For those who haven't made a sale yet...

[Andreas Thiel]

Time can always be spared for something else.

Stop excusing excuses.

Spare sometime for something.

Take time and think about the goddamn things discussed here.

Nobody putting you on gunpoint to follow them. It is your life.

Why do you think these guys are in earnest with advice?

They mean well.

I am not saying they don't mean well. I am saying that the advice is wrong or insufficient.

"You make excuses" is not actionable. I still don't see a path to reach escape velocity. If you just want to worship forum vips and can't handle people who don't bow down and instead ask follow up questions this thread is not worth much.

 

[Guest931Xfjyx]

@heavy_industry

It is relevant considering he didn't take the initiative. Called for? No. Relevant? Yes.

And moreover I'm not interested in arguing with you. I've had enough of it over the past weeks. I don't have ill intentions but it doesn't bother me if you interpret it that way. I'll post whatever I like whether you consider it helpful or not. If the moderator team finds problem with it, then the choice is at their leisure, but I'm not out to get anyone.

------------------------------------------

EDIT:
When it comes to motivation. Personally at least...

I find "You're a complete loser and here's why" far more motivating than "Wow. Bummer that didn't work out for you. Better luck next time" and I try to give that same sort of mentality to those crying about their situation.

Does it suck? Yes. Absolutely.

Should you run from it? No.

That vitriolic shit isn't coming from a bad place. It almost seems as if you're reading it out of context.

 

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[Andreas Thiel]

Your problem isn’t the forum.

You will hate me saying this.

Your problem is YOU.

Seems you want the exact steps to success. Like a navigation system with turn by turn instructions “in 50 meters, turn left” type.

And no one will give you that. Because it’s on you to tinker and iterate to find the destination. Tinker. Try something different etc.

Then, when you start having some success, treat those iterations like a microscope that’s generally in focus. Small changes only. Results can become massive then.

You don’t like hearing that because it’s “not actionable” to you. Good news is that this place isn’t just for you. My response, this post, is public and my audience is those who are open and will get this message. They don’t wallow in self pity. They are action animals, trying and improving every day.

I get that I need tp figure things out and that I need to do the work. And I am trying things and I have been trying to apply all the advice on this forum for years.

Maybe I had the wrong impression that this thread is about figuring out sticking points - and since I have clocked enough time working on my mindset I can tell that this isn't it. OKay, so this thread seems to be about establishing that it is possible and yet another place for bragging by those who have already done it. If you can't figure things out you suck.

Fine. Whatever.

 

[Guest931Xfjyx]

If you can't figure things out you suck.

Fine. Whatever.

Why is your default giving up? Complain. Can't do it. Publicly contemplate suicide to garner sympathy. Wah wah. Boohoo.

You've tried and failed. That sucks. Get up. Try again.

What precisely should you try? Nobody knows. But clearly not what you're currently doing.

 

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[Guest931Xfjyx]

I was going to keep my mouth shut on this because I couldn't be bothered to get into an email argument but I've now been invited to divulge. Here is my testimonial:

HONEST PERSONAL TRAINING TESTIMONIAL
Context: I've not put on muscle for quite a while & was seeking guidance. My goal was simple, to put on muscle and get stronger.

The Regime.

I went to three people I know who have personal training experience & qualifications. One is a competitive lifter, one is a good friend of mine who does medicine, and the other has worked at the gym for a couple years & done PT. They checked out what you gave to me. Here's the problems they & I found.

• The gym routine you gave me wasn't yours. It was mine. The same exercises (21/23) from my old routine but in a different order, generally starting with smaller muscle groups first. The reviewers had an eyebrow raise at this.
• The only other thing that changed was the rep ranges from 8-12 to 15-30 & a decrease in sets from 3 to 2. My goal was hypertrophy & strength, not so much endurance.
• As for the diet, nothing changed much either, biggest take away was to get impact EEAs to fill essentials.

All three sources raised an were surprised at the advice you gave me. Instead, I found far more value from them.

• Eat 150g of protein a day (previously eating 70-100g)
• Eat more stuff (previously >2000kcal)
• Keep the same routine, it works fine. They actually added some exercises I was missing too.
• EEAs are cool, but useless if you are hitting the above protein requirements. I lost £30 to this mistake.
• Maybe do a deload week after three weeks of hard work.

