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Hello everybody and thanks for being here!

Al Berton

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Aug 27, 2018
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Hi everybody,

my name is Alberto and I am 51(!), from Italy. Nice to “meet” you.

I am an electrical engineer, a good freelance professional, and I always liked travelling and to know other cultures. I speak 5 idioms and love soccer and basketball. My wife is Brazilian and we have 2 beautiful daughters, 11 and 17. I’ve read TMF and I swear I will soon read Unscripted ;) .

I am not satisfied of my professional life in terms of income and this makes me feel frustrated since several years now. Point is, ‘til now all my frustration wasn’t enough to push me in an entrepreneur life. As I learned reading from some book, our first financial education comes from the family. My father was working for the PA, he and my mum barely afforded to go out at restaurant (I think in my all teen-age we’ve been a couple of times out of weddings and other ceremonies) and he was super concentrated in savings, nevertheless conducing a life poor of consumer satisfactions due to the relatively low salary and considering he had to sustain 3 persons at home.

So I graduated well and early and after 15 months of compulsory military service I spent as a Navy Officer, I started as a maintenance engineer in a steelwork. To cut a long story short, when I was 31 with my first son arriving, I decided to leave the employee world and jump into the uncertain terrain of the free profession, basically – as I lately discovered – trading one kind of slavery for another. We bought an house whose mortgage we are still paying and we are currently full of expenses; my wife went back to the University to take a degree and so I am in the same situation of my father, with the difference that I have good incomes - compared to the middle class, bullshit in absolute terms – and we travel at least once per year, went regularly to restaurant, we dress quite good, have a couple of cars etc. Of course, guess what? There is almost no space for savings and as my incomes depends from my time, I am and I feel constantly at risk – and this increases my frustration.

I understood I have to change my mindset some years ago, but my brain has always found good excuses to prevent me to escape from the hamster wheel; basically, I think I had a mixture of laziness and fear and I hope now I am determined enough to find my way out of the cage. By the end limits, like fears, are often just an illusion, as another famous MJ said some years ago.

So I wanna thank @MJ DeMarco and all you here because the mindset change passes through the knowledge and in this virtual space you give me the possibility to learn, to see things via your thoughts, so opening my mind – thing that is impossible frequenting my friends who comfortably earn their salary living in a house they have inherited from their parents.
Some posts are really deep, congratulations.

Too late to change for me? I don’t think so, despite my brain made me believe it for a long time. But I decided not to be my brain. I’ve learned to shut up this negative thinking, I know it is only the first step of the ladder and I pray God I will be strong enough to rise ‘til the top.
 
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MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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So I wanna thank @MJ DeMarco and all you here because the mindset change passes through the knowledge and in this virtual space you give me the possibility to learn, to see things via your thoughts, so opening my mind – thing that is impossible frequenting my friends who comfortably earn their salary living in a house they have inherited from their parents.
Some posts are really deep, congratulations.

You're welcome my friend, welcome aboard!
 

Timmy C

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Hi everybody,

my name is Alberto and I am 51(!), from Italy. Nice to “meet” you.

I am an electrical engineer, a good freelance professional, and I always liked travelling and to know other cultures. I speak 5 idioms and love soccer and basketball. My wife is Brazilian and we have 2 beautiful daughters, 11 and 17. I’ve read TMF and I swear I will soon read Unscripted ;) .

I am not satisfied of my professional life in terms of income and this makes me feel frustrated since several years now. Point is, ‘til now all my frustration wasn’t enough to push me in an entrepreneur life. As I learned reading from some book, our first financial education comes from the family. My father was working for the PA, he and my mum barely afforded to go out at restaurant (I think in my all teen-age we’ve been a couple of times out of weddings and other ceremonies) and he was super concentrated in savings, nevertheless conducing a life poor of consumer satisfactions due to the relatively low salary and considering he had to sustain 3 persons at home.

