Delaying My Business Ventures

[Icy]

I'm finally admitting here, and also to myself that this isn't truly what I want. I found this place while I was recovering from surgery on my knee which prevented me from practicing\playing soccer. At that point I was looking for (honestly) a quick\easy way to get rich in order to just set myself up for life and hopefully become happy and let my true dream die.

Trying to get this to overshadow my true "calling" in life definitely isn't helping because all my ideas revolve around it. Since my knee has recovered since the surgery it seems any time I am thinking about working on a business I end up just going and at the very least kicking around a soccer ball.

I'll wrap this up and say don't go down this path unless this is truely what you want. The more I think about it the more I know money will not make me happy and at the very best could create the illusion. I could care less on my death bed if people think I was happy. I'd rather go out and say I lived one hell of a life.

Also, I'll most likely still stick around but I'll most likely post even less. It was never a true illusion that I wanted to start a business, heck most of my life I've done little things to make money "one my own". Just, it is not the time for it at this point in time and that I am sure of.

Good luck with all your ventures everyone and if I do stick around I look forward to all your successes.:groove:

 

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[yveskleinsky]

At that point I was looking for (honestly) a quickeasy way to get rich in order to just set myself up for life and hopefully become happy and let my true dream die.



I'll wrap this up and say don't go down this path unless this is truely what you want. The more I think about it the more I know money will not make me happy and at the very best could create the illusion. I could care less on my death bed if people think I was happy. I'd rather go out and say I lived one hell of a life.

The goal of the Fastlane is not to just make money, it's to make a life of your own choosing. The Fastlane is all about living your dreams, not forsaking them, as very few people have been happy with money alone.

If your passion is for soccer, then delve into that passion. To make that passion Fastlane would be to find a niche within soccer that isn't being served or served well and figuring out a way to monetize it.

Hope you stick around, have a speedy recovery and hope you keep us posted as to your journey.

 

[Halli]

Hope to see you play for Man U one day and be able to say "Hey, I've talked to that guy" Good luck in whatever you decide to do.And stick around

 

[Gymjunkie]

Hey, no need to apologize..you do what's best for you! If it's soccer it's soccer, if it's business it's business. Be happy and best of luck!

 

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[Icy]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

@Yves - Definitely would love to find something within the soccer niche that needs to be filled. I have a few ideas but my problem with pursuing them is I don't want to get into a situation where I must spend all my time working on it or it will fail. Now, I am not completely avoiding working with these ideas but at the current time it's probably unlikely it will become too successful with the limited time I'd spend on it. This would obviously lead to me skipping practices for soccer and frankly I'd much rather be a player in soccer than a business owner in soccer.

@Halli - Sorry to disappoint but Man U would be the last time I'd go for. Unless it was the only team that wanted me. Although if Man U wants me I'm pretty sure some of the other teams would too. haha

@Gymjunkie - Definitely, life is too short to be doing something the feels like a chore.

@Michael - I have no intentions of just completely stopping with creating businesses just a true business will have to wait for now.. I am only this young once in my life and after 30 or so if there isn't a coach realizes I'd benefit their team I have another 30+ years to create a business. Also, while I won't create a business I am no way going to stop learning. When you stop learning you stop growing. So I will still be fully prepared to enter into the entrepreneur world after my years on a professional team.

There is no doubt in my mind I will be good enough to play on a professional team. Now, I am not saying I will be one of the best and making millions each year but that is definitely what I am aiming for. If I don't get there then atleast I will still be living in what most consider only a dream.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

Live Your Life in Chapters.
You do not have to do everyghing in this chapter of ( insert your current interest, activity, passion, or endeavor )

Quote (modified) from the book The Well Trained Mind.

 

[Sparlin]

@Yves - Definitely would love to find something within the soccer niche that needs to be filled. I have a few ideas but my problem with pursuing them is I don't want to get into a situation where I must spend all my time working on it or it will fail. Now, I am not completely avoiding working with these ideas but at the current time it's probably unlikely it will become too successful with the limited time I'd spend on it. This would obviously lead to me skipping practices for soccer and frankly I'd much rather be a player in soccer than a business owner in soccer.

I think you're missing the Fastlane concept. You don't have to invest an overwhelming amount of time in it. For example, take one weekend and have a friend film you performing the basic soccer moves. Explain the rules and the basic techniques and any pointers that you know. Find someone that has a DVD labeling program and print off a professional looking label. You're in business. You post it on eBay for 5 bucks (plus shipping) and check it once a day. You just invested one weekend and now you have a low maintenance business model. Even better, make the video available for download. You should probably sell/market to small children since that's when they learn the rules. Invent fun drills for them to do. You won't get rich at this way, but you will make money and have your own schedule.
If you really want to be hands on in soccer (no pun intended), organize a soccer club for kids that cant play in normal leagues. You could create a soccer club for diabetic kids (insulin dependant). The kids will have more fun playing with peers with the same issues as they, and you could limit it to 3 hours a week.

The Fast lane idea is to find the best route possible that will allow you to do the things you love (whether or not that includes acquiring money). The above examples combine both. Again, you won’t be rich on this alone, but it's better than working at Burger King.

