Developing Warrior/Self-Improvement Brand

[SpartanWarrior77]

"Fastlane" begins and ends in your head.

I wonder what you mean by that...

 

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[SpartanWarrior77]

The reason why I wouldn't focus 100% of my energy on building a personal brand is because it isn't scalable.

Gary Vaynerchuk has said it himself. He uses his personal brand as a means, not an end. It's just a publicity tool for him and Vayner Media.

The reason why I dislike this as a "business" model is because once you reach "success", you still need to put out content. To make things worse, if you're documenting yourself through video, then that becomes even harder (you can't clone someone and make them work for you.)

By picking up a skill, mastering it, and then applying it to build a business, you can have money coming in fairly quickly to pay your bills and to re-invest it into your business venture.

I gotta say Thiago, that is GOLD. Thank you. I definitely see what you mean by "it isn't scalable". I took notes. This is definitely making me consider making my blog something that runs on the side as opposed to my main means of income. That way, I can use my time and energy on something that IS more scalable.

 

[SpartanWarrior77]

Yo. I know someone who achieved this feat and he is 21 years old.
And he is from TFF.

Check: http://dareandconquer.com/

I think he got featured in Victor Pride. And he has a Fiverr mastery course and all that.

And a great resource that I recommend you for your journey is https://www.udemy.com/building-a-personal-brand-by-gary-vaynerchuk/
Its a paid course by Gary Vee.

I have the course. The first thing he mentions in his video is .... "I laugh at people who think they can growth hack and do social media and become a personal brand. What I did to build a personal brand is to shut up for the first 10 to 15 years of my career. During those 15 years I was building the businesses that gave me the audacity to create Gary Vaynerchuck brand. Everyone who thinks he can growth hack and become personal super star, I laugh at them"

When I first heard him say it I did not agree with him as well. And so I started my first online course to "Teach people how to start businesses"
It was a scam.
I failed.
5 months went down the toilet.

Lesson leaned.

Hey man, thanks a lot for that. Especially for the Gary V course. I just bought it.

I'll do the course.

 

[SpartanWarrior77]

That's why I think you should master something first @SpartanWarrior77

Prove your worth, then talk about it.

Or document yourself achieving a specific goal.

Yeah, I've already made several videos and articles all talking from a "documentation" perspective. I often mention a concept or thought that I got from a book and how Im using it to impact my life.

That way its more of a "this is my journey" approach.

I could definitely see the value in that because people who watch me like to see me progress.

 

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[SpartanWarrior77]

If despite all the criticism, you're still totally committed to making your website work, I admire your resolve.

I'll just say this: when you take the stance of someone who's going to be giving other people advice, be conscious that there are people who will take it seriously and follow it. There's a lot of bloggers and gurus who come across as being very knowledgable and they're great at attracting followers, but what they preach is toxic, and it creates more negativity in the world.

Especially the case with these type of hyper masculine and power focused self-improvement circles. There's a lot of anger, and a lot of bitterness being spread, and it negatively effects the young and impressionable.

I myself have held some very cynical beliefs in the past, some of which I've shared with others. On close inspection, I've seen that a lot of these attitudes don't really make anyone's lives better, and just add to their suffering more.

So with that said, I hope you use this role to inspire positivity and enhance people's lives.

It would be worthwhile to work on improving your grammar as well, and articulation with concepts as well.

Thanks for that.

I do want to do this and my resolve is strong.

However, I'm starting to see the value in investing time into a business that is more scalable which is making me consider making my blog/brand a passion project I do on the side. (not taking up 100% of my business).

Either way, I'm in it for the long run whether it's a side gig or a full-time gig.

Also, I'm definitely aware that content does influence people and I've been a victim of some faulty "gurus" as-well.

I'll keep in mind your advice.

 

[SpartanWarrior77]

It'd be easy to do better than them. A lot of their advice is not optimal and some of it is flat out bad advice.

I've been hesitant to respond and you may have already left the building... but please take Gary V's advice and go start a product or service based business.

In order to become a worth-while coach... you need to do something worth-while.

Even then it's an uphill battle.

I've had 3 fairly successful businesses, traveled the world, read over 1200 books in the areas of personal development, leadership, sales, marketing, psychology, health, nutrition, fitness, etc. etc. -- I've attended over 200 seminars, got certified in 2 different forms of psychology, 2 coaching certifications, 3 personal training certifications, 2 nutrition certifications, the list really goes on and on... I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished in a short time...

