Ideas. Ideas. Ideas. Execution starts today.

[MJ DeMarco]

and I see that my thread here is asking the forum to make some decisions for me.

Not at all. Your post is fine.

You aren't asking us if you should divorce your wife, drop out of college, or move to Thailand.

You posted some business ideas and want some feedback.

That's why we're here!

 

[Dave Daily]

Hi, I'm Dave.

This is the start of my progress thread. IT BEGINS TODAY! The last day of February 2018. I’m going to take the advice I get from this first post, make a decision, and act on it. You’ll see my journey from idea to serving a thankful and happy market. I’ve got too many ideas, too many doubts, and too much or too little of something else. Let me know what that is when you see it. Thanks.

Sorry for the length. I thank those of you who do read and comment. I need a kick in the teeth, the a$$...you choose. And if you’re thinking about steali...uhum...using any of the ideas below, hit me up for a partnership, licensing agreement, investment offer, you know—something—first.

Have you ever vacillated because you have too many ideas? This is my current quandary and since I’m not getting any younger, I need wisdom from those of you who have broken past the mental barriers I have yet to subdue. You’ll see those barriers shortly. Have no fear.

After coming up with business ideas for the past few weeks (some of these go way back) after having just recently read TMF and Unscripted and also having had an initial burst of excitement, as you do when you read cool biz books, I’ve talked myself out of just about everything. What’s my reason?

~~ I don’t have the personal level of skill to take on any of the list items below (see TL;DR below). I don’t have enough background to start a business doing X even though I’m 48 and believe I should. Wah! ~~

So I’ve gone back to consuming videos, books, etc., for the last few days. Vomit.

I know that I just need to start DOING / EXECUTING / BEING IN PROCESS, but I don’t want to waste my time doing something that I won’t commit to because of a shit belief, i.e., I shouldn’t be doing this—who am I to be doing this?

Here’s my selfish desire (yes, I’m going to talk about me for a minute, before I get to the market(s) I’m thinking about serving):

Ideally, I want to take 5 years to free up my time, offering something of real value to real people, get free, and then start thinking about what’s next. I’d like to shoot for a 10MM exit event on July 19, 2023 when I turn 53. Ugh. I don’t expect to retire sipping whatever the F*ck I would sip at that time. I expect that I would want to do the next business. I just want the next 5 years to get me free first. FYI—I’d be happy to do it in ten years.

Why is that a bad goal? It’s the idea that I could get free in the next 5 years or so that got me excited when reading The Millionaire Fastlane and then Unscripted. I know I can’t chase money to get where I want, I just want to chase something that I believe I CAN build. I’m happy to provide real value. I just don’t know how I, THIS GUY, can do it, without, pausing for another 10 years to learn new skills / advance current skills first. F*ck!

At almost 50, I’m scared about opportunity cost. I don’t want to invest 6 months or a year on a business and feel like I should have known at the beginning that this wasn’t going to work for me. I’m asking for your insight. Those of you who have it.

So here is the list of ideas that I am pursuing after assessing my strengths and thinking about things that I might have some advantage in. (Note: I ramble on here before I get to the list) In other words, I’m not just picking a market out of thin air, much like @MJDeMarco didn’t pick his limo lead generation business out of thin air. His success came somewhat out of his past work experience. I don’t think this should be overlooked. Dan Norris created WPCurve out of his website design business as did MJ DeMarco, in part, as well. Gary Vee started Vayner Media out of his experience using social media to sell wine.

My experience has been more like MJ Demarco’s early journey, flitting around doing Amway and 5 other MLM things, among a series of pure jobs, except I still haven’t figured it out. He got his shit together in his mid-thirties. I’m almost 50.

I’ve bounced from telemarketing for Circuit City in my twenties to racking up over $350,000 in student debt (I know, right? FTE anyone?) because I thought I wanted to be a chiropractor and then shifted to multimedia, getting an MFA in Web Design and New Media, but I still haven’t designed my first “real” website or app. Sure I’ve done some shit HTML, CSS, Javascript stuff and I know quite a bit about those subjects, but in piece meal. I teach this stuff as a part-time adjunct professor (I teach because I can’t, haven’t, or won’t do. This needs to change). Teaching is an honorable profession, but it’s a job for me—a great job—I’ll grant you that, but as a part-timer without tenure, or as I believe, a chance at tenure, it’s very precarious. If enrollment goes to shit next semester, I could be homeless. And besides, I don’t want to teach at a college or university. I’d rather do it as an entrepreneur, but to do that I’d have to build up my skill a lot higher and I don’t feel that teaching on Udemy, etc. is a Fastlane opportunity. Now, starting a Udemy-type company has that kind of promise, but I’d need to find the value skew in that area. Maybe finding that value skew is what I should be looking for instead of writing this whiny-a$$ post.

Between Circuit City and now, I’ve sold 3 apartment buildings for Marcus & Millichap (an area that I’m considering getting back into, but now as an investor and educator--although, again, I only spent a year and half working there, so I’m not sure apartment investing is something I can teach without first owning 24 units), worked for a direct mail marketing company and a hundred other smaller things where I quit. I’ve taught now for the past 10 years. I’m a mediocre teacher, mostly because I feel a fraud. I don’t feel like I have the right to teach these kids multimedia because I believe I should come from years of experience in the industry. I just don’t have it. I’ve learned a lot through having to teach and I’m a better teacher for it, but to develop the skill that I need to feel like I should teach these kids, takes time, and this is part of my motivation to get free. If I were free in the next five years, I’d likely devote some of that time to perfecting skills. Why don’t I spend my off hours perfecting those skills now? I do. I’d just rather spend that time getting free by building a Fastlane business first. Again, it’s opportunity cost. When you’re my age, you start to see the end a bit more clearly. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m not exactly old yet, but at 48, I can see that I have no retirement and I absolutely loathe the idea of having to rely on my kids.

