First Fastlane Anniversary: My Biggest Lessons

[Spenny]

This is my first anniversary. I'm almost tempted to call it a birthday, as I’ve developed so much obsession with improving my life this past year & I can barely recognise who I've become. It's incredible that, in many aspects, I'm living my dream.

I'm structuring this post in two parts:
A) The Biggest Lessons
B) What I've Done

Biggest Lessons

• TO ALL YOUNG FASTLANERS - Journalling, meditation, reading, overcoming social media, cold showers, and gratitude don't do anything past a point. I can’t emphasise this enough. I often see people starting and never leaving this stage because it's uncomfortable (I did this).
  • Go produce something of value.
  • Get a purpose. Align identity with that purpose. Do something. Doing is ten times better than becoming an amateur philosopher.
  • Don't trick yourself into watching Hamza, Alex Hormozi, or anyone else as "education". It's entertainment unless you're taking notes during the video.
• You haven’t got time to waste. Death is real, inevitable & it will remind you of that with near-death experiences. I recommend getting a "My Life In Weeks" poster from Amazon and looking at it regularly. Momento Mori. Think of death. You'll move quicker, be more productive and enjoy life far more.
• The desert of desertion is a killer.
  
  • Before you even set off on an idea, use this as a checklist
    
    • Can you say in a sentence what problem you are solving? How are you different? How are you improving the existing system?
    • Have you run the numbers on if this can be profitable? How much would it take for you to sell to get to profit? How many units would you need to make the xxx amount a month? Is that feasible?
    • Have you consulted Google Trends/Google Ad Planner/ search volume/ existing products to see if people are searching for your specific solution? How do you add value?
    • Have you checked your idea against the CENTS framework? Have you been on grademybusinessidea.com?
    • When can you get the barebones prototype made? When can you get feedback? How fast can I make the feedback loop?
  • You have to outline this as you'll be tested during development. "Why am I doing this?" / "Will I even sell one?" / "These people said it's useless" etc. It would be best to have an answer to be stubborn, not because you believe blindly but because you have done the essential checks for a green light.
• Get a group of like-minded individuals you can go to for support - whether with business, life, dating, etc. I couldn’t have done it alone, plus it’d be boring. Developing something worthwhile is inherently lonely, but having support helps so much.
• Ideas are only useful if you do something with them- the only thing that matters is applying them.
  • What can you do to get that first sale? (@Andy Black ) What can you do to provide value to someone?
• Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.
  
  • Dropshipping
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Being a Youtuber
  • Forex Trading
  • MLM
  • Crypto Investing

A general rule is if it’s popular on social media, it’s a saturated area that’ll be harder to find value to provide. I’m not saying these are useless and there is no place to provide value, but becoming good at it will take years & you'll have to dig, just like any other business. Refer to CENTS.​

• Move to being a producer more than a consumer.
  • Joining a team producer is gradual but rewarding once you begin seeing a change.
  • Fastlane content is good content to consume, but put it to use. Implement it.
  • How can you position yourself to be a producer? What can you make?
• Investing is worthwhile later once you’ve got scalable value (e.g. a business).
  • I wasted so much time researching, only to make £200 or lose.
  • It just doesn’t make sense & will not get you to being Fastlane (unless you can manage other people's money through scalability - that's amazing).
• Identify a problem, then learn skills for the solution.
  • People put the cart before the horse on this one. When I identified a problem I wanted to solve, I searched for the skills I needed to achieve my goal. It was clear what I needed to do next to progress & get to sales. Learn CAD --> Prototype --> More prototyping & research --> Make website --> Make content/ push ads.
  • Do not be vague and "Learn coding" or "Learn CAD". 95% of the information on those courses is irrelevant to the problem you want to solve and doesn't get you closer to a working prototype. I have colleagues who made prototypes & got overwhelmingly positive responses in a week.
  • AGAIN. Identify --> Solve Problems. The skill learning is a byproduct, not the goal.
• Become a source of inspiration for others. I get called an inspiration, but I'm not special. I just wanted to be in a position where I could help others. Those kind words people tell me feed back into myself in more ways than you can believe. I run faster. I lift heavier. I work harder. I lead better. I'm more patient.

What I've Done

Before university, I was recovering from dreadful mental health from a job I worked and being spectacularly unsuccessful with YouTube & an investing portfolio. When I began that job, I could feel the anti-entrepreneurship sentiment & before I knew it, I had become a part of it. I had entirely resigned myself to being an employee. I gave up.

Thankfully, I left, and as I was recovering, I found a fantastic book called "The Millionaires Fastlane." It gave me a framework to work off of and reminded me of how much I missed entrepreneurship. I felt like I rediscovered a part of me that tried to shut down for years because I unwisely listened to my peers. That said, it was my fault I had been committing identity suicide. Around that time, just before starting university, I sent an email to myself two years ago, and I received it this week. When I wrote that email, I didn't even know the forum existed, it just so happens that I sent that email the same week I joined a year later.

Here's an extract.

“By the time you read this, you'll be through the majority of your degree, have run multiple businesses/startups, kept that six-pack & grown stronger.

Now, I didn't do much for the first year. It was more of a year of partying, doing my degree, still dabbling in investing (unsuccessfully) with many other distractions.

Then I found the forum. Here's what I've done over the past twelve months:

• Tried four different businesses. One has been a worthwhile success, while the other three were learning experiences.
• I hit some significant milestones in bodybuilding. I can run half-marathons & lift heavy weights. Years ago, I couldn't even run a 3km run.
• I’ve launched my first-ever product and began selling it. We're on the cusp of making more products, too.
  • I’ve had to learn CAD
  • Basic web design for e-commerce
  • Copywriting
  • Ads/ Tiktok Content.
• Kept myself accountable on my thread that has turned to GOLD.
• I’ve been sober since February. No alcohol or anything else that makes me stupid. I’m still a student as well. The many times I’ve had opportunities to indulge, and I haven’t, I’m proud I’ve stayed to my word.
• I’ve begun guiding people on their self-improvement journeys; some on the forum have already experienced me keeping them accountable. I’m now finding people coming to me for advice, whether in the gym, life & even business.
• I’ve removed video games from my life and cannibalised the spare time for new hobbies I’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to do.
• I’ve surrounded myself with winners on both the forum and in real life: entrepreneurs, doctors, inventors, and business owners. More importantly, I now have a close-knit of friends who all want more out of life & push each other.
• I’m on the final stretch of graduating with my degree.

Big shoutout to all the friends & colleagues I’ve met in the past year. You know exactly who you are. You've added a lot of colour to my life, given me the drive to do better & given me plenty of laughs. Thank you to the forum, too. There are endless archives of entrepreneurship content here & it's incredible to refer to. Here's to another great year.

Edit: Spelling errors, clarification - content is the same.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Immediate GOLD.

 

[KiwiEC]

As usual, high value post from you. Thanks for sharing.

May this be inspirational for newcomers, I wish you the best for the year to come and I look forward to discover the next chapter.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.

• Dropshipping
• Affiliate Marketing
• Being a Youtuber
• Forex Trading
• MLM
• Crypto Investing

Freaking love this...

 

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[Jon822]

I hit some significant milestones in bodybuilding. I can run half-marathons & lift heavy weights. Years ago, I couldn't even run a 3km run.