But I've spent the last 13 years trying to be good enough to be a coach.

And every single day I struggle to convince people some of the distinctions I've learned and used from my mentor could dramatically change the quality of their life.

On one side, I can appreciate your drive and desire to help people -- I love it. On the other, dabbling pisses me off.

Everyone with a Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or Blog now calls themselves an "inspirational speaker", "motivator", or "life coach"...

Don't be that guy.

If you're serious about this here's what I suggest:

Take the next year to flesh out a plan for a big business. Work, enjoy, party, and then for the next 10 years take massive action to make that plan a reality. Don't teach others what you think life should be like. Don't coach people on stuff you don't know how to do. Don't position yourself as a brand. Just work. Work your a$$ off until someone asks how you did it.

Then, and only then, should you become a coach.

Good luck

That's some solid advice.

Thank you.

What do you mean by being a dabbler? Am I showing signs of being one? If so, how so?

When you said:

"I've been hesitant to respond and you may have already left the building... but please take Gary V's advice and go start a product or service based business."

It turned on a light bulb in my head along with what the other guys were saying. Plus, a product or service business is more scalable in the long run.

Do you think that I should start a product/service business related to my brand or do you think that it doesn't matter what the product is and to simply do business for the sake of business?

 

[SpartanWarrior77]

I'll add in a factor actually that might influence a lot of your responses:

Besides working on my personal brand, my step-dad is running a pretty successful company. I can tell that he wants me to get involved and he's willing to have me take over. Which presents a great opportunity especially considering the fact that it's being very poorly run and they barely do anything when it comes to marketing.

The problem is that I don't have any passion whatsoever for the product he sells.

And I know it would take a lot of work to flip the company from where it's at to a more profitable situation. Plus, I really don't enjoy the people in the company and feel like they are mediocre.

However, I could see the opportunity because my stepdad is willing to put me in charge, there's a learning experience and the potential monetary reward is big. (maybe millions down the line)

Is it worth getting involved or is it better to stick to doing something that I feel connected to?

If so, is it worth putting a time-limit for how long I should stay in? It might be soul sucking to stay in some business that doesn't make me very enthusiastic.

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

What do you mean by being a dabbler? Am I showing signs of being one? If so, how so?

It can come across as harsh but I'm assuming you want to coach people who can pay you money to coach them, yes? Then you're looking to coach business people like me. What reason do I have to believe YOU can help me? Look again at the very small list of my "qualifications" (and I know it's not everything) but I have results to back it all up.

I've spent 13 years preparing (i.e. learning, reading, trying, failing, succeeding, doing) for what you're trying to leap into right now.

Do you think that I should start a product/service business related to my brand or do you think that it doesn't matter what the product is and to simply do business for the sake of business?

I hate to say it, man... but you have no brand. There isn't one. Don't pretend there is one. Don't buy into the guru-speak of building your personal brand. It's a joke. Nobody cares about you -- they only care what you can do for them.

I know. It's a harsh, rough world. Ain't all sunshine and rainbows. So for your sake, get over yourself and put a business together. Something that will make you money. Usually that means putting the product or service FIRST. It's not about this special guy who's got a random product... it's about a special product some random guy (you) is selling.

The product is the hero because it solves a problem. Right now -- you cannot solve any problems. And don't take that as a put down, take it as a lesson in self-awareness. Until you can solve real problems, you are not a product.

Does that make sense? I'm trying not to be esoteric here.

And never, ever, ever get into a business for the sake of doing business.

It's too hard, painful, discouraging -- you'll never make it. My suggestion is to come up with strong enough reasons why you want to be in business and what kind of an impact you want to make on yourself, your bank account, your lifestyle, your family, with a business.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

Besides working on my personal brand, my step-dad is running a pretty successful company. I can tell that he wants me to get involved and he's willing to have me take over. Which presents a great opportunity especially considering the fact that it's being very poorly run and they barely do anything when it comes to marketing.

Another tough-love question:

How do you know it's very poorly run? Do you know anything about successful launching marketing campaigns? Local advertising? International advertising? Do you know how to create advertisements and enticing offers to attract new customers?

Do you know the only 3 ways to grow a business -- and where the leverage truly is?

Is the business making money? I'd be very careful when talking about someone's baby and how ugly you think it is -- especially if it's walking.

Does that make sense?

The problem is that I don't have any passion whatsoever for the product he sells.

