Is Fastlane even 'Fastlane' anymore?

[Jon822]

Is that sorta like asking if physics no longer works because too many people know about it now?

On a serious note though, I totally understand the feeling. What's really behind that question is the fear "Am I too late?!?"

As someone who has fallen on his face many times, but is still trying, allow me to humbly offer a few points for why I no longer wrestle with this thought.

- You gotta be careful about judging your regular "internet experience" as concrete proof of anything. If you were to spend about a week googling videos about quantum physics, watching YouTube videos on it, searching for it on Reddit and Facebook, you'd then start to stumble across more of the same type of content due to how the search algorithms work. Mix in our natural reticular activating system (RAS), and you'll start to think that everyone on the planet is now talking about quantum physics. No, not really, it's just the internet, and your brain, giving you more of what it thinks you're looking for.

- Secondly, there are tons of "gurus" out there using the same words, phrases, or concepts that are used in books like Unscripted , but it's not because they truly live that stuff. They are mostly "list-sellers", trying to pull you into their scammy sales funnels and keep you hooked. They aren't producing more "fastlaners". They are just distracting them and wasting their time and money. Most of your so-called "competition" are busy trying to follow someone else's "system", which is usually a system that doesn't work anymore, hence why the guru "wants to teach it to you." There are many people on this very forum who are going to finish reading MJ's book and get really excited about getting started but will then immediately get trapped and pulled in by the nearest guru, MLM, or trading scam, because they never fully internalized the principles. You don't need to worry about competing with those people.

- Finally, at any given moment, there's usually only like 5-10 types of businesses people are obsessing about on the internet, when, in reality, there are like hundreds, maybe even thousands of ways to get started that most of the crowd isn't talking about. Just a few weeks ago, I had a great conversation at a gas station with a guy who built his business out of cleaning up dog poop (and other wastes) from residential lawns and business-owned lands. I don't remember the business name, but he got my attention because his entire pickup truck had some hilarious branding on it that told you exactly what he did. It turned out that he has 6 other employees driving around the city in these same trucks right now (I live in a really big city), and that the only reason he was driving this one was to drop it off for maintenance work. He doesn't even drive the trucks anymore! What's also interesting is that he said he now had some extra time to work on another business venture he's putting together. How many people do you hear talking about doing stuff like that?!

It's just fear. Shake it off.

I get where you're coming from. It's like when you focus too much on the past, you become filled with regret or disappointment. Similarly, if you focus too much on saturated business opportunities that used to print money, you will start to think that the Fastlane no longer works or has new speed limits. But what is really going on is you're missing what is happening NOW.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I get where you're coming from. It's like when you focus too much on the past, you become filled with regret or disappointment. Similarly, if you focus too much on saturated business opportunities that used to print money, you will start to think that the Fastlane no longer works or has new speed limits. But what is really going on is you're missing what is happening NOW.

Somewhere at the turn of last century, someone once said, "You can't get rich selling horses and buggies like before, so why bother? The Fastlane shit don't work any longer."

And then the statement repeated 100000s of times for the next 125 years, just a different version. "You can't get rich selling Xs and Ys like before, so why bother? The Fastlane shit don't work any longer."

The only thing that changes is the level of execution among different disciplines; some things get EASIER, and some get HARDER.

Point is, you'll never escape the HARD.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

The only thing that changes is the level of execution among different disciplines; some things get EASIER, and some get HARDER.

Point is, you'll never escape the HARD.

This is what I love about you MJ — you never sugarcoat things unlike 99% of your competitors who will tell you what you WANT to hear (“it’s easy to get rich, anyone can do it”) vs what you NEED to hear.

I’ll be honest when I first joined fastlane I thought you were building a cult. But as the years went by, I became convinced that I was wrong and that you’re more interested in truth, than sales, which is so rare to find nowadays.

Out of all the online communities I’ve been in, this is the only one which doesn’t actually enforce a party line, or side-line / eliminate people for disagreeing with things or thinking differently. I’ve been on many other forums and in most of them, the owner quite overtly uses them to generate leads & sell and quickly eliminates anyone who may disagree with them on issues. Being a natural contrarian, this got me banned from several communities, despite posting a ton of value on there.

