Hey everyone.
My name is Samuel, I'm a 16 year old guy from Sweden. 2 Years ago, i got recommended The Millionaire Fastlane by a self improvement youtuber called Fritz. I really looked up to him, so I ordered the book immediately. The second I got the book, I started obsessively consuming it. I didn't just read it, I highlighted almost every sentence, paused and reflected. I was turning 15 in a couple of months, and had been on self improvement for about 6 months. Mainly just working out in my living room and reading meditations. But the millionaire Fastlane , it lit something in me. It made me realize that I could reach something more than mediocracy. it gave me direction and hope.
I immediately got to work. i spent a couple of weeks trying to find a need, and decided to create a website using a ChatGpt API that would act as an affordable tutor for lower class children. I spent months working on it, using bubble.io to make it. I spent over 5 hours daily on it. I told everyone I knew about it, but as it got closed to being finished, I quit. I told myself "It's not going to work" and instead of persisting, I listened to the doubt. I still have the project on my computer.
I then spent months jumping back and fourth between different "ventures": SMMA (of course), Youtube and appointment setting. I literally never got to the point where I actually started, I just built websites for it, planned it and made cool logos, and then quit.
Then 7 months ago, I was sitting in the classroom in a braindead economics class, when I just suddenly got this urge to really just change my life. I've felt it before, I think we all have. You get this feeling of invincibility and fury, fury at the world but mainly fury at yourself. I snatched a pen from my bag and just started scribbling down ideas on my book. I tried to follow the CENTS framework, but ultimately just said to myself "Just start and figure it out later. Anything that already exists, can be done better". That evening; i had muay thai practice and got frustrated at my water bottle (it was an old star wars water bottle my grandparents gave me 5 years ago) and thought "I could make a better water bottle than this".
I brainstormed on the way home, and for the next week, it was the only thing on my mind. I vowed to myself that I would start a water bottle company for athletes, and not give up with it until at least after high school (if it still doesn't go well by then). 3 years of working on it.
I developed the idea and realized that I had two options:
1. Contact a manufacturer (probably Chinese) and just choose between the options they give me
2. Create it from the ground up (Remember that I was 15 years old, no connections or resources)
I decided a merge of both alternatives. I would start with using a manufacturer, but slowly as the company grows, start producing them myself.
So, I took all my money I had saved up as a tennis trainer and bought 100 of the bottles I had customized, fancy lightning equipment and a $800 camera.
I also started marketing the samples, and did motivational videos. This was my reasoning behind that: "Who watches motivational content on TikTok? Athletes. My target audience. I can slowly integrate the water bottle more and more as I grow an audience of athletes".
The months passed, and my bottles got stuck in Hungarian customs. I still don't know why. For several months they were stuck there. During that time, I temporarily stopped marketing, and just felt hopeless.
7 months after that evening muay thai session, the bottles arrived. My idea turned into something I could hold in my hands. I copied how clothing brands market on TikTok, and eventually got a viral slideshow with 200k views, 15k likes, 1k+ interested comments and 4000+ followers in one day. That was the 20th April. I felt amazing and certain I would sell out. I had given some people early access, or so I told them in the comment section. As the date for early access (the 25th) approached, I started searching through the comments to find everyone I gave early access to, and tell them to join the email list so I could send them the password.
Over 70+ people were on the email list. On early access, I sold 4 bottles. The rest? Have still not responded.
I felt good about launch and quite confident I would sell out in a couple of days.
...
2 sales.
4000+ followers, 50+ people on an email list and 2 sales.
Support does not equal purchase.
I launched 4 days ago, and have gotten really humbled. I am still at the beginning of my journey, and got a lot to learn. The reason I spent $7 to make this post (I have $2 left in my bank account), is because I don't know what to look for. Shoppify provides me with statistics, but I don't know how to interpret it. I am probably doing a million of things wrong, and have no feedback loop to learn from.
That's why I am here. You guys brutally criticize every aspect of my venture, and I share what I learn, tips and eventually I'll be in a spot where I can return the favor.
Note to MJ DeMarco and his Admins: This is not intended as self promotion, and if you consider it so, I will modify this post. I'm making this post to learn, get feedback and grow together with the people of this community. I do not encourage anyone to buy my water bottle. Thanks king.
Website: velvah.com
Instagram: velvahbottle
Tiktok: velvahbottle
Here are the main statistics, let me know if you want me to provide any other:
Bounce rate: Overall 69.49% (has gotten lower lately)
Session: 626
Added to cart: 37 (5.91%)
Reached checkout: 37 (5.91%)
Completed checkout: 6 (0.96%)
Due to the bottle being very big (40oz for you Americans, about 1.2 Liters for the rest) and weighing just above 500grams, I have to pay for 1000 grams shipping since it is about 650 grams, the entire package. I only ship within Eu. The shipping cost to Sweden from Sweden is good, but the shipping cost from Sweden to the rest of Eu is 270 sek, which is terrible. I cover 171 kr of that. Decided to do that two days ago, because I though it was a big deterrent.
I will keep going with Velvah for at least 2.5 more years.
Now I know what you're thinking: "What is your value skew?". Unfortunately, I don't have anything really major that differentiates me from other brands, except maybe my interaction with my community. It is a great bottle, but not exceptional. This model, Genesis, is my stepping stone to making something truly exceptional. It is my way to fund future, better projects. I have some amazing ideas in mind, that I will bring to reality, once I can.
Thank you for taking your time to read all of this. I am looking forward to your criticism. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.
