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The Undercover Billionaire: Building a $1m business in 90 days

ZCP

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@shaitand .... now write a similar post showing the good things he has done and things we could learn from this ..... balance ......
 
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1step

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Yeah, we've had three episodes now and there are definitely some issues both with what we've seen and what they've revealed we are going to see. SPOILERS ahead I guess?

First post, joined today just to post this.

The chances of you being unbiased are extremely low. I am not sure what your purpose of being here is but it's certainly not the same as the rest of us. I will choose not to engage further
 

shaitand

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A laptop is a must, especially if you want to catch up on Facebook groups to research, buy and sell.

Think its acceptable for the challenge.

I'm now watching smatterings of the show on YouTube now though, and it seems he's doing everything on his phone. I saw a brief snapshot of what looks either like a Facebook buyer group or Craiglist.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dviw7yVIiDU

The phone is questionable. The gas is questionable. Even the truck is questionable. Because the whole thing isn't just questioning the American dream, it is throwing down a gauntlet to people who are homeless and/or at Welfare level poverty. He is trying to create the impression that he can replicate the state of someone who is homeless and go from that start to millionaire in 90 days with a bit of hustle and effort.

No offense but it is pretty obvious the kid in the video has never actually been poor and probably thinks the scale goes immediately from college student who grew up in the burbs directly to bag lady. It feels like this billionaire at least has been poor. The guy in the video is scoffing at the early efforts required to build $100 into more money and margins. What he really means is he has no concept of small values and wants a bigger payout. You can't do what he is suggesting and jump to $250 on a car (which isn't exactly something you are likely to find) with the $50 he had after buying something resembling food. It is a lot harder to build your only hundred into $1000 than to build $1000 into $10000. The guy in the video seems to think coming up with money for living expenses is a waste. Where does he think he is going to sleep and what is he supposed to eat? Advice that could only come from someone who never had to worry about either. I doubt he ever was even in a position where his only option to get money he could afford to lose was to risk money he couldn't. Scoffing at taking 4 days to get a job? Seriously? Has that kid ever tried to get a job, let alone get one in middle america where everyone works hard and hustles for jobs but there are none to be found? Why isn't he driving uber? Because he is in a busted old pick-up truck and Uber wouldn't allow it. Also, "drive for uber" or doordash, etc is not viable, sustainable, and universal advice for making cash. Those companies lost more than $12 billion this year and are crashing and burning.

Our billionaire is going to cheat and use credit he couldn't actually obtain in the position he is emulating to get his million dollars in 90 days. Someone who is actually in his position might have 45 days before that phone gets turned off and their credit is burned and useless for 7 years (not that they could use it anyway with no income) but almost certainly would have already burned their credit trying desperately to avoid hitting the "homeless and sleeping in a truck" stage. That makes things much more challenging.
 

ChrisV

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The phone is questionable. The gas is questionable. Even the truck is questionable. Because the whole thing isn't just questioning the American dream, it is throwing down a gauntlet to people who are homeless and/or at Welfare level poverty. He is trying to create the impression that he can replicate the state of someone who is homeless and go from that start to millionaire in 90 days with a bit of hustle and effort.
How about his sunglasses? Jacket? Clothes?

Just watch the show. He's at more of a disadvantage than 95% of us and he's still going to do it.

They nitpicking in this thread is unbelievable.
 
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ZF Lee

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How about his sunglasses? Jacket? Clothes?

Just watch the show. He's at more of a disadvantage than 95% of us and he's still going to do it.

They nitpicking in this thread is unbelievable.
True that!

Even if he only reaches ten grand or so within the time limit, it’s a good shot.

I really appreciated the fact that when he called the t-shirt maker to start the project on the St Patrick’s day, he was like,’With this opportunity, I should be able to sell well, and you can get some dough as well.’

A win-win opportunity, instead of one party plain out deceiving the other party.

And he remained quite nice and cordial, even after he got rejected by the dog owners, trying to sell balls to them.

I might have just left with a silent sullen face haha.

There should be more subtle lessons on sales here.
.
 

MakeItHappen

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This thread shows that for many people the odds of success are almost zero due to shitty mindset.

