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Saad Khan

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This is me being consistent on LinkedIn for 2 months. Applied the course teachings.

Got 3 inbound leads since 1st July. They were broke and not from the target country (Europe, NA, AUS, UK). I dropped them as I value my sanity more than money because the ones who're the cheapest complain the most.

Btw I'm looking for Amazon FBA leads that might not be on LinkedIn, who knows?
 
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What do you expect from a Pakistani agency?
Nothing really. And it is a shame. Pakistan has some good talent, but due to the nature of the situation shit like this is all too common and is depressing to say the least.

keep increasing your skillset, and specialize. Gain exposure and keep grinding. You will be fine
 

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Update:

Got a qualified lead from LinkedIn. He's interested in launching an FBA business. I will be teaming up with the e-com guys (the ones who have personally launched two of their own FBA Private Label stores) to help me make this client's launch a success.

After a video session, he was also interested in FBA wholesale along with a Private Label launch on Amazon Australia. So I sent him a detailed report of all the costs, expenses, myth-busting, time, expectations, etc. He is now also interested in FBA wholesale.

Luckily, we got one wholesale account from a distributor and are close to securing 3 more wholesale accounts. The ecom guy has been hyper-focused on FBA wholesale, another one on his ongoing FBA Private Label launch, and me being hyper-focused on Amazon PPC.

There is one problem. The client hasn't voted with his money yet. Still, I'm optimistic and will manage his expectations realistically.

There's one thing I'm focused on right now. Getting good at what I do (Amazon PPC) and delivering exceptional value.

Also got another Pakistani lead. Spent days talking to him on the phone and discussing his project in meticulous detail. Now he's leaving me on read after I sent him the freelance contract :rofl:
 

Saad Khan

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This. I am also no expert in diplomacy in my personal life but in a professional setting, everything changes.

@Saad Khan When you're working in an agency you have to remember that you are a part of the agency. You're not just out for yourself. Furthermore, someone (the client) has trusted you with their money - one of the most vital components of our lives.

Now, people get lazy. Colleagues can be incompetent. And sometimes, even the CEO has it all wrong...

And that's EXACTLY when you should be opportunistic!

Why?

Because if you get the job done in spite of those things/people holding you back while also using diplomatic language to minimize the damage your dumb & lazy colleagues caused, you will now be seen as The Guy™.

Who's The Guy™?

The Guy™ is an expert who can compensate for his colleagues' lack of abilities by taking control (regardless if he's just a worker or the CEO, or whatever the F*ck).

For example, your colleagues forgot to set up the pixel (or it stopped working for some reason and they neglectfully did not notice). This has been an ongoing issue for a week, your client's revenue has dropped significantly and they're panicking.

So what can you do? Here's an example:

You can give your colleague a chance to redeem themselves by pointing out to them that tracking seems weird lately and asking whether they might know what's causing it. If they proceed by troubleshooting the error and fixing it, let them know that they should write an update and send it to the client so that they know you're staying on top of things (in control of the situation).

HOWEVER...

If they don't fix the problem - fix it yourself. Even if it's not your job. Use Google.

Boom, you just took control and got some The Guy™ points with your client!

But what if they fix the issue without updating the client?

Well, that basically means they only fixed HALF the problem. Because the biggest problem you have as an agency is retaining that client for as long as possible and they NEED to know that you're doing things. Useful things.

So, just write the update yourself. And even if you fixed the problem all by yourself, always acknowledge that you're a part of a team by saying "We fixed X and did Y, and now Z is back to bringing sales.".

Boom, you just took control and got some The Guy™ points with your client AND team!

A week later, you notice that one of your colleagues is exceedingly useless and even detrimental to the agency's relationship with a client.

What do you do? You kill FOUR birds with ONE stone!

But how?!

Well, you take control by helping your boss out with finding and interviewing a much better candidate for that colleague's position. Your client is now ecstatic about the results he's getting while your boss thinks you're a F*cking genius. Hell, you even gave an actual worthy individual a job which could very well change their life!

Boom, you just took control and got some The Guy™ points!

And hey, guess what - the CEO, your boss, noticed all of this. That same CEO who's been dreaming for YEARS about how someone competent takes over his business and just manages shit for him.

Boom, you're now The Guy™ and took over the agency.

Suddenly, you start getting offers for way more money and work than you even anticipated while also acquiring godlike confidence with all sorts of clients + the ability to lead others.

You now have your own agency.

Anyway..

Gimmicks aside, you have to know how to turn a bad situation into a good situation for everyone (or at the very least someone).

In services that usually means appeasing your client first. Then your boss. And finally, yourself.

But what you did did not appease anyone. Your client thought you were all idiots and left. Your boss was affected by the loss of a client and an attack on his ego. Your ex-colleagues are still incompetent. And you? You're left without a job.

