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I Built A Worldwide Business From Broke.

Carol Jones

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Thank you for such an inspiring post backed up by process.May your success continue to increase.Congrats and all the best.Paul.

Good morning @Kennypaul from Oz,

Thank you so much, Paul! Your kind words are themselves inspiring. And appreciated.

I apologise for taking so long to respond. But today is the first time I've seen your comments. I hope to hear from you again.

And welcome to the forum. It's a fabulous place to meet like minded people with get up and go. And to exchange information and ideas. I hope you find what you're looking for! ~Carol❤
 

Carol Jones

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Your story is very inspiring. Congratulations

Good morning @Chiamaka from Oz,

Thank you so much for your kind words. They're always appreciated.

Welcome to the Fastlane Forum. If you ever need help, just ask. Anyone. We're all here to help you. I hope you find what you're looking for. My very best wishes. ~Carol❤
 

El Príncipe

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Good morning from rural Australia,

In a nutshell, my partner and I design and make textile products that are simple solutions for difficult problems. We have 400,000 customers in 30 countries around the world who think our products are the best thing since sliced bread. The icing on the cake is that all our products are made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability. We are renown for our simple solutions that work. When others don't.

That's the event.

The process is this.

In 1992, my partner and I lost everything in Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating's 'recession we had to have'. We closed down two businesses. My partner's 12 year old architectural practice. My market research consultancy. We farewelled 16 loyal and supportive staff. We sold our home of 22 years. Two cars. And our personal possessions. To pay off what debt we could. And made a scheme of arrangement with our creditors to pay off the remaining debt.

Poor as church mice. We left the city lights of Sydney Australia. For a rural life in a remote village with no internet access. No email. Not even call waiting. But it met our most important criteria. We could live in a farmhouse whose rent we could afford to pay. The village was heavily affected by a severe drought. And the house was not a desirable place to live. But it was our safety net.

We made a decision to find our way back by utilising simple solutions. Our skills were in design. And research. So we reinvented ourselves as designers and makers of textile products. Our first product didn't capture the hearts of the marketplace. But our second product did. We redesigned the humble ironing board cover utilising a low tech solution to make sure it was firmly anchored to an ironing board. So it never moved. Which is what makes people hate ironing.

If you make one good product. Customers want more. So we designed 6 more textile products. And today we have more than 400,000 customers in 30 countries. Without any retail distribution. And all done online today. But in the beginning, it was all mail order.

We've been down dark alleys. Wondered if we were certifiably mad to keep doing what we were doing when ironing board covers are not top of mind with most people.

But we discovered they are very top of mind with men and women who must iron.

Even though the subject is not sexy, our products, and our story, have been written about in every major publication in Australia.

We've been featured on mainstream TV. Interviewed on radio. Included in two books. The latest being 'Hunch' by international best selling author Bernadette Jiwa. I'm the 'Ironing Whisperer' on page 73.

The process of working every day is what got us to where we are today.

We did what everyone said we couldn't do. We built a worldwide business from broke. On a remote rural property. Before the internet and email came to our rural village.

I'm here to mix with like minded men and women. I have 35 years of business experience to share. I've done the hard yards. And would love to be of help to those of you who can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And. I want to travel further along the road to wealth.

It will be a pleasure to meet you. ~Carol❤

What an amazing attitude to have. To come to a forum to contribute and help others with something you already achieved yourself. I applaud you.
 
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El Príncipe

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G'day @itsemdub from Oz,

We had no option but to leave Sydney Australia. We had no means to support ourselves other than the tail end of an architectural project that Victor had to finish. Sydney just wasn't an option. We needed to sell our house to reduce debt. And everything to rent was just too expensive.

Leaving behind everyone we knew was a blessing. We got rid of personal excess baggage.

They were our friends. And relatives. Who had expectations as to how we would dig ourselves out of our predicament.

What were their expectations?