I'd listen to some Mike Rowe and MJ DeMarco. Making money isn't always about pursuing a passion. It's about solving a problem. You will have to learn to create passion for solving the problem. My guess is if you aren't passionate about the product, you may not understand it, or it truly does suck -- if that's the case it's time to improve it!

And I know it would take a lot of work to flip the company from where it's at to a more profitable situation. Plus, I really don't enjoy the people in the company and feel like they are mediocre.

Those problems we were just talking about? This is real life right here. People suck. They are a pain in the a$$. But if you were to ever build a business you'll need to learn how to hire, fire, train, replace, and then deal with the day-to-day shit of getting them to show up on time (sober), getting them to follow the guidelines you set for them (even though they "know better"), etc.

However, I could see the opportunity because my stepdad is willing to put me in charge, there's a learning experience and the potential monetary reward is big. (maybe millions down the line)

It sounds like you have a massive opportunity sitting right in front of you. What's the hold up?

Is it worth getting involved or is it better to stick to doing something that I feel connected to?

When the older guys bitch about millenials' attitude -- this is a sentence they are complaining about. They might say something along the lines of "Connected to!? Are you kidding me!? Connected to my FOOT IN YOUR a$$! GET TO WORK! Just mop the damn floor and clean the toilets like I told you 80 times! Connected... connected to what!? An emotional journey of stocking shelves? Get to it!"

Hehehe... okay I'm having too much fun and visualizing my father saying these exact words....

If so, is it worth putting a time-limit for how long I should stay in? It might be soul sucking to stay in some business that doesn't make me very enthusiastic.

The time limit is simple: until you succeed.

 

[Raoul Duke]

I wonder what you mean by that...

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/fastlane-by-18-years-old.67422/#post-542917

What do you mean by being a dabbler? Am I showing signs of being one? If so, how so?

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/no-dabble-zone.66552/

To hit the top of your game, business or otherwise, you have to eat, live, and shit your thing. If you’re dabbling in 10 different things, your results will be dabbling and unimpressive. Focus on one thing and do it in the most excellent way.
MJ DeMarco

 

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[Vigilante]

I've been hesitant to respond and you may have already left the building... but please take Gary V's advice and go start a product or service based business.

In order to become a worth-while coach... you need to do something worth-while.

Even then it's an uphill battle.

I've had 3 fairly successful businesses, traveled the world, read over 1200 books in the areas of personal development, leadership, sales, marketing, psychology, health, nutrition, fitness, etc. etc. -- I've attended over 200 seminars, got certified in 2 different forms of psychology, 2 coaching certifications, 3 personal training certifications, 2 nutrition certifications, the list really goes on and on... I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished in a short time...

But I've spent the last 13 years trying to be good enough to be a coach.

And every single day I struggle to convince people some of the distinctions I've learned and used from my mentor could dramatically change the quality of their life.

On one side, I can appreciate your drive and desire to help people -- I love it. On the other, dabbling pisses me off.

Everyone with a Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or Blog now calls themselves an "inspirational speaker", "motivator", or "life coach"...

Don't be that guy.

If you're serious about this here's what I suggest:

Take the next year to flesh out a plan for a big business. Work, enjoy, party, and then for the next 10 years take massive action to make that plan a reality. Don't teach others what you think life should be like. Don't coach people on stuff you don't know how to do. Don't position yourself as a brand. Just work. Work your a$$ off until someone asks how you did it.

Then, and only then, should you become a coach.

Good luck

 

[Andy Black]

I wonder what you mean by that...

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/my-friend-you-are-already-in-the-fastlane.69573
• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/is-this-fastlane-uh-no-it-isnt.58554

 

[Thiago Machado]

In order to become a worth-while coach... you need to do something worth-while.

I think this is the point he's missing, lol.

Awesome feedback btw.

 

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[Scot]

Another tough-love question:

When the older guys bitch about millenials' attitude -- this is a sentence they are complaining about. They might say something along the lines of "Connected to!? Are you kidding me!? Connected to my FOOT IN YOUR a$$! GET TO WORK! Just mop the damn floor and clean the toilets like I told you 80 times! Connected... connected to what!? An emotional journey of stocking shelves? Get to it!"

Hehehe... okay I'm having too much fun and visualizing my father saying these exact words....

Is this your father?

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

Is this your father?

