Becoming Selfless over Selfish

[pat9000]

Hey guys,

I started my Entrepreneurial journey a few years ago.

I had a mentor who owned 5 residential houses and we worked together for a year understanding the ins and outs. This brought me into a passive income mindset and I picked up a lot of his habits as he was my first mentor.

He was a money chaser. Hardcore. I wasn't comfortable chasing pure money but I thought that was what it took. He made 40 grand off Google but was banned because his scheme was not good. Yet he personally seems like a sincere guy, goes to church and everything. I've known him for 4 years now and I'm still unsure about whether he is good or bad.

We partnered on multiple business runs and they failed. He wanted to push for quick money and I wanted to establish a solid brand and give customers value. I wanted long, he wanted short. None of it worked.

I eventually moved to a big city, Nashville TN, and was suckered into an MLM with Amway. I immediately knew it was not right. Red flags flew off when they mentioned you don't make money from products and I told the guy, "Then why do I have to buy these crap products unless it puts money in your pocket" and it clicked. He basically got super angry and said that wasn't how it worked. I left in 2 weeks.

Then I went on to get a web design degree and use it on Affiliate marketing with a blog. That flopped. Then I tried to drop ship. Flop. I even looked at the China bullsh*t where people import useless crap. I tried Amazon FBA. Floppy, Flop. I had some connections and factory owners in China through networking, as well as a translator lined up and I was headed to The Canton Fair but I stopped myself.

Then I checked out Internet Marketing, Affiliate link blasts. It was people who had no idea or experience with any business model just blasting affiliate links.

I do believe there are some solid programs out there to learn from but all my knowledge has come from being sh*t on and nothing much to show.

I was laid off 7 months ago but luckily I had become pretty good at stock trading and laid back a nice nest egg. I've used this time to think and grow. I also was in the Army and Air Force part-time building my leadership and serving the community.

Recently I began writing for people. I wrote how I felt, my passions and all that stuff. It took off and I became a published writer fairly quickly.

I learned from all my failed businesses that I needed an email list, so I set that funnel up but I refused to spam affiliate crap.

Instead, my first email is a survey. It's a survey to see what people want to learn. I then cater my email directly to their needs.

I have had problems being selfish in the past but this new system I recently created I actually feel good about it. It's personal to me.

I declared I want to help people to achieve more freedom. I'm tired of seeing people unable to see their family due to a sh*t boss who says they can't. I was there.

I didn't get to see my mom for 3 years because of my job. It's awful. I want to kill this 9 to 5 crap. Remote work and autonomy are so prevalent now, why waste our lives in traffic.

Really I just want some sort of 3rd party perspective. I want to find a way to selflessly help people, feed them with the big spoon, and not just "try to make a million dollars."

I don't want to go down the wrong path anymore. I don't want to chase money. I want to add value to peoples lives.

What do I even need a million dollars for? I have my PC, my dog, my wife, I'm perfectly happy here but what about the people that aren't happy.

I just hope I'm going down the right path.

From a traveling, lost 24-year-olds mind,
Patrick Hughes

 

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[Kevin88660]

Really I just want some sort of 3rd party perspective. I want to find a way to selflessly help people, feed them with the big spoon, and not just "try to make a million dollars."

Hi Patrick. I see where you are coming from. You want to make money through selfless acts and dedication. Let me share with your my take on this.

My first job right out of colleague is a mortgage loan servicing officer in the biggest bank in Singapore. Our key performance indicator is SPEED-how fast do we resolve a customer’s service demand. Customers are treated as problems to be resolved as quickly as possible so not to waste time. Sometimes customer felt that they are not given enough time and attention but were being “rushed”. But that is the game.

That is the game. That is what the bank wants us to do but will not spell it out explicitely. These customers are existing mortgage loan customers. They do not bring in new sales. Handling them is a “cost-minimizing equation”. Some of the customers might be disappointed and leave their business after the loan contract expires. But it us far more costly to hire more staffs to give them more times. The bank continues to make billions yearly.

Now I am in sales with one of the biggest insurer in Singapore. There are some nice guys who like to “add values”to customers. They spend time educating and doing planning for customers who never show signs of interest but want free information. These are the nice guys who will go out of business very quickly. Successful sales people are focused and ruthless. They do not spend more time than what it is necessary unless the other party has shown signs of sincerity and willingness to commit.

My take is this. At the end of the day sustainable business is about win-win. It is a very narrow space of precision that is hardly noble or pleasing. In fact true win-win scenarios even sound cruel and require the business to treat humans like digits. Most MLM fail because they operate on win-lose, which is selling over-priced products to customers. Business owners who are obsessed about “doing good” are confusing business with charity, because if they add value at their own expense they will not survive.

What about true great business that wow their customers and meanwhile quite profitable? Very very very few! Tesla wow their customers but are they making money? Uber wow their customer but are they profitable? I doubt so. The only one I know is the brokage firm interactive broker that have a great technological edge over its competitors.