Get a job. They couldn't understand there were no architectural jobs on offer. The industry had just imploded. We were accused of not trying hard enough. Which was true. We didn't want jobs. We didn't want to work for someone else after working for ourselves for 12 years.

Moving away from these friends and relatives meant we could reinvent ourselves in a place where no one knew us. Or our background.

We were free to become whoever we wanted to become. Without external pressure. Or expectations.

The fact that it was also cheaper meant we had space to breathe financially. Not much. But we knew we could afford the rent. And the owner of the farmhouse was so desperate to have it rented in the midst of one of the worst droughts ever, there was no chance he was going to increase the rent.

Did it help us weather the storm? Yes. It did. We were in a new environment. And had little time to reflect on what we'd lost.

It's a pleasure to meet you @itsemdub. I hope this helps you. And welcome to the forum. You'll meet many people here who you will learn from. It's a place like no other!

What do you do now? And what do you hope to get from the forum members? ~Carol❤

I can relate to you saying leaving behind everyone you knew was a blessing. Sometimes the people that you know hold you back. They don't want to see you change. They critique, they don't support. I've had to cut certain friends out and even some close relatives to an extent to "break free" and reinvent myself. It's hard. But it's what has to be done in the end.
 

Carol Jones

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What an amazing attitude to have. To come to a forum to contribute and help others with something you already achieved yourself. I applaud you.

G'day @El Príncipe from Oz,

Thank you so much!

Welcome to the Fastlane Forum. It's a wonderful place to meet and learn from people who can inspire you. And help you on your journey.

No one is on a solo journey. Everyone has received help to get them from A to B. It's a bit churlish. And selfish. Not to pass that help on to others who can benefit from what I've learned.

If ever I can help you, please let me know. And take advantage of what everyone on this forum knows. And has experienced. Best wishes on your journey. ~Carol❤
 

Carol Jones

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I can relate to you saying leaving behind everyone you knew was a blessing. Sometimes the people that you know hold you back. They don't want to see you change. They critique, they don't support. I've had to cut certain friends out and even some close relatives to an extent to "break free" and reinvent myself. It's hard. But it's what has to be done in the end.

G'day @El Príncipe from Oz,

Some people find it hard to delete negative people from their lives. I find it the easiest thing to do. Including relatives.

Business Is A Tough Gig! And it's even tougher when people, who think they're well-meaning, put hurdles in your way. Which you have to jump over to avoid them.

Kudos to you for being strong enough to do that. Not many people can do that.

What is it that you want to do? How have you reinvented yourself? I'm very interested. And curious. ~Carol❤
 
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thore

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G'day Walter @Walter Hay,

#4. Mindset. And reputation. Are everything in business.

With a strong, determined mindset. You can circumnavigate brick walls. Find your way out of dark alleys. Jump hurdles. And get to B. From A.

Reputation is everything. And I mean everything. When everything is stripped from you. All you have left is your reputation. It's the baggage you take with you everywhere you go. It's important that a person's reputation be in pristine condition. With no rough edges.

Hi Carol.
What a inspiring post!

Thank you for share your story and your experience.

I think you're a wonderful person.

I love your words about reputation and your business mindset.
 

thore

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Thank you for making me discover this video.
This forum is really amazing.


How wonderful @LPPC! Thank you for that feedback.

We all have negative chatter that crushes our brains every day. It takes discipline to drive it away. But it can be done. Tony Robbins gives some of the best down to earth, easy to understand reasons, why this happens to everyone.

Another person to watch is Mel Robbins. Especially her talk with Tony Bilyeu. 'Why Motivation Is Garbage'. She also talks about the negative chatter in our brains that can destroy us. This is the link.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCHPSo79rB4


It's a pleasure to be able to help you, LPPC. And it's very rewarding to let me know! I look forward to staying in touch. ~Carol❤
 

thore

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Hi DeppyJ

Reading your story I had the impression of reading a piece of my life.
I love it.

thank you
 
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Carol Jones

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Hi Carol.
What a inspiring post!

