800k net worth at 24: Here's what I learned so far...

[RealDreams]

I am reaching 800k net worth at 24 and these are the things I attribute the most to my success in the past 5 years:

- Chase difficulty. It's counter intuitive but as MJ said in Unscripted , difficulty is the opportunity. Difficulty = high barriers to entry = less competition = more opportunity for you to get the money from people in need of a solution to the problem.

- Learn hard skills (really hard skills): this is basically the point above but applied to skills. For me it was learning web development and coding in general. It was about learning anything it was required for me to build a project I had envisioned, whatever it took.

- In the end, cause and effect is everything: you can sit here and make excuses, there's always a good reason why you shouldn't take action, maybe you're too old or too young. Those excuses don't help you moving forward, at all. So ask yourself, do you want it or not? Do you want the end result? (Money, freedom) or would you rather keep working 9-5 but have a valid alibi as to why you didn't succeed?

- Stop following politics, stop hating on successful people: it's mind boggling to me how much people place their future in the hands and responsibility of politicians. Those people are losers. They have 1 life and they are expecting another human being (not a superhuman) to control and improve their future. That's foolish and infantile. Take your future in your own hands. Stop hating politicians, cause they're probably more successful than you, for this one reason: they're building their own life, you're not. You're sitting in front of a screen hating on them. That's the difference.

As MJ said in one of his books, people waiting in line to get an hamburger for free don't value their time, and are probably broke because a rich person would never do such a thing. The same applies to talking about politics, or protesting on the streets. What the F*ck is that going to do for you? If your country's politicians are corrupt, your two real options are: move out of that country or accept it. That's how I view it. Our energy and time is finite and wasting it on trying to influence politics is energy wasted that could be spent to make your own life better instead.

- Stop watching news: again for the above reason. News channels are particularly designed to make you a fearful human being and they will only reinforce your learned helplessness, also in the business aspect. You'll see news of "outliers" getting rich at 25 and the reporter will say how lucky they are, and you'll end up believing that. Then you'll start slowly building this paradigm where rich people are just lucky. I don't watch the news cause it doesn't make me smarter or make me any money.

- Read books on several subjects. Never fixate on one subject. Become a polymath. It's what allowed me to beat my competitors and stay on top for months, especially as a solo founder. Learn different skills and pair them up to achieve a unique combo that no one can easily replicate.

- Be pragmatic. Look at reality as it is, not as you wish it were. Then resolve to abandon your preconceived notions and do what's necessary to accomplish your goals.

- Yes, it's hard. The greater your goal, the harder and smarter you'll have to work. I knew back at 18 I wanted to be a millionaire by 25 (I wrote that down several times in my journals), I don't know if I'll get there in time, but I am close to that either way. I had to sacrifice everything else in my life. No partying, no romantic relationships, lost all my friends. Be prepared for that if you really want to go big.

- You will fail. I failed more times than I can recount. I started making money at 13 doing freelancing work in graphic design, then at 15 I stopped because I wanted to be like the other kids, hang out and have a social life. I resumed my grind at 19 when I first read Unscripted which undoubtedly changed my life, along other books and communities online. I started a blog, a YouTube channel, one SaaS, which all failed and took 4-5 years of my life. I learned from my first SaaS failure to build what ultimately became my successful business and I never deviated from that.

- Stay on course. Don't chase shiny objects. If you get product market fit, keep hammering that, don't start another business. Getting product market fit is harder than you may think and if you achieve it, resolve to scale the business instead of chasing other shiny objects. Mark Cuban said "you only have to be right once". And this is what I mean. Once you get 1 product market fit, it can retire you and get you rich. The biggest mistake you can do at that point is take it for granted. Instead, scale that one business as much as you can.

- You don't need to go to university to become rich, if you're ambitious. University is required if you want to be an employee, not if you want to be your own boss. I don't have a degree. I dropped out twice. I figured, if you want to become rich you'll find a way regardless, and a piece of paper called degree won't make it any easier or probable. University courses are washed out and an inefficient use of your time. They are slow and full of information that you likely won't need or use to move forward. They are to make you a human encyclopedia. Human encyclopedias don't make money, people who think and adapt and are able to learn new skills as needed, make money.

- Learn the concept of 'efficiency'. Efficiency is crucial to get rich young. Why? Because most actions just won't get you there. You must learn at any point in time to take the most effective action that is also the most efficient. For example, I realized going to university wasn't an efficient use of my time. I had 8 hours in a day. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Studying linear algebra might have allowed me to become an AI engineer, but I just wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I dropped out and started learning to actually code. Cause my vision was of me building websites and SaaS platforms, not of me getting a PhD and writing papers. Learn to view actions and consequences as intertwined. Take the actions most likely to get you to that goal.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Marked Gold with Max Rep given.

Congrats, and thanks immensely for sharing, pretty much agree with everything you said.

I am reaching 800k net worth at 24 and these are the things I attribute the most to my success in the past 5 years:

Damn, at 24 I was lucky to find $800.

Chase difficulty.

A+++++

Learn hard skills (really hard skills): this is basically the point above but applied to skills. For me it was learning web development and coding in general. It was about learning anything it was required for me to build a project I had envisioned, whatever it took.

A+ ... or learn how to hire the people who can do the hard skills.

In the end, cause and effect is everything: you can sit here and make excuses, there's always a good reason why you shouldn't take action, maybe you're too old or too young. Those excuses don't help you moving forward, at all. So ask yourself, do you want it or not? Do you want the end result? (Money, freedom) or would you rather keep working 9-5 but have a valid alibi as to why you didn't succeed?

A

Stop following politics, stop hating on successful people: it's mind boggling to me how much people place their future in the hands and responsibility of politicians. Those people are losers. They have 1 life and they are expecting another human being (not a superhuman) to control and improve their future. That's foolish and infantile. Take your future in your own hands. Stop hating politicians, cause they're probably more successful than you, for this one reason: they're building their own life, you're not. You're sitting in front of a screen hating on them. That's the difference.

As MJ said in one of his books, people waiting in line to get an hamburger for free don't value their time, and are probably broke because a rich person would never do such a thing. The same applies to talking about politics, or protesting on the streets. What the F*ck is that going to do for you? If your country's politicians are corrupt, your two real options are: move out of that country or accept it. That's how I view it. Our energy and time is finite and wasting it on trying to influence politics is energy wasted that could be spent to make your own life better instead.

A+

Stop watching news: again for the above reason. News channels are particularly designed to make you a fearful human being and they will only reinforce your learned helplessness, also in the business aspect. You'll see news of "outliers" getting rich at 25 and the reporter will say how lucky they are, and you'll end up believing that. Then you'll start slowly building this paradigm where rich people are just lucky. I don't watch the news cause it doesn't make me smarter or make me any money.

A++++++++++++++

Read books on several subjects. Never fixate on one subject. Become a polymath. It's what allowed me to beat my competitors and stay on top for months, especially as a solo founder. Learn different skills and pair them up to achieve a unique combo that no one can easily replicate.

A+++

Be pragmatic. Look at reality as it is, not as you wish it were. Then resolve to abandon your preconceived notions and do what's necessary to accomplish your goals.

A+++++++

Yes, it's hard. The greater your goal, the harder and smarter you'll have to work. I knew back at 18 I wanted to be a millionaire by 25 (I wrote that down several times in my journals), I don't know if I'll get there in time, but I am close to that either way. I had to sacrifice everything else in my life. No partying, no romantic relationships, lost all my friends. Be prepared for that if you really want to go big.

A++++++++++++++++++++++++++

$200K is just an extra $3,333 profit per month at a 5X valuation. So you might get there!

