The "Astonishing Secrets" Thread

[IceCreamKid]

The greatest lesson of all...

LOVE THE HELL OUT OF OTHERS AND YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE ALL THE ICE CREAM YOU CAN EAT.

The hell? This is a @zen******* secret? It is, and let me prove to you why.

When you love others with a genuine heart, you become more present to their feelings which include their pains and needs. You approach them from the position of, “How can I improve this person’s life? How can I add value to this person’s life?” as opposed to, “Where can I get money? COME ON GIVE ME THE MONEY!”.

This is the mindset I see a lot of people have: “The XYZ market is a $50B market and is about to explode 30% within the next 2 years. I’m going to get into that and get a piece of the pie!”. The ice cream shop has the right to refuse service to anyone and does not serve those with that mindset. We only serve ice cream to those who love others and solve their pains. Well, maybe we’ll offer plain vanilla to the 99% who don’t.

Do you think someone will tell you their pains and needs if you genuinely show them that you want to help improve their lives? Or are they more likely to tell you their pains if you approach them from the angle of, “Hey would you buy this product from me? Come on, buy it!”

When you love the hell out of others, you begin building a brand with a noticeable heart. Customers WILL notice this and you will develop a loyal following. They will tell their friends and post it all over Facebook. You notice how In n’ Out Burger has a loyal following of fans? That’s because they show love for their employees and love for their customers by striving to always satisfy everyone’s needs. It’s a hamburger joint with a friggin’ culture. I love it. The employees are always joyful as hell. The company has HEART and SOUL. Compare that to the majority of other fast food joints who are just a cold cash taker.

Sometimes it’s not always about profit. Love others first and the ice cream will come.

I’ve never met zen******* in person but his whole vibe OOZES of love, heart, honor, and integrity. He wants to help you better your life. He doesn’t fear the success of those he mentors. I would trust that guy with a $100,000 personal loan. He obviously doesn’t need my money, but you get my point. I bet you a bunch of people bring him deals and opportunities to partner up simply because of his vibe of love and integrity.

Love others. Drop the greed because it will blind you to opportunities for more ice cream around you. When you harness this mindset for a long enough amount of time, you will see the abundance of possibilities and realize the ice cream is everywhere. Fear and scarcity WILL be replaced by confidence and abundance.

@JackEdwards wasn't lying when he said, "The moment you stop caring about money is the moment you start making money". Respect to you, good sir.

 

[IceCreamKid]

What’s up guys. Some of you may remember me from my thread in which I thanked zen******* for dropping wisdom bombs all over the world. If you haven’t checked that thread out, please take a look at it and get moving with learning copywriting so you can learn how to print your own money(legally).

I’m starting this thread because Z told me to share the ice cream with others. I have mad respect for the guy so naturally it had to be done. By golly, all I used to have was a little pint of ice cream for myself and now I have an ice cream factory for everybody to eat from! There is a seat reserved for you at the table of abundance, but it’s up to you to work for it.

I will be explaining the secret Zen side of the Dolphin that he never speaks of, but has become glaringly obvious to those who study the WHY and HOW behind his posts.

But before I dive into giving you some ice cream, a little bit about myself…

27 years old. Was a wantrepreneur for a long time, but didn’t even know it. Yup, I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Started a bunch of different businesses for all the wrong reasons so I ultimately failed at each one. A few years into it, I finally hit the bottom and got sick of the shit life I was living so I wrote into my journal and started reflecting. It went something like, “I’m tired of who I am. Tired of the life I’m living. Tired of seeing all my friends get ahead in their corporate job while I’m here trying to figure things out. Just sick of my life in general”. Bottom line, I was at my lowest point and the fire under my a$$ was burning so hot that I had no other choice but to take some dedicated immediate action to get real results…or risk being forever frustrated in the hamster wheel of the 9-5.

Studied zen*******’s posts very closely and began to read in between the lines of what he was saying. I wasn’t looking for business strategies. I wanted to know and understand the mindset behind the madman. Why was he doing X? How was he doing Y?

Started learning copy. I read some books and copied some sales letters by hand for a few months. My day looked something like this: Work the 9-5. Go home pissed as hell at my boss. Drink, write copy, drink, write copy, pass out drunk. Repeat for a long time until I got a good grasp of writing copy. I don’t recommend drinking to learn copy…ice cream seems to work pretty well too. Drinking is fun though…I’d rather burn as bright as a 1,000 watt bulb and burn out in 10-minutes than live life like a 10-watt bulb for the next 40 years.

Armed with my new knowledge of copy, I set forth to start a software business. While interviewing many different people in many different industries, I discovered a real need that couldn’t be solved online but could be taken care of offline…I prefer offline businesses anyway so I jumped into it head first. You can start an offline business faster because you don’t have to spend months on software development.

30 days later my sales were in the low 5-figure range. Let me tell you…when you go from making crap money and barely scraping to get by, to suddenly making 5-figures a month the feeling is sweeter than a gallon of ice cream.