Thank you for share your story and your experience.

I think you're a wonderful person.

I love your words about reputation and your business mindset.

Good morning @thore from Oz,

Thank you for your very kind words.

Reputation is everything. In your personal life. And in your business life.

When everything else is taken away from you, all you have left is your reputation. It can take you to greater heights. Or despairing lows.

Whatever your reputation is, it's the baggage you carry everywhere. And is the basis on which many people will judge you. Treat it with the respect it deserves. And never let it become tarnished. No amount of money is worth trashing a pristine reputation.

And remember that it lasts a lifetime. Some people have very long memories!

It's a pleasure to meet you, Thore. ~Carol❤
 

Carol Jones

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Thank you for making me discover this video.
This forum is really amazing.

You're welcome, @thore.

This forum IS amazing. There is so much to learn here from so many people.

If you like Tony Robbins, you might also like to drop in on Mel Robbins on YouTube. A very down to earth gal who has experienced very deep lows. And picked herself up to become an inspiration to so many people. ~Carol❤
 

Carol Jones

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thore

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Good morning @Carol
It's a pleaseure to read you.

I totally agree with you.

You're able to explain complicated things in simple words.
I love this.

Have a nice day
 

thore

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You're welcome, @thore.

This forum IS amazing. There is so much to learn here from so many people.

Carol
I love this forum.

Finally, I have the opportunity to talk to people with whom I can speak the same language.
I think this is a great opportunity to learn and growth for everyone who "think different" and fight for seek his own route.
 

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G'day @Xeon from Oz,

It's a pleasure to meet you.

How did we fund ourselves?

With great difficulty.

Remember. This is 24 years ago. Times were different.

The banks wouldn't lend to us. And wouldn't give us an overdraft. But a friend. Who was an accountant. Told us that the bank would issue a no questions asked credit card for a maximum of $500. Per person.

We were able to get 2 credit cards with a $500 limit. So we had a slush fund of $1,000 to work with. Which was a fortune to us.

All our orders were word of mouth. And cash up front. There was no Amazon Prime. Or eBay. That delivered the next day. Everything was mailorder. And people were prepared to wait 30 days to receive their order.

We would wait until the end of the month to see how many orders we had. And order enough fabric and accessories to fill those orders. So most of what we did came out of cash flow. We had no accounts. So these purchases were cash payments up front for us.

Face to face events and stocking up for them beforehand came out of the credit cards. Which we paid off at the end of every month.

Our marketing consisted of modest events. Which were mainly agricultural shows. And markets. That cost $10. To a maximum of $50. To attend.

We would leave our farmhouse at 2am to arrive at our destination by 6am. And arrive back at the farmhouse between midnight. And 2am. They were gruelling days.

We also did letterbox drops. We could do letterbox drops for 3 cents per letter. We produced the leaflets on my computer. And printed them off on our photocopier.

When we sold our possessions to pay off debt. We kept some things. My computer. Which was a bulky, boxy, CRT computer with a black screen and green lettering. No graphics. And our photocopier.

Victor, being an architect, was also a very good sketch artist. So our graphics consisted of his pencil sketches of the products.

We distributed the leaflets to rural areas only. Where rural women were still heavily into ironing. And were used to buying items mailorder. Also, it was rare to see a 'No Junk Mail' sticker on their rural mailboxes.

We did very well with those leaflets. And were able to build up a strong word of mouth business.

We led a frugal life.

We only bought what we needed in the supermarket. No luxuries. No meat. We couldn't afford it. No chocolates.

We had a vegetable garden. And ate what we could grow.

We couldn't afford beer. Or wine. Or spirits. Neither of us smoke. We never so much as bought a cup of coffee in a cafe.

We didn't accept social invitations because we couldn't afford to bring a bottle of wine. Nor could we afford to reciprocate.

Those were hard times. But we had a goal. Which was to get out of debt. And we were prepared to make whatever sacrifices were required to reach that goal.

