My mindset is suffering

[MJ DeMarco]

I could barely sleep last night. You’re all right, I’m thinking about every single step at the same time, and it’s hard not to do so. I’m not sure when this started because I wasn’t like this before. But my anxiety is playing tricks with me and telling me I’m not gonna make it in time for when I need it the most. The plan starts to rear its head and I suddenly lose it and panic a bit more. I feel I’m having some sort of existencial angst.

I was blessed with a call from my forum friend Suzanne who knows her real estate and we were talking about getting my RE license to acquire a specialized skill. I’ve already invested once in RE, and even though I’m still not 100% sure it’s for me I might give it a try as a way to gather capital for more investments and network with people. It’s a better alternative than having to go back to retail.

As for the drawing book it’s hard to let go, I still suspect I did a poor job with my ads and driving traffic, not to mention I’ve no idea what to do with the MOQ of them I got. I told myself I’d give it until the end of the year before I drop it, and would focus on building the community to take traffic to the website.

”the plan“ seems a bit blurry as is but I’d guess acquiring a skill and working on the social media following is a start. I’ll commit to that until the end of the year and see where things are then.

You post here is the subject of my next newsletter, if you're not subscribed, you should. (Forum users, hit your settings and opt in to receive) -- I hope it speaks to you as I find it a eye-opening lesson a lot of people here that fail to understand.

It should go out tomorrow.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[ZackerySprague]

HI Bella,

Apologies for the low-value post, I hope this post brings you value. I am probably not the best person to even give advice considering the challenge I am facing to fix. I think you are doing a fantastic job, you are going out there and testing the market with a book that you have created using the various tactics you have described above. You are doing awesome, just keep tweaking . As the two most important things I have read from these books are either it's your product or your message to the market. It also could be the market audience you are targeting.

I did see MJ's post about your TAM, not sure what the market size you are selling to it, but if MJ mentioned that. Than that could be a factor. Another thing or lesson that I have learned at this time is also not comparing yourself to others. You see a lot of other people ahead of you and you wish you were there, so you try to rush the process. But after studying multiple people i.e. Glenn Stearns, Kara Goldin, Michia Rohressen, or even Nick Seavert. You'll find the path is very long 5-10 years it seems. In times of the Dessert of Dessertion, it is said in the book to have a very strong why that compells you or lits a fire.

Here's my why (Still adjusting):
"To become better than my father, to not eat bad foods (my biological dad has a huge belly, runs in the family), to not abandon my children. To be the best version of me possible. To become proud of myself and to love how I look (I was/still am very conscious about how I look due to how I look like my father). To never file bankruptcy (never giving up, when you feel all hope is lost). To care and love the underdog class of individuals, show them what's possible, and genuinely establish relationships with people with growth-minded individuals. To become a leader, a leader that everyone would never forget."

There's a great book called:



It talks about how we care too much about what others say to us, keeping up with the Joneses, browsing social media i.e. Instagram, and seeing the posts/stories people create that make you feel bad. I actually picked this up today. It also talks about your upbringing and how your parents played a very particular in this as well. I would suggest picking it up .

Another thing, I think there's either a principle or strategy in the TGRE that we tend to look at the very top of the mountain versus the three steps ahead of us. I think it's the problem-solving principle. I forgot the name. Instead of focusing on the problems that are ahead of us, we should focus on the problems that are three steps in front.

I do hope that this post is much better. I read a small snippet from the second book of Unscripted the part where people who have no network are individuals who are taking and not giving. So I am placing an emphasis on giving despite the challenge in front of me. I'm my mind, I felt like I was giving enough to people. So I want to take care of that and switch or practice giving more than taking.

As the great Glenn Stearns says in the beginning of his Autobiography book "It's not how you start, it's how you finish."

Here's another:

"No matter how far down you fall - no matter how hard the landing is at rock bottom - there is always the prospect of pulling yourself up, making something of yourself, and inspiring others."

Glenn Stearns (Founder of Kind Lending, Founder of Stearns Lending sold to Blackstone *Went Bankrupted in 2019?*)

 

[WJK]

I could barely sleep last night. You’re all right, I’m thinking about every single step at the same time, and it’s hard not to do so. I’m not sure when this started because I wasn’t like this before. But my anxiety is playing tricks with me and telling me I’m not gonna make it in time for when I need it the most. The plan starts to rear its head and I suddenly lose it and panic a bit more. I feel I’m having some sort of existencial angst.

