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BEST WAY TO FIND FASTLANE IDEAS?

Idea threads

MikeThePilot13

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I have been trying to find Fastlane ideas for the last couple of weeks but with no luck. Any tips?
 
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MJ DeMarco

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I have been trying to find Fastlane ideas for the last couple of weeks but with no luck. Any tips?

So awesome you think the world is perfect and it needs nothing... how can I be part of that world?

Joking aside, re-read the chapters on value skew. Once you grasp that concept, everything seems like an opportunity.

Good luck!
 

Mathuin

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DeletedUser84644

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I have been trying to find Fastlane ideas for the last couple of weeks but with no luck. Any tips?


I see that you are having trouble with coming up with an idea, I'll just simply paste here what I've said in a recent thread of mine:

"The approach you are using to find an idea is misguided. The reason why you are having immense difficulty with finding one is because you are trying too hard into finding a completely, 100%, original idea. Such an approach is completely counterintuitive and is so for the following reason: If most of the richest people in the world didn't get to their position from executing 100% original ideas but through executing already existing ones better or with a spin put on how they were normally done, then we also do not need to be 100% original either. 100% original ideas rarely succeed and should only be realistically pursued by an experienced entrepreneur, otherwise, you are destined to fail. So, look at what already exists in the market and see how you can do things better, faster, cheaper, with a spin put on how it's normally done, etc. That's the fail-proof sure fire way of finding good "ideas", for already existing ideas have proven market demand (which means that you don't have to worry about product-market fit) and therefore mean that they have a good chance of working out (Which basically means the only way the business venture can fail is through mediocre execution, not failed product market fit). You could never have a single great idea in your life, but if you put your efforts and focus on executing the great ideas of others that already have proven market demand, then you will be able to succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Ideas are a dime and dozen and are useless and insufficient without proper execution, as it's the ultimate successful execution and implementation of ideas that can leave you with holding a pot of gold, not the idea itself, period. You need to look at "ideas" as business opportunities rather than ideas instead."
 
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Drwakiza

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So awesome you think the world is perfect and it needs nothing... how can I be part of that world?

Joking aside, re-read the chapters on value skew. Once you grasp that concept, everything seems like an opportunity.

Good luck!
Lierally. Then you will have to remind yourself not to jump from ideas to ideas lol
 

Johnny boy

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1. Do you have a family business, or have a connection other people don’t have, or have access to equipment or machinery that others don’t, or have some special skill or an all consuming hobby or interest?
2. Start changing your thoughts to start noticing the producer side of things instead of the consumer side of things. Look at a cemetery and see all of the headstones that cost $3000 each. A friend of mine makes a grand or two each headstone and sells like 5 a week. Start seeing the little things that involve many companies everywhere around you.
3. Start making things _____-er. Faster, cheaper, better, easier, nicer, lighter, smarter, awesomer.
 
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Guest-5ty5s4

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A better question: how do you narrow down your ideas when you have too many, or see infinite problems?

I’d say pick the thing closest at hand that you can take action on the fastest. But you also want to think ahead and be “in the right boat,” so to speak.
 
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DeletedUser84644

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A better question: how do you narrow down your ideas when you have too many, or see infinite problems?

I’d say pick the thing closest at hand that you can take action on the fastest. But you also want to think ahead and be “in the right boat,” so to speak.
Wait hold on, doesn't that kind of contradict the concept of entry in CENTS? I.e the faster you can open up shop, the worst the opportunity is (b/c most often this leads to way more competition and market saturation). Like if it's not something that takes a process to get into rather an event, then it's probably not a good business opportunity. I think a better criteria for determining how to narrow down the list of business opportunities that you have in consideration would be to narrow it down to the ones that have the most Founder-Market fit for you, coupled with the one in which you have the best understanding of the market. The better the business opportunity fits your circle of competence and / or your circle of competence expansion potential, the more likely you are to succeed in the venture
 
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Guest-5ty5s4

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Wait hold on, doesn't that kind of contradict the concept of entry in CENTS? I.e the faster you can open up shop, the worst the opportunity is (b/c most often this leads to way more competition and market saturation). Like if it's not something that takes a process to get into rather an event, then it's probably not a good business opportunity. I think a better criteria for determining how to narrow down the list of business opportunities that you have in consideration would be to narrow it down to the ones that have the most Founder-Market fit for you, coupled with the one in which you have the best understanding of the market. The better the business opportunity fits your circle of competence and / or your circle of competence expansion potential, the more likely you are to succeed in the venture
Not at all.