Hell yeah! It's been said before but a billion dollar company is worth 0 to a dead owner. If life were a chess game, your health is king -- protect it with every piece you have. Huge congrats and keep up the success in both your health and business!

 

[EthanH]

This is my first anniversary. I'm almost tempted to call it a birthday, as I’ve developed so much obsession with improving my life this past year & I can barely recognise who I've become. It's incredible that, in many aspects, I'm living my dream.

I'm structuring this post in two parts:
A) The Biggest Lessons
B) What I've Done

Biggest Lessons

• TO ALL YOUNG FASTLANERS - Journalling, meditation, reading, overcoming social media, cold showers, and gratitude don't do anything past a point. I can’t emphasise this enough. I often see people starting and never leaving this stage because it's uncomfortable (I did this).
  • Go produce something of value.
  • Get a purpose. Align identity with that purpose. Do something. Doing is ten times better than becoming an amateur philosopher.
  • Don't trick yourself into watching Hamza, Alex Hormozi, or anyone else as "education". It's entertainment unless you're taking notes during the video.
• You haven’t got time to waste. Death is real, inevitable & it will remind you of that with near-death experiences. I recommend getting a "My Life In Weeks" poster from Amazon and looking at it regularly. Momento Mori. Think of death. You'll move quicker, be more productive and enjoy life far more.
• The desert of desertion is a killer.
  
  • Before you even set off on an idea, use this as a checklist
    
    • Can you say in a sentence what problem you are solving? How are you different? How are you improving the existing system?
    • Have you run the numbers on if this can be profitable? How much would it take for you to sell to get to profit? How many units would you need to make the xxx amount a month? Is that feasible?
    • Have you consulted Google Trends/Google Ad Planner/ search volume/ existing products to see if people are searching for your specific solution? How do you add value?
    • Have you checked your idea against the CENTS framework? Have you been on grademybusinessidea.com?
    • When can you get the barebones prototype made? When can you get feedback? How fast can I make the feedback loop?
  • You have to outline this as you'll be tested during development. "Why am I doing this?" / "Will I even sell one?" / "These people said it's useless" etc. It would be best to have an answer to be stubborn, not because you believe blindly but because you have done the essential checks for a green light.
• Get a group of like-minded individuals you can go to for support - whether with business, life, dating, etc. I couldn’t have done it alone, plus it’d be boring. Developing something worthwhile is inherently lonely, but having support helps so much.
• Ideas are only useful if you do something with them- the only thing that matters is getting them.
  • What can you do to get that first sale? (@Andy Black ) What can you do to provide value to someone?
• Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.
  
  • Dropshipping
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Being a Youtuber
  • Forex Trading
  • MLM
  • Crypto Investing

A general rule is if it’s popular on social media, it’s a saturated area that’ll be harder to find value to provide. I’m not saying these are useless and there is no place to provide value, but becoming good at it will take years & you'll have to dig, just like any other business. Refer to CENTS.​

• Move to being a producer more than a consumer.
  • Joining a team producer is gradual but rewarding once you begin seeing a change.
  • Fastlane content is good content to consume, but put it to use. Implement it.
  • How can you position yourself to be a producer? What can you make?
• Investing is worthwhile later once you’ve got scalable value (e.g. a business).
  • I wasted so much time researching, only to make £200 or lose.
  • It just doesn’t make sense & will not get you to being Fastlane (unless you can manage other people's money through scalability - that's amazing).
• Identify a problem, then learn skills for the solution.
  • People put the cart before the horse on this one. When I identified a problem I wanted to solve, I searched for the skills I needed to achieve my goal. It was clear what I needed to do next to progress & get to sales. Learn CAD --> Prototype --> More prototyping & research --> Make website --> Make content/ push ads.
  • Do not be vague and "Learn coding" or "Learn CAD". 95% of the information on those courses is irrelevant to the problem you want to solve and doesn't get you closer to a working prototype. I have colleagues who made prototypes & got overwhelmingly positive responses in a week.
  • AGAIN. Identify --> Solve Problems. The skill learning is a byproduct, not the goal.
• Become a source of inspiration for others. I get called an inspiration, but I'm not special. I just wanted to be in a position where I could help others. Those kind words people tell me feed back into myself in more ways than you can believe. I run faster. I lift heavier. I work harder. I lead better. I'm more patient.

What I've Done

Before university, I was recovering from dreadful mental health from a job I worked and being spectacularly unsuccessful with YouTube & an investing portfolio. When I began that job, I could feel the anti-entrepreneurship sentiment & before I knew it, I had become a part of it. I had entirely resigned myself to being an employee. I gave up.

Thankfully, I left, and as I was recovering, I found a fantastic book called "The Millionaires Fastlane." It gave me a framework to work off of and reminded me of how much I missed entrepreneurship. I felt like I rediscovered a part of me that tried to shut down for years because I unwisely listened to my peers. That said, it was my fault I had been committing identity suicide. Around that time, just before starting university, I sent an email to myself two years ago, and I received it this week. When I wrote that email, I didn't even know the forum existed, it just so happens that I sent that email the same week I joined a year later.

Here's an extract.

“By the time you read this, you'll be through the majority of your degree, have run multiple businesses/startups, kept that six-pack & grown stronger.

Now, I didn't do much for the first year. It was more of a year of partying, doing my degree, still dabbling in investing (unsuccessfully) with many other distractions.

Then I found the forum. Here's what I've done over the past twelve months:

• Tried four different businesses. One has been a worthwhile success, while the other three were learning experiences.
• I hit some significant milestones in bodybuilding. I can run half-marathons & lift heavy weights. Years ago, I couldn't even run a 3km run.
• I’ve launched my first-ever product and began selling it. We're on the cusp of making more products, too.
  • I’ve had to learn CAD
  • Basic web design for e-commerce
  • Copywriting
  • Ads/ Tiktok Content.
• Kept myself accountable on my thread that has turned to GOLD.
• I’ve been sober since February. No alcohol or anything else that makes me stupid. I’m still a student as well. The many times I’ve had opportunities to indulge, and I haven’t, I’m proud I’ve stayed to my word.
• I’ve begun guiding people on their self-improvement journeys; some on the forum have already experienced me keeping them accountable. I’m now finding people coming to me for advice, whether in the gym, life & even business.
• I’ve removed video games from my life and cannibalised the spare time for new hobbies I’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to do.
• I’ve surrounded myself with winners on both the forum and in real life: entrepreneurs, doctors, inventors, and business owners. More importantly, I now have a close-knit of friends who all want more out of life & push each other.
• I’m on the final stretch of graduating with my degree.

Big shoutout to all the friends & colleagues I’ve met in the past year. You know exactly who you are. You've added a lot of colour to my life, given me the drive to do better & given me plenty of laughs. Thank you to the forum, too. There are endless archives of entrepreneurship content here & it's incredible to refer to. Here's to another great year.

Edit: Spelling errors, clarification - content is the same.

Absolutely awesome post! Super cool to see how consistent you've been and now you're beginning to reap the rewards.

 

[Aidan04]

This is my first anniversary. I'm almost tempted to call it a birthday, as I’ve developed so much obsession with improving my life this past year & I can barely recognise who I've become. It's incredible that, in many aspects, I'm living my dream.