So my view is follow. Do you have such a great technological edge or business model that can wow your customers And meanwhile ensuring you a nice profit? If the answer is no, then your job should be to find the traditional win-win zone. The win-win zone is not noble and doesnt sound sexy. It even requires you to treat them as pure numbers impacting on your bottom lines. But it is zone that they are willing to pay for your product/service and you are willing to offer it.

 

[Bekit]

Hey guys,

I started my Entrepreneurial journey a few years ago.

I had a mentor who owned 5 residential houses and we worked together for a year understanding the ins and outs. This brought me into a passive income mindset and I picked up a lot of his habits as he was my first mentor.

He was a money chaser. Hardcore. I wasn't comfortable chasing pure money but I thought that was what it took. He made 40 grand off Google but was banned because his scheme was not good. Yet he personally seems like a sincere guy, goes to church and everything. I've known him for 4 years now and I'm still unsure about whether he is good or bad.

We partnered on multiple business runs and they failed. He wanted to push for quick money and I wanted to establish a solid brand and give customers value. I wanted long, he wanted short. None of it worked.

I eventually moved to a big city, Nashville TN, and was suckered into an MLM with Amway. I immediately knew it was not right. Red flags flew off when they mentioned you don't make money from products and I told the guy, "Then why do I have to buy these crap products unless it puts money in your pocket" and it clicked. He basically got super angry and said that wasn't how it worked. I left in 2 weeks.

Then I went on to get a web design degree and use it on Affiliate marketing with a blog. That flopped. Then I tried to drop ship. Flop. I even looked at the China bullsh*t where people import useless crap. I tried Amazon FBA. Floppy, Flop. I had some connections and factory owners in China through networking, as well as a translator lined up and I was headed to The Canton Fair but I stopped myself.

Then I checked out Internet Marketing, Affiliate link blasts. It was people who had no idea or experience with any business model just blasting affiliate links.

I do believe there are some solid programs out there to learn from but all my knowledge has come from being sh*t on and nothing much to show.

I was laid off 7 months ago but luckily I had become pretty good at stock trading and laid back a nice nest egg. I've used this time to think and grow. I also was in the Army and Air Force part-time building my leadership and serving the community.

Recently I began writing for people. I wrote how I felt, my passions and all that stuff. It took off and I became a published writer fairly quickly.

I learned from all my failed businesses that I needed an email list, so I set that funnel up but I refused to spam affiliate crap.

Instead, my first email is a survey. It's a survey to see what people want to learn. I then cater my email directly to their needs.

I have had problems being selfish in the past but this new system I recently created I actually feel good about it. It's personal to me.

I declared I want to help people to achieve more freedom. I'm tired of seeing people unable to see their family due to a sh*t boss who says they can't. I was there.

I didn't get to see my mom for 3 years because of my job. It's awful. I want to kill this 9 to 5 crap. Remote work and autonomy are so prevalent now, why waste our lives in traffic.

Really I just want some sort of 3rd party perspective. I want to find a way to selflessly help people, feed them with the big spoon, and not just "try to make a million dollars."

I don't want to go down the wrong path anymore. I don't want to chase money. I want to add value to peoples lives.

What do I even need a million dollars for? I have my PC, my dog, my wife, I'm perfectly happy here but what about the people that aren't happy.

I just hope I'm going down the right path.

From a traveling, lost 24-year-olds mind,
Patrick Hughes

Hey Patrick,

I think you're on the right track to want to be unselfish. Here's my story.

For two years, I worked a sales job where I was making good money. Always before, I was broke. Suddenly, I didn't have to worry about money. I could eat out, buy plane tickets, get new brand-name clothing instead of shopping at Goodwill, etc.

And a strange thing happened to me. Without realizing it, I developed a contempt for people who were down and out.

I lost that job when a merger happened and they shut down my department. But I suddenly realized how arrogant I had become, and it scared me. I never want to prosper in a way that makes me lose touch with compassion, selflessness, mercy towards the less fortunate, and a readiness to give back.

So now, I'm pursuing a model where I can make a good living and still be true to these values.

As a copywriter, I believe that's 100% compatible. Can you write a sales letter that pulls in 10x what you charged your client? Then you're not being selfish.

I don't believe that doing business successfully requires you to become selfish, but there is a pull. And there are likely a certain number of areas where you DO have to become cold, calculating, and ruthless in order to succeed. If it's important to you not to become that way, you are free to choose other business models or industries where you can both thrive and stay true to your values.

(By the way, I'm curious about the man who is a short term thinker and money hungry and yet a church goer. That's kind of an enigma. On the surface, it looks like a classic case of hypocrisy, but it might be more nuanced than that. It would be interesting to look at his priorities. Is money higher than God, or is God higher than money in his life?)

 

[rogue synthetic]

By the way, I'm curious about the man who is a short term thinker and money hungry and yet a church goer.

