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2019 Fastlane Summit - Announcement

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throttleforward

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FWIW, I owe a lot to this forum. That said, the 2 meetups I attended were some of the most important, meaningful, and valuable experiences of my life.

A lot of the conversations I have with people off the forum are (1) too personal or sensitive to post publically, and (2) are with people I've physcially met, whom I trust with such information. It's not borne from a desire to rob content from the open forum.

I'll piggyback what @csalvato said - I hope this conversation drives a broader discussion on what the forum is, what Viperion is, what the community here is, what our individual roles (and potential responsibilities) are, and what the future holds. I hope that you'll consider soliciting input from all of us - older memebrs and new, active and inactive - as you answer those questions.

Finally, regardless of the outcome, thanks for bringing us together, MJ.
 
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Knugs

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Thank you for being transparent. For me the forum is more important than the Summit. It sounds like you guys all had a great time but for us outside the US, it is more challenging to attend. If there is a stream at the next event, I would happily pay for it (even though the gold lies in meeting people and having great conversations)
 

MetalGear

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  • This forum is important to me
  • This is where my entrepreneurial mind was born
  • I have not tapped the vast depths of the Gold Posts
  • What does a win-win-win look like for all involved?
  • How do I help the community get there?
 

Vigilante

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If nothing else, maybe MJ has tapped into a remnant that can help him get his philanthropic platform to the next level/chapter. There are a bunch of people willing to invest because they've been invested in.
 
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Laughingman21

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It’s rubbish to hear the Summit has been cancelled, but reading through this thread has also made me realise I’m one of the seemingly silent majority who use this forum far more than I give back. The many reasons I’ve been like this have been covered by @WJS so I’ll try not to repeat them, just add my thoughts.

Ok time for a confession. I log in quite regularly to view the forum but I hardly post anything. It’s hard to admit it but the reasons I don’t post regularly are because of:

- Fear of judgment
You’d think that it wouldn’t be an issue as you’re anonymous in a forum, but it still haunts me. I really admire people who have the courage to openly share their struggles and failures. It’s really not an easy thing to do especially when you’re feeling blue from all the sh*t, and there will always be smart mouths who’d pour salt on your wounds. When you’re starting out things are super fragile. You’ll never know how things will turn out so most of the time people keep quiet and silently work on them. If the venture tanks we shelve it and move on. Generally people only start sharing when things are picking up. Hence the very long silences for some people. That’s what I’m going through now. Starting up something in the background and waiting to see how it goes.

- The “I’ve-got-nothing-interesting-going-on-compared-to XXX” syndrome
Yeah I know you’re not supposed to compare your own progress with other people. I also know that it does you more harm than good to compare. However humans are just irrational, and when you see people accomplishing so much while you’re still barely making any real progress, you tend to just keep quiet and cross your fingers that you’ll have something to announce soon too.

- Lack of interest in certain topics
Sometimes when I log in all I see are off-topic or irrelevant threads, and with the huge influx of new members lately, it kind of made the matter worse.

- Lack of expressiveness
Some people can flawlessly convert their thoughts into written sentences and/or spoken phrases. In fact when I see people who post thesis-length replies regularly I would secretly wish that I can do it too. Writing this post cost me almost an hour as I kept editing my points to better convey my thoughts.


If you think the above points sound like excuses, they are. They’re my “justifications” to remain silent and quietly lurk while avoiding attention. But at some points things will have to change. I know that and I’m working on it.

People say that silence is golden but sometimes, silence kills. In this case, I believe the silence of the community has backfired. So if you want a vibrant community, perhaps it’s time to open up and speak. To all moderators, regular contributors and @MJ DeMarco , thank you for making this forum great.

One of my main reasons for not posting is my lack of knowledge or experience. I’ve tried setting up a business and it failed miserably. I don’t feel I’m in a position to be able to contribute to a lot of posts as I just don’t think someone would want an idea or thought from someone who hasn’t proven themselves in the world of business.

I realise now (after reading this thread) that this thinking is wrong. I should get involved in the discussion more and leave it up to the reader to make their own decision on my posts. I may even learn a few things if people read my posts and leave replies against them pointing the errors in my thinking. It’s also unfair for me to learn from other experiences and not share my own, even if they’re not as successful as I wish they were.

The value on this forum is huge and I massively appreciate the time and effort that @MJ DeMarco and others put into making it a success. As a user, I’ll put more effort into this forum and hopefully after this thread, many of the silent majority will have the confidence and desire to give back to the community more.
 

SteveO

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I realise now (after reading this thread) that this thinking is wrong. I should get involved in the discussion more and leave it up to the reader to make their own decision on my posts. I may even learn a few things if people read my posts and leave replies against them pointing the errors in my thinking. It’s also unfair for me to learn from other experiences and not share my own, even if they’re not as successful as I wish they were.
I feel that I learn a lot from answering questions. Just thinking about them can actually change personal perspectives sometimes.
 

AniM

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I have only read some of the replies to this thread but it has inspired me to start posting more.

I have gotten A LOT from this community and will pay it forward. I'll start commenting on others posts more and start my own progress thread in the future.
 
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MTEE1985

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I feel that I learn a lot from answering questions. Just thinking about them can actually change personal perspectives sometimes.

What @SteveO is saying above reasonates with me as well.