I was blessed with a call from my forum friend Suzanne who knows her real estate and we were talking about getting my RE license to acquire a specialized skill. I’ve already invested once in RE, and even though I’m still not 100% sure it’s for me I might give it a try as a way to gather capital for more investments and network with people. It’s a better alternative than having to go back to retail.

As for the drawing book it’s hard to let go, I still suspect I did a poor job with my ads and driving traffic, not to mention I’ve no idea what to do with the MOQ of them I got. I told myself I’d give it until the end of the year before I drop it, and would focus on building the community to take traffic to the website.

”the plan“ seems a bit blurry as is but I’d guess acquiring a skill and working on the social media following is a start. I’ll commit to that until the end of the year and see where things are then.

Learn something new every day.
Do something for yourself every day.
Dream a lot.
Write down your ideas.
Breath deep.
Stop for a moment and look around.

Bella, you are ruminating. All it will do is keep you tied up in knots. You won't find clarity until you get some distance and take a long look at where you are and what you've been doing. When is the last time you laughed -- I mean really laughed?

​

 

[Mr.Nichan]

I found this a while back that might be interesting to you

Are You Suffering From Impostor Syndrome?

Most of us will experience impostor syndrome at some point in our careers. This flow chart helps identify which of 5 archetypes you fit with.

www.visualcapitalist.com

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mr.Nichan]

My guess is it has nothing to do with your ads and traffic, but the market in which your product serves: It is terribly small. Even huge success in the space won't change your life. If you're gonna suffer with the periodic struggles that come with entrepreneurship, don't you want a reward that is worth the effort?

An idea based on this is to try to market your product on the site deviantart.com where they even have an ads section here DeviantArt Media Kit

If the ads are not working there, THEN you can start questioning your ads

 

[BellaPippin]

HI Bella,

Apologies for the low-value post, I hope this post brings you value. I am probably not the best person to even give advice considering the challenge I am facing to fix. I think you are doing a fantastic job, you are going out there and testing the market with a book that you have created using the various tactics you have described above. You are doing awesome, just keep tweaking . As the two most important things I have read from these books are either it's your product or your message to the market. It also could be the market audience you are targeting.

I did see MJ's post about your TAM, not sure what the market size you are selling to it, but if MJ mentioned that. Than that could be a factor. Another thing or lesson that I have learned at this time is also not comparing yourself to others. You see a lot of other people ahead of you and you wish you were there, so you try to rush the process. But after studying multiple people i.e. Glenn Stearns, Kara Goldin, Michia Rohressen, or even Nick Seavert. You'll find the path is very long 5-10 years it seems. In times of the Dessert of Dessertion, it is said in the book to have a very strong why that compells you or lits a fire.

Here's my why (Still adjusting):
"To become better than my father, to not eat bad foods (my biological dad has a huge belly, runs in the family), to not abandon my children. To be the best version of me possible. To become proud of myself and to love how I look (I was/still am very conscious about how I look due to how I look like my father). To never file bankruptcy (never giving up, when you feel all hope is lost). To care and love the underdog class of individuals, show them what's possible, and genuinely establish relationships with people with growth-minded individuals. To become a leader, a leader that everyone would never forget."

There's a great book called:

View attachment 50649

It talks about how we care too much about what others say to us, keeping up with the Joneses, browsing social media i.e. Instagram, and seeing the posts/stories people create that make you feel bad. I actually picked this up today. It also talks about your upbringing and how your parents played a very particular in this as well. I would suggest picking it up .

Another thing, I think there's either a principle or strategy in the TGRE that we tend to look at the very top of the mountain versus the three steps ahead of us. I think it's the problem-solving principle. I forgot the name. Instead of focusing on the problems that are ahead of us, we should focus on the problems that are three steps in front.

I do hope that this post is much better. I read a small snippet from the second book of Unscripted the part where people who have no network are individuals who are taking and not giving. So I am placing an emphasis on giving despite the challenge in front of me. I'm my mind, I felt like I was giving enough to people. So I want to take care of that and switch or practice giving more than taking.

As the great Glenn Stearns says in the beginning of his Autobiography book "It's not how you start, it's how you finish."

