I started reading MJ's books back in 2009 when I had my first FTE (fk this event), which forced me to wake up, look around, and question just what the hell was going on with my life and those around me.
I wanted to start this post to keep a running track of what I'm up to, and what still needs to be done, with my latest ventures. This is to keep me accountable, as I often struggle with procrastination and GSD (getting shit done). If anyone gets some key take-aways from this, great! If you don't like what you read below, or find it too long winded, that's also fine, I'm doing this for me, no-one else.
Early Entrepreneur years:
Based in South Africa, after leaving my job, I started an online training platform for the tech industry. This was a lot of effort in creating the platform, and filling it with relevant content and then pushing it out for sales. Everything about this business hit the aspect of CENTS, which was something I truly wanted to nail. Long story short, the training site was really tough to get meaningful sales on, and even tougher to keep the content up to date and relevant, due to the speed the tech/IT industry moves forward. In hindsight, I probably should have stuck with it for a bit longer, but I got de-railed due to many companies reaching out to me (through my training platform) asking if I could assist them with tech issues and projects.
Boom, instant business that was meaningful, profitable, and scalable. So I pivoted from online training, to consulting. I did this for nearly 8 years and it was amazing. I had a decent amount of money, and I was my own boss. The issue was that I was still living in South Africa, with my wife and kids, and the country was going to hell, FAST. So we made the decision to pull up the stakes and head to better places, and ended up in Australia.
The Dip:
Due to my business pivot into consultancy, it no longer met the CENTS requirements. Namely, TIME. Without me in the business, it didn't run. I tried selling the business and its customer base, but my customers didn't want to deal with anyone but me, and they weren't really willing to have me consult to them from the other side of the planet. So the business pretty much died on the spot, when we left the country. Sorry MJ, should ave followed the CENTS framework more closely. Live and learn.
The next issue was that while I was financially stable, and had millions in the local South Africa currency, moving to a first world country very quickly opened my eyes to the fact that being a millionaire in a 3rd world country, and being one in a first world country, are two vastly different playing fields. So, after flights, VISA fees, moving costs, medical hurdles, education fees for school enrolment, and a down payment on a house, I found myself pretty much back to being an average joe in terms of finances. But that wasn't the biggest problem...
The primary issue was that in order for us to enter Australia, and get a VISA, I needed a job, a company willing to sponsor my VISA.
Going back to a job, after being your own boss for many years, is a kick in the nuts I hope no-one else on this forum ever has to experience. Top that with the fact that I couldn't stand the business practices and culture my new VISA sponsor had, and it's been a miserable few years, with many more FTE events.
But we made it eventually. We got our permanent Visas/Citizenship after a few years, and I'm now back on track and this time doing things properly.
The Grind:
Working for this company in Australia wasn't all bad, as it allowed me to analyse a few segments of the market and find some pain points. I kept my ears open whenever dealing with customers, and whenever those all-important phrases came up (I hate, I wish etc), I listened.
That's what gave me the idea I'm actively working on now. I've started a new brand, called RakStuff. I plan on making an entire range of products that help network engineers when installing IT equipment into network cabinets/server racks, and eventually, I'll have my own revised line of network cabinets as well. I found massive needs in this space, but found myself asking: "how the fk do I even start?" I knew NOTHING about getting an actual product to market. My history had been software, and selling my time as a consultant.
So, the research began.
One of the best devices available to Entrepreneurs today, that is (in my opinion) massively overlooked, is the humble 3D printer. Holy fk crap, I couldn't prepare myself for how epic these things were. Often people buy these things, and print a bunch on useless knickknacks that inevitably end up in the landfill. But as a prototyping tool!!! , it changed EVERYTHING for me.
I had to grind HARD to figure out how to use 3d modelling software. I burned hours and days testing variations and failing over and over again, but I eventually became proficient enough to spit out a proper, usable prototype. It's a simple rackmount bracket for a few networking products made by the company Ubiquiti. I know this isn't ideal, as this company could release their own version and flatten my product overnight, but the market need was there, and the brand recognition that Ubiquiti would give my own company were worth the risk. Remember, this is just the first of many products coming.