The interesting dichotomy of this forum is that most people come here to learn from others, so they read more than they write. This is obviously a killer to any forum. I’ve personally found the greatest benefit coming from the ability to ASK others questions without all the noise and dumb squabbles of a reddit type forum.

Where else can you go and ask a #1 best selling author and successful entrepreneur a business question and get an answer usually the same day? Real estate questions, licensing, copywriting etc. you name the market and the forum has an expert that will 99% of the time answer your question if it is asked in a respectful way and will help others. This is evidenced by the terrific AMA threads many of them started. These folks could be selling this information and it is available free here.

I say this not to get our most respected forum members blown up with DM’s, but for those who say they don’t want to post for “X” reason. Try posting in the form of asking questions, you’ll be amazed at the discussions that will result.
 
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Andy Black

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For those that feel they don't have value to add because they've had failures:

"Failures show us the way by showing us what's not the way."

  • What have you learned from those "failures"?
  • What can you help others learn so they don't repeat those failures?
  • What can you do to help those struggling a few steps behind you?
  • What can you do to help those struggling at the same point where you are?
  • What can you do to help those struggling a few steps in front of you?

Also... something I've mentioned before is the power of giving thanks.
  • Read something helpful or insightful?
  • Don't just "like" it. Reply to it and say why it's helped you and what you'll do differently going forward.
  • ENGAGE.
  • This is the simplest way to start becoming a producer.
  • You think you have no value to add? People are producing. You can encourage them to continue producing by thanking them.
  • ... and you'll start becoming a producer too.


I've PM'd over 2,000 people in the forum at this stage.
What I wrote here still holds true:
 

Kung Fu Steve

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As a side note, can we get a post (maybe in the Speedway?) that lets us know how we can actively help?

And not to be picky -- but something a little more detailed than "post more stuff" ... there's plenty of weirdos posting more stuff... :rofl:
 
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Andy Black

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MJ DeMarco

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Thanks to everyone who responded, appreciate the input and for trying to understand my thoughts on this.

I thought the summit was your yearly validation that you were making a difference in people's lives.

I don't need the Summit for validation. I get emails practically every single day that validates my work, not to mention here. Have you seen these threads?

GOLD! - I've Read The Millionaire Fastlane!

GOLD! - I've Read UNSCRIPTED!

I haven't counted, but I'm betting there is nearly 10,000 posts there that reflects validation.

In person kudos are nice, but I don't require them.

Is it ad money and post count that you are after instead?

Ironically, my "ad revenue" is the highest it's ever been, but it's not because forum traffic is up.

But to answer your question, NO on both counts.

I'm after quality engagement that adds value and builds relationships.

In the last few months, I've seen some really great posts from new folks who join and their post receives ZERO engagement. And I'm not even talking about a POST COMMENT, but a mere LIKE/THANKS!

The average person driving-by might not notice it, but I do. It's MY JOB to notice it.

Is the forum an aspect of the community? Or is the community the forum? It seems like you believe the latter, but most of us (your consumers, congregation, etc.) believe it to be the former.

I can see what you're saying -- that my "community" is in aggregate everything in the nexus of my work -- the forum, a simple reader, FB, my YT channel, my social media outreach etc. I think that perspective lends itself to someone who is doing this purely for personal branding and gurudom. (Think GaryV or someone similar)

If I took that approach, then I wouldn't give a crap WHO came to The Summit -- and I would host it for 400 people and advertise the crap out of it at Facebook or whatever other medium is hot.

The forum IS the community -- it is the tree that bears the fruit. Without the tree, the fruit doesn't exist.

is the forum what you want to build or the community? What are the metrics we are trying to hit (and we haven't been hitting)?

Your only community is the one which you can control.

I might have a "community" on Amazon or at Facebook, but as Facebook has shown (after I built a page with 150,000 people) that I have zero control over it.

So to answer your question, the community HERE is my priority, and will always be -- not a YT channel, not a FB group, and not an Amazon page.

What is a 10 for you in this section of your wheel of life?

A 10 is simply a vibrant community that can't imagine life without it. A 10 is a vibrant community that is GROWING with a mix of off topic side chat, business value, and stories of success and failure.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I enjoy the side-conversations (like a UFC fight, or a quantum physics discussion) which to me is a sign of an engaged community.

Lemme ask you this...

How do you think this place would LOOK and FEEL if the forum engagement from last year's event never FADED? Or if it did, it just faded by 50%?

You're asking me to analytically measure something that is difficult to measure.

But you know it, when you see it.

Overall, it's hard to discuss this without revealing private forum data, but an engaged forum would reflect analytically in terms of user growth, both new and repeating (I found it valuable enough to continue visiting and posting), user session length (the value keeps me there) and overall time on website.

While some measures are up (new users, page views in the last few months) all of the measurements that really matter, are not. And at a level that is not trivial, but substantive.
 

JordanK

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Not a regular contributor or summit attendee here but the forum and books have changed my life. I have met many people here on the forum and in person who are a daily part of my life and my business ventures.

The biggest issue with the forum isn't the long form structure of posts, the hiding of replies or mobile use. While those are valuable points and probably deserve to be looked into and rectified into the future they aren't the problem.

The problem is messaging. Once I get over the initial introduction with people here on the forum it is immediately suggested that the conversation be taken over to Facebook, WhatsApp or Skype. This pulls my attention from the forum to other platforms. If I was able to easily converse and engage with other users here on the forum I would stay much longer and discuss things in much greater detail here. However at the moment it feels like the forum is a news site. I pop on to read a few articles and headlines then I'm off for the day.

