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My First Step (introducing myself)

JamesS88

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[FONT=&amp]Hi everyone,[/FONT]


[FONT=&amp] I've been lurking for several months but I feel that now is the time to step out of my comfort zone and join the discussion. The info I've gained from MJ's book, along with some of these threads is amazing. I would really like to contribute as well, in anyway I can, before I start firing out questions. I won't ask to have my hand held and I'm putting in the due diligence on my part. I literally spend 95% of my free time now on this forum, researching online, and reading my kindle. I know that in order for a better tomorrow, I have to give it my all today. We only have one life to live and I refuse to, in my eyes, roll over and accept defeat like every single person I know.[/FONT]



[FONT=&amp]Having said that, I'm James. I'm 23 and I live in Louisiana. I did reasonably well in school but was more or less raised by my siblings. We all ran wild and I quit applying myself towards the end. Tried to do the right things but didn’t always make the best decisions. Not only that but I come from a poor family. Forget the slow lane, they live on the sidewalk. Schools these days expect you to have a computer and internet connection, but I sometimes didn't even have electricity or running water. Definitely not a situation I would personally have my children in, but I try to think about today and tomorrow now, not yesterday. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]I had always expected to go to college but never actually planned for it. Once I graduated, not only did I have no idea how to get myself there (no car, job, outside help, etc...) but even if I did, I had no idea what for. I tried to think back about what passions and dreams I had growing up and kept coming up with the same thing...I wanted to be wealthy. I wanted to lift my family and I out of poverty, by what means wasn't very important. Growing up poor instilled an emotional connection with money. I recently read a quote online that resonates with me. It was something along the lines of, "Having money isn't everything, but not having it is." [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]For a year after graduation, I didn't know what to do. I had no plan and was waiting on divine intervention, I guess. I remember thinking, "I have a computer, internet connection, and am somewhat intelligent. Surely, I can make at least a small income.†This lead to me falling for a couple scams. Never lost much cause I didn’t have much to lose. My cousin kept coming over and talking to me about working offshore with him. He brought over a DVD that had interviews of employees from the company. They talked about how they started with no experience and were making fifty grand a year after 9 months. At first I wasn’t sure because the schedule was 30 on and 15 off but he eventually wore me down and I figured what the hell, I’d give it a shot. Ended up doing that for 4 years. Met my current girlfriend six months after starting, and steadily worked my way up through the pay raises to a little over 50 per year. [/FONT]Here is a link to my job description, although that's not the company I work for.



[FONT=&amp]Eventually, being gone that long took its toll. The only way I could find to come home and still make that amount of money was to take a shore position in the same field, which meant I had to move to my current location. A job with geographical limitations is the worst. Right now I make about 70 per year but I also have to absorb fuel and food costs now so it isn’t much more than before. I’m home now but I work 24 hour call for 6 days and then have 3 days off. I sometimes work almost 20 hours straight and I drive almost 3000 miles per month. I’m at least able to support myself and my girlfriend, and also should have enough money to get started on entrepreneurial endeavors.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]As of right now, my only idea that I would consider “fast lane†hit a wall when I found the domain I really wanted/need had a starting bid of $23,000. Recently, however, I’ve been studying ecommerce threads from people like biophase and vigilante. I secured what I feel like is a great domain in a niche vigilante spoke very highly of. It is a first step of many, but I agree with what MJ says. Before I can make thousands per month, I need to be able to make hundreds per month. My one redeeming quality is I like to read. Picky, maybe, but I love a good book. That’s the whole reason I ended up here. Amazing book, MJ. You’re changing lives.[/FONT] :thankyousign:


[FONT=&amp]Well, that was a load off, haha. Sorry for the essay, but I hope I’ve properly introduced myself.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]I look forward to speaking with you all.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Thanks,[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]-James[/FONT]
 
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wade1mil

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I secured what I feel like is a great domain in a niche vigilante spoke very highly of.

I think I know which one you're talking about ;)

Welcome to the forum!
 

JamesS88

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I just wanted to post a little update in case anyone ever reads this in the future. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the quote below was such a sorry cop out, and MJ would probably say I needed a bitch slap.

As of right now, my only idea that I would consider “fast lane†hit a wall when I found the domain I really wanted/need had a starting bid of $23,000.

I came to the conclusion that the domain could be almost anything, as long as it was short and memorable. I started digging again and then found out that someone in Vegas had the same idea as me. This wasn't a case of, "Hey, that was my idea!" He had actually thought of it and began executing, about five months before I thought of it. I signed up to the site just to see how it was. It said I was one of the first 5,000 members.

The next question I asked myself was, "Can I do it better?" I'm not so sure. The site is really nice and well done. The only difference between our approach is, it seems he's thinking more of a global scale where as I think it would be better to focus locally. It's a social network, if that clears anything up. I know what you're thinking, "Another social network?!" but really it solves a need that hasn't been met. I think he's having trouble getting traction though. I signed up months ago and it still seems dead. I haven't gotten any use from it.

I learned two things from this. Firstly, it made me feel good because it told me I actually had a legitimate idea. Secondly, if you feel you have a fast lane idea, especially if its original; make sure to do some digging before you commit time and resources, to make sure someone hasn't beaten you to the punch.

Thanks for reading.
 

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