Very close to it

 

[MotiveInMotion]

By posting on this forum, I was simply looking for a way to start getting paid for what I do so I could be 100% focused on it.

I'm looking for ways to scale up my brand to the point where I'm making 5K per month.

I've been working on my brand recently. I've bought a domain, got a nice looking blog running, along with a Youtube channel.
I'm currently on Facebook, twitter and Instagram as well. And recently started promoting a product I like on my website in order to get affiliate commissions. However, I haven't gotten any sales yet and I'm looking for ways to scale it up.
So far the only ideas I came up with are to increase traffic by coming out with more content. That way more people go on my site, subscribe and potentially buy the affiliate package or donate.

Ps. I'm pretty passionate about this project and feel the drive necessary to put in the extra mile.

Hey bro.

My fascination lies with the mindsets of people and their results, and I just wanted to point out a few limiting beliefs and viewpoints which would profit you if you got rid of, ASAP.

I've discovered that everything we apply ourselves to, we represent our internal domain wholly and transparently, whether we recognize it or not, and it can boost or sabotage us.

Real quick, I want to demonstrate how many times you said "I, My, I've or I'm" in the preceding quote, with the absence of customer, needs, value, pain or solution.

The constructive advice in the thread (with the inclusion of Gary V's vids), have been truthful, yet of course there is still MASSIVE value other young men and women can glean from the experience of their immediate peers in this world, especially if they've won and had some royal f-ups in business/life. Never know what you might document that another might find valuable.

I would invite you to come at your own blog from a third person perspective, of whoever is in your target audience, and see what they would deeply connect with you on. People wonder if they're qualified to do this and that, and it's valid. However, ask yourself: are you qualified to give genuine value to someone? Everyone is. And there's something that you're likely good at that you can focus on getting even better at, and proactively provide that value.

For me, I struggled HARD with limiting beliefs, self-sabotage, and ambiguity of purpose. As it turns out, I spoke with tons of other people my age and found a similar need, started mastermind sessions and meet-ups, and uncovered a true need in this area that I decided to create lots of free content on. One of my most-viewed pieces is about a huge double-whammy failure I had a year or so back, with mindset and business tips I learned from it! People love connecting with that stuff.

You might gain something from it: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/i-failed-2-businesses-heres-what-i-learned.67743/

Another one, is why the hell I dropped out of college, and the road to building and selling my first E-commerce business!

Getting to the main point, I don't think you have to quit, but simply change your focus. Help someone. Then help someone else, find out what your fellow man needs and what he'll pay for, then slam him over the head with an unexpected level of value that helps to take his life to the next level! If this is a true calling for you, you'll make something substantial out of it over time and provide something awesome for the people you serve

For the reasons stated in this thread, I only respect a handful of other young guys doing this content marketing stuff with their personal brands. This includes Ludvig from Startgainingmomentum.com, and Damian (mentioned) from Dareandconquer.com. They provide well-researched, thoroughly written, and personalized life content that is valuable to their fellow young, ambitious man/woman trying to make something of himself in this world and offer value.

- Evan

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

I hate to be a dick....

But it's somewhat amusing to me both of you are using the same theme on your blogs...

 

[GMSI7D]

anyway, anytime a young guy starts something, he is sure to meet with obstacles.

it reminds me of Adam Khoo, a famous asian entrepreneur ,

http://www.adam-khoo.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Khoo

the guy started his entrepreneur journey at 16 and customers were skeptical about him

he didn't care and became a milionaire at 26

 

[SpartanWarrior77]

Another tough-love question:

How do you know it's very poorly run? Do you know anything about successful launching marketing campaigns? Local advertising? International advertising? Do you know how to create advertisements and enticing offers to attract new customers?

Do you know the only 3 ways to grow a business -- and where the leverage truly is?

Is the business making money? I'd be very careful when talking about someone's baby and how ugly you think it is -- especially if it's walking.

Does that make sense?



I'd listen to some Mike Rowe and MJ DeMarco. Making money isn't always about pursuing a passion. It's about solving a problem. You will have to learn to create passion for solving the problem. My guess is if you aren't passionate about the product, you may not understand it, or it truly does suck -- if that's the case it's time to improve it!



Those problems we were just talking about? This is real life right here. People suck. They are a pain in the a$$. But if you were to ever build a business you'll need to learn how to hire, fire, train, replace, and then deal with the day-to-day shit of getting them to show up on time (sober), getting them to follow the guidelines you set for them (even though they "know better"), etc.