Regarding copy. All the copy was written by us. I know nothing about those books you mentioned. Or special words.

We just told our story. And described the products in great detail. And offered everyone a no questions asked money back guarantee if they weren't happy. And a twelve-month wear and tear guarantee. Meaning. We guaranteed that whatever they purchased, they couldn't wear it out in twelve months.

No one else did that at the time. We were a first. And that gave customers confidence when buying from us.

We included a black and white brochure, produced on our photocopier, to customers with every order. Including a handwritten thank you note. And mailed to them once a year with another black and white photocopied brochure. Telling them how much we loved them for choosing us over other companies.

That's how we built this business from nothing. To something. Purely on trust. And a willingness to have a special relationship with people who care enough to buy from us.

The only special words we use are . . . love . . . thank you . . . we hope you like what you've purchased.

And that's how we continue to build this business. By developing trustful, deeply personal relationships with our customers.

We don't need anything else.

I hope this answers your questions. And thank you for asking. ~Carol❤



Greetings from beautiful Greece!

I began to read your thread and couldn’t stop it. After I read every article inside of it I want to thank you for sharing your life’s story and valuable information with us.

After I read the above post I jumped from my desk and went to the other room to tell my wife your story. The hardships you went thru and how may you have accomplished.

Especially when you said the money was so scarce you bought only the necessary in the supermarket. We went recently thru the same scene and could totally relate to it.

You give us the courage to push thru the difficulties we face.

Thank you, Carol you are amazing!
 
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Carol Jones

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You give us the courage to push thru the difficulties we face.

Good morning @Apostolos from Oz,

Thank you for your so very kind message. I loved reading it.

The truth about every business is this. It's always hard. Business Is A Tough Gig!

If you read about how others started with nothing, we all have similar stories of hardship.

If you think what you're doing is worth it, the sacrifices come easy.

It's a fact that you will always ask yourself if you know what you're doing. It's how you answer that question that determines whether you will keep going. Or throw in the towel.

Anecdotal evidence says most people give up too soon. And regret it later.

Whatever you and your wife want to achieve, you have to give it everything you have. You have to be truly committed. If you're not, the slightest stumble will unnerve you.

Best wishes to both of you. And I hope we stay in touch. ~Carol❤
 

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Hello Carol,

I recently joined my family business and decided to go through all the gold threads to learn. Your thread is quite inspiring. I copied and saved a lot of information while going through it. I went through your site and your Instagram page too. Beautiful. The website is quite efficient, love the simple layout. Thank you for posting such detailed accounts of your experiences, there are certain things I feel I can use already.

Also, it is amazing to see some productocracy in action!
 
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Gepi

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Dear Carol,
This is exactly why I came here for: stories like yours, insight and inspiration in abundance. I just love how you went from broke to, excuse me, badass. I aspire to be as successful one day to be able to share the same amount of love and inspiration you do.
I respect you very much for your incredible hard work and that you add so much value to this world. Ironing is no fun with bad fitting covers, indeed!

Warm greetings from Germany,
Gesa Pickbrenner
 

Victor Cezar

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Good morning from rural Australia,

In a nutshell, my partner and I design and make textile products that are simple solutions for difficult problems. We have 400,000 customers in 30 countries around the world who think our products are the best thing since sliced bread. The icing on the cake is that all our products are made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability. We are renown for our simple solutions that work. When others don't.

That's the event.

The process is this.

In 1992, my partner and I lost everything in Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating's 'recession we had to have'. We closed down two businesses. My partner's 12 year old architectural practice. My market research consultancy. We farewelled 16 loyal and supportive staff. We sold our home of 22 years. Two cars. And our personal possessions. To pay off what debt we could. And made a scheme of arrangement with our creditors to pay off the remaining debt.