I'm structuring this post in two parts:
A) The Biggest Lessons
B) What I've Done

Biggest Lessons

• TO ALL YOUNG FASTLANERS - Journalling, meditation, reading, overcoming social media, cold showers, and gratitude don't do anything past a point. I can’t emphasise this enough. I often see people starting and never leaving this stage because it's uncomfortable (I did this).
  • Go produce something of value.
  • Get a purpose. Align identity with that purpose. Do something. Doing is ten times better than becoming an amateur philosopher.
  • Don't trick yourself into watching Hamza, Alex Hormozi, or anyone else as "education". It's entertainment unless you're taking notes during the video.
• You haven’t got time to waste. Death is real, inevitable & it will remind you of that with near-death experiences. I recommend getting a "My Life In Weeks" poster from Amazon and looking at it regularly. Momento Mori. Think of death. You'll move quicker, be more productive and enjoy life far more.
• The desert of desertion is a killer.
  
  • Before you even set off on an idea, use this as a checklist
    
    • Can you say in a sentence what problem you are solving? How are you different? How are you improving the existing system?
    • Have you run the numbers on if this can be profitable? How much would it take for you to sell to get to profit? How many units would you need to make the xxx amount a month? Is that feasible?
    • Have you consulted Google Trends/Google Ad Planner/ search volume/ existing products to see if people are searching for your specific solution? How do you add value?
    • Have you checked your idea against the CENTS framework? Have you been on grademybusinessidea.com?
    • When can you get the barebones prototype made? When can you get feedback? How fast can I make the feedback loop?
  • You have to outline this as you'll be tested during development. "Why am I doing this?" / "Will I even sell one?" / "These people said it's useless" etc. It would be best to have an answer to be stubborn, not because you believe blindly but because you have done the essential checks for a green light.
• Get a group of like-minded individuals you can go to for support - whether with business, life, dating, etc. I couldn’t have done it alone, plus it’d be boring. Developing something worthwhile is inherently lonely, but having support helps so much.
• Ideas are only useful if you do something with them- the only thing that matters is getting them.
  • What can you do to get that first sale? (@Andy Black ) What can you do to provide value to someone?
• Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.
  
  • Dropshipping
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Being a Youtuber
  • Forex Trading
  • MLM
  • Crypto Investing

A general rule is if it’s popular on social media, it’s a saturated area that’ll be harder to find value to provide. I’m not saying these are useless and there is no place to provide value, but becoming good at it will take years & you'll have to dig, just like any other business. Refer to CENTS.​

• Move to being a producer more than a consumer.
  • Joining a team producer is gradual but rewarding once you begin seeing a change.
  • Fastlane content is good content to consume, but put it to use. Implement it.
  • How can you position yourself to be a producer? What can you make?
• Investing is worthwhile later once you’ve got scalable value (e.g. a business).
  • I wasted so much time researching, only to make £200 or lose.
  • It just doesn’t make sense & will not get you to being Fastlane (unless you can manage other people's money through scalability - that's amazing).
• Identify a problem, then learn skills for the solution.
  • People put the cart before the horse on this one. When I identified a problem I wanted to solve, I searched for the skills I needed to achieve my goal. It was clear what I needed to do next to progress & get to sales. Learn CAD --> Prototype --> More prototyping & research --> Make website --> Make content/ push ads.
  • Do not be vague and "Learn coding" or "Learn CAD". 95% of the information on those courses is irrelevant to the problem you want to solve and doesn't get you closer to a working prototype. I have colleagues who made prototypes & got overwhelmingly positive responses in a week.
  • AGAIN. Identify --> Solve Problems. The skill learning is a byproduct, not the goal.
• Become a source of inspiration for others. I get called an inspiration, but I'm not special. I just wanted to be in a position where I could help others. Those kind words people tell me feed back into myself in more ways than you can believe. I run faster. I lift heavier. I work harder. I lead better. I'm more patient.

What I've Done

Before university, I was recovering from dreadful mental health from a job I worked and being spectacularly unsuccessful with YouTube & an investing portfolio. When I began that job, I could feel the anti-entrepreneurship sentiment & before I knew it, I had become a part of it. I had entirely resigned myself to being an employee. I gave up.

Thankfully, I left, and as I was recovering, I found a fantastic book called "The Millionaires Fastlane." It gave me a framework to work off of and reminded me of how much I missed entrepreneurship. I felt like I rediscovered a part of me that tried to shut down for years because I unwisely listened to my peers. That said, it was my fault I had been committing identity suicide. Around that time, just before starting university, I sent an email to myself two years ago, and I received it this week. When I wrote that email, I didn't even know the forum existed, it just so happens that I sent that email the same week I joined a year later.

Here's an extract.

“By the time you read this, you'll be through the majority of your degree, have run multiple businesses/startups, kept that six-pack & grown stronger.

Now, I didn't do much for the first year. It was more of a year of partying, doing my degree, still dabbling in investing (unsuccessfully) with many other distractions.

Then I found the forum. Here's what I've done over the past twelve months:

• Tried four different businesses. One has been a worthwhile success, while the other three were learning experiences.
• I hit some significant milestones in bodybuilding. I can run half-marathons & lift heavy weights. Years ago, I couldn't even run a 3km run.
• I’ve launched my first-ever product and began selling it. We're on the cusp of making more products, too.
  • I’ve had to learn CAD
  • Basic web design for e-commerce
  • Copywriting
  • Ads/ Tiktok Content.
• Kept myself accountable on my thread that has turned to GOLD.
• I’ve been sober since February. No alcohol or anything else that makes me stupid. I’m still a student as well. The many times I’ve had opportunities to indulge, and I haven’t, I’m proud I’ve stayed to my word.
• I’ve begun guiding people on their self-improvement journeys; some on the forum have already experienced me keeping them accountable. I’m now finding people coming to me for advice, whether in the gym, life & even business.
• I’ve removed video games from my life and cannibalised the spare time for new hobbies I’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to do.
• I’ve surrounded myself with winners on both the forum and in real life: entrepreneurs, doctors, inventors, and business owners. More importantly, I now have a close-knit of friends who all want more out of life & push each other.
• I’m on the final stretch of graduating with my degree.

Big shoutout to all the friends & colleagues I’ve met in the past year. You know exactly who you are. You've added a lot of colour to my life, given me the drive to do better & given me plenty of laughs. Thank you to the forum, too. There are endless archives of entrepreneurship content here & it's incredible to refer to. Here's to another great year.

Edit: Spelling errors, clarification - content is the same.

Couldn't have said any of this better, I'm glad I met you brother.

 

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[Panos Daras]

Amazing post! I couldn't help but nod agreeing to everything. Congratulations on your success!

 

[Sirrom]

Great post man. I’m so happy to see you doing well!

Also nice that you said your first three businesses were learning experiences instead of failures. Because thats what they were.

You will get there in life. Keep working hard and I hope you will be able to live your dreams.

 

[MRiabov]

@Spenny cheers. Great to have you on the inventor team.

 

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[BizyDad]

What a difference a year can make. Congrats on your progress. I look forward to hearing what more challenges you will be overcoming.