It sounds like you have a massive opportunity sitting right in front of you. What's the hold up?



When the older guys bitch about millenials' attitude -- this is a sentence they are complaining about. They might say something along the lines of "Connected to!? Are you kidding me!? Connected to my FOOT IN YOUR a$$! GET TO WORK! Just mop the damn floor and clean the toilets like I told you 80 times! Connected... connected to what!? An emotional journey of stocking shelves? Get to it!"

Hehehe... okay I'm having too much fun and visualizing my father saying these exact words....



The time limit is simple: until you succeed.

Thanks man. Once again I feel like your response is very insightful.

However, I think it's worth mentioning that I did say I changed my content creation strategy from a less "coachey" perspective and into a more "documentary" style approach. Therefore, I could add tons of value through my experiences, gain traffic and sell affiliate products.
I feel like I've got the drive to do all that.

But...I also know that working for my step-dad is definitely a good opportunity because he's not putting a lot of work to keep it running. Trust me, I know what Im talking about when I say "he's not running it well". I know i can improve the company because I read a lot on marketing and am genuinely interested in business a lot more than most employees here.

So from what you're saying it seems like you're saying that I should take advantage of the opportunity I have here with my step dad. To be honest, I agree that it might be a great choice especially since my stepdad is generous and would allow me to keep my share of the profits if I show I can make them.

Plus, I could always put in a few hours to document my journey/come out with content on my blog. I could even do some affiliate marketing and make a few bucks on the side with it. (like a little passion project) which might get bigger in the long run...

To conclude: I want to start taking action. What do you think about the following decision:

Accept the fact that I'm not extremely passionate about the product but learn to enjoy building business and taking action.

Invest majority of time/energy on step-dad's business. Develop it. Market it.

End Game: Make money and learn as much as I can about management of people and profits, etc. This could be a great decision that may very well lead to tons of experience and money.

Side goal: Work on blog and content creation and treat as a passion project on the side. But don't make it center-focus with the understanding that progress will be slow, I don't have very much authority, and it's not very scallable. With time and experience, I can revisit this project and choose to pursue more intensely. But for now to focus on the massive opportunity at hand.

Does this sound fair?

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

Thanks man. Once again I feel like your response is very insightful.

However, I think it's worth mentioning that I did say I changed my content creation strategy from a less "coachey" perspective and into a more "documentary" style approach. Therefore, I could add tons of value through my experiences, gain traffic and sell affiliate products.
I feel like I've got the drive to do all that.

I'm only speaking from experience. You and I share the same passion and I've been trying to make something very similar work for years. I've just recently got to the point where I'm happy with my results in this industry... but once again it's been 13 years in the making.

But...I also know that working for my step-dad is definitely a good opportunity because he's not putting a lot of work to keep it running. Trust me, I know what Im talking about when I say "he's not running it well". I know i can improve the company because I read a lot on marketing and am genuinely interested in business a lot more than most employees here

I'm not saying you don't know -- I'm only suggesting you might not fully comprehend the emotional struggles that come with running a business just yet. As you already mentioned how do you push forward when your product just isn't sexy? How do you deal with employees that show up late or drunk? How do you deal with an absentee owner?

Knowing what to do is easy... doing what you know is the challenge!

I definitely believe you because the level of information that's available these days is outstanding. The stuff you can get for free that was developed on the back (and wallets) of giants in business could easily make you millions and millions of dollars.

You could easily read two books: E-Myth Revisited and The Ultimate Sales Machine and have a handle on any small business within a week or two. If you simply applied those strategies with an attitude of consistent and never-ending improvement -- you really could take that business (or any business) to success.

But now you have to prove it.

So from what you're saying it seems like you're saying that I should take advantage of the opportunity I have here with my step dad. To be honest, I agree that it might be a great choice especially since my stepdad is generous and would allow me to keep my share of the profits if I show I can make them.

Why not? Don't step over dollars to try and earn pennies. You're so young (and I don't mean that as an insult) it's exciting that you have so many possibilities. You literally could do it all. Once again, the trouble is most people dramatically overestimate what they can do in a year, and VASTLY underestimate what they can do in 10.

Plus, I could always put in a few hours to document my journey/come out with content on my blog. I could even do some affiliate marketing and make a few bucks on the side with it. (like a little passion project) which might get bigger in the long run...