Now on to the list of businesses. I list them all as domain names (yes, I own them), because I’ll need a website at the very least:

TL;DR

Current List of Opportunities I’m Trying To Choose To Focus On (Monogamously)

• VectorVictory.com
  
  
  • Inspired by Design Pickle which charges a flat fee for design services and hires a team of designers in the Philippines to do the design work. It’s a B2B subscription model where businesses pay $370 per month for unlimited design services. The one thing they explicitly state that they don’t do is complex illustrations or logos.
    
    
  • So the not-doing-of-the-complex-illustrations-or-logos is where I see the value skew. VectorVictory.com will design your vector illustration art including logos for a flat $500 per month, because a vector is worth a thousand pictures. I farm out the work to expert artists, not necessarily in the Philippines, and pay them $300 per month per client. They can take as many clients as they can reasonably serve. I’ll have to figure out what “reasonable” means in that regard.
    
    
  • Why is this a good fit for me? I know how to do vector art. I’m not good enough to do it for $500 per month, at least not fast. That being said, I have considered just taking on my first customer to see how it goes. Maybe I do it for free, although Dan Norris would frown on that. LOL. But it’s never going to scale unless I have other artists anyway.
    
    
  • Why is custom vector art worth $500 per month? Because clipart and most stock art is shit. Custom work is pricey, but a consistent paycheck for an artist is a good thing, so there may be an arbitrage in there. Vector art is scalable, as in you can make it as big or small as you want without losing resolution. Vectors simplify communication. Vectors form the basis of most user interface elements and explainer videos among many other things.
    
    
  • If you’re only paying $500 per month and could get an unlimited supply of icons, t-shirt designs, logos, UI elements, could you start a t-shirt empire, may unlimited apps with great design components? Could you build a strong private label business with great private labels? Yes you could. If I had $500 per month to pay a skilled vector artist, I’d be able to sell all kinds of shit that relies on good art. Maybe that’s what I should do instead of VectoryVictory.com. Haha!
    
• AptOffers.com
  
  
  • As I stated above, I sold apartments in my early thirties for Marcus & Millichap. I sold 3 apartment buildings and made somewhere around $60,000 in commissions. I found an investor who became a kind of mentor and I tried to get him to sell me one of his properties near the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. I didn’t have the cash, so I thought he’d help me in a creative way. He just wouldn’t do it, which pissed me off and then I burned bridges. Bad move on my part. Anyway, in 2015, I almost put an apartment deal together with Michael Blank at TheMichaelBlank.com, but then it fell through. I think it fell through because I showed my pricing analysis to the dentist owner, and when he saw the valuation, I think he wanted to keep it. I showed my cards. Bad move. I became disenchanted and spooked and quit. I’m considering refocusing on that, getting back into Michael Blank’s group (you should check it out) and build an app to help me not show my hand, while communicating value to brokers, sellers, investors, etc. Then I can work on buying my first 24 unit apartment property (that’s my arbitrary goal) and sell the AptOffers.com web app as a tool.
    
    
  • What does the tool do?
    
    
    • The tool takes in all the data about an apartment property and spits out:
      
      
      • A one page investment proposal which will work to make the sale to the seller of the property and to potential investors
        
        
      • A multi-page pro-forma document with all the details including pictures for everyone who needs to dig in to the financials deeper.
        
        
      • An online / smart phone system which speeds up the negotiation process from
        
        
        • Non-disclosure agreement to
          
          
        • Letter of Intent to
          
          
        • Purchase Agreement to
          
          
        • Due Diligence checklist, etc.
          
          
        • Signatures are electronic and can be done on your phone. You’ll even have a saved signature.
          
      • It’s all specific to apartment investing and deals only with those problems. It builds credibility for you, the investor, because the templates are all professionally designed and worded. You look smart also, because the system forces you to get all the numbers together.
        
        
      • There’s more to be figured out, but that’s process.
        
• LaunchShit.com
  
  
  • Okay, so I had this idea before I came to this forum, and since this idea would be direct competition to this forum, I’m a bit reluctant to go into it. Nevertheless...
    
    
  • Also, the idea was inspired by everyone being free these days with words like shit and F*ck, etc. All the best business books are doing it! LOL.
    
    
  • I read Dan Norris’ 7 Day Startup and thought the idea of launching in 7 days was a good idea.
    
    
  • Launcshit.com -- Give a shit. Get shit. DONE!
    
    
  • Launchshit.com is an online community where you get the help you need building your launch idea by giving to the community, not unlike the reputation dollars here, except you trade a type of cryptocurrency which is only valid on the site––Shit! You trade shit emojis like the one below.
    
    
    
    
  • You pay a monthly membership fee to turn off ads and you also GET SHIT! The shit is money. You can trade it back in for real dollars. So you can give shit to people—which is a good thing.
    
    
  • You want to get on the “shit list” because that means you’re giving more than others.
    
    
  • You give shit to others who help you.
    
    
  • You give shit to others who you want to support because you want to help them launch.
    
    
  • Giving and helping is the core idea, but within a specialized community of people who are trying to give innovation to the world. Who better to support right?
    
    
  • The person who gives the most shit in a given period is THE SHIT!
    
    
  • @MJDeMarco, if you like this idea, and you might just think it’s SHIT , I’d love to start this with you. 60 you / 40 me.
    
• Sayve.me
  
  
  • I’m lazy. I want to talk to my phone as it sits next to me on my passenger seat as I’m driving to work because I got inspired to save another $5 toward my investment account.
    
