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Former Slowlaner and wannabe entrepreneur from Italy trying to understand where to start

Topics related to Slowlane, Scripted mainstream dogma

macq

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Hello everyone,
I'm from Italy and unfortunately I discovered TMF a bit late in my life compared to most of you guys (I'm 31), just picked up Unscripted too and I can definitely say that the books completely changed my view on life.
Even if I have what most would consider a good situation (masters degree in Engineering, well paid job, no debt, I own my house, etc.) I always felt that something was wrong and that I was meant for something more that the rat race Monday-through-Friday I'm living, and now the book left me with clarity of mind and a burning desire of escaping the race as soon as possible, becoming an entrepreneur.
If you think that the SCRIPT is strong in the US, you wouldn't imagine how it is in Italy. Basically entrepreneurship culture is almost absent, the dream job for most is a government job mediocrly paid where you can snooze your way to retirement.
That's not the life I want, at all.
I'm eager to make my first steps and create a business, I'm trying to collect informations in order to decide which would be a good starting point, considering I live in Italy and not in the US, so laws, taxes and whatnot are very different. I hope that the forum can be an inspiration for me as much as the book has been so far.
Thanks @MJ DeMarco for giving the red pill, I'm ready to pursue my dreams.
 
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FraV

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Hello everyone,
I'm from Italy and unfortunately I discovered TMF a bit late in my life compared to most of you guys (I'm 31), just picked up Unscripted too and I can definitely say that the books completely changed my view on life.
Even if I have what most would consider a good situation (masters degree in Engineering, well paid job, no debt, I own my house, etc.) I always felt that something was wrong and that I was meant for something more that the rat race Monday-through-Friday I'm living, and now the book left me with clarity of mind and a burning desire of escaping the race as soon as possible, becoming an entrepreneur.
If you think that the SCRIPT is strong in the US, you wouldn't imagine how it is in Italy. Basically entrepreneurship culture is almost absent, the dream job for most is a government job mediocrly paid where you can snooze your way to retirement.
That's not the life I want, at all.
I'm eager to make my first steps and create a business, I'm trying to collect informations in order to decide which would be a good starting point, considering I live in Italy and not in the US, so laws, taxes and whatnot are very different. I hope that the forum can be an inspiration for me as much as the book has been so far.
Thanks @MJ DeMarco for giving the red pill, I'm ready to pursue my dreams.

Hello Marco,

I can slightly relate with you being an ex Slowlaner living in Italy. I know what you mean about the rat race. I am tired of it!

Francesca V.
 

ZF Lee

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Welcome!
Basically entrepreneurship culture is almost absent, the dream job for most is a government job mediocrly paid where you can snooze your way to retirement.
What...you mean there are no businesses in Italy? Then how do accountants, bankers, bakers and others get the stuff they need, or work to get paid?

Probably you haven't been taking a better look around you.:p

Even governments do need businesses to help them out in some way, not just in tax!
 

RobD88

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Welcome @macq

I know there are entrepreneurs in Italy because I just met some last week. Some gentlemen from a company called Zobele were trying to sell me some fairly unique products. I'm with @ZF Lee , you probably haven't been looking close enough to your surroundings. Regardless, it is great that you found some motivation from MJ's books to change your mindset. After reading both books you really never look at the world the same way again.

As for your age...I'm 47 and just getting started. You're never too old!
 
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macq

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Thanks everyone for the welcome. :smile2:
Yes, of course there are businesses, I was talking mainly about the general mentality.
This is only to say that for sure leaving a full-time, well paid job for a new business would be even harder than what MJ De Marco writes in TMF or Unscripted . This doesnt lessen my motivation at all of course!
 

Roli

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Hello everyone,
I'm from Italy and unfortunately I discovered TMF a bit late in my life compared to most of you guys (I'm 31).

I discovered it in my early 40s, makes no difference.

My biggest pieces of advice are to be patient, it is easy to rush in with enthusiasm, better to prepare yourself for the right opportunity.