There you have a billionaire trying to make a million from scratch in 90 days and people can watch it. And people cry about his smartphone, his old truck and that he owns some clothes...

WHAT THE F*ck is your point?
You seem to own a smartphone or laptop as well, otherwise you wouldn't be posting on the forum... so if you make 1 mil in the next 90 days it's obv because you are a spoiled rich person. After all you own a smartphone.


beyond ridiculous...
 

SteveO

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I'm enjoying the show. Anything that gets people looking past perceived barriers is good.

No problem with the skeptical opinions from others. Just hope that they can see the thought processes.
 
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Fox

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Yeah, we've had three episodes now and there are definitely some issues both with what we've seen and what they've revealed we are going to see. SPOILERS ahead I guess?

His first concept was to steal things from unguarded property and sell them. Tires specifically but in general he looked for things to take. He considered a set in a dumpster which would likely be legal but otherwise he looked on railroad and other not currently occupied properties. The tires he ultimately found and sold for $1600 weren't abandoned in trash so that is a first degree misdemeanor in PA, if he'd gotten just $400 more it would have been a felony offense. Most wealthy people have a zero tolerance and crucify them view of thieves and he is advocating stealing railroad property on the first day.

The unlicensed streetside vending was also illegal even if just a fine.

His used insurance and only paid a $250 co-pay for what was almost certainly several thousand dollars worth of ER care needed because was living out of that truck.

He hasn't been paying for gas. He wouldn't have gotten through his first week without gas and his entire initial plan was to burn it up like crazy driving around to steal other people's stuff and sell it.

He is parking vehicles on someone's property by the road to sell them without consent or payment. Again, a run down building doesn't make it public property. You can't just derive value from it without consent.

They didn't actually show his conversations with his "team" and how he convinced them to work without payment but working without payment is a labor law violation. He needs to pay all of them, including himself and not just the future ownership stake he indicated he wasn't going to tell them about. If he is actually getting them to work on such terms he and they are likely to run afoul of the IRS since they are dodging social security, employment taxes, etc.

When he rented his apartment they also glossed over the standard requirement for proof of income that is 3-4x rent or deposits for utilities.

His current plan is to increase capital by gathering a $10,000 for a house. Someone who is that level of poor and unemployed couldn't qualify for a mortgage with or without a downpayment.

The biggest cheat is probably the camera crew and documentary cover though. The SBDC is a great resource but they aren't going to put in that kind of time and personal attention for most people walking in the door. The business owners, potential hires, were probably at least partially swayed by him being worthy of that kind of attention and by the fact they are getting free advertising.

So a real person would be broke, dehydrated and possibly dead or have a bill for several thousand dollars, fined, and in jail doing what he has done by episode 3.

You forgot he is a white male.
 

ChrisV

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How about his sunglasses? Jacket? Clothes?

Just watch the show. He's at more of a disadvantage than 95% of us and he's still going to do it.

They nitpicking in this thread is unbelievable.
You forgot he is a white male.
Crap yea.. I forgot to mention all his white privilege.
 

mindsetferg

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Yeah, we've had three episodes now and there are definitely some issues both with what we've seen and what they've revealed we are going to see. SPOILERS ahead I guess?

His first concept was to steal things from unguarded property and sell them. Tires specifically but in general he looked for things to take. He considered a set in a dumpster which would likely be legal but otherwise he looked on railroad and other not currently occupied properties. The tires he ultimately found and sold for $1600 weren't abandoned in trash so that is a first degree misdemeanor in PA, if he'd gotten just $400 more it would have been a felony offense. Most wealthy people have a zero tolerance and crucify them view of thieves and he is advocating stealing railroad property on the first day.

The unlicensed streetside vending was also illegal even if just a fine.

His used insurance and only paid a $250 co-pay for what was almost certainly several thousand dollars worth of ER care needed because was living out of that truck.

He hasn't been paying for gas. He wouldn't have gotten through his first week without gas and his entire initial plan was to burn it up like crazy driving around to steal other people's stuff and sell it.

He is parking vehicles on someone's property by the road to sell them without consent or payment. Again, a run down building doesn't make it public property. You can't just derive value from it without consent.