That’s my story in a nutshell. I left out a lot of the details of the mental struggle: broken heart, angry parents, isolated friends, etc.

I will respectfully decline any requests to disclose what my business is. This forum was once a close knit group of homies, but with the success of MJ’s book there are now tons of new members and a few took the liberty of stealing from some of the greatest contributors here. The mindset is 80% of the game anyway and that’s what I’m trying to teach here.

On to the lessons…

 

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[Rem]

This is a great thread and i just read all the way through it. Really catching the vibe here. One of the things I wanted to share and it has to do less with business and more with life in general. My wife went sort of through a depressed state over the last few years. Our marriage suffered and we became distant. I always felt she was really pushing out negativity into the universe. She was always angry about something or talked down about others and it made me mad. I wanted her to see how mad I was for her negativity. But it only brought more of it. It was unbearable enough I seriously thought about leaving her. I kept telling myself she was bringing me down. Most people told me that you cannot surround yourself with that sort of negativity, it will only prevent you from becoming happy and successful in life. So I contemplated leaving even more.

Then one day it just clicked. It all fit together like a puzzle and I solved it. And my life right now is amazing. Her negativity was so contagious that it caught on like wildfire to anyone who was around, and especially me since i lived with her. And I tried to change her so desperately because I hated to see her this way. But the answer just stood there in front of me this one moment. I knew right then I could reverse it, because of the laws of nature. I was looking in the wrong place. I wasn't going to change her by yelling at her or telling her to stop being so negative. What I did was became so overly positive and happy and cheerful and made a change inside of me that it began to slowly catch on to her, and eventually the way I became and interacted with her and with others became so contagious she began to adopt my attitudes and behaviors. It was through my positive attitude and the changes I made within myself, that spread like wildfire to my wife.

So the BEST ADVICE I could ever give someone if they grow apart from their wife is not to try and save her or make her do anything. You change yourself and be the person you need to be and even be the person you want them to be, and do it with so much ambition and heart that it becomes so contagious. Once you learn you can do this, you can really see how you can influence others through your own behavior. It's amazing to see how much influence you truly do have by exuding positive energy.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Awesome take ... if there was truly a "secret" to entrepreneurship, this is it. It's not about YOU -- it's about what YOU CAN DO for the market you serve. (And that starts with communication, or marketing -- the best product in the world is useless if you can't effectively communicate it's worth, value, and benefit to the end user.

Thanks for sharing my friend. You've been around here for while.

 

[IceCreamKid]

I smiled while reading ending of the first post.. It gives me hope because Im in very similar situation..

But then again, how can I solve someone's else problem if I cant deal with my own? For example If I found a need, and I wanted to sell software now, then I cant because I dont know how to code, I cant outsource it because I dont have money, Im stuck

My friend, what does the last sentence of my first post say and tell me how it resonates with you.

"The mindset is 80% of the game anyway and that’s what I’m trying to teach here."

You have a little voice in the back of your mind telling you you're not good enough. Don't worry, we all have that little voice. The only difference between you and me is that I like ice cream a lot so I spent a lot of time figuring out how to conquer the little voice.

You don't need to be smart to get ice cream.
You don't need to have a network of wealthy friends to get ice cream.
You don't need to be tall and handsome to get ice cream.
You don't need to be a superhero to get ice cream.

You just need to be clever and creative.

Have you read JackEdwards story? The one about how he saved his mom and made millions in his 20's? Dude, the guy overcame some crazy odds and came out on top. Amazing. He has lots of ice cream now. And Cigars.

In the ice cream shop, we don't allow the little voice to tell us what we can't do. When there are bullies and tables blocking the path to the ice cream, we figure out clever ways around the obstacles so that we can get to the ice cream faster.

Expand your mind. Shift your mindset. The ice cream will come and you can celebrate with us in the ice cream shop. There's plenty to go around for all of us.

 

[IceCreamKid]

I developed quite a disdain for humans. I need to become more accepting of people and their faults, and learn to look past them. It's just a history of having been being let down by those who I've trusted whether they were close or acquaintances that have made me like this. I know I need to stop being an antisocial bitch, and keep thinking that everyone is out to undermine or take advantage of me.

My brother, this post of yours hurts me deeply because you remind me of a younger version of myself. It hurts me to see others go through such pain.

Do you know why you're hurt? I'll tell you why...a lot of your hurt comes from the expectations you have placed on others not being met. Learn to love people AS THEY ARE. Not for who you expect them to be. That is the Dolphin way.

Listen…you can bounce back from this. I was depressed for a while. I hated people…I had so much hurt and anguish inside of me. I couldn’t even get the energy to get out of bed at one point. The desert of desertion is no joke. It's soooo painful. I don't wish it on anyone, even George Bush. Self-doubt sneaks up and starts whispering at you. Your confidence gets shaken up. A bad experience leaves a scar. Maybe fear creeps in. Or stress. Or fatigue. Or frustration.