The value you did give was:

• telling me to drop alcohol (however another friend convinced me to drop it, not you)
• Quality of protein sources are important.

Personal Experience

• I didn't like the "my way or the highway" approach. Didn't like the non-flexibility in diet approach. I felt overwhelmed from the restriction, I have no idea how a beginner would feel. They'd likely give up. Your role is not just to give out advice, it is also to motivate. Didn't get an inkling of it.
• I felt you had disbelief that I was committed to going to the gym, even though I've been going 4x/week for two years. Was mentioned many times that the work you put in is what you get out. I know. I go to the gym.

OVERALL REVIEW - 2/10
I would ask for a refund. I didn't take in your advice because I didn't believe all three of my sources could be wrong. It was not because I couldn't commit to going to the gym, it's I didn't see that the advice was worth anything - even if it was give for free.

I got far more value from my PT friend & would instead pay him. No idea how you could charge $200 for this service a month. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.


Edit: Oh, forgot to add, here is the difference between then and now:

• I eat 2500kcal a day
• I have >150g protein a day
• I kept to the same routine & rep ranges.
• I go four times a week.
• I went from 68-69kg to 70-71kg in a month. I've been stuck at 69kg for a year now. I'm now moving forward.
• I've gotten more bulbous and succulent.
• I consistently go up in weight and progressively overload on two out of eight exercises everytime.
• I'm £30 poorer.

I really was trying to help you. Even now, you doubt my credibility and feel the need to argue with me.

Those really cool but useless EAA's you bought, I suggest you actually take them. As I made clear before, you will not grow muscle eating a diet of black beans, fake sausage, and peanut butter. None of those are complete proteins and therefore make your intake essentially worthless. I'm not being facetious when I say this, but I'm doubtful the additional 50 grams of protein you're getting are complete proteins either.

You haven't made progress in the past 2 years of going to the gym as your diet isn't conducive to muscle accrual. You will not be building muscle eating incomplete proteins whatsoever, I'm actually led to believe this is why most vegans/vegetarians are statistically less likely to have muscle than the average man.

I deliberately made your diet comprised 95% of the foods you already eat, plus a workout routine 95% of what you already do (disregarding rep ranges) as a start for the first week of us working together. That wasn't a mistake and is how I would start with basically any client that would hire me on as a casual lifter. Also considering I made it foods you already eat, your claim of it being too restrictive doesn't make any sense, unless you're just saying that because I told you to stop drinking alcohol.

Good job on dropping the alcohol anyway. Even if I'm not the one who finally convinced you to, it does make a difference.

And lastly, thanks for the testimonial of the routine you never even started.

 

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[piano]

@JLE @Spenny
I know this isn't my discussion, but what do you gain by debunking/proving each other wrong?
I'd argue that what you get is only a short feeling of righteousness which will actually only secretly eat you up inside.

How about this: You guys state whether you had honest/well-meaning intentions or not and then simply accept that the other person might have another viewing point.

 

[Spenny]

I know this isn't my discussion, but what do you gain by debunking/proving each other wrong?

Not at all, just didn't have a good experience.

 

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[Andreas Thiel]

I pretty much walked back from the grave with a ton of debt, a broken body and soul, and an actual inability to work due to my health condition flaring from physical/mental exhaustion.

So I adapted and now I'm doing much, much better than all of my peers. It wasn't easy, I felt alone, and nobody could really relate to my experience. A lot of it felt like walking through a dark tunnel without a flashlight but I did it anyway.

I felt like telling people off for not getting my situation. But all that does is provide an excuse for you to wallow in pity forever.

But hear this. There was a story shared here—I'm having a hard time finding it—but it was about a guy who got paralyzed from a car crash and couldn't move his legs. Then, he somehow got into another car crash and he could now only use his VOICE and nothing else.

At the same time, due to his not being able to move (nor breathe well), the guy got pneumonia about 15 times in 2 years and his mother had to punch his ribcage all day for weeks so he could have a chance at living. He got through each and everyone one of those bouts of pneumonia even though his chances were low.

But the most stunning fact about the guy is that he managed to build a 7-figure business in those two years with just his VOICE and some software to help him navigate a computer! Last I read about him, he moved to Mexico in a nice house where hot caretakers see to his wellbeing.

