The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, other forums, or in life.

You'll do better to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

Start by giving thanks.

If you read something you like then don’t just hit the Like button.

Quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” where you explain how it’s helped you.

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.


Video version added Sep-2022:

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/bVydKMkGj-E
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited:

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
445%
Jul 23, 2007
38,083
169,507
Utah
The problem with most social media today! Reddit and Youtube are big platforms where most of the production is done by less than 1% of users and consumed by over 99%.

Can't expect much to happen if all you do is consume.

The forum has the same problem.

You wouldn't believe how many new users I delete because their first post is promotion, mediation spam, backlinking, and other no-value posts. You would not recognize this place if all that got thru.

Thanks Andy for a great post, marked GOLD. AND SOOOOOO TRUE.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

AceVentures

Platinum Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
404%
Apr 16, 2019
846
3,419
Whenever I see a user on the forum asking for mentorship I see myself in their shoes when I first started here. To them I like to echo what you're saying here and encourage users here to engage with the people and ideas on this forum - in this exchange lies the magic they often seek.

The best way to learn is to participate. The best way to learn from other people is to engage them - and this forum, houses thousands of people and a broad spectrum of ideas. Learn to engage the ideas you resonate with, or those that simply draw your attention: not only will you bond with those that share the same vision, but the exchange of ideas leads to the transmutation of one person's idea through your perspective and back into the chamber, allowing for a more encompassing understanding and appreciation of the matter.

Make new friends and participate as a mode of operation: you will learn far more than you might have thought at first.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, in other forums, or in life.

I urge you to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

The easiest way to participate is to “give thanks”.

If you read something you like then quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You support them and help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” properly (where you explain how it’s helped you).

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.
In case you didn’t notice, I’m selling you on becoming a better version of yourself.

Like all sales, it works best when it’s “You focused” (as resident copywriters @Lex DeVille and @Bekit would call it).

Count how many times I use the word “you” in the opening post…
 

jdm667

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
216%
Jan 27, 2020
357
770
Boston, MA
Good point Andy.

A lot of people post valuable insights on the forum, but they might stop posting if they don't think anyone finds the information useful.

They might think "this info is easy to find, so no need to share it", but it might be helpful to someone just starting out. You could save that person hours, days, or weeks of struggle with a quick comment.

I will try this out - thanks in advance.
 

jdm667

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
216%
Jan 27, 2020
357
770
Boston, MA
The beauty of posting in communities and social media vs on a blog is that we get feedback. Without it we may stop producing.
Andy, I took your advice yesterday. You often say to take your posts from social media (where you helped people) and repurpose them into blog posts.

I did the exact opposite - I repurposed some of my blog posts to social media (in this case, my Quora account). I repurposed about 17 blog posts to answer some questions, and it only took me an hour yesterday afternoon (~3.5 minutes per post).

The result? Pretty good.

Here are the stats (crazy for less than a full day's worth of results). The graph is answer views on Quora for the last 30 days:
Quora Last 30 Days November 7.jpg
I also have a link to my website/blog in my Quora profile. This can lead to more visitors to my website and possibly more links, which will help my rankings in Google, allowing me to reach and help even more people.

Guys: this stuff works. Listen to Andy.
 

pat9000

Bronze Contributor
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 29, 2018
87
125
Nashville, TN
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, in other forums, or in life.

I urge you to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

The easiest way you can participate is to “give thanks”.

If you read something you like then don’t just hit the Like button. Quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” properly (where you explain how it’s helped you).

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.

Thank you, as I am a hardcore lurker. I disqualify myself from posting a lot of times. I've been meditating to get rid of the negative voice in my head and I finished the book "The Surrender Experiment" recommended by MJ, which taught me a lot about not forcing things and just letting them flow.
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland
Andy, I took your advice yesterday. You often say to take your posts from social media (where you helped people) and repurpose them into blog posts.

I did the exact opposite - I repurposed some of my blog posts to social media (in this case, my Quora account). I repurposed about 17 blog posts to answer some questions, and it only took me an hour yesterday afternoon (~3.5 minutes per post).