· I spent $5k developing a mobile app and ended up with zero sales.

· I got scammed out of $6k by a real estate “guru”

· My ex-girlfriend stole $7k from me, left me then got a boob job right after

· I started a property management company that failed because I didn’t have a USP and I didn’t know about writing copy yet

· I got cheated on in every relationship I’ve ever had because I didn’t know what to look for in a woman just yet

· Parents kept telling me to get a job

· I couldn’t keep a job long term because I couldn’t stand a**hole bosses

Somewhere down the line, you begin to discover that all of the challenges in your life are designed specifically to strengthen weaknesses within your character.

Be grateful for all of those challenges. The a**hole boss, the bitch that betrayed you after you gave her your heart, the “friends” who took advantage of you…they were all there to help you become a stronger version of yourself.

Be thankful for them. Love them for what they did for you.

They say nice guys finish last, but they usually finish with a good wife and a wicked savings account.

Never give up…this is one of the key secrets of the Dolphin. Mindset is everything. Once you have the right mindset, the ice cream gods in the sky will smile down upon you while rainbow skittles and rainbow sherbet will begin falling from the clouds.

Don't give up.

 

[IceCreamKid]

You’re at a huge high school reunion and 500 students are attending. You chat it up with as many former classmates as you can in order to sell products from your custom t-shirt company. You get TONS of people smiling at you saying, “Yes! I love your idea! I’ll buy one of your custom t-shirts! Just let me know when you got them made and I’ll buy one”. 200 people have given you their support that they will buy. Great!

It’s time to end the reunion so you proceed to walk home because you’re drunk as hell. Everyone waves you goodbye and give you their support, leaving you with visions of Aston Martins and 3 mistresses in your future (reverse the situation for the woman entrepreneurs please!)

You are sitting there with thoughts of a wonderous profit, leaping for joy while all the neighbors are calling the police because of your disturbance of the peace. You start calculating in your head how much money you’re going to make. Sweet!

You spend $2,000 to have all of the custom t-shirts created when suddenly reality brings you down to Earth with a horrible crashing blow! As you call your former classmates to tell them that their t-shirts are ready, 90% of them give you a lame excuse for why they can’t buy anymore.

“I’m out of town.”

“I can’t afford it right now.”

“Call me back later.”

You begin to realize that everyone was full of shit and nobody was true to their word. Damn. Now you’re stuck with $2,000 worth of t-shirts that say “Hardknock University Class of 1971” on the back. It was an expensive lesson, but oh well…you’ll fail better next time.


At the ice cream shop, we accept that failure is part of the process. There is no shortcut. Shoot, we embrace failure because we learn so much from it. Keep failing, guys. The ice cream is abundant for the kings of failure.

A friend or family member saying “that’s great, I’ll buy it!” is very different from a stranger saying “that’s great, let me give you my credit card right now!”.


Get a customer ASAP. Pre-sales are even better.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Do I need to make a "Super Gold" tag for this thread? Ha Ha.

One thing I tried to convey in TMF is that it ISN'T ABOUT YOU -- it isn't about "doing what you love" or "following your passion" or "making $1m this year" or "I will earn $10M in the next 10 years" or any of this self-loathing, self-important shit that so many people love to regurgitate.

This selfish disposition tells me that that person will most likely fail because they haven't figured out the formula.

Folks, the formula is simple in concept, but complicated in execution.

Put your customer first. Put your market first. Lay down the selfish bullshit and go after the selfishness of other people by giving them what they want, need, or demand. Forget about f*cking money-- it will come to you if you execute the formula to it's exact specifications.

It's all about your customer. It's all about your market. It's all about communication to that market, or in our case, sales and marketing. We have to become masters of problem solving and masters at explaining those solutions to the world. And then once that's done, we need to follow it up with selfless congruence -- an unquestioned commitment that our "great customer service" advertised on our home page is more than just a slogan, but a way of operation.

That is what will separate you from the "money chasing" corporations.

Public company? VC funded?

Great -- you know THEY ARE CHASING MONEY. THEY ARE CHASING ROI. THEY ARE CHASING INVESTOR RETURN. THEY ARE CHASING SHAREHOLDER VALUE. They aren't chasing what they should and that's your customer.

Chase the customer and money will chase you.

 

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[smarty]

But then again, how can I solve someone's else problem if I cant deal with my own? For example If I found a need, and I wanted to sell software now, then I cant because I dont know how to code, I cant outsource it because I dont have money, Im stuck

check how your [can't] self-talk affects your reality. Does it help inspire & motivate you or does it depress & demotivate you?
see this video and then delete "cant" from your vocabulary as a first essential step...
start moving from fear to this thread's lesson.

John didn't have money either, but it didn't stop him to eventually become a billionaire...

