A 24-year-old who’s still earning his entrepreneurial stripes.

[Jake_]

Two years ago, I created my first specialized unit. It was a candle cast from a design that I had hand sculpted in clay representing the beauty of ancient Egypt (which I now realize lacked a substantial market need). I put in over a year trying to get it to work, all in all sold around 60 units until I had a realization. I was ambitious and passionate but struggling with debilitating self-esteem issues, self-sabotaging tendencies and constantly battling with a resistance to putting in work - motivating myself every day was an uphill battle that was frequently lost. Something had to change. Thankfully I found my way to the right therapist and I’ve spent the last 7 months prioritizing an incredibly effective, hard-going but fast paced trauma therapy called EMDR. My world has completely opened up. I’m now highly motivated, optimistic, clear headed and happily putting the majority of the day into working towards my vision. I went from “do I have to,” to “try and stop me.”

Whilst I may feel like a million bucks, my bank account tells another story. I now find myself a broke, university educated (not that it matters,) ubereats bicycle delivery driver. Needless to say, I’m taking a lot of solace from the chapters in TMF where MJ talks about the crappy jobs he had when he was my age. Thankfully I'm not burdened by any debt as in my country there isn't a requirement to pay student loans unless you make a certain amount and no interest accrues.

Over the last month I’ve been making some sculptures to sell on Etsy to try to build up some capital in order to start market testing some potential CENTS businesses. Whilst they are nice sculptures, I’ve realized that I’ve fallen into the trap of do what you love and have made a small series of specialized units that there isn’t necessarily a market need for, even if it was just for a short-term part of a larger plan.

Right now, I’ve been learning more and more about entrepreneurship in general from MJ’s work (I’ve read TMF 6 times, Unscripted twice and loved TGRRE ) as well as some of the incredibly high value posts I see here from the users on the forum. I think that it’s time for me to develop a skill and do jobs for clients based around something like the faux wall painting MJ talks about in TMF to start building up a bit of capital, whilst I brainstorm more CENTS business concepts. Hopefully in the next 2-3 months I’ll be ready to start executing on a new Fastlane business. This was a little long winded so thanks for reading, I sincerely welcome any feedback or perspective!

 

Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member: Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)

[DavidePaco00]

Vxu ziest ehu, O dsievif nz gostv tqidoemobif apov. Ov xet e depfmi detv gsun e fitohp vjev O jef jepf tdamqvif op dmez siqsitipvoph vji cieavz ug epdoipv Ihzqv (xjodj O pux siemobi medlif e tactvepvoem nesliv piif). O qav op uwis e zies vszoph vu hiv ov vu xusl, emm op emm tumf esuapf 60 apovt apvom O jef e siemobevoup. O xet encovouat epf qettoupevi cav tvsahhmoph xovj ficomovevoph timg-itviin ottait, timg-tecuvehoph vipfipdoit epf duptvepvmz cevvmoph xovj e sitotvepdi vu qavvoph op xusl - nuvowevoph nztimg iwisz fez xet ep aqjomm cevvmi vjev xet gsiraipvmz mutv. Tunivjoph jef vu djephi. Vjeplgammz O guapf nz xez vu vji sohjv vjiseqotv epf O’wi tqipv vji metv 7 nupvjt qsousovoboph ep opdsifocmz iggidvowi, jesf-huoph cav getv qedif vseane vjiseqz demmif INFS. Nz xusmf jet dunqmivimz uqipif aq. O’n pux johjmz nuvowevif, uqvonotvod, dmies jiefif epf jeqqomz qavvoph vji nekusovz ug vji fez opvu xusloph vuxesft nz wotoup. O xipv gsun “fu O jewi vu,” vu “vsz epf tvuq ni.”
View attachment 45131
Xjomtv O nez giim moli e nommoup cadlt, nz cepl edduapv vimmt epuvjis tvusz. O pux gopf nztimg e csuli, apowistovz ifadevif (puv vjev ov nevvist,) acisievt codzdmi fimowisz fsowis. Piifmitt vu tez, O’n veloph e muv ug tumedi gsun vji djeqvist op VNG xjisi NK vemlt ecuav vji dseqqz kuct ji jef xjip ji xet nz ehi. Vjeplgammz O'n puv casfipif cz epz ficv et op nz duapvsz vjisi otp'v e siraosinipv vu qez tvafipv muept apmitt zua neli e disveop enuapv epf pu opvisitv eddsait.

Uwis vji metv nupvj O’wi ciip neloph tuni tdamqvasit vu timm up Ivtz vu vsz vu caomf aq tuni deqovem op usfis vu tvesv nesliv vitvoph tuni quvipvoem DIPVT catopittit. Xjomtv vjiz esi podi tdamqvasit, O’wi siemobif vjev O’wi gemmip opvu vji vseq ug fu xjev zua muwi epf jewi nefi e tnemm tisoit ug tqidoemobif apovt vjev vjisi otp’v pidittesomz e nesliv piif gus, iwip og ov xet katv gus e tjusv-visn qesv ug e meshis qmep.

Sohjv pux, O’wi ciip miespoph nusi epf nusi ecuav ipvsiqsipiastjoq op hipisem gsun NK’t xusl (O’wi sief VNG 6 vonit, Aptdsoqvif vxodi epf muwif VHSSI) et ximm et tuni ug vji opdsifocmz johj wemai qutvt O tii jisi gsun vji atist up vji gusan. O vjopl vjev ov’t voni gus ni vu fiwimuq e tlomm epf fu kuct gus dmoipvt cetif esuapf tunivjoph moli vji geay xemm qeopvoph NK vemlt ecuav op VNG vu tvesv caomfoph aq e cov ug deqovem, xjomtv O cseoptvusn nusi DIPVT catopitt dupdiqvt. Juqigammz op vji piyv 2-3 nupvjt O’mm ci siefz vu tvesv iyidavoph up e pix Getvmepi catopitt. Vjot xet e movvmi muph xopfif tu vjeplt gus siefoph, O topdisimz ximduni epz giifcedl us qistqidvowi!

Ximm , Zua qav Zuastimg op vji vsidpjit ev mietv! Epf Zua qsucecmz miesp nepz vjopht vuu! Upmopi Zua dep timm cetodemmz epzvjoph , Zua katv piif vu gopf vji nesliv piift gostv... fn ni og Zua'si opvisitvif vu veml ( O'n puv e duptamvepv tu O fup'v djeshi epzvjoph op deti Zua xupfisif jejjeje).