Pick the thing that YOU are best suited for, and that doesn’t require you to spend 40 years preparing for.

You can still find or create barriers of entry and value skew.

Reading the rest of your comment you actually just rehashed my idea... pick the thing that fits you best.
 
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MikeThePilot13

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Thanks for all the advice guys. I have been trying to implement it but I can't seem to think of any good profitable CENTS ideas. What should I do?
 
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Edgar King

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Thanks for all the advice guys. I have been trying to implement it but I can't seem to think of any good profitable CENTS ideas. What should I do?
Here's how I found my Fastlane Idea today...

Another approach is to think of it from the angle of improvement rather than thinking up an idea in a vacuum. I used it to find a need to fill that I might embark on later. Remember, you're not trying to think up the next thingamabob that will revolutionise the world, you're just looking for a need to fill.

Here's a thread that showed someone who followed this exact method- MINDSET - Solve Real Problems

Watch the video in it.

With that said, you can try this as I think it's another angle...

Scan your life and memories for events/activities/experiences/unpleasantries you’ve done, are doing, or will do that your mind shys away from because it hurts to think about (These activities cost a higher amount of mental or physical energy than normal. They are high time X effort sincs.), or those of others. Experiences of today, yesterday, months prior even.

Especially those that involve a product (E.G. machine, tool, software ) or service IN A PARTICULAR NICHE (Not everyone will do the activity e.g. checking eyes as a doctor or cutting up pizza. Niching is Important to lessen competition and X100 profits [LF-8 Desire- Observe ourselves]).

Remember that time when you Cooked with that new frying pan that had stains all over it? Bingo! Go improve that frying pan to be non stick!

Remember that time you were using a badly designed plastic pizza cutter? Bingo! Go improve that pizza cutter to avoid grime and dirt and make cleaning it a possible task.

Remember that time when you procrastinated on your studies and ended up stressing over? Bingo! Go find a solution for you and others that would stop this procrastination.

Remember cleaning your bathroom with that sponge and rag, but the effort makes it hurt to think about? Bingo! Go make a solution that makes this easier.

Remember that time...<hurts>+<product + service involved>? Bingo!

Then, go to where the target market is gathered (Live or virtual e.g. a forum) and Check if others (target market) have these problems and would pay to solve them as well.

But what if your idea is already being done? Well then, Go do it better by providing more value!

Bingo, you've got a potential Fastlane idea!

There's a whole lot more I want to say, but you could start there. And Best of luck!
 
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Raedrum

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When you begin to ask yourself "What could I do" to help people, solving problems, making their lifes better, improve things,... It will become easier and easier to see opportunities.

2 years ago I was stuck in a mental dead-end, litteraly seeing 0 opportunities to do anything.

Now I must keep a notebook because of all the ideas that come to me. Seriously I wish I had clones of myself to exploit all the opportunities I see.

What MJ says in his book about the "opportunities radar" is real. Just keep asking yourself and be an observer. Speak with people, teach yourself skills, and ideas will come by themselves !

Finding opportunities is a skill in its own right, that come with practice like everything else.
 

Disciple96

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I hate to be a jerk, but you come into a forum based around a book, ask a silly question book in question answered years ago, read several answers from quite successful members of the forum (including the author himself) and then STILL complain about the original question like you didn't get a good enough answer?



Here is your answer: Read UnScripted . If you have already read TMF , make sure to read unscripted .