You will fail. I failed more times than I can recount. I started making money at 13 doing freelancing work in graphic design, then at 15 I stopped because I wanted to be like the other kids, hang out and have a

A++++

As it is stated, you can't connect the dots looking ahead, only backward. Those dots are failure.

Stay on course. Don't chase shiny objects. If you get product market fit, keep hammering that, don't start another business. Getting product market fit is harder than you may think and if you achieve it, resolve to scale the business instead of chasing other shiny objects. Mark Cuban said "you only have to be right once". And this is what I mean. Once you get 1 product market fit, it can retire you and get you rich. The biggest mistake you can do at that point is take it for granted. Instead, scale that one business as much as you can.

A++++ Monagamy!

You don't need to go to university to become rich, if you're ambitious. University is required if you want to be an employee, not if you want to be your own boss. I don't have a degree. I dropped out twice. I figured, if you want to become rich you'll find a way regardless, and a piece of paper called degree won't make it any easier or probable. University courses are washed out and an inefficient use of your time. They are slow and full of information that you likely won't need or use to move forward. They are to make you a human encyclopedia. Human encyclopedias don't make money, people who think and adapt and are able to learn new skills as needed, make money.

A+

The keyword here is "ambitious" -- too many folks drop out who are not ambitious, but lazy.

Learn the concept of 'efficiency'. Efficiency is crucial to get rich young. Why? Because most actions just won't get you there. You must learn at any point in time to take the most effective action that is also the most efficient. For example, I realized going to university wasn't an efficient use of my time. I had 8 hours in a day. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Studying linear algebra might have allowed me to become an AI engineer, but I just wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I dropped out and started learning to actually code. Cause my vision was of me building websites and SaaS platforms, not of me getting a PhD and writing papers. Learn to view actions and consequences as intertwined. Take the actions most likely to get you to that goal.

A+++


Hard to believe this is from someone not even halfway to 30.

Congrats.

 

[Boy Muhammad]

solid post @RealDreams, thanks for sharing.

 

[Fairyjay]

Congratulation. I‘m pretty sure you will reach your goal by 25. ☺️

 

[BlackMagician]

I am reaching 800k net worth at 24 and these are the things I attribute the most to my success in the past 5 years:

- Chase difficulty. It's counter intuitive but as MJ said in Unscripted , difficulty is the opportunity. Difficulty = high barriers to entry = less competition = more opportunity for you to get the money from people in need of a solution to the problem.

- Learn hard skills (really hard skills): this is basically the point above but applied to skills. For me it was learning web development and coding in general. It was about learning anything it was required for me to build a project I had envisioned, whatever it took.

- In the end, cause and effect is everything: you can sit here and make excuses, there's always a good reason why you shouldn't take action, maybe you're too old or too young. Those excuses don't help you moving forward, at all. So ask yourself, do you want it or not? Do you want the end result? (Money, freedom) or would you rather keep working 9-5 but have a valid alibi as to why you didn't succeed?

- Stop following politics, stop hating on successful people: it's mind boggling to me how much people place their future in the hands and responsibility of politicians. Those people are losers. They have 1 life and they are expecting another human being (not a superhuman) to control and improve their future. That's foolish and infantile. Take your future in your own hands. Stop hating politicians, cause they're probably more successful than you, for this one reason: they're building their own life, you're not. You're sitting in front of a screen hating on them. That's the difference.

As MJ said in one of his books, people waiting in line to get an hamburger for free don't value their time, and are probably broke because a rich person would never do such a thing. The same applies to talking about politics, or protesting on the streets. What the F*ck is that going to do for you? If your country's politicians are corrupt, your two real options are: move out of that country or accept it. That's how I view it. Our energy and time is finite and wasting it on trying to influence politics is energy wasted that could be spent to make your own life better instead.

- Stop watching news: again for the above reason. News channels are particularly designed to make you a fearful human being and they will only reinforce your learned helplessness, also in the business aspect. You'll see news of "outliers" getting rich at 25 and the reporter will say how lucky they are, and you'll end up believing that. Then you'll start slowly building this paradigm where rich people are just lucky. I don't watch the news cause it doesn't make me smarter or make me any money.

- Read books on several subjects. Never fixate on one subject. Become a polymath. It's what allowed me to beat my competitors and stay on top for months, especially as a solo founder. Learn different skills and pair them up to achieve a unique combo that no one can easily replicate.

- Be pragmatic. Look at reality as it is, not as you wish it were. Then resolve to abandon your preconceived notions and do what's necessary to accomplish your goals.

- Yes, it's hard. The greater your goal, the harder and smarter you'll have to work. I knew back at 18 I wanted to be a millionaire by 25 (I wrote that down several times in my journals), I don't know if I'll get there in time, but I am close to that either way. I had to sacrifice everything else in my life. No partying, no romantic relationships, lost all my friends. Be prepared for that if you really want to go big.

- You will fail. I failed more times than I can recount. I started making money at 13 doing freelancing work in graphic design, then at 15 I stopped because I wanted to be like the other kids, hang out and have a social life. I resumed my grind at 19 when I first read Unscripted which undoubtedly changed my life, along other books and communities online. I started a blog, a YouTube channel, one SaaS, which all failed and took 4-5 years of my life. I learned from my first SaaS failure to build what ultimately became my successful business and I never deviated from that.

- Stay on course. Don't chase shiny objects. If you get product market fit, keep hammering that, don't start another business. Getting product market fit is harder than you may think and if you achieve it, resolve to scale the business instead of chasing other shiny objects. Mark Cuban said "you only have to be right once". And this is what I mean. Once you get 1 product market fit, it can retire you and get you rich. The biggest mistake you can do at that point is take it for granted. Instead, scale that one business as much as you can.

- You don't need to go to university to become rich, if you're ambitious. University is required if you want to be an employee, not if you want to be your own boss. I don't have a degree. I dropped out twice. I figured, if you want to become rich you'll find a way regardless, and a piece of paper called degree won't make it any easier or probable. University courses are washed out and an inefficient use of your time. They are slow and full of information that you likely won't need or use to move forward. They are to make you a human encyclopedia. Human encyclopedias don't make money, people who think and adapt and are able to learn new skills as needed, make money.

- Learn the concept of 'efficiency'. Efficiency is crucial to get rich young. Why? Because most actions just won't get you there. You must learn at any point in time to take the most effective action that is also the most efficient. For example, I realized going to university wasn't an efficient use of my time. I had 8 hours in a day. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Studying linear algebra might have allowed me to become an AI engineer, but I just wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I dropped out and started learning to actually code. Cause my vision was of me building websites and SaaS platforms, not of me getting a PhD and writing papers. Learn to view actions and consequences as intertwined. Take the actions most likely to get you to that goal.

Great post!
Max rep given!

 

[ThomasTLM]

I am reaching 800k net worth at 24 and these are the things I attribute the most to my success in the past 5 years:

- Chase difficulty. It's counter intuitive but as MJ said in Unscripted , difficulty is the opportunity. Difficulty = high barriers to entry = less competition = more opportunity for you to get the money from people in need of a solution to the problem.

- Learn hard skills (really hard skills): this is basically the point above but applied to skills. For me it was learning web development and coding in general. It was about learning anything it was required for me to build a project I had envisioned, whatever it took.

- In the end, cause and effect is everything: you can sit here and make excuses, there's always a good reason why you shouldn't take action, maybe you're too old or too young. Those excuses don't help you moving forward, at all. So ask yourself, do you want it or not? Do you want the end result? (Money, freedom) or would you rather keep working 9-5 but have a valid alibi as to why you didn't succeed?