I then wanted a really slick website, and I wanted to use my 3d models to really show how this product worked, and fit with what customers were asking for, so I had to dive into a new piece of software, called Blender. For those who don't know what this is, it's totally free software that allows you to take your 3d models, and add colours/materials to them, and most importantly, Animate them! It took me weeks, but I was eventually able to get what I wanted, and it helped me massively when it came to eventually converting sales and demonstrating to customers what the product actually did.
The Big Leap:
I found a manufacturer in China who could make these for me for a great price, in reasonable volumes that weren't going to break the bank. I got a local distributor to commit to a first order, and boom, instant sale. I had half my yearly salary in my bank account in a matter of days, not months. THIS is what asymmetrical returns are supposed to be!
The units shipped from China, and have started to hit the market over the last 60 days or so, and I'm thankful to say, the market-mind has responded with great results. It's not like the product sold out overnight or anything, but sales that started out in a few here and there, are now heading to over 100x a month, with very little advertising, and only being available in a single country.
Now my plans are shifting to "how the hell do I sell this internationally". I'll keep this post updated as to how this goes.
Where the fk was AI a few years ago?:
Just had to make a little mention here to anyone who has taken some inspiration from what I've done, and are perhaps thinking of designing and creating their own products/inventions. I recently found out that Claude AI can now plugin and integrate directly with 3D software like Blender to create models for you. Holy balls. What took me DAYS and sometimes WEEKS to make small changes to my prototypes, AI can spit out in a matter of seconds. So, YOU HAVE ZERO EXCUSE if you have an idea and want to bring it to life. Dig in, and see what happens.
I'll keep this thread updated as often as I can, as I mentioned at the beginning, this is to keep me on track and accountable. Whilst sales are only in their first innings, my next 2x product lines are in development and I KNOW that they will be well received by the market.
I've never been more excited to be alive.
I wanted to start this post to keep a running track of what I'm up to, and what still needs to be done, with my latest ventures. This is to keep me accountable, as I often struggle with procrastination and GSD (getting shit done). If anyone gets some key take-aways from this, great! If you don't like what you read below, or find it too long winded, that's also fine, I'm doing this for me, no-one else.
Early Entrepreneur years:
Based in South Africa, after leaving my job, I started an online training platform for the tech industry. This was a lot of effort in creating the platform, and filling it with relevant content and then pushing it out for sales. Everything about this business hit the aspect of CENTS, which was something I truly wanted to nail. Long story short, the training site was really tough to get meaningful sales on, and even tougher to keep the content up to date and relevant, due to the speed the tech/IT industry moves forward. In hindsight, I probably should have stuck with it for a bit longer, but I got de-railed due to many companies reaching out to me (through my training platform) asking if I could assist them with tech issues and projects.
Boom, instant business that was meaningful, profitable, and scalable. So I pivoted from online training, to consulting. I did this for nearly 8 years and it was amazing. I had a decent amount of money, and I was my own boss. The issue was that I was still living in South Africa, with my wife and kids, and the country was going to hell, FAST. So we made the decision to pull up the stakes and head to better places, and ended up in Australia.
The Dip:
Due to my business pivot into consultancy, it no longer met the CENTS requirements. Namely, TIME. Without me in the business, it didn't run. I tried selling the business and its customer base, but my customers didn't want to deal with anyone but me, and they weren't really willing to have me consult to them from the other side of the planet. So the business pretty much died on the spot, when we left the country. Sorry MJ, should ave followed the CENTS framework more closely. Live and learn.
The next issue was that while I was financially stable, and had millions in the local South Africa currency, moving to a first world country very quickly opened my eyes to the fact that being a millionaire in a 3rd world country, and being one in a first world country, are two vastly different playing fields. So, after flights, VISA fees, moving costs, medical hurdles, education fees for school enrolment, and a down payment on a house, I found myself pretty much back to being an average joe in terms of finances. But that wasn't the biggest problem...