Here's another:

"No matter how far down you fall - no matter how hard the landing is at rock bottom - there is always the prospect of pulling yourself up, making something of yourself, and inspiring others."

Glenn Stearns (Founder of Kind Lending, Founder of Stearns Lending sold to Blackstone *Went Bankrupted in 2019?*)

Not low-value at all! Thank you so much for that it was very helpful. I will pick up that book when I can-- Right now I'm halfway through Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday-- I might get it to switch it up and read a bit of each at a time or as soon as I'm done (I go pretty fast)

Bella, you are ruminating. All it will do is keep you tied up in knots. You won't find clarity until you get some distance and take a long look at where you are and what you've been doing. When is the last time you laughed -- I mean really laughed?

I want to believe it's trouble shooting but it might as well be ruminating at this point because nothing comes out of it except more anxiety. I need to disconnect a bit somehow.

I found this a while back that might be interesting to you

Are You Suffering From Impostor Syndrome?

Most of us will experience impostor syndrome at some point in our careers. This flow chart helps identify which of 5 archetypes you fit with.

www.visualcapitalist.com

Yeah that hits home for sure, I fit in a couple of those even. I feel things have to come "easy" the first time around and I also feel bad about slow progress, then I minimize everything I actually do well. It's a big problem.

I'm gonna look into advertising on dA!!

 

[BellaPippin]

I want to thank everyone for all your thoughts and support, it's time for me to do something about it now.

Take small action, get some small wins. Stop comparing. Stop ruminating. Think about the very next step ahead and only that. One step at a time.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[ZackerySprague]

I'll say from experience. I believe this book about caring too much is making a bit of a profund impact. When people gave me constructive criticism, I sometimes wouldn't heed their advice, got defense and would create long walls of text.

I know actions speak louder than words, but I am grateful that found this book. I know I have closed myself off, just didn't do anything about after I spoke with my older sister. She just said you kinda closed yourself off. And now I'm in the trenches speaking with my therapist about it. To me, if feels true, the book talks about social anxiety.

I believe this is somewhat true due to some past experiences. For one that guy who tried to recruit to his Amway MLM or my friend who said "Even if you had a million dollars you would have spent it." The truth hurt, he probably was right, but also I was sad because here was my so called "Best Friend". We knew each other very well and he always made sparky comments, none of it was ever uplifting or healthy criticism from the start. He always a bit negative or too negative. I tried to see the light, gave him awesome ideas to turn out his life. In terms of jobs and buying a car. He had great worth ethic, he was a very smart guy. Never spoke anything bad about the dude negatively in terms of his character. He would be that dude that would be therefore you and even uplift you when your sad. But at the same time can be a bit judgemental. His Dad thought I was crazy to have gave money to a creditor I owed when I had that small claims court against. They were struggling, a lot. Money was always an issue with them as well. They had a lot going on at the time as well.

I think the book is definitely worth a read for people who are always looking for others for validation when you have no confidence yourself. Some people said I need thick skin. This book can help with that.

The idea is to not rely too much on what others think, create self confidence in yourself. But still help others, but when advice is given from the public. You listen, but qualify it to whether or not what they said has any significance or value that could help you. In a way, it's not letting the people who judge you or give advice to you ruin your own personal power?

So TLDR: Create self-confidence, do not seek validation, never relent your personal power, take constructive criticism but qualify it, and help others.

 

[LateStarter]

It sounds like you have a plan for getting your feet back under you but hopefully my (late) post can also help with some things to consider.

• Your Book: Who is your target market and where can you find them? Instead of blowing money on advertising, can you knock on some doors and try to get some recurring B2B sales? I'm thinking things like campus bookstores, art schools, set up a tent at 'Art in the Park' type events, etc. Having a conversation with people in these position may also inspire some new ideas for opportunities to fill a related need, or connect with different distribution channels.
• R/E License: Based on your posts it doesn't seem like something you really want to pursue or that you think will be a good fit for you. It can be lucrative (my wife is an agent) and get you out circulating with people again but just make sure it's something you want to do. Time is a valuable commodity.
• Also R/E related: If you've made an art book you likely have an eye for things. Perhaps pursuing R/E may lead to something more like interior design, home staging, etc. Follow what interests you and what you're good at, then figure out the rest.
• Flipping: If you're considering flipping and want to understand some skills needed, start with shows on HGTV. Get to understand the ins and outs, ups and downs and technical things they're talking about. YouTube can help explain these things in more detail and teach you how to overcome the obstacles. Do some analysis of houses in your local market and start understanding what a profitable flip in your area might look like. Think of it as; HGTV can help you to understand the business, whereas YouTube can help you understand the risks and subprocesses needed to fix it.