Maybe the summit should be canceled this year and instead of it 'WE' the community start a kickstarter fund for MJ to hire a team to look into the possibility of upgrading this forum or a messaging system alongside it that works to build engagement & add more value.

Just my two cents.

P.S I guess I need to make a post now detailing what I have been at over the last year hahah
 
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csalvato

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I can see what you're saying -- that my "community" is in aggregate everything in the nexus of my work -- the forum, a simple reader, FB, my YT channel, my social media outreach etc. I think that perspective lends itself to someone who is doing this purely for personal branding and gurudom. (Think GaryV or someone similar)

If I took that approach, then I wouldn't give a crap WHO came to The Summit -- and I would host it for 400 people and advertise the crap out of it at Facebook or whatever other medium is hot.

The forum IS the community -- it is the tree that bears the fruit. Without the tree, the fruit doesn't exist.

I can understand that. But let's assume that a forum is a dying beast in the jungle of the free market. (I'm not saying it actually is, this is just a thought exercise...)

I'm wondering what else comes up as a possible solution for you to have a community that you can control and take ownership of. One that is less dependent on your own personal brand.

For example, if the forum somehow morphed into a platform where I can be listed as a "Hiring Expert", and engage in conversations specifically around helping people hire talent, and even allow people to call me via the forum (for free or as a paid call), does that not support community?

You would basically control that relationship between me and the client, and provide a platform for me to get found. And it wouldn't be tied to any sort of "Personal Brand".

I'm not say that's the solution. I'm just trying to break the belief that the business and the community are the forum. Just trying to break the belief that all other media are beyond your control, because I don't think that's accurate.

Feel free to tell me to just STFU if this isn't how you want it to go, and want to focus on fixing those metrics you outlined in your previous post. If that's the case, let's just talk about those directly. I'm happy to help brainstorm how to improve those metrics sustainably.
 

throttleforward

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I ask this with respect and for the purpose of constructive engagement - is the forum a business or a collective/non-profit? Is the purpose profit or egalitarian learning and engagement?

I ask because my sense is that it varies depending on the topic at hand. When it comes to posting and engagement (to include the innumerable hours donated by volunteer moderators), I get the feeling that we are all to care for the health of the community and try to give as much as we take.

Yet there are other aspects that feel very "business-y" - namely charging a nominal fee for INSIDERS and ads, making a small profit on the meetups, exerting brand control, and unilateral decision-making commensurate with private business ownership.

I'm NOT suggesting one is right or wrong. I'm also NOT suggesting that you are getting filthy rich off this (you've gone to great pains to explain that). I just think having clarity on that question will help us posters in how we approach our responsibilities as either co-equal contributors vice simply consumers. I think the cancellation and explanation uncovered a lot of questions and concerns in this regard.

Thanks for continuing to engage on this.
 

RayAndré

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Hey @MJ DeMarco,
2018's Summit was a HUGE value-add to my experience in "becoming woke" :)rofl:) as a fellow forum member put it. It was a damn big cherry on top of the cake, the cake being TMF . And the forum is the sweet sweet icing that keeps me coming back for more.

That was a weird metaphor, but in any case, I'm sad to hear the summit is unplanned in 2019.
This forum has changed the way I see and live my life. Its obvious a lot of us feel this way and want to help.

My message here is similar to others above.
Here's my question: if traffic / engagement is slipping, what can be done to help reverse it? What have you thought of? New user-facing features? New engagement-driven notifications? Less ads? "Traffic" and "engagement" are things tech companies talk about all the time. In today's world, companies have to compete for these things by continual improvement. Not solely maintaining what exists.

One friend said "forums are outdated". Another said: "its great for progress threads but not much else". No doubt you're busy, but when was the last time you changed something on the forum to keep the quality community/engagement growing?
- People like Slack because its great at instant chat and group conversations. Can you add in a chat feature?
- People like Facebook because most people just live on the damn thing. AKA access time is zero. Can you make TFF easier to access? Maybe a mobile app?
- We're in the information age, where information is being generated in massive quantities at massive speeds. Its a noisy world. TFF is not exempt from this. Maybe some new ways for members to filter what they see could help?

I'm SURE you've thought of all these. Its doubtful FB/Slack/etc are the main reasons numbers are slipping, these are just ideas. And if numbers are slipping, I'm assuming they've been slipping for a while. There is an entire thread of diehards here providing their opinion. How this information be learned from, and turned into features/etc to "bring us back"?

Of course, "features" are only part of the puzzle. Other than that, there's simply members' "desire" to engage. "Desire" comes and goes in waves...its normal. Maybe this year we're just at a low point in a wave. If more engagement is the goal, what can be done to improve and future-proof "desire" in your members? How can members better be shown/taught the benefits of the forum and its community?


You said the house is leaking...which is usually a fault not of the water, but of the house. What can be done to plug the leaks?

Respectfully.
 
