Something MJ talked about in his book

[Mr4213]

There was a topic in Mr. DeMarco's book that did not stick out to me until recently. I think this is very important for people trying to get into business.

A few days ago I was thinking about my business and was disappointed. Looking at my plans for the business I am weeks behind where I planned to be (no surprise there lol)

"This could be better" "That could be better" "Why is it still being done this way?" "That was supposed to be done weeks ago" ect ect.

After taking some time to think about those issues. I stopped and thought back to the first day. Not the day I started my business. The first day of it all, when I had the very first thought about a business.

Mr. DeMarco talks about choices in his book. The younger you are the more powerful they are going forward. Its true. I had a thought months ago. Despite every single reason not to, I still made a decision to act on it. Where would I be if I had not acted on that thought?

Back at that time I was trying to move to California and live in my car. Yes, like an idiot I was going to travel over 2k miles and live in my car in a state I have never even been in before. My leadership was about to officially process my transfer request to California. If that would have happened, I would have been legally obligated to move to California. I was getting enrolled in school to pursue a dual finance/accounting major in Sacramento. To sum it up, my mentality was in a totally separate place than it is now.

I can only sit here and wonder what would have happened had I not acted on the thought that put me where I am presently. Would I even be on these forums anymore? Would I be getting ready for college right now? Would I be homeless again?

At the time that I made the decision to start my business. It was small and insignificant. It carried no weight. Only promises of potential rewards. Now what weight does it carry?

I started with no connections. Hardly any money at all. Virtually nothing. I had a friend that wanted to be partners, who then quit literally the next day by sending me a text. AFTER the paperwork was created.

Now? Multiple connections with real estate investors, real estate agents, connections with certain local companies ect. 3 partners over 30, all with business knowledge and experience. Crews that do labor now so I do not have to. TONS of personal growth. TONS of business experience and growth. And the company is making money. My business is not crazy successful yet, so please do not misunderstand. The point I am trying to make is this.

That one decision to act literally changed by ENTIRE life. At the time the decision was made it carried no weight. Now as I look at what has been accomplished I am amazed beyond belief. All of the things I have accomplished to this point are the result of a thought. The result of acting on a thought. The result of a process. The people I know now, the friends I have made, the money I have made, the business account, the square, the business cards, the brochures, the website, the customers, the equipment, the business knowledge, the business experience, the employees, my postings on this forum. Literally all of these things, and so much more would not even exist in my reality had I not made one simple decision months ago.


Look how powerful that decision is compared to how it used to be? Even if my business utterly failed this year. Look at what I gained. Friends, connections, partners, business knowledge, business experience, money ect. I would just apply all of these things to a new business and have even better chances.

One decision led to my reality right now. Many decisions were made after that decision yes, but without that initial decision none of those decisions would have existed.


Your decisions are very powerful. I promise you this. If you said "I am starting my business now" and then you do, and execute it correctly. A year from now you will say "Damn, all of this is a direct result of that decision a year ago"

 

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[TheDillon__]

The younger you are the more powerful they are going forward.

Is that a direct quote? I'm sitting down to dinner and don't have the book on me to check, but I love this.

And I appreciate the openness that went into sharing your past with us, inspiring story. I really do hope you can make one of the DFW meetups soon!

 

[Mr4213]

Is that a direct quote? I'm sitting down to dinner and don't have the book on me to check, but I love this.

And I appreciate the openness that went into sharing your past with us, inspiring story. I really do hope you can make one of the DFW meetups soon!

Haha, no that is my writing. I can not remember if Mr. DeMarco said it like that or not, if so, my apologies.

I am going to come to the next one I am able to. I would come to the one in August, but I have to go to this training exercise with the guard. I would like nothing more than to meet some of you guys and talk about business.

 

[Mr.Chaos]

 

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[Scot]

Is that a direct quote? I'm sitting down to dinner and don't have the book on me to check, but I love this.