ZERO value provided.

It's basically The Butterfly Effect. A small change can significantly influence a future outcome.

To quote the Lawrence of Arabia:

"Big things have small beginnings."

Good luck!
I read this again today, and I must say the copy had me dreaming of becoming a CEO after gaining a lot of The Guy points.
 
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I read this again today, and I must say the copy had me dreaming of becoming a CEO after gaining a lot of The Guy points.

Good. Hold onto that thought, make mindful decisions, and it'll become your reality.
 

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I still struggle with procrastination and action faking. I binge-watched the first season of peaky blinders. Loved it. Also felt guilty after finishing it.

Also discovered my personality type is ENTJ. Guess I'm a ruthless commander, eh?
That bit about the peaky blinders was too relatable. I had a moment 3ish weeks ago where I got fed up with cold calling so when my mom told me we were going to party I just bing-watched the first 1 and half seasons. Not going to lie it was actually quite good.
Anyways,something that helps with the action faking for me is to just say "f*ck it" and then tell myself it's much better than going no where. Best of luck with the amazon PPC!
 

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Update:

This is a big win for me.

The e-com guy trusted me with his seller account via third-party access to see the campaigns unravel in front of me. By now I have been managing two small accounts but this will be a big one with a daily spend of $300-$400. Tons of ideas for testing and optimizing.

I met him in person 1 week ago and he offered to hire me to manage PPC campaigns for his stores. Guess that's where I'm going to be getting my first stable income source and reinvesting the money into myself.


On a side note: I also made a Fiverr gig since I only have a presence on LinkedIn.

I want my personal Upwork account to unlock ASAP. It's going to be 6 more months before I'm legally 18 so I can do a lot of epic stuff.

I have done little to no cold calling but have enough credibility on LinkedIn that I have successfully generated 4 inbound leads - one of which is qualified. Going to focus on cold calling too since I've racked up two good case studies.

Excited!
 
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Funky Monkey

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Update:

This is a big win for me.

The e-com guy trusted me with his seller account via third-party access to see the campaigns unravel in front of me. By now I have been managing two small accounts but this will be a big one with a daily spend of $300-$400. Tons of ideas for testing and optimizing.

I met him in person 1 week ago and he offered to hire me to manage PPC campaigns for his stores. Guess that's where I'm going to be getting my first stable income source and reinvesting the money into myself.


On a side note: I also made a Fiverr gig since I only have a presence on LinkedIn.

I want my personal Upwork account to unlock ASAP. It's going to be 6 more months before I'm legally 18 so I can do a lot of epic stuff.

I have done little to no cold calling but have enough credibility on LinkedIn that I have successfully generated 4 inbound leads - one of which is qualified. Going to focus on cold calling too since I've racked up two good case studies.

Excited!
Good work! Are you getting a % on ROAS?
 

Saad Khan

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Good work! Are you getting a % on ROAS?
He's a bit uncertain how the campaigns would perform so I made him an offer that I'll charge him 10% of his ROAS when we hit 25% ACoS (pays 1/4th of the sale price to get an order)

It's all about gaining trust, especially as a PPC manager.
 
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Saad Khan

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Is this Fastlane?

Folks, the worst thing you can do after joining the forum is asking the question, “Is this Fastlane?

If you have been linked to this post, there’s a reason why.

From this point forward, I will officially ignore any post that contains any variation of “is this Fastlane?” And the sad fact is, most regular contributors here already do so. I thought I should speak up why I don't respond to these.

First, anyone who asks such a question has clearly misinterpreted my book. From a strict interpretation, with zero room for gray area, the answer of “is this Fastlane?” has already been answered in the book. Reread chapters 29 and beyond.

Second, the question “is this Fastlane” implies that some idea in your head is Fastlane. Such could be further from the truth. No idea is Fastlane. And no idea will ever be. In fact, a well executed “NON-FASTLANE” is 10,000% better than a zero-executed idea that you *think* is Fastlane.

Think of it this way: If "Fastlane” was a bike ride across the country, asking the question “is this Fastlane” is akin to sitting down on the bike and staring at the garage floor. So in effect, asking “is this Fastlane” is NOT FASTLANE.

Third, putting all the commandments aside, Fastlane is about process. Consistent actions transforming into habit. It’s about doing something, getting results and feedback, and adjusting along the way. Fastlane is about ACTION, ANY ACTION, even if that action is a campaign on TeeSpring, a Craigslist hustle, or something that would typically be classified as “non-Fastlane.”

Expanding your experience, knowledge, and wisdom in a daily effort IS FASTLANE.

View attachment 9135


When I see these threads “is this Fastlane?”, I literally want to close the browser and come back tomorrow. And please, it’s nothing against you.

