CHANGE MY MIND - Getting A Job Is Better Than "Fastlane"

[Axe]

When I was 18, I enrolled in college. A few months later, I dropped out, considering it a waste of time and wanting to focus on my yet-unprofitable business ideas. My parents had none of it. They showed me tough love and kicked me out of the house. I was forced to find a place to live and a job. I rented a cramped room with mold in the corners and found a minimum-wage job in a crappy logistics center. I worked at this place for four years. I hated every day. But while working there, I noticed patterns that could be used for automation. Every day, we wasted enormous amounts of time doing things that could be automated manually. That meant that the company could serve fewer customers and needed to hire more employees, consequently leaving money on the table. I saw a burning need.

Long story short, I created an eight-figure company selling automation software in the logistics industry. I wrote a bit more about it in my intro thread, if you are interested. But the most important thing in this story is that I would never have seen this need and created my company if not for this job. If you take a look at MJ's story, he created his limos.com company after working as a limo driver.

Every day, new people register here after reading MJ's books. They are all excited. Their entire worldview has been turned upside down. They come here and talk about the decision Matrix, CENTS, asymmetric returns, and the Fastlane mindset. Most of them are either very young or have no prior business experience. They start threads titled "I have no money and skills; what business should I start?". With no expertise in any matter, they take the path of least resistance. They start a gazillionth marketing agency, do copywriting freelancing, or start selling on Amazon. They do not provide value. They do not innovate. They follow a herd.

Many of them end up worse off than they were before starting their entrepreneurial journey. Some end up racking up considerable debt; others hang up on their Fastlane dreams and end up in dead-end jobs. The business world is cold and unforgiving. It doesn't care if you are young or inexperienced. Statistics are ruthless. Most people on this forum will never fulfill their Fastlane dream.

I created this thread mostly for young people, the ones with little or no life experience. And my advice for them is to go and get a job. If you are a teenager or twenty-something starting your adult life, don't open a business just because you've read it's the only way to achieve Fastlane success. Get a job, rent a room, and move away from your parents. Learn how to cook, clean, iron, shop, and budget. Every skill necessary to function as an adult. It can be any job, even at fast-food restaurants. And when you get the job, for God's sake, don't sit there in the corner waiting for your shift to pass. Learn all about this business. What is the average order amount? How many employees does it require? How much do they earn? Take a good look at your coworkers. Which ones would you hire for your business? Which ones would you fire on the spot? What differentiates one from another? Learn about supply chains. Who is their manufacturer? What are their profit margins? Create an average client profile. Are they men? Women? How old are they? Are they middle-class? Wealthy? Poor? If your employer offers free courses, be the first to enroll. Find conferences and meetings close to you. Go network. My industry contacts were crucial for building our client base and soliciting feedback. I met my company co-founder at a business conference afterparty. We got shitfaced and became friends. Stay at this job for at least a year.

"But Axe, I could use this year to build a Fastlane business!" "Getting a job is a waste of time!" I can guarantee that most of you would waste this year anyway. Many users on the forum take action. They open progress threads and gather a lot of likes. But when you look closer, nothing in their lives changes. They hop from one idea to another. They cannot create their breakthrough products because they lack expertise. You can look at Yelp reviews all day. Congratulations, now you know that Frank's Coffee House serves terrible cheesecake and that their staff is rude! And what exactly does that knowledge help you with? Do you have the necessary know-how to create a better product? Do you know who their supplier is? What their profit margins are? If you have no idea of this business's inner workings, how do you know your product will provide value to customers? That it will be profitable?

"But Axe, I've read about that 14-year-old kid who created a random app and earned millions!" "If he could do it, I can too!" Yeah, absolutely, go for it. And don't forget to buy a lottery ticket; it will multiply your chance of becoming a millionaire by ten. Look, I'm not telling you to give up on your Fastlane dream. Run your business after you come back from work. This is the time to test your ideas and learn the necessary skills. Open a marketing agency, order samples from China to sell on Amazon, flip some MacBooks or sneakers on eBay or learn how to write copy. All while getting money wired to your account every month, courtesy of your employer. And if any of these ideas start to bring in more money than your living costs, feel free to leave your job.

I can tell you exactly why you hate the idea of getting a job. Because you are lazy. You shudder at the thought of waking up early, working for eight hours daily, and having a boss. Well, how about working for 18 hours daily, 7 days a week, while not only not getting paid but having to put your own money in? That's how the process of building my Fastlane business looked. I don't have a boss. I have thousands of them. Every one of my customers is my boss. And I have a few dozen employees who will not have money to feed their families if I screw up.

During my Fastlane journey, I met a lot of fellow successful entrepreneurs. And many of them had a few things in common. Most were over 30, running businesses in the industry they previously worked in or using skills they learned in their former jobs. Most of them never heard about MJ or his books, yet they were able to create successful businesses that gave them money and freedom. The forum and books give you the framework for building the business and life of your dreams, but you don't have to treat them like gospel. Don't get obsessed with concepts like CENTS. We have successful entrepreneurs here who make bank mowing grass and cleaning windows. Are these businesses Fastlane by principle? No, but they earn money. It's more than 99% of this forum's members will ever do. People here are fallible. So is MJ. Be careful with some of their advice. A lot of it is very US-centric. It may not work in your country. Think for yourself. Do not trust anyone. Listen to your gut. Never take legal or tax advice from anyone but your lawyer and tax advisor.

Edit: I believe my words were misconstrued. I'm not saying that job is superior to true Fastlane business. What I tried to convey was that if you do not already have a functioning business that earns enough money to cover your living expenses, you should get a job to gain real-world experience and learn necessary skills. Then, after work, try out your business ideas while still having a salary safety net. Any business will do, such as cleaning windows, mowing lawns, selling items on eBay, and so on. And if your side business starts bringing in enough money to cover your expenses, you can quit your job.

Edit2: I also corrected the title and removed a paragraph that I thought sounded too passive-aggressive.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kak]

I am afraid you’ve kicked a hornets nest, as I have done on multiple occasions. People don’t like to be pushed out of their comfort zones, even if they should be. My issue has always been that they showed up here… Not some gig economy freelancer subreddit. Here. A forum devoted to entrepreneurship.

The answer to a lack of knowledge and skills is to get knowledge and skills, not try to find something to do without them. If you aren’t growing in capability, you’re counting on luck.

I don’t agree with the title, mostly because I don’t consider the gig economy everyone seems to be flocking to, “fastlane” just because it isn’t a job. Actual fastlane is unquestionably better than a job.

I do however think it’s a thought provoking post that deserves serious consideration from the self-proclaimed “unskilled.”

 

[JaaYu]

I'm a teenager, and this was pretty helpful.