    
  • Like Siri, you talk out loud saying “Save Me” and the app will listen, take the amount you give it, then ask for confirmation before putting that amount directly into the account you choose. The app could even ask which account or you could assign a default account.
    
• FaceValue.store
  
  
  • An online store which using the Presidents of the United States as Caricatured Mascots. Each President represents a bill--$1, $2, $5, $10, Etc. In the store, you shop by face value amounts. Tax is included, so you check out with even amounts. There could also be a facevalue.store subscription box which ships surprise products to you based on the presidents you choose.
    
    
  • Gift wrapping is free for Grants and Benjamins, if you want it.
    
• WFPbase.com
  
  
  • I switched to a whole food plant based diet about a year ago. I sometimes succeed at it.
    
    
  • WFPbase.com plays on the whole food plant “based” concept and is a store or service which maximizes your nutrition. It’s not about weight loss, although that would be a natural side effect. The problem with this idea is getting fresh veggies to people in way that bypasses the one organ in their body which doesn’t want them -- the tongue. So I think the tongue will be an anti-mascot, sort of a villain
    
    
  • I don’t want to go the meal in a box route. That’s being done.
    
    
  • I like Dr. Greger’s (Book: How Not To Die) Daily Dozen and Dr. Fuhrman’s (Book: Eat to Live) GBOMBS (greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds)
    
    
    • Both of these lists of food you should eat form the “base” of what you should eat everyday.
      
      
    • I’d like WFPbase.com to help you cover your nutritional “bases.”
      
• DrinkSteve.com
  
  
  • Stevia (a sugar free herb substitute) drink with a comedy angle. Brand a drink based on the top STEVE comedians in the world who are still alive :
    
    
    • Steve Martin – Cola Nut
      
      
    • Steve Carrell – Dr. Steve
      
      
    • Stephen Colbert – All American Root Beer
      
      
    • Steven Wright – Energy Drink — XD
      
      
    • Steve-O – Cream Steve
      
      
    • Tina Fey – Honorary Steve - Lemon
      
  • “Drink Steve and Taste Funny”
    

• Hygenie.club
  
  
  • A monthly subscription box for each part of your body that needs hygiene. The genie idea is just a brand, so I’d have a genie for a mascot and there’d be some gimick about how you get three wishes. Maybe you can choose three surprise items in your box(es) per month and the rest you get to choose on the website, since it seems that people may be tiring of the surprise angle.
    
• Tabl.store
  
  
  • My son an I built some tables from lumber, and using a KREG jig, a drill, and a miter saw. We sold it for $450 after spending around $150 on the lumber. Of course this doesn’t include the equipment. We were then commissioned to build a kitchen nook set for another family. We sold that set for $850 after about $250 in lumber etc. So we actually made money!
    
    
  • Make these tables en masse and ship them all over the planet if possible.
    
    
  • Add a custom angle by using a CNC router and or a laser cutter and add custom/personalized typographic elements to the table top.
    
    
  • Make the table tops charging surfaces so when you place your devices on the table, they charge.
    
    
  • Include usb ports built into the table.
    
• Stikits.club
  
  
  • Sticker | Patch | Button | Pin | Magnet | Card | Ticket Subscription Box
    
    
    • A printed ticket for a special exclusive event
      
      
      • Can be a coupon for something extra special
        
        
      • Some tickets are special, rare tickets. Like cruise tickets or Disneyland Tickets or Katy Perry Concert Tickets
        
    • This could be a side service of vectorvictory.com
      
      
    • Digital Stickers such as messenger stickers can be included as free app downloads.
      
      
    • Have businesses pay for the sticker designs in exchange for putting a “ticket” (a branding / advertisement moment for them) which is to a special event, that something people who like to buy stickers, patches, etc. would want to go to.
      
      
    • This is somewhat within my wheelhouse because I have some capacity at vector art design, so I could make my first set of 25 to 50 boxes myself and just give them away or sell them to get the ball rolling.
      
• Good To Go
  
  
  • This is an alternative to or addition to WFPbase.com wherein this is a drive through fast food restaurant which serves up only whole food plant based cuisine, primarily the 4 esses -- Sandwiches, Soups, Salads, Stir-Frys.
    
    
  • This is a brick and mortar, drive-through-only concept based on health with convenience. Your health on demand.
    
    
  • I’d have iterate this across the country for scale.
    
    
  • I don’t have the startup cash for something like this, but I suppose I could try to get it. Any takers?
    

There you have it. Ideas.

Ideas are shit. I agree with MJ that execution is everything. Go ahead, ream me a new one. I suppose you could say that I could pick any one of these, but I’d like to get some insight from savvy folks who might help me think differently. As you can see, I can ideate all day long. It’s the choosing and sticking with the choice that is hard for me. The risk I’m trying to mitigate is the threat of switching to one of these other ideas when the road gets hard.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Holy shit, there are some really GOOD ideas in there.

I like most of them and you really thought them out well.

Good To Go

There's a restaurant here in Scottsdale that focuses on plant based, also some grass-fed stuff (paleo) and let me tell you, it is printing money. The place is always JAMMED.

Here's a link:

FRC - Flower Child - Healthy Food for a Happy World

I think healthy food (plant based / vegan / vegetarian) stuff is going to go big. Not a trend, a movement, kind of how milk sales have declined in the last 4 decades.

 

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[RobD88]

Dude...wow! I'm just going to give you my opinions, take them for what they are worth to you. First, as you saw when you posted on my "never too old" thread...you are never too old to get started. Don't let your age worry or discourage you. I'm definitely not.

Some of your ideas are pretty damn good. I like the VectorVictory idea though I think the subscription price may be a little high and it looks like you're giving away too much of the money to your outsourced team.

