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finding just enough to keep moving forward

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane

Steve Beach

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Funny how things work. My journey of self employment began in September of 2017 after my employer discovered that I was working during my free time to develop a new product that would have an immediate and disruptive impact on our industry. At that time, the product was still undergoing modifications and testing and I was months away from being market ready.

Being broke, despite 25 years of steady employment, I was faced with the fact that I no longer had an income to support my wife and three children or pay the mortgage. At that point, panic should have been immediate, but it wasn't, I just knew that things would work out, somehow. I knew that we were on to something big, and that this product would solve a huge problem.

And somehow, things keep happening that allow me to pursue my dreams of independence while managing to perform enough side work to keep the family afloat. Every time that it seems like we are about to fall on our face, a new opportunity to earn money will arise. This is not life changing money, but it is enough to keep us moving forward while the business continues to grow and develop.

I joined our national organization (NFBA) and attended the national trade show in Feb. 2018, and an amazing thing happened there, my new unproven product was voted as the product of the year for 2018 and will be featured in articles in three major industry publication in the coming months. With this type of exposure, our products are poised to change an entire industry by disrupting the status quo and forcing the major players to change how they operate and build.

This is truly a story of David vs. Goliath. Just myself and my business partner have taken on the giants of our industry and won. We did this with no resources and no money. Batting companies with teams of engineers and product development task forces, we have created a system that out performs them in every way. This will allow smaller, independent builders to compete and win in our ever more competitive marketplace.

Although still broke, we are now starting to see the industry respond to our systems and the phone is ringing. All of the doubt, desperation, and sleepless nights are still there, but somehow, we continue to find just enough to keep moving forward. With faith and hard work, we are pushing through, refusing to give up, just taking the next step each day.

If we can do it, so can you. Just don't stop.

respectfully, Steve Beach
 
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WJK

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Funny how things work. My journey of self employment began in September of 2017 after my employer discovered that I was working during my free time to develop a new product that would have an immediate and disruptive impact on our industry. At that time, the product was still undergoing modifications and testing and I was months away from being market ready.

Being broke, despite 25 years of steady employment, I was faced with the fact that I no longer had an income to support my wife and three children or pay the mortgage. At that point, panic should have been immediate, but it wasn't, I just knew that things would work out, somehow. I knew that we were on to something big, and that this product would solve a huge problem.

And somehow, things keep happening that allow me to pursue my dreams of independence while managing to perform enough side work to keep the family afloat. Every time that it seems like we are about to fall on our face, a new opportunity to earn money will arise. This is not life changing money, but it is enough to keep us moving forward while the business continues to grow and develop.

I joined our national organization (NFBA) and attended the national trade show in Feb. 2018, and an amazing thing happened there, my new unproven product was voted as the product of the year for 2018 and will be featured in articles in three major industry publication in the coming months. With this type of exposure, our products are poised to change an entire industry by disrupting the status quo and forcing the major players to change how they operate and build.

This is truly a story of David vs. Goliath. Just myself and my business partner have taken on the giants of our industry and won. We did this with no resources and no money. Batting companies with teams of engineers and product development task forces, we have created a system that out performs them in every way. This will allow smaller, independent builders to compete and win in our ever more competitive marketplace.

Although still broke, we are now starting to see the industry respond to our systems and the phone is ringing. All of the doubt, desperation, and sleepless nights are still there, but somehow, we continue to find just enough to keep moving forward. With faith and hard work, we are pushing through, refusing to give up, just taking the next step each day.

If we can do it, so can you. Just don't stop.

respectfully, Steve Beach
Your story is beautiful. I wish you great success in your quest. What's interesting is that you've spent 25 years in training for this moment. You've earned it. Enjoy it.
 

amp0193

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I joined our national organization (NFBA) and attended the national trade show in Feb. 2018, and an amazing thing happened there, my new unproven product was voted as the product of the year for 2018 and will be featured in articles in three major industry publication in the coming months.

This gave me chills when I read it. What a story.

Although still broke, we are now starting to see the industry respond to our systems and the phone is ringing. All of the doubt, desperation, and sleepless nights are still there, but somehow, we continue to find just enough to keep moving forward. With faith and hard work, we are pushing through, refusing to give up, just taking the next step each day.

You're getting close. This was me most of last year. Good response amongst the customer base, lots of validation coming in... but those doubts lingered until I started getting dollars exchanged for my product.

Keep at it, the snowball is now rolling.
 

BradyH

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Wow. Your story is encouraging. I wouldn't have handled the job loss as well as you did.

In the future I'd like to create a brand around a few products. It's stories like these that really cut through any apprehension I have. Fear of the unknown often clashes with the inner entrepreneur in me.

Thanks for sharing! I'll be following along if there are any updates.
 

amp0193

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Fear of the unknown often clashes with the inner entrepreneur in me.

The fear of the unknown never goes away.

So you launch a brand of products, and people start buying them.

Then, the unknown is what to do next. How to grow, how to scale.

The unknowns never end, you have to embrace it. If it gets overwhelming, put your blinders on, and focus on what you can do right now, today, to get the big a$$ rock moving a little bit more.

BIG a$$ ROCK
 
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Steve Beach

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Jan 17, 2015
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Varna, IL
Very inspiring. Would you mind sharing how your former employer found out?