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salasben19

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I understand most of the problems that you're mentioning, but I just wanted to poke at this particular part. I think the event is a victim of it's own success as far as speakers go. I think there are a lot of people here who could give an interesting/useful talk, but maybe they aren't exactly hitting it out of the park business-wise. With the past pool of speakers being so great, I think it's getting harder for people to imagine themselves competing. It's a bit sad when I consider that pretty much everyone that I talked to one-on-one at the past events had some sort of a story that could be interesting and helpful, and that's not even considering how reluctant people generally are to stand up in front of a crowd... Even as comfortable with it as I am (I'd be happy to come and give a talk pretty much any time, and my previous talks went well enough I think), but without enough personal success/results to put behind the topic, it feels a bit crappy even submitting an idea.

Considering all that, here are a few suggestions:

-I had glanced through the request-for-speakers thread a couple of times, and it didn't feel like there was a shortage of great speakers offering. If it were made clear that you wanted/needed more submissions, it might prod some of us fence-sitters into action.

-Invite people to speak directly. In addition to the request-for-speakers, what if there was a thread that asked people who they would like to see speak, and about what, maybe even with a vote after compiling the more promising entries? People may be doubtful of the value they would contribute, but that barrier would vanish if you specifically invited them to speak.

-Going back to my assumption that everyone has a worthwhile story, I think it would be great to go back to the "everyone must present" rule. Trickier with more people but still do-able. Have different length slots available, so there could a few full talks each day, with a few half slots, and a bunch of 5 minute lightning talks... Could break up the small talks into smaller rooms as needed to accommodate more people. Maybe 20-30 people per room with quick talks between breakfast and lunch... would be a great way to get to know each other.

Excellent ideas!
 

salasben19

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I can definitely admit that I have not been a good contributor. I have definitely benefited greatly from the forum / emails about the forum and I want to start increasing my contributions. As @splok has said, it is hard to feel like you have something worthy of contributing when there is just a wealth of great contributions here on the forum. Thank you all for everything, and I will try to do better in the future!
 

biophase

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The fact that this thread hasn't blown up overnight is evidence that this is a well reasoned, pragmatic and correct decision.

29 posts in a thread where the boss cancelled an event due to lack of engagement.
that pretty much tidies it up in a big red bow...

I was trembling before I posted it and feared a 20 page thread in 48 hours. I see I was wrong.

Pretty much sums it up. Last year 118 people attended. Of those 29 posts, 5 or 6 attended last year.

But yea, 29 posts (and that includes a couple of Dave's one liners) tells me I made the right decision..

Just to be 100% clear, because tone does not convey through text. In no way do I feel that this event is an obligation by MJ. It really is an annual bonus. I was disappointed (not mad or angry) about the cancellation, but I also knew that I didn't reply to the speaker thread, so I really had no right to say anything.

I actually wasn't going to reply. I just accepted it. But then these posts about no engagement on the thread made me post a reply. I decided to put in my opinion because heck, I thought people wanted to engage about the topic of the event getting cancelled. We all have our opinions and are fairly strong willed, so we will butt heads when we are in disagreement.

So my question is, what type of replies were expected to this announcement?

The event was never positioned as a reward, or a "cake" but as a function of the forum.

I don't think people thought it was either. But I do think that your OP sort of made it sound like it. I think that's why you are getting a different reaction than when it was cancelled 2 years ago.

I doubt you'd hold a very stressful dog rescue event that you perceive as growing in risk, and ultimately doesn't rescue dogs.

You are correct, I would not hold an event for rescue dogs, if it didn't help rescue dogs, if that was its purpose. But I would hold an event for rescues dogs, that did not help rescue dogs, if its purpose was something else like bringing the rescue owners together.

Would I continue to hold a forum event that seemingly doesn't benefit the forum?

And I think this is where the clarity is. You would like the event to benefit the forum. I don't think that was ever so clear.
 
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KLaw

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I think a huge reason for lack of engagement for newer members is a lot questions they want to ask have already been asked and answered. If they do ask a question that has already been asked, they get accused of being “lazy” because they didn’t research the forum beforehand. When in reality, and I could be wrong here, they are not being lazy, they just want to have interaction.

So, I get why the newer members don’t engage. But, I also get why the more established members get tired and irritable for answering the same questions over and over. Maybe a standard, polite, and encouraging response to a repeated question could help. For example, “This is a question that has been posted several times. Check out this link… Or try our search feature. As we always try to encourage a good interaction among our forum members, please make sure to like any pertinent information you gained from the thread, and as always, please leave a comment or ask another question in the thread. Thanks for participating. ”

Thanks for all that you do @MJ DeMarco and all the countless others as well.
 

salasben19

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That sums up a large portion! Thanks
I think a huge reason for lack of engagement for newer members is a lot questions they want to ask have already been asked and answered. If they do ask a question that has already been asked, they get accused of being “lazy” because they didn’t research the forum beforehand. When in reality, and I could be wrong here, they are not being lazy, they just want to have interaction.

So, I get why the newer members don’t engage. But, I also get why the more established members get tired and irritable for answering the same questions over and over. Maybe a standard, polite, and encouraging response to a repeated question could help. For example, “This is a question that has been posted several times. Check out this link… Or try our search feature. As we always try to encourage a good interaction among our forum members, please make sure to like any pertinent information you gained from the thread, and as always, please leave a comment or ask another question in the thread. Thanks for participating. ”

Thanks for all that you do @MJ DeMarco and all the countless others as well.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 

million$$$smile

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Ok, I'm beginning to think I am getting a bit more clarity than I originally had.

But MJ please correct me if I am wrong.

While user registrations are higher as are active users at the forum, deep communal engagement is not at a level where I feel comfortable holding this event.