The AptOffers idea seems legit too. I know there are already other tools like this out there because I almost got suckered into investing $50K into Than Merril's fortune builders real estate investing system because the technology they promote is pretty slick. I then did some research and found similar digital tools for a fraction of the price or even for free. But if you can build a better, more efficient mousetrap, go for it. Create value and you will receive value in return.

The table store is kind of cool too but I say that out of the enjoyment I get from doing similar projects and working with my hands. The scalability scares me. Shipping furniture isn't cheap so your product would need to be top quality, high end stuff. The personalization aspect is very intriguing though.

None of the rest really appealed to me. Of these three I like VectorVictory the best. There are so many people outsourcing this work on sites like Fivrr and Upwork that the market is pretty ripe. You just have to sell the value add you have (unlimited designs for a flat price) and build the brand. It also seems like the lowest start up cost and greatest possible reach.

Where I see you struggling the most is in confidence. You've been teaching and working in media for ten years. If that doesn't make you an expert I don't know what does. Quit beating yourself up and trust in your abilities. I can guarantee more than one of your students has used what you taught them to do some amazing stuff. That is a testament to your ability and all the affirmation you should need.

Quit with the analysis paralysis and just move forward with something with the idea that you deserve to reach your goals. The only thing holding you back is you.

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

I voted for Tabl.store.

I'd change the domain name to something else though. It seems that most people don't understand complex domain extensions like .store.

Reason I voted for Tabl:

You already have proof of concept.

My son an I built some tables from lumber, and using a KREG jig, a drill, and a miter saw. We sold it for $450 after spending around $150 on the lumber. Of course this doesn’t include the equipment. We were then commissioned to build a kitchen nook set for another family. We sold that set for $850 after about $250 in lumber etc. So we actually made money!

You made $450 revenue on $150.
You made $850 revenue on $250.

Labor costs weren't included, but not important. You can shift from a labor business to stocking inventory. Let me explain after examining concerns.

Table Store. Great idea, but do you really want a job? You should be building a scalable business that you can step OUT of eventually. This is way too time consuming and too dead end for too little money.

If you're selling tables at $850 a unit, and can average $600 profit, then you don't need a crazy number of sales to make it a sellable business. Getting to 1,000 units sold per year is highly doable. That's a $600k annual business. Easy sale.

To start it'll be a job, but eventually it'll be easy to outsource most components:

• Switch manufacturing of the base components/packaging to overseas. That way you cut production costs and labor costs.
• Only do the custom engraved table tops in the US. Then all you have to do is make the table top and put it in the box. 15 minutes of work at scale.

The table store is kind of cool too but I say that out of the enjoyment I get from doing similar projects and working with my hands. The scalability scares me. Shipping furniture isn't cheap so your product would need to be top quality, high end stuff. The personalization aspect is very intriguing though.

• For shipping you'll need good freight partners that will do LCL shipments at a cheap rate. I've been quoted $400 to get a pallet from Chicago to Atlanta. Worked the price down to $100 for the pallet. Logistics will be a tough problem to figure out, but another huge barrier to entry.

Table idea is evergreen. Seems like no competition. Highly valuable (if customized). Easily scalable if you set the supply chain up correctly: Make the base models overseas --> Engrave table top at home --> Package tabletop and ship. It's also nice to get into because you can start by doing the labor yourself and after you scale a bit, outsource the production (both overseas and domestically). $20 an hour and you have labor lining up to engrave and package for you. Once you hit that point it's just marketing/scaling.

Good luck.

Also keep in mind that this forum is biased to virtual businesses and against "getting your hands dirty". There's an inherent bias so take that account into the feedback you're being given.

 

[Carol Jones]

G'day Dave @Hugh Nivers from Oz,

I'm not voting on your ideas. They all seem very exciting. And shows your ability to think ideas through.

What I will vote on is:

#1. Your amazing courage in putting yourself out there. And risking a very public humiliation. Which is always on the cards. So I give you a 10/10.

#2. The incredible help. And support. You received from members of this forum. Which is a forum that doesn't let people down. And I give the forum a 10/10.

You now have all the help. Ideas. A support lifeline. And emotional infrastructure. To create the life you want to live. With all its imperfections.

The rest is up to you.

So go grab your brass ring. And get going! ~Carol❤

 

[Dave Daily]

Here's what happened when I put four of the above business ideas into MJ's decision matrix:

 

[Real Deal Denver]

Well Hugh - all I can say is you must have more than one brain, and they're all working overtime. Great List. You may be starting a little late, but you are starting with a bang. Going the speed you are capable of, you will have no trouble catching up in the race.

I wish I had a friend like you to hang out with. We could conquer the world. I'll definitely be keeping in touch with you. I'd also appreciate your opinions on my ventures, but that's for another day...

You didn't come here for a love fest, right? You want feedback that you can face head on, right? I'm not going to lie to you. Although there are things I do like a lot, I'll give you the nitty gritty. Or, maybe just the gritty. Here goes.

Here's what I DON'T like about some of your ideas:

Drink Steve. Totally stupid. Who cares? Waste of time. Take this one behind the barn and shoot it. The concept might be cute as a theme for a night club, but that's all it has going for it.

Launch Shit. I would hire you for this one. Love it. What I would like would be package deals. Option one - a website - fixed price. Option two, mirror and link the website with Facebook - fixed price. Option three - an e-commerce site linked in - fixed price. Option four - email marking, sales funnel, drip campaign marketing set up and deployed - fixed price. Put together a fixed price menu. If you price everything as a fee based on-going service, you could lose your shirt. For one, I'd probably run you ragged by myself. Don't get into bottomless pits.

Table Store. Great idea, but do you really want a job? You should be building a scalable business that you can step OUT of eventually. This is way too time consuming and too dead end for too little money.