- Stop following politics, stop hating on successful people: it's mind boggling to me how much people place their future in the hands and responsibility of politicians. Those people are losers. They have 1 life and they are expecting another human being (not a superhuman) to control and improve their future. That's foolish and infantile. Take your future in your own hands. Stop hating politicians, cause they're probably more successful than you, for this one reason: they're building their own life, you're not. You're sitting in front of a screen hating on them. That's the difference.

As MJ said in one of his books, people waiting in line to get an hamburger for free don't value their time, and are probably broke because a rich person would never do such a thing. The same applies to talking about politics, or protesting on the streets. What the F*ck is that going to do for you? If your country's politicians are corrupt, your two real options are: move out of that country or accept it. That's how I view it. Our energy and time is finite and wasting it on trying to influence politics is energy wasted that could be spent to make your own life better instead.

- Stop watching news: again for the above reason. News channels are particularly designed to make you a fearful human being and they will only reinforce your learned helplessness, also in the business aspect. You'll see news of "outliers" getting rich at 25 and the reporter will say how lucky they are, and you'll end up believing that. Then you'll start slowly building this paradigm where rich people are just lucky. I don't watch the news cause it doesn't make me smarter or make me any money.

- Read books on several subjects. Never fixate on one subject. Become a polymath. It's what allowed me to beat my competitors and stay on top for months, especially as a solo founder. Learn different skills and pair them up to achieve a unique combo that no one can easily replicate.

- Be pragmatic. Look at reality as it is, not as you wish it were. Then resolve to abandon your preconceived notions and do what's necessary to accomplish your goals.

- Yes, it's hard. The greater your goal, the harder and smarter you'll have to work. I knew back at 18 I wanted to be a millionaire by 25 (I wrote that down several times in my journals), I don't know if I'll get there in time, but I am close to that either way. I had to sacrifice everything else in my life. No partying, no romantic relationships, lost all my friends. Be prepared for that if you really want to go big.

- You will fail. I failed more times than I can recount. I started making money at 13 doing freelancing work in graphic design, then at 15 I stopped because I wanted to be like the other kids, hang out and have a social life. I resumed my grind at 19 when I first read Unscripted which undoubtedly changed my life, along other books and communities online. I started a blog, a YouTube channel, one SaaS, which all failed and took 4-5 years of my life. I learned from my first SaaS failure to build what ultimately became my successful business and I never deviated from that.

- Stay on course. Don't chase shiny objects. If you get product market fit, keep hammering that, don't start another business. Getting product market fit is harder than you may think and if you achieve it, resolve to scale the business instead of chasing other shiny objects. Mark Cuban said "you only have to be right once". And this is what I mean. Once you get 1 product market fit, it can retire you and get you rich. The biggest mistake you can do at that point is take it for granted. Instead, scale that one business as much as you can.

- You don't need to go to university to become rich, if you're ambitious. University is required if you want to be an employee, not if you want to be your own boss. I don't have a degree. I dropped out twice. I figured, if you want to become rich you'll find a way regardless, and a piece of paper called degree won't make it any easier or probable. University courses are washed out and an inefficient use of your time. They are slow and full of information that you likely won't need or use to move forward. They are to make you a human encyclopedia. Human encyclopedias don't make money, people who think and adapt and are able to learn new skills as needed, make money.

- Learn the concept of 'efficiency'. Efficiency is crucial to get rich young. Why? Because most actions just won't get you there. You must learn at any point in time to take the most effective action that is also the most efficient. For example, I realized going to university wasn't an efficient use of my time. I had 8 hours in a day. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Studying linear algebra might have allowed me to become an AI engineer, but I just wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I dropped out and started learning to actually code. Cause my vision was of me building websites and SaaS platforms, not of me getting a PhD and writing papers. Learn to view actions and consequences as intertwined. Take the actions most likely to get you to that goal.

Thank you for posting!

Max rep given

 

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[Bonnarp]

Congratz! Nice work at the young age!

Curious what type of buissnes you have and whats your plan going forward?

Cheers

 

[RealDreams]

Congratz! Nice work at the young age!

Curious what type of buissnes you have and whats your plan going forward?

Cheers

it's another SaaS.

I learned from my first SaaS 'failure' which took me 2 years of my life to build this one.

I had no money left, I was still living with my parents. I quit my job 2 years earlier to start my first SaaS and got back living with my parents. Now couldn't even find a job. Recruiters don't like entrepreneurs. I was literally rock bottom. I had spent 2 years and I had nothing to show for it. No one in my family believed in me and thought I was a lunatic.

I remember reading the Lean Startup but initially I rejected it, believing you must be perfect, especially in a saturated market.

So I did the opposite this time. My goal wasn't to be perfect but to get a paying customer ASAP. Not for the sake of it, but because I was TIRED and pissed off. I had been grinding and failing for years and it almost felt like 'F*ck it sooner or later I must succeed'.

The idea of 'faith' and believing in yourself is now cliche, but that's what allowed me to keep going. The dream and the desire was so strong I had no choice but to make it work. I had burned my ships, had no money, my mother was about to kick me out. When you get rock bottom you have no choice but to make things work.

During the same time I was in vacation with a friend of mine who was making 5k a month and I thought that was a shitload, especially at 25 years old. That just shows how small my thinking was, considering I made 20x that amount for multiple months now.

So I built a barebone app with 1 simple feature. I started marketing it online and noticed people signing up, without me paying for advertising. After implementing payments, I noticed I was making 100$ a day in gross revenue which seemed like a lot back then.

In essence, the idea of being perfect and technically sound is something preached by engineers, but it's bullshit when you are a solo founder or just a small team. That's why most engineers don't succeed in business. They're stuck in that thinking of "no man we need the code to be super clean!!!". While in reality, it's all about making sure your app does what the customer is supposed to pay for.

Everything else is immaterial in the initial stages. When you start making millions in revenue, you can think about re-factoring it anyway, and you should be hoping you get there. Truth is most apps fail so trying to make them perfect before product-market-fit is wasted time and effort.

Sure, aim for perfection, but only AFTER you start making money, not before. And that's more to create a competitive advantage and stay on top, not to get clients. You get clients because your service solves their problem, that's all. Perfecting it allows you to increase conversion rates and retention rates.

And well. Another huge difference? I didn't copy anyone. I created something I couldn't even find online. So yes, ideas matters and market saturation is something to keep in mind. These are all things that can affect your results. Copying someone else is a failing strategy because you are expecting the market conditions to be the same ones the first mover was in years before, and they're not.

My first SaaS was in the same market of an established business. I tried reaching out to their customers to use my service, but most were reluctant because my competitor was already solving the problem, and they had more authority, so changing service is too big of a risk to them. This is pretty much like trying to build the next AWS and trying to reach out to businesses proposing them to switch over to your cloud service. Good luck with that. AWS is a moat and has massive authority and reputation.

The book 'Blue ocean strategy' explains this concept very well. You should always seek to create new markets, not enter existing ones.

 

[Albert KOUADJA]

Excellent work. Congratulation..

When it comes to politics, I no longer get involved. I no longer defend the cause of someone who doesn’t care about me or doesn’t even know I exist. It’s been a few years since I stopped voting and prioritizing those aspects, except when it truly benefits me.
I’ve replaced following political and sports news with more enriching activities: reading a book, listening to an audiobook on entrepreneurship, stoicism, or motivation, or working on my business (baybayface.com).

To unwind and release some frustration, I occasionally watch a TV series. I often admire the courage of the main character and their determination to achieve their goals despite obstacles and criticism. I also enjoy seeing how the “villains” always end up losing, as it reminds me that playing their role never leads to success.

As for my business, I am taking action, constantly adapting and making adjustments. Most of the "commandments" of a Fastlane business are in place.

The commandment of need is met: my service addresses a real demand. However, the challenge is making others understand this value. To achieve that, I first need to make them aware of what I offer through marketing. That’s precisely where I’m stuck at the moment.