As others have already said, and you're now realizing again, we've all been there. It's easy to be overwhelmed and find this very daunting and discouraging. Same is true for imposter syndrome. It's also ok to not know everything and outsource when you need to (like setting up an LLC for instance). No one said you had to do it all yourself.

One step at a time. One skill at a time.

Just keep making progress. Keep learning new things and then bring all those skills together in a compounding effect. If you're not failing or struggling you're not learning, so you seem to be on a good path!

 

[WJK]

I want to thank everyone for all your thoughts and support, it's time for me to do something about it now.

Take small action, get some small wins. Stop comparing. Stop ruminating. Think about the very next step ahead and only that. One step at a time.

Write more books. Notice this is plural. What have you learned that you can write down?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[savefox]

If you start a carpet cleaning business right now, with good marketing you'll be making 20k a month next spring. I know a lady who owns a carpet cleaning company with 6 crews working full time. Each truck brings in 20-25k a month. It's not as sexy, but it works and money is money

 

[Gepi]

Hi @BellaPippin !
You remind me of myself. Housewive/partner here with relatively low income but hustling like crazy to bring my art/design/online teaching thing to fruition. (See my progress thread.)

I feel you. Tried so many different things, made so many mistakes. All in all, I think we ourselves are often our biggest enemies, our thoughts, our doubts.

First thing that came to mind is: you have talent for creating posts that gather a LOT of attention - MJ even made a newsletter from your case. So maybe this is something to think about. You apparently write stuff that people want to read and react to. You were being very open and honest, and that vulnerability made people want to interact with you and help you out. You show yourself - something I always struggle with online (I want to hide in my closet and slam the door because I always cringe seeing myself on video, in social media etc lol)

I don't have much more of advice to you, many people have written useful and insightful things.

But one thing that came to mind is that we need priorities.

First handle the basic stuff (income > bills + debt). Apparently you got that covered. But not being able to provide enough for oneself so that we need others financial support can be a huge self-worth killer, it also gives you the feeling that you rely on others mercy. That sucks, frankly. Even in the best of relationships this can lead to a lot of tension. This is one of my #1 motivators, tbh. Independence of income. And it is also quite nice to be able to offer him paying for a nice dinner or the next vacation.

Then the next step.
Do you have an education - I recently finished my degree in economics from a remote university, which enabled me to take freelance jobs in IT/consulting from time to time which is well paid. I am also a certified goldsmith, which enabled me to start with the online teaching business, and I taught myself 3D and illustration design. I am working hard to improve my skills and I based my freelance business on it. I am garbage at marketing but in the beginning I actually walked from door to door of the different goldsmithies and jelewery shops and offered my 3d design/3d printing service, and it worked. I got my first clients by going out there and showing them my (back then pitifully small) portfolio. But it still worked!
Just getting out there and talking to people, I also cold-called a lot back in the days (2017-2018), can work wonders.

Then the next step.
Build a passive income, side income, something independent from time. The phase I am hustling in right now. Building online teaching business, grow my newsletter, sell memberships on Skillshare.
Yes, it is still small, yes, it is not making thousands of dollars per month. But - a solid 500 - 700 USD without any time investment except the occasional post on social media and of course building new courses from time to time. And I am finishing my next course currently and this number is going to go up. Because I train my design and art skills, I can offer more value to people in my teaching and also in my freelancing, which I do besides that as well.

The next step?
Well, future will show what is coming. But building a bigger portfolio, becoming a really kick a$$ artist and gathering a big following to sell more and more would be a good future outlook I think.


...
I don't know if this is of any value or insight to you.
Just know that I can relate to you and I know how bad it can make one feel when the overthinking kicks in. I was only able to do the above because I stopped pitying myself for the mess I was (in) and took action.

Take one step at a time. Focus on the next, important thing to finish. Take small, baby steps towards your goals and dreams. Even if it is just 10 minutes one day, 1 hour the next, 30 minutes the day after...slowly, you will dig yourself out of that hole.

