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Hey,
first, I'm so glad to have found the Fastlane. I have been wanting a community like this for some time now, but all the offers I'd found seemed scammy and dishonest. The Fastlane, by contrast, seems no-nonsense and genuine.
I just read The Millionaire Fastlane , and so many of the things it said rang true.
I thought I'd make this introductory thread after reading the beginner's advice of "don't just lurk" in the required reading thread. As I said, for some time already I've been looking for a community like this, and the reason for that search has been wanting support in my efforts and advice from those that've made it. Efforts to do what? Well, it's a bit hard to define, but I would say "to succeed". I already consider myself wealthy, because I have enough to live on and then some, but I'm not exactly "rich", because there are things I would do if money were no issue that I can't, now. So, "success" to me is being able to do those things, and also has an element of making a difference in the world. Importantly, I want to succeed by my own efforts - which may seem contradictory, as I just said that I'm seeking support, and by no means do I mean that I'd succeed alone! After all, "no man is an island", and all that - what I mean is simply that I could draw a line of causation from efforts that are ultimately my own into this future success that I'm after.
And what have these efforts of mine been, so far? Well, let's say I could relate to MJ's story of trying to "make it on one's own", and not really having anything to show for it. I've read so many books about creating independent wealth, and have had my string of failures. I've had some mild success as well, and have succeeded in creating some passive income sources, but the reality is that the cold numbers of how much I've made with these avenues are a far cry from "independent wealth": a few hundred Euro per year, all told.
I've also done the "do what you love!" thing, and tried to build income streams by selling prints of my graphic works and setting up an Etsy shop to sell my concrete, plaster and epoxy castings. However, here, I've not really found "success", either: I've sold a round number of prints, namely zero! Well, I already knew that I have no talent, as I've entered my graphics into open competitions, and consistently placed among the last few places. As for the castings/statues, I'm actually happy not to have sold any (except one to a friend, who I believe was just trying to encourage me), because this business doesn't scale. I mean, I would be happy to sell a million graphics prints or whatever, because the fulfillment of these orders would be the responsibility of my Print-on-Demand associate, RedBubble, but if I suddenly received even a dozen orders for a concrete Buddha statue, I would be in trouble, because each of them takes a considerable amount of time to cast (it has to dry in the mould, and as I only have the one mould for each of the models I offer, I can not parallelize the casting process). I also recognize the truth in MJ's words, and agree that "an easy way to ruin a good hobby is to make it into a job". So, while I would be flattered to think that someone wants a print of one of my designs on their wall, these endeavors are a hobby, and I want to keep it that way.
I've tried many of the commonly mentioned online moneymaking methods, including paid surveys and affiliate marketing. I've been "hustling and grinding" away, but the end result has been petty change. I don't mind working a lot to gain a little, if there's the possibility for "hockey stick growth", meaning a period of very little income followed by explosive growth, but that's just not there with these "opportunities". I am earning little sums, and I will keep earning little sums as long as I do these activities: there is no potential for growth on the horizon.
I think if I applied this same effort into some business of my own, then I'd have a real chance to succeed, which is my ultimate goal in all this. I've been trying to have a "needs-first" approach to business ideas, as I'm not really in it for the money, anyway, but so far, all my business ideas have been impractical, either due to being in fields that are regulated to death, or otherwise hostile to small business, or due to being technologically in the sci-fi future.
So, that's a little bit about me. I'm still looking for that on-ramp onto the Fastlane!
first, I'm so glad to have found the Fastlane. I have been wanting a community like this for some time now, but all the offers I'd found seemed scammy and dishonest. The Fastlane, by contrast, seems no-nonsense and genuine.
I just read The Millionaire Fastlane , and so many of the things it said rang true.
I thought I'd make this introductory thread after reading the beginner's advice of "don't just lurk" in the required reading thread. As I said, for some time already I've been looking for a community like this, and the reason for that search has been wanting support in my efforts and advice from those that've made it. Efforts to do what? Well, it's a bit hard to define, but I would say "to succeed". I already consider myself wealthy, because I have enough to live on and then some, but I'm not exactly "rich", because there are things I would do if money were no issue that I can't, now. So, "success" to me is being able to do those things, and also has an element of making a difference in the world. Importantly, I want to succeed by my own efforts - which may seem contradictory, as I just said that I'm seeking support, and by no means do I mean that I'd succeed alone! After all, "no man is an island", and all that - what I mean is simply that I could draw a line of causation from efforts that are ultimately my own into this future success that I'm after.
And what have these efforts of mine been, so far? Well, let's say I could relate to MJ's story of trying to "make it on one's own", and not really having anything to show for it. I've read so many books about creating independent wealth, and have had my string of failures. I've had some mild success as well, and have succeeded in creating some passive income sources, but the reality is that the cold numbers of how much I've made with these avenues are a far cry from "independent wealth": a few hundred Euro per year, all told.
I've also done the "do what you love!" thing, and tried to build income streams by selling prints of my graphic works and setting up an Etsy shop to sell my concrete, plaster and epoxy castings. However, here, I've not really found "success", either: I've sold a round number of prints, namely zero! Well, I already knew that I have no talent, as I've entered my graphics into open competitions, and consistently placed among the last few places. As for the castings/statues, I'm actually happy not to have sold any (except one to a friend, who I believe was just trying to encourage me), because this business doesn't scale. I mean, I would be happy to sell a million graphics prints or whatever, because the fulfillment of these orders would be the responsibility of my Print-on-Demand associate, RedBubble, but if I suddenly received even a dozen orders for a concrete Buddha statue, I would be in trouble, because each of them takes a considerable amount of time to cast (it has to dry in the mould, and as I only have the one mould for each of the models I offer, I can not parallelize the casting process). I also recognize the truth in MJ's words, and agree that "an easy way to ruin a good hobby is to make it into a job". So, while I would be flattered to think that someone wants a print of one of my designs on their wall, these endeavors are a hobby, and I want to keep it that way.
I've tried many of the commonly mentioned online moneymaking methods, including paid surveys and affiliate marketing. I've been "hustling and grinding" away, but the end result has been petty change. I don't mind working a lot to gain a little, if there's the possibility for "hockey stick growth", meaning a period of very little income followed by explosive growth, but that's just not there with these "opportunities". I am earning little sums, and I will keep earning little sums as long as I do these activities: there is no potential for growth on the horizon.
I think if I applied this same effort into some business of my own, then I'd have a real chance to succeed, which is my ultimate goal in all this. I've been trying to have a "needs-first" approach to business ideas, as I'm not really in it for the money, anyway, but so far, all my business ideas have been impractical, either due to being in fields that are regulated to death, or otherwise hostile to small business, or due to being technologically in the sci-fi future.
So, that's a little bit about me. I'm still looking for that on-ramp onto the Fastlane!
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Upi ug nz sietupt gus cioph jisi ot emtu gopfoph vji sohjv dunnapovz, xovj e qsuqis nopftiv. Xjodj O giim O fof, katv cz cioph jisi.