 

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[IceCreamKid]

Despite my several health issues which I'm doing my best to address, I'm guilty of that first line. I'm reading through James Altucher's "Choose Yourself" right now and my idea muscle is weak. I'm by no means a money chaser, I'm constantly on the hunt looking for what I can improve on and what I can do for others- and yet it eludes me. The thing that you are trying to unlock within us is what I seek. The deeper meaning, the ability to read between the lines. Forget the ice cream even, I dream of honing my vision.

Dude, are you alright? I'm really sorry to hear about your health issues. It's hard to stay on top of your game when you're not feeling like a 10 physically...it impacts everything else.

Weightlifting actually played a huge role in my business progress, but that's a story for another day. In the real world, I actually don't eat any snacks because they spike your insulin which cause you to feel tired and lethargic.

I read James Altucher's book too. I actually took huge issue with how he says you should come up with ideas. Walking around with a notepad and just noting down whatever comes to mind...meh, that didn't work for me. I really like his writing style though.

What worked for me was getting out there and talking to people. Pick up the phone. Face to face. Belly to belly.

Please read my 2nd post again. The one about loving the hell out of others. Make yourself truly present to others and get them to feel that you truly understand where they're coming from. They will tell you their greatest fears, hopes, and dreams...There lies the key that unlocks pandora's box. They will tell you their needs, pains, and struggles once they trust you and feel you understand them. You will become a better friend, lover, and businessperson. You cannot be selfish because this will blind you.

Shoot...didn't @MJ DeMarco 's million dollar idea come to him while he was just driving a passenger around in his limo?! MJ made himself present and truly listened to the guy! He didn't let his brain wander off thinking about the latest episode of The Bachelorette.

You don't need to come up with ideas. Make yourself present to others and the ideas will come to you. Don't push for ideas. Pull for them. How do you become present to others? Love them. Truly.

I'm telling you, there's a crazy spiritual side to business. That's what I'm trying to explain.

I truly wish you the best of health though. That's #1. Take care of yourself. Forget the ice cream, that leads to diabetes.

Gym. Tan. Laundry.

 

[IceCreamKid]

wow, Ryan. YOU rock!

Z

Omg zen******* just told me that I rock. I wasn’t planning on posting here for a few days because I’m super busy running the ice cream machines, but I just had to respond to his post and drop more ice cream on the floor. I’m here to serve all of you and help you shift your mindset so here is some additional ice cream.

We here at the ice cream shop operate by a different set of beliefs from most others. This goes a bit deeper than the CENTS formula. Our beliefs are in no way original…we found them while sailing the Pacific Ocean when we stumbled upon an underwater city called Oceania, where many Dolphins are swimming around. They didn’t realize it at the time during our conversations, but we were secretly reading in between the lines to dissect the deeper meaning behind why the Dolphins were successful. We found that the only thing that separated the Dolphins from all the other creatures in Oceania was their mindset. I took some notes and locked them in a treasure chest to be brought with me back to Candy Land. I never intended to share such notes, as they contain the deepest secrets of the Dolphin…but I asked him how I could repay him for what he’d done for me and he told me to share the ice cream with others.

This is what we believe in the ice cream shop…

We truly believe in our hearts that we have the ability to achieve anything that we put our minds to, therefore we demand persistent daily action towards achieving such goals. We are deeply rooted in reality and do not mentally masturbate. We threw all of the excuses in the trash can. A few bums found the list of excuses in the trash and started using them, but that’s their choice.

We realize that whatever dominating thoughts inside of us will eventually manifest itself outward into physical reality. We must never let the negative gremlins in Candy Land allow their comments to dominate our thoughts. If this happens, it’s game over.

We believe that a true ice cream shop cannot last long term unless it offers honest and fair ice cream to the people. Therefore, all of our transactions must benefit EVERYONE involved. There is no selfishness in the ice cream shop.

We convince others to serve us ice cream because we will FIRST serve them, with zero attachment to our personal gain. We get them to believe in us because we believe in them first.

We are very conscious of our health. We have a big focus on cardio and weightlifting, thanks to PatrickP. Online we eat lots of ice cream and take shots of tequila every 15 minutes, but in the real world we don't take any ice cream because sweets spike our insulin. Spiked insulin is what causes diabetes and make us feel tired. We need high energy within ourselves to run the ice cream shops. Good health is vital.

We believe that the real price of achieving mountains of ice cream is hard work. There are no shortcuts in Candy Land. There are bicycles, cars, and skateboards to get you to your location faster, but there are no shortcuts.

Lastly, it was never about the ice cream. It’s about loving people and removing the pains from their lives at a massive scale. The ice cream and alcohol is simply a byproduct of the value the ice cream shops bring to Candy Land.

Shift your mindset. Work hard. Expect more from yourself.

I think my biggest mindset shift was when I realized that I was my own biggest obstacle.

Master yourself. Master your fears, your bad habits, your insecurities.