Make your 'thing' out of something you already know, use your structural engineering knowledge to the max. Then the new things you learn can supplement that.

Never give up, and continually analyse your mistakes, turning them into learning experiences.

Good luck!
 

vsquid

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Anyone have any good tips of how to get started? I'm in a pretty similar situation with a solid job but plenty of time on the side to start something new. Any ideas where to start to get business ideas?
 
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D

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Iammelissamoore

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Welcome aboard Macq,

The Fastlane Life is a Journey, not a starting or ending point, that being said, age isn't a determining factor as to how far or how well you can perform in ensuring your greatness. There are many Fastlaners who are doing great things, longggggg after beginning when "Scripted Society" told them they should. One of the greatest steps onto the Fastlane journey is when we strip away what society says we should and shouldn't do and when/ when not to do it. Now that you have come across the journey, the greatest thing you can do for yourself is to begin and build hereon.

I wish you all the best on your journey.
 

ZF Lee

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Anyone have any good tips of how to get started? I'm in a pretty similar situation with a solid job but plenty of time on the side to start something new. Any ideas where to start to get business ideas?
Your job.
 
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Photogratree

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Ciao Marco

I empathise as I too live in Italy, I've just joined the forum after discovering FLM & Unscripted and I'm getting a bit "long in the tooth" (as I'm over 50). It is a wonderful place to live but I know what you mean; the mindset, bureaucracy and red tape sometimes seems insurmountable. That said, I'm in the process of opening a company in Italy in order to run my aviation consultancy (which is agonisingly slow to set up and has many layers of red tape) while I look, in parallel, for a more entrepreneurial venture to run (slow lane still has to pay the bills for now).
The first thing I found was to very very carefully select your commercialista; most of them are little more that form fillers who simply submit tax returns without working to find optimised solutions that legally maximise your returns depending upon the business sector. (I guess time will tell if I made a good enough selection for mine).
In my experience here, there are many areas, business sectors and disciplines that currently don't truly proved a quality service, that is already more common in other countries, and to my way of thinking people just seem to accept it, almost a case of "that's just the way it is", how scripted is that!
It's everyday activities like finding a reliable tradesperson, internet services, that actually work, websites that are actually useful and many other things like that where there has to be opportunity to provide improvements. Those are the sort of things I'm noting down and thinking about.
But, I think Italy may be unique in the "closed shop" mentality of some of the everyday services that I understand are impossible to get into; for example look at service (gas) stations - compared to many other countries like Germany & UK they are stuck in the 1960's here - you can get fuel if your card works in the machine, or maybe if someone is actually there you can get some oil or perhaps a light bulb from the little shack but thats it! Now, compare that to Germany or UK, they are open from 0600 to mid nite and some are 24hrs, there's a shop at most of them, selling food, drinks, toiletries etc., you could almost do your weekly grocery shopping in some of them - That is a sector just begging to be improved but how can that industry be cracked in Italy?
It's just an idea.
 

Niptuck MD

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in order to run my aviation consultancy

Is this your main line of expertise? I have some expertise in this field as well. I have been to Turin and dealt with the GE acquisition of AVEO several years back.

Best of luck in your venture Paisan.

Italy is and will always be one of earths treasures. I hope to visit every facet of that nation someday.
 

macq

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Thanks Photogratree, nice to know that others know where I'm coming from and the somewhat unique challenges that our country provides.
I agree that there are many services currently undeveloped and waiting to be got right by someone - my field is in computer science so I'm looking first of all at online ventures... but I'm open to various possibilities. Right now I've bookmarked and I'm reading some of the Gold threads that are useful for my needs.
Thanks for the tip on the commercialista, I thought that would have been a problem, I'l look at the right one carefully.
 
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luka96

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hello, wow 2 italian's in this forum good.
i'm 21 and i already have small freelancer bussiness (fiverr and ebay).
good luck to everyone
 

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