It’s just that “is this Fastlane” is becoming one gigantic excuse NOT TO DO ANYTHING. If you think you have a great idea that isn't Fastlane and you have zero experience in life, by all means, go for it. Quit worrying about Fastlane this, and Fastlane that.

“Oh, it doesn’t meet the 5 FL Commandments, so I’ll do nothing until I think about the next greatest idea."

Wrong approach.

Some of the most popular threads here aren't Fastlane per se'. But they are Fastlane from the perspective that someone is DOING SOMETHING to improve their life. And that, puts you leaps and bounds ahead of most people.

Folks, Fastlane is not something you do. Fastlane isn’t something you try. And it certainly isn’t some great idea you think you have.

Fastlane is about building your story.

Your process.

Your failures, your trials, and your errors.

If you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, yes by all means, use the Fastlane commandments as your guide. However, if you’re 20 years old and have NEVER STARTED OR ACCOMPLISHED ANYTHING, by all means, do SOMETHING— ANYTHING to ramp up your experience. "Fastlane" shouldn't really be much of a consideration.

The truth is many Fastlane's don't show themselves as Fastlanes until someone has hustled their a$$ off for years... and then suddenly, like magic, they appear. And they appear because someone trusted the process of action over the promise of events shimmering in the guise of "Fastlane".

Get out there and engage. :)

Good luck and best wishes,
~ MJ

PS: Tagged GOLD because it needs to be read.
Click to expand...
Reading this thread just affirmed that taking action as an 18-year-old kid was the right action.

I can't imagine sitting idle now.

After my action faking through my first year, it feels like this year (2nd year) is where I'm constantly getting better. I'm developing the habits a fastlaner has.

Right now I'm honing and sharpening my skills to raise my intrinsic value so I can gain leverage. I had tons of ideas in my first year but I didn't have leverage in the form of money.

With this brief Slowlane period, I'll garner leverage and use it to buy my time off repetitive stuff and focus on high-return tasks.

And the best part? I'm enjoying the process.
 
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Saad Khan

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I have one main goal for 2022. Get good at what I do. And what I chose was Amazon PPC.

I managed some accounts individually and got some results, but it's time to up the game and get really good at Amazon PPC to be able to deliver results like the big sharks.

I joined a PPC agency today as a PPC manager.

I just got off the onboarding session and here I am writing this message. I'll be learning so much in the process.

Did I mention it's remote 9-5?
 

Saad Khan

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Going to apply for admission at my local university in the Artificial Intelligence discipline (even tho I have a background in medicine). I already know I ain't learning shit there so I'll be using my network to learn AI properly.
 
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Saad Khan

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Good news. Some of our classes have 1.5 hours of time block breaks in between. That's good as I can go back and forth from uni to my workstation in 15 mins (considering I have a bike). Looks like managing uni and work wouldn't be as hard as I anticipated.

I'm literally getting paid to learn at the agency. You know it's a meaningful job when your only motive isn't money for the bills.
 
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Saad Khan

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Not gonna lie, my ego-stroking got me shortlisted for a college expo. Because of my first impressions, the director appointed me as an organizer for the university event. I got a chance to meet with the other guys and most of them were just there. Doing nothing at home with tons of free time. And here I am, literally struggling to not get fired from the agency because of not being available at their specified times. (I am in a hurry)

I feel something is wrong as if I'm the smartest person in the room at the university. I guess I'm stroking my ego again?

Anyways, now I'm catering to:

The PPC Agency (I have to cater more to them so I can learn faster)
1 client of my so-called "agency" on a retainer.
2 Freelance clients (mostly inactive but the workload is significant when they need something)
and now...

I'm a university event organizer and I have the job to call the brands and get them to invest in the expo they're doing at the uni + gotta manage a team of 5 guys. I mean why did I open my big mouth!?

I really need to:

Invest time in building my personal brand (literally, this is the most important thing out of everything above. I can't help but sob why I can't find time for it.)

I do have time. I plunder it sometimes. Damn Youtube feed and shorts on the mobile app! Every time I want to go watch downloaded math lectures on youtube, I end up getting stuck in the feed and shorts. Someone, PLEASE get rid of them addictive algorithms! If this idea is executed right, it will be CENTS and super Fastlane.

I want to have 48-hour days now :/

Or I need to cut off some weight off my shoulders
 

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Not gonna lie, my ego-stroking got me shortlisted for a college expo. Because of my first impressions, the director appointed me as an organizer for the university event. I got a chance to meet with the other guys and most of them were just there. Doing nothing at home with tons of free time. And here I am, literally struggling to not get fired from the agency because of not being available at their specified times. (I am in a hurry)

I feel something is wrong as if I'm the smartest person in the room at the university. I guess I'm stroking my ego again?