Dude...that's the crazy thing about entrepreneurship. After you're done mentally masturbating over inspirational quotes and you finally start taking action, all of the insecurities and fears that you hide from will come to the surface. That's where the real warrior either comes through or retreats back into mental masturbation mode.

In business, you alone are responsible for your results. There's nothing to hide behind...you can't blame your boss, the economy, whatever. You are responsible and you are your own greatest obstacle.

Try to speed through the mental masturbation phase fast and get the ice cream asap. You'll like the person you become.

Come learn the moves so you can dance with us at the ice cream shop. We got better music than MTV and Coachella...dude, why doesn't MTV play music anymore btw? That's pretty whack.

 

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[IceCreamKid]

I can't even imagine what the world would be like with more Disney-style service!

My little tribe in Candy Land are beginning to understand. It's not about being a cold cash taker. Building a brand is about invoking emotion within your customer. About making them feel AWESOME.

Did you notice that Disney uses a lot of copy to advertise within their parks? You won't notice copy if you haven't studied it...so let me break down the psychology behind the madness for you by using the headline of this thread as an example.

The Astonishing Secrets That zen******* Never Told You...Exposed!

The Astonishing-This makes what I'm about to tell you sound shocking, amusing, and interesting. It makes the reader say, "hmmm I'm curious about this..."

Secrets-Humans are naturally very nosy. They want to know all the dirty little secrets about their co-worker who's hooking up with the boss. Use the word "secret" in your advertising...it is POWERFUL.

That zen*******-I use zen*******'s reputation on this forum to extend credibility to myself. It makes you believe my posts hold more validity(you shouldn't believe anything I tell you btw, the police keep me handcuffed and in jail most of the day because the sugar intake from the ice cream keeps me bouncing off the walls). This is why you see makeup companies pay celebrities millions of dollars to star in 30-second commercials. It extends credibility to the product.

Never Told You-What? zen******* kept something from us? I must click on this thread to find out the secrets!

Exposed!-This is the call to action. The seller(myself) is offering his invitation to buy the product(click on the link to the thread)

Re-read this post a few times and read between the lines guys. This is POWERFUL stuff, and when used correctly...you will have enough money to afford the quality alcohol and quality ice cream. I'm a cheap guy though so I go for that $3 wine from Trader Joe's and store brand ice cream.

My income tripled within 30 days of learning copy. My life hasn't changed much though so don't look at it as if life is so amazing as soon as you make a little more ice cream. Don't increase your spending as you increase your income. You're smarter than that. True happiness comes from within anyway.

Disney...you are a clever little bugger. GENIUS. Just so you all know, I am the #1 fan of Disney. Literally. I can spontaneously spit out crazy facts about Disney that would blow your mind, but that's for another forum.

Thinking about adding webinars to scale out sales for my business. Webinars are a dope way to gain trust with the customer. Once you have their trust, you get the ice cream. Why do you think MJ got so many book sales so easily? He had a ridiculous following of rebel maniacs following him on this forum. Love them and build trust first. That's the motto.

Back to work guys. Stay focused. Giving back to the people. Take action.

Stay frosty. And drunk.

p.s. I'm thinking about moving this thread to the Inside. This stuff is getting too valuable now...especially when I dive into the real marketing stuff next week or so. Don't you want to pay MJ back for all of the value he has given to you? Show a little bit of honor, geez. You get what you give.

 

[IceCreamKid]

I’m not going to post much for the next few days. I’m busy as hell…I think I have to buy a van or a u-haul to pick up product now because my Nissan Maxima can’t carry everything anymore. I end up taking multiple trips and it’s a pain to do that all the time.

Maybe I’ll rent a u-haul first and see how that works out. I hate spending money when I don’t have to. On the INSIDERS call yesterday, they were talking about how Sam Walton would buy folding chairs and fold out tables instead of real furniture…omg that’s awesome. The guy was truly on a mission.

Since I won’t be as available for the next few days to drop ice cream on the ground for you guys to lick off the concrete, I want to leave you with some homework.

Harness The Attitude of Gratitude

Have you ever started a morning on the wrong foot and everything else seemed to follow that overall vibe? By the end of the day, you’re drained because anything and everything seemed to not be going your way. You’re angry, tired, and frustrated. Sick and tired of being sick and tired. Here’s a trick to change all of that.

Every morning, write down 3-5 things that you’re grateful for. This will allow you to start your day from a mindset of abundance. When you do this first thing when you wake up, everything else that you do throughout the day will be done in support of that overall positive mindset. It sets the tone immediately.

You’ll find that you first start with very general stuff like, “I’m grateful for my 3 mistresses”. After a few weeks, you’ll run out of things to list that you’re grateful for so you’ll start getting VERY specific like:

1. I’m grateful for how Mistress A makes me feel when she smiles at me with her cute little dimples

2. I’m grateful for how amazing of a cook Mistress B is

3. I’m grateful for how Mistress C seems to really take the time to listen and understand me

You’ll start noticing all of the tiny details in your life that you can be grateful for. It’s a better feeling than shrooms, coke, and weed. It’s not better than sex though. Sex is better than ice cream, just my opinion.