But not for long, as I’m currently investing in a higher-tier hosting plan. My current plan no longer matches the scale of my database. If there are too many visits, my website crashes for a few minutes, which is not ideal for customers.
1 disappointed customer = 1,000 lost
1 satisfied customer = 1,000 or
more gained.
So, I need to fix that before anything else.

Sorry for turning this back on me.

But I have a question:
What books or online communities have been pivotal in your journe
y?

 

[Bonnarp]

it's another SaaS.

I learned from my first SaaS 'failure' which took me 2 years of my life to build this one.

I had no money left, I was still living with my parents. I quit my job 2 years earlier to start my first SaaS and got back living with my parents. Now couldn't even find a job. Recruiters don't like entrepreneurs. I was literally rock bottom. I had spent 2 years and I had nothing to show for it. No one in my family believed in me and thought I was a lunatic.

I remember reading the Lean Startup but initially I rejected it, believing you must be perfect, especially in a saturated market.

So I did the opposite this time. My goal wasn't to be perfect but to get a paying customer ASAP. Not for the sake of it, but because I was TIRED and pissed off. I had been grinding and failing for years and it almost felt like 'F*ck it sooner or later I must succeed'.

The idea of 'faith' and believing in yourself is now cliche, but that's what allowed me to keep going. The dream and the desire was so strong I had no choice but to make it work. I had burned my ships, had no money, my mother was about to kick me out. When you get rock bottom you have no choice but to make things work.

During the same time I was in vacation with a friend of mine who was making 5k a month and I thought that was a shitload, especially at 25 years old. That just shows how small my thinking was, considering I made 20x that amount for multiple months now.

So I built a barebone app with 1 simple feature. I started marketing it online and noticed people signing up, without me paying for advertising. After implementing payments, I noticed I was making 100$ a day in gross revenue which seemed like a lot back then.

In essence, the idea of being perfect and technically sound is something preached by engineers, but it's bullshit when you are a solo founder or just a small team. That's why most engineers don't succeed in business. They're stuck in that thinking of "no man we need the code to be super clean!!!". While in reality, it's all about making sure your app does what the customer is supposed to pay for.

Everything else is immaterial in the initial stages. When you start making millions in revenue, you can think about re-factoring it anyway, and you should be hoping you get there. Truth is most apps fail so trying to make them perfect before product-market-fit is wasted time and effort.

Sure, aim for perfection, but only AFTER you start making money, not before. And that's more to create a competitive advantage and stay on top, not to get clients. You get clients because your service solves their problem, that's all. Perfecting it allows you to increase conversion rates and retention rates.

And well. Another huge difference? I didn't copy anyone. I created something I couldn't even find online. So yes, ideas matters and market saturation is something to keep in mind. These are all things that can affect your results. Copying someone else is a failing strategy because you are expecting the market conditions to be the same ones the first mover was in years before, and they're not.

My first SaaS was in the same market of an established business. I tried reaching out to their customers to use my service, but most were reluctant because my competitor was already solving the problem, and they had more authority, so changing service is too big of a risk to them. This is pretty much like trying to build the next AWS and trying to reach out to businesses proposing them to switch over to your cloud service. Good luck with that. AWS is a moat and has massive authority and reputation.

The book 'Blue ocean strategy' explains this concept very well. You should always seek to create new markets, not enter existing ones.

Very nice to hear. Seems like you got a winner in your current SaaS. Agree that its better to start then to work until its "perfekt". Nothing will be prefekt until you do it and refine it.

 

[RealDreams]

But I have a question:
What books or online communities have been pivotal in your journey?

In the past 3 years I have read mostly books that solved the problem right in front of me. I must thank MJ for that, as I remember reading a post that he made here in the forum years ago where he suggested basically that. And it makes a lot of sense, also from an efficiency point of view.

I know people who set goals such as 'read 100 books'. That's not stupid, but not smart either. Why? Because it's like studying to memory 100 geographical maps without even having decided where you're headed. Information or knowledge is not power. Applied information or knowledge is. Most people who aim to read 100 books in a year are running in circles or, action faking. They're seeking dopamine disguised as 'knowledge'.

I tend to read random books from time to time, but they must be somewhat related to the problems I am experiencing.

A few books that changed my life:
- Unscripted . Read this 3 times during high school. This was a red pill bomb from a business and social aspect. It brought to light things I had somewhat read in the reddit red pill community in 2016 (which is now long gone).
- TMF . Read this after finishing high school. Started reading it while I was on vacation with my parents back in 2019 and it did the click in my mind. It gave me faith and hope. It showed me a path previously invisible to me.
- Essentialism. It's what made me drop out of university and quit my job. We only stay on this planet for a few years and we should do only the things we deem essential to the achievement of our goals.
- 10X Rule. Made me understand obsession is crucial for success. Made me realize thinking big wasn't for lunatics but was what all successful people do.
- Relentless and Winning by Tim Grover. Similar to 10X rule. Makes you understand the GOATs are obsessed with what they do. It's all about goals and achievement.
- Undoing Yourself with Energized Meditation and Other Devices by Cristopher Hyatt. Very underrated and criticized. This really blew my mind. It's a weird read but I remember it really opening my eyes.
- Science and Human Behavior by BF. Skinner and Classical Conditioning by Pavlov. These are the books that will let you understand we are all monkeys. When you see a woman taking selfies at the gym, you now know she's doing because somewhen previously someone has positively reinforced that behavior through likes and comments on social media. When you see a kid swiping down on TikTok you know he's doing it because of intermittent reinforcement, which is like knowing that a reward might very well be close, but you don't know. And it's the fact you don't know that makes it so addictive.

Other than that, Psychocybernetics, Think and Grow Rich, videos of Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale. I learned a lot from them about the mind and the idea of self-image. Some people claim it's "bullshit", but the people claiming that are rarely rich or successful, they are losers trying to deny reality. It's easier to attack ideas than confront them.

In general I would first try to understand something: the modern world isn't designed to help you. The modern world is ruthless. Sharks govern this society. Everything is driven by capitalism and hunger for power. Anyone denying this or thinking we live in a nice democratic world is asleep. So I left the social media scene in 2019, I disappeared. I genuinely despise Gen Z despite being Gen Z myself. I cannot relate to most people my age, let alone women. I might sound cynical here, but social media, and namely, Instagram, Onlyfans (online prostitution 'democratized') has really shattered what society has been for centuries if not millennia.

Most young kids try to act successful, not be successful. When I see people taking vacations when they have 400$ in the bank (something I have done in the past as well, I admit), I am like...really? You have no money but you are trying to act rich? Anyway, I am digressing.

 

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[amp0193]

Excellent post @RealDreams , thanks for sharing.

If you get product market fit, keep hammering that, don't start another business. Getting product market fit is harder than you may think and if you achieve it

I'd add that it can take lots of failed attempts at the same thing to get to product market fit. Most people here quit before that point though.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

In the past 3 years I have read mostly books that solved the problem right in front of me. I must thank MJ for that, as I remember reading a post that he made here in the forum years ago where he suggested basically that. And it makes a lot of sense, also from an efficiency point of view.

I know people who set goals such as 'read 100 books'. That's not stupid, but not smart either. Why? Because it's like studying to memory 100 geographical maps without even having decided where you're headed. Information or knowledge is not power. Applied information or knowledge is. Most people who aim to read 100 books in a year are running in circles or, action faking. They're seeking dopamine disguised as 'knowledge'.

I tend to read random books from time to time, but they must be somewhat related to the problems I am experiencing.

