MJ DeMarco
I followed the science; all I found was money.
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FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
LEGACY MEMBER
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newsletter.themillionairefastlane.com
Ever wished life had cheat codes? Entrepreneurship does, and it's as simple as managing a set of expectations.
Carry these expectations and a Fastlane Business can make you wealthy.
Ignore them, and suffer.
I call them the 7 "IT WILLS" because business WILL make them a reality, like it not.
Have a dog? It will shit, eat, and wag its tail.
Live in London? It will rain.
Spill ice cream on the sidewalk? It will attract ants.
IT WILL... Require Your Interminable Focus
Focus on one thing. In The Millionaire Fastlane, I referred to it as Tekel Syndrome. Multiple businesses suck. You're not Elon Musk who can juggle rockets, cars, and brain chips—until you sell your first company for gazillions, stick to one business and one only.
You don't become a piano maestro while also learning how to play the tuba and the flute. Concentrate your firepower on a single business until you can sell it for a number with more zeroes than you can reasonably spend. Then dabble.
IT WILL... Be Hard.
For VO2 Max training, I've been jumping rope for years. However, I recently started learning crossovers, sideswipes, and double-unders. Learning has been hard. It is one failure after another. Frustrating. Pull your hair out, infuriating. But I expect it.
If you think building wealth should feel like sipping a mojito on a Caribbean beach, entrepreneurship is not for you. It’s no different than jump roping: My neck, legs, and arms got whipped until I looked like I had been on the losing end of a gladiator match. Business is no different: every stumble, every failure, every face-plant is just another tuition payment at the school of hard knocks.
IT WILL...Suck
The more "suck" you are willing to endure, the better your life will be. After countless jump rope practices, I've ended the day with red welts on my neck, legs, and back. The neighbors think my wife whips me with a lash.
Here's a fun fact: Entrepreneurship isn’t supposed to be "fun." It’s grueling. Ever enjoy wrestling with payroll, regulatory paperwork, or dealing with suppliers that treat deadlines like suggestions? Me neither. Expectation shift: the more suck you're willing to endure now, the better your payoff later.
If fun is your goal, stick to a job and your weekend hobbies. Business isn't a carnival ride, it's a marathon through mud. The trophy is Unscripted freedom.
IT WILL... Suck More If You Don't Pick The Right Business
Choosing the wrong business is like climbing a huge mountain just to plant a tiny flag. Sure, you conquered something tough, but so what?
Cafés, sandwich shops, SaaS, inventing, product dev, consulting—every business is tough. But you better pick a mountain worth climbing. Make your hardship count. Would you rather sweat for a yearly $80k survival profit, or a $800k? The smartest pivot happens before the first dollar is spent. Choose wisely as this one choice sets your ceiling. Start playing for wealth, not survival.
I wrote a full article on this here: The Most Important Business Pivot Happens Before You Start!
IT WILL... Never End
A successful business never truly ends until you sell it or hire someone else to be the CEO. Most business journeys doesn't have a neat, Netflix-style ending with credits rolling. It’s an endless cycle of Act, Assess, Adjust. The successful entrepreneur knows this cheat code and plays accordingly. Products evolve, ad strategies shift, technology morphs, customer behaviors change. If you’re not constantly tweaking, iterating, and improving, you're falling behind. Welcome to entrepreneurship.
This is a game without an "off" switch.
IT WILL...Change You.
Business is the world's toughest personal trainer. It reshapes you relentlessly. Five, ten, or fifteen years down the road, the person in the mirror will astonish you. Honestly, I wouldn't even grab a beer with the guy I was ten years ago. I don't even like that guy, LOL. Enduring the grind reshapes you into someone resilient, disciplined, strategic. Business isn't just about changing your bank balance; it’s about fundamentally rewriting your character.
IT WILL... Be Absolutely Worth It
Don’t let the first six cheat codes send you running for the exits. If you persist, endure the tough times, and manage your expectations wisely, I promise one thing unequivocally: the payoff is spectacular. Freedom, autonomy, wealth, and the satisfaction of knowing you didn't just beat the game—you hacked it.
When you go swimming, you expect to get wet. When you create wealth through the game of business, expect these 7 "I WILLS" and suddenly, they become cheat codes.