Customers will notice your overall positive vibe and love you for it. I’m convinced Disney is such a powerful company because they have mastered the art of positive vibes and communicated it on a massive scale. They make you feel good. They make you forget all of the bullshit responsibilities that we have to endure as adults. They make you feel childlike again. Being childlike is key…that’s why ice cream and getting drunk is the common theme in a majority of my posts. Don’t take shit so seriously, it’s all just a game. Your job is to connect the puzzle pieces together.

I have a fat crush on the chick in this video. I hope the ladybird in my life doesn't read this haha. She's a fastlaner too, but made her millions in real estate development. She's the reason why I learned to love people. Let me tell you, the right woman in your life can be the greatest motivator in the world. With the wrong woman, you can work 24 hours a day and never get even close to building a smoothly running ice cream shop. Where are all the female entrepreneurs at, anyway??? I remember seeing a few around here...Determined, AroundTheWorld, where are the rest?

Mastering the art of gratitude is essential because you need it in order to get through the times of failure. Make no mistake about it, you WILL fail on your path to ice cream heaven. But you will fail better going forward. Fight to make it work and keep the faith. Developing an overall mindset of positivity and abundance is crucial because there are A LOT of roadblocks in Candy Land.

The gremlins in Candy Land are filled with hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism…they will try to steal the ice cream out of your hands while you are doing cartwheels and jumping jacks. They hate to see you so happy, but don’t let it get to you. They’re just hurting and frustrated inside. You still love them anyway. They just don't know any better. I remember MJ saying that someone even stole an INSIDERS subscription from him. How the hell do you steal in INSIDERS subscription, @MJ DeMarco ???

Believe in yourself. Because not truly believing leads to doing shit half assed. Half assing your work leads to failure. Failure leads to you not being able to give back to the world. I need you to develop an abundance mindset so you can get get an abundance of ice cream so that we can give back.

Isn’t entrepreneurship amazing? Not only is it the fastlane to ice cream, but it’s also the fastlane to becoming a better, stronger, happier version of yourself. Don’t you want to become a happier version of yourself?

We’re giving back to the people in Candy Land. Spreading it across the country. One scoop at a time.

See you all later. I'm almost done talking about mindset. After that, we're going to jump into marketing.

p.s. I'm still convinced mindset is everything. Get your mind right. Get drunk and be happy cuz they play some really good music inside the ice cream shop.

 

[IceCreamKid]

What the F&%! Does Take Action Daily Even Mean???

“What does a person like me need to do? When you say "TAKE ACTION" - its very generic to me as that action can mean anything and nothing at the same time...I have no special skills, just an intelligent brain which can grasp things easily...I am scared of not being able to execute either...as I have never done anything like this.

What type of action is "taking action"? I have no idea what to do.

I don't know how to come up with ideas...but have an inclination to want to sell physical products online via e commerce. If "that" market has an offline component to it, start an offline business too...”

To the guy who wrote me this PM, I apologize in advance for using it as a teaching example. I want you to know that there are many who have written me with similar PM’s so I just randomly picked yours to use for no reason.

I don’t know why, but as of late I’ve been receiving an influx of PM’s from people wanting me to give them exact step-by-step instructions for what to do.

Unfortunately, the reality for a true entrepreneur is this: if you follow any step-by-step system, you will ultimately fail in the long run. The masses are looking for the easy to follow system. Look at all those e-books on how to create an ebay business. There is very little opportunity left in that now because there are thousands of sellers on ebay peddling the same stuff bro!

If you want to reach that higher level, you absolutely must stop looking for step-by-step systems and start thinking outside the box. Do stuff that few others are willing to do. This means that you have to get creative.

I can give you a map of where the treasure chest is, but everyone must go in search of their own key. For some, their key is to play professional basketball. For others, it is to sell SEO services. For some, it’s to buy struggling franchises in bulk discounts.

My point is this: the path to freedom is never clearly laid out before you, but what you will find is that if you just do SOMETHING then that little piece of action will FORK into more pieces of action. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You don't need to know the 990 steps ahead of time, just take the first 10 steps and trust yourself. You gotta have trust in something...miracles, God, Zeus, ice cream, anything.

Look at the IceCreamKid story on this forum. I had ZERO intention of becoming known on here. Last year, I asked zen******* how I could repay him for being a pretty neat dude. His response was, “Leave breadcrumbs behind so other may follow”.

Sheeit I’m a pretty private person so I never like talking about my life in public, but Z said to do it so it had to be done. I wrote a post to thank him here: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/zen*******-changed-how-i-view-the-world.49457/

I didn’t really have any intention to post anything after that, but a weird thing happened…people started to reach out to me for help. They wanted to learn copywriting, reverse limiting beliefs, discuss their ideas, etc.