Anyways, now I'm catering to:

The PPC Agency (I have to cater more to them so I can learn faster)
1 client of my so-called "agency" on a retainer.
2 Freelance clients (mostly inactive but the workload is significant when they need something)
and now...

I'm a university event organizer and I have the job to call the brands and get them to invest in the expo they're doing at the uni + gotta manage a team of 5 guys. I mean why did I open my big mouth!?

I really need to:

Invest time in building my personal brand (literally, this is the most important thing out of everything above. I can't help but sob why I can't find time for it.)

I do have time. I plunder it sometimes. Damn Youtube feed and shorts on the mobile app! Every time I want to go watch downloaded math lectures on youtube, I end up getting stuck in the feed and shorts. Someone, PLEASE get rid of them addictive algorithms! If this idea is executed right, it will be CENTS and super Fastlane.

I want to have 48-hour days now :/

Or I need to cut off some weight off my shoulders
On. Fire.

Sure you accidentally volunteered, or got-volunteered for something; but other people are acknowledging your skills and hard work. That's a sign.

You'll do great... follow through on the commitment and you've got a few more people who know what you can do. And who know that you do what you say you will do. That's an important thing to build.

There's a magic number of people, maybe 100, maybe 1,000, but whenever that number of people believes that you can do something they all want done, success starts beating your door down.

In the short term... if you reach the capacity of what you can do, the way you're currently doing it, look for more efficient ways. Delegation, systemization, redefining the problem, or whatever it takes... these are also skills.

Rootin' for ya.
 
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Not gonna lie, my ego-stroking got me shortlisted for a college expo. Because of my first impressions, the director appointed me as an organizer for the university event. I got a chance to meet with the other guys and most of them were just there. Doing nothing at home with tons of free time. And here I am, literally struggling to not get fired from the agency because of not being available at their specified times. (I am in a hurry)

I feel something is wrong as if I'm the smartest person in the room at the university. I guess I'm stroking my ego again?

Anyways, now I'm catering to:

The PPC Agency (I have to cater more to them so I can learn faster)
1 client of my so-called "agency" on a retainer.
2 Freelance clients (mostly inactive but the workload is significant when they need something)
and now...

I'm a university event organizer and I have the job to call the brands and get them to invest in the expo they're doing at the uni + gotta manage a team of 5 guys. I mean why did I open my big mouth!?

I really need to:

Invest time in building my personal brand (literally, this is the most important thing out of everything above. I can't help but sob why I can't find time for it.)

I do have time. I plunder it sometimes. Damn Youtube feed and shorts on the mobile app! Every time I want to go watch downloaded math lectures on youtube, I end up getting stuck in the feed and shorts. Someone, PLEASE get rid of them addictive algorithms! If this idea is executed right, it will be CENTS and super Fastlane.

I want to have 48-hour days now :/

Or I need to cut off some weight off my shoulders
You mentioned personal branding and the addictive nature of video shorts in the same breath. Just saying.

Also...

 

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Not gonna lie, my ego-stroking got me shortlisted for a college expo. Because of my first impressions, the director appointed me as an organizer for the university event. I got a chance to meet with the other guys and most of them were just there. Doing nothing at home with tons of free time. And here I am, literally struggling to not get fired from the agency because of not being available at their specified times. (I am in a hurry)

I feel something is wrong as if I'm the smartest person in the room at the university. I guess I'm stroking my ego again?

Anyways, now I'm catering to:

The PPC Agency (I have to cater more to them so I can learn faster)
1 client of my so-called "agency" on a retainer.
2 Freelance clients (mostly inactive but the workload is significant when they need something)
and now...

I'm a university event organizer and I have the job to call the brands and get them to invest in the expo they're doing at the uni + gotta manage a team of 5 guys. I mean why did I open my big mouth!?

I really need to:

Invest time in building my personal brand (literally, this is the most important thing out of everything above. I can't help but sob why I can't find time for it.)

I do have time. I plunder it sometimes. Damn Youtube feed and shorts on the mobile app! Every time I want to go watch downloaded math lectures on youtube, I end up getting stuck in the feed and shorts. Someone, PLEASE get rid of them addictive algorithms! If this idea is executed right, it will be CENTS and super Fastlane.

I want to have 48-hour days now :/

Or I need to cut off some weight off my shoulders
Instagram Reels get me so I definitely understand

There's an iPhone app called #blockit that blocks certain features from showing in safari

You can hide news feed on facebook, stories, etc

Same for Insta, Youtube etc

It involves deleting the app and using it on Safari, which is annoying. These sites make their mobile web versions shit on purpose so you use the app.

But it works for me.
 