So tell me, again, what are these profound issues you have that stop you from being successful?

Honestly, you have the same victim mentality and external locus of control as my mother. I'm trying so hard to help her see THE way out, and I've made some progress, but it's so ingrained in her that it feels like I'm trying to pry out a titanium door with a wooden stick.

Here's something to think about:

Nothing will get better for you until you give yourself permission to expect better things. Not hope, but expect.

In fact, I've found that the best combination for success in anything is taking action (regardless of the objective quality of said actions) and expecting things to work out even when your past experiences have conditioned you otherwise.

I don't get it. Probably a lot ... no, all of what I am trying to say gets lost in translation to forum post text.

I saw this as a thread that asks where people are on their journey towards their first sale and how they feel at the moment.

Yeah, I suppose that is not the case. This is just broadcasting but please shut up or else you are whining. Fine.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Hey

ChatGPT works well. Seems it has known I am making some kind of book. Gives material fit for it. Otherwise, it knows what books are best for teaching English and simply gives what it knows.

I am excited and worried.

Is it impossible for anybodies to wake up and do the same thing I am doing everywhere and saturate the market?

It is true that creativity creates an edge over others. But if ChatGPT is able to make material with a level of creativity, won't it be easy for anyone to do what I am doing?

I am wondering about the barrier of entry here.

Is what I am doing a sign that the barrier of entry is not there?

This questions need answers.

Another problem.

Because of the intended drastic impact of the book on the English proficiency of its users, material of different kinds must be integrated into the book. The learners must simultaneously learn all four skills of language and along with them grammar. This is a practice that has proven very productive.

Books that disobey this format fall short of the desired impact.

But all books I know that integrate this four skills are in typically four volumes of Book 1, 2, 3 and 4.

My partner suggested that we make more than one volume, putting each skill in a different volume. @Andy Black had suggested something similar earlier in the thread.

My worry about this is speed. When divided in this manner, will the users be able to use them all quickly, like in three months if so desired?

If divided into Books 1, 2, 3 and 4, the speed will die. Users will tend to use 1, 2, 3 and 4 over 4 years from the beginning to the end of the course. And it has been a salient behaviour that users mostly stop at Book 1. Which means they won't use 2, 3 and 4. The impact will be reduced.

If we divide in the skills of Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening, a user will need to use all four books simultaneously. Therefore, a user needs all four books at once. Remember these are users who are poor in English. And the approach to move them to improve is the one of acquisition as opposed to learning. They must become proficient in communication first and most.

If we keep the book as one, it may be as large as 500+ pages without the images, illustrations and other support we will add.

Maybe @MJ DeMarco has some ideas in answer to this questions. And any other person with knowledge on publishing and books. @Awakened2022 is a teacher in Uganda if I remember well. He may have a say.

The aim remains the same. Everybody in Uganda or Kenya or whatever place needs to must find it easier to learn English. Such that that person is confident in himself.

The time frame remains the same. In a month we should have tested this idea. And the product should passed the test. The month in question ends this very 25th April.

~Isaac~

 

[Andy Black]

Can you test this week if you can make a sale?

Related just now:

IDEA - WEB DESIGN - QUESTION - Getting a website designed for equity

Hello Everyone, I was wondering, how common or possible is it to get someone to design a website in exchange for equity in the business? I have a business idea for website-based company but I don't have the means to develop it by myself. I'm also limited in funds and would prefer to use what...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

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[Isaac Odongo]

Thanks a ton @Andy Black for this reference.

Related just now:

IDEA - WEB DESIGN - QUESTION - Getting a website designed for equity

Hello Everyone, I was wondering, how common or possible is it to get someone to design a website in exchange for equity in the business? I have a business idea for website-based company but I don't have the means to develop it by myself. I'm also limited in funds and would prefer to use what...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

Read it and will read it again now. Lot of gold there.

Got me thinking seriously.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Gentlemen and Ladies

I know we will nail this. There is no way this cannot be nailed.

Wait and have a look.

This will be killed.

Taking the direction of two books. One on grammar and Comprehension and the other on composition writing.

Having a WhatsApp meeting with my partner now. Nailing and beating out lots of things.

Some things will be clear during the process.

Now the work is starting. It won't be long Fastlaners. It won't be long.

Will keep editing this post.