And I appreciate the openness that went into sharing your past with us, inspiring story. I really do hope you can make one of the DFW meetups soon!

I believe he's referencing the Armageddon analogy. That the further away the meteor is, a small nudge makes a huge course adjustment. So small steps taken young bring great results down the road

 

[Green Destiny]

That one decision to act literally changed by ENTIRE life. At the time the decision was made it carried no weight. Now as I look at what has been accomplished I am amazed beyond belief. All of the things I have accomplished to this point are the result of a thought. The result of acting on a thought. The result of a process. The people I know now, the friends I have made, the money I have made, the business account, the square, the business cards, the brochures, the website, the customers, the equipment, the business knowledge, the business experience, the employees, my postings on this forum. Literally all of these things, and so much more would not even exist in my reality had I not made one simple decision months ago.

Look how powerful that decision is compared to how it used to be? Even if my business utterly failed this year. Look at what I gained. Friends, connections, partners, business knowledge, business experience, money ect. I would just apply all of these things to a new business and have even better chances.

One decision led to my reality right now. Many decisions were made after that decision yes, but without that initial decision none of those decisions would have existed.

Your decisions are very powerful. I promise you this. If you said "I am starting my business now" and then you do, and execute it correctly. A year from now you will say "Damn, all of this is a direct result of that decision a year ago"

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. You know I was thinking about something similar today as well. Decisions are important, no doubt, but I think it is the ACTION you took that is the most important thing here.

I remember reading the bit In TMF explaining how compound interest is so pathetic when you are only able to start with a small amount and add a little at a time and that if you see "no risk" returns advertised at 15% etc it's a scam. And financially of course this is true.

But I wonder if maybe the actions that we take have a compounding effect and not at some bullshit savings rate either but at something approaching that 15% rate? You took one step at a time, one action after another but the compounding effect of this in a relatively short length of time has made huge changes. To your mindset, your prospects, self esteem, financial assets, cash flow etc.

I wonder as well if it attracts better people into our lives and presents us with more opportunities? For example, a weird thing happened to me today. I bumped into a guy who's family I used to work for. So we chatted for a little while and when he asked what I was up to I told him I was working on an App idea. Anyway, we said our goodbyes and I never thought any more of it.

Later on, I get a phone call, it's his brother (he's the one that runs most of the family business). So it starts off normal enough telling me he just spoke to his brother and he said he met me and he thought he'd give me a call to catch up..............blah, blah, blah. Anyway eventually he gets round to it and says his brother mentioned that I was working on an app and he asked me what it was. Well I didn't really tell him much, just said that it was in the same industry his businesses are in and that I'll probably have a prototype/beta version out in a few weeks.

He then tells me that he looks forward to seeing it, has been keeping an eye on my progress since I left his business and has been very impressed with what he saw. Tells me he always knew I was heading for bigger things and if I need any investment for the app in the future he should be the first person I come to.

Now this struck me as strange, cause I never told him my idea and I never really saw myself the way he seems to view me. But a few years ago I decided to make a change and at the time I had a pretty successful career, nice car, flat etc etc but a slow lane life none the less. I knew I was searching for something else, but at the time didn't know what that something else was. I took action to try and change my life and head it into a better direction and I suppose maybe I'm a little further along that path than I thought. Maybe I was being a bit too hard on myself?

It just seems a little weird that when I was feeling a little low a few days ago, first I get a call from @Vigilante giving me a bit of a pep talk from the other side of the world, which I was not expecting and then a few days after that I get a call from this other successful guy who I've always had a lot of respect for, but who I haven't really given a second thought to for 3/4 years.

Now, this could just be a coincidence, but to me it almost feels like the universe looks out for people who take action and tries to help them out either by presenting them with opportunity or by putting people in their lives when they need them at that particular time. Maybe you'll all think this sounds a bit far fetched, but I think the universe is rewarding you for taking action, again and again, rather than for what felt like a big decision at the time.

