Hey everyone, I joined this website a few weeks and love all the great info it has to offer.

Been working on how to approach my first post, so here it is.

I'm a 20 year old Entrepreneur that lives in the Midwest, Since the day I can remember my dream/goal in life was to run a chain of strip clubs. Only problem with this goal, is the start up cost's to pursue my dream is well over 250k.

I have always had a very hard time working the 9-5 for a whopping $7.25 and being treated like "garbage". Saying this, I have walked/quit approx. 5-7 jobs since I graduated high school. This is where I am confused, why is it so easy to quit jobs? Why don't I have the drive to put in the 8 a day and save my money for the next half of decade?

As of my Entrepreneur Side, For the past 3 years I have jotted down my "Ideas" on a notepad. Business Ideas, Website Ideas, and inventions. I have launched 2 business's locally that failed with in the first year. After I failed those 2 is where I hit the WALL, since then I have hard time telling people I'm an Entrepreneur. Why? Because after people see you fail two different Ideas they start to think your a whack job Family, Close Friends, and acquaintances.

I received a $6,000 business loan when I was 18 from a relative, I started my own mowing business and named it "Blade Runner's" You Grow We Mow it. My first day I had the money I went out and purchased a truck for $3,000 first mistake. I then went out and spent another $500 on advertisement, Had a logo made, magnets for the truck, flyers, posters blah blah blah. Had it up and running for one summer, but came to find out how many local Mowing business's there all ready were. Long story short, I just couldn't produce the quality of work for the price people wanted to pay. So I failed, after that first summer I sold the truck and gave up.

Also put $500 of that money into a website, linked up with a local web designer to launch a website called www.skejit.com an Appointment setter website. Similar to the website Schedulocity.com I believe is what the name is, but at the time they were not a fraction of what they are today. Meaning, that there is a demand for the website I was working on, It fell threw because I could not help them program it.

I know it's a super long post, sorry in advance. But I just need some advice, where do I go from here? I want to be online and develop multiple business's online but don't have a clue on the back end side. I just don't know which path to take I suppose.

The reason you don't have the drive is because you are lazy....

You want it to be easy.. you want someone to give it to you..

Why don't you stop your bitching and prove that you are an entrepreneur.

Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you are only worth the $7.25 an hour you are being paid?

I think we should change the title of the thread to Lazy Loser needs advice...

Cause entrepreneur.. that is not you.

TheNextTrump said:

Long story short, I just couldn't produce the quality of work for the price people wanted to pay. So I failed, after that first summer I sold the truck and gave up.

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Here's our first hint. What does this mean? There's nothing says you start out earning big money mowing lawns. That doesn't mean you shouldn't provide value to your customers. "Couldn't" really means "wouldn't", doesn't it? Yes, that business failed, but it failed because of you. I'd be so much more impressed if you told us a story about how you scraped by and worked your a$$ off, but built up a solid book of 40 customers that heap praise on you. I'd then be expecting to hear about how you're branching into specialties in landscaping, and are able to charge more than your competition because of your reputation. That's how you succeed at business.

So, okay, your business failed. "When you lose, don't lose the lesson". I really think you didn't learn any lesson other than you didn't think the work would be that hard. That's hardly a valuable lesson, but for f's sake, at least get some value from it. Now you know that your business doesn't give a flying shit if the work is hard. HTFU.

TheNextTrump said:

Meaning, that there is a demand for the website I was working on, It fell threw because I could not help them program it.

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Hint number two. As soon as you saw your designer struggling, you gave up on the concept because you can't program. Way to think outside the box.

Here's an idea. Go get your $7.25 an hour job flipping burgers, and work the damn 8 hours per day. After hours, put in some solid effort finding someone who is qualified to program your website. Look at elance, odesk, guru, there's probably others but this should be enough resource. Use the money you earn doing something you are qualified for to pay someone to do something you aren't. You'll end up with your website completed and ready to go. You then spend after hours marketing the shit out of it. Stay at it. And, you'll do this because of...

...lesson #1 - results usually demand hard work.

No more whining - get back to work mowing lawns, wowing customers, and building your business, or take that job and hire some talent.

Ouch..... welcome to the forum. :Welcome:

1st thing to learn is nobody is going to hold your hand and walk you through the steps of starting your own business on here, it's not gonna happen. Second, if you want to start a str!p club, that is great, you can do what you love (doesn't mean your going to make a lot of money doing it), I think you need to consider if starting a string of str!p clubs is going to be something you do after your wealthy or if it is the thing that is going to make you wealthy. If you don't know how to tell if your business has potential, read The Millionaire Fastlane . If you don't want to read the book (you really should), you can also look up what CENTS is on this forum probably.

Giving up at the first hurdle will guarantee you will not succeed & will set a (possibly lifelong) habit that you will find increasingly hard to break out of.

There have been some hard words from other commenters & while I agree with them, please ALWAYS remember that having a venture fail does not make you a failure. Pick yourself up & consolidate, figure out what went wrong, learn from it and get stuck in again.

If you need advice about websites, feel free to contact me & I might be able to help or point you in the right direction.

Best of luck!