 

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[Isaac Odongo]

I have seen your dm @Isaac Odongo . I felt my response would do better in the general thread.

Your appreciation is accepted.

Last year, I was on the forum under a different user name and had to get my account deleted for personal reasons.

Check out the person that I am @ Anon05554,specifically, Should $240 hold me hostage?(sorry, I still haven't mastered the art of linking to previous posts)

About your book, I am still rooting for you and will willingly recommend it to colleagues and some headteachers if it holds massive value especially for the current senior threes.

A friend made a fortune by writing a guide to functional writing when it had just been made compulsory.You could capitalise on the new curriculum and get some capital for your fastlane venture.

As for me, I have found an idea in the brick-and-mortar sector that I am working on. I will start a progress thread soon.

Whatever you do, make sure you master the ins and outs of the new curriculum and use it as a skew as you market your book.
Goodluck.

Thank you mon ami.

 

[Andy Black]

Another booked call. Another no-show.
But, another call is booked for tomorrow.
It will work.

Why do you think they're not showing up for the call?
Are you reaching out to them initially?

I have calls quite often and very rarely get a no-show. I end up in a message conversation first (either in private or in a forum/group) and sometimes offer to hop on a Zoom to help them out. People who want to have a chat typically show up. Who wouldn't want someone to look over their Google Ads account for free and give them tips and advice for free?

 

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[Robin 133]

Why do you think they're not showing up for the call?
Are you reaching out to them initially?

I have calls quite often and very rarely get a no-show. I end up in a message conversation first (either in private or in a forum/group) and sometimes offer to hop on a Zoom to help them out. People who want to have a chat typically show up. Who wouldn't want someone to look over their Google Ads account for free and give them tips and advice for free?

I'm currently running google ads to a landing page, which directs them straight to booking a call set up through calendy. I've initiated convos following that but not had responses.

The problem I am helping people to solve is pretty complex, scary for some and embarrassing for others. So I think people are getting cold feet.

There is also the issue that I've not got a page of testimonials yet as I'm starting out.

 

[Andy Black]

I'm currently running google ads to a landing page, which directs them straight to booking a call set up through calendy. I've initiated convos following that but not had responses.

The problem I am helping people to solve is pretty complex, scary for some and embarrassing for others. So I think people are getting cold feet.

There is also the issue that I've not got a page of testimonials yet as I'm starting out.

Get to an email conversation first?

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Somebody who is to do book formatting asked for 1% of each sale of the book. That's the payment for his work.

We seem to be agreeing with it because it gives a way to start without money, which we actually don't have with liberty.

I also thought it would give us more leverage since he is an alumnus of one great school in the country.

The title adopted is "English Made Easy; A Guide to Mastering English"

My coauthor couldn't work as he had promised. Fell ill and is to start working today.

It worried me. Still worries me.

I added scenarios and sample activities of integration to mostly every grammar aspect and to most comprehension chapters.

I did comprehension chapters based on the themes of the revised curriculum.

This thing is taking too long. It worries me. I read Ready, Fire, Aim by M. Masterson and realised we need to quicken to make sales. Otherwise we are action faking.

Fingers crossed. But I need to get thing out in days. I can't keep loitering as if the world is mine.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

I had intended that first week of May would find copies available for the market.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Another decision to take is one volume of more than 300 pages or two volumes: volume 1 of about 200 pages of grammar and about 140 pages for volume 2 which is comprehension.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Have sent out messages to 36 people. Have had a chat with 4 of them. One is a lecturer at a university and has given me two more contacts of class coordinators at the university.

I have messaged them too. One has replied. Started a chat with her.

7 have received and read the message but haven't yet responded. Some may respond later.

4 have received but haven't read yet.

The book is not yet published and I haven't told them the price yet.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Looking to get a printer in my city that can help print.

Found two contacts on Google. One communicates well and the other communicates poorly.

The one that communicates well has offered to print a sample for my approval first. The other is determining how much I will pay already.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

I will need to meet these printers personally and have face to face with them.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

I got a printer. He wants to first make the sample at his own cost then we talk the terms of full scale production. Has good printing and binding.

I have been tipped of the practice of printers selling books to their own clients without knowledge of the author and to the detriment of the author.

Wondering what to do.