So I graduated well and early and after 15 months of compulsory military service I spent as a Navy Officer, I started as a maintenance engineer in a steelwork. To cut a long story short, when I was 31 with my first son arriving, I decided to leave the employee world and jump into the uncertain terrain of the free profession, basically – as I lately discovered – trading one kind of slavery for another. We bought an house whose mortgage we are still paying and we are currently full of expenses; my wife went back to the University to take a degree and so I am in the same situation of my father, with the difference that I have good incomes - compared to the middle class, bullshit in absolute terms – and we travel at least once per year, went regularly to restaurant, we dress quite good, have a couple of cars etc. Of course, guess what? There is almost no space for savings and as my incomes depends from my time, I am and I feel constantly at risk – and this increases my frustration.

I understood I have to change my mindset some years ago, but my brain has always found good excuses to prevent me to escape from the hamster wheel; basically, I think I had a mixture of laziness and fear and I hope now I am determined enough to find my way out of the cage. By the end limits, like fears, are often just an illusion, as another famous MJ said some years ago.

So I wanna thank @MJ DeMarco and all you here because the mindset change passes through the knowledge and in this virtual space you give me the possibility to learn, to see things via your thoughts, so opening my mind – thing that is impossible frequenting my friends who comfortably earn their salary living in a house they have inherited from their parents.
Some posts are really deep, congratulations.

Too late to change for me? I don’t think so, despite my brain made me believe it for a long time. But I decided not to be my brain. I’ve learned to shut up this negative thinking, I know it is only the first step of the ladder and I pray God I will be strong enough to rise ‘til the top.

Welcome to the forum! age is just a number I'm sure alot of us wish we found this forum at a younger age.

Glad to have you here.
 
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Al Berton

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Aug 27, 2018
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You're welcome my friend, welcome aboard!
MJ, thanks for everything.
Should I ever manage to get rich, first thing I'll do will be to take a flight to the States and offer you and your family a dinner, if you'll do me the honour to accept ;)
 

Al Berton

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Aug 27, 2018
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It's been a while since I don't access the forum. Of course, I've been stuck in my slowlane job (I am a freelance engineer) and with my excuses for not taking action. It looks so hard for me to be committed. Of course, as said I have my excuses: a family to support. I have two daughters in school age and my wife decided to go back to the University. Everything relies on my shoulders. Nevertheless, there is always time if you ARE committed; I am enough honest with myself to recognise that I am not 100%, and not being 100% means that you are not.
Anyway, I found the time to make a couple of entrepreneur mistakes and I find fair to share my experience here, as here I took something before.
Well, one for sure is a mistake whilst the other maybe isn't.
I thought in starting a business in installing webcams; I live in a residential neighbourhood and several people are aged; so I thought that for them shouldn't be so easy to buy a webcam on Amazon and configure it together with their mobile phone.
Let me clarify that I didn't expect to become rich with it; I just wanted a different source of income and get some business experience. I wanted to act.
So I bought the best Samsung mobile phone, I went on Internet looking for a medium price webcam easy to install and with good performances, bought it, watched some YouTube tutorial because I wanted to be ready with a solution should a client arose. Then as a mean to promote my business I've chosen flyers - possibly another mistake. So once again I surfed to learn how to structure a flyer and the result was quite good in my opinion. I printed 1000 of them and had them distributed in the surroundings.

Guess how many contacts I had in return? Zero.

So what were the mistakes? First of all, I went against the Entry law: too easy to create the business even if, as said, it was just additional money for me. Secondly, maybe old chaps have expert nephews or they don't trust technology...or they simply don't want to give a stranger the possibility to watch inside or outside their houses. And third, maybe flyers are not the best promotion solution in the world. I gave up, ending with a brand new mobile which I needed and a webcam to control what the hell our cats are doing whilst we are not at home. Not too bad :)

In the meantime, I have started writing an e-book, a guide for people willing to move to Italy. I saw that there could be a potential market, even if of course the subject is not of common interest. Again, I am not dedicating as much as I should.

I also started reading once again TMF in the times that I am not busy doing something else and I realised that the ones of us that are really beginners need to study it, considering it as an University text book. At least the parts strictly related to business execution. Man, let me tell you again: you have to study it! Get rich or die trying!
Best wishes to you and your families for the coming year!
 