Saad Khan

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I feel something is wrong as if I'm the smartest person in the room at the organizer gathering. I guess I'm stroking my ego again?

Ok so being a smartass doesn't matter if you can't execute your thing better than others.

I learned a couple of things from the organizers. Especially the chief organizers and directors.

Action is the name of the game. Those guys were ON THE PHONE. ALL. THE. TIME. Even at 8 pm, they were calling everyone in the city. Now that's what you call cold calling unlike me who called 12-13 people in the span of 4 days. They literally went to their offices and sat for hours there to get them to sign the contract.

Sure, they are the ones getting the money but man, they were determined. That makes me question how much action I'm taking. If they were my competitors, I would get crushed. What's clever is that they leveraged all the manpower they had available. Pretty good use of unemployed students, huh?

When will I start to take this much action??? When will the day come when I cold call and message 30-40 people daily? I'm clearly not taking enough action.

I DMed the guys I was working with, unlike the other organizers who communicated in group chats. Let's say my messages remained obscure and their efforts were praised. Ouch.

I asked if I could go with them but it was too late. They had finished.

3 days left till the event starts.



If I had not read Fastlane in 2021, here's how it would have ended up for me (80% likely):

  1. Failed the medical entrance exam (try competing for 300 seats with 500,000 students. Good luck with that)
  2. Wasting a year sitting at home, just to give the exam again.
  3. Fail the exam again (lose my 2nd and last shot) cause I spent only 2 months studying out of 12 months. Then try to convince myself that it was worth it and then join an expensive uni with an expensive degree and study like a studyaholic (new word, anyone?)


Thank you for writing the book, MJ!
 
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If I had not read Fastlane in 2021, here's how it would have ended up for me (80% likely):

  1. Failed the medical entrance exam (try competing for 2000 seats with 1.4 million students. Good luck with that)
  2. Wasting a year sitting at home, just to give the exam again.
  3. Fail the exam again (lose my 2nd and last shot) cause I spent only 2 months studying out of 12 months. Then try to convince myself that it was worth it and then join an expensive uni with an expensive degree and study like a studyaholic (new word, anyone?)


Thank you for writing the book, MJ!
The exams thing is the same in here in Bangladesh, could've gone down the same route if not for MJs book
Thank you for writing the book, MJ! (2)
 

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So the 2-day event happened. I was appointed as a head organizer. Came home exhausted and couldn't function normally for 2 days. That's why I'm updating here right now with tons of work I need to do on Sunday.

One of the gentlemen owns 6 Amazon brands (that's what he said) and I booked a meeting with him tomorrow at his office. The reason he was interested is that he wants me to launch PPC campaigns for his new product in the UK. We'll see how that goes.
He also had his stall at the event. Met him as well.

I got invited to another event to become an organizer again. F*ck, I'm gonna do it again. I'm doing it for the connections and for building my reputation.

I got a prospective lead for Amazon PPC from LinkedIn today. Let's see how that goes.

Edit: I'm forecasted to fail in my first semester if I don't get my shit together.

Edit 2: I forgot to mention that I signed up as a brand ambassador for a real estate development society that had set up a stall with them. Good opportunity to poke around and understand how the real estate dynamics work in my town. I still have to visit them a their office which I'll do today
 
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Saad Khan

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Sheesh, it's been almost a month since I haven't updated this thread!

Here's what happened in the last 30 days

Flipped a laptop and sold it to someone. I learned a great deal about negotiation, standing your ground and the power of walking away during a negotiation. Pakistanis are tough negotiators ngl.

At the end of December, I was managing 18 products and 4 accounts at once for the agency. I wasn't able to give time to anything else and it disturbed my studies a lot (I had my midterms from 20th Dec-3rd Jan and I did poorly). So I told them to reduce the workload. They didn't agree and I had to leave because I was spreading myself too thin.

After leaving the agency, within 24 hours, a freelance client of mine asked me to manage his PPC of 3 products. It's been a week since I have been working with them and I'm so grateful now that I have the flexibility that I wanted to have. Going to get another account onboard today or tomorrow.

My PPC learning journey has also stalled. I'm no longer watching any PPC 3-hour webinars anymore. Hoping to fix that starting today.

I've also been learning C++ and spending 1 hour daily watching c++ videos and theory.

And yes, I'm 18 now. Now need to go and get my CNIC so I can legally create my own accounts. And upwork too.

Speaking of upwork, I have been given a task by that old agency owner (remember that guy?) to make his profile a "killer" profile.

Mediocre offers don't make killer profiles lol.
 
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This update is long overdue.

I have experienced so many things in the last 2 weeks. The relationships I nurtured have opened many doors for me, and now I'm at crossroads.

Here's what happened.