Cheers and God bless

 

[Boogie]

Not low-value at all! Thank you so much for that it was very helpful. I will pick up that book when I can-- Right now I'm halfway through Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday-- I might get it to switch it up and read a bit of each at a time or as soon as I'm done (I go pretty fast)

Since you mentioned Discipline is Destiny, I thought you might like this video.

It chronicles the two years he took to write it and shows quite a bit of his methodology and work involved. Massive execution before the payoff. He talks about his research and how he organizes his material to write. He learned those techniques from Robert Greene.

It's also a great way to market his book.

View: https://youtu.be/dU7efgGEOgk

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MakeItHappen]

If you start a carpet cleaning business right now, with good marketing you'll be making 20k a month next spring. I know a lady who owns a carpet cleaning company with 6 crews working full time. Each truck brings in 20-25k a month. It's not as sexy, but it works and money is money

I agree. There are a lot of businesses that if you simply do a good job you will do very fine. There are also ventures where major success is statistically speaking very slim.

If I remember correctly there are about 20000 young actors that move to Los Angeles every year with big dreams (and enough faith to move to Los Angeles and work shitty jobs while hoping to make it big). Only a handful will become A-Listers. Statistically speaking your odds of making it are almost zero no matter how talented and hard-working you are. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try it if it matters a lot to you but even if you do everything right the most likely outcome is still failure.

The businessman Felix Dennis advised against glamours industrys if the making of money is the goal because of the law of supply and demand.

"First off, forget glamorous. One of the riches self-made men I know digs holes in the ground to dispose of household waste. That's not how his company describes itself in its annual report, but essentially that is what it does, along with building incineration plants. Glamorous? No. But in a good year he puts 20-30 million pounds on the bottom line and earns a gross margin of over 20 percent. That's a sensational result for a small, wholly owned private company.

This isn't meant to discourage but what I wrote was what came to mind.

 

[ensoniq2k]

I might be able to add some unique insight from the consumer side since my wife recently bought a drawing book from some Youtuber after watching his videos. You already stated people like your book and you even sold one without trying at a coffee shop I also assume it's not an issue with the product but rather with marketing.

If you make such a book I'm assuming you can draw at least a bit. If you're able to teach some tips and tricks (every little bit helps, especially for a novice) you already have some content you could provide for social media. Of course you're demonstrating it drawing with your book, what else? All this doesn't cost you anything upfront and you can promote your book in the description.

My wife also bought the paper and pencils the guy recommended. So this might even be a cross sell for you. The mentioned guy has 300k subscribers in Germany and 800k internationally so there are quite a few people to market to.

Hope that helps, I'm still pretty novice in all that marketing stuff so I can't provide any personal success story here.

 

[BellaPippin]

Hi @BellaPippin !
You remind me of myself. Housewive/partner here with relatively low income but hustling like crazy to bring my art/design/online teaching thing to fruition. (See my progress thread.)

I feel you. Tried so many different things, made so many mistakes. All in all, I think we ourselves are often our biggest enemies, our thoughts, our doubts.

First thing that came to mind is: you have talent for creating posts that gather a LOT of attention - MJ even made a newsletter from your case. So maybe this is something to think about. You apparently write stuff that people want to read and react to. You were being very open and honest, and that vulnerability made people want to interact with you and help you out. You show yourself - something I always struggle with online (I want to hide in my closet and slam the door because I always cringe seeing myself on video, in social media etc lol)

I don't have much more of advice to you, many people have written useful and insightful things.

But one thing that came to mind is that we need priorities.

First handle the basic stuff (income > bills + debt). Apparently you got that covered. But not being able to provide enough for oneself so that we need others financial support can be a huge self-worth killer, it also gives you the feeling that you rely on others mercy. That sucks, frankly. Even in the best of relationships this can lead to a lot of tension. This is one of my #1 motivators, tbh. Independence of income. And it is also quite nice to be able to offer him paying for a nice dinner or the next vacation.

Then the next step.
Do you have an education - I recently finished my degree in economics from a remote university, which enabled me to take freelance jobs in IT/consulting from time to time which is well paid. I am also a certified goldsmith, which enabled me to start with the online teaching business, and I taught myself 3D and illustration design. I am working hard to improve my skills and I based my freelance business on it. I am garbage at marketing but in the beginning I actually walked from door to door of the different goldsmithies and jelewery shops and offered my 3d design/3d printing service, and it worked. I got my first clients by going out there and showing them my (back then pitifully small) portfolio. But it still worked!
Just getting out there and talking to people, I also cold-called a lot back in the days (2017-2018), can work wonders.