 

[Lyzmin]

Great shift in focus on just in time learning vs just in case learning. Love this! Thanks for the great post @Spenny

 

[freek]

interesting post! Can i ask how old you are? I see a lot of similarities in the things you have done, but it looks like you are a few years ahead of me haha

 

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[Spenny]

interesting post! Can i ask how old you are? I see a lot of similarities in the things you have done, but it looks like you are a few years ahead of me haha

I believe the forum displays it in the bio. I'm 22.

 

[freek]

I believe the forum displays it in the bio. I'm 22.

Aha, good to know. So i got one year to catch up, these lessons in the OP will help a lot, thanks.

 

[HoneyBadger302]

Fantastic post, great outlook.

It is so interesting how focus in one area leads you to step up your game in other areas of your life. It really does change who you are and how you see the world.

 

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[Trevor305]

Congratulations on your progress and success man!

This post brought tears to my eyes, and it inspired me to reframe and go after my vision in life.
keep up with the great work.

 

[lifemaker]

You haven’t got time to waste. Death is real, inevitable & it will remind you of that with near-death experiences. I recommend getting a "My Life In Weeks" poster from Amazon and looking at it regularly. Momento Mori. Think of death. You'll move quicker, be more productive and enjoy life far more

Agreed, being proactive is a challenge.
It is worth it.

 

[neyos]

This is my first anniversary. I'm almost tempted to call it a birthday, as I’ve developed so much obsession with improving my life this past year & I can barely recognise who I've become. It's incredible that, in many aspects, I'm living my dream.

I'm structuring this post in two parts:
A) The Biggest Lessons
B) What I've Done

Biggest Lessons

• TO ALL YOUNG FASTLANERS - Journalling, meditation, reading, overcoming social media, cold showers, and gratitude don't do anything past a point. I can’t emphasise this enough. I often see people starting and never leaving this stage because it's uncomfortable (I did this).
  • Go produce something of value.
  • Get a purpose. Align identity with that purpose. Do something. Doing is ten times better than becoming an amateur philosopher.
  • Don't trick yourself into watching Hamza, Alex Hormozi, or anyone else as "education". It's entertainment unless you're taking notes during the video.
• You haven’t got time to waste. Death is real, inevitable & it will remind you of that with near-death experiences. I recommend getting a "My Life In Weeks" poster from Amazon and looking at it regularly. Momento Mori. Think of death. You'll move quicker, be more productive and enjoy life far more.
• The desert of desertion is a killer.
  
  • Before you even set off on an idea, use this as a checklist
    
    • Can you say in a sentence what problem you are solving? How are you different? How are you improving the existing system?
    • Have you run the numbers on if this can be profitable? How much would it take for you to sell to get to profit? How many units would you need to make the xxx amount a month? Is that feasible?
    • Have you consulted Google Trends/Google Ad Planner/ search volume/ existing products to see if people are searching for your specific solution? How do you add value?
    • Have you checked your idea against the CENTS framework? Have you been on grademybusinessidea.com?
    • When can you get the barebones prototype made? When can you get feedback? How fast can I make the feedback loop?
  • You have to outline this as you'll be tested during development. "Why am I doing this?" / "Will I even sell one?" / "These people said it's useless" etc. It would be best to have an answer to be stubborn, not because you believe blindly but because you have done the essential checks for a green light.
• Get a group of like-minded individuals you can go to for support - whether with business, life, dating, etc. I couldn’t have done it alone, plus it’d be boring. Developing something worthwhile is inherently lonely, but having support helps so much.
• Ideas are only useful if you do something with them- the only thing that matters is applying them.
  • What can you do to get that first sale? (@Andy Black ) What can you do to provide value to someone?
• Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.
  
  • Dropshipping
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Being a Youtuber
  • Forex Trading
  • MLM
  • Crypto Investing

A general rule is if it’s popular on social media, it’s a saturated area that’ll be harder to find value to provide. I’m not saying these are useless and there is no place to provide value, but becoming good at it will take years & you'll have to dig, just like any other business. Refer to CENTS.​

• Move to being a producer more than a consumer.
  • Joining a team producer is gradual but rewarding once you begin seeing a change.
  • Fastlane content is good content to consume, but put it to use. Implement it.
  • How can you position yourself to be a producer? What can you make?
• Investing is worthwhile later once you’ve got scalable value (e.g. a business).
  • I wasted so much time researching, only to make £200 or lose.
  • It just doesn’t make sense & will not get you to being Fastlane (unless you can manage other people's money through scalability - that's amazing).
• Identify a problem, then learn skills for the solution.
  • People put the cart before the horse on this one. When I identified a problem I wanted to solve, I searched for the skills I needed to achieve my goal. It was clear what I needed to do next to progress & get to sales. Learn CAD --> Prototype --> More prototyping & research --> Make website --> Make content/ push ads.
  • Do not be vague and "Learn coding" or "Learn CAD". 95% of the information on those courses is irrelevant to the problem you want to solve and doesn't get you closer to a working prototype. I have colleagues who made prototypes & got overwhelmingly positive responses in a week.
  • AGAIN. Identify --> Solve Problems. The skill learning is a byproduct, not the goal.
• Become a source of inspiration for others. I get called an inspiration, but I'm not special. I just wanted to be in a position where I could help others. Those kind words people tell me feed back into myself in more ways than you can believe. I run faster. I lift heavier. I work harder. I lead better. I'm more patient.

What I've Done

Before university, I was recovering from dreadful mental health from a job I worked and being spectacularly unsuccessful with YouTube & an investing portfolio. When I began that job, I could feel the anti-entrepreneurship sentiment & before I knew it, I had become a part of it. I had entirely resigned myself to being an employee. I gave up.

Thankfully, I left, and as I was recovering, I found a fantastic book called "The Millionaires Fastlane." It gave me a framework to work off of and reminded me of how much I missed entrepreneurship. I felt like I rediscovered a part of me that tried to shut down for years because I unwisely listened to my peers. That said, it was my fault I had been committing identity suicide. Around that time, just before starting university, I sent an email to myself two years ago, and I received it this week. When I wrote that email, I didn't even know the forum existed, it just so happens that I sent that email the same week I joined a year later.

Here's an extract.

“By the time you read this, you'll be through the majority of your degree, have run multiple businesses/startups, kept that six-pack & grown stronger.

Now, I didn't do much for the first year. It was more of a year of partying, doing my degree, still dabbling in investing (unsuccessfully) with many other distractions.

Then I found the forum. Here's what I've done over the past twelve months:

• Tried four different businesses. One has been a worthwhile success, while the other three were learning experiences.
• I hit some significant milestones in bodybuilding. I can run half-marathons & lift heavy weights. Years ago, I couldn't even run a 3km run.
• I’ve launched my first-ever product and began selling it. We're on the cusp of making more products, too.
  • I’ve had to learn CAD
  • Basic web design for e-commerce
  • Copywriting
  • Ads/ Tiktok Content.
• Kept myself accountable on my thread that has turned to GOLD.
• I’ve been sober since February. No alcohol or anything else that makes me stupid. I’m still a student as well. The many times I’ve had opportunities to indulge, and I haven’t, I’m proud I’ve stayed to my word.
• I’ve begun guiding people on their self-improvement journeys; some on the forum have already experienced me keeping them accountable. I’m now finding people coming to me for advice, whether in the gym, life & even business.
• I’ve removed video games from my life and cannibalised the spare time for new hobbies I’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to do.
• I’ve surrounded myself with winners on both the forum and in real life: entrepreneurs, doctors, inventors, and business owners. More importantly, I now have a close-knit of friends who all want more out of life & push each other.
• I’m on the final stretch of graduating with my degree.