Vector Victory. Great idea. Could be another bottomless pit though. A few big clients could have you working your arse off for pennies. I would also hire you for this, but on a piece meal basis. I don't need unending designs, but I might need 20 or 30. Some other customers might run you to death with 300 or more. This venture could morph into a tsunami that overwhelms you. Be careful what you wish for!

Apartment Offers. Great idea. Too limited. Do this for ANY type of real estate. Why limit yourself? I do something very similar to this myself. I use software that is free to do it. I also have software that is dirt cheap that is more polished - it's about $150. I have to upgrade my paid software to a new computer os, and might not even do it because the free version does such a good job.

Face Value. Already done. Dollar stores. Or amazon. You have to have content, not a gimmicky price. This one has no steam to move forward, and it sure won't survive long against the mammoth competition out there.

All in all, I see your business models being too open ended so that you may be swallowed up by them, or too time intensive so that you may be shackled to them for a pittance in pay.

However - - - your brain is on steroids. I'm sure that if you see things from my point of view, you can run through them in your mind and rework the concepts. You are flippin brilliant.

You remind me of a favorite movie character - Rocky Balboa. Once Rock threw off his self imposed shackles of doubt and uncertainty, he became everyone's hero. The only one standing in his way all along was himself. If anyone can be successful, I assure you that it's you.

Keep in touch with me. I don't want to be the friend you go to so you get a pat on your back. I want to be the friend you trust because I will tell you what you need to hear!

 

[minivanman]

Oh look >>>>>>>>>

A squirrel......

 

[JasonR]

Honestly, I like the apartment route, but not the App thing you mentioned.

1) You can do deals that have large MAGNITUDE in RE especially if you have capital or access to capital (Read @SteveO Posts)

2) I think there's a lot of opportunity for SaaS businesses in the RE Space.

I'm not sure how much of a marketing background you have, but I would do another analysis on how you plan on getting customers for each opportunity you mention as they are vastly different from each other.

 

[Carol Jones]

I'm good enough to know that I'm not good enough personally to do what would need to be done for VectorVictory.com. The truth is though that I only need to art direct. That I can do. As long as I can convince a bevy of skilled, starving artists to produce the custom work, it'll work.

G'day again Dave @Hugh Nivers from Oz,

Some of the most successful businesses in the world have been built around the skills of the people who can do the work.

And the skills of the people who have ideas. And can CREATE the work.

Ideas come first. Creating the work comes second. Without those two skills, the people who can do the work have nothing to do.

There's a plus in this dichotomy of skills. These relationships work because each part of the relationship can't exist without the other. There are no areas where there's overlap. So there are rarely opportunities for dissension.

From what I can see, your biggest strength is the one you beat yourself up about the most. Your ability to generate ideas. But not execute them. By doing them yourself.

You don't need to follow through on your ideas by doing them yourself. You just need to know your idea is right out of the box. Because you see things others don't. And then find someone to work with who can help you execute them.

For instance, with your tables idea. Why do you need to make them yourself? There are plenty of skilled carpenters who can make them for you. Maybe this idea won't take off. But it's an example of where you don't need to be the person who does. You just need to be the person with the idea. And be the person who can organise the people who make them. So you can concentrate on developing the market.

In Italy, two partners who are childhood friends are turning the cashmere garment world upside down by offering superior quality garments direct to customers. At half the price.

They had the idea that it could be done. And found the people who could help them turn their idea into a business.

One of the most successful architectural practices in Sydney Australia was a partnership between an architect who was a brilliant designer. But who couldn't sell his designs to clients. And a partner who couldn't design anything. But knew how to convince clients his partner was brilliant.

One could sell the projects. The other could execute the designs. They built up a formidable practice over 30 years. Employing over 300 people around the world. And sold the practice when they reached retirement for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Most people are bereft of ideas, Dave. Don't sell yourself short. It's ideas that change the world. There are more than enough people available in the world to help you execute them. ~Carol❤

 

[Real Deal Denver]

G'day again Dave @Hugh Nivers from Oz,

Some of the most successful businesses in the world have been built around the skills of the people who can do the work.

And the skills of the people who have ideas. And can CREATE the work.

Ideas come first. Creating the work comes second. Without those two skills, the people who can do the work have nothing to do.

There's a plus in this dichotomy of skills. These relationships work because each part of the relationship can't exist without the other. There are no areas where there's overlap. So there are rarely opportunities for dissension.

From what I can see, your biggest strength is the one you beat yourself up about the most. Your ability to generate ideas. But not execute them. By doing them yourself.

You don't need to follow through on your ideas by doing them yourself. You just need to know your idea is right out of the box. Because you see things others don't. And then find someone to work with who can help you execute them.

For instance, with your tables idea. Why do you need to make them yourself? There are plenty of skilled carpenters who can make them for you. Maybe this idea won't take off. But it's an example of where you don't need to be the person who does. You just need to be the person with the idea. And be the person who can organise the people who make them. So you can concentrate on developing the market.

In Italy, two partners who are childhood friends are turning the cashmere garment world upside down by offering superior quality garments direct to customers. At half the price.

They had the idea that it could be done. And found the people who could help them turn their idea into a business.

One of the most successful architectural practices in Sydney Australia was a partnership between an architect who was a brilliant designer. But who couldn't sell his designs to clients. And a partner who couldn't design anything. But knew how to convince clients his partner was brilliant.

One could sell the projects. The other could execute the designs. They built up a formidable practice over 30 years. Employing over 300 people around the world. And sold the practice when they reached retirement for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Most people are bereft of ideas, Dave. Don't sell yourself short. It's ideas that change the world. There are more than enough people available in the world to help you execute them. ~Carol❤

I think I've found a part of my mastermind group. The most successful people work with a group of talented people that have unusually keen insight and uncommon business sense. You can go years before finding one of these people. They are indeed rare, and rarer still are the ones that will actually help you.

