Hyperion

[Hyperion]

Hello

I am a 34 y/o mechanical engineer living the soul eroding 9 to 5, fixed salary life. I don't have anyone in my current circle who have done anything fast lane like. Most have taken the traditional route of go to college, get a job, etc. I'm here to connect with like minded people in my pursuit of breaking out of the mold.

I've read a handful of books on the subject of entrepreneurship, but feel paralyzed at the seemingly subjective complexity of it. It seems that there a couple of approaches to it and I find myself unsure of which to put my efforts. One school seems to be more traditional, as they would teach in a university. Lots of employees, hierarchical structures, insane amounts of market research and analysis, and of course, lots of up front capital. The other school of thought is more like what seems to be the next gen entrepreneur (like how MJ describes his business in the Fast Lane). Just one or a few people create a website or simple product or service, somehow avoiding the seemingly more complex system, but still achieving their financial goals. Am I missing something?

Good to be here. I hope we can all help each other.

 

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[James Fake]

Welcome!

You're making it too complicated man.. What's your favorite sport? Did you go read a bunch of books before you ever stepped foot on the court?

Grab ball. Put it through hoop. Grab bat. Swing and hit baseball. Catch football. Run.

Get/build product or service. Sell product or service.

There's only two aspects of it. You will learn how to be better ALONG THE WAY, not BEFORE THE WAY.

 

[Hyperion]

Welcome!

You're making it too complicated man.. What's your favorite sport? Did you go read a bunch of books before you ever stepped foot on the court?

Grab ball. Put it through hoop. Grab bat. Swing and hit baseball. Catch football. Run.

Get/build product or service. Sell product or service.

There's only two aspects of it. You will learn how to be better ALONG THE WAY, not BEFORE THE WAY.

Thanks for the straight feedback. I always tend to overcomplicate things.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Just one or a few people create a website or simple product or service, somehow avoiding the seemingly more complex system, but still achieving their financial goals. Am I missing something?

You're not missing anything. It's pretty simple, provide relative value through a value skew and you're in business.

 

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[Hyperion]

You're not missing anything. It's pretty simple, provide relative value through a value skew and you're in business.

MJ, I just got through the Fastlane Entrepreneurship (FE) section of "Unscripted ". I guess it would have been good to read this before posing the question. It still feels like a rather daunting task since I've never done anything like this before and my mindset has shifted from consumer to producer only within the last few weeks. It is a little challenging to make that shift but I'm determined to do it. It really requires a lot of mental monitering and mental gymnastics.

One thing that has made a major difference in my thinking is the mental shift from thinking about how I can easily make a lot of money, to how can I really add a lot of value. It was a palpable shift in how I thought about entrepreneurship and the effects were almost immediate. Before, I was thinking about how can I make money blogging, on Amazon, youtube, etc. with minimal effort (all those seemingly get rich quick with no entry barrier ideas). Now, when I think about providing value, those things don't even enter my mind. How would being another grain of sand on the beach add any value? I'm only mentioning this in hopes that another newbie may read this and experience the same shift, or at least it will plant the seed in their mind. To all the young (and old) people. Don't waste your time chasing easy money. 15 years will go by way faster than you think and you'll regret the hell out it.

I used to be the guy you describe in your books chasing easy money, and basically quite before I even began because it seemed to require too much risk, work, or potential for failure. 15 years has gone by with the same mental attitude and it has gotten me absolutley nowhere. I have a decent paying job now (8 to 5, Mon - Fri grind), but don't feel like I'm really making a difference. Everyday I have to drop my boys off at daycare and they cling to me because and want to be with me. I have to pry them off me and watch them cry while reachig their arms out to me while being held back by the child care worker, all because I've subscribed to the linear time dependent model of making money. My heart gets ripped out of my chest EVERY DAY! I see it happen with many of the other kids being dropped off too. Why is this the norm? It's depressing.

It's time to admit defeat to the quick easy money mentality, and accept the fact that "quick" may mean 5 or 10 years, but holy shit does that go by fast. I'd rather spend 10 years of my life with nothing (including personal time) to enjoy the rest doing whatever I want, pursuing meaningful endeavors, and creating rich meaningful memories with people I love. 10 years may seem like a long time, but it isn't. Trust me, you WILL be somewhere in 10 years, and you will either be thanking your 10 year younger self for changing your mentality, or kicking your 10 year younger self for being too determined to get rich easy that you never realize wealth at all, and now that time is just gone. This post ended up being much longer than originally intended. Thanks for reading.