JackEdwards said:

because you are lazy....

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JackEdwards said:

Lazy Loser needs advice...

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Amail said:

Go get your $7.25 an hour job flipping burgers, and work the damn 8 hours per day.

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Wow, lots of tough love here. And here I thought I was a little too blunt.

While the above "tough love" may have some validity, you have 1/2 the equation down and that is to be out there and trying, acting, and doing. So congrats on that -- most people never even begin. You can't succeed in business if you never start one. A lot of your entrepreneurial failures (the old "throw a lot of shit on the wall and hope it sticks") sounds much like me when I was your age. And at that age? I was chasing money, not needs or value.

Anyhow, I did want to wish you a welcome to the forum.

Do you like girls? Love em? Watch porn? Dream of threesome?
If so, Forget the strip club business. (My opinion)

With that said, Welcome. Where do you begin? Read, read, read, soak up knowledge.
Don't stop there, then do something, just do it.

First off you're not an entrepeneur, you're an entrepeneur in training. The reason your business failed is because you were so scared of failure that you pulled the pin. Can you honestly say you went banging on doors and hussling, did you try and steal business from other people? Did you even mow one lawn?


Don't dismiss your expierience as a waste of time. I think we're all guilty of focussing on the superficial side of things instead of doing the most important thing of all - making sales, and earning income! You have to learn how to make sales or sell yourself, fancy pants business card and a web 3.0 webisite doesn't mean shit if you have no customers, and you are 4,000 in the shitter.

TheNextTrump said:

I have always had a very hard time working the 9-5 for a whopping $7.25 and being treated like "garbage". Saying this, I have walked/quit approx. 5-7 jobs since I graduated high school. This is where I am confused, why is it so easy to quit jobs? Why don't I have the drive to put in the 8 a day and save my money for the next half of decade?

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Hey, i know the feeling.

If you want to do some brainstorm and start a web site let me know. I'm trying to start an online business as well.

mr cracker said:

Hey, i know the feeling.

If you want to do some brainstorm and start a web site let me know. I'm trying to start an online business as well.

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Mr. Cracker, instead of poaching the forums for a business partner, you could..... learn web design?

Mike39 said:

Mr. Cracker, instead of poaching the forums for a business partner, you could..... learn web design?

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I'm a web designer already i just feel i would do better with a business partner

JackEdwards said:

I think we should change the title of the thread to Lazy Loser needs advice...

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Lazy Loser needs advice. Really? I mean I understand being called lazy, Yes I do lack interest in certain aspects of life. One being, working a 9-5 flipping burgers for minimum wage. Obviously I have asked my self multiple times if I am only worth $7.25 an hour, probably the reason I've quit the jobs I have. Because the answer's always been Yes, and always will be Yes.

Now to the "Loser" part, this is where you lost me. How do you get loser? Loser because Ive quit jobs? Loser because I quit so early on business's that I attempted? Loser because I'm not a millionaire by 20? Let's not act like any of those 9-5's would of benefited my future in a great way, maybe a little dedication and getting use to the ropes of a "Normal" life.

"Lazy Entrepreneur needs advice" would of been a little more classy Mr. Jack Edwards.

Thanks for your Opinion tho,
See you at the Top

TheNextTrump said:

Lazy Loser needs advice. Really?

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I'm sure Jack didn't mean to offend you; he was trying to give you a wake up call. I think the part that screams "loser" was the fact that you don't have the drive to work 8 hours a day and you've "walked/quit" 5-7 jobs in the past 2 years. Let's be honest, you knew when you applied at those jobs that you'd be working the 9-5 bit and getting treated like garbage, so that's not the reason you quit. You quit because it is, as you stated, "so easy to quit jobs." If you can't handle the simple daily routine of a job, you can't hand being an entrepreneur. It sounds like the part about a 9-5 that you don't like is working.

TheNextTrump said:

Let's not act like any of those 9-5's would of benefited my future in a great way

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I would say I benefited a ton from a couple of the 9-5's I've had, and that might be a good place for you to start. If you can get a job with a successful company, you can learn how their systems work, learn to handle customers, learn to sell, etc. MJ wrote an article recently 6 Reasons Why “A Job†Might Be The Best Entrepreneurial Advice You Can Get.

TheNextTrump said:

See you at the Top

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Sometimes you come across things you don't want to hear, and this is one of those things for you. But Jack knows what he's talking about, so rather than dismiss him as a jerk, take a minute and be honest with yourself. I have no doubt that you want to be an entrepreneur, but maybe what Jack is saying is the crack of the whip that pisses you off enough to develop that "drive" that you need in order to make it to where you want to go. It can be humbling and motivating. Good luck man.

Look Next Trump, Everybody here wants you to success.......really. You need to get better focus on what you are doing. You also need to understand that sometimes you need to spread a lot of fertilizer before something beautiful grows. That means a successful business takes time. All of your failures were great lessons in business, just make sure to learn from them and not repeat them. Think about what problem you are solving and make sure to expand your mind to the point of thinking out side of the box. Your town has many lawn mower guys, fine. What can you do to offer an additional service they are not? There are plenty of jobs that you can create on your own if you don't want to work, just don't be lazy. Car detailer, dog walker, poop clean up guy, run errands for the elderly. Or.... you could just suck it up and get a job. No shame in that. Most of us have jobs and even though we may not like it we are thinking of the big picture which is to work for ourselves one day soon.