The advice that Carol gave you is golden. You are a true treasure Carol!

 

[Dave Daily]

Together Tables ~ Day 1 ~ wherein I discuss my plans for my tiny workspace in my messy and tiny yard.

This video is embarrassing, but I want to share myself and my thoughts, so I can get feedback on what I need to work on both about me and my ideas. As an introvert, one of the things I need to know is how I'll handle putting myself out there more. If I come off as a little insane, lol, just know that I'm trying to put some energy into this, so it may not read as 100% natural. Thanks.

 

[Carol Jones]

I'd appreciate feedback if you have any. If I need to eat some humble pie, I understand. I don't intend to quit altogether.

Good morning Dave from Oz,

Why do you have to eat humble pie? Humble Pie is for those who have done something wrong. You've done nothing wrong.

Business Is A Tough Gig. For everyone. The road to success is zig-zag. Not straight.

You've taken a fork in the road. Found out it was a dead end. Turned around. And are willing to try another fork in the road. Kudos to you for staying on the road.

That's how all of us in business get from A to Z.

Some people take a fork in the road. Find out it's a dead end. And are unwilling to ever try another fork in the road. They will never get the opportunity to live life in the fast lane.

And if your next decision doesn't work out as you like. Try another one. Some of the most successful people in business had multiple failures. And bankruptcies. Learned from each one. Until one day they put all that learning together, like a jigsaw puzzle, and created their dream business.

We live in an era of instant everything. Gratification. Success. Buy now. Pay later.

We've also lost our curiosity. And our appetite to experiment. Or. As we say in Oz. Give it a go. And see where it takes us.

Suck it and see (what happens) has a lot going for it. Inventors apply this philosophy to everything they do. Most of what they do isn't successful. But when success rises up, it's such a winner that all the past deflations are forgotten.

Then there are the fad businesses which have instant success. Which many people compare themselves with. Not realising most of these have short shelf lives. The Fidgit Spinner. It was on the front counter of every newsagent in Australia. No more. Pet rocks. Lava lamps.

Nothing has changed about the path to long-term success. It's slow. It's a grind. Much of it is hack work. Sometimes it's one step forward. Two steps backwards. But success is built on knowledge and experience gained over a lifetime. One poor decision. One good decision. At a time.

Stop reading about how well others are doing. They're not.

Kate Spade. Anthony Bourdain. Robin Williams. Et al. Do not live their lives as we envisage.

Elon Musk. Tiger Woods. Madonna. And a squillion other successful people. Can't sustain family/personal relationships.

Keep us in the loop. We're all interested in what you do. And I've no doubt that sharing your candour about your decision to pull the plug on tables has helped many in the forum come to grips with making similar decisions.

Best wishes always. ~Carol❤

PS. The link below is a story everyone should read about JK Rowling. How she lifted herself out of poverty and depression. To become a billionaire. Who donates much of her fortune to charity.

The operative words for this story are:

Quote:
Read stories of successful people and it's easy to think they possess some intangible something -- ideas, talent, drive, skills, creativity, etc. -- that you don't have.

In most cases, they don't.
Unquote

This is the link. How Did J.K. Rowling Become a Self-Made Millionaire? She Found the Perfect Response to Failure

 

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[Real Deal Denver]

Thanks for the reps Hugh!

Read this article HERE. You're gonna like it. It's inspiring.


edit* you may have read this article already lol.

One of the best articles I have read in eons.

I like the details. And the honesty. Most books are just too generic to be helpful.

Not this article. This could be a blue-print for Dave to follow almost to a T.

Thanks for posting this. So much rubbish on the internet - and then every now and then something valuable surfaces. This is one of those times.

EDIT - I signed up with my email address to get more info sent to me, and BOOM, taken to a plethora of articles that are all necessary reading. It's gonna take a while, but this is current and relevant inside information. Gold mine!

 

[Dave Daily]

Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll. I know that it was a lot of work for you to read through my rambling ideas and make a choice and I really appreciate you taking the time. I'm almost out of reputation points as a result—lol.

The poll closes in an hour and the victory goes to Vector Victory with Together Tables (that's the new name) coming in second. So what's my verdict?

[Drum Roll Please]

After much thought and a few weighted decision making matrices—here's my last one:

I've opted to go with Together Tables!

There are several issues to consider including liability (thank you @eliquid ) and outsourcing of manufacturing and distribution (thank you @Carol Jones), but those things will come through process and kinetic execution.

So I think the next step needs to be an action plan in the form of a spreadsheet or trello board or something. The first thing I'd like to do is create a couple of tables with the typographic elements so I can have confidence in that part of the process. I've done a couple of tables, but without the type.

So that's the plan. From here on out, I will be posting progress toward my goals which are to:

1. Make Together Tables into a force for good by creating a narrative around the humble yet potentially heroic TABLE as a touchstone | totem | talisman imbued with the magic of love, unity, and togetherness in the lives of families and organizations.
2. Achieve sales of 7,000 units per year by the end of year 3 at ~$600 net profit per unit. This should put the asset value of Together Tables around $10MM by the end of year 5 or 6. Then sell.

I may be out of my mind, but these are the goals. Thanks again to everyone for your help. I look forward to your encouragement and criticisms.

Thanks,

Dave

 

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[ButGregSaid]

Here's what happened when I put four of the above business ideas into MJ's decision matrix:

View attachment 18302

Hugh, I applaud you for all the great things you're pursuing - and in all honesty... can I just say mannnnnnn, you are overflowing with ideas.. I wish I had half the brain processing power you've got. Now having said that, I have a confession to make. You lost me at around your 4th website... something about launching shit or something of the like?