Head down to the South sometime, they're practically falling off the trees.

 

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[pat9000]

Hi Patrick. I see where you are coming from. You want to make money through selfless acts and dedication. Let me share with your my take on this.

My first job right out of colleague is a mortgage loan servicing officer in the biggest bank in Singapore. Our key performance indicator is SPEED-how fast do we resolve a customer’s service demand. Customers are treated as problems to be resolved as quickly as possible so not to waste time. Sometimes customer felt that they are not given enough time and attention but were being “rushed”. But that is the game.

That is the game. That is what the bank wants us to do but will not spell it out explicitely. These customers are existing mortgage loan customers. They do not bring in new sales. Handling them is a “cost-minimizing equation”. Some of the customers might be disappointed and leave their business after the loan contract expires. But it us far more costly to hire more staffs to give them more times. The bank continues to make billions yearly.

Now I am in sales with one of the biggest insurer in Singapore. There are some nice guys who like to “add values”to customers. They spend time educating and doing planning for customers who never show signs of interest but want free information. These are the nice guys who will go out of business very quickly. Successful sales people are focused and ruthless. They do not spend more time than what it is necessary unless the other party has shown signs of sincerity and willingness to commit.

My take is this. At the end of the day sustainable business is about win-win. It is a very narrow space of precision that is hardly noble or pleasing. In fact true win-win scenarios even sound cruel and require the business to treat humans like digits. Most MLM fail because they operate on win-lose, which is selling over-priced products to customers. Business owners who are obsessed about “doing good” are confusing business with charity, because if they add value at their own expense they will not survive.

What about true great business that wow their customers and meanwhile quite profitable? Very very very few! Tesla wow their customers but are they making money? Uber wow their customer but are they profitable? I doubt so. The only one I know is the brokage firm interactive broker that have a great technological edge over its competitors.

So my view is follow. Do you have such a great technological edge or business model that can wow your customers And meanwhile ensuring you a nice profit? If the answer is no, then your job should be to find the traditional win-win zone. The win-win zone is not noble and doesnt sound sexy. It even requires you to treat them as pure numbers impacting on your bottom lines. But it is zone that they are willing to pay for your product/service and you are willing to offer it.

Awesome response. I agree with honestly.

It's crazy how the cold, numbers guys with ok products do good business and survive. I guess it takes a little bit of both to succeed.

I think that you're definitely right about that model that aligns values and still wows customers. It's such a tough place to find!

I bought a conversion review for a site of mine one time from a guy on Fivver. He told me I was "Nice Frank" or something like that. Basically, I was too nice and didn't want to seem salesly. I see you are saying the same thing he did.

It's a tough trait but I'm working on it. I've been taking a lot of Copywriting courses recently.

 

[pat9000]

Hey Patrick,

I think you're on the right track to want to be unselfish. Here's my story.

For two years, I worked a sales job where I was making good money. Always before, I was broke. Suddenly, I didn't have to worry about money. I could eat out, buy plane tickets, get new brand-name clothing instead of shopping at Goodwill, etc.

And a strange thing happened to me. Without realizing it, I developed a contempt for people who were down and out.

I lost that job when a merger happened and they shut down my department. But I suddenly realized how arrogant I had become, and it scared me. I never want to prosper in a way that makes me lose touch with compassion, selflessness, mercy towards the less fortunate, and a readiness to give back.

So now, I'm pursuing a model where I can make a good living and still be true to these values.

As a copywriter, I believe that's 100% compatible. Can you write a sales letter that pulls in 10x what you charged your client? Then you're not being selfish.

I don't believe that doing business successfully requires you to become selfish, but there is a pull. And there are likely a certain number of areas where you DO have to become cold, calculating, and ruthless in order to succeed. If it's important to you not to become that way, you are free to choose other business models or industries where you can both thrive and stay true to your values.

(By the way, I'm curious about the man who is a short term thinker and money hungry and yet a church goer. That's kind of an enigma. On the surface, it looks like a classic case of hypocrisy, but it might be more nuanced than that. It would be interesting to look at his priorities. Is money higher than God, or is God higher than money in his life?)

Thank you for your kind words.

I like that story and I can relate to some degree. I hit that point of being arrogant and buying stupid stuff.

Really at the end of our lives, we either have fulfillment or regret.

I think that has to deal with values and our identity. I truly believe I can find that sweet spot of helping people and profiting.

I have taken a lot of copywriting courses recently and that's interesting. Can you explain a little more about it?

I agree with the last part for sure. I know there are a time and place to be cold. It's tough for me.

P.S. Yes it's quite interesting. He constantly talks about how financially he is set but wants more. But then he talks about how he wants to spread Christianity. It's very interesting. He is a good guy but sometimes I don't know if he is trying to convince himself that he DOES love money more than God.

 

[pat9000]

Head down to the South sometime, they're practically falling off the trees.

LOL yes! Lived in the south all my life. 10/10 would agree.

 

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