your progress thread, and I really look forward to seeing how your journey to the fastlane turns out. Keep up the great attitude, my friend - I wish you the best!

One question, however: Your website design looks sleek and clean and very user friendly for only 72 hours of coding. Did you use any kind of web design software to create it? Dreamweaver, etc. How well did your software design skills translate to web design?

Edit: I now see it is wordpress based. What do you like/dislike about this software?

Originally Posted by Varyag

Edit: I now see it is wordpress based. What do you like/dislike about this software?

I chose a CMS like wordpress because of my ineptitude with graphic design. It's all about knowing your weaknesses and playing to your strengths. I am a software engineer, not a graphic artist; I didn't have months to spend on hand rolling a website, I needed something up and running in short order, that could give the effect of a strong design theme. Using things like Wordpress and Drupal .... etc are, in my opinion, great ways to get the ball rolling quickly and allow you to focus on what's really important, your business.