Okay, you got me, I admit - I read that one, but if you cant hold my attention in a thread like that, how can you adequately provide the proper amount of attention towards a business when you're trying to get a single one off the ground? I feel like I have ADHD just from reading all the endeavors you're pursuing, and I'm not trying to say you're incapable of succeeding at them all, but I do feel like if you've learned anything from the books - it takes one then it snowballs from there.

If I were you, I'd set some of those sites aside, and just pick one or two that you're going to invest that insane amount of brainpower towards... BLOW THEM THE EFF UP! Then.... when you're ready to automate them, move on to the other ideas.

My $0.02.

 

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[Dave Daily]

I just noticed in the text of your post you say you are Dave. Your avatar says Hugh.

All right - what the hell is going on here? I'll just call you Al. (Remember the Paul Simon song?)

Haha! Yeah, I'm Dave, but you can call me Al. LOL. Hugh Nivers (Universe—Get it? ) is my pseudonym when I get around to writing my novel after I get my Fastlane business where I want it to go.

 

[Dave Daily]

Asking me to vote on ideas is like asking Paul Simon about business. GOLD! - One Trick Pony

Paul must be a recurring theme here.

I understand real estate. Apartments, NNN commercial, and golf courses. Nothing else...

Haha! Real Estate is one of the ones I'm considering. I sold apartments in Denton Texas for almost two years. If I choose to do AptOffer.com first (in the list of businesses in the poll), the goal is to start looking for apartment properties to flip, buy with JV partnership with owner, go in with investors. The creation of the app is to help me make the deals and more importantly, help other investors do the same. That way, I'll help the investment community, build cred for myself, while having a complementary business.

 

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[Real Deal Denver]

Speaking of genius teachers that broke free and became wildly successful...

(I'm looking at you Dave)

Stephen King was a "lowly" English teacher before he decided to become a writer.

J.K. Rowling, although not a teacher, was on welfare when she finished her first Harry Potter book. She also had applied to Oxford University at one time, but was turned down. She is the most successful author ever, in the entire world. I often wonder what she would have become if things went her way and she did not have so much difficulty in life...

 

[Argue]

Thanks! I haven't seen a lot of Design Pickle's design. I need to dig a bit deeper there, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the design of their website. It's not quite finished. However, assuming they're telling the truth, they're saying that they have 2700 active clients. That's quite good.

I appreciate the advice and the vote. +Ref

Thanks for the reps Hugh!

Read this article HERE. You're gonna like it. It's inspiring.


edit* you may have read this article already lol.

 

[itsemdub]

@Hugh Nivers
Congrats on taking the first steps towards something awesome. Your posivity shows through in your posts and I think that’s awesome. VectoryVictory will be my vote. It seems like design pickle has done a lot of heavy lifting in terms of deciding if there is a market for subscription/contract design services. The comment about possibly partnering and an exchange of work/clients is golden.
As a commercial re broker who has worked on only MF and retail, I don’t think the apt idea has legs. The main issues being the proforma and one page sales/OM type concept (no better word for it lol). I think these are both issues because how do you set the templates or determine what metrics are included in both? I’ve seen basic back of napkin proformas and full 10 year Argus runs. Everyone/each entity evaluates properties differently. Coupled with certain markets using cap rate, grm or price per door, etc as a metric for the value add portion of the purchase. How do you price this variety and what segment of the market are you going after? The value add market is extremely saturated...when I have people call on my listings or tell me that they’re value add Buyers looking right now, I immediately peg them as unsophisticated/not real. Most importantly, as a former M&M guy I’m sure you had somebody on staff who pumped these kind of things out on the regular. I think all of the large guys (CB, M&M, Colliers) are moving towards proprietary type solutions for these types of scenarios, in which they’re offering them to clients in the hopes of getting deals done. In my market I’m starting to see development + spin proformas being done by the brokerage houses for their smaller development clients. And there is a group doing Argus runs for mid to larger Buyers...I’ll see if I can find a link. Best of luck, I’ll be watching to see what awesomeness you brew up.

 

[Dave Daily]

Two days left in the poll and although the table biz is in second place, I'm leaning in that direction because of the opportunity to build it with my son. That's a huge value for me. Also, knowing that I have some decent ideas waiting in the wings is an incentive to keeping moving on the current venture.

Since this is my progress thread, I'm going to start posting, well, progress. Right now I'm working on getting a sense of the need I'm filling for the billions of people who use tables in their everyday lives and why the tables my son and I will build will be special enough to convince 1000 to 5000 people per year to buy one from us.

As I see it, we're not selling tables, we're selling unity, legacy, family, community, connection. The table has always been a gathering place, a "togethering" space, a special place where people love and create together. Families seem to be struggling these days and the definition of family is changing—which is not necessarily a bad thing. The roots of the trees which give rise to these tables will form the roots of better relationships within the homes and businesses in which they stand.

The people who will sit around our tables will want to solidify their relationships, create togetherness and conversations, and build a legacy. The table will become a generational heirloom piece, transferring the wisdom of the buyer to the next generations.

That's the brand, I think. I'm open to your thoughts on this.

In terms of the words which will ground the brand, I've purchased a few domain names recently. You're already familiar with tabl.store—too dull, doesn't speak to the brand. Then there's toptabl.com. Same problem. There's no soul and it sounds like it's bragging. It's not about the people who would buy and use the table.

These are the newest ideas:

• ilovethistable.com
• lovethistable.com

I like these. These are phrases that someone might say when seeing the table, but again, I think the focus is wrong.

Here's the last one I bought:

• togethertables.com

I think this one rings true to the brand and is easy to remember. It has an alliterative component as well, which I think is good. I'm working on some sketches right now for the logo. Here are a couple, among a batch of others I was doing for some of the other ideas:

I'd love to hear your ideas as well. Thx.