I think I already found this out after watching Alex Hormozi and seeing my own failures, but its good to see someone actually point it out in this forum.

Actionable steps people/I would take would just to go to college, use its community for networking and internships, and just get proficient in one industry to pay off your ignorance debt.

Also, the most important thing you/I should focus on is skills since we're so unevaluable to the market. This can be done by just working at startups or just working for experienced entrepreneurs for free or very low pay.

When you're cold emailing or pitching yourself, you should be trying your absolute best to provide them value at no cost to show what your worth to them. Then, they might consider letting you work for them to learn. Don't just send them an email asking how you can be useful, that makes them do all the work.

The money shouldn't even matter right now, the skills, knowledge, and network is the priority.

 

[perchboy]

I see where you're coming from but I disagree.

Getting real experience is better than trying to apply on upwork for copywriting gigs and getting nowhere. However, going into a job puts you in the same place as everyone else who already has a job

We have two people:
Person A: starts window cleaning and easily makes $100/day after school while learning sales, marketing, and all that good stuff
Person B: gets a $10/hour slave job just stocking groceries

They both have work experience but person A is already miles ahead in business experience.

Yes, going Fastlane from the start will most probably end in failure. Instead, I would recommend anyone to start by doing an easy copy and paste service business so they can get the ball rolling in their entrepreneurial journey. These types of businesses are almost impossible to fail.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[hexelbyte]

Starting Fastlane and a Job is like building a sandcastle.
Some people just naturally know how to create a structure with sand with ease!
They somehow got tools and just made it work, so well that people flock to see them build and pay to take photos. Fastlane!
But what if they sold everything just to build a sandcastle?
They forgot that a hurricane is coming, and their business is about to get wiped out (pun not intended).

Others don't know how to even start. Too much water? Don't have the tools? Complain about the sand?
So instead, they are hired to build a sandcastle for someone else. A Job.
Now, they have a direction and steps to build a sandcastle. Paid by the hour. With a supervisor.
Overtime, they have the Experience to go out there and build their own sandcastle.
Some decide that it's too risky, rather get that biweekly check.
Others decide to go freelance their skill and build sand structures for others.
And some might even start their own sandcastles.

It's all a path, what's important is if you will get there.
A job should be used for experience, not for comfort.

 

[TeeJay_]

I think younger people should approach getting a job not as a way to earn a "label" (job title), but to gain experience with everything school doesn't teach you: customer service, speaking with directors/management, dealing with external suppliers, becoming familiar with the internal transactions/billings, etc. Solving problems and aiming for business growth, developing communication skills, dealing with pressure, rejection, understanding human behavior, dealing with "sharks" or "slithery snakes", etc.

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

change my mind

Because you will make more money
Because you will learn 10x more skills in 1/10th the time
Because you can take those skills anywhere you want and get hired right away, anyway.
Because it will teach you to own everything you do
Because it will force you to grow, and grow up
Because if you're going to be stressed, better to be stressed with a business than stressed with a job
Because the former has low upside compared to the latter
Because you will feel a tremendous peace knowing you're in control
Because Jobs as a primary path is an anomaly, craftsmen were common through most of history
Because entrepreneurship isn't truly an exception path (see above re: history)
Because most jobs will be automated away in the future
Because you can't sell a job

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Xeon]

Never even knew or seen this member here since I registered. At first I thought it's a glitch because of the insane user power level. And I agree with everything in his post. Every. Single. Word. One needs some kind of domain knowledge to do a business in. Yes. Unpopular opinion in his post, but it complements MJ's books since you get some reality check as well. One is Yang, the other is the Yin we need to create balance and harmony in our thoughts.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

I can tell you exactly why you hate the idea of getting a job. Because you are lazy. You shudder at the thought of waking up early, working for eight hours daily, and having a boss.

When I was 22, this wasn’t true for me. I shuddered at the idea of having a boss because I didn’t want less capable people to dictate what I have to do or have control over my work. I didn’t shudder at the thought of work, but of rather of someone telling me what work to do or making me do things I didn’t want to do.

I’d much rather have had 100 bosses, which I did. That way no one boss had full control over me and I didn’t depend on any one for my livelihood.

So it wasn’t laziness. It was the desire for freedom and fear of not having control over my life. I’d have happily worked 100 hours a week so long as I could control my time, didn’t have to deal with politics or depend on any one person for my livelihood.

I will not tell you my business name or how my product works

Why are you so scared? If most people here are so incapable that they have to get a job, then you have nothing to fear. Share your product and your company and how everything works. I share mine openly, if anyone thinks they can do a better job they should give it a try.

And that’s because anyone who actually has a real business has no fear of their idea being stolen. A business cannot be stolen, unless it’s a scam, and then it deserves to be stolen. A good business has assets that take years to build backed by a reputation that also takes years to build.

Anyone can try to do what I do. But it will take them years to replicate my success.

 

[Yula]

I fully agree.

I think most people that do disagree with your post miss the moral of the story.

The point some of you miss is that by getting a job for X amount of time, you can experience first hand what kind of problems people face. Just as MJ did while driving the limousine...

These problems alone, which stay hidden to a lot of people, are worth a million bucks.

It's not about the money you will make, but about the experience you will gain.

Besides the experience you'll gain, you'll also make some connections within the niche you'd want to start a business in which can be very helpful later on.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MangoFreedom]

When I was 18, I enrolled in college. A few months later, I dropped out, considering it a waste of time and wanting to focus on my yet-unprofitable business ideas. My parents had none of it. They showed me tough love and kicked me out of the house. I was forced to find a place to live and a job. I rented a cramped room with mold in the corners and found a minimum-wage job in a crappy logistics center. I worked at this place for four years. I hated every day. But while working there, I noticed patterns that could be used for automation. Every day, we wasted enormous amounts of time doing things that could be automated manually. That meant that the company could serve fewer customers and needed to hire more employees, consequently leaving money on the table. I saw a burning need.

Long story short, I created an eight-figure company selling automation software in the logistics industry. I wrote a bit more about it in my intro thread, if you are interested. But the most important thing in this story is that I would never have seen this need and created my company if not for this job. If you take a look at MJ's story, he created his limos.com company after working as a limo driver.

Every day, new people register here after reading MJ's books. They are all excited. Their entire worldview has been turned upside down. They come here and talk about the decision Matrix, CENTS, asymmetric returns, and the Fastlane mindset. Most of them are either very young or have no prior business experience. They start threads titled "I have no money and skills; what business should I start?". With no expertise in any matter, they take the path of least resistance. They start a gazillionth marketing agency, do copywriting freelancing, or start selling on Amazon. They do not provide value. They do not innovate. They follow a herd.