They didn't actually show his conversations with his "team" and how he convinced them to work without payment but working without payment is a labor law violation. He needs to pay all of them, including himself and not just the future ownership stake he indicated he wasn't going to tell them about. If he is actually getting them to work on such terms he and they are likely to run afoul of the IRS since they are dodging social security, employment taxes, etc.

When he rented his apartment they also glossed over the standard requirement for proof of income that is 3-4x rent or deposits for utilities.

His current plan is to increase capital by gathering a $10,000 for a house. Someone who is that level of poor and unemployed couldn't qualify for a mortgage with or without a downpayment.

The biggest cheat is probably the camera crew and documentary cover though. The SBDC is a great resource but they aren't going to put in that kind of time and personal attention for most people walking in the door. The business owners, potential hires, were probably at least partially swayed by him being worthy of that kind of attention and by the fact they are getting free advertising.

So a real person would be broke, dehydrated and possibly dead or have a bill for several thousand dollars, fined, and in jail doing what he has done by episode 3.

What if the show isn't so much about whether a billionaire could make a million at all, but a satire about the complexities of starting from nothing vs being given a head start in life?
 
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KnightByDay

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Ehhh... I’m up late again. You’ve been warned.

@KnightByDay @fishgodeep

This could be the next challenge. For those of you who have completed the last one... *COUGH

Whatcha think guys? The thing is, just like for muscle growth, I don’t think you should set the bar quite that high. It’s too high. You don’t give a guy who doesn’t lift a 300lb dumbbell. But let’s look at the ratios.

I’m relatively sure that the ppl who succeed at 75hard already have some track record of succeeding at consistent workouts, consistent reading, consistent dieting and consistent .. consistency for a fraction of the time.

{I hope I’m making sense here. Every time somebody attempts the challenge they’re building up those muscles of willpower and endurance. So quitting when you’re exhausted actually MAKES A LOT OF SENSE so you can regroup and try again and be even stronger. }

Help me out with this weird theory guys.

A billion is a thousand times bigger than a million. This tv reality show challenge guy is tasking himself with making a fraction of his highest total earnings.

Okay.. the most I’ve ever made was 85k a year at my brick and mortar. To get MY SPECIFIC CHALLENGE AMOUNT I need to do some math. A thousand into my current Highest Income Earned is 8,500.

So enter in your HIE (ever) _____ multiplied by 0.1 = your specific challenge amount

HIE x 0.1 = Your 90 Day Business Goal

Everybody with me? I hope so. Sometimes I can do math and sometimes I can’t.. it’s a crapshoot.

My theory is that by challenging ourselves at a level that just barely exceeds what we’re already capable of we will push our money-making willpower muscles to exhaustion without injuring our psyches.

Because in this thread I’m seeing very successful ppl, slightly successful ppl and UNsuccessful ppl. Since I’m in that middle group I’m really most interested in getting us stronger. How do we exercise the small amount of faith and willpower and focus we have? We challenge ourselves!

So now we gotta goal and a timeline. 90 days. Any other parameters? We should be clear.

I might be interested in doing something like this. If you come up with rules and a framework, I'd suggest starting a challenge thread, and please tag me. If you want feedback feel free to PM me.

Also, your theory has some merit, in my case anyway. I have been doing 30-day challenges and trying to workout or eat well consistently for a couple years, just never been dedicated enough to go that long or intense before now.
 
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luniac

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I think a better show would be "From homeless to stable"
but noone would watch it except me.
 

biophase

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I love the difference in opinions of the people watching the show.

He's talking to an attorney on the phone about getting a liquor license. True, a poor person wouldn't be able to afford a 15 minute conversation with one.

He finds (or steals) tires are sells them. That might be illegal.

The SBA place let's him do an open casting for team members, as do a local pub. Would a local place really let a person do that? I don't know.

So let me tell you what I learned in this episode.

Call an attorney and let them tell you the rules vs. sitting at home and googling it. He had a phone, I'm sure he could have read all that info. But he's used to asking and paying people for answers and advice. I need to do that more often.