 

[Carol Jones]

Thanks again to everyone for your help. I look forward to your encouragement and criticisms.

Congratulation Dave @Hugh Nivers from Oz!

You've made an excellent choice. It was my favourite.

Because.

It connects you to humanity. Which is one of the reasons you've given for choosing it as well. It allows you to develop a deep connection to the family. Or business. You're creating your table for. And is potentially an unstoppable word of mouth business.

This is a link you'll be very interested in. Home

Let me tell you the story of my table.

It's 41 years old. Was crafted by a talented carpenter. To order. For my partner. An architect. When we first met.

It's of solid pine. Very thick.

And after 41 years, is full of imperfections. Indentations. Scratches. Scuff marks.

But it's also rich in history.

It's where we entertained friends and family in our 41 years of being together.

It's where we've sat together. And planned our businesses.

First Victor's architectural practice in Sydney. My market research company.

And finally, our current business, The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover And Other Goodies.

We have done the proverbial 'starting a business on the dining room table'. Three times.

It's where we cut out. And sewed. The first 500 Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Covers. Before we made the decision that this was a business. And I wanted it off the dining room table.

It's where we sit every breakfast. Lunch. And. Dinner. And discuss whatever is on our mind.

And every Saturday. When I wax it. I take a trip down memory lane. With every imperfection.

This table is so rich with the history of our life together, I could never part with it.

Regarding insurance.

We deal with a business insurance broker.

We have 4 types of insurance for our business.

Public Liability. Which covers us for AUD$20Million per claim. If anyone injures themselves with one of our products. Or injures themselves when we exhibit outside of our business. And if they injure themselves while visiting our business.

Business Insurance. Which covers us for any loss we may incur if for some reason we are prevented from operating our business. Or if our business equipment is damaged. Or stolen.

Transportation Insurance. Which covers our products against loss and damage. In the post and/or by courier delivery. When raw materials are shipped to our sewing company. When our sewing company ships finished product to us.

Property Insurance. Which cover us for burglary. Acts of God. Incidental damage.

These policies cost us AUD$12,000 per year. Which we pay $1,000 per month.

If you think this is excessive. Think of what will happen if you're not covered.

Every responsible business needs insurance of this type. It's a cost of doing business. And should be incorporated into your operating expenses.

Back to Together Tables. I love the name. And can see you - in the future - writing your book now, Mr Universe!

Thank you! For including us in your journey. It's been very exciting. And a learning experience for both you. And us.

You now walk so much taller. What you thought was a weakness. Is actually a skill that many people in this forum wish they had. The ability to create ideas.

Forward! Charge!! ~Carol❤

 

[Dave Daily]

This past week my son and I completed a table (95% complete anyway). It's not terrible, but it's not great. There are lots of flaws. We're both noobs at this, but we're enjoying the process. When I envision the goals that we've set and I place this week's efforts into that context, the progress feels glacially slow, especially when the results are subpar. Still, we have a table now.

In this video, awkwardness abounds, lol. Enjoy:

There are some exposed bolts that we forgot to countersink the hole for, so we'll be hacking a solution for that as well. I'll put a picture of the 100% finished table soon.

 

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[Carol Jones]

This past week my son and I completed a table (95% complete anyway). It's not terrible, but it's not great. There are lots of flaws. We're both noobs at this, but we're enjoying the process. When I envision the goals that we've set and I place this week's efforts into that context, the progress feels glacially slow, especially when the results are subpar. Still, we have a table now.

In this video, awkwardness abounds, lol. Enjoy:

View attachment 18541

There are some exposed bolts that we forgot to countersink the hole for, so we'll be hacking a solution for that as well. I'll put a picture of the 100% finished table soon.

G'day Dave @Hugh Nivers from Oz,

I saw the video. Liked it. It's raw. But true.

If this is something you desire. And want to do. As Napoleon Hill says, "Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything."

And remember. You're not going to be making them into infinity. Once you know what's required of making a table, you'll be outsourcing it to professionals more skilled than you are. But you need to know how it's made. Before you can hand it over to someone else. Just so that you know the process.

This is exactly what we did with all our products. We made the first 'X' amount. Before handing it over to a sewing company. Just so we knew the problems they may have.

This is just the beginning. And you're doing just fine. ~Carol❤

 

[Genius01]

When I envision the goals that we've set and I place this week's efforts into that context, the progress feels glacially slow, especially when the results are subpar.

I think that's standard for almost all startups, pace seems painfully slow at first, then picks up exponentially till you find yourself having a hockey stick growth curve, and wondering how you got there all of a "sudden".
You're on the right path, keep it up.
Kudos for "kinetic execution".

 

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[Real Deal Denver]

I just noticed in the text of your post you say you are Dave. Your avatar says Hugh.

All right - what the hell is going on here? I'll just call you Al. (Remember the Paul Simon song?)

 

[SteveO]

Asking me to vote on ideas is like asking Paul Simon about business. GOLD! - One Trick Pony

Paul must be a recurring theme here.

I understand real estate. Apartments, NNN commercial, and golf courses. Nothing else...

 

[SteveO]

Haha! Real Estate is one of the ones I'm considering. I sold apartments in Denton Texas for almost two years. If I choose to do AptOffer.com first (in the list of businesses in the poll), the goal is to start looking for apartment properties to flip, buy with JV partnership with owner, go in with investors. The creation of the app is to help me make the deals and more importantly, help other investors do the same. That way, I'll help the investment community, build cred for myself, while having a complementary business.

I like this idea but feel like we are in the wrong environment to execute. Too many buyers drive up the prices. Especially on the "value add" or flippable properties.