Poor as church mice. We left the city lights of Sydney Australia. For a rural life in a remote village with no internet access. No email. Not even call waiting. But it met our most important criteria. We could live in a farmhouse whose rent we could afford to pay. The village was heavily affected by a severe drought. And the house was not a desirable place to live. But it was our safety net.

We made a decision to find our way back by utilising simple solutions. Our skills were in design. And research. So we reinvented ourselves as designers and makers of textile products. Our first product didn't capture the hearts of the marketplace. But our second product did. We redesigned the humble ironing board cover utilising a low tech solution to make sure it was firmly anchored to an ironing board. So it never moved. Which is what makes people hate ironing.

If you make one good product. Customers want more. So we designed 6 more textile products. And today we have more than 400,000 customers in 30 countries. Without any retail distribution. And all done online today. But in the beginning, it was all mail order.

We've been down dark alleys. Wondered if we were certifiably mad to keep doing what we were doing when ironing board covers are not top of mind with most people.

But we discovered they are very top of mind with men and women who must iron.

Even though the subject is not sexy, our products, and our story, have been written about in every major publication in Australia.

We've been featured on mainstream TV. Interviewed on radio. Included in two books. The latest being 'Hunch' by international best selling author Bernadette Jiwa. I'm the 'Ironing Whisperer' on page 73.

The process of working every day is what got us to where we are today.

We did what everyone said we couldn't do. We built a worldwide business from broke. On a remote rural property. Before the internet and email came to our rural village.

I'm here to mix with like minded men and women. I have 35 years of business experience to share. I've done the hard yards. And would love to be of help to those of you who can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And. I want to travel further along the road to wealth.

It will be a pleasure to meet you. ~Carol❤

Thank you for sharing this amazing experience, this is inspiring for us that are just starting.

I hope to come here soon with a storie like this.

Thanks

GG
 

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This is one of my favorite threads now. Thank you so much. Your story inspires, motivates, and makes me believe that every hardship and failure is worth it in the end.
 
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Carol Jones

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This is some inspiring stuff. Thanks for sharing this motivational story.


G'day @Saf H from Oz,

Thank You! And welcome to The Fastlane Forum. Everyone is here to give help.

What are your plans? What do you want to achieve? What makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning? I'd love you to share that with me.

In the meantime, it's a pleasure to meet you. And I hope we stay in touch! ~Carol❤
 

Carol Jones

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Hello Carol,

I recently joined my family business and decided to go through all the gold threads to learn. Your thread is quite inspiring. I copied and saved a lot of information while going through it. I went through your site and your Instagram page too. Beautiful. The website is quite efficient, love the simple layout. Thank you for posting such detailed accounts of your experiences, there are certain things I feel I can use already.

Also, it is amazing to see some productocracy in action!

G'day @Varun from Oz,

Thank you! It's a pleasure to meet you.

What does your family business do? And what do you want to learn from The Fastlane Forum?

Just so you know. 'Productocracy in action' is never a straight line. It's as zigzag as it comes. But like walking on skies uphill. You do get to where you want to go.

I'll explain that better. My remote rural property is carved out of the side of a hill. We have no level land. Anywhere. It either slopes up. Or down. Depending on where I am.

Every morning I go for a walk at sunrise on my property. With my camera around my neck. I photograph what I see. And every morning, I post one photo to my social media pages.

I am always confronted with walking uphill. And some of my hills are very steep. The best way for me to walk uphill is exactly like a skier does. In zigzag fashion. 5 steps to the right. 5 steps straight up. 5 steps to the right. 5 steps straight up. And in no time. I've reached the top of the hill. With minimal effort.

Don't get frustrated by the zigzags in business. Everyone has them. Elon Musk is in the middle of his biggest zigzag ever. It's always a learning curve.

I wish you well. And hope that you keep me in your loop. ~Carol❤
 

Carol Jones

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Dear Carol,
This is exactly why I came here for: stories like yours, insight and inspiration in abundance. I just love how you went from broke to, excuse me, badass. I aspire to be as successful one day to be able to share the same amount of love and inspiration you do.
I respect you very much for your incredible hard work and that you add so much value to this world. Ironing is no fun with bad fitting covers, indeed!

