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6 Figures At 18! 1 Year of The Fastlane Forum

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

Sanj Modha

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Congrats! I was doing nothing at 18. Nothing.
 
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GravyBoat

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but it can't be a garlic press

Damn, I was just about to order one of these off Amazon! LOL

Great job man, keep kicking a$$. Pretty sure I missed you at the Summit but I will make a point to find you next year. Truely inspiring!!
 

PTP

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I’m so happy to have met you at the Summit this year. You are crushing it! Let me know if I can help in any way.

Thread marked gold and rep’d.

WOW, thank you so much!!

It was amazing meeting you as well and what you're building is incredible. Looking forward to seeing more updates on your progress thread!
 

PTP

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Damn, I was just about to order one of these off Amazon! LOL

Hey, at least you'll be getting it at a rock bottom price!

Great job man, keep kicking a$$. Pretty sure I missed you at the Summit but I will make a point to find you next year. Truely inspiring!!

Thanks buddy:fistbump: We'll definitely meet next year!
 
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amp0193

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Not sure how often this window is shown, but it's nice to do the rejecting for once!
View attachment 17795
Needless to say I probably won't be headed back and it sure feels good to be free!

giphy.gif
 

Walter Hay

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Hi @PTP,
Just a brief comment on two things you mentioned in your Februuary update:

"In May I launched the first of my 3 new proprietary designed USA made products."

This was a great move. Although I teach how to source overseas and import, I unashamedly promote the idea of buying local. There are so many advantages, despite some naysayers reminding forum members that Chinese labor costs are still way below US costs. Ex factory cost is only a small part of the story. There is also:
  • The huge marketing advantage of the Made In USA label.
  • Lower freight costs.
  • No duty to pay.
  • IP safety, at least until your product makes waves, at which time copycats might appear.
  • Greater control over the whole process.
  • Generally less time from concept to selling. (I know you had a hiccup, but that is not usual)

"Creating a 2nd website that will be an extension of my current brand. I have a few reasons for doing this but got the idea from Tempur-pedic (They have a separate shop for only their pillows vs their main store with everything)"

Another excellent move. The presence of unrelated or only vaguely related products on the one eCommerce site makes it look like a cheap bazaar.

Keep up the progress posts. Many others will be able to learn from them.

Walter
 
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Last edited:

Geekour

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First of all, congratulations @PTP on your journey. I have been reading up on your threads and you encourage me and everyone I am sure. I truly wish you the best in your future you got this.

Sorry in advance if my questions suck. Do you sell the same brand/product on both your website and amazon or are those all separate products each on a different platform? Is that even okay to do or does it hurt your brand to sell the same product on both your website and amazon.

I love that you sourced in USA. Did you do this due to your niche or what? Is it because your product margins and niche allowed it or else china/outside usa would be the only way? Just trying to understand your reasoning and if sourcing american would work on all products or something I would have to do the math on.
 

bpampillon

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Hi @PTP,
I find your story fascinating. I wish I had such vision when I was your age, but I suppose is not yet too late for me to pursue the fastlane. Some of the things that you have posted are quite interesting and could work for my business. I got to think which is the best way to apply them.
I wish you all the best in your plans for this 2018 and coming years and looking forward to hearing about your progress.
Thank you for sharing your story!
 

MTEE1985

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Thanks @PTP for the great story and @Walter Hay for pointing me here! Really inspiring stuff.

Makes me want to take two 18 year olds, send one to college for 4 years and have the other read forum threads, books and take udemy courses for 6 months and see who’s better prepared for success. Don’t suppose to government will give a grant for that though.
 

Borregoed

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Hey man,

It was great meeting you at the summit. Loved reading your last update. Keep it up! This thread is super inspiring!
 

Smuggo

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Awesome story. I wish I was that smart as you when I was 18 years old. Now I am 24 and wasted all these years for gaming. Well... even the 90% of last year was pretty much wasted for gaming until I read "The Unscripted ".

Some time ago I've decided to go with eCommerce. I want to find out how it will work for me, but first... I need to find a product.

I hope there will be a 3 year update from you :).

Btw. Do you think you need mentor to achive your kind of success?
 