Keep up the hard work

 

[Vigilante]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. You know I was thinking about something similar today as well. Decisions are important, no doubt, but I think it is the ACTION you took that is the most important thing here.

I remember reading the bit In TMF explaining how compound interest is so pathetic when you are only able to start with a small amount and add a little at a time and that if you see "no risk" returns advertised at 15% etc it's a scam. And financially of course this is true.

But I wonder if maybe the actions that we take have a compounding effect and not at some bullshit savings rate either but at something approaching that 15% rate? You took one step at a time, one action after another but the compounding effect of this in a relatively short length of time has made huge changes. To your mindset, your prospects, self esteem, financial assets, cash flow etc.

I wonder as well if it attracts better people into our lives and presents us with more opportunities? For example, a weird thing happened to me today. I bumped into a guy who's family I used to work for. So we chatted for a little while and when he asked what I was up to I told him I was working on an App idea. Anyway, we said our goodbyes and I never thought any more of it.

Later on, I get a phone call, it's his brother (he's the one that runs most of the family business). So it starts off normal enough telling me he just spoke to his brother and he said he met me and he thought he'd give me a call to catch up..............blah, blah, blah. Anyway eventually he gets round to it and says his brother mentioned that I was working on an app and he asked me what it was. Well I didn't really tell him much, just said that it was in the same industry his businesses are in and that I'll probably have a prototype/beta version out in a few weeks.

He then tells me that he looks forward to seeing it, has been keeping an eye on my progress since I left his business and has been very impressed with what he saw. Tells me he always knew I was heading for bigger things and if I need any investment for the app in the future he should be the first person I come to.

Now this struck me as strange, cause I never told him my idea and I never really saw myself the way he seems to view me. But a few years ago I decided to make a change and at the time I had a pretty successful career, nice car, flat etc etc but a slow lane life none the less. I knew I was searching for something else, but at the time didn't know what that something else was. I took action to try and change my life and head it into a better direction and I suppose maybe I'm a little further along that path than I thought. Maybe I was being a bit too hard on myself?

It just seems a little weird that when I was feeling a little low a few days ago, first I get a call from @Vigilante giving me a bit of a pep talk from the other side of the world, which I was not expecting and then a few days after that I get a call from this other successful guy who I've always had a lot of respect for, but who I haven't really given a second thought to for 3/4 years.

Now, this could just be a coincidence, but to me it almost feels like the universe looks out for people who take action and tries to help them out either by presenting them with opportunity or by putting people in their lives when they need them at that particular time. Maybe you'll all think this sounds a bit far fetched, but I think the universe is rewarding you for taking action, again and again, rather than for what felt like a big decision at the time.

Keep up the hard work

The harder you work the "luckier" you will get

 

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[Green Destiny]

The harder you work the "luckier" you will get

Yeah, I think you summed it up a little better than me. Haha.

 

[Mr4213]

Yeah, I think you summed it up a little better than me. Haha.

I think it's probability

 

[Mr4213]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. You know I was thinking about something similar today as well. Decisions are important, no doubt, but I think it is the ACTION you took that is the most important thing here.

I remember reading the bit In TMF explaining how compound interest is so pathetic when you are only able to start with a small amount and add a little at a time and that if you see "no risk" returns advertised at 15% etc it's a scam. And financially of course this is true.

But I wonder if maybe the actions that we take have a compounding effect and not at some bullshit savings rate either but at something approaching that 15% rate? You took one step at a time, one action after another but the compounding effect of this in a relatively short length of time has made huge changes. To your mindset, your prospects, self esteem, financial assets, cash flow etc.

I wonder as well if it attracts better people into our lives and presents us with more opportunities? For example, a weird thing happened to me today. I bumped into a guy who's family I used to work for. So we chatted for a little while and when he asked what I was up to I told him I was working on an App idea. Anyway, we said our goodbyes and I never thought any more of it.