The answer lies in those pages, and others were kind enough to SPECIFICALLY point to them, so it shouldn't be hard to find.



My answer: ignore CENTS in the beginning. CENTS are like guiding stones that point you in the direction you should be going.



Very few people have complete control of their business, meet a high barrier to entry, fulfill a strong need, separate their income from their time, and are able to produce value at scale on day 1. Those who are, are probably already successful.



Don't stress. Take the pedestrian approach, as MJ called it once (something like that at least). Anyways, find where people complain, "xyz sucks!" "I wish xyz were like..." and solve that problem.



Seriously, don't overthink it. It is better to have some bumpy flight experience than to stall out in the hangar and turn in your pilots' license.



You can mow lawns, you can scrub toilets, you can walk dogs. All low barrier to entry, but all better than sitting at your computer screen and all will give you real world experience.



Anyways, I would say your heart is in the right place but you seem to be coming from a "taking" mentality in your OP, as opposed to a "giving" mentality. What can you GIVE to others? Then you will find great opportunities that make CENTS, or at least, have the capacity to make CENTS *one day*.



P.S., DON'T TYPE LIKE THIS, YOU'LL BE TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY
 
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MikeThePilot13

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It seems that you are still stuck. See if this thread can help you out with bringing more clarity into figuring out how to get started: MINDSET - Are you dying in misery on how to figure out how to get started? Then please! Do save yourself from that soul crushing agony with this thread!
Thanks FauxPas, your thread is genuinely really good. I think the problem that I have is that I'm only 17 and haven't really got any skills relating to business or building any kind of problem or service. In the thread, you said someone without experience should start doing something like retailing or reselling but that is going against the CENTS system and isn't providing any real value to the client. Come to think of it, the actual problem I have is that I keep having ideas about problems that aren't really real and that don't provide any significant value. Trying to improve a product sounds great but unless I can produce it myself before I gain any traction, it wouldn't work as I wouldn't know how to manufacture it. This kind of eliminates many of my options of products to improve and even then I don't know how I would improve the products that are left or how I would make them. I know you can't plan everything ahead but I feel like at the moment there are just too many unknown variables. I'm also a highly analytical person so I don't think my mindset really works in this stage of entrepreneurship.
 
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MikeThePilot13

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I have had an idea about improving a popular flashcard software called Anki as it isn't very intuitive as people have made whole courses on how to use it effectively. I think that due to its popularity there is a market for it and if I make it more intuitive and easier to use, people would use my software instead, however, I don't know how to code. Although I know that there are other ways of getting around this such as getting a software developing partner, I always keep thinking why wouldn't the developer just leave me and do the project on his/her own. I don't think this idea works for me but hopefully I can find something else that does
 
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DeletedUser84644

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Thanks FauxPas, your thread is genuinely really good. I think the problem that I have is that I'm only 17 and haven't really got any skills relating to business or building any kind of problem or service. In the thread, you said someone without experience should start doing something like retailing or reselling but that is going against the CENTS system and isn't providing any real value to the client.
(1) You are wrong. Walmart, Target, Costco, Whole Foods, etc are all reseller / retailer like business and they all meet the CENTS commandments perfectly.

Trying to improve a product sounds great but unless I can produce it myself before I gain any traction, it wouldn't work as I wouldn't know how to manufacture it.