 

[Jon822]

Somewhere at the turn of last century, someone once said, "You can't get rich selling horses and buggies like before, so why bother? The Fastlane shit don't work any longer."

And then the statement repeated 100000s of times for the next 125 years, just a different version. "You can't get rich selling Xs and Ys like before, so why bother? The Fastlane shit don't work any longer."

The only thing that changes is the level of execution among different disciplines; some things get EASIER, and some get HARDER.

Point is, you'll never escape the HARD.

"No one is digging for gold anymore so I can't sell shovels. Fastlane must be closed."

I still remember exactly what I was doing when I first heard about bitcoin years ago and did nothing about it. It still stings to think about but far more importantly is it reminds me to figure out what today's bitcoins are.

"In a gold rush, sell shovels."

In an X rush, sell Y.

Business will always be this simple but the process of figuring out what X is and selling Y will always be hard.

 

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[Johnny boy]

This is why you’re a nerd and sit around in your room and talk about theory and everyone else who is an action taker is out here making tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions per month.

Steve Urkel voice: “Hmm, I see that competition in markets must increase over time. It is likely that it is increasingly difficult and marginally rewarding to start and operate a business and it will get worse over time”

Me: “Man, this jet ski is F*cking awesome. Crazy how much money we make and the only thing we do different is actually answer the phone and show up to appointments! WOOOOO HAHAHA”

Pro tip: get off of tik tok. You are caught in the echoiest of chambers. Did you know there are thousands of different kinds of businesses? Ikr??! There’s more than dropshipping, SMMA, copywriting, shit coin crypto trading, and courses. Crazy!

 

[ZF Lee]

Out of all the online communities I’ve been in, this is the only one which doesn’t actually enforce a party line, or side-line / eliminate people for disagreeing with things or thinking differently.

This is because 'thinking differently' is what will give us our advantage...and what makes Fastlane ACTUALLY 'Fastlane'

 

[JordanK]

Setting up an A.I business to improve business operations of a Digital Marketing Agency = High competition, fancy thing to tell people at dinner parties, selling to customers who generally have a limited budget and are tech savy already.

Setting up an A.I business to improve the efficiency of water distribution across a metropolitan area/sewage treatment/garbage pickup/recycling. Or to help construction workers build houses quicker, architects or lawyers to get through files = Millions.

 

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[TempusFugit]

Saying that the Fastlane doesn't work anymore is basically saying "Since MJ published TMF ~10 years ago, we have solved all of our problems!!!"

If that's the case, then thanks @MJ DeMarco ! According to BigMoneyMoves you've apparently saved the world!

TMF Principles (CENTS (or CENTS depending on which book you read first ), The Unscripted Framework, etc) stand the test of time.
100 years in the future, there will emerge another business model, product, service, or whatever to allow someone to go fastlane. It is a given.

Study problemology, and you will get on the fastlane, too.
Take that from someone who hasn't even gone completely fastlane yet (as in I haven't fully executed yet). I still believe it is possible, and I haven't even been on that road.

"Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed." -John 20:29 (DRA)

 

[alexXx9]

Business is dynamic, but the principles remain the same.

There are people here who made fortunes in blogs. That opportunity isn't as strong as it once was.
There are people here who made fortunes in creating YT channels. That opportunity isn't as strong as it once was.
There are people who made fortunes in Amazon FBA. That opportunity isn't as strong as it once was.
There are people here who "retired" self-publishing. That opportunity isn't as strong as it once was.

And now there are people here who will make a fortune in whatever else is emerging, and whomever is selling shovels to the gold diggers.

The year is different, but the story and industry simply changes with the times.

And BTW, Fastlane is as, if not more, relevant today than it was 10 years ago.

Because more people recognize it, doesn't make it any less viable.

That's like discovering the healthiest diet for longevity and then saying, "Well, everyone does that diet now so it no longer works."

In 2022, before discovering "The Millionaire Fastlane ," I was stuck in a job that left me depressed and resentful towards my life. During this period, I also embarked on a long-distance relationship which incredibly motivated me to start a digital venture, enabling me to be closer to my (now ex-girlfriend, who, amusingly, ended up leaving me after I moved 12,000 miles from my home country to live with her—a story for another time).