Big shoutout to all the friends & colleagues I’ve met in the past year. You know exactly who you are. You've added a lot of colour to my life, given me the drive to do better & given me plenty of laughs. Thank you to the forum, too. There are endless archives of entrepreneurship content here & it's incredible to refer to. Here's to another great year.

Edit: Spelling errors, clarification - content is the same.

Thanks for those advices. really a gold mine.

We all strive to do better and it is not easy. But reading this kind of content make you believe it is not impossible. People have done it. so you can.

You may not have the best method yet, but keep doing, learning, improving, even 1% at a time and one day, you will make it.

 

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[Spenny]

Addition to Lessons:
I'll be doing these lesson additions as I find out more stuff that I think would be useful for people starting.

MJ mentioned this in his books, but it's worth reiterating. I don't know if women have an equivalent of these gurus (I'd love to hear if there are female equivalents), promising all sorts, but I've seen this far too often as a man.

DO NOT drink the Kool-Aid from people who promise you everything you may desire.​

These people are salesmen & sell you hope in exchange for thousands of dollars. Here are the common red flags for these people.

Here are common symptoms of a Guru.

• They were pitching why you should begin a coaching business.
  • Usually, they are 16-25 years old.
  • Coaches are reserved for people who have done shit + have experience. Credentials matter when you have a coach; that's the whole point.
• "We're a unique community of high-quality self-improvers" (spoiler: they are not)
• Mentioning a six & eight-figure business with NO PROOF. Most people in that community don't even have a one-figure business.
• An underdog story.
• $1000 courses with a justification: "This is an investment."
• They are selling overpriced products related to their messaging.
• A mentioning of "Adonis", "Alpha", "Sigma" & "Beta".
• Selling coaching courses. "Everyone needs a coach."
• Pictures of money, watches, cars, scantily clad women.
• "$49 is cheap compared to university, where you pay $ 100,00.0."
• EXCESSIVE discounting of the education system.
• Anybody who wears a hooded dressing gown with silver/gold chains.
• "Quit your 9-5
• "Secrets of Success"
• "We don't need money."
• "No refunds"
• "Breaking chains of [Insert addiction]"
• "Become a 1% man."
• They are scaring you with FOMO.
  • "time is running out."
  • "If you're not 1%, you'll be left behind."
• The utmost confidence in why you have a problem - then proceeding to sell courses to "fix" you.
• Bro statistics ("you're 99.99% likely to fail because of [XYZ] . Usually, it's the knowledge you "lack" (you don't), and they can provide.
• Overmentioning of testosterone.
• An obsessive mentioning of nofap, cold showers, looksmaxxing, meditation, etc.
• Binge-watching videos that "address a problem" and then feeling like you haven't even had your question answered.

One or two may be okay, but if you've got multiple from this list,

GURU ALERT

It's snake oil, don't fall for it.​

Let me tell you this now that'll save you endless videos & money- you already know what you need to do. You don't need to be "assigned" a task. You're just acting like an employee at that point. Become self-sufficient. Think. Act.

As soon as I learned this, I did not need to consume, consume, consume. I did, I got feedback, and I did it again.

Edit: Clarification - Grammarly changed the meaning of sentences.

 

[BizyDad]

I did, I got feedback, and I did it again.

People don't believe it until they do it, but it really is this simple. If you can do and learn, and keep doing and learning, you can build a business.

 

[Spenny]

People don't believe it until they do it, but it really is this simple. If you can do and learn, and keep doing and learning, you can build a business.

Entirely - I'm finding this now with my customers. I have contact forms utterly open to them - they give me questions, complaints, and suggestions and I build upon them. Here are some examples structured with problem, solution, and result.

• "Do you offer PayPal?" - Preferred payment processor added - generated more revenue.
• "When is my delivery arriving?" (Lack of clarification) - Added estimated delivery & dispatch confirmation emails. - Customer ease of mind, people asking less questions.
• People contacting me on my socials, not my website - more contact forms - better communication + feedback.
• "Do you have X feature available?" - New product being developed - higher turnover

It's a game of problems, inside of problems, inside of problems. It never ends and I love it.

 

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[BizyDad]

It's a game of problems, inside of problems, inside of problems. It never ends

This sounds like a lot of people's nightmares.

and I love it.

And this is what separates the real entrepreneur from the wantrepreneur.

 

[BRIANDAVE]

This is my first anniversary. I'm almost tempted to call it a birthday, as I’ve developed so much obsession with improving my life this past year & I can barely recognise who I've become. It's incredible that, in many aspects, I'm living my dream.

I'm structuring this post in two parts:
A) The Biggest Lessons
B) What I've Done

Biggest Lessons

• TO ALL YOUNG FASTLANERS - Journalling, meditation, reading, overcoming social media, cold showers, and gratitude don't do anything past a point. I can’t emphasise this enough. I often see people starting and never leaving this stage because it's uncomfortable (I did this).
  • Go produce something of value.
  • Get a purpose. Align identity with that purpose. Do something. Doing is ten times better than becoming an amateur philosopher.
  • Don't trick yourself into watching Hamza, Alex Hormozi, or anyone else as "education". It's entertainment unless you're taking notes during the video.
• You haven’t got time to waste. Death is real, inevitable & it will remind you of that with near-death experiences. I recommend getting a "My Life In Weeks" poster from Amazon and looking at it regularly. Momento Mori. Think of death. You'll move quicker, be more productive and enjoy life far more.
• The desert of desertion is a killer.
  
  • Before you even set off on an idea, use this as a checklist
    
    • Can you say in a sentence what problem you are solving? How are you different? How are you improving the existing system?
    • Have you run the numbers on if this can be profitable? How much would it take for you to sell to get to profit? How many units would you need to make the xxx amount a month? Is that feasible?
    • Have you consulted Google Trends/Google Ad Planner/ search volume/ existing products to see if people are searching for your specific solution? How do you add value?
    • Have you checked your idea against the CENTS framework? Have you been on grademybusinessidea.com?
    • When can you get the barebones prototype made? When can you get feedback? How fast can I make the feedback loop?
  • You have to outline this as you'll be tested during development. "Why am I doing this?" / "Will I even sell one?" / "These people said it's useless" etc. It would be best to have an answer to be stubborn, not because you believe blindly but because you have done the essential checks for a green light.
• Get a group of like-minded individuals you can go to for support - whether with business, life, dating, etc. I couldn’t have done it alone, plus it’d be boring. Developing something worthwhile is inherently lonely, but having support helps so much.
• Ideas are only useful if you do something with them- the only thing that matters is applying them.
  • What can you do to get that first sale? (@Andy Black ) What can you do to provide value to someone?
• Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.
  