1. My Upwork finally got unlocked. Wrote my profile yesterday. Now have to switch to freelancing under my own name and not someone else's.

2. Sold another laptop. This time to a newbie who paid a training institute to teach him how to sell on Amazon. And bought another laptop for my sister.

3. The business idea I submitted to the Government Programme got shortlisted. I got a call from them a week ago. They also sent me the official confirmation via email 2 days ago. Before pitching my idea to investors, I'll be staying at another university in another city for a 5-day training BootCamp for pitching investors. Then, I'll have to compete in a Regional Pitching Competition. After that, I'll pitch real investors in a National Pitching Competition, after which the ones whose idea gets funding also get an option to work in incubation (with additional funding).

If you ask me, I'm curious about incubation and what happens in it. I want to be there to learn how they build startups, so I don't have to start with a clean slate when I'm building a CENTS business later on. In case you're wondering where I got the inspiration for the idea, it was from the (Ideas Needing Execution) section in the INSIDERS. Another reason to be in the INSIDERS.

He also had his stall at the event. Met him as well.

4. So, this guy is now interested in selling Amazon courses and wants me to teach the curriculum for him. I never thought I'd get paid for making a course, hahaha. I have a hunch he's going to lowball me in terms of offer because he was desperately trying to negotiate a "mutual percentage" and not a "money" agreement in my last talk with him, so I'm mentally ready to walk away. Besides, I have to travel 10 kilometers to his training facility, and I can record the same course while teaching PPC to my neighbor from the comfort of my home. But another reason for me to teach at that institute is that when I train its students, they'll be able to handle PPC accounts. I have the manpower at my fingers when I'm going to fully transition into an agency owner.

One of my goals for 2023 is to teach everything I know about Amazon PPC for free (I believe you get paid for STRATEGY and EXECUTION, knowledge shouldn't cost a fortune). This opportunity aligns with my goals, so I want to go with it.

I intend to teach one or two batches at the institute, record the sessions and then release them on YouTube for FREE for the local South Asian region, which I'll restructure and repackage (both in English and Urdu/Hindi) and hide the restructured content behind a paywall that costs as much as your regular Starbucks coffee.

Basically, anyone would be able to watch the same course on my youtube channel, the only caveat is that it would be scattered in bits and pieces, and the person will have to do a lot of digging. It will also be missing case studies which I can't disclose to the public (NDAs, bruh), and a networking INSIDERS group.

Reason? People don't appreciate free stuff. I've seen it happen many times.

Now here comes the important part.

What the f*ck do I pick and move with?

To be honest, I literally made a good-looking presentation on my idea and now I'm going to another university for a week tomorrow. It does align with my 5 yr and 10 yr goals but I didn't expect to come to this stage so quickly.

Second, that course thingy bugs me because I can do the same thing from my home while teaching it to my neighbor (he's expected to move out of Pakistan soon), but then I won't have any human resources and manpower to take on larger accounts and form an agency. (Or maybe I never wanted to make an agency in the first place).

I think it'd be far better if I follow @Andy Black's route and do what he did but in Amazon Ads. I've always admired the appreciation Andy gets.

My original goal on 3rd January (my birthday) was that I would focus on building my freelance reputation and personal brand and then go forwards from there and then earn good money so I can start flirting with and executing small business ideas. And teach everything I know for free to build credibility and work with big brands.

Edit: Just realized I haven't updated my 1/5/10 Planasy! I have so much to update there as well!
 
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Saad Khan

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Today, I'm dedicating this post to an entrepreneur that deserves nothing less than everything. He showed me that it's possible to do the impossible.

Thanks to the 5-day BootCamp, I got to network with entrepreneurs. There was one guy that stood out. He was a 27-year-old doctor who built an electric bike. Yes, he started learning engineering at 21 (when he was studying medicine) and has built ten prototypes.

I asked him to bring an unfinished prototype with a new design from the factory, and he did. Everything in the bike, except for the batteries, is made in Pakistan. It goes fast, and has excellent fuel efficiency. (0.3 cents/per kilometer). You bet I'm buying one of these when it hits the market.

His advice for everyone?
Perseverance, resiliency, and consistency will get you anywhere you want to go.

Anyways, I came up with an idea and pitched it on Day 5. My idea was an e-learning platform that provides certified technical courses to students and job seekers in Pakistan in their local languages. It's like Udacity, but the course is in local languages. Now I'm working on developing an MVP.

I'll be pitching in front of the government (this time, it's real) to get a grant to work on my business idea.

Best 5 days spent in my entire life so far!
 

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srodrigo

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I guess I'm stroking my ego again?
I haven't been following this thread but I skimmed long ago and I always thought that you need to be careful with this.