Many of them end up worse off than they were before starting their entrepreneurial journey. Some end up racking up considerable debt; others hang up on their Fastlane dreams and end up in dead-end jobs. The business world is cold and unforgiving. It doesn't care if you are young or inexperienced. Statistics are ruthless. Most people on this forum will never fulfill their Fastlane dream.

I created this thread mostly for young people, the ones with little or no life experience. And my advice for them is to go and get a job. If you are a teenager or twenty-something starting your adult life, don't open a business just because you've read it's the only way to achieve Fastlane success. Get a job, rent a room, and move away from your parents. Learn how to cook, clean, iron, shop, and budget. Every skill necessary to function as an adult. It can be any job, even at fast-food restaurants. And when you get the job, for God's sake, don't sit there in the corner waiting for your shift to pass. Learn all about this business. What is the average order amount? How many employees does it require? How much do they earn? Take a good look at your coworkers. Which ones would you hire for your business? Which ones would you fire on the spot? What differentiates one from another? Learn about supply chains. Who is their manufacturer? What are their profit margins? Create an average client profile. Are they men? Women? How old are they? Are they middle-class? Wealthy? Poor? If your employer offers free courses, be the first to enroll. Find conferences and meetings close to you. Go network. My industry contacts were crucial for building our client base and soliciting feedback. I met my company co-founder at a business conference afterparty. We got shitfaced and became friends. Stay at this job for at least a year.

"But Axe, I could use this year to build a Fastlane business!" "Getting a job is a waste of time!" I can guarantee that most of you would waste this year anyway. Many users on the forum take action. They open progress threads and gather a lot of likes. But when you look closer, nothing in their lives changes. They hop from one idea to another. They cannot create their breakthrough products because they lack expertise. You can look at Yelp reviews all day. Congratulations, now you know that Frank's Coffee House serves terrible cheesecake and that their staff is rude! And what exactly does that knowledge help you with? Do you have the necessary know-how to create a better product? Do you know who their supplier is? What their profit margins are? If you have no idea of this business's inner workings, how do you know your product will provide value to customers? That it will be profitable?

"But Axe, I've read about that 14-year-old kid who created a random app and earned millions!" "If he could do it, I can too!" Yeah, absolutely, go for it. And don't forget to buy a lottery ticket; it will multiply your chance of becoming a millionaire by ten. Look, I'm not telling you to give up on your Fastlane dream. Run your business after you come back from work. This is the time to test your ideas and learn the necessary skills. Open a marketing agency, order samples from China to sell on Amazon, flip some MacBooks or sneakers on eBay or learn how to write copy. All while getting money wired to your account every month, courtesy of your employer. And if any of these ideas start to bring in more money than your living costs, feel free to leave your job.

I can tell you exactly why you hate the idea of getting a job. Because you are lazy. You shudder at the thought of waking up early, working for eight hours daily, and having a boss. Well, how about working for 18 hours daily, 7 days a week, while not only not getting paid but having to put your own money in? That's how the process of building my Fastlane business looked. I don't have a boss. I have thousands of them. Every one of my customers is my boss. And I have a few dozen employees who will not have money to feed their families if I screw up.

During my Fastlane journey, I met a lot of fellow successful entrepreneurs. And many of them had a few things in common. Most were over 30, running businesses in the industry they previously worked in or using skills they learned in their former jobs. Most of them never heard about MJ or his books, yet they were able to create successful businesses that gave them money and freedom. The forum and books give you the framework for building the business and life of your dreams, but you don't have to treat them like gospel. Don't get obsessed with concepts like CENTS. We have successful entrepreneurs here who make bank mowing grass and cleaning windows. Are these businesses Fastlane by principle? No, but they earn money. It's more than 99% of this forum's members will ever do. People here are fallible. So is MJ. Be careful with some of their advice. A lot of it is very US-centric. It may not work in your country. Think for yourself. Do not trust anyone. Listen to your gut. Never take legal or tax advice from anyone but your lawyer and tax advisor.

I labeled this thread "change my mind," but I'm not really interested in hearing you tell me how much you think I'm wrong and how you will become a millionaire building a business with no money or skills. Maybe you will. There are exceptions to every rule. Most will not. The market will verify us all. And I don't care if you believe that I'm really a millionaire or if you think I'm some loser living in my parents' basement. I'm not going to prove it. I will not tell you my business name or how my product works. I'm not here to sell anything. I've already fulfilled my Fastlane dream. Feel free to take or ignore my advice.

Good luck on your entrepreneurial journey. You're gonna need it.

I do agree with you there. I'm currently a teenager, and I think everyone should get a job sometime during their entrepreneur journey because - like you said, it gives you valuable insight into the industry and its inner workings, and you won't be flat out broke and risking everything on the business.
Now that I have seen this post, I have a selfish request for your advice! Before I read The Millionaire Fastlane , I wanted to be a doctor. After reading it though, I'm not so sure anymore. I was thinking of going to medical school and becoming a doctor, then starting some kind of business in the healthcare industry.
The main concern I have is just about the time and money commitment. Should I try and become a doctor? I like the security it offers me, to be honest. Or should I choose another career that doesn't cost so much (money and time wise)?
I just wanted to see what you thought about it. Of course, independent thinking is important so I'll also do my own research into this.
Also - this is my first post! I just joined this forum yesterday so I don't really know how it works around here. Do people just ask for advice like this?
Thanks

Edit: oh yeah, I also saw your post yesterday! Your story was very inspiring! Thank you for sharing that and I hope you the best!

 

[Kevin88660]

When I was 18, I enrolled in college. A few months later, I dropped out, considering it a waste of time and wanting to focus on my yet-unprofitable business ideas. My parents had none of it. They showed me tough love and kicked me out of the house. I was forced to find a place to live and a job. I rented a cramped room with mold in the corners and found a minimum-wage job in a crappy logistics center. I worked at this place for four years. I hated every day. But while working there, I noticed patterns that could be used for automation. Every day, we wasted enormous amounts of time doing things that could be automated manually. That meant that the company could serve fewer customers and needed to hire more employees, consequently leaving money on the table. I saw a burning need.

Long story short, I created an eight-figure company selling automation software in the logistics industry. I wrote a bit more about it in my intro thread, if you are interested. But the most important thing in this story is that I would never have seen this need and created my company if not for this job. If you take a look at MJ's story, he created his limos.com company after working as a limo driver.

Every day, new people register here after reading MJ's books. They are all excited. Their entire worldview has been turned upside down. They come here and talk about the decision Matrix, CENTS, asymmetric returns, and the Fastlane mindset. Most of them are either very young or have no prior business experience. They start threads titled "I have no money and skills; what business should I start?". With no expertise in any matter, they take the path of least resistance. They start a gazillionth marketing agency, do copywriting freelancing, or start selling on Amazon. They do not provide value. They do not innovate. They follow a herd.