People love to read the journey. Just write it down. Don't try to sell anything. Don't try affiliate programs. Don't try any silly stuff like that. If you MUST record it -- JUST record it. If people read it, great. If they don't, you would have tried.

I really want you to hear me when I say I understand your need to create this and make an impact on the world. But do not do it now if you want to be successful at it later.

Leave it to me to come up with a martial arts reference but if you're in the ring, there is a good time to punch and a bad time to punch. If you punch at the wrong time -- there's a great chance you are going to be knocked on your a$$.

If you put anything less than 100% energy into a business you are going to fail. If you try to split your focus 50/50 or even 99/1 you are going to fail at both.

Here's (what I think) is a way you can judge it by:

At the end of the night you should be so tired and exhausted from working on and growing your step-dad's business that you don't have the physical energy and mental ability to work on a blog.

That's how you know you're leaving it all on the court. And if you DO that -- if you trust me enough (even though you don't know me from squat) -- I promise you you're going to be happy with the results.

To conclude: I want to start taking action. What do you think about the following decision:

"I take action" should be the mantra.

Accept the fact that I'm not extremely passionate about the product but learn to enjoy building business and taking action.

The more you say that, the more it will become true. The funny thing I think you'll learn is in business it really doesn't matter what the product or service is -- business is business. Your job is to create a machine that solves a need. This takes creating processes of consistent lead generation, scripts, operational procedures, etc. etc.

Business is much more than a product or a service. Sure it's the hero -- but there's a lot of shitty products and services out there with AMAZING customer service that become huge companies.

Get excited about growing a business. Commit.

Invest majority of time/energy on step-dad's business. Develop it. Market it.

ALL of your time and energy. ALL of it. In life you're either 100% committed or you're not committed at all.

If you want to grow in the personal development field you NEED this success under your belt. You MUST make it work. If you don't you'll never fulfill your dream.

End Game: Make money and learn as much as I can about management of people and profits, etc. This could be a great decision that may very well lead to tons of experience and money.

The experience at this point is much more valuable than the money -- but with that being said, the money is the scoreboard.

I don't know what the business is, but how many millions can you get it up to? 1 million? 2 million? How badass would you be if you can say that by 25 you've grown a failing company into a multi-million dollar empire?

GET FREAKING EXCITED and GET FOCUSED!

Side goal: Work on blog and content creation and treat as a passion project on the side. But don't make it center-focus with the understanding that progress will be slow, I don't have very much authority, and it's not very scallable.

No, no, no, no, no, and no!!!!!

With time and experience, I can revisit this project and choose to pursue more intensely. But for now to focus on the massive opportunity at hand.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and YES!!!

Does this sound fair?

P.S. Never negotiate with me or anybody else about your life and your future.

Life doesn't pay the price you ask of it, it only pays the price you demand of it.

If you want to take the island, you burn the boats. I'm telling you to burn this blog boat, take the island, and then build a new boat.

 

[SpartanWarrior77]

I'm only speaking from experience. You and I share the same passion and I've been trying to make something very similar work for years. I've just recently got to the point where I'm happy with my results in this industry... but once again it's been 13 years in the making.



I'm not saying you don't know -- I'm only suggesting you might not fully comprehend the emotional struggles that come with running a business just yet. As you already mentioned how do you push forward when your product just isn't sexy? How do you deal with employees that show up late or drunk? How do you deal with an absentee owner?

Knowing what to do is easy... doing what you know is the challenge!

I definitely believe you because the level of information that's available these days is outstanding. The stuff you can get for free that was developed on the back (and wallets) of giants in business could easily make you millions and millions of dollars.

You could easily read two books: E-Myth Revisited and The Ultimate Sales Machine and have a handle on any small business within a week or two. If you simply applied those strategies with an attitude of consistent and never-ending improvement -- you really could take that business (or any business) to success.

But now you have to prove it.



Why not? Don't step over dollars to try and earn pennies. You're so young (and I don't mean that as an insult) it's exciting that you have so many possibilities. You literally could do it all. Once again, the trouble is most people dramatically overestimate what they can do in a year, and VASTLY underestimate what they can do in 10.



People love to read the journey. Just write it down. Don't try to sell anything. Don't try affiliate programs. Don't try any silly stuff like that. If you MUST record it -- JUST record it. If people read it, great. If they don't, you would have tried.

I really want you to hear me when I say I understand your need to create this and make an impact on the world. But do not do it now if you want to be successful at it later.