NewManRising

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Hi PTP,
First of all, congratulations on your success and sharing it here. I have a few questions for you.

1. Do you sell on Amazon at all?
2. I noticed you mentioned in your opening post that you got sales through ebay and your own site. What are all the sales channels you use? Pros and cons of each in your experience? What eCommerce site did you use to build your store?
3. What has been your marketing strategy? Outbound vs inbound? Do you write blog posts and social media posts to draw people in? Paid traffic at all?
4. When you originally started, did you order unmodified samples or ones you already redesigned? In other words, was your process this ---> Ordered unmodified samples, sold them, then ordered more. Or, was it this: Ordered unmodified samples, sold them, submitted a redesign, ordered a batch of your redesigned product. At which point in the process did you brand?

Thanks, Bud
 

JByers210

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No one was talking to you, numbnuts. You're not the thread Police.

Take your pompous a$$ elsewhere.........bud.
I'm good. You're going to ask every last basic question on your mind and not even bother to read through his gold progress thread?

I answered most of your questions in one sentence by telling you he already has a thread with all the details. Whether you like it or not I'm not too worried about it.

You'll still be asking the same useless questions a year from now if you keep up the action faking.
 
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IKWUJE JEREMIAH

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Well done! Very inspiring. I just Learnt a lesson.
My 1 year anniversary of joining FLF is coming up in a few days. This past year has set the precedent for how I am going to live for the rest of my life.

I am an 18 year old senior in High School who runs an online eCommerce business . My company was started at the beginning of 2016 when I was 17. My first sale on ebay was on February 7 and my first sale on my own website was on April 24. Revenue since then is getting close to reaching (my Grant Cardone 10x goal from earlier this year) of 6-figures.

When I first started the company, my goal was only to learn. While I obviously wanted to make money, I didnt actually plan on making anything at all.

Startup bros was where I learned that eComerce was actually a thing. I spent well over a month and probably a few hundred hours looking for something to sell. I became known as "the troll" by my family and friends because I would lock myself in my room for hours on end doing product research everyday of the week. However, it was not until I came here and read the mega threads by @Ecom man and @biophase that I found a product worth selling.

The were 3 separate times where I told myself that I was going to shut down my store because no one was buying anything. I worked 3 months on a side project only to realize the product and niche was trash.

For the majority of this year, I was hesitant to grow this business just due to potential outside factors that I had no control over that could shut it down. However, after looking at the direction my company was headed, I decided to shift course and pursue a different path than what I had initially intended. This helps to hedge against some of the risks involved, and creates something I see myself working on 10-15 years from now.

  • I have decided to begin to build a brand rather than just another eCommerce store. All doubts about the longevity of the niche have been erased and I am now ready to grow this over the next decade+.
  • Company instagram account over 18k followers, Facebook nearing 1k.
  • Began the process of getting my products made domestically in the USA. Getting designs made with changes that I was not able to get my manufacture to make in China. This will allow me to regain control over the supply chain.
  • Found a mentor in the manufacturing sector who used to run his own company. His advice has been extremely beneficial as I try to bring a new line of my unique proprietary products to market. I have also been meeting with other people in the eCommerce/manufacturing sectors as well and I am learning exponentially more than anything I have ever been taught in school.
  • I joined toastmasters after reading @Envision 1 year FLF thread. Public speaking has allowed me to be more bold and less nervous when going out and talking manufactures/business owners and adults in general. It has allowed me to be bold enough to approach people I would have been to nervous to approach in the past. Public speaking has been the number one most life changing thing for me.
Takeaways
  • Just start something already! My first order from China was for 15 units. Seriously, 15 units and it cost me less than $200. It grew from there to an order of 30 then 60 then 100. This isnt rocket science. I didnt need a degree or a business plan or $10,000 in funding. All you need is the work ethic to put in the hours to find something worth while and the belief that you will find it.
  • Dont listen to the noise. You do you. Other people dont know what they are talking about. I remember during the research phase where I was called "the troll", no one thought I was going to find anything. People made fun of me for being "antisocial." Even when I had a product, I made the mistake of telling kids at school what I was doing. They made fun of me and laughed saying it was never going to get anywhere. I dont talk about my business at school, especially not my sales, but now a year later, people see my social media accounts and are starting to take an interest in what I am doing. Go figure....
  • Have a clear purpose in life and spend every waking second trying to achieve that. On my mirror I have my definite chief aim. Next to that I have a note card with the phrase "I am completely independent of the good and bad opinions of others." Next to that I have my goals. I read these every morning and night. On my wall in my room directly in front of my bed I have my vision board with a Mclaren 570s, Mother Terasa, and Pope JPII. All around the walls are quotes from books written onto note cards. Sometimes when I am driving, I will spontaneously begin reciting my definite chief aim in a loud voice. This is all meant to keep my goals in mind at all times. I believe it was @Fox who spoke about "brainwashing yourself for success." There is definitely something to it.
My Goals
  • Get my proprietary products made in the USA.
  • HEAVILY get the name out on my brand when I get USA products.
  • Diversify what my brand sells. Build a strong brand name.
  • Begin selling to retailers. Get into at least 1 big box retailer in 2017.
  • Take my company to 100+ million/year revenue 10-15 yrs.
  • Millionaire by 25. Have the option to retire at 30 (even though I know I wont;)).
  • Find more mentors where we can both mutually benefit each others businesses.
  • Graduate high school.
If you get 1 take away from this post, let it be that you are capable of doing anything you set your mind to. I know this advice is constantly repeated. However, it is repeated because it is true. If you have internet (which you do because you are reading this) and $200, you can start a business and grow it. If a teenager can start a business at 17 years old, working on it after school and on weekends, what is stopping you?