Private Witt

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Feb 20, 2018
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It's been a while since I don't access the forum. Of course, I've been stuck in my slowlane job (I am a freelance engineer) and with my excuses for not taking action. It looks so hard for me to be committed. Of course, as said I have my excuses: a family to support. I have two daughters in school age and my wife decided to go back to the University. Everything relies on my shoulders. Nevertheless, there is always time if you ARE committed; I am enough honest with myself to recognise that I am not 100%, and not being 100% means that you are not.
Anyway, I found the time to make a couple of entrepreneur mistakes and I find fair to share my experience here, as here I took something before.
Well, one for sure is a mistake whilst the other maybe isn't.
I thought in starting a business in installing webcams; I live in a residential neighbourhood and several people are aged; so I thought that for them shouldn't be so easy to buy a webcam on Amazon and configure it together with their mobile phone.
Let me clarify that I didn't expect to become rich with it; I just wanted a different source of income and get some business experience. I wanted to act.
So I bought the best Samsung mobile phone, I went on Internet looking for a medium price webcam easy to install and with good performances, bought it, watched some YouTube tutorial because I wanted to be ready with a solution should a client arose. Then as a mean to promote my business I've chosen flyers - possibly another mistake. So once again I surfed to learn how to structure a flyer and the result was quite good in my opinion. I printed 1000 of them and had them distributed in the surroundings.

Guess how many contacts I had in return? Zero.

So what were the mistakes? First of all, I went against the Entry law: too easy to create the business even if, as said, it was just additional money for me. Secondly, maybe old chaps have expert nephews or they don't trust technology...or they simply don't want to give a stranger the possibility to watch inside or outside their houses. And third, maybe flyers are not the best promotion solution in the world. I gave up, ending with a brand new mobile which I needed and a webcam to control what the hell our cats are doing whilst we are not at home. Not too bad :)

In the meantime, I have started writing an e-book, a guide for people willing to move to Italy. I saw that there could be a potential market, even if of course the subject is not of common interest. Again, I am not dedicating as much as I should.

I also started reading once again TMF in the times that I am not busy doing something else and I realised that the ones of us that are really beginners need to study it, considering it as an University text book. At least the parts strictly related to business execution. Man, let me tell you again: you have to study it! Get rich or die trying!
Best wishes to you and your families for the coming year!

Thanks for sharing your story. It seems you gained some insight from your failed web camera attempt and not a total loss.

I wrote a travel guide on the country of Colombia once and was an interesting experience. I wish you the best of the luck with your book!
 
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MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
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Jul 23, 2007
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Guess how many contacts I had in return? Zero.

This was not a validated failure. You failed simply because you gave up to early.

Your idea could have been plausible -- your messaging might not have been. Or your reach. Lots of factors to consider before throwing in the towel and just saying, "Well, that didn't work!"

Entrepreneurship just doesn't work like this. And neither does advertising and marketing.

Some things work, others don't. You don't just stop when you encounter your first "that didn't work" -- if so, you'll never succeed at anything because that's part of the process.
 

Al Berton

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Read Unscripted!
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Aug 27, 2018
16
16
This was not a validated failure. You failed simply because you gave up to early.

Your idea could have been plausible -- your messaging might not have been. Or your reach. Lots of factors to consider before throwing in the towel and just saying, "Well, that didn't work!"

Entrepreneurship just doesn't work like this. And neither does advertising and marketing.

Some things work, others don't. You don't just stop when you encounter your first "that didn't work" -- if so, you'll never succeed at anything because that's part of the process.
Thanks for your reply MJ.
Yes I thought about it...
One of the lessons I think I got from you is that failure is part of the process and another is the importance of marketing.

Let's say that I was not 100% convinced of the business idea and my point was: "let's try with 1000 shots to see what happens". Few feedbacks could have been a signal that a market exists but my way of letting people know of my existence was bad. Now, no feedback at all doesn't look so promising...
Of course I will take in count your precious opinion.
I am personally disturbed from the presence of flyers in my mailbox so should I continue I will choose another marketing mean. I did it because if many big companies use flyers - in Italy at least, it's done mainly from food markets and electronics shop - so I imagine that they have noted a certain relationship between flyers and sells.
Once again, Merry Xmas and best wishes to you and all other members of this place.
 

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