The primary issue was that in order for us to enter Australia, and get a VISA, I needed a job, a company willing to sponsor my VISA.
Going back to a job, after being your own boss for many years, is a kick in the nuts I hope no-one else on this forum ever has to experience. Top that with the fact that I couldn't stand the business practices and culture my new VISA sponsor had, and it's been a miserable few years, with many more FTE events.
But we made it eventually. We got our permanent Visas/Citizenship after a few years, and I'm now back on track and this time doing things properly.
The Grind:
Working for this company in Australia wasn't all bad, as it allowed me to analyse a few segments of the market and find some pain points. I kept my ears open whenever dealing with customers, and whenever those all-important phrases came up (I hate, I wish etc), I listened.
That's what gave me the idea I'm actively working on now. I've started a new brand, called RakStuff. I plan on making an entire range of products that help network engineers when installing IT equipment into network cabinets/server racks, and eventually, I'll have my own revised line of network cabinets as well. I found massive needs in this space, but found myself asking: "how the fk do I even start?" I knew NOTHING about getting an actual product to market. My history had been software, and selling my time as a consultant.
So, the research began.
One of the best devices available to Entrepreneurs today, that is (in my opinion) massively overlooked, is the humble 3D printer. Holy fk crap, I couldn't prepare myself for how epic these things were. Often people buy these things, and print a bunch on useless knickknacks that inevitably end up in the landfill. But as a prototyping tool!!! , it changed EVERYTHING for me.
I had to grind HARD to figure out how to use 3d modelling software. I burned hours and days testing variations and failing over and over again, but I eventually became proficient enough to spit out a proper, usable prototype. It's a simple rackmount bracket for a few networking products made by the company Ubiquiti. I know this isn't ideal, as this company could release their own version and flatten my product overnight, but the market need was there, and the brand recognition that Ubiquiti would give my own company were worth the risk. Remember, this is just the first of many products coming.
I then wanted a really slick website, and I wanted to use my 3d models to really show how this product worked, and fit with what customers were asking for, so I had to dive into a new piece of software, called Blender. For those who don't know what this is, it's totally free software that allows you to take your 3d models, and add colours/materials to them, and most importantly, Animate them! It took me weeks, but I was eventually able to get what I wanted, and it helped me massively when it came to eventually converting sales and demonstrating to customers what the product actually did.
The Big Leap:
I found a manufacturer in China who could make these for me for a great price, in reasonable volumes that weren't going to break the bank. I got a local distributor to commit to a first order, and boom, instant sale. I had half my yearly salary in my bank account in a matter of days, not months. THIS is what asymmetrical returns are supposed to be!
The units shipped from China, and have started to hit the market over the last 60 days or so, and I'm thankful to say, the market-mind has responded with great results. It's not like the product sold out overnight or anything, but sales that started out in a few here and there, are now heading to over 100x a month, with very little advertising, and only being available in a single country.
Now my plans are shifting to "how the hell do I sell this internationally". I'll keep this post updated as to how this goes.
Where the fk was AI a few years ago?:
Just had to make a little mention here to anyone who has taken some inspiration from what I've done, and are perhaps thinking of designing and creating their own products/inventions. I recently found out that Claude AI can now plugin and integrate directly with 3D software like Blender to create models for you. Holy balls. What took me DAYS and sometimes WEEKS to make small changes to my prototypes, AI can spit out in a matter of seconds. So, YOU HAVE ZERO EXCUSE if you have an idea and want to bring it to life. Dig in, and see what happens.
I'll keep this thread updated as often as I can, as I mentioned at the beginning, this is to keep me on track and accountable. Whilst sales are only in their first innings, my next 2x product lines are in development and I KNOW that they will be well received by the market.
I've never been more excited to be alive.
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