It seems like the cancellation of the Summit because of low response rate is not necessarily the main problem, because if it were the problem, it would seem the response rate for that given thread would be much higher due to the fact of the 'event'. There would have been more communal engagement.

But in reality, it sounds like your concern is lower deep communal engagement and involvement on the Forum as a whole, and because of that, coupled with the financial costs and mental stress of holding the event, it is cancelled.
No problem. Better to get that out of the way now than later. I understand that.

But it seems then that the real concern is the deep communal engagement isn't what is expected or has been in the past.

So if that is the case, even with higher user registrations and more active users on the forum, how can this be rectified in order to create the deep communal engagement that is expected?

And....

How can that really be induced and continued long term?
INSIDERS calls? More AMA's, More progress threads? Giveaways?

In reality, I am not sure ultimately that is the answer.

How does one create more user involvement?

More users or better user experience?

If users are higher now than before, it would then seem that it might point to either a better user Forum experience or figuring out how to 'pull' more Notable threads out of the users...

It would seem more Notable threads create more user involvement.

If that is the case, how does one induce more Notable threads within the Forum rather that outside of it?
 
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I wasn’t sure how to address this but decided transparency and honesty would be the best approach.

With that said, it is with great disappointment (and some frustration) that I must officially announce that the upcoming 2019 Fastlane Summit has been canceled.

Yes, canceled.

I realize this will upset many (as it upsets me that I have to do it considering last year's event ROCKED) but here is the reality as see it.

As you may know, the event was also canceled in 2017 due to some health challenges I was having. However this year’s cancellation has nothing to do with my health, but due to a combination of reasons, all of which paint a bigger picture.

First, in THIS THREAD, I made a preliminary call out (probe) for potential speakers. In the past, the event has always featured forum regulars who were gracious enough to offer their time and expertise. Having a nice pool of speakers to choose from was never a problem. For those who responded in that thread to speak, I thank you for your generosity in offering your wisdom.

In this thread, a total of 16 people offered to potentially speak (as of last Friday, several volunteered others to speak but that does not count.) Now when someone offers to speak, usually you can count on slightly LESS THAN HALF to actually do so -- this is because of a person’s schedule, their financial situation (flights, hotels, etc.) and various other reasons. This means as of now using this conservative formula, 7-8 people would speak.

Last year, 16 speakers spoke.

I figured this number would change when the weekly forum mass email headlined this announcement. To my shock, it didn’t. This means in order for me to get to 16, I would need to go “off forum” and seek (plead / instigate / compel) speakers who aren’t regular forum visitors or contributors.

Second, holding this event is a HUGE financial risk for my company because it has always been an event that was NOT designed for PROFIT, but for COMMUNITY.

Ticket prices have been purposely kept low for this reason. Additionally, when you compare this event to other similar events, the average price is usually more than triple -- and those events don’t even bother to feed you. Additionally, the hotel makes me sign a guarantee for rooms and food -- and if they don’t sell -- I’m on the hook for 100+ nights plus the guarantee. This amount is nearly $50,000 that I have to sign my name to. This risk increases as the local attendance increases (they don’t book rooms).

While last year's event came out marginally in the green, it was a type of “bet” that I would NEVER make in the financial markets, in business, or otherwise. But I find myself doing it here. In order for me to accept the risk, the ticket prices would need to skyrocket, or significant services (food) would need to be cut.

Third, if the event isn’t beneficial financially or from a risk standpoint, surely it must be good for the community right? I mean, that’s the main reason I was doing it right?!

Unfortunately history (in recent years since the FB era) shows that the direct forum benefit for the event has been marginal and not sustainable -- limited to about 60 days, about 45 days during and after the event, and maybe 15 days around ticket sales. And then things return to a baseline whereas many attendees stop contributing, or worse, stop visiting, only to return next November when the Summit discussion returns.

To verify this, I actually looked at the user attendance history of the last 2 years of meetings and was woefully shocked to discover that a majority of attendees do not contribute content to the forum. And by content, I mean a periodic post every few weeks, not something daily.

While I don’t deny that the incredible energy, camaraderie, and singularity of purpose of the event is awesomely breath-taking, it appears that this “energy” doesn’t stay on the forum, but goes elsewhere into personal networks, Facebook groups, Discord, etc. It’s disheartening for me to see the FB group that represents this event is actually more engaged than forum it represents. In the past, I even created a separate forum for attendees to gab and post in order to sustain the energy, but the result was the same.

While user registrations are higher as are active users at the forum, deep communal engagement is not at a level where I feel comfortable holding this event. This may also explains why the response to speak was somewhat lackluster.

Fourth, I have a lot of irons in the fire, from writing 2 more books (Unscripted Book 2 and 3) to other business dealings, to starting the process on building a custom home in Sedona. And lets not forget, being an active, daily contributor to this forum to help other people live the dream that is made possible through Unscripted Entrepreneurship.

All of these concerns become more evident when I recently read Essentialism, a book which is a treatise into learning how to say NO! to things that aren’t benefiting your personal mission and the things most important to you.

As many know, I have zero interest in being a guru, public speaking, or having seminars. While I appreciate meeting readers face to face, socializing with cigars and liquor, and hearing accolades and kudos about my writing, as an introvert and someone who enjoys deep solitude, the event is very stressful for me.