Then the next step.
Build a passive income, side income, something independent from time. The phase I am hustling in right now. Building online teaching business, grow my newsletter, sell memberships on Skillshare.
Yes, it is still small, yes, it is not making thousands of dollars per month. But - a solid 500 - 700 USD without any time investment except the occasional post on social media and of course building new courses from time to time. And I am finishing my next course currently and this number is going to go up. Because I train my design and art skills, I can offer more value to people in my teaching and also in my freelancing, which I do besides that as well.

The next step?
Well, future will show what is coming. But building a bigger portfolio, becoming a really kick a$$ artist and gathering a big following to sell more and more would be a good future outlook I think.


...
I don't know if this is of any value or insight to you.
Just know that I can relate to you and I know how bad it can make one feel when the overthinking kicks in. I was only able to do the above because I stopped pitying myself for the mess I was (in) and took action.

Take one step at a time. Focus on the next, important thing to finish. Take small, baby steps towards your goals and dreams. Even if it is just 10 minutes one day, 1 hour the next, 30 minutes the day after...slowly, you will dig yourself out of that hole.

Cheers and God bless

Wow girl that’s amazing, what kind of things do you do to market your course? I have a painting course on Udemy I made a few years ago but after publishing I got shiny object syndrome and moved on to the next thing. I smile when I get the $10 deposit every now and then…

I might be able to add some unique insight from the consumer side since my wife recently bought a drawing book from some Youtuber after watching his videos. You already stated people like your book and you even sold one without trying at a coffee shop I also assume it's not an issue with the product but rather with marketing.

If you make such a book I'm assuming you can draw at least a bit. If you're able to teach some tips and tricks (every little bit helps, especially for a novice) you already have some content you could provide for social media. Of course you're demonstrating it drawing with your book, what else? All this doesn't cost you anything upfront and you can promote your book in the description.

My wife also bought the paper and pencils the guy recommended. So this might even be a cross sell for you. The mentioned guy has 300k subscribers in Germany and 800k internationally so there are quite a few people to market to.

Hope that helps, I'm still pretty novice in all that marketing stuff so I can't provide any personal success story here.

My current focus was doing just that, I‘ve been making reels and trying to partner with some medium sized accounts to try to promote it. I’m at a whooping 12 followers so far, if I remember correctly, it’s probably going to take time, but the idea is there.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[BellaPippin]

• R/E License: Based on your posts it doesn't seem like something you really want to pursue or that you think will be a good fit for you. It can be lucrative (my wife is an agent) and get you out circulating with people again but just make sure it's something you want to do. Time is a valuable commodity.
• Also R/E related: If you've made an art book you likely have an eye for things. Perhaps pursuing R/E may lead to something more like interior design, home staging, etc. Follow what interests you and what you're good at, then figure out the rest.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned my duplex many times except for one thread but one of the things I’ve tried and that’s ongoing is, technically, RE investing. Not sure 100% if being an agent is what I want but I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at property management and see if that’s a good avenue to interact with people and maybe find problems to solve, as well as getting some cash in for future properties, even the things you’ve mentioned. I don’t know much yet so I was hoping getting the license would help me put the foot in the door and see where I can go. I can definitely do photography and maybe staging I think, I just don’t know what’s involved or how to get in the door.

 

[BellaPippin]

My husband wants to go freelance and he suggested we start a development company and I manage everything so all he has to do is code. Not sure if genius or I’ve touched rock bottom. Lol

 

[ensoniq2k]

My current focus was doing just that, I‘ve been making reels and trying to partner with some medium sized accounts to try to promote it. I’m at a whooping 12 followers so far, if I remember correctly, it’s probably going to take time, but the idea is there.

It definitely takes time to build the audience organically. From what I've read it can certainly help to pay for some fake followers to make the account look more interesting. It's not very honest but it's how the social media business works.