  • Dropshipping
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Being a Youtuber
  • Forex Trading
  • MLM
  • Crypto Investing

A general rule is if it’s popular on social media, it’s a saturated area that’ll be harder to find value to provide. I’m not saying these are useless and there is no place to provide value, but becoming good at it will take years & you'll have to dig, just like any other business. Refer to CENTS.​

• Move to being a producer more than a consumer.
  • Joining a team producer is gradual but rewarding once you begin seeing a change.
  • Fastlane content is good content to consume, but put it to use. Implement it.
  • How can you position yourself to be a producer? What can you make?
• Investing is worthwhile later once you’ve got scalable value (e.g. a business).
  • I wasted so much time researching, only to make £200 or lose.
  • It just doesn’t make sense & will not get you to being Fastlane (unless you can manage other people's money through scalability - that's amazing).
• Identify a problem, then learn skills for the solution.
  • People put the cart before the horse on this one. When I identified a problem I wanted to solve, I searched for the skills I needed to achieve my goal. It was clear what I needed to do next to progress & get to sales. Learn CAD --> Prototype --> More prototyping & research --> Make website --> Make content/ push ads.
  • Do not be vague and "Learn coding" or "Learn CAD". 95% of the information on those courses is irrelevant to the problem you want to solve and doesn't get you closer to a working prototype. I have colleagues who made prototypes & got overwhelmingly positive responses in a week.
  • AGAIN. Identify --> Solve Problems. The skill learning is a byproduct, not the goal.
• Become a source of inspiration for others. I get called an inspiration, but I'm not special. I just wanted to be in a position where I could help others. Those kind words people tell me feed back into myself in more ways than you can believe. I run faster. I lift heavier. I work harder. I lead better. I'm more patient.

What I've Done

Before university, I was recovering from dreadful mental health from a job I worked and being spectacularly unsuccessful with YouTube & an investing portfolio. When I began that job, I could feel the anti-entrepreneurship sentiment & before I knew it, I had become a part of it. I had entirely resigned myself to being an employee. I gave up.

Thankfully, I left, and as I was recovering, I found a fantastic book called "The Millionaires Fastlane." It gave me a framework to work off of and reminded me of how much I missed entrepreneurship. I felt like I rediscovered a part of me that tried to shut down for years because I unwisely listened to my peers. That said, it was my fault I had been committing identity suicide. Around that time, just before starting university, I sent an email to myself two years ago, and I received it this week. When I wrote that email, I didn't even know the forum existed, it just so happens that I sent that email the same week I joined a year later.

Here's an extract.

“By the time you read this, you'll be through the majority of your degree, have run multiple businesses/startups, kept that six-pack & grown stronger.

Now, I didn't do much for the first year. It was more of a year of partying, doing my degree, still dabbling in investing (unsuccessfully) with many other distractions.

Then I found the forum. Here's what I've done over the past twelve months:

• Tried four different businesses. One has been a worthwhile success, while the other three were learning experiences.
• I hit some significant milestones in bodybuilding. I can run half-marathons & lift heavy weights. Years ago, I couldn't even run a 3km run.
• I’ve launched my first-ever product and began selling it. We're on the cusp of making more products, too.
  • I’ve had to learn CAD
  • Basic web design for e-commerce
  • Copywriting
  • Ads/ Tiktok Content.
• Kept myself accountable on my thread that has turned to GOLD.
• I’ve been sober since February. No alcohol or anything else that makes me stupid. I’m still a student as well. The many times I’ve had opportunities to indulge, and I haven’t, I’m proud I’ve stayed to my word.
• I’ve begun guiding people on their self-improvement journeys; some on the forum have already experienced me keeping them accountable. I’m now finding people coming to me for advice, whether in the gym, life & even business.
• I’ve removed video games from my life and cannibalised the spare time for new hobbies I’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to do.
• I’ve surrounded myself with winners on both the forum and in real life: entrepreneurs, doctors, inventors, and business owners. More importantly, I now have a close-knit of friends who all want more out of life & push each other.
• I’m on the final stretch of graduating with my degree.

Big shoutout to all the friends & colleagues I’ve met in the past year. You know exactly who you are. You've added a lot of colour to my life, given me the drive to do better & given me plenty of laughs. Thank you to the forum, too. There are endless archives of entrepreneurship content here & it's incredible to refer to. Here's to another great year.

Edit: Spelling errors, clarification - content is the same.

hi @Spenny amazing read! Can i please get a link to your previous posts, i'm not being allowed to view your profile

 

[Spenny]

hi @Spenny amazing read! Can i please get a link to your previous posts, i'm not being allowed to view your profile

Which ones? There is one that is SPEEDWAY, which only is available if you have enough speed points.

 

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[andrea532]

This is my first anniversary. I'm almost tempted to call it a birthday, as I’ve developed so much obsession with improving my life this past year & I can barely recognise who I've become. It's incredible that, in many aspects, I'm living my dream.

I'm structuring this post in two parts:
A) The Biggest Lessons
B) What I've Done

Biggest Lessons

• TO ALL YOUNG FASTLANERS - Journalling, meditation, reading, overcoming social media, cold showers, and gratitude don't do anything past a point. I can’t emphasise this enough. I often see people starting and never leaving this stage because it's uncomfortable (I did this).
  • Go produce something of value.
  • Get a purpose. Align identity with that purpose. Do something. Doing is ten times better than becoming an amateur philosopher.
  • Don't trick yourself into watching Hamza, Alex Hormozi, or anyone else as "education". It's entertainment unless you're taking notes during the video.
• You haven’t got time to waste. Death is real, inevitable & it will remind you of that with near-death experiences. I recommend getting a "My Life In Weeks" poster from Amazon and looking at it regularly. Momento Mori. Think of death. You'll move quicker, be more productive and enjoy life far more.
• The desert of desertion is a killer.
  
  • Before you even set off on an idea, use this as a checklist
    
    • Can you say in a sentence what problem you are solving? How are you different? How are you improving the existing system?
    • Have you run the numbers on if this can be profitable? How much would it take for you to sell to get to profit? How many units would you need to make the xxx amount a month? Is that feasible?
    • Have you consulted Google Trends/Google Ad Planner/ search volume/ existing products to see if people are searching for your specific solution? How do you add value?
    • Have you checked your idea against the CENTS framework? Have you been on grademybusinessidea.com?
    • When can you get the barebones prototype made? When can you get feedback? How fast can I make the feedback loop?
  • You have to outline this as you'll be tested during development. "Why am I doing this?" / "Will I even sell one?" / "These people said it's useless" etc. It would be best to have an answer to be stubborn, not because you believe blindly but because you have done the essential checks for a green light.
• Get a group of like-minded individuals you can go to for support - whether with business, life, dating, etc. I couldn’t have done it alone, plus it’d be boring. Developing something worthwhile is inherently lonely, but having support helps so much.
• Ideas are only useful if you do something with them- the only thing that matters is applying them.
  • What can you do to get that first sale? (@Andy Black ) What can you do to provide value to someone?
• Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.
  