I began self-publishing books on Amazon, focusing on supply and demand by writing about topics I had little interest in but recognized a market demand for, and the potential to stand out. Initially, I believed the book market was oversaturated. However, eight months later, I was earning a gross income of $10,000 per month with profit margins between 50-70%, starting entirely from scratch. Others who had started 6-12 months before me were making anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000 per month.

This journey led me to understand that while the commandment of entry is crucial, it is the one principle that can be most readily overlooked—if, and only if, you're willing to invest time, patience, money, and significant effort to excel beyond most. Being strategic, experimenting with new ideas, and discovering unique ways to stand out in a saturated market are key. I've observed countless opportunities in my market, so many that it seems almost impossible to seize them all. However, I am convinced that if you excel in your field and go the extra mile, substantial earnings are possible in various ventures such as dropshipping, FBA, blogging, SMMA, etc. It requires a voracious appetite for success and a readiness to invest considerable effort—effort that might be more fruitfully applied elsewhere.


The thing is, succeeding in a crowded market is very possible, altho you need to create a market for yourself and doing things differently than others.... as MJ managed to become a best-selling author in an overcrowded market full of BS... You can to if you really WANT... so, stop whining and start to CREATE, if you never stop, over time, you might have your chance to change your life! Focus on the other commandment of the fastlane, don't look for the best business opportunity, just start somewhere and adjust from there!

P.S. Another thing that i will never stop emphasizing is HOW MUCH has become important to ALWAYS stay on top of things... YOU have the MORAL obligation to ALWAYS learn new things, to ALWAYS learn new stuff, the world is moving very very fast, the good thing is also that many people are comfortable in their "okaish" life, I see pictures of the 70s and almost NO one was fat and overweight, right now, people are so used to stay on the couch, scroll netflix, Instagram, tiktok, that you stand out just by being on a normal % of body fat, especially over 30 y o, a thing that was unimaginable only 30-40 years ago... SO, while technology is going forward, remember that you're still in a niche, the algorithm makes you believe that ALL people around you are entrepreneurs, digital lords and are making millions because the algo is smart, but honestly, look around you and you will see more lazy, fat, obese and people who are doing the bare minimum just to survive, IMO 20-30-40 years ago it wasn't like this, right now if you have the willingness to OUTWORK others, avoid scrolling and avoid eating s**t, you are way above and beyond 90% of people that will still spend money on things!

 

[futurebillionair]

What made people millionaires years ago can (if you're lucky) barely replace a normal job. I might be exaggerating now, but the competition will only get worse in the future as content creators keep pushing the idea of starting a business and getting rich quick.

these people have always existed, and always will exist, they just have more reach now due to social media being way more widespread

and even with this, probably only like 1-5% of the people who truly go deep into the content creator's stuff will ever actually take action and eventually end up in the fastlane, with a small percentage of these people actually persevering through it and making it

 

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[theazizmoh_]

The Millionaire Fastlane is now 10+ years old, and with 1,000,000+ copies sold as well as many other creators copying, reformulating and reselling the information provided by the book. My question is: Is it even Fastlane anymore?

Don't get me wrong, i think the points in The Millionaire Fastlane are incredibly helpful and maybe even more relevant today than ever. But now, I feel like every single person on the planet is trying to go 'Fastlane'. From creating 'AI- startups' to 'building' a personal brand' the tsunami of entrepreneurs is making it close to impossible to stand out.

However even if you did stand out, the immense competition is lowering the demand and profitability of your business.

What made people millionaires years ago can (if you're lucky) barely replace a normal job. I might be exaggerating now, but the competition will only get worse in the future as content creators keep pushing the idea of starting a business and getting rich quick.

The things that were Fastlane 10 years ago now violate the commandment of entry.

This doesn't make The Millionaire Fastlane useless, but I do not think that the best way to become a self-made multi-millionaire in the future is through slightly value skewing some online service/product. But rather extremely creative and innovative ideas that stick out in values skews not yet fully explored.

Lastly, I think the demand for high quality and scientifically proven value rather than marketing will become an important factor in clearing out the massive amounts of competition today.

Feel free share your opinions on the subject.