My husband wants to go freelance and he suggested we start a development company and I manage everything so all he has to do is code. Not sure if genius or I’ve touched rock bottom. Lol

I do freelancing to pay for my other business investments but you can't avoid customer contact as developer. There are a ton of freelancing agencies out there, you would probably have very hard time getting contacts at the big players while they already have everything lined up.
So I'd say it's more like rock bottom

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[BizyDad]

My husband wants to go freelance and he suggested we start a development company and I manage everything so all he has to do is code. Not sure if genius or I’ve touched rock bottom. Lol

Relatively easy leads to generate with Google Ads. Also super easy to test it out before he quits his job. Just put up a site and start running ads.

Now if only you had some skill in that. Or perhaps had an army of people behind you to help you optimize that.

Gosh, wouldn't that be nice?

Edit: Side note, not sure how far behind I am, but congrats on the wedding!

 

[Andy Black]

congrats on the wedding!

Wait, what? Someone got married? Congrats!!

 

[BellaPippin]

Wait, what? Someone got married? Congrats!!

Lol guys I got married a couple years ago ^o^

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[KiwiEC]

My husband wants to go freelance and he suggested we start a development company and I manage everything so all he has to do is code. Not sure if genius or I’ve touched rock bottom. Lol

Your husband is right. No matter if this project is serious/viable or not, he wants to take action.

Having a life partner who understands your mindset and who is ready to support you is pure GOLD.

When my dad got laid off years ago, he decided to start a IT company. I remember helping him during my teenage years, by assembling dozens of computers, installing network sockets into lots of offices, etc.

But my mom (who I love) never supported him. She was always complaining about this way of life with risks, lack of stability, etc. This is probably one of the reasons why my dad's business failed.

My parents divorced years ago, but I can see this lack of support is something he will never forget. That's why I find this sentence of yours very inspiring. There is really something behind it!

After reading MJ's books, I discussed them with my girlfriend. Our slowlane lifes into the same boring company (we met at work), what we could offer to our futur kids by doing something else, etc. She supports me at 100%.

I also tried to get her started, she likes to do her own cosmetics, so I convinced her to run a small business. She took some courses and bought materials. Now she's about to craft a couple of soaps with original shapes and fragances and she plans to get feedback from friends/family.

I am so proud and happy for her. On my side I have some of your doubts too so i fully understand you.

One of the sentence from TFM is something like "Better to have regrets for not having succeeded rather than for not having tried." (approximately translated from the french version of the book with my lame english ^_^).

You tried. And right now you are trying too.

You > most of the people you see every day outside. Keep going.

 

[Gepi]

Wow girl that’s amazing, what kind of things do you do to market your course? I have a painting course on Udemy I made a few years ago but after publishing I got shiny object syndrome and moved on to the next thing. I smile when I get the $10 deposit every now and then…

If it is amazing, I am not yet sure, but it is a start and it is way more than I was able to do a few years ago. I can totally understand your feeling on the Udemy thing. I have some 3D models on CGTrader and I do zero marketing for them, but still once in a while people buy one of them. My absolute bestseller is a reindeer model, which probably has seasonal value for Christmas But it is hard to stick with it for sure. Shiny object syndrom only ceased for me once I understood that I had to focus, I had to decide, I had to really double down on where I saw a path for me based on my interests, abilities and income potential. It is like with marriage. If you constantly try to find a new, better partner while in a relationship, guess what happens to the relationship...? It will break apart veeery fast.

To your question: Skillshare does a lot of the marketing.

But, I do my own part. I have a website (phialo.de), an IG channel, I post in different related forums (where people from my target group are, like goldsmiths, aspiring artists, people who want to get more creative etc.), a small YT-channel where I post free tutorials and sneak peeks from my paid classes. Also, I get a sign up bonus for everyone who subscribes via sign up links like the one to my profile on Skillshare.

I know it could all be bigger and better, but it's definitely all a work in progress!

-> If you ever want to get back into making courses, send me a DM - I am a Top Teacher on Skillshare and can connect you with the coaches they have available. I know, Skillshare is not exactly freedom of control - but, it is a good step on the way towards it, because at some point you will get very good at teaching, gather a big enough following so that you can uncouple it from Skillshare if you are smart about it. And they have a lot of resources, a community of very motivated and talented people who want to share their knowledge, etc. etc. ...did I mention you can always work from home?!

Sending good vibes

Edit: and btw, the thing with the consulting company...if your husband is in for it and supports the entrepreneurial way, this might be a good path. Doing this together and supporting each other can be a very strong catalyst. He has to really want it though. Especially in IT with wages being relatively high, it is easy to go the employed road if one is not cut out for self-employment, for whatever reasons...