You say you are an ENTJ, the "ruthless" commander. I think this is the wrong mindset again. If you are an ENTJ, you have the power of execution that some of us lack of here. Use it in your advantage and don't self-sabotage by being a "ruthless" dickhead, which as far as I know it's more common in unhealthy or immature ENTJs than in healthy and mature ones. Channel your natural traits in a way that work in your favour, not against you.

Somewhere above you say you struggled with YouTube rabbit holes when going on there to download a video. Not sure whether you fixed this issue already, but if not just install some extension om your browser (one was called YouTube Rabbit Hole). If you mainly use your phone, well, no luck.

Happy to hear that you are pitching your idea yo the government. Best of luck with that!
 
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You say you are an ENTJ, the "ruthless" commander. I think this is the wrong mindset again. If you are an ENTJ, you have the power of execution that some of us lack of here. Use it in your advantage and don't self-sabotage by being a "ruthless" dickhead, which as far as I know it's more common in unhealthy or immature ENTJs than in healthy and mature ones. Channel your natural traits in a way that work in your favour, not against you.
I admit I used to think that way and disregarded emotional intelligence, but I was wrong. Emotional intelligence is essential when you're managing a team. You can't treat everyone "your way". Every person has to be treated "their way." It's a great strategic tool to get things done.

I use unhook to block the youtube feed on my browser, but the mobile app gets me 8 times out of 10.

So now I'm consciously using my browser for youtube.

I have final exams for the first semester next week, gotta prepare for that!
 

srodrigo

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I admit I used to think that way and disregarded emotional intelligence, but I was wrong. Emotional intelligence is essential when you're managing a team. You can't treat everyone "your way". Every person has to be treated "their way." It's a great strategic tool to get things done.

I use unhook to block the youtube feed on my browser, but the mobile app gets me 8 times out of 10.

So now I'm consciously using my browser for youtube.

I have final exams for the first semester next week, gotta prepare for that!
Cool, keep the good work up! You are doing a lot and also studying, which is impressive.

(Warning: Now pretending I know about MBTI)
As I've seen a couple of mentions of yours, I wanted to leave a couple of thoughts regarding leadership:

One of the reasons why I believe ENFJs make the best leaders is because they are the kind that people want to follow without ENFJs even asking. It's funny how some of them end up stressed out when a bunch of people demand their time and attention without accepting a No by answer. I'm lucky enough to have one of them in my life, and, when healthy, they are a godsend. They love guiding you to bring out all the potential they see in you. This is true leadership.

ENTJs look more like the "I'm your leader, I command you to follow me!" type. This can backfire easily. I'd definitely tell an ENTJ to F*ck off if they imposed their leadership on me without earning my respect first.

I believe the former make better leaders than the latter. Life is about people, and ENFJs understand people better than any other type. As you already realised, emotional intelligence is paramount in order to surf through life in general, but also when someone is (or wants to be) in a leadership position. I respect that it is in some people's nature to want to "lead" (some others aren't interested at all), but this topic can be a tricky thing to get right.

I don't know whether you are into anime, but say Erwin from Attack on Titan (ENTJ) vs. Rengoku Kyojuro or Kamado Tanjiro from the anime on my avatar (ENFJs). Or Freezer from Dragon Ball, but that one is nuts (unhealthy ENTJ). The ENFJs are warm, while still energetic, and understand people like open books. People see them as shinny butterflies that sparkle warmth and everyone wants to talk to them and be around them, and specially ask for counselling. The ENTJs are commanding, blunt, and don't seem to have that empathy (although a healthy one can still get genuine respect from others). I wouldn't normally (there might be exceptions) go to my ENTJ leader to ask for advice, lol. I think Tony Robbins is an ENTJ too, and when I listen to him, his advice sounds like slaps on the face with a pallet, 404 warmth not found. I think I'd have a hard time working for him (nothing personal, obviously, just not my kind).

I used to work with some idiot who parroted "I'm the team lead" all day like a cockatoo. He was completely obsessed with leadership stuff (go to meetups with "other leads", go to meetings and be arrogant and pretentious). Not only he never earned any respect from me, I also couldn't stand him at all (same with 80% of other people working with him, he was the most hated guy in the room). I'm not sure about his type because he was nuts (certified clinically), but you see what I mean. Imposed leadership does not work as well as some might think. Intrinsic leadership, based on understanding people, does.

In any case, this is all theory, so we shouldn't limit ourselves by our MBTI type (rather use it in our advantage to mitigate weaknesses and enhance strengths). It looks like you are aware of this difference and the importance of emotional intelligence, so you can make it work in your advantage. In any case, I wouldn't be too obsessed about leading people and all that. Make yourself valuable and people will follow you without asking.
 

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11th March 2021.

This date has a special place in my heart.