When he found the tires, he didn't even attempt to put them in his truck and drive to another location. Probably because he couldn't pick them up himself. I probably would have been embarrassed to sell them at that location or I would have been afraid that the buyer would have said, "you just found these here and now you want $1500?". But the value he provided was in the finding of the tires, not the presentation or location of the sale. Limiting belief on my part.

I could have hired using an open casting like him. I was thinking, how many people could I have interviewed in the span of one day this way. I would have put something like "looking for people who volunteer at dog rescues."

I don't care that he's not paying for gas, food, etc... How does showing that part pertain to me learning from him?

I watch the show and see him pick up $700 car and sell it for $4200. They don't go over the signing over of the title, no notary, etc... But that stuff is for people that need all the directions given to them. Can you find a $1500 car worth $7000? It's probably pretty hard, but that's not the point. Here's what I learned... Go in a car dealer and see if you can get a trade in car that is going to auction anyway or get lucky and find a run down used car lot and offer to move cars for them. These were things I've never thought of.

The rest of the people can call BS... and they can also stay poor.
 
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ZF Lee

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The SBA place let's him do an open casting for team members, as do a local pub. Would a local place really let a person do that? I don't know.
Yes, possible.

One meetup.com group I go to, now and then, has their venues sponsored for free by some co-working space, cafe or library.

It works because both my meetup group and the sponsoring organization have sharing interests.

My meetup group gets a place to have meetings, and a bit of publicity, and the sponsors are likely to have more people coming in to use their facilities (e.g co-working spaces get more users and cafes get some new customers who order food and drinks)

As long as the place owners’ have something in for them, a benefit, it would be in the favour of things.

Even better, if they have done it before,.

How do we know then who is more likely than not to welcome us?

In an ideal situation, cafes who sponsor venues for meetups may promote it on social media and hashtags, so the sponsors who have done such events before can be found with a careful facebook search.

Search on social media, and give them a call.

It doesn’t need to be a very big event or meetup though. My meetup group in question was only a year old, and although we’re in Kuala Lumpur, the group’s area is in a relatively close-knit locale.
 

Real Deal Denver

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I spent most of my corporate career at Microsoft. Ballmer is probably the business person I most respect in this world -- in real life, he's exactly as his persona would indicate. He's also probably the smartest person I've ever met. I never got to meet Paul Allen, but I've been in meetings with Ballmer and Gates, and there's no doubt in my mind that Ballmer is the biggest reason Microsoft ever got to where it was.

To give an example, each year, he'd spend one day with each of the company's business units (BU), putting together a strategy and proforma P&L for that unit for the following fiscal year. And when I say he'd spend a day, I don't mean 8 hours. Often times, these meetings would last for 14+ hours (and there were some classic 24+ hour meetings as well). We'd cycle in people for different parts of the strategy, but other than bathroom breaks, he didn't leave the room from the time he started until the strategy and budget were done.

In that one day, he'd build a BU strategy and complex P&L from scratch (these were often $500M to $5B P&Ls) in Excel right there, which would be used to fund the following year's budget. In other words, he was literally building a separate business plan for each MSFT business from scratch in a single session. From the minute it started until the minute it ended, he'd be bouncing off the walls excited to be there (and yes, lots of coffee helped).

And then he'd do it again the next day with the next BU... I've never seen anything like it and I've never met anyone else like him...

Fascinating post.

Although I've never met him, Marcus on "The Profit" TV show is my modern-day business hero.

The difference here is that he transforms a business in ONE episode. I have no patience for filler in shows, so a series is out of the question for me.

I watch several episodes at the same time on Hulu. No commercials and I have to say that my perceptions on business matters has been honed and sharpened thanks to this excellent show.

Required viewing. It's a MBA AND CPA degree in a real-life video format. He (also) transforms a business entity in one episode, and we get to see the steps along the way, along with the ultimate results. I am really going to have to buy this entire series on DVD because they retire episodes off of Hulu after a while.