(2) See that kind of highlights one of the biggest misconceptions budding entrepreneurs have about entrepreneurship, is that they think that they have to do absolutely EVERYTHING in house. Which is, quite far from the truth. There are very few companies in the world that can be anywhere close to remotely being able to actually do such a thing, not even some of the biggest companies like Apple (Where its Founder was known for having a big EGO with wanting to do as much in house as possible), does everything in house. Why? well because it's often way more efficient and cost effective for a company to outsource a particular business function to another business that is a specialist in that said business function. The degree to which things are done in house versus what's outsourced varies from company to company, but no company in the world has the ability do it all in house (Even if it looks like they do most of everything in house, they still have some minor things outsourced.) Even stuff as insignificant as office supplies are a clear good example of a necessary business function being outsourced (B/c it would just make no sense for a company to spend all of the time, resources, and money to manufacture them themselves when they can just buy them from a supplier). There are plenty of manufactures who are willing to a manufacture a product on your behalf for you, you just have to go and find them. Just look at Apple for example, they don't manufacture the iphones themselves, they instead outsource that business function to a Chinese manufacture (in which Apple, the owner of the blue prints and the intellectual property behind the iphone, provides the Chinese manufacture the blueprint they need in order to make the iphones for Apple, on Apple's behalf, for a fee that they would charge Apple in order for the manufacturing to get done). Just ask @Zooman009, he himself can tell you about his experience with doing that; you should also check out his execution thread as well: IDEA - I found something I finally am ready to start executing on!

When you emulate an already existing idea with proven market demand, then that by self should give you enough evidence that it has value. And when you go for emulating ideas, look at the market leader of that industry (the company with the most market share) and compare their strengths and weaknesses with its competitors. Emulate what the market leader is strong on, and capitalize on what the market leader is weak on. And by the way, how much the market leader is worth to the market (Its company valuation) as well as much profit and revenue it makes tells you how much earning potential the business venture has (So that way you know whether you have the potential to make it big in the industry or not.) You want to go for the business venture that's in a large market (I.e that has a large market cap). The larger the market cap is, the less market share you need to take from your competitors in order to make a life changing amount of money. I suggest you go to a website called investo pedia, it can help you learn a lot about how the world of finance, investing, and economics work. Curiosity and Google is your best friend for figuring out the answers to things in life. As well as constantly iterating through thought experiments, belief systems, theories, logic, etc. I don't blame you for the mental struggle you're going through- in school, you are taught all the time want to think and to constantly ask other people for help on how to find the answers to things you don't know about, but what school doesn't enough of teaching people how to do, is how to critically think, and to develop and have the skills to figure out things we don't know / don't have a good understanding of. Which is why a lot of people struggle with getting systted- it is the hardest aspect of entrepreneurship- which is having the skills and ability to figure things out with immense clarity and purpose on things you are having trouble with figuring out. You need to develop the skill and ability to overcome obstacles, as that is something you will inevitable face- at one point or another- in any business venture that you pursue. These are skill sets and mental frame works that are hard to learn on one's due to the social conditioning that 99% have been in. It's extremely difficult to unlearn all of those years of social conditioning and habitual thought patterns all at once in a relatively short period of time. It's hence why it took me so long so figure out how to get started myself. I just could not fathom why people on the fastlane forum say what they say without going deeper into the nitty gritty and stuff- until one day I realized that that would be giving a man a fish as opposed to teaching a man how to fish. And the exact methodology for executing on a business idea in the 2010's, won't be exact the same for the 2020's and beyond. It's a constantly changing thing- which is why having the right mindset, the right attitude, the right expectations, and critical thinking skills and methodologies is the utmost importance of skills that all aspiring entrepreneurship must have if they want succeed in entrepreneurship. Because it's predominantly more of a mental game than an outside game. You could be taught exactly, with absolute precision, head to toe on how to fight a war, but if you don't have the right psychology for a war that a soldier must have in order to be able to psychologically handle war, then the soldier is doomed for fsilire- which is their death in the war. Success always starts in the mind first before it can come out externally, as it's 80-90% mental, and 10-20% physical.
 
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DeletedUser84644

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I hate to be a jerk, but you come into a forum based around a book, ask a silly question book in question answered years ago, read several answers from quite successful members of the forum (including the author himself) and then STILL complain about the original question like you didn't get a good enough answer?



Here is your answer: Read UnScripted . If you have already read TMF , make sure to read unscripted .



The answer lies in those pages, and others were kind enough to SPECIFICALLY point to them, so it shouldn't be hard to find.