One option is copyrighting the work. It will lead to delays. Besides, it hasn't stopped the pirating of books. It also won't stop the pirating of my book. And tracking down the books even with copyright is a huge next to impossible task.

Now I am worried. Should I just go on and get to printing? Should I take some steps to protect my book first? Apart from copyright, what other measures are there for me?

I don't know what steps I can take. I know it is not possible to stop the thieves completely but at least I should curb their actions in some way. Or should I even?

I don't know.

I could get the sample printed really fast.

I already have students paying for an extra course of English. To help them move faster than normal. They are supposed to buy this book as support material.

 

[Andy Black]

Hi @Andy Black

I'm new here.
This is a very useful thread and I'd like to answer your question, if is not bothering, just to have some new ideas...

1) My dayjob. Not exactly a 9-5. More a 9-7 job, sometimes 9-8.

2) Usually custom and trading advices for international trades.

3) I'll take a full list of my company's customers and call everyone of them, finding who needs a best quotation to carry goods from Italy to all over the world, or vice-versa importing from around the world to Italy.

4) If you mean a dream job, I'd like to open a performance gym for endurance sports. Focused merely on high performance athletes and to everyone wants to achieve even higher results. Something like Tim Grover's Attack Athletics facility (Tim is the former mental coach of most famous NBA players like Kobe, MJ D-Wade..)
I'd like to build the same concept but for endurance and combat athletes (triathlon, marathon, ultra marathon, MMA, BJJ)

What's your advice?

My advice is to start by taking stock. What do people currently pay you to do? Can you quickly build something on the side doing that?

Once going, can you scale using business models, people, processes, or technology?

 

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[MarcusAurelius]

My advice is to start by taking stock. What do people currently pay you to do? Can you quickly build something on the side doing that?

Once going, can you scale using business models, people, processes, or technology?

The company I work for pay me to basically Made customer service.

I can build an informative blog on trends/rules for international trade/exchanges.

I can catch leads that will be taken by my company for contact and follow up.

I cannot scale. Because I do not have control on full ladder. Once I got a contact, I have to forward it to sales dept. That will provide follow up.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Can you quickly build something on the side doing that?

@MarcusAurelius I am sure you can do that above.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Been doing the formatting of the book myself.

Printers say they can only use MS Word Processor.

Moving from Docs to Word messes up the document formats. Messes up things.

Doing the corrections due to mess from transfer from Docs to Word.

More work at workplace. Power blackouts in this city of mine.

 

[Isaac Odongo]

Developed some sort of story while engaging people.

Here it is.

"You may have already considered this. Helping lower secondary learners with a good background in English is easy. They almost always pass it without effort.

But helping those with weak foundations in English is next to impossible. They are almost always bound to struggle to score weak credits, passes and in all too common worst cases failures.

As teachers we desire to help all our learners get empowered. English language is one powerful way of enabling learners develop confidence and self esteem, which they need to ride through the school of hard knocks.

That was my personal desire too. I gave myself to the learners. I taught with the best methods and material I could muster. I listened to more experienced teachers and applied their suggestions.

I learned a lot from them. But the learners who come with little or no foundation could not have any significant improvement. I wanted to solve this problem. I wanted to help them.

I began to read about language learning and acquisition. I began to make meaning of my teaching experiences and outcomes. I saw a way out of the situation. But I saw no tools.

The new curriculum gave me a breath of life. It stopped me from retiring at the beginning of my career in teaching. I began to use it with all my power.

But the tools to enhance practice. To simplify learning of grammar aspects just didn't exist. I began to develop my own and use them, and to download similar ones and use them. And they worked. They validated my assumption about learning and acquisition of language. But they weren't sufficient.

Then I decided to make something. Something that provides the groundwork for strong language skills and also puts future language development on steroids.

I decided to develop something a learner can use at any anytime with little to no barrier. It had to be simple. It had to be user friendly. It had to be rigorous. It had to be fun.

That's how ENGLISH MADE EASY came about.

Thank you."

 

[Bnsalihu]

Finding the right product I can sell and advertise on Facebook in Nigeria (my country)


Any help please on selling products on Nigeria

 

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[Isaac Odongo]

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

This was in a thread somewhere.

People just want to broadcast here, not discuss anything.

Maybe you are the one who has a problem. Maybe you are the one who needs adjust.