- Joined
- Apr 6, 2020
- Messages
- 68
Rep Bank
$705
$705
User Power: 163%
And so it started in June 2018. My journey as a fulltime entrepreneur officially began. But, the decision wasn't made just there and then. Let me shortly take you back to where it started and use this first post in this progress thread as an introduction. I have read many threads on this forum and it's time to start my own.
Hardstuck in the slowlane
My father used to say: ''School is important. But what you do outside of school is just as important.'' Oh, he was so right. I was never the entrepreneurial type, I thought of becoming a doctor and was doing a good job getting there. I was the good student: always making my homework, always studying hard for tests, always attending all classes making notes. I was unknowingly hardstuck in the slowlane and didn't even thought of getting out of it. It 'just so happened'. Or, well, that's what it felt like when the hockey stick effect kicked in.
A rolling ball
1. In 2007 I became a contracted professional gamer after my parents signed the contract. This gave me the opportunity to travel to events and, unknowingly at my young age, build a network.
2. Thanks to this I got my first interview on national TV in 2014.
3. This led to many more interviews (300+ nowadays) after which a popular TV channel picked me up in 2016 as they wanted me to host a show.
4. This resulted in a speaker agency putting me on their website in 2017.
5. The media attention and my work resulted in companies approaching me in 2018.
6. Simultaneously, I started giving educational workshops in 2016 as I noticed I could help people with my experience. This then led to launching an online educational business in 2020 and being the author of a book launched in 2020 with a great publisher and co-author.
I couldn't work with the businesses or dedicate enough time to my educational business due to being in medschool from 7am to 7pm every day. Choice : stay in medschool and know I'll study till 35 and stay inside the walls of a hospital, or try to follow my own path and see where it leads me? After a short holiday I came back on Sunday. Walked into my first day of the internship 'Surgery' on Monday, had some conversations, and never looked back.
I did have a safety net. I was allowed to go back to medschool and continue where I left off if I couldn't manage to make enough money in my first year to sustain myself. This was 4.5 years ago.
Sidenotes to put things in perspective
- I hosted the show for free from 2016 to the end of 2018. In 2019 I got paid 75 euros per broadcast (1 a week). I quit the show in 2020 to focus on other activities.
- My first speaking gig was in December 2017. The first year I earned enough money to sustain myself from solely speaking income was 2022. The years prior I also needed other income
- My book launched during the lockdown. This was not planned for of course. All bookstores were closed, which happens to be a big influence in my country. We did not have this form of marketing/sales and missed out massively. Still, it didn't do too bad and is still selling on a consistent basis.
- My educational business is still very much a startup. I'll explain below.
- I have never had to be proactive in business, business always found its way to me. This can also make you 'lazy'. What I mean with this, and how I now changed some of my ways, will be clarified in a future post.
So, what do I do today and how will I structure this thread?
I will make sure to always update the thread on 3 topics : my speaking, my educational business, and 'other'. I will share fails and mistakes, learnings, things that really helped me, tips and more. I have quite a lot to write about in this thread.
1. Speaking (Fastlane? Better than slowlane. But not CENTS)
I don't have much control as an event needs to invite me for an event or accepts me to speak there. It is also bound to my time, as I am my own product. I can only leverage my pay per gig. Hence in 2022 I had the goal of being contracted to global agencies. This happened, and I now had 2 global speaking gigs so far. These pay 10x the amount of local gigs for the exact same.
2. Educational business (Fastlane potential & CENTS)
This business is an educational platform and launched in 2020 with two cofounders. It didn't work out and they left early 2022. Why? More info in a future post. I learned a lot though it killed the initial traction of the business. Then mid 2022 I got in touch with someone else and now we are building a great team. I'm very excited and will talk more about this in a future post.
3. Other
I'm an expert advisor for a fund which takes very little time. It teaches me what to look for, and what to look at, when investing in a business. Always good to learn. I'm also part of another business which takes very little time, but the outcome helps with speaking gigs and my educational business. Lastly, I'm a board member of a global organization. This doesn't take much time on a monthly basis, but I do have to travel to some events throughout the year. It is amazing for my network.