Although I greatly admire people like Ballmer, I have no time for the macho antics of marathon meetings lasting 24 hours. I lost that along the way as I matured and no longer needed the attention. I also certainly don't need the badge of being a participant. All that matters is results, so skip the theatrics. Anything that doesn't produce tangible results is only experience - but the more experience you have the better results you produce. There is no failure - only lessons. And that's that. Ballmer, unfortunately, was probably brought up craving the attention that he needed so he could be "stabilize" and not need the oh so intoxicating limelight. You have to raise your bar a bit higher @JScott. No need for circus acts in this day and age. I'd have walked out after 8 or 9 hours. Not all of us have the balls to do that though. And if they would have fired me for that, then they would probably have done me a favor.

26651
 

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Loved this second episode. Loved @biophase recap and I really don't have much to add. The stuff he is doing though is simple blocking and tackling so far. How simple? This simple... I paused the show before he got to the car scene, and asked my elementary school daughter :

"If he had some money and wanted to buy something and then sell it for more to make some extra money, what do you think he should buy?"

and her answer : "A car!"

And she was thrilled when that's exactly what he did. Twice. Did she see a preview? Maybe. Did she take in the lesson? Yes. Does she, at a fraction of your age, understand the value lesson beyond the theatrics? Yes.

It's that simple folks. The show isn't about getting you a million dollar valuation in 90 days. It is closer to the hustle thread here on the forum.

@Kak was laughing yesterday on the phone with me because while several were posting on the forum and specifically on this thread, I was downtown in Tampa hustling and meeting business owners for networking, and buying and selling some stuff, and basically doing what the Undercover Millionaire was doing, unintentionally. It's just who we are. It's just what drew you to this forum. It's just who you and I might become. It's what almost everyone that frequents this forum is hardwired to do.

Those of you on the couch... get up off the couch. Consider this your own entrepreneurial C25K. Push past fear. Start.
 
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Andy Black

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Loved this second episode. Loved @biophase recap and I really don't have much to add. The stuff he is doing though is simple blocking and tackling so far. How simple? This simple... I paused the show before he got to the car scene, and asked my elementary school daughter :

"If he had some money and wanted to buy something and then sell it for more to make some extra money, what do you think he should buy?"

and her answer : "A car!"

And she was thrilled when that's exactly what he did. Twice. Did she see a preview? Maybe. Did she take in the lesson? Yes. Does she, at a fraction of your age, understand the value lesson beyond the theatrics? Yes.

It's that simple folks. The show isn't about getting you a million dollar valuation in 90 days. It is closer to the hustle thread here on the forum.

@Kak was laughing yesterday on the phone with me because while several were posting on the forum and specifically on this thread, I was downtown in Tampa hustling and meeting business owners for networking, and buying and selling some stuff, and basically doing what the Undercover Millionaire was doing, unintentionally. It's just who we are. It's just what drew you to this forum. It's just who you and I might become. It's what almost everyone that frequents this forum is hardwired to do.

Those of you on the couch... get up off the couch. Consider this your own entrepreneurial C25K. Push past fear. Start.
Yep. And while you were hustling downtown I was being interviewed for a podcast by someone I just “met” this week because I’d sent him a video Thank You message.

Get out there folks. Build relationships. Shake people’s hands (literally or figuratively). Make things happen ffs.

Spend your money on diesel and coffee


What’s a C25K?
 

Andy Black

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ZCP

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Our billionaire is going to cheat and use credit he couldn't actually obtain in the position he is emulating to get his million dollars in 90 days. Someone who is actually in his position might have 45 days before that phone gets turned off and their credit is burned and useless for 7 years (not that they could use it anyway with no income) but almost certainly would have already burned their credit trying desperately to avoid hitting the "homeless and sleeping in a truck" stage. That makes things much more challenging.
why does he need credit? why would you need more than 45 days?

change that mindset.

there has got to be SOMETHING you can take a way from the show to make your life better?!
 

Kak

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I call that being realistic. Not that it invalidates the money, but it makes the entire premise irrelevant to the Average Joe watching the show.

Why is average joe average?

Why can't average joe learn?

The point of the show is not the dollar figure. The point of the show is to build your tool box and USE IT.
 

ChrisV

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This thread shows that for many people the odds of success are almost zero due to shitty mindset.

There you have a billionaire trying to make a million from scratch in 90 days and people can watch it. And people cry about his smartphone, his old truck and that he owns some clothes...