At first I didn’t really want to help because it’s very time consuming, but Z said to leave breadcrumbs and people were asking for some so I said sure why not. I didn’t ask for money from anybody, but I started getting cash offers for mentoring right and left from random strangers on the forum that I’ve never even met. I didn’t accept any money though because I felt that it would be a slap in MJ’s face. I just continued helping people out with phone mentoring.

After a while, I started getting noticed by some bigger contributors here and they started reaching out to me offering their help. Had some great phone calls with JackEdwards and hosted an INSIDERS call with him(hilarious guy btw). I honestly believe that I would not be where I am today had it not been for some of their valuable advice.

Just think…it all started because I took action to leave a few breadcrumbs. Did I know that it would evolve into the IceCreamKid story? Hell no.

This is why I am so general when I say take action, because you don’t know where the hell it will take you. I don’t know where it will take you. All I know is that it will take you further than when you sit in your room thinking to yourself all day.

If there really was a simple step-by-step system, I’d probably be following it to the letter and partying on some exclusive island right now LOL.

Reach out to people who are successful in your niche. Study what they do. Try what they do(don't rip them off though like the biophase soap chick). The best thing that you can do is make money right out the door. The 2nd best thing you can do is try, but fail. The worst thing you can do is theorize and read forever about what you can do.

So for now, just do something and trust in yourself. It will fork into more options than you ever thought of. You will get rejected, you will feel pain, you will suck for a while, but trust me you will suck less if you just keep pressing forward.

Again, I am so sorry that I cannot give a step-by-step plan for millions. I am just being real with you and not trying to sell you some pipe dream that entrepreneurship is simple and quick.

Many gurus will try to tell you they have a system that is easy and resists changes in the economy, customer tastes, or Google algorithm updates...but trust me on this, they don't have the best of intentions for you. They will try to appear that they're here to help(and some are damn good at it btw), but they ultimately want your hard earned $$$'s and will offer very little value in return.

If it was truly that easy then all of us would be driving in Lambos. Accept the fact that the road is hard and it will become easier for you to move forward. Stop resisting the fact that it's hard and start welcoming it. You will become stronger for it and begin having visions of 3 Aston Martins and 12 mistresses in your future(reverse the scenario for female entrepreneurs please!).

Get the ice cream.

 

[Bigguns50]

PHONE LESSON

My friend...let's call him...Tony..cuz that's his name...Tony.... Owns a vitamin/supplement B & M w/website store.
Tony has developed a new product he is whole selling to other stores and retails it in his store and on his site.
Tony has a list of 700 stores to call !

Since I was in sales for several years, I asked him yesterday what his approach is......and he nailed it !

Since he gets solicitation calls all the time because he owns a business, his approach is ..."How would I want to be called ?" ( BOOM !..there you go....put yourself in your customers place ! Ever read that anywhere on our forum ?...yep yep. How do YOU want to be treated ? Put yourself in the customer's shoes and it's all about YOU.)

Basically goes like this .."Hi, I'm Tony from Vitamin &%^#^&*.....and I don't want to take a minute of your time. Who do I talk to, to send you free samples of a product I've developed." ....He stops talking and waits........... He said the response has been great ! Most calls...the person he's talking to wants to know more about his products and have a conversation. He nailed 3 more accounts this week already.

1) He's respectful of their time
2) No B.S.
3) Offering something for free

Beyond this....he offers good margins, good product..AND...CUSTOMER SERVICE.

MARKETING LESSON

I thought this was great....We got blasted yesterday with another snow storm...NO ONE OUT SHOPPING...All day long ! This can really hurt a B & M business. What's Tony do ?

Tony puts on their facebook something like..."Snow Storm Sale !!!" ! "You don't have to drive in the storm to save $$..Just phone in your order, we'll give you today's discount, hold it for you, and you can pick it up tomorrow." BOOM baby ! I loved it.

He said the phone was ringing steady all afternoon.

 

[IceCreamKid]

Revolutionary Lessons From This Thread That Can Make You Rich In 30 Days…GUARANTEED!

By golly, I love writing these friggin headlines…copywriting is fun.

Listen up guys the tribe in Candy Land is growing both online in this forum and offline in the real world. I have quite a few members PM’ing me now and I’m helping them remove the mental issues that are sabotaging them. I can't believe I'm doing all of this for free haha. It feels almost like a creepy little movement. If you are having mental blocks that prevent you from taking action and wish to stay private, please PM me with what issues you think you have. I promise I am not trying to sell you anything. We here at the ice cream shop are only here to help others without any attachment to our personal gain. That always has been, and always will be, my commitment to you here.

Believe me, this growth of the tribe was not created by accident and was purely scientific. Would you like to know how to utilize these similar tactics to grow a business? Of course you do.

Put down the vodka and ice cream cone for a minute and let’s get moving so I can learn you some lessons about the hidden psychology behind why the tribe in Candy Land is growing.