Many of them end up worse off than they were before starting their entrepreneurial journey. Some end up racking up considerable debt; others hang up on their Fastlane dreams and end up in dead-end jobs. The business world is cold and unforgiving. It doesn't care if you are young or inexperienced. Statistics are ruthless. Most people on this forum will never fulfill their Fastlane dream.

I created this thread mostly for young people, the ones with little or no life experience. And my advice for them is to go and get a job. If you are a teenager or twenty-something starting your adult life, don't open a business just because you've read it's the only way to achieve Fastlane success. Get a job, rent a room, and move away from your parents. Learn how to cook, clean, iron, shop, and budget. Every skill necessary to function as an adult. It can be any job, even at fast-food restaurants. And when you get the job, for God's sake, don't sit there in the corner waiting for your shift to pass. Learn all about this business. What is the average order amount? How many employees does it require? How much do they earn? Take a good look at your coworkers. Which ones would you hire for your business? Which ones would you fire on the spot? What differentiates one from another? Learn about supply chains. Who is their manufacturer? What are their profit margins? Create an average client profile. Are they men? Women? How old are they? Are they middle-class? Wealthy? Poor? If your employer offers free courses, be the first to enroll. Find conferences and meetings close to you. Go network. My industry contacts were crucial for building our client base and soliciting feedback. I met my company co-founder at a business conference afterparty. We got shitfaced and became friends. Stay at this job for at least a year.

"But Axe, I could use this year to build a Fastlane business!" "Getting a job is a waste of time!" I can guarantee that most of you would waste this year anyway. Many users on the forum take action. They open progress threads and gather a lot of likes. But when you look closer, nothing in their lives changes. They hop from one idea to another. They cannot create their breakthrough products because they lack expertise. You can look at Yelp reviews all day. Congratulations, now you know that Frank's Coffee House serves terrible cheesecake and that their staff is rude! And what exactly does that knowledge help you with? Do you have the necessary know-how to create a better product? Do you know who their supplier is? What their profit margins are? If you have no idea of this business's inner workings, how do you know your product will provide value to customers? That it will be profitable?

"But Axe, I've read about that 14-year-old kid who created a random app and earned millions!" "If he could do it, I can too!" Yeah, absolutely, go for it. And don't forget to buy a lottery ticket; it will multiply your chance of becoming a millionaire by ten. Look, I'm not telling you to give up on your Fastlane dream. Run your business after you come back from work. This is the time to test your ideas and learn the necessary skills. Open a marketing agency, order samples from China to sell on Amazon, flip some MacBooks or sneakers on eBay or learn how to write copy. All while getting money wired to your account every month, courtesy of your employer. And if any of these ideas start to bring in more money than your living costs, feel free to leave your job.

I can tell you exactly why you hate the idea of getting a job. Because you are lazy. You shudder at the thought of waking up early, working for eight hours daily, and having a boss. Well, how about working for 18 hours daily, 7 days a week, while not only not getting paid but having to put your own money in? That's how the process of building my Fastlane business looked. I don't have a boss. I have thousands of them. Every one of my customers is my boss. And I have a few dozen employees who will not have money to feed their families if I screw up.

During my Fastlane journey, I met a lot of fellow successful entrepreneurs. And many of them had a few things in common. Most were over 30, running businesses in the industry they previously worked in or using skills they learned in their former jobs. Most of them never heard about MJ or his books, yet they were able to create successful businesses that gave them money and freedom. The forum and books give you the framework for building the business and life of your dreams, but you don't have to treat them like gospel. Don't get obsessed with concepts like CENTS. We have successful entrepreneurs here who make bank mowing grass and cleaning windows. Are these businesses Fastlane by principle? No, but they earn money. It's more than 99% of this forum's members will ever do. People here are fallible. So is MJ. Be careful with some of their advice. A lot of it is very US-centric. It may not work in your country. Think for yourself. Do not trust anyone. Listen to your gut. Never take legal or tax advice from anyone but your lawyer and tax advisor.

I labeled this thread "change my mind," but I'm not really interested in hearing you tell me how much you think I'm wrong and how you will become a millionaire building a business with no money or skills. Maybe you will. There are exceptions to every rule. Most will not. The market will verify us all. And I don't care if you believe that I'm really a millionaire or if you think I'm some loser living in my parents' basement. I'm not going to prove it. I will not tell you my business name or how my product works. I'm not here to sell anything. I've already fulfilled my Fastlane dream. Feel free to take or ignore my advice.

Good luck on your entrepreneurial journey. You're gonna need it.

The answers lies in the questions and circumstances.

For someone with no money and no skill, a job is a necessity because you need a job to fund the business and your daily expense! So I don’t know how that is an option.

One added benefit is domain experience.

There is also an art of deliberate career planning for future business.

Binance founder CZ deliberately work in two crypto firms before starting Binance exchange.

He also brought a lot of engineers and talents from OKEX (ex-employer) to his own firm.

This doesn’t mean that for fresh out of school young people they have to get a job….There is exception.

In Singapore here the private education is big. There is always demand for private tutors. You can become a private tutor with zero working experience. The end goal is to open a tuition center. There is good money for the top earners but as a whole that industry is very competitive.

The problem is your life is cut out from the “outside world”. You spent years getting educated, and you spent your adult life interacting with the same sphere of related parties.

If you don’t become a millionaire in that field, you become stuck with little relevance to other industries.

The problem with hustle like driving and cleaning windows is that even if they do pay you well their barrier of entry is too low. If you don’t make it in the industry as a business owner the transition is hard.

The problem of jumping into business right after school is mainly due to getting stuck in a low barrier entry hustle, selling physical labor directly or helping kids to pass elementary math exams.

 

[OptimizingCENTS]

When I was 18, I enrolled in college. A few months later, I dropped out, considering it a waste of time and wanting to focus on my yet-unprofitable business ideas. My parents had none of it. They showed me tough love and kicked me out of the house. I was forced to find a place to live and a job. I rented a cramped room with mold in the corners and found a minimum-wage job in a crappy logistics center. I worked at this place for four years. I hated every day. But while working there, I noticed patterns that could be used for automation. Every day, we wasted enormous amounts of time doing things that could be automated manually. That meant that the company could serve fewer customers and needed to hire more employees, consequently leaving money on the table. I saw a burning need.

Long story short, I created an eight-figure company selling automation software in the logistics industry. I wrote a bit more about it in my intro thread, if you are interested. But the most important thing in this story is that I would never have seen this need and created my company if not for this job. If you take a look at MJ's story, he created his limos.com company after working as a limo driver.