I want to say that this is not a success story. A success story would suggest that I have accomplished my definite chief aim, which I have not. Rather, I hope my story can provide motivation to you and serve as an example of what can happen when you start.

A special thank you to first of all @MJ DeMarco without first the forum, then book, I would not be here today.

Also thank you to @biophase @Ecom man @AllenCrawley @Vigilante @Envision and all the others who post on a constant basis. I can confidently say that 1 year of reading your posts has been more valuable than 12 years in public school.


*Can a mod please change the Prefix from "rant" to a plain tag. It wouldnt let me post unless it was a rant.
 

complisimple

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I feel really happy for you and I wish to have a son like you. Most of people think that doing money is evil. They don’t know that we don’t do it for money but to have Freedom and to feel Alive.
 

Ganglion

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none of it would have happened had I not made the leap and put in that $188 order back in 2016. You don't need another book, you don't need another course, you don't need to drop out of school or leave your job to start. You don't need any of it.

What you need is to start selling something - almost anything. It doesn't have to be a home run, but it can't be a garlic press. Just by selling something and interacting with the marketplace everyday, you'll begin to see what works and what doesn't.

Another crazy thing happens when you start selling. Your customers will tell you what they want! I can't tell you how many times a customer has come to us and suggested we make a product they want to buy. It's crazy. You just need to decide on the first one and they will come up with the rest.

There's the gold.

Any more updates OP?
 

sparechange

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Whats up? To busy with the Mclaren? :hilarious:
 

Michael A.

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My 1 year anniversary of joining FLF is coming up in a few days. This past year has set the precedent for how I am going to live for the rest of my life.

I am an 18 year old senior in High School who runs an online eCommerce business . My company was started at the beginning of 2016 when I was 17. My first sale on ebay was on February 7 and my first sale on my own website was on April 24. Revenue since then is getting close to reaching (my Grant Cardone 10x goal from earlier this year) of 6-figures.

When I first started the company, my goal was only to learn. While I obviously wanted to make money, I didnt actually plan on making anything at all.

Startup bros was where I learned that eComerce was actually a thing. I spent well over a month and probably a few hundred hours looking for something to sell. I became known as "the troll" by my family and friends because I would lock myself in my room for hours on end doing product research everyday of the week. However, it was not until I came here and read the mega threads by @Ecom man and @biophase that I found a product worth selling.

The were 3 separate times where I told myself that I was going to shut down my store because no one was buying anything. I worked 3 months on a side project only to realize the product and niche was trash.

For the majority of this year, I was hesitant to grow this business just due to potential outside factors that I had no control over that could shut it down. However, after looking at the direction my company was headed, I decided to shift course and pursue a different path than what I had initially intended. This helps to hedge against some of the risks involved, and creates something I see myself working on 10-15 years from now.