The result? Pretty good.

Here are the stats (crazy for less than a full day's worth of results). The graph is answer views on Quora for the last 30 days:
View attachment 40655
I also have a link to my website/blog in my Quora profile. This can lead to more visitors to my website and possibly more links, which will help my rankings in Google, allowing me to reach and help even more people.

Guys: this stuff works. Listen to Andy.
Whoa. That’s a crazy graph! You went from maybe averaging 50 Quora answer-views a day to 624?

Maybe you can start a progress thread documenting this?

I heard Nicolas Cole describe our biggest asset as not being our email list, but our library of content that built that email list. If you can take that library from one platform to another then you can rebuild your email list. Great to see you starting this.

Something to bear in mind is that it’s often better to say the same thing to different people than different things to the same people.

I’m also reminded of this chat:
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland
Thank you everyone who replied. I hope you throw away that spectator badge for good and join us in the arena.

For those of you who don’t feel you can add value, check out this thread:

(And thanks MJ for the Gold badge. I hope this thread is found by new members for many years to come.)
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Diego Liu

Don't worry, NOBODY CARES
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
383%
Apr 23, 2020
66
253
Taiwan
Thanks a lot @Andy Black

I’d long held the belief that I’m not “qualified” to post here since I’m not banking millions, but enough with that limiting belief.

I have a lot to offer simply by documenting my journey and how I overcome obstacles similar to the ones that others here (will) face.

I have some value bombs coming for y’all. Be prepared! ;)
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

doster.zach

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
197%
Oct 14, 2021
489
963
Missouri
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, in other forums, or in life.

I urge you to participate instead.
I started making myself post here because one aspect is accountability and another of learning to properly communicate.

Worried you don’t have value to add?
I ran in this to start, trying to comment on as many threads as possible. Like trying to make an essay reach 5000 words, I wasn't really adding any value.

If you have value, you should share it, if not no worries.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

The problem with most social media today! Reddit and Youtube are big platforms where most of the production is done by less than 1% of users and consumed by over 99%.

Can't expect much to happen if all you do is consume.


Thanks Andy ;)
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Athena_

Contributor
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
91%
Feb 3, 2021
53
48
31
India
Such a great post, I've been lurking here for months now, I dint post anything because I felt I have nothing to offer, not in just forums but in real life too, when I feel I have nothing important to say I keep my mouth shut, so this post makes me feel better, thank you! It's so hard to become a producer when you have been a consumer all your life, but I'm getting there slowly!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Antifragile

Progress not perfection
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
453%
Mar 15, 2018
3,709
16,814

michelec

New Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
350%
Aug 2, 2021
2
7
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, other forums, or in life.

You'll do better to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

Start by giving thanks.

If you read something you like then don’t just hit the Like button.

Quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” where you explain how it’s helped you.

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.
Thank you! I will apply this now and yes, I always doubt myself before posting a reply. Sometimes I even type it and just delete it after, so this definitely applies to me. Thanks again
 

RexAnghelo

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
156%
Dec 21, 2020
16
25
Yeah wow, thanks for that insight Andy. I've been lurking here for several months now and still not able to introduce myself to the forum. I should really shift slowly from being a consumer to becoming a producer.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Fasoon

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
233%
Dec 15, 2020
9
21
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, in other forums, or in life.

I urge you to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

The easiest way you can participate is to “give thanks”.

If you read something you like then don’t just hit the Like button. Quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” properly (where you explain how it’s helped you).

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.
Thanks for this.
The point about liking the content vs engaging really hit home with me. I guess in engaging with the content by writing does move a lot more of the grey cells and helps to internalize it a lot better.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
445%
Jul 23, 2007
38,083
169,507
Utah
I'm seriously going to start forcing myself to participate the forum. I get so nervous about posting anything online. I'll (re)start here. Thank you for the post. It speaks to me and you're right I all i want to do is lurk. This helps me see that maybe I do have something to contribute to this forum. And you can't argue with the pros you listed!