There's literally thousands opportunities around you, you just don't see it, your fastlane "tune" is still low.

"Value vouchers" laying around waiting for someone to collect.

Will it be you?

Don't spend too much time on the Internet just GTFO and do something

 

[Choate]

Fastlane is a mindset, a journey, and a process—not a destination. It's an evolution of your mindset and habits and it goes far beyond just recognizing that lots of money when managed well = more free time.

How are you controlling your time today? Are you producing? Are you moving the needle towards something that can resemble fastlane?

Or are you stuck in traffic, getting bogged down at work, overextending your lifestyle, doing things that take up your time? Are you surrounding yourself with social media and people that only want to make you the product of their own goals and desires?

Let's reframe:

From creating 'AI- startups' to 'building' a personal brand' the tsunami of entrepreneurs is making it close to impossible to stand out.

From creating 'AI- startups' to 'building' a personal brand' the tsunami of entrepreneurs is making it easier than ever to be a notch above and step out, as everyone else gets stuck in the quagmire of copy that reads the same, sounds the same, and businesses that all copy each other.

However even if you did stand out, the immense competition is lowering the demand and profitability of your business.

Competition means that there's winners and shows that the demand exists. It doesn't give any insight as to whether or not there's enough demand, so go forth regardless if there's an idea or need you want to build on.

The things that were Fastlane 10 years ago now violate the commandment of entry.

This is a sort of nothingburger statement when you think about it. Take two different plumbing companies, two different website design agencies, two different influencers—each one can be a $75k/year job or a million dollar fastlane venture. What the "thing" is has no relevance as to whether or not it's fastlane or not. A 20-year old landscaping business might die out when the owner retires; or it can be scaled to hell and back and franchised @Johnny boy style.

But rather extremely creative and innovative ideas that stick out in values skews not yet fully explored.

It's an interesting thought, but creativity and innovation is really not intrinsically tied to the fastlane. I might just be better at doing my service than my competitors, or I might just have a way of talking with words that puts them at ease and cuts out the sales process. These different factors add up to differentiate a business from its peers. Then you multiply that and scale up and you can see the impact it can have over years of effort or working with dozens of clients.

Lastly, I think the demand for high quality and scientifically proven value rather than marketing will become an important factor in clearing out the massive amounts of competition today.

Why does the competition need to be cleared out? Who says it's massive? What if the demand is still even higher than what this mystical boogieman "competition" is providing?

As you can see, you have boxed yourself in here with your mindset. All of these notions you brought forth can be challenged, reframed, and thought about in a different way to a point that they don't might not even exist in reality—just a figment of your imagination or limited perception of reality (I'm not gaslighting you here, I swear).

 

[realbillperry]

I've only read TMF so far (long story short. It sat on my Kindle for a few years because I bought it but never got around to reading it because I kept getting confused thinking it was a different book).

I say that in case my understanding of all this is incomplete still.

But this idea of "X doesn't work anymore" highlights the difference between building from strategy/principles (like CENTS) vs building from tactics ("Here's what's working like gangbusters right now!")

Jamie Smart wrote a great book called "Clarity" which has more of a coaching/therapeutic bent to it, given his profession. He talks about "Application" vs "Implication". same idea basically.

Application is being able to bake a cake from a recipe. Implication is understanding baking a cake from such a deep level that you can just "throw together" a cake without consulting a recipe.

In my own life, it's exemplified from my days I was actively doing the Zone Diet (I had blood sugar issues). When I first started, I just grabbed the recipes from the original book.

As I was doing that, I also read and re-read the "theory" parts of the book and really took the principles of ZD on board, to the point that if I feel like making a "Zone" meal, I can do it, as long as I have access to the macronutrient information from the label (Protein, Carbs, Fat, etc).

In my case now, I'm diving in on some affiliate marketing stuff (which I know doesn't satisfy the Control aspect of CENTS). But I'm learning enough that I can actually finally see a future where I get good at Aff marketing.

I'm willing to forego the C part of it for now, since it won't be any worse off than having a day job, which I do. And it is slightly better overall with the CENTS framework than a day job. So I'll be building enough aff funnels to replace my day job.

Once that's done I'll start to switch gears and look at CENTS deeper to start building my own thing.

 

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