Warm greetings from Germany,
Gesa Pickbrenner

G'day @Gepi from Oz,

Thank you so much for your kind words, Gesa. And welcome to The Fastlane Forum. It's a privilege to be able to inspire you.

Hard work is the harbinger of success. The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary. Once you grasp how hard you do have to work. And are willing to put in the effort required to reach your goal, you're guaranteed to get to where you want to be.

Your success might not look exactly like you expect it to look. And many of us don't recognise it when we see it. I'm still living back at the beginning of our journey. At the coalface. Working as hard as ever to make sure I stay on the first page of Google for my best search term. With increased competition every day.

Success isn't a word I apply to myself. But I must be successful. Because a lifestyle program is going to film me. And my story. For their lifestyle channel. The cameras arrive on September 12th! They found out about me from three people in different businesses who suggested to them they contact me. I'm still amazed. Even though this is my 3rd time in front of TV cameras!

Ironing is no fun with bad fitting covers, indeed!

Who would have thought that a low tech, humble ironing board cover that, albeit, solves a big problem for people, would catapult a small business in a remote rural village in Australia, that was started by a couple escaping financial ruin, onto the world stage?

Working hard, Gesa, and constantly building on what you have, no matter how tough the circumstances. Rather than chopping and changing when the going gets tough. Takes us all to places we never dreamed possible.

A word of advice. Always help people get to where they want to be. Because it's a sure way to get to where you want to be. Those are famous words from Zig Ziglar. And they are so true. Helping others is key to our success.

I appreciate you taking the time to drop in and say G'day. And I hope we stay in touch. ~Carol❤
 
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Carol Jones

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Thank you for sharing this amazing experience, this is inspiring for us that are just starting.

I hope to come here soon with a storie like this.

Thanks

GG

G'day @Victor Cezar from Oz,

Thank you so much! It's also a pleasure to meet you. And welcome to The Fastlane Forum. You'll find so many people here who will inspire you. And help you on your journey.

As you're just starting out, I have some advice.

Only listen to people who are going to buy your product. Or your service. They're the ones who will open their wallet and pay for what you have. Their feedback is the only important feedback to listen to. Everyone else is a tyre kicker. Including your family. And friends.

Mistakes. Failures. Are all learning experiences. Build on what you have. One layer at a time. That's how skyscrapers are built. One storey at a time. As the partner of a gifted architect, I can assure you that many things go wrong on the way up to the penthouse. But builders don't tear a building down and start again somewhere else. They've invested in this building. And solve their problems on the hop. As all of us in business do. One step forward. Two steps backwards. Is sometimes de rigueur.

You will have times of extreme discouragement. This is when mentors can pull you out of a deep funk. Find people online who you admire and who create podcasts. And videos. And watch or listen to one or more of them daily. They do inspire. And educate.

When the going gets really tough. Write your goals down. Again. I write mine down every day. Just so I don't get distracted. As a lover of bright shiny objects, I have to curtail my curiosity. Just by writing my goals down every day. Day after day. I've learned to become very focussed. And when I'm spinning my wheels, I write even loftier goals. Which sometimes make me laugh. But always make me feel better about the future.

If you're prepared to put in the truly hard work to get to the top, you'll get there. I'm a 24-year work in progress. My goals always shift a level higher once I reach a goal. I'm never stagnant. Even though I can spin my wheels at times!

Best wishes, Victor! If I can ever help you, please let me know. I hope we stay in touch. ~Carol❤
 

Carol Jones

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This is one of my favorite threads now. Thank you so much. Your story inspires, motivates, and makes me believe that every hardship and failure is worth it in the end.

G'day @redplant from Oz,

Thank you for dropping in and leaving such a warm message. It's truly appreciated.