 

[Mattie]

Let me start by saying I’m not proud of this post. I always tell myself I don’t want to post a new thread until I have something of value to share. On the other hand, this journey is a very lonely one and I treasure the moments when I can get a bit of chit chat with you guys and a bit of support. So here I am.

Okay like the title says. My mindset is suffering. Ever since the start of the year when I got kind of stuck with my book sales it hit me harder. I’m not sure how to say it but in a way I got to new levels of action I’d never been to and that’s good. On the other hand I found some new, bad resistance. Some beliefs just appeared in my mind and they’re festering there:

I don’t feel I have what it takes. I adopted the mindset of a producer, and I try to use that filter when approaching ideas. Immediately I encounter questions, mostly operational related, and get blocked. My mind suddenly realizes I’m in charge of figuring out an item’s supply chain, marketing, LLC formation, accounting, and goes into meltdown mode, having no idea where to start and more importantly not believing I’m capable of managing such thing.

I went from thinking “if other people do this I should be able too” to “other people can do this, but I can’t”. Why? Idk. It just seems like that these days. I’m torn between telling myself I’m being realist and telling myself that I’m just using the wrong set of beliefs for some reason, but I have that little voice telling me “not everyone can do it and that’s okay” and I want it to shut up.

I’ve been exploring several avenues that ultimately just feel like money chasing because while I know im not supposed to reinvent the wheel I can’t find a place where I can add value.

That makes me sad.

I could handle the desert if I had something I believed in but currently I don’t think I have a productocracy in my hands, of any kind. I look around me and I’ve been finding solutions have been made for all of what I look into, and they’re made well. I feel I’m scrambling to find the value add and as such the ideas are not worthy.

I guess I should just give it up for now? Give it more time? Is this like dating, when you stop looking for it it comes to you or something lame like that? Because as it is it consumes my everyday thought yet I’m not getting anywhere.

It sucks knowing what your purpose is and sucking a$$ at it. It’s like wanting to be a doctor to help people and you keep failing all your exams. Do you really want it?! You must not want it that bad huh. Or maybe you do want it but you’ve dyslexia and you’re having the time of your life everytime you study.

To top it off and because I’m supposed to compare myself to better people, all I see is success I don’t yet have. The carrot dangles everywhere and I’m hungry. Do I not have what it takes? If that’s the case I’m pretty effed cause it’s not like I have a 401k I started in my 20s so... I better get what it takes if I don’t have it.

Aight I think I’m done. I love you guys, never change.

Sounds like your arguing with yourself. You can't focus if your divided with thoughts. You can do it if you put your mind to it. It is a choice to succeed.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Roli]

That makes me sad.

So what makes you happy?

It sucks knowing what your purpose is and sucking a$$ at it. It’s like wanting to be a doctor to help people and you keep failing

Ah, this tells me that making art makes you happy.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like your negative thinking got triggered by low sales, you need sales so you can keep on doing your art. So at some point you began mistaking making sales for happiness.

My advice would be find more avenues to make art and in the process you'll find more people who want to buy it. The route I would suggest is Youtube, there are some great channels out there that teach people to draw. I started following a couple myself and was surprised with the results, I went from terrible to drawing stuff that my wife said, 'that's actually quite good'.

The point is these channels are popular because they teach what many people believe is a mystical skill that they'll never learn. In turn, these people promote their books (as well as Amazon affiliate art stuff) and thus they bring in a whole new audience they wouldn't have from their other channels.

Another type of genre that seems to do really well on Youtube, are the 'how to write a book' channels. These are often (but not exclusively) run by female authors, they give advice on various aspects of storytelling whilst at the same time promoting their books.

Perhaps you could do this, or combine the two concepts into a USP.

I've put a couple of examples of my fave channels below. Keep going, Bella. Remember, in the kiln fires of adversity is where strength is forged. You can do it.

Video 1 - This is Jenna, I like her content and have followed some of her advice on writing techniques. If you click the description link on YT, you'll see the various revenue streams she has created, all of which are connected to writing.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxfkaQOsdsw


Video 2 - This one is Rapid Fire Art tutorial on how to draw a realistic eye. She doesn't seem to have as many revenue streams as Jenna, but I love her tutorials, they're very detailed and easy to follow.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNZ9df0tho&t=1855s