Reading Essentialism forced me to face the truth in the matter -- I don’t do this event for me -- I do it for the community -- additionally, it is extremely nerve-wracking, it is not a profit maker (giving me a decent return on my time to compensate for stress/risk) and most important, it doesn’t appear to be helping the community long-term.

At last year’s event I thought things would change when Chris W (Lighthouse) made a plea to all attendees to start a progress thread and update as the weeks and months went by. I also tried to reiterate the importance of the forum as it related to the event.

To be specific, the EVENT exists because of the FORUM, the FORUM does NOT exist because of the EVENT.

Think about that dichotomy.

The event happens because of the forum and it’s standing as a community, not the reverse.

So this year’s event, I’m sorry to say, will not happen.

However, is this the END of the event?

No more parties at Talking Stick Resort?

I hope that isn’t the case.

I hope this is a ONE year kink in the road and next year, I will look at the forum and its engagement and say, “We NEED to have an event!“ Again, my main priority for this event since leading its charge was foremost COMMUNITY -- that headlines over profit, stress, and risk. Next year it would be nice to look at the forum and say, “Damn, I WANT to do this, and we NEED to do this!” I would welcome to be forced into a re-evaluation.

Ultimately I would love to blow it out and have 200, or even 300 people. I don’t think hitting those numbers would be a problem but this kind of ambition (much less 120 like last year) has to ORIGINATE and be grass-rooted at the forum, not elsewhere.

So if the forum and its message (and the event) is important to you, I would hope that you continue to make the forum a small piece of your life.

If this is your first time back in months and you’re reading this, I will just say thank you for visiting and hope you understand the decision.

Over ten years ago I started this forum to foster a message of freedom through entrepreneurship. The forum has gone through a variety of peaks and valleys, but still retains its fundamental purpose which is derived from my purpose to inspire people to live their best through business ownership.

If you believe in that message, I will kindly request what I request every year… visit the forum and contribute! Say hello. Tell us what you’re doing. Tell us what you learned, what you’ve failed, and what you’ve succeeded.

And to everyone who has done so and continues to do so, I thank you from the bottom of my heart …. thank you so much for sharing your journey.
You gotta do what's right for you, MJ. Maybe 2020. In any case, I'm really grateful for you, your books, the forum and all the GREAT contributors here!
 

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FYI, I will address some of the other comments posted in here tomorrow, just really exhausted.

To continue the discussion regarding user engagement, a thread was created in the Speedway.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/forum-engagement-discussion.84867/

(The Speedway is a private forum that is available to most registered users, about 90% of them, I think you need 25 likes to gain access -- if you have access, you have a badge on your postbit.)
 
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Of course there has to be a balance.

This is not about asking people to spend all day at the forum.

It's about just keeping in touch on progress, success, and failure.

Mind you I visit the forum daily and try to keep tabs on everything.

When I looked at the attendance list from the prior years, I had no clue what 98% of what everyone was doing today. There's about a dozen folks (outside of the Phoenix peeps here) where I could easily say, "Oh yes, he's doing X, she's doing Y, he's starting this, she started that..." Just for example, I know @Ravens_Shadow is trying to grow a software biz, I know @IlyaP is growing a productized service company, I know @SteveO is subdividing land and growing a golf course, @GlobalWealth crypto mining...

As for the other 300+ people, I have no clue.
I cannot tell you yet MJ- I will as soon as I get i started which should be soon, deal?
 

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Suzanne Bazemore

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FWIW, I owe a lot to this forum. That said, the 2 meetups I attended were some of the most important, meaningful, and valuable experiences of my life.

A lot of the conversations I have with people off the forum are (1) too personal or sensitive to post publically, and (2) are with people I've physcially met, whom I trust with such information. It's not borne from a desire to rob content from the open forum.

I'll piggyback what @csalvato said - I hope this conversation drives a broader discussion on what the forum is, what Viperion is, what the community here is, what our individual roles (and potential responsibilities) are, and what the future holds. I hope that you'll consider soliciting input from all of us - older memebrs and new, active and inactive - as you answer those questions.

Finally, regardless of the outcome, thanks for bringing us together, MJ.
Of course I could go to Facebook or send out emails to plead with folks who haven't been here in 9 months to 5 years. Of course I could bump that thread 1000X times and hope. And that misses the point: I shouldn't have to turn this into a full time job and in a well-engaged forum with a snowballed event, it shouldn't be difficult to find folks to speak.



Not possible when you have 120 people. The number of people helped offset the risk/cost. I'm not doing this again at a Days Inn with 20 people. The forum isn't supposed to be a Slack group.



The speakers who came forward offered great topics. I was excited about all of them.

I'm going to reiterate that this decision was based on many factors, not just the speakers. The lack of response to the speaking is a symptom to a greater challenge. Prodding, more mass emails, and more FB trolling would have helped, but all of this validates the engagement issue.

Thank you your perspective, much obliged.

Maybe it isn't an engagement issue. Maybe it is a case of everyone thinking that someone else is going to do it (speak) or that someone else is more of an expert. In any community or group, some people just join and some are actively engaged. Whether there is a meet-up or not, this forum allows for active engagement. I haven't been here long, but I have already learned from posts, and I joined for the community aspect, because I only have one person with whom I can discuss business or finances. Hopefully, my comments on threads are helpful to people. It is a fine line I walk when I comment because I don't want to act like an expert on something for which I am not, and unless you are a junior high school student in need of counseling, I am not an expert. Maybe other people, like me, feel like they lack expertise, and perhaps they are reluctant to comment.
 