A few books that changed my life:
- Unscripted . Read this 3 times during high school. This was a red pill bomb from a business and social aspect. It brought to light things I had somewhat read in the reddit red pill community in 2016 (which is now long gone).
- TMF . Read this after finishing high school. Started reading it while I was on vacation with my parents back in 2019 and it did the click in my mind. It gave me faith and hope. It showed me a path previously invisible to me.
- Essentialism. It's what made me drop out of university and quit my job. We only stay on this planet for a few years and we should do only the things we deem essential to the achievement of our goals.
- 10X Rule. Made me understand obsession is crucial for success. Made me realize thinking big wasn't for lunatics but was what all successful people do.
- Relentless and Winning by Tim Grover. Similar to 10X rule. Makes you understand the GOATs are obsessed with what they do. It's all about goals and achievement.
- Undoing Yourself with Energized Meditation and Other Devices by Cristopher Hyatt. Very underrated and criticized. This really blew my mind. It's a weird read but I remember it really opening my eyes.
- Science and Human Behavior by BF. Skinner and Classical Conditioning by Pavlov. These are the books that will let you understand we are all monkeys. When you see a woman taking selfies at the gym, you now know she's doing because somewhen previously someone has positively reinforced that behavior through likes and comments on social media. When you see a kid swiping down on TikTok you know he's doing it because of intermittent reinforcement, which is like knowing that a reward might very well be close, but you don't know. And it's the fact you don't know that makes it so addictive.

Other than that, Psychocybernetics, Think and Grow Rich, videos of Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale. I learned a lot from them about the mind and the idea of self-image. Some people claim it's "bullshit", but the people claiming that are rarely rich or successful, they are losers trying to deny reality. It's easier to attack ideas than confront them.

In general I would first try to understand something: the modern world isn't designed to help you. The modern world is ruthless. Sharks govern this society. Everything is driven by capitalism and hunger for power. Anyone denying this or thinking we live in a nice democratic world is asleep. So I left the social media scene in 2019, I disappeared. I genuinely despise Gen Z despite being Gen Z myself. I cannot relate to most people my age, let alone women. I might sound cynical here, but social media, and namely, Instagram, Onlyfans (online prostitution 'democratized') has really shattered what society has been for centuries if not millennia.

Most young kids try to act successful, not be successful. When I see people taking vacations when they have 400$ in the bank (something I have done in the past as well, I admit), I am like...really? You have no money but you are trying to act rich? Anyway, I am digressing.

This alone should be a Gold post and thread. More Rep sent...

 

[Johnny boy]

I started marketing it online

how

 

[BRIANDAVE]

I am reaching 800k net worth at 24 and these are the things I attribute the most to my success in the past 5 years:

- Chase difficulty. It's counter intuitive but as MJ said in Unscripted , difficulty is the opportunity. Difficulty = high barriers to entry = less competition = more opportunity for you to get the money from people in need of a solution to the problem.

- Learn hard skills (really hard skills): this is basically the point above but applied to skills. For me it was learning web development and coding in general. It was about learning anything it was required for me to build a project I had envisioned, whatever it took.

- In the end, cause and effect is everything: you can sit here and make excuses, there's always a good reason why you shouldn't take action, maybe you're too old or too young. Those excuses don't help you moving forward, at all. So ask yourself, do you want it or not? Do you want the end result? (Money, freedom) or would you rather keep working 9-5 but have a valid alibi as to why you didn't succeed?

- Stop following politics, stop hating on successful people: it's mind boggling to me how much people place their future in the hands and responsibility of politicians. Those people are losers. They have 1 life and they are expecting another human being (not a superhuman) to control and improve their future. That's foolish and infantile. Take your future in your own hands. Stop hating politicians, cause they're probably more successful than you, for this one reason: they're building their own life, you're not. You're sitting in front of a screen hating on them. That's the difference.

As MJ said in one of his books, people waiting in line to get an hamburger for free don't value their time, and are probably broke because a rich person would never do such a thing. The same applies to talking about politics, or protesting on the streets. What the F*ck is that going to do for you? If your country's politicians are corrupt, your two real options are: move out of that country or accept it. That's how I view it. Our energy and time is finite and wasting it on trying to influence politics is energy wasted that could be spent to make your own life better instead.

- Stop watching news: again for the above reason. News channels are particularly designed to make you a fearful human being and they will only reinforce your learned helplessness, also in the business aspect. You'll see news of "outliers" getting rich at 25 and the reporter will say how lucky they are, and you'll end up believing that. Then you'll start slowly building this paradigm where rich people are just lucky. I don't watch the news cause it doesn't make me smarter or make me any money.

- Read books on several subjects. Never fixate on one subject. Become a polymath. It's what allowed me to beat my competitors and stay on top for months, especially as a solo founder. Learn different skills and pair them up to achieve a unique combo that no one can easily replicate.

- Be pragmatic. Look at reality as it is, not as you wish it were. Then resolve to abandon your preconceived notions and do what's necessary to accomplish your goals.

- Yes, it's hard. The greater your goal, the harder and smarter you'll have to work. I knew back at 18 I wanted to be a millionaire by 25 (I wrote that down several times in my journals), I don't know if I'll get there in time, but I am close to that either way. I had to sacrifice everything else in my life. No partying, no romantic relationships, lost all my friends. Be prepared for that if you really want to go big.

- You will fail. I failed more times than I can recount. I started making money at 13 doing freelancing work in graphic design, then at 15 I stopped because I wanted to be like the other kids, hang out and have a social life. I resumed my grind at 19 when I first read Unscripted which undoubtedly changed my life, along other books and communities online. I started a blog, a YouTube channel, one SaaS, which all failed and took 4-5 years of my life. I learned from my first SaaS failure to build what ultimately became my successful business and I never deviated from that.

- Stay on course. Don't chase shiny objects. If you get product market fit, keep hammering that, don't start another business. Getting product market fit is harder than you may think and if you achieve it, resolve to scale the business instead of chasing other shiny objects. Mark Cuban said "you only have to be right once". And this is what I mean. Once you get 1 product market fit, it can retire you and get you rich. The biggest mistake you can do at that point is take it for granted. Instead, scale that one business as much as you can.

- You don't need to go to university to become rich, if you're ambitious. University is required if you want to be an employee, not if you want to be your own boss. I don't have a degree. I dropped out twice. I figured, if you want to become rich you'll find a way regardless, and a piece of paper called degree won't make it any easier or probable. University courses are washed out and an inefficient use of your time. They are slow and full of information that you likely won't need or use to move forward. They are to make you a human encyclopedia. Human encyclopedias don't make money, people who think and adapt and are able to learn new skills as needed, make money.

- Learn the concept of 'efficiency'. Efficiency is crucial to get rich young. Why? Because most actions just won't get you there. You must learn at any point in time to take the most effective action that is also the most efficient. For example, I realized going to university wasn't an efficient use of my time. I had 8 hours in a day. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Studying linear algebra might have allowed me to become an AI engineer, but I just wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I dropped out and started learning to actually code. Cause my vision was of me building websites and SaaS platforms, not of me getting a PhD and writing papers. Learn to view actions and consequences as intertwined. Take the actions most likely to get you to that goal.

Amazing post

 

[Schuksian]

Hey @RealDreams,

Thank you for this insight, very valuable and interesting!

In the past 3 years I have read mostly books that solved the problem right in front of me.

That's exactly what I understood I had to do in my current job (in operations).

I face a problem = I search for a solution. In other words, be a problem solver
Great reminder here.

In essence, the idea of being perfect and technically sound is something preached by engineers, but it's bullshit when you are a solo founder or just a small team.

That was also exactly what I thought in my previous projects.
Thanks for confirming, esp. since I want to develop a SaaS.