  • Dropshipping
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Being a Youtuber
  • Forex Trading
  • MLM
  • Crypto Investing

A general rule is if it’s popular on social media, it’s a saturated area that’ll be harder to find value to provide. I’m not saying these are useless and there is no place to provide value, but becoming good at it will take years & you'll have to dig, just like any other business. Refer to CENTS.​

• Move to being a producer more than a consumer.
  • Joining a team producer is gradual but rewarding once you begin seeing a change.
  • Fastlane content is good content to consume, but put it to use. Implement it.
  • How can you position yourself to be a producer? What can you make?
• Investing is worthwhile later once you’ve got scalable value (e.g. a business).
  • I wasted so much time researching, only to make £200 or lose.
  • It just doesn’t make sense & will not get you to being Fastlane (unless you can manage other people's money through scalability - that's amazing).
• Identify a problem, then learn skills for the solution.
  • People put the cart before the horse on this one. When I identified a problem I wanted to solve, I searched for the skills I needed to achieve my goal. It was clear what I needed to do next to progress & get to sales. Learn CAD --> Prototype --> More prototyping & research --> Make website --> Make content/ push ads.
  • Do not be vague and "Learn coding" or "Learn CAD". 95% of the information on those courses is irrelevant to the problem you want to solve and doesn't get you closer to a working prototype. I have colleagues who made prototypes & got overwhelmingly positive responses in a week.
  • AGAIN. Identify --> Solve Problems. The skill learning is a byproduct, not the goal.
• Become a source of inspiration for others. I get called an inspiration, but I'm not special. I just wanted to be in a position where I could help others. Those kind words people tell me feed back into myself in more ways than you can believe. I run faster. I lift heavier. I work harder. I lead better. I'm more patient.

What I've Done

Before university, I was recovering from dreadful mental health from a job I worked and being spectacularly unsuccessful with YouTube & an investing portfolio. When I began that job, I could feel the anti-entrepreneurship sentiment & before I knew it, I had become a part of it. I had entirely resigned myself to being an employee. I gave up.

Thankfully, I left, and as I was recovering, I found a fantastic book called "The Millionaires Fastlane." It gave me a framework to work off of and reminded me of how much I missed entrepreneurship. I felt like I rediscovered a part of me that tried to shut down for years because I unwisely listened to my peers. That said, it was my fault I had been committing identity suicide. Around that time, just before starting university, I sent an email to myself two years ago, and I received it this week. When I wrote that email, I didn't even know the forum existed, it just so happens that I sent that email the same week I joined a year later.

Here's an extract.

“By the time you read this, you'll be through the majority of your degree, have run multiple businesses/startups, kept that six-pack & grown stronger.

Now, I didn't do much for the first year. It was more of a year of partying, doing my degree, still dabbling in investing (unsuccessfully) with many other distractions.

Then I found the forum. Here's what I've done over the past twelve months:

• Tried four different businesses. One has been a worthwhile success, while the other three were learning experiences.
• I hit some significant milestones in bodybuilding. I can run half-marathons & lift heavy weights. Years ago, I couldn't even run a 3km run.
• I’ve launched my first-ever product and began selling it. We're on the cusp of making more products, too.
  • I’ve had to learn CAD
  • Basic web design for e-commerce
  • Copywriting
  • Ads/ Tiktok Content.
• Kept myself accountable on my thread that has turned to GOLD.
• I’ve been sober since February. No alcohol or anything else that makes me stupid. I’m still a student as well. The many times I’ve had opportunities to indulge, and I haven’t, I’m proud I’ve stayed to my word.
• I’ve begun guiding people on their self-improvement journeys; some on the forum have already experienced me keeping them accountable. I’m now finding people coming to me for advice, whether in the gym, life & even business.
• I’ve removed video games from my life and cannibalised the spare time for new hobbies I’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to do.
• I’ve surrounded myself with winners on both the forum and in real life: entrepreneurs, doctors, inventors, and business owners. More importantly, I now have a close-knit of friends who all want more out of life & push each other.
• I’m on the final stretch of graduating with my degree.

Big shoutout to all the friends & colleagues I’ve met in the past year. You know exactly who you are. You've added a lot of colour to my life, given me the drive to do better & given me plenty of laughs. Thank you to the forum, too. There are endless archives of entrepreneurship content here & it's incredible to refer to. Here's to another great year.

Edit: Spelling errors, clarification - content is the same.

wow this is awesome keep it up

 

[Alessandros]

Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.

• Dropshipping
• Affiliate Marketing
• Being a Youtuber
• Forex Trading
• MLM
• Crypto Investing

Same with Day Trading. The only guys making money with it are the ones who are writing the books about it.

 

[Spenny]

Same with Day Trading. The only guys making money with it are the ones writing the books about it.

I do have friends that day trade but never teach it. Plus, it took them three years to learn to be profitable.

I agree that most people are not built to day trade. They are too emotional, too lazy to learn, and they don't persist.

 

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[Spenny]

I've been reflecting on 2023 & been setting goals for the following year. I've been thinking about my choices that have done the heavy lifting, and I've come up with a couple. I made most of the progress these past four months versus the other eight months. I thought I'd share them as they are still lessons from my first year on the forum.

Monogamy precedes Polygamy
I credit this to @machinistguy. I was trying all sorts of businesses, had many responsibilities, and did far too many things.

• Trying to run a clothing business & failing at it
• Trying to do pressure washing and failing at it
• Trying to do e-commerce and failing at it
• Trying to run two university clubs and failing at it.

To put his question short, he asked me, "Why not go full focus on e-commerce instead?"

I toiled with it, but I concluded that he was right. I stopped the clothing business, pressure washing & doing any university clubs and went full force on E-commerce & gym during my summer break. My brain wasn't split & I could think about the problems I was solving. This was the first time I saw results.

My top tip: Pick three things & focus on them. Ideally less. This can be done quarterly, yearly, etc. Just focus.

For me, the past six months have been gym, my chemistry degree & my business. I've seen great success in all three.

My ideal would be the gym & my business (watch this space). Only two things. Doing three well is already hard enough as it is.

REMINDER: Shift Your Focus
This comes back again to focus. You have to be strategic about where you put your energy & unfortunately, I put self-improvement as my main focus for too long. This is a good pursuit, don't get me wrong, but I'll quote myself from earlier in this thread.

TO ALL YOUNG FASTLANERS - Journalling, meditation, reading, overcoming social media, cold showers, and gratitude don't do anything past a point. I can’t emphasise this enough. I often see people starting and never leaving this stage because it's uncomfortable (I did this).

• Go produce something of value.
• Get a purpose. Align identity with that purpose. Do something. Doing is ten times better than becoming an amateur philosopher.
• Don't trick yourself into watching Hamza, Alex Hormozi, or anyone else as "education". It's entertainment unless you're taking notes during the video.

A big slap in my face was being reminded that this is a business forum.

A place for doers
A place for producers
A group where those who participate want more for themselves and others.

This is the primary focus of why this place was created. Providing value. Not cold showers.

In July, I consciously decided to go from a focus on "self-improvement" to "business", and everything exploded.

I stopped posting anything about self-improvement as a primary goal. I had to talk about business. I made the active decision on my accountability thread.

You can see the before and after. It is a CLEAR distinction point for me.

... but guess what? My self-improvement got BETTER.

Here's what I achieved in four months:

• I gained 5kg in muscle mass in three months
• from squatting 80kg 3x10 reps to 115kg 3x10 reps
• I filled out my shirts, my trousers - everything. I had to buy new clothes because I was ripping the old ones.
• I was able to be not only strong but also flexible. I stretch before bed every night. I can touch my toes, feel my hands behind my back and sit in an Asian squat with ease.
• I frequently journal. I set goals for myself every week and continuously think of my next few moves.
• My mind is more at ease than at any other time in my life & there is not a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for. I'm also at peace that EVERY DAY, I'm moving towards the Spenny I envision at thirty - that gives tremendous satisfaction & joy.