 

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[fanocks2003]

Many people have entrepreneurialism sound so hard and so BIG. It really isn't. It's only big and hard for those who work alone. For those who act with those many hats.

For example I am a creator of companies. That doesn't mean I create it and then also run it and then also finance every aspect of it. There is a whole lot of people out there who will want to be on board if the right conditions are applied. Why do everything? Crazy.

So instead of waiting, think about what your strengths are and then find clever ways of getting others on board to do the other stuff. And don't think about money as the only obstacle, because it really isn't. Finding the right people is. Those people who thinks about equity first and income later on. Those people will be your partners and they will help you out according to their greatest strengths (which will be your greatest weaknesses).

And when it comes to business ideas. The idea doesn't have to be genius at all. Sell paper towels for all I care. Just put your logo on it and create a great story about it. Creating brands is, after all, all about creating a story and then indoctrinate people with it.

You say you have 30+ years left to make something happen. Well, I disagree. You may only have one day left in life. Life isn't certain and no one knows when we will die or how we will die. Are you really sure you will ever start? I am just wondering.

As a final note: You can be a very successful supporter in other peoples businesses as well. I think you are more of a supporter than a startup kind of guy (I can sense it from the words you use. Startup people are very driven in text and words. It steams from their ears). And that is totally OK. I really mean it.

But remember one thing: Equity. Get it as a part of your pay, otherwise you will just work as a salary slave. There is nothing wrong working for other people if that is your passion, but make sure you take part of the share growth. You will not get rich by salary only (unless you reach CEO level or top management levels and get hugh salaries. Highly unlikely for most though). You can start out being CEO for startup entrepreneurs for example and get part of your pay in share options etc. The startup entrepreneur and or financiers will finance the startup. Not you. You don't have to think about anything else, but getting the business to run smoothly and bring in the money.

Take care.

 

[Sparlin]

That was a great reinforcement of the fact that you don’t have to do everything by yourself. Too many of us, myself included, tend to take on all the problems instead of delegating. This is caused largely by the fact that we don’t trust others to do things the way we want to (or just don’t’ want to pay for it). This just leads to the individual business owner feeling overwhelmed and often causes a lower standard of service.

Good post Fanocks.

 

[Icy]

@Sparlin - I've had an idea similar to what you've said but for some reason it took someone else (you) mentioning it to it really occur to me it's a viable idea. I'm actually writing out ideas right now as to what I would like to put in it if I do it. The main thing holding me back right now is lack of a decent video camera but I have a feeling my dad knows someone that can hook me up.

@Fanocks -

You say you have 30+ years left to make something happen. Well, I disagree. You may only have one day left in life. Life isn't certain and no one knows when we will die or how we will die. Are you really sure you will ever start? I am just wondering.

I wouldn't be sure I'd ever start but that does not bother me if I give it my all in becoming a professional player. While creating a business is something I'd like to do, playing professional soccer is something I'd love to do. In my mind, I can die without regrets not doing the things I'd like to do but if there are things I would love to do that I am not being proactive for and I was to die I'd regret it. Obviously that'd be assuming there is a moment of reflection before I die, heck if there isn't it couldn't matter less what I do. haha

I'm not sure whether I'd be more of supporter of businesses or not. If getting a JOB is what it came done to I'd most likely get a programming position and quite honestly any time it was mentioned that we were learning certain algorithms and what not for a JOB it made me cringe! I've been programming since about 7\8 purely for fun thinking of it as a JOB kind of makes it sound terrible!

I think there are a few things that cause a problem for me when start a company.

The number of problem would be my desire for perfection. It is to the point where if I want something done I feel like I need to in order to get it done write. This is an absolutely terrible attitude but I'm not being honest. I am not denying that there are millions of people that are much smarter than me but I still feel in order to be done to the standard I want I'd have to do it.

2. Fear of the unknown - Starting a business almost seems like a daunting task. Taxs, paper work, hiring, etc. It seems as though throughout school starting a business was never presented as an option and now that it's there I feel like I am not "good enough" to do it.

I'll cut it short there because I can probably think of a few other things but I don't feel like dragging on this post.

 

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[yveskleinsky]

Icy,

The fear of the unknown and the fear of letting go are two fears we ALL have when starting out, we just move forward in spite of them--this is why this community exists; this forum isn't about money or even entrepreneurship, it's about being a support system and a sounding board for one another.

...And for every reason you have to not move forward, I can give you three as to why you should. You need to know what your strengths are and focus on them. If we all focused on our weaknesses, we'd never leave the house, let alone start a business or even make an attempt at playing professional soccer.

So far I've heard from you that you have talent when it comes to programming and you have a love for playing soccer. If you want to give it 100% and go for becoming a professional soccer player, then you need to do that--like you said, you don't want to die with regret.

Just keep in mind that your life is like AroundtheWorld said, "lived in chapters". Right now you are in the "I want to play professional soccer" chapter. We all support you 100% in that. Maybe in 5-15 years you'll be in another chapter that will lead you to blending your love of soccer and your talent for programming--and we'll support you 100% in that too.