Life in the Fastlane Newsletter, Written by MJ DeMarco
Actionable, wealth-building intel by MJ DeMarco, FREE.
newsletter.themillionairefastlane.com
Ever wished life had cheat codes? Entrepreneurship does, and it's as simple as managing a set of expectations.
Carry these expectations and a Fastlane Business can make you wealthy.
Ignore them, and suffer.
I call them the 7 "IT WILLS" because business WILL make them a reality, like it not.
Have a dog? It will shit, eat, and wag its tail.
Live in London? It will rain.
Spill ice cream on the sidewalk? It will attract ants.
IT WILL... Require Your Interminable Focus
Focus on one thing. In The Millionaire Fastlane, I referred to it as Tekel Syndrome. Multiple businesses suck. You're not Elon Musk who can juggle rockets, cars, and brain chips—until you sell your first company for gazillions, stick to one business and one only.
You don't become a piano maestro while also learning how to play the tuba and the flute. Concentrate your firepower on a single business until you can sell it for a number with more zeroes than you can reasonably spend. Then dabble.
IT WILL... Be Hard.
For VO2 Max training, I've been jumping rope for years. However, I recently started learning crossovers, sideswipes, and double-unders. Learning has been hard. It is one failure after another. Frustrating. Pull your hair out, infuriating. But I expect it.
If you think building wealth should feel like sipping a mojito on a Caribbean beach, entrepreneurship is not for you. It’s no different than jump roping: My neck, legs, and arms got whipped until I looked like I had been on the losing end of a gladiator match. Business is no different: every stumble, every failure, every face-plant is just another tuition payment at the school of hard knocks.
IT WILL...Suck
The more "suck" you are willing to endure, the better your life will be. After countless jump rope practices, I've ended the day with red welts on my neck, legs, and back. The neighbors think my wife whips me with a lash.
Here's a fun fact: Entrepreneurship isn’t supposed to be "fun." It’s grueling. Ever enjoy wrestling with payroll, regulatory paperwork, or dealing with suppliers that treat deadlines like suggestions? Me neither. Expectation shift: the more suck you're willing to endure now, the better your payoff later.
If fun is your goal, stick to a job and your weekend hobbies. Business isn't a carnival ride, it's a marathon through mud. The trophy is Unscripted freedom.
IT WILL... Suck More If You Don't Pick The Right Business
Choosing the wrong business is like climbing a huge mountain just to plant a tiny flag. Sure, you conquered something tough, but so what?
Cafés, sandwich shops, SaaS, inventing, product dev, consulting—every business is tough. But you better pick a mountain worth climbing. Make your hardship count. Would you rather sweat for a yearly $80k survival profit, or a $800k? The smartest pivot happens before the first dollar is spent. Choose wisely as this one choice sets your ceiling. Start playing for wealth, not survival.
I wrote a full article on this here: The Most Important Business Pivot Happens Before You Start!
IT WILL... Never End
A successful business never truly ends until you sell it or hire someone else to be the CEO. Most business journeys doesn't have a neat, Netflix-style ending with credits rolling. It’s an endless cycle of Act, Assess, Adjust. The successful entrepreneur knows this cheat code and plays accordingly. Products evolve, ad strategies shift, technology morphs, customer behaviors change. If you’re not constantly tweaking, iterating, and improving, you're falling behind. Welcome to entrepreneurship.
This is a game without an "off" switch.
IT WILL...Change You.
Business is the world's toughest personal trainer. It reshapes you relentlessly. Five, ten, or fifteen years down the road, the person in the mirror will astonish you. Honestly, I wouldn't even grab a beer with the guy I was ten years ago. I don't even like that guy, LOL. Enduring the grind reshapes you into someone resilient, disciplined, strategic. Business isn't just about changing your bank balance; it’s about fundamentally rewriting your character.
IT WILL... Be Absolutely Worth It
Don’t let the first six cheat codes send you running for the exits. If you persist, endure the tough times, and manage your expectations wisely, I promise one thing unequivocally: the payoff is spectacular. Freedom, autonomy, wealth, and the satisfaction of knowing you didn't just beat the game—you hacked it.
When you go swimming, you expect to get wet. When you create wealth through the game of business, expect these 7 "I WILLS" and suddenly, they become cheat codes.
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