Hardship. And failure. Are part of every successful business. Especially in the startup stage. But also at every stage. If you follow Elon Musk, you can't help but notice he's having a very public meltdown. Because his business is struggling to meet targets. Size doesn't exempt any business when it comes to hardship. And failure. It affects everyone.

Once you understand that every successful business is built up one layer at a time. Like a royal wedding cake. You will understand that at every layer, something will challenge you. Something needs to be adjusted. Something will stop you in your tracks. And if you don't have your eye on what the top layer will look like, you'll fumble. And perhaps like a testy chef, throw what you've created in the bin. Unlike the royal bakers, who know they can't stop until the tiara is perched on the top tier.

Because.

That top tier becomes the cake for the royal couple's first wedding anniversary. Or the christening cake for their first child.

That's the end game the royal bakers have in their mind.

If you keep the image of your end game firmly imprinted on your brain. Hardship and failure are just part of the bumps along the road to glory!

I hope we stay in touch! And again, thank you for dropping in. ~Carol❤
 

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G'day @redplant from Oz,

Thank you for dropping in and leaving such a warm message. It's truly appreciated.

Hardship. And failure. Are part of every successful business. Especially in the startup stage. But also at every stage. If you follow Elon Musk, you can't help but notice he's having a very public meltdown. Because his business is struggling to meet targets. Size doesn't exempt any business when it comes to hardship. And failure. It affects everyone.

Once you understand that every successful business is built up one layer at a time. Like a royal wedding cake. You will understand that at every layer, something will challenge you. Something needs to be adjusted. Something will stop you in your tracks. And if you don't have your eye on what the top layer will look like, you'll fumble. And perhaps like a testy chef, throw what you've created in the bin. Unlike the royal bakers, who know they can't stop until the tiara is perched on the top tier.

Because.

That top tier becomes the cake for the royal couple's first wedding anniversary. Or the christening cake for their first child.

That's the end game the royal bakers have in their mind.

If you keep the image of your end game firmly imprinted on your brain. Hardship and failure are just part of the bumps along the road to glory!

I hope we stay in touch! And again, thank you for dropping in. ~Carol❤

Thank you for that beautiful cake analogy, Carol. :smile2: What I'm learning from you and everyone around here is truly amazing.

There was a time when I hated making mistakes, blowing an instance of it out of proportion, thinking what a total failure I was, grabbing a bucket of ice cream or crunching on M&Ms instead of assessing and making adjustments. I allowed failure to define me and not see it for what it really is: an opportunity to learn and gauge and improve my weaknesses to make me a better person.

I'm grateful for MJ, for introducing me to new concepts and this forum that allowed me to meet inspiring people like you, all made me realize that my former recipe in life was all sugar, no meat, and, at best, will lead me to a donut instead of a lifetime serving of Lobster Thermidor.

Again, thank you for your inspiring story and for leaving such a thoughtful comment. I have a very long journey ahead of me -- I actually feel as though I barely began. When the going gets tough, your nugget of wisdom along with the others will help me believe that my goal to have my cake and eat it too is possible. Take care. :smile2:
 
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Carol Jones

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Thank you for that beautiful cake analogy, Carol. :smile2: What I'm learning from you and everyone around here is truly amazing.

Again, thank you for your inspiring story and for leaving such a thoughtful comment. I have a very long journey ahead of me -- I actually feel as though I barely began. When the going gets tough, your nugget of wisdom along with the others will help me believe that my goal to have my cake and eat it too is possible. Take care. :smile2:

G'day again @redplant from Oz,

It's a pleasure to be able to help you.

We're conditioned from an early age to not make mistakes. Our parents correct our English. Our manners. Teachers mark us down for not getting everything right. Employers fire us for making mistakes. Our peers chastise us for being gauche.

But. Mistakes in business are learning curves. And if you position yourself to survive them. You will definitely be standing on the top tier!

I hope we stay in touch. ~Carol❤
 

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