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Escaping Stagnation and Accepting Accountability

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

GetSomeBooks

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Sep 23, 2015
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I've been a member of this forum for about three months. In those three months, I've already seen improvements in my mindset as well as my ability to bounce back after creating some convoluted scheme that will certainly lead me back to where I started. The issue that remains, though, is I've still not truly taken the steps necessary to achieve financial freedom and a grand "liquidation event." I intend to change that today.

I recently read into two dissimilar ideas around announcing plans publicly. One states that people inherently seek consistency, so going on record about an idea or belief will drive one to pursue those ideas in an effort to appear stable. The second says that telling people about your goals is a reward in itself and that you'd achieve a higher "social appearance," or some such, simply by letting it out of your head and, therefore, you potentially diminish your follow-through. I'm taking this approach according to the ideas presented in the former. I'm also doing this because, frankly, I'm scared shitless and I want to immerse myself in that fear to reduce its hold.

I've listened to interviews, podcasts, phone conferences, watched videos, read article upon article, crept in several of the threads on this forum and one idea has consistently emerged. Don't create a solution and then attempt to find the problem, but rather, find a problem first, then create your solution.

The steps I will be taking to realize this pathway are as follows:

1) Identifying a profitable marketplace.
2) Cold e-mailing decision makers in said industry to set up a phone interview.
3) Ask about, and listen for, pain-points.
4) Develop a rough draft solution based around these pain-points.
5) Pre-sell this product to verify the makretplace.
6) Use presales to fund product development.
7) Bring this product to market.

This process seems, to me, to fill these commandments. Need: I'll find the problem prior to the solution, therefore verifying a need for my product. Entry: The entry bar seems to be set low, as anyone can follow this method. Not everyone will, however, thus thinning the entrants. Control: I won't have to rely on the existence of another product or service to maintain mine. Scale: If my product happens to be a piece of software, which is the intention, with an automated payment process, then 1 customer is no more a burden that 1,000,000. Time: Since I intend to offer a product rather than a service, there will be little need for me to invest much time occupying a storefront or working a job-like business.

I intend to update this thread daily, if the days events warrant it. This includes days where I slack off. This will be an open diary of my successes and failures. I welcome questions about this process, as it will certainly cause me to really delve into aspects that I may not have considered. I'm also open to criticism, as you may see a flaw that I do not. I recognize there are several members of this forum who have done what it takes to create wealth and freedom and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to hear from, and be guided by, these members.

Now, I'm off to the races. First update by the day's end!
 
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GetSomeBooks

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END OF DAY 1: 1 DECEMBER 2015

I searched around and found about 20 different professions I thought might need help. Of those 20, I narrowed them to eight based on criteria like 10 year growth percentage, total number of businesses, do I have enough understanding to provide insight, and whether I wanted to be involved with the niche. The list I came up with is as follows:

1) Market Research Analyst
2) Operations Research Analyst
3) Cost Estimator
4) Content Strategist
5) Auto Broker
6) Physical Fitness Center
7) Roofing Contractor
8) Landscaping Contractor

The first four show tremendous growth potential in the coming years and the last four I feel I could benefit from a tweak in the system.

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to identify decision makers in these fields and start e-mailing.
 

GetSomeBooks

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UPDATE DAY 3: 3 DECEMBER 2015

I have underestimated the difficulty I would experience trying to find decision-makers in some of these markets. Some of the previous professions I've named consist mainly of individuals. Cost estimators, Market analysts, and the like. With these, I can simply search LinkedIn and find their contact info. However, some of these, I've had to look at entire businesses. The issue that I'm having is not being able to streamline my search.

For instance, when searching roofing contractors, I've found a list of the top 100 roofing contractor companies. I've browsed the websites of several of these companies and found addresses, fax, and phone numbers of their offices. The problem is that I'm not confident that I will get in contact with anyone able to pull the trigger on a macro scale. I've resorted to looking up business license registration papers to find the founders.

To be honest, I'm thinking that I'm going to ditch the markets that are difficult to get in contact with anyone who I feel will be able to provide the information I'm seeking. I think the reason that I've gone this far with them is really as a way to skirt the issue, which is taking action. All these hurdles I'm experiencing are probably fabricated by myself to avoid actually moving forward. Two days pissed away under the guise of progression. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to get in contact with the people who's information is much more readily available.
 

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