Good for you on addressing a fear and not being consumed by it. This is a start to much bigger things for you.
 

Dr_Kdub28

New Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
136%
Feb 16, 2022
14
19
East coast, United States
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, other forums, or in life.

You'll do better to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

Start by giving thanks.

If you read something you like then don’t just hit the Like button.

Quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” where you explain how it’s helped you.

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.
Thanks for this. I've been feeling like I don't have any value here, which will definitely put me in lurker mode. Giving thanks and showing genuine gratitude is something I struggle with. I want to get better at that through these kind of platforms.
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland
Oh Andy, how right you are!
Thanks for your reminder. I hope to get a Guiness with you somedays!
If you’re passing by just let me know.

Now then… what can you add when you give thanks? Get into the habit of continuing the conversation.

I like to start with “Thanks for …” and then give a takeaway or something I’ll now do different.

What’s been your experience in the forum with participating vs lurking?
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Lyev

New Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
233%
Aug 12, 2016
6
14
Spain
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, in other forums, or in life.

I urge you to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

The easiest way you can participate is to “give thanks”.

If you read something you like then don’t just hit the Like button. Quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” properly (where you explain how it’s helped you).

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.
Well Andy, you just managed to break my 5 year lurking streak.
I'm definitely ashamed, but it was time to make the transition.

That's the power of words. Thank you.
 

Burtronnegut

New Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
171%
Dec 5, 2020
7
12
33
United Kingdom
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, other forums, or in life.

You'll do better to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

Start by giving thanks.

If you read something you like then don’t just hit the Like button.

Quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” where you explain how it’s helped you.

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.

Thank you so much for posting this.

I'm poor at getting involved with online forums. In fact, this is the only one I ever engage in. This might be only the second time I've commented, so I'm the lurker you point out above.

There are several posts on this forum that have changed the way I think about the world. I'm going to comment and say thanks to those authors now. Thank you!
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland
Lurk mode deactivated. Thanks for this reminder, Andy! We all get busy with life, forgetting simple things like this can make someone's day.
Lol. We should create a button for Lurk Mode, or maybe create a Lurk Mode Deactivated badge.
 

snuffins

New Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
400%
Mar 20, 2023
1
4
You may be tempted to lurk - in this forum, other forums, or in life.

You'll do better to participate instead.

Worried you don’t have value to add?

Start by giving thanks.

If you read something you like then don’t just hit the Like button.

Quote it, thank the poster, and explain why it helped you.

Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” where you explain how it’s helped you.

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).

Try it and see what happens.

Come back and thank me later.


Video version added Sep-2022:

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/bVydKMkGj-E
I've been a lurker and have always thought that people who comment on things just needed to mind their own business because nobody in the world cares. You've given me a different perspective Andy thank you! As a gesture of appreciation - you can have my first ever comment on a random forum :)
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland
Good point Andy.

A lot of people post valuable insights on the forum, but they might stop posting if they don't think anyone finds the information useful.

They might think "this info is easy to find, so no need to share it", but it might be helpful to someone just starting out. You could save that person hours, days, or weeks of struggle with a quick comment.

I will try this out - thanks in advance.
The beauty of posting in communities and social media vs on a blog is that we get feedback. Without feedback we may stop producing.

Thanks for your reply. Looking forward to your update!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,566
68,699
Ireland
I don’t think explaining how something is helping is the most important thing.
It always surprises me when people reply with their takeaways. I always learn.
 

Gary

Elevatin' the Celebratin'
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
313%
Mar 18, 2011
155
485
San Diego
Here’s what’ll happen:

1) You’ll help the poster realise they’re not posting to the void.

2) You’ll encourage them to post again.

3) You’ll support them and help them keep going, possibly through dark times.

4) You’ll get into the habit of “giving thanks” properly (where you explain how it’s helped you).

5) You’ll start being seen as someone who appreciates and supports others.

6) You’ll slowly move from team consumer to team producer.

7) You’ll start making friends, building relationships, and creating win-wins (the essence of business).
This was needed. Thank you, @Andy Black
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top