Leave it to me to come up with a martial arts reference but if you're in the ring, there is a good time to punch and a bad time to punch. If you punch at the wrong time -- there's a great chance you are going to be knocked on your a$$.

If you put anything less than 100% energy into a business you are going to fail. If you try to split your focus 50/50 or even 99/1 you are going to fail at both.

Here's (what I think) is a way you can judge it by:

At the end of the night you should be so tired and exhausted from working on and growing your step-dad's business that you don't have the physical energy and mental ability to work on a blog.

That's how you know you're leaving it all on the court. And if you DO that -- if you trust me enough (even though you don't know me from squat) -- I promise you you're going to be happy with the results.



"I take action" should be the mantra.



The more you say that, the more it will become true. The funny thing I think you'll learn is in business it really doesn't matter what the product or service is -- business is business. Your job is to create a machine that solves a need. This takes creating processes of consistent lead generation, scripts, operational procedures, etc. etc.

Business is much more than a product or a service. Sure it's the hero -- but there's a lot of shitty products and services out there with AMAZING customer service that become huge companies.

Get excited about growing a business. Commit.



ALL of your time and energy. ALL of it. In life you're either 100% committed or you're not committed at all.

If you want to grow in the personal development field you NEED this success under your belt. You MUST make it work. If you don't you'll never fulfill your dream.



The experience at this point is much more valuable than the money -- but with that being said, the money is the scoreboard.

I don't know what the business is, but how many millions can you get it up to? 1 million? 2 million? How badass would you be if you can say that by 25 you've grown a failing company into a multi-million dollar empire?

GET FREAKING EXCITED and GET FOCUSED!

Hey man,

Once again you've given me more insight than anybody in my non-virtual life has in a while.

I definitely feel like you're pointing me in the right direction.

My stepdad's business is in the million-dollar range. Although, I'm barely getting paid (i understand I don't deserve a real paycheck anyway at the moment). Im doing minial work.

I definitely see what you mean by the emotional challenge/struggle that it could be and that I may not fully comprehend that.

I think I'm going to think a bit and almost certaintly move towards the direction you're suggesting.

Ps.Thank again so much for the insight.

I just moved to PA and I'm pretty much all alone in this venture in the sense that I don't have a real business/life mentor.

I do have an accountability partner and a therapist but that serves it's own purpose (keeping me focused and not engaged in sloppy behavior).

Is there any chance that you can provide some mentoring. I'm 21 and it would be cool to connect with someone like you who is on a similar path/mindset as me. I'm not the best at asking for mentoring but I really resonated with what you said.

If you're interested. You can email me some contact info at spartanownership@gmail.com - I'll follow what you have to say religiously and not waste your time.

Max

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

Hey man,

Once again you've given me more insight than anybody in my non-virtual life has in a while.

I definitely feel like you're pointing me in the right direction.

My stepdad's business is in the million-dollar range. Although, I'm barely getting paid (i understand I don't deserve a real paycheck anyway at the moment). Im doing minial work.

I definitely see what you mean by the emotional challenge/struggle that it could be and that I may not fully comprehend that.

I think I'm going to think a bit and almost certaintly move towards the direction you're suggesting.

Ps.Thank again so much for the insight.

I just moved to PA and I'm pretty much all alone in this venture in the sense that I don't have a real business/life mentor.

I do have an accountability partner and a therapist but that serves it's own purpose (keeping me focused and not engaged in sloppy behavior).

Is there any chance that you can provide some mentoring. I'm 21 and it would be cool to connect with someone like you who is on a similar path/mindset as me. I'm not the best at asking for mentoring but I really resonated with what you said.

If you're interested. You can email me some contact info at spartanownership@gmail.com - I'll follow what you have to say religiously and not waste your time.

Max

Mentorship lesson #1, you've gotta chase me -- not the other way around

I just happen to be at my desk today otherwise I'm on the road constantly. I'm easy to find and there's always PMs!

Feel free to hit me up whenever -- just don't expect immediate responses and make sure you ask questions that are action-oriented

 

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[SpartanWarrior77]

Mentorship lesson #1, you've gotta chase me -- not the other way around

I just happen to be at my desk today otherwise I'm on the road constantly. I'm easy to find and there's always PMs!

Feel free to hit me up whenever -- just don't expect immediate responses and make sure you ask questions that are action-oriented

Alright haha, *Chasing commenced*

F*ck man, I feel excited about the opportunity at hand. I'm almost ready to commit to being focused on the step-dad opportunity...