WHAT THE F*ck is your point?
You seem to own a smartphone or laptop as well, otherwise you wouldn't be posting on the forum... so if you make 1 mil in the next 90 days it's obv because you are a spoiled rich person. After all you own a smartphone.


beyond ridiculous...

Seriously. This thread is fascinating from a sociological perspective. The mental backflips groups of people are willing to do to confirm their bias that the game of wealth is somehow rigged.

The guy is living in a F*cking truck.

If he didn't have the laptop he would have just went to a public library and researched there. If he didn't have the phone he could have went and got an Obama phone.

You're right. The game is rigged. It's rigged in favor of those who work hard and are smart. Ones who have an internal Locus of Control and see obstacles as challenges rather than roadblocks. The game is seriously rigged in their favor.

I presented data in another thread showing the best statistical markers for various measures of success (income, extrinsic success, occupational status) and by far the top predictors were Intelligence and Conscientiousness (which is basically, the propensity to work hard and do a good job.)

26655

Who wins? Smart people who work hard. That's how the game is rigged.

So rig it in your favor. Stop nitpicking all this dumb shit.
 
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Rawseed

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I just finished the second episode.

So many entrepreneurial lessons in the first two episodes.
  • Address your basic needs first so you have the mental space to focus on starting and growing your business.
  • Focus on Ramen profitability.
  • Forget the frills.
  • Find your buyer first. Then find/create the product.
  • Find a need then fill it.
  • Look for industries/business models that are working.
  • Shortcut domain experience by talking to people who have it.
  • Learn everything about the business/industry you're trying to enter.
  • Ask. Ask. Ask.
  • Action. Action. Action.
  • Don't be afraid to hear no.
  • Buy low and sell high.
  • Reinvest all profits back into your business.
  • It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission.
  • Don't ask whose going to let me. Ask whose going to stop me.
  • When you need capital, there is no job beneath you.
  • Surround yourself with people smarter than you.
  • Build a team. Leverage human capital.
  • A leader's job isn't managing. It's inspiring. It's creating a believable vision. It's motivating your employees to follow you.
  • Empower your team.
  • Appear confident, even if you aren't.
  • Don't appear desperate, even if you are.
  • Look for free resources.
  • When negotiating, always leave enough on the table so the other person feels like they got a deal.
  • Learn how to negotiate.
  • Learn how to sell.
If you're watching this series and thinking that you can't do what he's doing. You're 100% right.

I'm glad I don't think like that.
 

Kak

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  • A leader's job isn't managing. It's inspiring. It's creating a believable vision. It's motivating your employees to follow you.

This is gold. Leadership is way more than managing!

It takes a lot for many to get rid of the FU "boss" mentality. That's not leadership, that is leverage.

He went to the team and humbly asked for their support and gave them the truth... That the first couple of months will be hard, but anything worthwhile is.

That one guy that declined his offer, that was completely unwilling to work towards a long term goal, will probably never rise out of mediocrity. He put his comfort now ahead of his success in the future. I understand people need money, but he could have found a way if it was important to him.
 
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ChrisV

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I think we found the key to success! Homelessness! :rofl:
Actually I'd argue you're right.

"Doing whatever you have to do"
 

shaitand

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First post, joined today just to post this.

The chances of you being unbiased are extremely low. I am not sure what your purpose of being here is but it's certainly not the same as the rest of us. I will choose not to engage further

It's no big mystery, this thread was indexed by Google and found in relation to the show. So it has nothing to do with the book or specific subset of information this forum is about although I have begun poking around.

My point is really just that it isn't a treadmill because the growth isn't linear but quadratic. If you graph the difficulty of wealth growth it would be a curve and not a diagonal line. It really doesn't change the validity of concepts I've seen here now that I'm poking around but recognizing that growth pattern helps explain why the possibility for those 16/17/18/19 which I have seen expressed is so low.
 

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ChrisV

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It's no big mystery, this thread was indexed by Google and found in relation to the show. So it has nothing to do with the book or specific subset of information this forum is about although I have begun poking around.

My point is really just that it isn't a treadmill because the growth isn't linear but quadratic. If you graph the difficulty of wealth growth it would be a curve and not a diagonal line. It really doesn't change the validity of concepts I've seen here now that I'm poking around but recognizing that growth pattern helps explain why the possibility for those 16/17/18/19 which I have seen expressed is so low.