My answer: ignore CENTS in the beginning. CENTS are like guiding stones that point you in the direction you should be going.



Very few people have complete control of their business, meet a high barrier to entry, fulfill a strong need, separate their income from their time, and are able to produce value at scale on day 1. Those who are, are probably already successful.



Don't stress. Take the pedestrian approach, as MJ called it once (something like that at least). Anyways, find where people complain, "xyz sucks!" "I wish xyz were like..." and solve that problem.



Seriously, don't overthink it. It is better to have some bumpy flight experience than to stall out in the hangar and turn in your pilots' license.



You can mow lawns, you can scrub toilets, you can walk dogs. All low barrier to entry, but all better than sitting at your computer screen and all will give you real world experience.



Anyways, I would say your heart is in the right place but you seem to be coming from a "taking" mentality in your OP, as opposed to a "giving" mentality. What can you GIVE to others? Then you will find great opportunities that make CENTS, or at least, have the capacity to make CENTS *one day*.



P.S., DON'T TYPE LIKE THIS, YOU'LL BE TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY
Just because a book or an individual explains something one way, at a certain angle, doesn't mean that it will necessarily be understood by everyone that way. The way we all learn and figure things out is different. There are an infinite number of ways and angles to explain things in different ways- very few people learn from a lecture the first time its taught. When a student expresses their struggle with grasping what the teacher had just shown them, the worst thing that the teacher could do is explain it to them again in the exact same fashion as how they had just did, with the exact same angle, that that individual student's brain, can't understand at all. So what the teacher would have to do instead, is teach the lecture at a different angle, and continue to do so until it finally clicks for the student. Differences in how people's brains are wired explains the disparities in people's intellectual strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning things. To make a critical straw man statement against someone, for failing to understand something that might seem obvious to, but not for some, is just a very crass and counterproductive thing to do- as well as a very hypocritical b/c no one would want to be made to feel like a moron for their difficulty in being able to do / learn something.

and then STILL complain about the original question like you didn't get a good enough answer?

That's a straw man- The OP saying that they are still struggling to find an idea despite the advice being given (Especially with the fact that they have literally thanked everyone for giving such pieces of advice), is not the same thing as directly criticizing the specific pieces of advice that were made by each individual. Receiving thanks for a piece of advice that you handed to someone, if you ask me, is anything but a complaint.

Anyways, I would say your heart is in the right place but you seem to be coming from a "taking" mentality in your OP, as opposed to a "giving" mentality. What can you GIVE to others? Then you will find great opportunities that make CENTS, or at least, have the capacity to make CENTS *one day*.
How is it fair to make that kind of presumption on an OP who's asking how to fish (How to find an idea) as opposed to asking to be given a fish (Hey can someone give me a fastlane idea!?)

Unless you are omniscient and have never struggled with immense misery in figuring something out, at any point in your life at all, then you have absolutely no justification in conveying yourself in the tone that you just did to the OP at all- not exactly how you would want to be treated when you're in desperate need for help, now, is it?
 
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DeletedUser84644

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I have had an idea about improving a popular flashcard software called Anki as it isn't very intuitive as people have made whole courses on how to use it effectively. I think that due to its popularity there is a market for it and if I make it more intuitive and easier to use, people would use my software instead, however, I don't know how to code. Although I know that there are other ways of getting around this such as getting a software developing partner, I always keep thinking why wouldn't the developer just leave me and do the project on his/her own. I don't think this idea works for me but hopefully I can find something else that does
Just because that software developer can just leave you and create their own version, doesn't mean that that said software developer is guaranteed to have a better iteration of the idea you're trying to execute, or that they are guaranteed to succeed for that matter- in fact, that would be a little bit harder on the software developer b/c- assuming you have the proper legal contracts set in place- they can't go out and create their own independent exact replicas of your exact iteration of that idea, that they agreed not to copy, at all. Ideas themselves don't get legal protection, it's the executional manifestation of an idea that does and can get protected. That's why you have a Dafety duck and a Donald Duck. Even if an idea is genuinely original, it's not gonna stay original forever, and there would be nothing that can stop someone from doing what was once your original idea, better. Just because something starts out as the first as something, doesn't necessarily mean that they are guaranteed to remain being the best at what they do. Face book and Google weren't exactly the first at what they were doing, and yet, they've managed to bankrupt the original executors of the idea thanks to their phenomenally superior execution. Original Idea brewers are losers- Existing idea emulators are the winners. You can learn how to code yourself if you really wanted, for free, you just have to put in the major time investment that learning such a craft requires. It's the 21st century after all and we're in the year 2022- you can most definitely learn how to code if you look around on the internet enough. Ask people who are familiar with the craft for advice / help on how to go about learning it, as well as join the communities that such people lurk in as well.
 