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I wasn’t sure how to address this but decided transparency and honesty would be the best approach.

With that said, it is with great disappointment (and some frustration) that I must officially announce that the upcoming 2019 Fastlane Summit has been canceled.

Yes, canceled.

I realize this will upset many (as it upsets me that I have to do it considering last year's event ROCKED) but here is the reality as see it.

As you may know, the event was also canceled in 2017 due to some health challenges I was having. However this year’s cancellation has nothing to do with my health, but due to a combination of reasons, all of which paint a bigger picture.

First, in THIS THREAD, I made a preliminary call out (probe) for potential speakers. In the past, the event has always featured forum regulars who were gracious enough to offer their time and expertise. Having a nice pool of speakers to choose from was never a problem. For those who responded in that thread to speak, I thank you for your generosity in offering your wisdom.

In this thread, a total of 16 people offered to potentially speak (as of last Friday, several volunteered others to speak but that does not count.) Now when someone offers to speak, usually you can count on slightly LESS THAN HALF to actually do so -- this is because of a person’s schedule, their financial situation (flights, hotels, etc.) and various other reasons. This means as of now using this conservative formula, 7-8 people would speak.

Last year, 16 speakers spoke.

I figured this number would change when the weekly forum mass email headlined this announcement. To my shock, it didn’t. This means in order for me to get to 16, I would need to go “off forum” and seek (plead / instigate / compel) speakers who aren’t regular forum visitors or contributors.

Second, holding this event is a HUGE financial risk for my company because it has always been an event that was NOT designed for PROFIT, but for COMMUNITY.

Ticket prices have been purposely kept low for this reason. Additionally, when you compare this event to other similar events, the average price is usually more than triple -- and those events don’t even bother to feed you. Additionally, the hotel makes me sign a guarantee for rooms and food -- and if they don’t sell -- I’m on the hook for 100+ nights plus the guarantee. This amount is nearly $50,000 that I have to sign my name to. This risk increases as the local attendance increases (they don’t book rooms).

While last year's event came out marginally in the green, it was a type of “bet” that I would NEVER make in the financial markets, in business, or otherwise. But I find myself doing it here. In order for me to accept the risk, the ticket prices would need to skyrocket, or significant services (food) would need to be cut.

Third, if the event isn’t beneficial financially or from a risk standpoint, surely it must be good for the community right? I mean, that’s the main reason I was doing it right?!

Unfortunately history (in recent years since the FB era) shows that the direct forum benefit for the event has been marginal and not sustainable -- limited to about 60 days, about 45 days during and after the event, and maybe 15 days around ticket sales. And then things return to a baseline whereas many attendees stop contributing, or worse, stop visiting, only to return next November when the Summit discussion returns.

To verify this, I actually looked at the user attendance history of the last 2 years of meetings and was woefully shocked to discover that a majority of attendees do not contribute content to the forum. And by content, I mean a periodic post every few weeks, not something daily.

While I don’t deny that the incredible energy, camaraderie, and singularity of purpose of the event is awesomely breath-taking, it appears that this “energy” doesn’t stay on the forum, but goes elsewhere into personal networks, Facebook groups, Discord, etc. It’s disheartening for me to see the FB group that represents this event is actually more engaged than forum it represents. In the past, I even created a separate forum for attendees to gab and post in order to sustain the energy, but the result was the same.

While user registrations are higher as are active users at the forum, deep communal engagement is not at a level where I feel comfortable holding this event. This may also explains why the response to speak was somewhat lackluster.

Fourth, I have a lot of irons in the fire, from writing 2 more books (Unscripted Book 2 and 3) to other business dealings, to starting the process on building a custom home in Sedona. And lets not forget, being an active, daily contributor to this forum to help other people live the dream that is made possible through Unscripted Entrepreneurship.

All of these concerns become more evident when I recently read Essentialism, a book which is a treatise into learning how to say NO! to things that aren’t benefiting your personal mission and the things most important to you.

As many know, I have zero interest in being a guru, public speaking, or having seminars. While I appreciate meeting readers face to face, socializing with cigars and liquor, and hearing accolades and kudos about my writing, as an introvert and someone who enjoys deep solitude, the event is very stressful for me.

Reading Essentialism forced me to face the truth in the matter -- I don’t do this event for me -- I do it for the community -- additionally, it is extremely nerve-wracking, it is not a profit maker (giving me a decent return on my time to compensate for stress/risk) and most important, it doesn’t appear to be helping the community long-term.

At last year’s event I thought things would change when Chris W (Lighthouse) made a plea to all attendees to start a progress thread and update as the weeks and months went by. I also tried to reiterate the importance of the forum as it related to the event.

To be specific, the EVENT exists because of the FORUM, the FORUM does NOT exist because of the EVENT.

Think about that dichotomy.

The event happens because of the forum and it’s standing as a community, not the reverse.

So this year’s event, I’m sorry to say, will not happen.

However, is this the END of the event?

No more parties at Talking Stick Resort?

I hope that isn’t the case.

