Hello,
I hope you are happily moving towards your goal. I am new to entrepreneurship and desire to learn from all of you and maybe help in some way. So without further wasting your time let me introduce myself. I am Adarsha. As of now a nobody. All my life I was the 'average guy. The one who is not good but not bad as well. Being an introvert I did not mind being invisible. However, later on when I wanted to have friends and a social network I had to really work very hard. And then also I used to more or else the last choice- 'The last guy to join the football team', 'The last guy to be invited to the party. I knew at that point that something is wrong. And I desperately tried to find a solution.
Enter the year 2017. I scored over and above expectation marks in an 'important exam of my life '. Sorry, I forgot to mention I am from India. And over here the 'Script' runs rather strongly. Especially, when your entire family and close relatives are teachers and principals of schools and colleges. So long story short, suddenly the guy over whom there was no expectation became a centerpiece of attention. Truthfully, I loved it. And thus begins my journey integrating myself deeply with the 'Script'. At that point, I did not realize what I was doing. Because I was following the 'Script' so well people around me were telling me how successful I will be if I continue like this.
What was funny and what made me question this notion was a phenomenon. It goes something like this... Before that 'important exam' of mine, everything seemed about that. It felt more like a do-or-die event. I cleared it, congratulations flowed and suddenly the goal changed... it was the next 'important exam'. Again everything centered around it. Cleared it. Congratulations flowed. And the goal changed. And every time it changed the earlier achievement interestingly lost all its importance. People told me no one will look at that during your job interview. [So what was even the point of all that hype?]
Also, another problem was arising. You see the 'rat race is all about competition. While people congratulated you and everything I was also feeling jealousy and other negative emotions. Mostly what happened was if I surpassed someone's expectation (among my peer group) they were not happy and even felt like I cheated my way out. Even I had such thoughts when later on someone on whom I had very little expectation surpassed me. And this toxic cycle went on. It finally hit me strong and hard when just after my college opened after Covid Lockdown was over. All familiar faces but no one wanted to talk to me. The 'Script' had just isolated me into a lonely, heartless robot with no human touch.
That was the moment I decided this needs to change. I do not want to be anybody. Invisible and forgotten. But also not at the cost of having only hatred from everybody. So I tried something I never thought I would do. I tried to be a helpful friend. And that led to a realization that deep down almost everybody is lost, insecure, and needs a little encouragement. More realistically I was able to help them mostly with studies. That also made me try my first model (Cannot even call it a business). Basically based on the idea of Uber I tried to model that in studies. So here how it goes. Students from time to time have problem grasping certain concepts. What happens in group studies there is always that one guy/girl who can help out the most. I thought how about if I tried to connect such 'teachers' with their 'students'. What could go wrong?
As it turns out everything. To say it in terms of the CENTS formula it goes something like this:
1.Control- The model depended on a few studious fellows who were preferred by almost everybody to teach anything. As they realized they had their own demands and basically the whole thing was running as per their wish. And thus I lost control over the whole process.
2.Entry- I was stupid to believe that these model will work out when I did not factor in tuition teachers... My biggest competition. They were more trusted and so naturally students went to them. If I was to have any advantage at all it would have to be by reducing prices almost charging nothing. Anybody working with me did not like that at all.
3.Need- Truthfully in a marks centric education system with almost no fun in learning is it really any wonder that people would take interest in learning concepts. They all wanted notes to mug up and pass exams. I kind of failed to understand the real need.
4.Time- Not really sure whether this is true in this case as the model was just starting out. Automation comes later on but because it was already hard to get willing students who would teach I took the managing and coordinating different class schedules completely on my head. It was exhausting and depressing.
5.Scale- I could not even create my model stand so scaling is out of question.
So anyway that is my side of the story. I learned a lot from this failed approach. And I plan to learn more before making my move next.
As of now I have decided to seat back and try to find out actual tangible human problems. Or in better terms create a solid demand based model. I plan to learn from other people's experience over here (especially from their failure so I can minimize my mistake). I will try to contribute to the best of my possibility though I must admit been a novice I would mostly be on the receiving end.
Thank You.