Disciple96

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To make a critical straw man statement against someone, for failing to understand something that might seem obvious to, but not for some, is just a very crass and counterproductive thing to do- as well as a very hypocritical b/c no one would want to be made to feel like a moron for their difficulty in being able to do / learn something.
While it might seem like I just get kicks out of being a 'uge jerk, the intent of my post was more to move OP to action and snap out of analysis paralysis.

That's just the tonality that motivates me, but everyone is different.

To be honest though, you are right, maybe the carrot is more effective than the stick sometimes.

I should note that I don't think I was being *that* mean.

Additionally, I did provide my own practical advice as to not just be a condescending jerkwad, however maybe if I dressed it up in lavender and rosehips it would have been received better.

We all have our own journeys to make, and more importantly I'm a nobody so don't take me too seriously.

Certainly not trying to act omniscient or make anyone feel stupid.

Anyways @MikeThePilot13, best of luck to you man, the fact that you're here at all speaks volumes in my opinion, so don't let random dickheads discourage you
 
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DeletedUser84644

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While it might seem like I just get kicks out of being a 'uge jerk, the intent of my post was more to move OP to action and snap out of analysis paralysis.

That's just the tonality that motivates me, but everyone is different.

To be honest though, you are right, maybe the carrot is more effective than the stick sometimes.

I should note that I don't think I was being *that* mean.

Additionally, I did provide my own practical advice as to not just be a condescending jerkwad, however maybe if I dressed it up in lavender and rosehips it would have been received better.

We all have our own journeys to make, and more importantly I'm a nobody so don't take me too seriously.

Certainly not trying to act omniscient or make anyone feel stupid.

Anyways @MikeThePilot13, best of luck to you man, the fact that you're here at all speaks volumes in my opinion, so don't let random dickheads discourage you
I mean if you use the tough love approach in a way where it's being conveyed under a vibe of encouragement and a "Come on man, you can do this!" kind of coaching, then that's fine. David Goggins is a perfect example to model after:
View: https://youtube.com/shorts/GUhsAlQyJRc?feature=share


It's not my style personality, but does it have its merits when it's struck with the right balance.
 
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JonasBakel

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I see that you are having trouble with coming up with an idea, I'll just simply paste here what I've said in a recent thread of mine:

"The approach you are using to find an idea is misguided. The reason why you are having immense difficulty with finding one is because you are trying too hard into finding a completely, 100%, original idea. Such an approach is completely counterintuitive and is so for the following reason: If most of the richest people in the world didn't get to their position from executing 100% original ideas but through executing already existing ones better or with a spin put on how they were normally done, then we also do not need to be 100% original either. 100% original ideas rarely succeed and should only be realistically pursued by an experienced entrepreneur, otherwise, you are destined to fail. So, look at what already exists in the market and see how you can do things better, faster, cheaper, with a spin put on how it's normally done, etc. That's the fail-proof sure fire way of finding good "ideas", for already existing ideas have proven market demand (which means that you don't have to worry about product-market fit) and therefore mean that they have a good chance of working out (Which basically means the only way the business venture can fail is through mediocre execution, not failed product market fit). You could never have a single great idea in your life, but if you put your efforts and focus on executing the great ideas of others that already have proven market demand, then you will be able to succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Ideas are a dime and dozen and are useless and insufficient without proper execution, as it's the ultimate successful execution and implementation of ideas that can leave you with holding a pot of gold, not the idea itself, period. You need to look at "ideas" as business opportunities rather than ideas instead."
This is a great insight, thank you.
 