I hope this is a ONE year kink in the road and next year, I will look at the forum and its engagement and say, “We NEED to have an event!“ Again, my main priority for this event since leading its charge was foremost COMMUNITY -- that headlines over profit, stress, and risk. Next year it would be nice to look at the forum and say, “Damn, I WANT to do this, and we NEED to do this!” I would welcome to be forced into a re-evaluation.

Ultimately I would love to blow it out and have 200, or even 300 people. I don’t think hitting those numbers would be a problem but this kind of ambition (much less 120 like last year) has to ORIGINATE and be grass-rooted at the forum, not elsewhere.

So if the forum and its message (and the event) is important to you, I would hope that you continue to make the forum a small piece of your life.

If this is your first time back in months and you’re reading this, I will just say thank you for visiting and hope you understand the decision.

Over ten years ago I started this forum to foster a message of freedom through entrepreneurship. The forum has gone through a variety of peaks and valleys, but still retains its fundamental purpose which is derived from my purpose to inspire people to live their best through business ownership.

If you believe in that message, I will kindly request what I request every year… visit the forum and contribute! Say hello. Tell us what you’re doing. Tell us what you learned, what you’ve failed, and what you’ve succeeded.

And to everyone who has done so and continues to do so, I thank you from the bottom of my heart …. thank you so much for sharing your journey.

I logged onto the Forum and I decided to check on the thread. I didn't have any plans on popping for the 2019 Summit, but I was pretty saddened at its cancellation and the root causes behind it.

However, on the other hand, I am really thankful that you are really, really honest about the matter. If I were in your shoes, I might have just gone on with the event, and then wonder later on why it didn't provide a lasting impact.

I take it as a reminder that no forum, or event, runs on the shoulders of a few or one man, for that matter.

I see some of the new intros go unwelcomed as well. Now to think of it, I could have been one of them...

On forum traction, I wouldn't worry about it too much. A few threads here, namely that of recession predictions and the trade wars, might provide a lot of work for us in store. More work means lots to share. Fingers crossed, I believe that yes, this will just be a one year kink in the road for the Summit.

Thanks MJ, for your work. I'm not 'there' yet, but I'll work on putting in whatever I can on TFLF.

Continue working on the books though. Looking forward to them.

@MJ DeMarco at some point, could we get you to accept that to 'not be a guru', you will need to become a guru?

hand that forum sh*t off and do what is important! write, teach, mentor. change lives!

you don't owe us sh*t. in your soul you want to help others. you even thinking about whether the forum needs to update or whether there needs to be a summit based on numbers can be handed off to others.

we need you leading, boss!
Agreed!

Next to the noise of 'I hate this...' from the market, the second loudest thing I hear every day, walking in my uni, going shopping or reading the papers, is the cry of desperation.

People are desperate for some help, some encouragement, support and fresh ideas to work with.

People are desperate for a guiding voice to help them make sense of their complicated situations. Why they don't get jobs, why they aren't happy in their biz or work, or why they face overwhelming competition in the marketplace.

Of course, here, we have lots of books like TMF and UNSCRIPTED , TFLF, and many other avenues to put ideas to action. But out there, even in a modern world, people, even the clever ones, are just morbidly confused on what to do.

A few nights ago, I sat down at my computer, editing my group assignment for a marketing core unit.

The topic was on fast fashion, studying The Gap.

I thought about UNSCRIPTED value attributes, so it was relatively straightforward to disect their approaches.

However, when I looked at the portions of the group assignment to be done by my other group mates, I realised that they still didn't understand what marketing was. They were clearly just chugging and plugging theory instead of expressing WHY the consumers needed to hear X marketing message or WHAT product sourcing or channels worked the best to give the buyers great fashionable jeans. As a result, the marketing write-up would lack any identity.

Needless to say, I spent the whole night editing.

The same went for my business law core course.

I clenched my fists as I listened to team members critique a law presentation.

'Eh, it was good. You spoke well.'

'Just try not to shove so much info into one slide.'


F*ck!

Didn't you guys see that he missed out mentioning any cases on the matter. The Malaysian law doesn't even cover for that....why not go to the English common law cases? Is that breach in contract fundamental? Fraudulent? State the legislation! What, no legislation? Add in on your critique, not pay lip service to the law!

The folks just didn't know how many dollars business law can save (in damages) in the case of a harsh lawsuit, or how much time could be saved by understanding how a stupid client's argument could be torn down to reveal a weak front in the first place.

They only understand business law as just another core unit to take for grades....

People like these folks are the ones who might even need your help more than the ones who can pick up UNSCRIPTED concepts faster.

@MJ DeMarco what do you specifically want from the forum? what do you want the forum to be? is it the forum you want to build or the community around it? just found out in my business, if i am not clear with the staff what I personally want, then they will only be able to produce that result by chance.
Good question! 1+ Or in other words...what would success look for you.

While we all can see success in the process, the event is still needed. Otherwise, do we just keep going forever? Like Vigilante said, there's always new things to learn, as well as new success events to reach.

Even if you were to hand it over to someone else in the future (touch wood), a blueprint would be fine.
 
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There have been some great discussion points on this thread and it is important to keep in mind that ultimately we all want the live events to happen for many reasons. Information, strategy, networking, reunion, etc.

One of the problems I've noticed in reading the thread:

Upfront Costs


It is way too much for food, room blocks, etc., and honestly a lot to take on in my opinion. I would be willing to help negotiate lower upfront costs with the hotel or find another vendor who would be more flexible in the bargaining.
 
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