So I built a barebone app with 1 simple feature

Again, regarding my context, thank you, that's another great reminder.
Do narrow things to start but do them excellently.
I had interviews recently for my project, and realised how fast we can forget our MVP requirements.. And now I almost forgot that I wanted to do something really simple at the beginning to... (cf. next point).

My goal wasn't to be perfect but to get a paying customer ASAP.

Very difficult for me to consider that the first versions do not have to be perfect. And technically it will never be.
For instance, even if a feature has a bug, the question seems to be: does it make me provide enough value so that the customer pays and use my tool or does it bring too much friction and the customer leaves?

So finally, you confirm you're 100% Bootstrapped right?
Also another question: without telling us the name of your SaaS, would you say it could now be done with no-code?

 

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[goldminer]

Nice post

before reading this i was a little bit worried about myself,

if things are going to work out or not. what if this, what if that

after reading this - i'll not say hope but i gained some clarity

 

[lecym17]

Thank you for this post, on my personal journey towards my dreams. There comes a time that motivational stuffs cringes me and all I want to consume are technical knowledge, but upon reading you post. It's really a reminder to always stick on the basics. Thanks OP!

 

[evilyoda]

In the past 3 years I have read mostly books that solved the problem right in front of me. I must thank MJ for that, as I remember reading a post that he made here in the forum years ago where he suggested basically that. And it makes a lot of sense, also from an efficiency point of view.

I know people who set goals such as 'read 100 books'. That's not stupid, but not smart either. Why? Because it's like studying to memory 100 geographical maps without even having decided where you're headed. Information or knowledge is not power. Applied information or knowledge is. Most people who aim to read 100 books in a year are running in circles or, action faking. They're seeking dopamine disguised as 'knowledge'.

I tend to read random books from time to time, but they must be somewhat related to the problems I am experiencing.

A few books that changed my life:
- Unscripted . Read this 3 times during high school. This was a red pill bomb from a business and social aspect. It brought to light things I had somewhat read in the reddit red pill community in 2016 (which is now long gone).
- TMF . Read this after finishing high school. Started reading it while I was on vacation with my parents back in 2019 and it did the click in my mind. It gave me faith and hope. It showed me a path previously invisible to me.
- Essentialism. It's what made me drop out of university and quit my job. We only stay on this planet for a few years and we should do only the things we deem essential to the achievement of our goals.
- 10X Rule. Made me understand obsession is crucial for success. Made me realize thinking big wasn't for lunatics but was what all successful people do.
- Relentless and Winning by Tim Grover. Similar to 10X rule. Makes you understand the GOATs are obsessed with what they do. It's all about goals and achievement.
- Undoing Yourself with Energized Meditation and Other Devices by Cristopher Hyatt. Very underrated and criticized. This really blew my mind. It's a weird read but I remember it really opening my eyes.
- Science and Human Behavior by BF. Skinner and Classical Conditioning by Pavlov. These are the books that will let you understand we are all monkeys. When you see a woman taking selfies at the gym, you now know she's doing because somewhen previously someone has positively reinforced that behavior through likes and comments on social media. When you see a kid swiping down on TikTok you know he's doing it because of intermittent reinforcement, which is like knowing that a reward might very well be close, but you don't know. And it's the fact you don't know that makes it so addictive.

Other than that, Psychocybernetics, Think and Grow Rich, videos of Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale. I learned a lot from them about the mind and the idea of self-image. Some people claim it's "bullshit", but the people claiming that are rarely rich or successful, they are losers trying to deny reality. It's easier to attack ideas than confront them.

In general I would first try to understand something: the modern world isn't designed to help you. The modern world is ruthless. Sharks govern this society. Everything is driven by capitalism and hunger for power. Anyone denying this or thinking we live in a nice democratic world is asleep. So I left the social media scene in 2019, I disappeared. I genuinely despise Gen Z despite being Gen Z myself. I cannot relate to most people my age, let alone women. I might sound cynical here, but social media, and namely, Instagram, Onlyfans (online prostitution 'democratized') has really shattered what society has been for centuries if not millennia.

Most young kids try to act successful, not be successful. When I see people taking vacations when they have 400$ in the bank (something I have done in the past as well, I admit), I am like...really? You have no money but you are trying to act rich? Anyway, I am digressing.

My take on this is it's okay to read something that has nothing to do with your business or problems (once in a while). Because you never know when the dots are going to connect. I would sometimes read about something I'm interested in. Take Steve Jobs for an example. When Steve was a drop-in in college, he took calligraphy classes. It wasn't useful at the time but 10 years later, he designed the first computer with beautiful typography. You can watch it here in his Stanford commencement speech

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

 

[Kevin88660]

My take on this is it's okay to read something that has nothing to do with your business or problems (once in a while). Because you never know when the dots are going to connect. I would sometimes read about something I'm interested in. Take Steve Jobs for an example. When Steve was a drop-in in college, he took calligraphy classes. It wasn't useful at the time but 10 years later, he designed the first computer with beautiful typography. You can watch it here in his Stanford commencement speech

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

I believe in reading widely.

Most of the practitioners in my industry (insurance and investment brokerage and sales) read the same literature and end up with 95 percent attrition rate after 3 years.

Most of the sales advices are outdated. Most of the marketing gimmicks are too costly to be effective.

I read a lot of business materials that are irrelevant to my own industry.

One of the most important lesson and underrated that I learnt from reading war history/drama and applicable life lesson and business lesson is that a lot of times that pain and suffering you are enduring is the opportunity in the space.

Just like war is a contest on who blinks first. If you feel pain and suffering in your business most likely your competitors feel them too.

It is well known in war but people never mentions it in business.

When you feel pain and suffering in your own business remember that your competitors are feeling them too. When they tap out their customers become yours.

When they tap out their customers become yours.

Learn to appreciate the pain and suffering.

 

[Filip R.]

In the past 3 years I have read mostly books that solved the problem right in front of me. I must thank MJ for that, as I remember reading a post that he made here in the forum years ago where he suggested basically that. And it makes a lot of sense, also from an efficiency point of view.

I know people who set goals such as 'read 100 books'. That's not stupid, but not smart either. Why? Because it's like studying to memory 100 geographical maps without even having decided where you're headed. Information or knowledge is not power. Applied information or knowledge is. Most people who aim to read 100 books in a year are running in circles or, action faking. They're seeking dopamine disguised as 'knowledge'.

I tend to read random books from time to time, but they must be somewhat related to the problems I am experiencing.

A few books that changed my life:
- Unscripted . Read this 3 times during high school. This was a red pill bomb from a business and social aspect. It brought to light things I had somewhat read in the reddit red pill community in 2016 (which is now long gone).
- TMF . Read this after finishing high school. Started reading it while I was on vacation with my parents back in 2019 and it did the click in my mind. It gave me faith and hope. It showed me a path previously invisible to me.
- Essentialism. It's what made me drop out of university and quit my job. We only stay on this planet for a few years and we should do only the things we deem essential to the achievement of our goals.
- 10X Rule. Made me understand obsession is crucial for success. Made me realize thinking big wasn't for lunatics but was what all successful people do.
- Relentless and Winning by Tim Grover. Similar to 10X rule. Makes you understand the GOATs are obsessed with what they do. It's all about goals and achievement.
- Undoing Yourself with Energized Meditation and Other Devices by Cristopher Hyatt. Very underrated and criticized. This really blew my mind. It's a weird read but I remember it really opening my eyes.
- Science and Human Behavior by BF. Skinner and Classical Conditioning by Pavlov. These are the books that will let you understand we are all monkeys. When you see a woman taking selfies at the gym, you now know she's doing because somewhen previously someone has positively reinforced that behavior through likes and comments on social media. When you see a kid swiping down on TikTok you know he's doing it because of intermittent reinforcement, which is like knowing that a reward might very well be close, but you don't know. And it's the fact you don't know that makes it so addictive.