I decided that I would no longer give the medical exams I had been preparing so hard for (This decision turned out to be good). I even paid for 3 months coaching alongside school. I sealed the deal with writing myself a 3 line promise on a notepad. This was before TMF .

2 days later, I discovered TMF . I devoured it and on 15th of March, I signed up here.

Before all this happened, I wanted to become a doctor. Desparately. Why?

I had witnessed my father forced to liquidate his shares in a pharma manufacturing factory in 2017. It wasn't easy. That event led me to decide I would no longer want to RUN a business. I'd rather become a doctor. Unfortunately, my father got into an accident and all the money my dad made was spent on treatment. Back to square one.

But fate had other plans.

Here's who I was on March 15th, 2021

Sleeping at 4 am
Playing 10-12 hours of Counter Strike on shit internet, cussing everytime my game lagged
Following the crowd and on my way to seal my fate as a sidewalker.

Today (15th March 2023)

Sleeping at 11 pm (Sleep fixed)
Hitting the gym
Working on building a community of software engineers and AI programmers for my fastlane ventures at uni
Helped Amazon brands add more than $400,000 to their bottom line (under the Amazon Ads agency's umbrella)
Started a small youtube channel with valuable content for my niche, where I teach newbies what Iearned, no holds barred.
Shifting my focus from working for local clients and agencies that pay pennies to now directly working with foreign clients.
Consulting FBA sellers on how to capture more market share in their markets.

And today I'll confess something which I feel vulnerable about. F*ck, I'll spill everything. Hiding it has hurt me long enough.

How much I made in those 2 years. And that figure is $1500. I made 50% of that in the last 4-5 months.

I've seen many folks make big figures here, and I'm happy for them. And when I compare that to what I earned as a 18 year old, I feel like I'm not doing something right.

@Black_Dragon43 got a peek at my GSD trello board with what I aimed to achieve in July 2022.

He laughed. At the tasks I was giving priority to. I was action faking. I'm still struggling with it, I think I need some of Tudor's tough love. And then he saw my income goal for that month.

It was me trying to make $100/month stable (I've grown out of it since). I didn't want anyone to know about it but I accidentally showed it to him. I was super insecure about it. My own fears have held me back for so long. Not now.

At that point I was about to handle my first ever Amazon Ads account of my friend's launch in August. I had devoured everything I could learn about Amazon Ads and blew all my savings on courses. Looking back, it paid off.

Before that, I was working for breadcrumbs and pennies and working in a Pakistani market that didn't know what copywriting was so I was working as a content writer for the agency (if you know, you know). Simply put, I was overworked and underpaid. That led me to hate writing content for money. And the fact that I didn't see a clear impact the content made me want to switch my skillset even more.

LESSON: If you're from a 3rd world country and decide to follow the copywriting mantra here and don't find a way to work with foregin clients, you might end up like me. Be careful. Go where your work is appreciated.

While this post is no where close to Fastlane success, I'm 100% sure I'll become an unscriptee. I'm on my way there. One step at a time.
 
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I need some input on my priorities and what I could be doing better.

Here's my routine

Wake up at 6 am
Work from 7 am to 9 am (Send proposals on upwork and try to make a plan of what I intend to accomplish for the day)
Go to uni at 10 am
Take classes till 12, skip boring classes and stay till 3 pm in the library (Learn python, do freelance work, work on building the community by planning the roadmaps, or edit videos that I then upload to the channel)
Come home and rest till 5 pm
Prepare my pre workout (oats) and go to gym
Spend 2-3 hours in the gym (trying to reduce that by learning the workouts myself so I'm not dependent on my friends to teach me the right sets)
Work from 9 pm till 11 pm.
Sleep
Repeat

I'll admit I've lost track of my long term goals several times in this routine. I need to remind myself of those early in the morning.
 

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I need some input on my priorities and what I could be doing better.

Here's my routine

Wake up at 6 am
Work from 7 am to 9 am (Send proposals on upwork and try to make a plan of what I intend to accomplish for the day)
Go to uni at 10 am
Take classes till 12, skip boring classes and stay till 3 pm in the library (Learn python, do freelance work, work on building the community by planning the roadmaps, or edit videos that I then upload to the channel)
Come home and rest till 5 pm
Prepare my pre workout (oats) and go to gym
Spend 2-3 hours in the gym (trying to reduce that by learning the workouts myself so I'm not dependent on my friends to teach me the right sets)
Work from 9 pm till 11 pm.
Sleep
Repeat

I'll admit I've lost track of my long term goals several times in this routine. I need to remind myself of those early in the morning.
If you are truly working during those work times, then yes this is fine.

Also, check out Kinobody for his workouts... Less time in the gym (45-60 mins), focuses on key exercises, and you actually look good following his programs.
 

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