I hope you are happily moving towards your goal. I am new to entrepreneurship and desire to learn from all of you and maybe help in some way. So without further wasting your time let me introduce myself. I am Adarsha. As of now a nobody. All my life I was the 'average guy. The one who is not good but not bad as well. Being an introvert I did not mind being invisible. However, later on when I wanted to have friends and a social network I had to really work very hard. And then also I used to more or else the last choice- 'The last guy to join the football team', 'The last guy to be invited to the party. I knew at that point that something is wrong. And I desperately tried to find a solution.
Enter the year 2017. I scored over and above expectation marks in an 'important exam of my life '. Sorry, I forgot to mention I am from India. And over here the 'Script' runs rather strongly. Especially, when your entire family and close relatives are teachers and principals of schools and colleges. So long story short, suddenly the guy over whom there was no expectation became a centerpiece of attention. Truthfully, I loved it. And thus begins my journey integrating myself deeply with the 'Script'. At that point, I did not realize what I was doing. Because I was following the 'Script' so well people around me were telling me how successful I will be if I continue like this.
What was funny and what made me question this notion was a phenomenon. It goes something like this... Before that 'important exam' of mine, everything seemed about that. It felt more like a do-or-die event. I cleared it, congratulations flowed and suddenly the goal changed... it was the next 'important exam'. Again everything centered around it. Cleared it. Congratulations flowed. And the goal changed. And every time it changed the earlier achievement interestingly lost all its importance. People told me no one will look at that during your job interview. [So what was even the point of all that hype?]
Also, another problem was arising. You see the 'rat race is all about competition. While people congratulated you and everything I was also feeling jealousy and other negative emotions. Mostly what happened was if I surpassed someone's expectation (among my peer group) they were not happy and even felt like I cheated my way out. Even I had such thoughts when later on someone on whom I had very little expectation surpassed me. And this toxic cycle went on. It finally hit me strong and hard when just after my college opened after Covid Lockdown was over. All familiar faces but no one wanted to talk to me. The 'Script' had just isolated me into a lonely, heartless robot with no human touch.
That was the moment I decided this needs to change. I do not want to be anybody. Invisible and forgotten. But also not at the cost of having only hatred from everybody. So I tried something I never thought I would do. I tried to be a helpful friend. And that led to a realization that deep down almost everybody is lost, insecure, and needs a little encouragement. More realistically I was able to help them mostly with studies. That also made me try my first model (Cannot even call it a business). Basically based on the idea of Uber I tried to model that in studies. So here how it goes. Students from time to time have problem grasping certain concepts. What happens in group studies there is always that one guy/girl who can help out the most. I thought how about if I tried to connect such 'teachers' with their 'students'. What could go wrong?
As it turns out everything. To say it in terms of the CENTS formula it goes something like this:
1.Control- The model depended on a few studious fellows who were preferred by almost everybody to teach anything. As they realized they had their own demands and basically the whole thing was running as per their wish. And thus I lost control over the whole process.
2.Entry- I was stupid to believe that these model will work out when I did not factor in tuition teachers... My biggest competition. They were more trusted and so naturally students went to them. If I was to have any advantage at all it would have to be by reducing prices almost charging nothing. Anybody working with me did not like that at all.
3.Need- Truthfully in a marks centric education system with almost no fun in learning is it really any wonder that people would take interest in learning concepts. They all wanted notes to mug up and pass exams. I kind of failed to understand the real need.
4.Time- Not really sure whether this is true in this case as the model was just starting out. Automation comes later on but because it was already hard to get willing students who would teach I took the managing and coordinating different class schedules completely on my head. It was exhausting and depressing.
5.Scale- I could not even create my model stand so scaling is out of question.
So anyway that is my side of the story. I learned a lot from this failed approach. And I plan to learn more before making my move next.
As of now I have decided to seat back and try to find out actual tangible human problems. Or in better terms create a solid demand based model. I plan to learn from other people's experience over here (especially from their failure so I can minimize my mistake). I will try to contribute to the best of my possibility though I must admit been a novice I would mostly be on the receiving end.
Thank You.
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