Later on, I get a phone call, it's his brother (he's the one that runs most of the family business). So it starts off normal enough telling me he just spoke to his brother and he said he met me and he thought he'd give me a call to catch up..............blah, blah, blah. Anyway eventually he gets round to it and says his brother mentioned that I was working on an app and he asked me what it was. Well I didn't really tell him much, just said that it was in the same industry his businesses are in and that I'll probably have a prototype/beta version out in a few weeks.

He then tells me that he looks forward to seeing it, has been keeping an eye on my progress since I left his business and has been very impressed with what he saw. Tells me he always knew I was heading for bigger things and if I need any investment for the app in the future he should be the first person I come to.

Now this struck me as strange, cause I never told him my idea and I never really saw myself the way he seems to view me. But a few years ago I decided to make a change and at the time I had a pretty successful career, nice car, flat etc etc but a slow lane life none the less. I knew I was searching for something else, but at the time didn't know what that something else was. I took action to try and change my life and head it into a better direction and I suppose maybe I'm a little further along that path than I thought. Maybe I was being a bit too hard on myself?

It just seems a little weird that when I was feeling a little low a few days ago, first I get a call from @Vigilante giving me a bit of a pep talk from the other side of the world, which I was not expecting and then a few days after that I get a call from this other successful guy who I've always had a lot of respect for, but who I haven't really given a second thought to for 3/4 years.

Now, this could just be a coincidence, but to me it almost feels like the universe looks out for people who take action and tries to help them out either by presenting them with opportunity or by putting people in their lives when they need them at that particular time. Maybe you'll all think this sounds a bit far fetched, but I think the universe is rewarding you for taking action, again and again, rather than for what felt like a big decision at the time.

Keep up the hard work

I appreciate you taking the time to reply and providing your input.

Also, I must admit I am just a wee bit envious of you for being able to talk to @Vigilante on the phone. I'm sure if he takes the time to talk with you then you must be doing something right.

 

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[ejames]

There was a topic in Mr. DeMarco's book that did not stick out to me until recently. I think this is very important for people trying to get into business.

A few days ago I was thinking about my business and was disappointed. Looking at my plans for the business I am weeks behind where I planned to be (no surprise there lol)

"This could be better" "That could be better" "Why is it still being done this way?" "That was supposed to be done weeks ago" ect ect.

After taking some time to think about those issues. I stopped and thought back to the first day. Not the day I started my business. The first day of it all, when I had the very first thought about a business.

Mr. DeMarco talks about choices in his book. The younger you are the more powerful they are going forward. Its true. I had a thought months ago. Despite every single reason not to, I still made a decision to act on it. Where would I be if I had not acted on that thought?

Back at that time I was trying to move to California and live in my car. Yes, like an idiot I was going to travel over 2k miles and live in my car in a state I have never even been in before. My leadership was about to officially process my transfer request to California. If that would have happened, I would have been legally obligated to move to California. I was getting enrolled in school to pursue a dual finance/accounting major in Sacramento. To sum it up, my mentality was in a totally separate place than it is now.

I can only sit here and wonder what would have happened had I not acted on the thought that put me where I am presently. Would I even be on these forums anymore? Would I be getting ready for college right now? Would I be homeless again?

At the time that I made the decision to start my business. It was small and insignificant. It carried no weight. Only promises of potential rewards. Now what weight does it carry?

I started with no connections. Hardly any money at all. Virtually nothing. I had a friend that wanted to be partners, who then quit literally the next day by sending me a text. AFTER the paperwork was created.

Now? Multiple connections with real estate investors, real estate agents, connections with certain local companies ect. 3 partners over 30, all with business knowledge and experience. Crews that do labor now so I do not have to. TONS of personal growth. TONS of business experience and growth. And the company is making money. My business is not crazy successful yet, so please do not misunderstand. The point I am trying to make is this.