These things weren't what I was obsessing over, but it took me just a little time to do tasks I knew how to do well & efficiently.

So you can have your cake and eat it too - but it's all about where your focus is. What you're setting goals for?

 

[theazizmoh_]

This is my first anniversary. I'm almost tempted to call it a birthday, as I’ve developed so much obsession with improving my life this past year & I can barely recognise who I've become. It's incredible that, in many aspects, I'm living my dream.

I'm structuring this post in two parts:
A) The Biggest Lessons
B) What I've Done

Biggest Lessons

• TO ALL YOUNG FASTLANERS - Journalling, meditation, reading, overcoming social media, cold showers, and gratitude don't do anything past a point. I can’t emphasise this enough. I often see people starting and never leaving this stage because it's uncomfortable (I did this).
  • Go produce something of value.
  • Get a purpose. Align identity with that purpose. Do something. Doing is ten times better than becoming an amateur philosopher.
  • Don't trick yourself into watching Hamza, Alex Hormozi, or anyone else as "education". It's entertainment unless you're taking notes during the video.
• You haven’t got time to waste. Death is real, inevitable & it will remind you of that with near-death experiences. I recommend getting a "My Life In Weeks" poster from Amazon and looking at it regularly. Momento Mori. Think of death. You'll move quicker, be more productive and enjoy life far more.
• The desert of desertion is a killer.
  
  • Before you even set off on an idea, use this as a checklist
    
    • Can you say in a sentence what problem you are solving? How are you different? How are you improving the existing system?
    • Have you run the numbers on if this can be profitable? How much would it take for you to sell to get to profit? How many units would you need to make the xxx amount a month? Is that feasible?
    • Have you consulted Google Trends/Google Ad Planner/ search volume/ existing products to see if people are searching for your specific solution? How do you add value?
    • Have you checked your idea against the CENTS framework? Have you been on grademybusinessidea.com?
    • When can you get the barebones prototype made? When can you get feedback? How fast can I make the feedback loop?
  • You have to outline this as you'll be tested during development. "Why am I doing this?" / "Will I even sell one?" / "These people said it's useless" etc. It would be best to have an answer to be stubborn, not because you believe blindly but because you have done the essential checks for a green light.
• Get a group of like-minded individuals you can go to for support - whether with business, life, dating, etc. I couldn’t have done it alone, plus it’d be boring. Developing something worthwhile is inherently lonely, but having support helps so much.
• Ideas are only useful if you do something with them- the only thing that matters is applying them.
  • What can you do to get that first sale? (@Andy Black ) What can you do to provide value to someone?
• Don't go and play bullshit bingo with “businesses”.
  
  • Dropshipping
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Being a Youtuber
  • Forex Trading
  • MLM
  • Crypto Investing

A general rule is if it’s popular on social media, it’s a saturated area that’ll be harder to find value to provide. I’m not saying these are useless and there is no place to provide value, but becoming good at it will take years & you'll have to dig, just like any other business. Refer to CENTS.​

• Move to being a producer more than a consumer.
  • Joining a team producer is gradual but rewarding once you begin seeing a change.
  • Fastlane content is good content to consume, but put it to use. Implement it.
  • How can you position yourself to be a producer? What can you make?
• Investing is worthwhile later once you’ve got scalable value (e.g. a business).
  • I wasted so much time researching, only to make £200 or lose.
  • It just doesn’t make sense & will not get you to being Fastlane (unless you can manage other people's money through scalability - that's amazing).
• Identify a problem, then learn skills for the solution.
  • People put the cart before the horse on this one. When I identified a problem I wanted to solve, I searched for the skills I needed to achieve my goal. It was clear what I needed to do next to progress & get to sales. Learn CAD --> Prototype --> More prototyping & research --> Make website --> Make content/ push ads.
  • Do not be vague and "Learn coding" or "Learn CAD". 95% of the information on those courses is irrelevant to the problem you want to solve and doesn't get you closer to a working prototype. I have colleagues who made prototypes & got overwhelmingly positive responses in a week.
  • AGAIN. Identify --> Solve Problems. The skill learning is a byproduct, not the goal.
• Become a source of inspiration for others. I get called an inspiration, but I'm not special. I just wanted to be in a position where I could help others. Those kind words people tell me feed back into myself in more ways than you can believe. I run faster. I lift heavier. I work harder. I lead better. I'm more patient.

What I've Done

Before university, I was recovering from dreadful mental health from a job I worked and being spectacularly unsuccessful with YouTube & an investing portfolio. When I began that job, I could feel the anti-entrepreneurship sentiment & before I knew it, I had become a part of it. I had entirely resigned myself to being an employee. I gave up.

Thankfully, I left, and as I was recovering, I found a fantastic book called "The Millionaires Fastlane." It gave me a framework to work off of and reminded me of how much I missed entrepreneurship. I felt like I rediscovered a part of me that tried to shut down for years because I unwisely listened to my peers. That said, it was my fault I had been committing identity suicide. Around that time, just before starting university, I sent an email to myself two years ago, and I received it this week. When I wrote that email, I didn't even know the forum existed, it just so happens that I sent that email the same week I joined a year later.

Here's an extract.

“By the time you read this, you'll be through the majority of your degree, have run multiple businesses/startups, kept that six-pack & grown stronger.

Now, I didn't do much for the first year. It was more of a year of partying, doing my degree, still dabbling in investing (unsuccessfully) with many other distractions.

Then I found the forum. Here's what I've done over the past twelve months:

• Tried four different businesses. One has been a worthwhile success, while the other three were learning experiences.
• I hit some significant milestones in bodybuilding. I can run half-marathons & lift heavy weights. Years ago, I couldn't even run a 3km run.
• I’ve launched my first-ever product and began selling it. We're on the cusp of making more products, too.
  • I’ve had to learn CAD
  • Basic web design for e-commerce
  • Copywriting
  • Ads/ Tiktok Content.
• Kept myself accountable on my thread that has turned to GOLD.
• I’ve been sober since February. No alcohol or anything else that makes me stupid. I’m still a student as well. The many times I’ve had opportunities to indulge, and I haven’t, I’m proud I’ve stayed to my word.
• I’ve begun guiding people on their self-improvement journeys; some on the forum have already experienced me keeping them accountable. I’m now finding people coming to me for advice, whether in the gym, life & even business.
• I’ve removed video games from my life and cannibalised the spare time for new hobbies I’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to do.
• I’ve surrounded myself with winners on both the forum and in real life: entrepreneurs, doctors, inventors, and business owners. More importantly, I now have a close-knit of friends who all want more out of life & push each other.
• I’m on the final stretch of graduating with my degree.

Big shoutout to all the friends & colleagues I’ve met in the past year. You know exactly who you are. You've added a lot of colour to my life, given me the drive to do better & given me plenty of laughs. Thank you to the forum, too. There are endless archives of entrepreneurship content here & it's incredible to refer to. Here's to another great year.

Edit: Spelling errors, clarification - content is the same.

Bro this is GOLD!

You forgot to mention "SMMA"