Walter Hay

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I am posting this in the hope that it might encourage @MikeThePilot13 to see things differently.

This is how I found both of my Fastlane business ideas:
Business #1. Specialty Industrial Chemicals.
With no qualifications as a chemist, I got a job selling specialty chemicals. I had not targeted that industry, it just happened to be the one that was willing to take me on as a salesman with no selling experience and no knowledge of chemicals. I knew that when applying for a job you have to in effect sell yourself. This is especially true in the case of applying for a job as a salesman.

I learned a lot about the industry by working in the industry.

This taught me that the industry was dominated by huge multinationals, and their qualified salesmen had no practical knowledge of the use of the obsolete chemicals they were selling. The outcome was that I gained a near monopoly in supplying the main industry that used the technical products that I sold.

Business #2. Two of my brothers and their wives were school teachers. I overheard them complaining about being let down by the biggest supplier of school badges - poor service, broken deadline promises, poor quality badges. That biggest supplier they spoke about owned 90% of the school market.

I addressed the pains that I had heard described, and by doing so, within 2 years I secured over 30% of the market and a few years later I had over 90% of the market and my biggest competitor was obliterated.

@MikeThePilot13 Listen to the market and learn about the market. You can do it.

Walter
 

Edgar King

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I am posting this in the hope that it might encourage @MikeThePilot13 to see things differently.

This is how I found both of my Fastlane business ideas:
Business #1. Specialty Industrial Chemicals.
With no qualifications as a chemist, I got a job selling specialty chemicals. I had not targeted that industry, it just happened to be the one that was willing to take me on as a salesman with no selling experience and no knowledge of chemicals. I knew that when applying for a job you have to in effect sell yourself. This is especially true in the case of applying for a job as a salesman.

I learned a lot about the industry by working in the industry.

This taught me that the industry was dominated by huge multinationals, and their qualified salesmen had no practical knowledge of the use of the obsolete chemicals they were selling. The outcome was that I gained a near monopoly in supplying the main industry that used the technical products that I sold.

Business #2. Two of my brothers and their wives were school teachers. I overheard them complaining about being let down by the biggest supplier of school badges - poor service, broken deadline promises, poor quality badges. That biggest supplier they spoke about owned 90% of the school market.

I addressed the pains that I had heard described, and by doing so, within 2 years I secured over 30% of the market and a few years later I had over 90% of the market and my biggest competitor was obliterated.

@MikeThePilot13 Listen to the market and learn about the market. You can do it.

Walter
That's really inspiring! Thanks for sharing Walter!
 
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SSTrey

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I have been trying to find Fastlane ideas for the last couple of weeks but with no luck. Any tips?
Ideas (specifically CENTS ideas) tend to come via experience & pivots.

Being 17, you have a lot more time to execute (not that older people don't - just that as we get older we also want other things that may take away time)
I have owned 4-5 commodity businesses which at the time was not efficiently fully CENTS, however, the experience I had led me to a CENTS business which I now run. Now I have many ideas of CENTS businesses.

At 17 almost any business is worth executing, if for nothing else, but to learn.

All the best.
 

lifemaker

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(1) You are wrong. Walmart, Target, Costco, Whole Foods, etc are all reseller / retailer like business and they all meet the CENTS commandments perfectly.