Other than that, Psychocybernetics, Think and Grow Rich, videos of Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale. I learned a lot from them about the mind and the idea of self-image. Some people claim it's "bullshit", but the people claiming that are rarely rich or successful, they are losers trying to deny reality. It's easier to attack ideas than confront them.

In general I would first try to understand something: the modern world isn't designed to help you. The modern world is ruthless. Sharks govern this society. Everything is driven by capitalism and hunger for power. Anyone denying this or thinking we live in a nice democratic world is asleep. So I left the social media scene in 2019, I disappeared. I genuinely despise Gen Z despite being Gen Z myself. I cannot relate to most people my age, let alone women. I might sound cynical here, but social media, and namely, Instagram, Onlyfans (online prostitution 'democratized') has really shattered what society has been for centuries if not millennia.

Most young kids try to act successful, not be successful. When I see people taking vacations when they have 400$ in the bank (something I have done in the past as well, I admit), I am like...really? You have no money but you are trying to act rich? Anyway, I am digressing.

Amazing collection of books, thank you

 

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[Aleks Cibrian]

I am reaching 800k net worth at 24 and these are the things I attribute the most to my success in the past 5 years:

- Chase difficulty. It's counter intuitive but as MJ said in Unscripted , difficulty is the opportunity. Difficulty = high barriers to entry = less competition = more opportunity for you to get the money from people in need of a solution to the problem.

- Learn hard skills (really hard skills): this is basically the point above but applied to skills. For me it was learning web development and coding in general. It was about learning anything it was required for me to build a project I had envisioned, whatever it took.

- In the end, cause and effect is everything: you can sit here and make excuses, there's always a good reason why you shouldn't take action, maybe you're too old or too young. Those excuses don't help you moving forward, at all. So ask yourself, do you want it or not? Do you want the end result? (Money, freedom) or would you rather keep working 9-5 but have a valid alibi as to why you didn't succeed?

- Stop following politics, stop hating on successful people: it's mind boggling to me how much people place their future in the hands and responsibility of politicians. Those people are losers. They have 1 life and they are expecting another human being (not a superhuman) to control and improve their future. That's foolish and infantile. Take your future in your own hands. Stop hating politicians, cause they're probably more successful than you, for this one reason: they're building their own life, you're not. You're sitting in front of a screen hating on them. That's the difference.

As MJ said in one of his books, people waiting in line to get an hamburger for free don't value their time, and are probably broke because a rich person would never do such a thing. The same applies to talking about politics, or protesting on the streets. What the F*ck is that going to do for you? If your country's politicians are corrupt, your two real options are: move out of that country or accept it. That's how I view it. Our energy and time is finite and wasting it on trying to influence politics is energy wasted that could be spent to make your own life better instead.

- Stop watching news: again for the above reason. News channels are particularly designed to make you a fearful human being and they will only reinforce your learned helplessness, also in the business aspect. You'll see news of "outliers" getting rich at 25 and the reporter will say how lucky they are, and you'll end up believing that. Then you'll start slowly building this paradigm where rich people are just lucky. I don't watch the news cause it doesn't make me smarter or make me any money.

- Read books on several subjects. Never fixate on one subject. Become a polymath. It's what allowed me to beat my competitors and stay on top for months, especially as a solo founder. Learn different skills and pair them up to achieve a unique combo that no one can easily replicate.

- Be pragmatic. Look at reality as it is, not as you wish it were. Then resolve to abandon your preconceived notions and do what's necessary to accomplish your goals.

- Yes, it's hard. The greater your goal, the harder and smarter you'll have to work. I knew back at 18 I wanted to be a millionaire by 25 (I wrote that down several times in my journals), I don't know if I'll get there in time, but I am close to that either way. I had to sacrifice everything else in my life. No partying, no romantic relationships, lost all my friends. Be prepared for that if you really want to go big.

- You will fail. I failed more times than I can recount. I started making money at 13 doing freelancing work in graphic design, then at 15 I stopped because I wanted to be like the other kids, hang out and have a social life. I resumed my grind at 19 when I first read Unscripted which undoubtedly changed my life, along other books and communities online. I started a blog, a YouTube channel, one SaaS, which all failed and took 4-5 years of my life. I learned from my first SaaS failure to build what ultimately became my successful business and I never deviated from that.

- Stay on course. Don't chase shiny objects. If you get product market fit, keep hammering that, don't start another business. Getting product market fit is harder than you may think and if you achieve it, resolve to scale the business instead of chasing other shiny objects. Mark Cuban said "you only have to be right once". And this is what I mean. Once you get 1 product market fit, it can retire you and get you rich. The biggest mistake you can do at that point is take it for granted. Instead, scale that one business as much as you can.

- You don't need to go to university to become rich, if you're ambitious. University is required if you want to be an employee, not if you want to be your own boss. I don't have a degree. I dropped out twice. I figured, if you want to become rich you'll find a way regardless, and a piece of paper called degree won't make it any easier or probable. University courses are washed out and an inefficient use of your time. They are slow and full of information that you likely won't need or use to move forward. They are to make you a human encyclopedia. Human encyclopedias don't make money, people who think and adapt and are able to learn new skills as needed, make money.

- Learn the concept of 'efficiency'. Efficiency is crucial to get rich young. Why? Because most actions just won't get you there. You must learn at any point in time to take the most effective action that is also the most efficient. For example, I realized going to university wasn't an efficient use of my time. I had 8 hours in a day. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Studying linear algebra might have allowed me to become an AI engineer, but I just wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I dropped out and started learning to actually code. Cause my vision was of me building websites and SaaS platforms, not of me getting a PhD and writing papers. Learn to view actions and consequences as intertwined. Take the actions most likely to get you to that goal.

The politics take is so valid! ppl really need to wake up to the robbing of your attention by any means necessary. Congrats on e the midway point to your goal. im headed in this direction and this post reinforces that for me.

 

[KJBe]

In the past 3 years I have read mostly books that solved the problem right in front of me. I must thank MJ for that, as I remember reading a post that he made here in the forum years ago where he suggested basically that. And it makes a lot of sense, also from an efficiency point of view.

I know people who set goals such as 'read 100 books'. That's not stupid, but not smart either. Why? Because it's like studying to memory 100 geographical maps without even having decided where you're headed. Information or knowledge is not power. Applied information or knowledge is. Most people who aim to read 100 books in a year are running in circles or, action faking. They're seeking dopamine disguised as 'knowledge'.

I tend to read random books from time to time, but they must be somewhat related to the problems I am experiencing.

A few books that changed my life:
- Unscripted . Read this 3 times during high school. This was a red pill bomb from a business and social aspect. It brought to light things I had somewhat read in the reddit red pill community in 2016 (which is now long gone).
- TMF . Read this after finishing high school. Started reading it while I was on vacation with my parents back in 2019 and it did the click in my mind. It gave me faith and hope. It showed me a path previously invisible to me.
- Essentialism. It's what made me drop out of university and quit my job. We only stay on this planet for a few years and we should do only the things we deem essential to the achievement of our goals.
- 10X Rule. Made me understand obsession is crucial for success. Made me realize thinking big wasn't for lunatics but was what all successful people do.
- Relentless and Winning by Tim Grover. Similar to 10X rule. Makes you understand the GOATs are obsessed with what they do. It's all about goals and achievement.
- Undoing Yourself with Energized Meditation and Other Devices by Cristopher Hyatt. Very underrated and criticized. This really blew my mind. It's a weird read but I remember it really opening my eyes.
- Science and Human Behavior by BF. Skinner and Classical Conditioning by Pavlov. These are the books that will let you understand we are all monkeys. When you see a woman taking selfies at the gym, you now know she's doing because somewhen previously someone has positively reinforced that behavior through likes and comments on social media. When you see a kid swiping down on TikTok you know he's doing it because of intermittent reinforcement, which is like knowing that a reward might very well be close, but you don't know. And it's the fact you don't know that makes it so addictive.