Great post Wade. I probably came off a bit abrubt also. OP, you did need a wake up call. Don't interpret it as anything more than that.

For some perspective of Jack and his POV, spend a quality hour or so reading https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/your-goals-your-fastlane-plan/29468-diary-opening-new-business.html. Here's how you do it.

TheNextTrump said:

One being, working a 9-5 flipping burgers for minimum wage. Obviously I have asked my self multiple times if I am only worth $7.25 an hour, probably the reason I've quit the jobs I have. Because the answer's always been Yes, and always will be Yes.

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Don't drag yourself down with a defeatest attitude.

I read somewhere "You are worth exactly what you are paid. The proof of that is that's what they're paying you." This is the trap of employment - your employer decides what to pay you in exchange for the value you bring. Working for $7.25/hr flipping burgers pays the way it does because you're not providing much value. Don't start assigning that value to yourself.

Read my original post again. You need to provide value. In your mowing business, you can give value by:
1) Do a thorough mowing job, complete with edging
2) Show up on time, every time
3) Appear professional - have "Blade Runner" shirts made
4) If your customer's home when you mow, talk to them afterwards. Keep your face in their mind when they think of yard service. That's branding, and it's an important part of your business.
5) If you see other work outside your field that needs doing, recommend someone who can take care of that for them. Get to know fence repair contractors, painters, concrete companies, etc. You can provide value to those people as well by steering them business.
6) Learn some skills that augment your business. Learn about shrub trimming - it's not just hack it back and hope for the best. If you learn how to trim bushes, you can make a world of difference - not many people know how to do that right.

Everything I've mentioned is focused on providing value to your customer. MJ hit the nail square on the head with "Chase needs, not money". To me that's the best rudder in business you can have. Focus on needs, whether your customers' or other tradesmen's, and you will grow your business.

Now, read what Jack wrote again. His point, loud and clear, is you haven't demonstrated you're willing to put in the hard work. He doubts you ever will. If you can prove him wrong (and I suspect he so wants that) and put in the hard work, stay on point and focus on providing value, your business will take off and your TMF posts will be an inspiration to many.

Go get 'em.

TheNextTrump said:

Since the day I can remember my dream/goal in life was to run a chain of strip clubs. Only problem with this goal, is the start up cost's to pursue my dream is well over 250k.

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How much do they sell them for?
How much was the one sold recently?
What zones are OK for that business?
I am assuming the money is in the alcohol... the liquor license is what makes you the money, no? How much is that one these days? Is the local government open to give more licenses?
Can you operate 24 hrs or you have time restrictions?

In any case, what I am going with it is, what do you know about your dream business?

Have you worked in one to learn how things actually happen?

Have you laid down the steps, requirements, funding needed to make it happen?

I think somebody mentioned this same business here a long time ago, do a search, maybe they got good advice.

Ah, and welcome to the forum.

Its simple man, we all fail. Get your but back up and try again bro ! No one succeeds at there first attempt, it takes time and experience just like everything else. Me myself failed on my first business attempt, but here I am with no fear looking for more ventures. Trying to get it right, you have to have that drive.

Although the harsh wakeup call is on point: cmon this guy is 20, at least give him some props for doing and trying (and asking for advice here)...

Btw: If you call yourself entrepreneur, you're probably not one

TheNextTrump said:

Why don't I have the drive to put in the 8 a day and save my money for the next half of decade?

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If you cant put in an 8 hour day you wont make it in most businesses without experience and brand recognition. I once had a job where the shift was 14 hours a day. I'm Not trying to one up you, but your perception of hours you need to work is way out of sync with business ownership.

JackEdwards said:

The reason you don't have the drive is because you are lazy....

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LOL

Do you have a college degree or some type of specialized training/skills? If you don't then you shouldn't expect someone to pay you over minimum wage. Not what you want to hear but that is the reality in the market.

InMotion said:

Do you have a college degree or some type of specialized training/skills? If you don't then you shouldn't expect someone to pay you over minimum wage. Not what you want to hear but that is the reality in the market.

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That's not true.

Hey Everyone, just getting use to the website so bare with me lol. I want to thank everyone that replied to this thread, I now know I approached this forum in the complete wrong way.

For the positive and harsh encouragement, all I can say is THANK YOU. It did open my eyes a lot more, after reading my original post time after time I realize exactly where Im at today in my Entrepreneur Journey.

So with that being said, stay tuned. I have A TON to learn, and A TON to do. I will train my self to be a successful Entrepreneur, I will succeed, and I will achieve my goals.

Wish the best for each and everyone of you.
See you at the Top.

Great attitude - a thick skin will serve you well. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for sharing your experience and trusting this forum for life advice. Well, as I see, you need to learn the basics of entrepreneurship. Why don't you get a book or diploma or someone who can serve as a life coach?