My name is Samuel, I'm a 16 year old guy from Sweden. 2 Years ago, i got recommended The Millionaire Fastlane by a self improvement youtuber called Fritz. I really looked up to him, so I ordered the book immediately. The second I got the book, I started obsessively consuming it. I didn't just read it, I highlighted almost every sentence, paused and reflected. I was turning 15 in a couple of months, and had been on self improvement for about 6 months. Mainly just working out in my living room and reading meditations. But the millionaire Fastlane , it lit something in me. It made me realize that I could reach something more than mediocracy. it gave me direction and hope.
I immediately got to work. i spent a couple of weeks trying to find a need, and decided to create a website using a ChatGpt API that would act as an affordable tutor for lower class children. I spent months working on it, using bubble.io to make it. I spent over 5 hours daily on it. I told everyone I knew about it, but as it got closed to being finished, I quit. I told myself "It's not going to work" and instead of persisting, I listened to the doubt. I still have the project on my computer.
I then spent months jumping back and fourth between different "ventures": SMMA (of course), Youtube and appointment setting. I literally never got to the point where I actually started, I just built websites for it, planned it and made cool logos, and then quit.
Then 7 months ago, I was sitting in the classroom in a braindead economics class, when I just suddenly got this urge to really just change my life. I've felt it before, I think we all have. You get this feeling of invincibility and fury, fury at the world but mainly fury at yourself. I snatched a pen from my bag and just started scribbling down ideas on my book. I tried to follow the CENTS framework, but ultimately just said to myself "Just start and figure it out later. Anything that already exists, can be done better". That evening; i had muay thai practice and got frustrated at my water bottle (it was an old star wars water bottle my grandparents gave me 5 years ago) and thought "I could make a better water bottle than this".
I brainstormed on the way home, and for the next week, it was the only thing on my mind. I vowed to myself that I would start a water bottle company for athletes, and not give up with it until at least after high school (if it still doesn't go well by then). 3 years of working on it.
I developed the idea and realized that I had two options:
1. Contact a manufacturer (probably Chinese) and just choose between the options they give me
2. Create it from the ground up (Remember that I was 15 years old, no connections or resources)
I decided a merge of both alternatives. I would start with using a manufacturer, but slowly as the company grows, start producing them myself.
So, I took all my money I had saved up as a tennis trainer and bought 100 of the bottles I had customized, fancy lightning equipment and a $800 camera.
I also started marketing the samples, and did motivational videos. This was my reasoning behind that: "Who watches motivational content on TikTok? Athletes. My target audience. I can slowly integrate the water bottle more and more as I grow an audience of athletes".
The months passed, and my bottles got stuck in Hungarian customs. I still don't know why. For several months they were stuck there. During that time, I temporarily stopped marketing, and just felt hopeless.
7 months after that evening muay thai session, the bottles arrived. My idea turned into something I could hold in my hands. I copied how clothing brands market on TikTok, and eventually got a viral slideshow with 200k views, 15k likes, 1k+ interested comments and 4000+ followers in one day. That was the 20th April. I felt amazing and certain I would sell out. I had given some people early access, or so I told them in the comment section. As the date for early access (the 25th) approached, I started searching through the comments to find everyone I gave early access to, and tell them to join the email list so I could send them the password.
Over 70+ people were on the email list. On early access, I sold 4 bottles. The rest? Have still not responded.
I felt good about launch and quite confident I would sell out in a couple of days.
...
2 sales.
4000+ followers, 50+ people on an email list and 2 sales.
Support does not equal purchase.
I launched 4 days ago, and have gotten really humbled. I am still at the beginning of my journey, and got a lot to learn. The reason I spent $7 to make this post (I have $2 left in my bank account), is because I don't know what to look for. Shoppify provides me with statistics, but I don't know how to interpret it. I am probably doing a million of things wrong, and have no feedback loop to learn from.
That's why I am here. You guys brutally criticize every aspect of my venture, and I share what I learn, tips and eventually I'll be in a spot where I can return the favor.
Note to MJ DeMarco and his Admins: This is not intended as self promotion, and if you consider it so, I will modify this post. I'm making this post to learn, get feedback and grow together with the people of this community. I do not encourage anyone to buy my water bottle. Thanks king.
Website: velvah.com
Instagram: velvahbottle
Tiktok: velvahbottle
Here are the main statistics, let me know if you want me to provide any other:
Bounce rate: Overall 69.49% (has gotten lower lately)
Session: 626
Added to cart: 37 (5.91%)
Reached checkout: 37 (5.91%)
Completed checkout: 6 (0.96%)
Due to the bottle being very big (40oz for you Americans, about 1.2 Liters for the rest) and weighing just above 500grams, I have to pay for 1000 grams shipping since it is about 650 grams, the entire package. I only ship within Eu. The shipping cost to Sweden from Sweden is good, but the shipping cost from Sweden to the rest of Eu is 270 sek, which is terrible. I cover 171 kr of that. Decided to do that two days ago, because I though it was a big deterrent.
I will keep going with Velvah for at least 2.5 more years.
Now I know what you're thinking: "What is your value skew?". Unfortunately, I don't have anything really major that differentiates me from other brands, except maybe my interaction with my community. It is a great bottle, but not exceptional. This model, Genesis, is my stepping stone to making something truly exceptional. It is my way to fund future, better projects. I have some amazing ideas in mind, that I will bring to reality, once I can.
Thank you for taking your time to read all of this. I am looking forward to your criticism. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