Every day, new people register here after reading MJ's books. They are all excited. Their entire worldview has been turned upside down. They come here and talk about the decision Matrix, CENTS, asymmetric returns, and the Fastlane mindset. Most of them are either very young or have no prior business experience. They start threads titled "I have no money and skills; what business should I start?". With no expertise in any matter, they take the path of least resistance. They start a gazillionth marketing agency, do copywriting freelancing, or start selling on Amazon. They do not provide value. They do not innovate. They follow a herd.

Many of them end up worse off than they were before starting their entrepreneurial journey. Some end up racking up considerable debt; others hang up on their Fastlane dreams and end up in dead-end jobs. The business world is cold and unforgiving. It doesn't care if you are young or inexperienced. Statistics are ruthless. Most people on this forum will never fulfill their Fastlane dream.

I created this thread mostly for young people, the ones with little or no life experience. And my advice for them is to go and get a job. If you are a teenager or twenty-something starting your adult life, don't open a business just because you've read it's the only way to achieve Fastlane success. Get a job, rent a room, and move away from your parents. Learn how to cook, clean, iron, shop, and budget. Every skill necessary to function as an adult. It can be any job, even at fast-food restaurants. And when you get the job, for God's sake, don't sit there in the corner waiting for your shift to pass. Learn all about this business. What is the average order amount? How many employees does it require? How much do they earn? Take a good look at your coworkers. Which ones would you hire for your business? Which ones would you fire on the spot? What differentiates one from another? Learn about supply chains. Who is their manufacturer? What are their profit margins? Create an average client profile. Are they men? Women? How old are they? Are they middle-class? Wealthy? Poor? If your employer offers free courses, be the first to enroll. Find conferences and meetings close to you. Go network. My industry contacts were crucial for building our client base and soliciting feedback. I met my company co-founder at a business conference afterparty. We got shitfaced and became friends. Stay at this job for at least a year.

"But Axe, I could use this year to build a Fastlane business!" "Getting a job is a waste of time!" I can guarantee that most of you would waste this year anyway. Many users on the forum take action. They open progress threads and gather a lot of likes. But when you look closer, nothing in their lives changes. They hop from one idea to another. They cannot create their breakthrough products because they lack expertise. You can look at Yelp reviews all day. Congratulations, now you know that Frank's Coffee House serves terrible cheesecake and that their staff is rude! And what exactly does that knowledge help you with? Do you have the necessary know-how to create a better product? Do you know who their supplier is? What their profit margins are? If you have no idea of this business's inner workings, how do you know your product will provide value to customers? That it will be profitable?

"But Axe, I've read about that 14-year-old kid who created a random app and earned millions!" "If he could do it, I can too!" Yeah, absolutely, go for it. And don't forget to buy a lottery ticket; it will multiply your chance of becoming a millionaire by ten. Look, I'm not telling you to give up on your Fastlane dream. Run your business after you come back from work. This is the time to test your ideas and learn the necessary skills. Open a marketing agency, order samples from China to sell on Amazon, flip some MacBooks or sneakers on eBay or learn how to write copy. All while getting money wired to your account every month, courtesy of your employer. And if any of these ideas start to bring in more money than your living costs, feel free to leave your job.

I can tell you exactly why you hate the idea of getting a job. Because you are lazy. You shudder at the thought of waking up early, working for eight hours daily, and having a boss. Well, how about working for 18 hours daily, 7 days a week, while not only not getting paid but having to put your own money in? That's how the process of building my Fastlane business looked. I don't have a boss. I have thousands of them. Every one of my customers is my boss. And I have a few dozen employees who will not have money to feed their families if I screw up.

During my Fastlane journey, I met a lot of fellow successful entrepreneurs. And many of them had a few things in common. Most were over 30, running businesses in the industry they previously worked in or using skills they learned in their former jobs. Most of them never heard about MJ or his books, yet they were able to create successful businesses that gave them money and freedom. The forum and books give you the framework for building the business and life of your dreams, but you don't have to treat them like gospel. Don't get obsessed with concepts like CENTS. We have successful entrepreneurs here who make bank mowing grass and cleaning windows. Are these businesses Fastlane by principle? No, but they earn money. It's more than 99% of this forum's members will ever do. People here are fallible. So is MJ. Be careful with some of their advice. A lot of it is very US-centric. It may not work in your country. Think for yourself. Do not trust anyone. Listen to your gut. Never take legal or tax advice from anyone but your lawyer and tax advisor.

Edit: I believe my words were misconstrued. I'm not saying that job is superior to true Fastlane business. What I tried to convey was that if you do not already have a functioning business that earns enough money to cover your living expenses, you should get a job to gain real-world experience. Then, after work, try out your business ideas while still having a salary safety net. Any business will do, such as cleaning windows, mowing lawns, selling items on eBay, and so on. And if your side business starts bringing in enough money to cover your expenses, you can quit your job.

Edit2: I also corrected the title and removed a paragraph that I thought sounded too passive-aggressive.

First, congratulations on creating an eight-figure company!

I must say, the title of this thread is quite provocative.

However, as I read through your message, I don't get the feeling that you want the reader to choose getting a job over choosing the "Fastlane" roadmap. The totality of the message is about not taking foolish short cuts that will leave you in a rut that ultimately prevents you from accomplishing your "Fastlane" goals.

It seems to me, though, that getting a job IS part of being "Fastlane," so long as your not stuck in the "live poor, die rich" plan, or worse, the "live poor, die poor" plan.

MJ DeMarco has addressed this very issue in the video GOLD! - HOT! - From Flat-Broke to Financial Freedom: How to Get Started When You Have No Money Here he describes getting a foundational job or doing specialized labor to provide for basic living expenses. He then logically ramps things up from there.

If a young person with little or no life experience is still resisting getting a job because they want to be "Fastlane", I highly recommend they watch this video. MJ gives a very actionable strategy for anyone starting from scratch.

Getting to your Fastlane goals is, of course, left as an exercise for the reader. Never give up!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Panos Daras]

F*cken - A!! This is the first time I read a post that has me nodding my head in agreement like an idiot! Congratulations! You sir are amazing! Too bad most people here will not listen to you because they are morons and prefer people to tell them what they want to hear not what they have to hear!

 

[Kevin88660]

First, congratulations on creating an eight-figure company!

I must say, the title of this thread is quite provocative.

However, as I read through your message, I don't get the feeling that you want the reader to choose getting a job over choosing the "Fastlane" roadmap. The totality of the message is about not taking foolish short cuts that will leave you in a rut that ultimately prevents you from accomplishing your "Fastlane" goals.

It seems to me, though, that getting a job IS part of being "Fastlane," so long as your not stuck in the "live poor, die rich" plan, or worse, the "live poor, die poor" plan.