That one decision to act literally changed by ENTIRE life. At the time the decision was made it carried no weight. Now as I look at what has been accomplished I am amazed beyond belief. All of the things I have accomplished to this point are the result of a thought. The result of acting on a thought. The result of a process. The people I know now, the friends I have made, the money I have made, the business account, the square, the business cards, the brochures, the website, the customers, the equipment, the business knowledge, the business experience, the employees, my postings on this forum. Literally all of these things, and so much more would not even exist in my reality had I not made one simple decision months ago.


Look how powerful that decision is compared to how it used to be? Even if my business utterly failed this year. Look at what I gained. Friends, connections, partners, business knowledge, business experience, money ect. I would just apply all of these things to a new business and have even better chances.

One decision led to my reality right now. Many decisions were made after that decision yes, but without that initial decision none of those decisions would have existed.


Your decisions are very powerful. I promise you this. If you said "I am starting my business now" and then you do, and execute it correctly. A year from now you will say "Damn, all of this is a direct result of that decision a year ago"

Wow man really inspiring. But one thing that you mentioned "If you said "I am starting my business now" and then you do, and execute it correctly." I think you should execute until you get it correct? Or am I missing something. I am working on my fast lane business and we have made a ton of mistakes when it comes to executing. I think the only reason why we are still in this game is because we are self funded.

 

[Mr4213]

Wow man really inspiring. But one thing that you mentioned "If you said "I am starting my business now" and then you do, and execute it correctly." I think you should execute until you get it correct? Or am I missing something. I am working on my fast lane business and we have made a ton of mistakes when it comes to executing. I think the only reason why we are still in this game is because we are self funded.

The key is to keep going regardless of the errors. I have made, and continue to make a ton of business mistakes. When I was starting my business I told myself things will get bad. Mistakes will be made. Obstacles would get in the way. It's all expected. So forget the mistakes you have made. Just make sure you are learning from them and improving. You are on a path that is going to give you resistance. I choose to embrace everything, even the mistakes and the suck. Its all apart of the process. If I am ever rich beyond my wildest dreams I won't look back and be like "yeah look at all that money I made" I will look back and laugh at the times I totally just f**** up. I've had paid labor walk off the job site and just say "f*** it" That was a really crappy day, looking back though, it makes for a good laugh.

Here is what I would do if I was you.

I would reevaluate the need your service/product is solving. That is always the number 1 thing to do. Everything else is secondary, you can't build a system around a bad product or service. If you are not solving a need then your business is dead. You need to figure out if the product/service is the problem. Or if your business management is the problem.

If the product/service is what the issue is, then adapt it, or scrap it. If you have to scrap it, yeah that sucks, but its the best decision. You will only waste time if you are trying to sell a crappy product or service that does not solve needs.

If your business management is the issue you should be happy. You can solve bad business management. You need to keep learning and pushing forward. You do not have to have all the answers right now, you just need to keep going. You may not have all the answers now, but you will never find them if you give up prematurely. Everyday you keep going is another day you have increased your probabilities.

So I guess to clarify my response to your question. If the product/service is not the issue. Keep going and figure out what your business management mistakes are and fix them. Look at it with this oversimplified example.

Marketing-----Sales-----Project management

Go down the line and look at each one of those in order. Where does the issue start?

Is it your marketing? Do enough people know about you? If not, how are you working to fix that? ect

Marketing is good? Okay so then are you converting your leads from the marketing? If not, why? Are your prices too high? Is the product shitty? Are your sales techniques ineffective? ect

Just keep it simple stupid and identify the issue. Do not over complicate the process.

Even if you utterly failed after 1 year of working hard and properly executing. You would still be in a better place than you would have been if you never started. If I never started, the business knowledge, business experience, connections and friendships I have made would not exist to me.

 

[Raoul Duke]

The harder you work the "luckier" you will get

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas A. Edison

 

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