Yeah, we've had three episodes now and there are definitely some issues both with what we've seen and what they've revealed we are going to see. SPOILERS ahead I guess?

His first concept was to steal things from unguarded property and sell them. Tires specifically but in general he looked for things to take. He considered a set in a dumpster which would likely be legal but otherwise he looked on railroad and other not currently occupied properties. The tires he ultimately found and sold for $1600 weren't abandoned in trash so that is a first degree misdemeanor in PA, if he'd gotten just $400 more it would have been a felony offense. Most wealthy people have a zero tolerance and crucify them view of thieves and he is advocating stealing railroad property on the first day.

The unlicensed streetside vending was also illegal even if just a fine.

His used insurance and only paid a $250 co-pay for what was almost certainly several thousand dollars worth of ER care needed because was living out of that truck.

He hasn't been paying for gas. He wouldn't have gotten through his first week without gas and his entire initial plan was to burn it up like crazy driving around to steal other people's stuff and sell it.

He is parking vehicles on someone's property by the road to sell them without consent or payment. Again, a run down building doesn't make it public property. You can't just derive value from it without consent.

They didn't actually show his conversations with his "team" and how he convinced them to work without payment but working without payment is a labor law violation. He needs to pay all of them, including himself and not just the future ownership stake he indicated he wasn't going to tell them about. If he is actually getting them to work on such terms he and they are likely to run afoul of the IRS since they are dodging social security, employment taxes, etc.

When he rented his apartment they also glossed over the standard requirement for proof of income that is 3-4x rent or deposits for utilities.

His current plan is to increase capital by gathering a $10,000 for a house. Someone who is that level of poor and unemployed couldn't qualify for a mortgage with or without a downpayment.

The biggest cheat is probably the camera crew and documentary cover though. The SBDC is a great resource but they aren't going to put in that kind of time and personal attention for most people walking in the door. The business owners, potential hires, were probably at least partially swayed by him being worthy of that kind of attention and by the fact they are getting free advertising.

So a real person would be broke, dehydrated and possibly dead or have a bill for several thousand dollars, fined, and in jail doing what he has done by episode 3.
So what does this tell us? Labor laws in the US are probative and hurt people trying to get ahead.

I'm enjoying your input in this thread, and you're obviously an intelligent guy. But it's known that we generally use our cognitive faculties to rationalize our preconceived biases mores than using the same faculties to get to an objective truth.

All of your cognitive faculties seem to be devoted to proving one overarching hueristic: poor people are pretty much doomed. It's a heuristic.

You seem like a lot of people I know: a well-educated, compassionate liberal (or somewhere left of center,) using their intelligence to backwards rationalize political views.

He's not trying to prove that any homeless guy can become a multimillionaire, and he's certainly not trying to to rub his success in the face of the impoverished. He's not making any grand political or societal statements. He's simply curious if he can do it.

But the impoverished (as well as those who advocate for them) are going to be offended by this because it creates cognitive dissonance. Right now they're completely comfortable believing that the game is rigged and the reason they can't get ahead is because of X, Y, and Z factor that's outside their control. When they see evidence that this might not be the case, it challenges their entire worldview. So you start to see all these mental backflips. "He has this advantage (a cellphone,)" "he has that advantage (a truck.)" Seriously? The bottom line is he has less advantage than 98% of people in America. Like you want the guy to be straight up living in a homeless shelter then making a million dollars? I bet he would do it too. But that would be a political statement.

So you think that doing a few rule bending things is the only reason he's succeeding? You think he couldn't do it otherwise? Building a $1M business in 90 days is not a small feat. So what if he had to build a $1M in 180 days, while rigorously following all labor laws to the T? Do you think that's the one thing that would make the difference?

On a micro scale, you may be right, but as far as the overarching thesis...I definitely don't think that him bending a few rules or having a cellphone is the only reason he's going to succeed at this.
 

MJ DeMarco

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Wow 6 pages which I haven't read on a reality TV show I haven't watched. Should I set the DVR?
 

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