MJ DeMarco has addressed this very issue in the video GOLD! - HOT! - From Flat-Broke to Financial Freedom: How to Get Started When You Have No Money Here he describes getting a foundational job or doing specialized labor to provide for basic living expenses. He then logically ramps things up from there.

If a young person with little or no life experience is still resisting getting a job because they want to be "Fastlane", I highly recommend they watch this video. MJ gives a very actionable strategy for anyone starting from scratch.

Getting to your Fastlane goals is, of course, left as an exercise for the reader. Never give up!

Any job that can afford to hire many employee and definitely profitable enterprise that you can learn something.

A job provide the skill but most importantly the cash to settle daily expense and start up captial.

The relationship between job and business are not adversary. People usually get a job, then hustle on the side, finally quit the job to focus on the business. When things turn bad they go back to the job again.

If this is a game then job is a hiding ground to replenish your mana to fight again.

 

[Johnny boy]

Getting a job is sometimes in rare circumstances, a temporary better option for some people if the intent is to then leave the job later, than fastlane.

You’re like 5% right. You missed the bold parts.

Of course building a business is hard, it’s so much F*cking better. You bust your a$$ for a couple years and wake up with money deposited each month independent from your time. Sometimes I feel like a trust fund kid getting a fat allowance each month, except the rich dad paying me is my hard work from the past.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[RicardoGrande]

2 cents, but imo it should be: a job that you can find that you have agency or laterality in is a better temporary option. We have quite a list of cool "When I was a cubicle cretin stories here on TFF" but the pattern I see is that they usually get higher leverage positions or, by virtue of not being mouthbreathers, get moved up into a position of small authority quickly that gives them a bird's eye view of problems facing the customers of that industry and how things are done day to day and those things are simple enough to exit and form a consultancy/competitor on.

I made the (mistake?) decision of taking a job that looked good on paper because the commute was half of the one I had, payed more, and they promised up and down that they needed me to come in and take on some big projects that I'd be free to execute on to help improve the business.

*Narrator's voice*: That... was a lie

Turned out to be a huge bureaucratic nightmare fighting random managers outside of my responsibility silo and even my own sup who procrastinated on projects I took on and would shoot them down regularly so he wouldn't look bad- basically getting beaten down into doing only the basic tasks directly in my job description. I do understand the industry better but also came to understand it's a clique of certain high power, well-networked people that actively lobby to make it a closed-off industry and necessitate millions of dollars in startup costs just to get off the ground- assuming you could start and somehow get the provenance to overcome the current players in the space. I'm still there because there's worse work I could be doing for less pay like that 12+ hour days at my last job, but I haven't stumbled on the promised "domain-experience" gold yet.

As an anecdote though, the CEO/VP of my first job were employees for their main competitor when they decided they were through and just cloned their former employer's business, and they went from working out of a strip mall to owning 4 office buildings from the late 2010s to now with hundreds of one/two star reviews- so it can definitely happen- I just believe it's either more rare or needs more starting capital, vision, and effort than most would think.

 

[James Klymus]

I think people who strongly disagree here are missing the point of what you're saying.

It shouldn't be interpreted as "get a job and exist in the slow lane", Rather, Use a job to propel you into the fast lane by finding problems within an industry.

If you're "stuck" in life I think this is 100% the route you should take. It is 1000x better than wandering around wondering if you should start a marketing agency or a power washing business.

This is NOT the path that everyone will take. Some people say F*ck it, Put everything on black, And take a big risk. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, and you only hear about the winners (survivorship bias).

Other people want or need the security that a job brings WHILE they work on their entrepreneurial dreams.

The point is, There is no ONE right way.

BUT getting a job is ONE way to find problems to solve, Not the only. It's not a life sentence to mediocrity and the slow lane.

On a side note, I'm sure the OP would have been fine and still successful in some other venture had they never taken the job. The important thing is the MINDSET, Eg. I'm at this job LOOKING for problems, Learning things, as opposed to just punching the clock and shit talking with my coworkers. It ISN'T about the job you're in, It's about the entrepreneurial MINDSET. That's why your old coworkers are probably still at the same job, Talking shit about how they can't catch a break and life sucks.

 

[Kevin88660]

I think people who strongly disagree here are missing the point of what you're saying.

It shouldn't be interpreted as "get a job and exist in the slow lane", Rather, Use a job to propel you into the fast lane by finding problems within an industry.

If you're "stuck" in life I think this is 100% the route you should take. It is 1000x better than wandering around wondering if you should start a marketing agency or a power washing business.

This is NOT the path that everyone will take. Some people say F*ck it, Put everything on black, And take a big risk. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, and you only hear about the winners (survivorship bias).

Other people want or need the security that a job brings WHILE they work on their entrepreneurial dreams.

The point is, There is no ONE right way.

BUT getting a job is ONE way to find problems to solve, Not the only. It's not a life sentence to mediocrity and the slow lane.

On a side note, I'm sure the OP would have been fine and still successful in some other venture had they never taken the job. The important thing is the MINDSET, Eg. I'm at this job LOOKING for problems, Learning things, as opposed to just punching the clock and shit talking with my coworkers. It ISN'T about the job you're in, It's about the entrepreneurial MINDSET. That's why your old coworkers are probably still at the same job, Talking shit about how they can't catch a break and life sucks.

Realistically speaking most business people need a job at least before they have accumulated sufficient capital.

Who funds the daily expense? Who funds the business?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Black_Dragon43]

Realistically speaking most business people need a job at least before they have accumulated sufficient capital.

Who funds the daily expense? Who funds the business?

Your work?

If a business requires funding, then you're not working in the right business:

MINDSET - Your First Business Should be Profitable From Month 1

This is the number one advice most of you need. If your first business isn't profitable from month 1, you have a big problem. It means you're chasing after opportunities that are above your pay grade. Most of you are doing this because you've been misinterpreting MJ's advice against...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

[Kevin88660]

Your work?

If a business requires funding, then you're not working in the right business:

MINDSET - Your First Business Should be Profitable From Month 1

This is the number one advice most of you need. If your first business isn't profitable from month 1, you have a big problem. It means you're chasing after opportunities that are above your pay grade. Most of you are doing this because you've been misinterpreting MJ's advice against...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

Even if your premise is correct (in choosing the business) this does not kick away the need for a job to provide a stable cashflow.

You can invalidate three business ideas in three months. You still need to eat and have a roof over your head in the three month, without even factoring any cost of business.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Even if your premise is correct (in choosing the business) this does not kick away the need for a job to provide a stable cashflow.

You can invalidate three business ideas in three months. You still need to eat and have a roof over your head in the three month, without even factoring any cost of business.

If a business idea requires validation, then it's not the right business idea for that stage. Do what other people are already doing and making money from. Stop reinventing the wheel

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kevin88660]

If a business idea requires validation, then it's not the right business idea for that stage. Do what other people are already doing and making money from. Stop reinventing the wheel

Proven success doesn’t mean cashflow positive from month 1.