The first of many
If there are any questions, please write them below and I'll be happy to answer these. I didn't go into too much detail with everything above due to the length of this post. I have a lot to share, but I'll do so in future posts in this progress thread.
To wrap it up with my favorite quote : 'If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done'
Hardstuck in the slowlane
My father used to say: ''School is important. But what you do outside of school is just as important.'' Oh, he was so right. I was never the entrepreneurial type, I thought of becoming a doctor and was doing a good job getting there. I was the good student: always making my homework, always studying hard for tests, always attending all classes making notes. I was unknowingly hardstuck in the slowlane and didn't even thought of getting out of it. It 'just so happened'. Or, well, that's what it felt like when the hockey stick effect kicked in.
A rolling ball
1. In 2007 I became a contracted professional gamer after my parents signed the contract. This gave me the opportunity to travel to events and, unknowingly at my young age, build a network.
2. Thanks to this I got my first interview on national TV in 2014.
3. This led to many more interviews (300+ nowadays) after which a popular TV channel picked me up in 2016 as they wanted me to host a show.
4. This resulted in a speaker agency putting me on their website in 2017.
5. The media attention and my work resulted in companies approaching me in 2018.
6. Simultaneously, I started giving educational workshops in 2016 as I noticed I could help people with my experience. This then led to launching an online educational business in 2020 and being the author of a book launched in 2020 with a great publisher and co-author.
I couldn't work with the businesses or dedicate enough time to my educational business due to being in medschool from 7am to 7pm every day. Choice : stay in medschool and know I'll study till 35 and stay inside the walls of a hospital, or try to follow my own path and see where it leads me? After a short holiday I came back on Sunday. Walked into my first day of the internship 'Surgery' on Monday, had some conversations, and never looked back.
I did have a safety net. I was allowed to go back to medschool and continue where I left off if I couldn't manage to make enough money in my first year to sustain myself. This was 4.5 years ago.
Sidenotes to put things in perspective
- I hosted the show for free from 2016 to the end of 2018. In 2019 I got paid 75 euros per broadcast (1 a week). I quit the show in 2020 to focus on other activities.
- My first speaking gig was in December 2017. The first year I earned enough money to sustain myself from solely speaking income was 2022. The years prior I also needed other income
- My book launched during the lockdown. This was not planned for of course. All bookstores were closed, which happens to be a big influence in my country. We did not have this form of marketing/sales and missed out massively. Still, it didn't do too bad and is still selling on a consistent basis.
- My educational business is still very much a startup. I'll explain below.
- I have never had to be proactive in business, business always found its way to me. This can also make you 'lazy'. What I mean with this, and how I now changed some of my ways, will be clarified in a future post.
So, what do I do today and how will I structure this thread?
I will make sure to always update the thread on 3 topics : my speaking, my educational business, and 'other'. I will share fails and mistakes, learnings, things that really helped me, tips and more. I have quite a lot to write about in this thread.
1. Speaking (Fastlane? Better than slowlane. But not CENTS)
I don't have much control as an event needs to invite me for an event or accepts me to speak there. It is also bound to my time, as I am my own product. I can only leverage my pay per gig. Hence in 2022 I had the goal of being contracted to global agencies. This happened, and I now had 2 global speaking gigs so far. These pay 10x the amount of local gigs for the exact same.
2. Educational business (Fastlane potential & CENTS)
This business is an educational platform and launched in 2020 with two cofounders. It didn't work out and they left early 2022. Why? More info in a future post. I learned a lot though it killed the initial traction of the business. Then mid 2022 I got in touch with someone else and now we are building a great team. I'm very excited and will talk more about this in a future post.
3. Other
I'm an expert advisor for a fund which takes very little time. It teaches me what to look for, and what to look at, when investing in a business. Always good to learn. I'm also part of another business which takes very little time, but the outcome helps with speaking gigs and my educational business. Lastly, I'm a board member of a global organization. This doesn't take much time on a monthly basis, but I do have to travel to some events throughout the year. It is amazing for my network.
The first of many
If there are any questions, please write them below and I'll be happy to answer these. I didn't go into too much detail with everything above due to the length of this post. I have a lot to share, but I'll do so in future posts in this progress thread.
To wrap it up with my favorite quote : 'If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done'
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Last edited:
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today