(2) See that kind of highlights one of the biggest misconceptions budding entrepreneurs have about entrepreneurship, is that they think that they have to do absolutely EVERYTHING in house. Which is, quite far from the truth. There are very few companies in the world that can be anywhere close to remotely being able to actually do such a thing, not even some of the biggest companies like Apple (Where its Founder was known for having a big EGO with wanting to do as much in house as possible), does everything in house. Why? well because it's often way more efficient and cost effective for a company to outsource a particular business function to another business that is a specialist in that said business function. The degree to which things are done in house versus what's outsourced varies from company to company, but no company in the world has the ability do it all in house (Even if it looks like they do most of everything in house, they still have some minor things outsourced.) Even stuff as insignificant as office supplies are a clear good example of a necessary business function being outsourced (B/c it would just make no sense for a company to spend all of the time, resources, and money to manufacture them themselves when they can just buy them from a supplier). There are plenty of manufactures who are willing to a manufacture a product on your behalf for you, you just have to go and find them. Just look at Apple for example, they don't manufacture the iphones themselves, they instead outsource that business function to a Chinese manufacture (in which Apple, the owner of the blue prints and the intellectual property behind the iphone, provides the Chinese manufacture the blueprint they need in order to make the iphones for Apple, on Apple's behalf, for a fee that they would charge Apple in order for the manufacturing to get done). Just ask @Zooman009, he himself can tell you about his experience with doing that; you should also check out his execution thread as well: IDEA - I found something I finally am ready to start executing on!

When you emulate an already existing idea with proven market demand, then that by self should give you enough evidence that it has value. And when you go for emulating ideas, look at the market leader of that industry (the company with the most market share) and compare their strengths and weaknesses with its competitors. Emulate what the market leader is strong on, and capitalize on what the market leader is weak on. And by the way, how much the market leader is worth to the market (Its company valuation) as well as much profit and revenue it makes tells you how much earning potential the business venture has (So that way you know whether you have the potential to make it big in the industry or not.) You want to go for the business venture that's in a large market (I.e that has a large market cap). The larger the market cap is, the less market share you need to take from your competitors in order to make a life changing amount of money. I suggest you go to a website called investo pedia, it can help you learn a lot about how the world of finance, investing, and economics work. Curiosity and Google is your best friend for figuring out the answers to things in life. As well as constantly iterating through thought experiments, belief systems, theories, logic, etc. I don't blame you for the mental struggle you're going through- in school, you are taught all the time want to think and to constantly ask other people for help on how to find the answers to things you don't know about, but what school doesn't enough of teaching people how to do, is how to critically think, and to develop and have the skills to figure out things we don't know / don't have a good understanding of. Which is why a lot of people struggle with getting systted- it is the hardest aspect of entrepreneurship- which is having the skills and ability to figure things out with immense clarity and purpose on things you are having trouble with figuring out. You need to develop the skill and ability to overcome obstacles, as that is something you will inevitable face- at one point or another- in any business venture that you pursue. These are skill sets and mental frame works that are hard to learn on one's due to the social conditioning that 99% have been in. It's extremely difficult to unlearn all of those years of social conditioning and habitual thought patterns all at once in a relatively short period of time. It's hence why it took me so long so figure out how to get started myself. I just could not fathom why people on the fastlane forum say what they say without going deeper into the nitty gritty and stuff- until one day I realized that that would be giving a man a fish as opposed to teaching a man how to fish. And the exact methodology for executing on a business idea in the 2010's, won't be exact the same for the 2020's and beyond. It's a constantly changing thing- which is why having the right mindset, the right attitude, the right expectations, and critical thinking skills and methodologies is the utmost importance of skills that all aspiring entrepreneurship must have if they want succeed in entrepreneurship. Because it's predominantly more of a mental game than an outside game. You could be taught exactly, with absolute precision, head to toe on how to fight a war, but if you don't have the right psychology for a war that a soldier must have in order to be able to psychologically handle war, then the soldier is doomed for fsilire- which is their death in the war. Success always starts in the mind first before it can come out externally, as it's 80-90% mental, and 10-20% physical.
perfection, but never forget about hard work, not shortcut, rather an experience cut from the pie.
 

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