Even for “safe ideas” they do have a time horizon for break even point.

This means you either need a job or sitting on at least lower mid 6 digit cash.

 

[Kak]

If a business requires funding, then you're not working in the right business:

This is the most overgeneralized drivel I’ve read all day.

Building a business without outside capital is limiting.

Building a “business” without capital at all is severely limiting.

Your advice: “You are not working in the right business unless you are severely limited.”

 

[Black_Dragon43]

This is the most overgeneralized drivel I’ve read all day.

Building a business without outside capital is limiting.

Building a “business” without capital at all is severely limiting.

Your advice: “You are not working in the right business unless you are severely limited.”

If you're broke with little skills, you're not exactly in a position to build a business with outside capital. So yes, your options are limited, so is life. Build what you can with what you have, and over time your horizons are going to enlarge. The real point is that you shouldn't try to build a business that doesn't match your resources and capabilities. Not everyone has the same resources and capabilities.

Most broke people buildings apps, for example, should just forget about it. They'll never make any money.

I run a lead generation & training business for agencies right now. I would never do this as my first business, as many 20-year olds still in college try to. Because they lack the resources to do it, it's a stupid idea. They don't have experience, and they can't advise business owners. They should first run an agency. Ideally first practice a skill/freelance, then run an agency.

It's only the human animal that wants to extend more than its capabilities allow it to, and hence often doesn't get anywhere. We know another part of nature that does this, it's called cancer. Other animals know how far they can go, but the human being is the only animal who often lives in a reality of its own imagination, rather than looking at the most practical steps for natural growth and expansion given its current situation.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kak]

If you're broke with little skills,

If you’re “broke with little skills,” you should become more skillful.

It takes knowledge and grit to build a real business. You can’t just build a successful business from a place of incompetent poverty.

Distracting them from the true issue to address, their lack of ability, is harmful.

This is the order of priority:
1. Survive
2. Become better
3. Put the better to use

 

[Black_Dragon43]

If you’re “broke with little skills,” you should become more skillful.

It takes knowledge and grit to build a real business. You can’t just build a successful business from a place of incompetent poverty.

Distracting them from the true issue to address, their lack of ability, is harmful.

This is the order of priority:
1. Survive
2. Become better
3. Put the better to use

100% agreed with you.

Building skills early on is the most important thing you can do. I never held a job, (not counting short summer stints somewhere or that kinda stuff). I started out as a freelancer… had to learn to deliver a skill at a world class level, do sales towards people already interested in my service and take care of accounting.

Then learned how to build a team and outsource work. Then do sales to people not yet interested in what I had. Then more complex partnership projects with bigger agencies and bigger clients.

It’s all a journey and your skills should always be developing. I see it as very important though that you start with a real assessment of who you are and what you can do — trying to chase opportunities that are above your paygrade often leads to money-chasing and doesn’t help you progress.

 

[NeoDialectic]

When I was 18, I enrolled in college. A few months later, I dropped out, considering it a waste of time and wanting to focus on my yet-unprofitable business ideas. My parents had none of it. They showed me tough love and kicked me out of the house. I was forced to find a place to live and a job. I rented a cramped room with mold in the corners and found a minimum-wage job in a crappy logistics center. I worked at this place for four years. I hated every day. But while working there, I noticed patterns that could be used for automation. Every day, we wasted enormous amounts of time doing things that could be automated manually. That meant that the company could serve fewer customers and needed to hire more employees, consequently leaving money on the table. I saw a burning need.

Long story short, I created an eight-figure company selling automation software in the logistics industry. I wrote a bit more about it in my intro thread, if you are interested. But the most important thing in this story is that I would never have seen this need and created my company if not for this job. If you take a look at MJ's story, he created his limos.com company after working as a limo driver.

Every day, new people register here after reading MJ's books. They are all excited. Their entire worldview has been turned upside down. They come here and talk about the decision Matrix, CENTS, asymmetric returns, and the Fastlane mindset. Most of them are either very young or have no prior business experience. They start threads titled "I have no money and skills; what business should I start?". With no expertise in any matter, they take the path of least resistance. They start a gazillionth marketing agency, do copywriting freelancing, or start selling on Amazon. They do not provide value. They do not innovate. They follow a herd.

Many of them end up worse off than they were before starting their entrepreneurial journey. Some end up racking up considerable debt; others hang up on their Fastlane dreams and end up in dead-end jobs. The business world is cold and unforgiving. It doesn't care if you are young or inexperienced. Statistics are ruthless. Most people on this forum will never fulfill their Fastlane dream.

I created this thread mostly for young people, the ones with little or no life experience. And my advice for them is to go and get a job. If you are a teenager or twenty-something starting your adult life, don't open a business just because you've read it's the only way to achieve Fastlane success. Get a job, rent a room, and move away from your parents. Learn how to cook, clean, iron, shop, and budget. Every skill necessary to function as an adult. It can be any job, even at fast-food restaurants. And when you get the job, for God's sake, don't sit there in the corner waiting for your shift to pass. Learn all about this business. What is the average order amount? How many employees does it require? How much do they earn? Take a good look at your coworkers. Which ones would you hire for your business? Which ones would you fire on the spot? What differentiates one from another? Learn about supply chains. Who is their manufacturer? What are their profit margins? Create an average client profile. Are they men? Women? How old are they? Are they middle-class? Wealthy? Poor? If your employer offers free courses, be the first to enroll. Find conferences and meetings close to you. Go network. My industry contacts were crucial for building our client base and soliciting feedback. I met my company co-founder at a business conference afterparty. We got shitfaced and became friends. Stay at this job for at least a year.

"But Axe, I could use this year to build a Fastlane business!" "Getting a job is a waste of time!" I can guarantee that most of you would waste this year anyway. Many users on the forum take action. They open progress threads and gather a lot of likes. But when you look closer, nothing in their lives changes. They hop from one idea to another. They cannot create their breakthrough products because they lack expertise. You can look at Yelp reviews all day. Congratulations, now you know that Frank's Coffee House serves terrible cheesecake and that their staff is rude! And what exactly does that knowledge help you with? Do you have the necessary know-how to create a better product? Do you know who their supplier is? What their profit margins are? If you have no idea of this business's inner workings, how do you know your product will provide value to customers? That it will be profitable?

"But Axe, I've read about that 14-year-old kid who created a random app and earned millions!" "If he could do it, I can too!" Yeah, absolutely, go for it. And don't forget to buy a lottery ticket; it will multiply your chance of becoming a millionaire by ten. Look, I'm not telling you to give up on your Fastlane dream. Run your business after you come back from work. This is the time to test your ideas and learn the necessary skills. Open a marketing agency, order samples from China to sell on Amazon, flip some MacBooks or sneakers on eBay or learn how to write copy. All while getting money wired to your account every month, courtesy of your employer. And if any of these ideas start to bring in more money than your living costs, feel free to leave your job.