One thing I need to clarify with you is that my original plan wasn't coaching people on business but rather challenging people in various areas of self-development which I'm somewhat versed in at this point. I figured I'd clarify this aspect because in an earlier message you wrote:

"It can come across as harsh but I'm assuming you want to coach people who can pay you money to coach them, yes? Then you're looking to coach business people like me. What reason do I have to believe YOU can help me? Look again at the very small list of my "qualifications" (and I know it's not everything) but I have results to back it all up."

My plan was to focus on things like relationships, health, and mindset. I have some good experience in all those things. And I've been working towards doing something in that field for almost 6 months now. It's hard for me to do a 180-degree turn without being very thorough as to WHY I'm choosing this new direction.

Also, my purpose is "To evolve to the highest degree possible and help other men evolve".

Working for my step-dad is definitely aligned with the first aspect of my purpose which is "to evolve to the highest degree possible".

However, If I choose to commit to bringing my stepdad's business to the next level, I'll have to hold off on the second aspect of my purpose which is "helping other men evolve". But I also realize that by evolving and growing in knowledge, leadership, entrepreneurship, etc. I'll have way better leverage to help other men evolve in the future. Plus a ton of cash if things go well with my stepdad's biz.

I think I'll still come out with blog posts and videos but at a less focused rate. I'll just do it when I have time and for fun. (I really like coming out with content because it gives me a chance to articulate concepts/theories I've been working on which helps me understand them more deeply) so it's a selfish thing. (that may or may not be helping others).

A part of me is afraid to commit and to "burn the boat" as you say. I want to be as clear as possible before I take on this challenge because it might as well be a challenge that will last years.

Any thoughts on becoming 100% resolute in my decision? And letting go of any doubts as to how it will align with my purpose...

Thanks again!

 

[splok]

People here sort of dogpile anyone who puts off even a hint of guruism, and it's usually well deserved and almost always well-intended, even if harsh (and it also almost universally leads to some great advice). But I just wanted to toss this out there: There are things you can teach people without needing to spend a decade mastering the topic. You don't need to be an all-knowing guru of a topic to bring benefit to people. Just find a thing that people need to know, and find a way to teach them that thing in a way that brings you both value.

I've probably googled 50 things this week that I wanted to know, and I don't remember noticing or caring a bit who wrote any of the answers or what they'd spent their last decade doing. Most of us can tell within in few seconds of clicking a link if it's going to be worth a read. If your info is good enough to stand on its own, you don't need to puff yourself up as coach/guru.

Even if you're talking about information products, if the info can stand on its own, who cares who wrote it? You could spend a week learning how to do x and then write a guide that keeps me from wasting MY week trying to learn how to do x. How much would you pay for a nice, concise guide that tells you exactly how to do something that you know would take you a few days of slogging through terrible google results to learn on your own? Obviously this doesn't work for most things, but just treat it like product selection for physical products and read the incredible Amazon threads.

 

[SpartanWarrior77]

People here sort of dogpile anyone who puts off even a hint of guruism, and it's usually well deserved and almost always well-intended, even if harsh (and it also almost universally leads to some great advice). But I just wanted to toss this out there: There are things you can teach people without needing to spend a decade mastering the topic. You don't need to be an all-knowing guru of a topic to bring benefit to people. Just find a thing that people need to know, and find a way to teach them that thing in a way that brings you both value.

I've probably googled 50 things this week that I wanted to know, and I don't remember noticing or caring a bit who wrote any of the answers or what they'd spent their last decade doing. Most of us can tell within in few seconds of clicking a link if it's going to be worth a read. If your info is good enough to stand on its own, you don't need to puff yourself up as coach/guru.

Even if you're talking about information products, if the info can stand on its own, who cares who wrote it? You could spend a week learning how to do x and then write a guide that keeps me from wasting MY week trying to learn how to do x. How much would you pay for a nice, concise guide that tells you exactly how to do something that you know would take you a few days of slogging through terrible google results to learn on your own? Obviously this doesn't work for most things, but just treat it like product selection for physical products and read the incredible Amazon threads.

Yeah, that was sort of my counter-argument at first but now Im thinking of fully investing my time/energy into the opportunity of taking over my stepdad's business. According to some insightful responses here I believe it might be wise to set aside my coaching/blog business in order to take on a pretty good opportunity at hand.(stepdad's biz)

 

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