Thanks


In order to move to the manufacturing phase of the product, I had hired an engineering firm to perform analysis and calculations. Well, in a small world, news of a potential revolutionary product travels fast and the information was leaked to some industry INSIDERS. When questioned by my employer, I was honest, and explained that I had been working on this project for over a year in my spare time. The next day I was let go. They viewed my work as a conflict of interest within the company and told me that if I had any ideas about product improvement, that I should have came to them for their approval. Now keep in mind that this company which I worked for, has an R & D department, and on staff engineers which are supposed to be focused on product development and improvement. They just could not live with the fact that this idea was not their own.
All said and done, I do not regret one thing. This product has been welcomed with open arms by their competition and they are now faced with trying to sell against it, and they are not doing a very good job of that.
In fact, I am launching another new product in May 2018, which will increase the effectiveness of our primary product and create a "system" for builders seeking cutting edge product improvement. If you are interested, check out the website. www.strongwaysystems.com

Thank you. Steve
 
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Midas

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Jun 10, 2016
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Funny how things work. My journey of self employment began in September of 2017 after my employer discovered that I was working during my free time to develop a new product that would have an immediate and disruptive impact on our industry. At that time, the product was still undergoing modifications and testing and I was months away from being market ready.

Being broke, despite 25 years of steady employment, I was faced with the fact that I no longer had an income to support my wife and three children or pay the mortgage. At that point, panic should have been immediate, but it wasn't, I just knew that things would work out, somehow. I knew that we were on to something big, and that this product would solve a huge problem.

And somehow, things keep happening that allow me to pursue my dreams of independence while managing to perform enough side work to keep the family afloat. Every time that it seems like we are about to fall on our face, a new opportunity to earn money will arise. This is not life changing money, but it is enough to keep us moving forward while the business continues to grow and develop.

I joined our national organization (NFBA) and attended the national trade show in Feb. 2018, and an amazing thing happened there, my new unproven product was voted as the product of the year for 2018 and will be featured in articles in three major industry publication in the coming months. With this type of exposure, our products are poised to change an entire industry by disrupting the status quo and forcing the major players to change how they operate and build.

This is truly a story of David vs. Goliath. Just myself and my business partner have taken on the giants of our industry and won. We did this with no resources and no money. Batting companies with teams of engineers and product development task forces, we have created a system that out performs them in every way. This will allow smaller, independent builders to compete and win in our ever more competitive marketplace.

Although still broke, we are now starting to see the industry respond to our systems and the phone is ringing. All of the doubt, desperation, and sleepless nights are still there, but somehow, we continue to find just enough to keep moving forward. With faith and hard work, we are pushing through, refusing to give up, just taking the next step each day.

If we can do it, so can you. Just don't stop.

respectfully, Steve Beach
Very inspiring. Would you mind sharing how your former employer found out?

Thanks
 

Steve Beach

Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
325%
Jan 17, 2015
8
26
55
Varna, IL
Wow. Your story is encouraging. I wouldn't have handled the job loss as well as you did.

In the future I'd like to create a brand around a few products. It's stories like these that really cut through any apprehension I have. Fear of the unknown often clashes with the inner entrepreneur in me.

Thanks for sharing! I'll be following along if there are any updates.

Had I not been forced out of the employee world, I'm not sure how long it would have taken me to leave. That false security of a job can be addictive. This is not easy, and the risks are real, but that is why the potential rewards are so much higher. If you have a great idea or a solution to a problem, then you owe it to yourself to put it out there for others.

As for our business, things are moving in the right direction and growth is happening every day. Navigating the next move and maintaining focus on the goal are the most difficult.
 

Steve Beach

Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
325%
Jan 17, 2015
8
26
55
Varna, IL
This gave me chills when I read it. What a story.



You're getting close. This was me most of last year. Good response amongst the customer base, lots of validation coming in... but those doubts lingered until I started getting dollars exchanged for my product.

Keep at it, the snowball is now rolling.

Thank you for the encouragement, what a ride so far.
 

Midas

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
200%
Jun 10, 2016
31
62
43
In order to move to the manufacturing phase of the product, I had hired an engineering firm to perform analysis and calculations. Well, in a small world, news of a potential revolutionary product travels fast and the information was leaked to some industry INSIDERS. When questioned by my employer, I was honest, and explained that I had been working on this project for over a year in my spare time. The next day I was let go. They viewed my work as a conflict of interest within the company and told me that if I had any ideas about product improvement, that I should have came to them for their approval. Now keep in mind that this company which I worked for, has an R & D department, and on staff engineers which are supposed to be focused on product development and improvement. They just could not live with the fact that this idea was not their own.
All said and done, I do not regret one thing. This product has been welcomed with open arms by their competition and they are now faced with trying to sell against it, and they are not doing a very good job of that.
In fact, I am launching another new product in May 2018, which will increase the effectiveness of our primary product and create a "system" for builders seeking cutting edge product improvement. If you are interested, check out the website. www.strongwaysystems.com

Thank you. Steve
That's awesome. I actually work in the Finance dept for a Steel company headquartered in Chicago. Things are kind of haywire right now:) but if you need a connect for anything. Hit my PM and I will make some calls.
 

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