I can tell you exactly why you hate the idea of getting a job. Because you are lazy. You shudder at the thought of waking up early, working for eight hours daily, and having a boss. Well, how about working for 18 hours daily, 7 days a week, while not only not getting paid but having to put your own money in? That's how the process of building my Fastlane business looked. I don't have a boss. I have thousands of them. Every one of my customers is my boss. And I have a few dozen employees who will not have money to feed their families if I screw up.

During my Fastlane journey, I met a lot of fellow successful entrepreneurs. And many of them had a few things in common. Most were over 30, running businesses in the industry they previously worked in or using skills they learned in their former jobs. Most of them never heard about MJ or his books, yet they were able to create successful businesses that gave them money and freedom. The forum and books give you the framework for building the business and life of your dreams, but you don't have to treat them like gospel. Don't get obsessed with concepts like CENTS. We have successful entrepreneurs here who make bank mowing grass and cleaning windows. Are these businesses Fastlane by principle? No, but they earn money. It's more than 99% of this forum's members will ever do. People here are fallible. So is MJ. Be careful with some of their advice. A lot of it is very US-centric. It may not work in your country. Think for yourself. Do not trust anyone. Listen to your gut. Never take legal or tax advice from anyone but your lawyer and tax advisor.

Edit: I believe my words were misconstrued. I'm not saying that job is superior to true Fastlane business. What I tried to convey was that if you do not already have a functioning business that earns enough money to cover your living expenses, you should get a job to gain real-world experience and learn necessary skills. Then, after work, try out your business ideas while still having a salary safety net. Any business will do, such as cleaning windows, mowing lawns, selling items on eBay, and so on. And if your side business starts bringing in enough money to cover your expenses, you can quit your job.

Edit2: I also corrected the title and removed a paragraph that I thought sounded too passive-aggressive.

I completely agree with most of your post. I strongly encourage anyone that is just starting a business to still go to college and get jobs.

1. As you pointed out, it is a great way to encounter "a market need". After realizing that so many people may be lacking in ideas because they are just holed up in their house, I wrote THIS post on it.
2. It builds your skills, which are a force multiplier in everything you do. As you mentioned, it is also important to not just "quiet quit" but be alive, present, hard-working, and curious while working. That is what actually builds your skills (and network!), not just mashing buttons on the cash register.
3. Success isn't based on your need. You can have good ideas, you can work hard, and you can be persistent, but at the end of the day it may be the first or the 10th thing you try that works. That takes time. A job provides you with time.
4. Don't be a piece of dead weight to society or those around you. Earn your keep. Others will respect you for it and most importantly it will drive self-respect.
5. Even outside of Fastlane......Going to school and paying attention teaches you things that help make you an intelligent human being. Forget about the really specialized stuff, but the 100 & 200 level classes are invaluable in helping you understand how the world works. You don't need it, but if you value knowing how things work and aren't out there studying on your own, it is valuable.
6. Getting a job helps you empathize and connect with the "normal" people (which is most people!). Again, you don't need it. But it makes you a more well-rounded human being that can relate to others and have a wider perspective. People like being around other relateable people. I think we can agree that people that value social interactions value those attributes.

I am afraid you’ve kicked a hornets nest, as I have done on multiple occasions. People don’t like to be pushed out of their comfort zones, even if they should be. My issue has always been that they showed up here… Not some gig economy freelancer subreddit. Here. A forum devoted to entrepreneurship.

The answer to a lack of knowledge and skills is to get knowledge and skills, not try to find something to do without them. If you aren’t growing in capability, you’re counting on luck.

It seems like most people actually agree with this post. I think the thing that people would push back on is you would heavily value "real life jobs" over jobs you can do over the internet (just my guess!). You can get gigs and jobs over the internet to start building skills, and those skills can be just as valuable.

On the other hand, I would ultimately agree with you. Not for the skills portion, but because being present in the real world comes with a host of other intangible benefits.

Getting a job is sometimes in rare circumstances, a temporary better option for some people if the intent is to then leave the job later, than fastlane.

You’re like 5% right. You missed the bold parts.

Of course building a business is hard, it’s so much F*cking better. You bust your a$$ for a couple years and wake up with money deposited each month independent from your time. Sometimes I feel like a trust fund kid getting a fat allowance each month, except the rich dad paying me is my hard work from the past.

There are some people that your mindset would be the best advice for and "go to school" or "get a job first" would be bad advice. Luckily the problem takes care of itself. The people that are driven enough, confident enough, and laser-focused enough to be successful going your route, wouldn't listen to our advice anyways! In fact, they would never have asked for the advice.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[circleme]

by getting a job for X amount of time, you can experience first hand what kind of problems people face. Just as MJ did while driving the limousine...

like you said, it gives you valuable insight into the industry and its inner workings, and you won't be flat out broke and risking everything on the business.

I completely disagree.

You don't need industry knowledge or a job to see where there are problems.

MJ described it himself in TMF that you don't necessarily have to reinvent the wheel. That's one of the parts in the book that I didn't really understand until I read it a second time. I agree with you that industry knowledge can certainly be helpful, but in the meantime I am of the opinion that you can start your own business without any industry knowledge at all. Why?

Because - and I'm speaking from personal experience here - there are so many objectively bad products (whether physical or digital) that there is a lot of potential here alone. I'm starting from my own area (SaaS), where I've analyzed quite a few potential competitors, in an area where I have 0 practical experience. It was shocking how much potential for improvement I found that had absolutely 0 to do with the actual industry (better functionality, larger feature set, better/faster customer support, generally better user experience, etc.) But for that I need 0 industry experience, but "only" development experience or basic know-how of UI/UX. But in my case it would be more than an overkill and from my point of view also a bit waste of time, if I would work in this area now also as an employee.

If you are completely disoriented you can argue in my opinion, but even then you could always orient yourself to existing, poorly implemented business implementations and improve them. You don't necessarily have to have worked in the field. I even dare to go so far as to say that what MJ did with his Lead Gen site could have worked even without his background knowledge. Reason: Many of the core functionalities are very developer-driven at the time and require a high level of online marketing know-how. Not necessarily something where you had to work as a limo driver for a few years before, right? But I still think that may have benefited him, but that certainly didn't account for his overall success. I would be interested in MJ's personal opinion on this. Since this is now purely my assumption.

 

[circleme]

In many instances, it means get a job.

@MJ DeMarco Well, now I am really very curious what you - should you find the time for it - mean to my previous post in this thread.