Other than that, Psychocybernetics, Think and Grow Rich, videos of Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale. I learned a lot from them about the mind and the idea of self-image. Some people claim it's "bullshit", but the people claiming that are rarely rich or successful, they are losers trying to deny reality. It's easier to attack ideas than confront them.

In general I would first try to understand something: the modern world isn't designed to help you. The modern world is ruthless. Sharks govern this society. Everything is driven by capitalism and hunger for power. Anyone denying this or thinking we live in a nice democratic world is asleep. So I left the social media scene in 2019, I disappeared. I genuinely despise Gen Z despite being Gen Z myself. I cannot relate to most people my age, let alone women. I might sound cynical here, but social media, and namely, Instagram, Onlyfans (online prostitution 'democratized') has really shattered what society has been for centuries if not millennia.

Most young kids try to act successful, not be successful. When I see people taking vacations when they have 400$ in the bank (something I have done in the past as well, I admit), I am like...really? You have no money but you are trying to act rich? Anyway, I am digressing.

So true, I'm 19 and everyone around me is floppy. Finding friends for me in our generation, I have found none that truly resonate or vibe with me. That being said I'm friends with people over 30 or even 50 that I meet up with and discuss actual deep topics.

 

[EngineerThis]

So true, I'm 19 and everyone around me is floppy. Finding friends for me in our generation, I have found none that truly resonate or vibe with me. That being said I'm friends with people over 30 or even 50 that I meet up with and discuss actual deep topics.

That's something I wish I had known when I was younger. It's completely normal and advantageous to have friends double or triple your age, what is not normal is what you're taught in school, ie. Only hanging out and discussing things with people ONLY your exact age, education, and location

 

[Kevin88660]

So true, I'm 19 and everyone around me is floppy. Finding friends for me in our generation, I have found none that truly resonate or vibe with me. That being said I'm friends with people over 30 or even 50 that I meet up with and discuss actual deep topics.

Im in my mid 30s and half of the time I hang out with boomers.

For my non-boomer friends the youngest are just a few years younger than me.

Recently due to recruitment and dating I start to interact with mid 20s young people and I feel like I am interacting with teenagers.

 

[KJBe]

Im in my mid 30s and half of the time I hang out with boomers.

For my non-boomer friends the youngest are just a few years younger than me.

Recently due to recruitment and dating I start to interact with mid 20s young people and I feel like I am interacting with teenagers.

Mid 20's to me seem around my age or no different. Sorry sight

 

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[theazizmoh_]

I am reaching 800k net worth at 24 and these are the things I attribute the most to my success in the past 5 years:

- Chase difficulty. It's counter intuitive but as MJ said in Unscripted , difficulty is the opportunity. Difficulty = high barriers to entry = less competition = more opportunity for you to get the money from people in need of a solution to the problem.

- Learn hard skills (really hard skills): this is basically the point above but applied to skills. For me it was learning web development and coding in general. It was about learning anything it was required for me to build a project I had envisioned, whatever it took.

- In the end, cause and effect is everything: you can sit here and make excuses, there's always a good reason why you shouldn't take action, maybe you're too old or too young. Those excuses don't help you moving forward, at all. So ask yourself, do you want it or not? Do you want the end result? (Money, freedom) or would you rather keep working 9-5 but have a valid alibi as to why you didn't succeed?

- Stop following politics, stop hating on successful people: it's mind boggling to me how much people place their future in the hands and responsibility of politicians. Those people are losers. They have 1 life and they are expecting another human being (not a superhuman) to control and improve their future. That's foolish and infantile. Take your future in your own hands. Stop hating politicians, cause they're probably more successful than you, for this one reason: they're building their own life, you're not. You're sitting in front of a screen hating on them. That's the difference.

As MJ said in one of his books, people waiting in line to get an hamburger for free don't value their time, and are probably broke because a rich person would never do such a thing. The same applies to talking about politics, or protesting on the streets. What the F*ck is that going to do for you? If your country's politicians are corrupt, your two real options are: move out of that country or accept it. That's how I view it. Our energy and time is finite and wasting it on trying to influence politics is energy wasted that could be spent to make your own life better instead.

- Stop watching news: again for the above reason. News channels are particularly designed to make you a fearful human being and they will only reinforce your learned helplessness, also in the business aspect. You'll see news of "outliers" getting rich at 25 and the reporter will say how lucky they are, and you'll end up believing that. Then you'll start slowly building this paradigm where rich people are just lucky. I don't watch the news cause it doesn't make me smarter or make me any money.

- Read books on several subjects. Never fixate on one subject. Become a polymath. It's what allowed me to beat my competitors and stay on top for months, especially as a solo founder. Learn different skills and pair them up to achieve a unique combo that no one can easily replicate.

- Be pragmatic. Look at reality as it is, not as you wish it were. Then resolve to abandon your preconceived notions and do what's necessary to accomplish your goals.

- Yes, it's hard. The greater your goal, the harder and smarter you'll have to work. I knew back at 18 I wanted to be a millionaire by 25 (I wrote that down several times in my journals), I don't know if I'll get there in time, but I am close to that either way. I had to sacrifice everything else in my life. No partying, no romantic relationships, lost all my friends. Be prepared for that if you really want to go big.

- You will fail. I failed more times than I can recount. I started making money at 13 doing freelancing work in graphic design, then at 15 I stopped because I wanted to be like the other kids, hang out and have a social life. I resumed my grind at 19 when I first read Unscripted which undoubtedly changed my life, along other books and communities online. I started a blog, a YouTube channel, one SaaS, which all failed and took 4-5 years of my life. I learned from my first SaaS failure to build what ultimately became my successful business and I never deviated from that.

- Stay on course. Don't chase shiny objects. If you get product market fit, keep hammering that, don't start another business. Getting product market fit is harder than you may think and if you achieve it, resolve to scale the business instead of chasing other shiny objects. Mark Cuban said "you only have to be right once". And this is what I mean. Once you get 1 product market fit, it can retire you and get you rich. The biggest mistake you can do at that point is take it for granted. Instead, scale that one business as much as you can.

- You don't need to go to university to become rich, if you're ambitious. University is required if you want to be an employee, not if you want to be your own boss. I don't have a degree. I dropped out twice. I figured, if you want to become rich you'll find a way regardless, and a piece of paper called degree won't make it any easier or probable. University courses are washed out and an inefficient use of your time. They are slow and full of information that you likely won't need or use to move forward. They are to make you a human encyclopedia. Human encyclopedias don't make money, people who think and adapt and are able to learn new skills as needed, make money.

- Learn the concept of 'efficiency'. Efficiency is crucial to get rich young. Why? Because most actions just won't get you there. You must learn at any point in time to take the most effective action that is also the most efficient. For example, I realized going to university wasn't an efficient use of my time. I had 8 hours in a day. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Studying linear algebra might have allowed me to become an AI engineer, but I just wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I dropped out and started learning to actually code. Cause my vision was of me building websites and SaaS platforms, not of me getting a PhD and writing papers. Learn to view actions and consequences as intertwined. Take the actions most likely to get you to that goal.

Congrats my man you definitely you gonna a millionaire by 25 (maybe you Already are )

I'm kinda on a similar path as you, currently building a SaaS and I'm 22.

Im curious what kind of saas are you in? Is it B2B? B2C?