  • I have decided to begin to build a brand rather than just another eCommerce store. All doubts about the longevity of the niche have been erased and I am now ready to grow this over the next decade+.

  • Company instagram account over 18k followers, Facebook nearing 1k.

  • Began the process of getting my products made domestically in the USA. Getting designs made with changes that I was not able to get my manufacture to make in China. This will allow me to regain control over the supply chain.

  • Found a mentor in the manufacturing sector who used to run his own company. His advice has been extremely beneficial as I try to bring a new line of my unique proprietary products to market. I have also been meeting with other people in the eCommerce/manufacturing sectors as well and I am learning exponentially more than anything I have ever been taught in school.

  • I joined toastmasters after reading @Envision 1 year FLF thread. Public speaking has allowed me to be more bold and less nervous when going out and talking manufactures/business owners and adults in general. It has allowed me to be bold enough to approach people I would have been to nervous to approach in the past. Public speaking has been the number one most life changing thing for me.
Takeaways
  • Just start something already! My first order from China was for 15 units. Seriously, 15 units and it cost me less than $200. It grew from there to an order of 30 then 60 then 100. This isnt rocket science. I didnt need a degree or a business plan or $10,000 in funding. All you need is the work ethic to put in the hours to find something worth while and the belief that you will find it.

  • Dont listen to the noise. You do you. Other people dont know what they are talking about. I remember during the research phase where I was called "the troll", no one thought I was going to find anything. People made fun of me for being "antisocial." Even when I had a product, I made the mistake of telling kids at school what I was doing. They made fun of me and laughed saying it was never going to get anywhere. I dont talk about my business at school, especially not my sales, but now a year later, people see my social media accounts and are starting to take an interest in what I am doing. Go figure....

  • Have a clear purpose in life and spend every waking second trying to achieve that. On my mirror I have my definite chief aim. Next to that I have a note card with the phrase "I am completely independent of the good and bad opinions of others." Next to that I have my goals. I read these every morning and night. On my wall in my room directly in front of my bed I have my vision board with a Mclaren 570s, Mother Terasa, and Pope JPII. All around the walls are quotes from books written onto note cards. Sometimes when I am driving, I will spontaneously begin reciting my definite chief aim in a loud voice. This is all meant to keep my goals in mind at all times. I believe it was @Fox who spoke about "brainwashing yourself for success." There is definitely something to it.
My Goals
  • Get my proprietary products made in the USA.
  • HEAVILY get the name out on my brand when I get USA products.
  • Diversify what my brand sells. Build a strong brand name.
  • Begin selling to retailers. Get into at least 1 big box retailer in 2017.
  • Take my company to 100+ million/year revenue 10-15 yrs.
  • Millionaire by 25. Have the option to retire at 30 (even though I know I wont;)).
  • Find more mentors where we can both mutually benefit each others businesses.
  • Graduate high school.
If you get 1 take away from this post, let it be that you are capable of doing anything you set your mind to. I know this advice is constantly repeated. However, it is repeated because it is true. If you have internet (which you do because you are reading this) and $200, you can start a business and grow it. If a teenager can start a business at 17 years old, working on it after school and on weekends, what is stopping you?

I want to say that this is not a success story. A success story would suggest that I have accomplished my definite chief aim, which I have not. Rather, I hope my story can provide motivation to you and serve as an example of what can happen when you start.

A special thank you to first of all @MJ DeMarco without first the forum, then book, I would not be here today.

Also thank you to @biophase @Ecom man @AllenCrawley @Vigilante @Envision and all the others who post on a constant basis. I can confidently say that 1 year of reading your posts has been more valuable than 12 years in public school.


*Can a mod please change the Prefix from "rant" to a plain tag. It wouldnt let me post unless it was a rant.
First of all congratulations on your hard earned success but there is one thing that bugs me, you said to go start a business but it's obviously not that easy , what would you say was essential knowledge for your business's success and how do you go about starting one?
 
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Madd

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Wow, this is just awesome and congratz!
Could you please link to the two mega threads of the two guys? They have so many.
 

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