1. Focus on your drunk fans who love ice cream. When you focus on the biggest, most passionate fans of your product they will go the extra mile to sing praises about your business. They will post about it on FB, IG. Give them what they want!

2. Lead with unconventional values. The ice cream thread preaches a set of values that are very different from most other threads. We are the drunken maniacs who run business from an angle of loving acceptance for others. We promote happiness and empowerment within others. This thread connects with a deeper part of your heart, which is why some of the members here have become loyal fans and have even PM’d me to discuss mental issues that are holding them back from success.

3. Build community. The ice cream thread is a community within a larger community. You can perhaps build a brand off of this movement of entrepreneurship from an angle of love and acceptance. We’re all about giving the people what they want, therefore they are loyal to us because we are loyal to them!

4. Give fans a name. All of you are a wonderful part of the ice cream shop and I like being able to call you guys my drunken ice cream addicted following. Customers like to have a strong sense of belonging. It creates loyalty to the brand.

5. Give them something to talk about. I purposely gave this thread a crazy theme so that people enjoy it, have fun with it, and learn from it at the same time. It’s much easier to build a business with a following when there’s a sense of fun, excitement, and craziness beneath everything. PEOPLE LIKE CRAZY. EVERYONE IS WEIRD ON SOME LEVEL. Believe it.

Back to work. Above all else, take action guys. Whatever it takes. Do it.

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. IF YOU ARE NOT MAKING MISTAKES THEN YOU ARE NOT MOVING FAST ENOUGH.

 

[JEdwards]

@JackEdwards wasn't lying when he said, "The moment you stop caring about money is the moment you start making money". Respect to you, good sir.

I must of been drunk when I typed that hogwash...

 

[IceCreamKid]

I Got Scammed By A Customer Yesterday And I’m Super Excited About It!

Guys I have fantastic news for you! I can now call myself a real businessman because I finally succeeded at achieving my goal to get scammed by a customer yesterday! Chyeaa!

Okay in all honesty, nobody has a goal to get scammed lol but I fully accepted that somewhere down the line I would encounter a customer that wants to rip me off.

The brand message of my business is an extension of my personality. I’m a fanatic about awesome customer service and willing to go the extra mile to make the customer feel good and get happy! People first, then money. The ice cream shop is all about saying YES to the customer. Oh you want booger flavored ice cream? YES we will make it. You want grass flavored ice cream? YES we will make it. The motto is yes, yes, yes.

This has created some dope loyalty and word of mouth marketing in itself. If you’re a broke bro and don’t want to spend money on marketing, I invite you to go the extra mile for your customers. They’ll appreciate you for it and word of mouth marketing has a neat little sense of trust embedded with it…who knows, if you do something truly outrageous for your customer then you might even end up on the news and your business will go viral.

It’s all about being authentic, honest, and real with your customer…being willing to go to the moon and back for them in a world where most companies seem to want to squeeze every last penny of profit out of the customer. It’s so easy to stand out and shine when you market from this angle.

Back to the scam story though. To sum it up, this lady had a $500 order. I shipped the stuff and she contacted me screaming at the top of her lungs that she wasn’t happy with her order. I said, “no problem we’ll take care of you right away! We’ll even pay for the return shipping so there’s no risk to you!”.

She refused. She wanted to keep the products AND get a full refund. Hmmmm

You know what I did? I LOVED THE HELL out of her. I gave her all the money back and let her keep the entire order too.

I could’ve gotten angry. Could’ve cussed her out. Could’ve told her she was a bitch. But what would that do to me? I would end up carrying negative angry energy with me throughout the day. It would’ve thrown me off balance to the point where I wouldn’t be able to focus on sales/marketing. It would put me in a position of scarcity.

As an entrepreneur, it is your job to manage your emotional state as much as possible. Fear, nervousness, frustration, anger, try to manage it all.

10% of your customers will create 90% of your headaches…why let the gremlin 10% get to you when the other 90% absolutely rock?

In business and in life, sometimes it is better to love than to be right.

The reality is that you can be the most caring and loving wizard in all of Candy Land, but there are certain gremlins who will shit on you regardless of how well you treat them.

Don’t get mad. Don’t get bitter. The truth is that the way they treat others is a reflection of how they feel about themselves at the core. You’ll never see me treating others like crap because I am super happy with who I am and where my life is right now.

Who knows, maybe the lady just lost her job. Maybe her husband cheated on her. Maybe her kids don’t love her and she’s just frustrated. Maybe she’s just hurting inside.

Love them anyway. They just don’t know. If anything, I feel sad for her because she operates from a mindset of scarcity which completely locks the doors to owning your own ice cream shop.

She will never experience the abundant mindset, the joy, and the overall positive feelings that we feel in the ice cream shop.

The abundance mindset. Develop it. It will help you. You will not fear competition, you will not fear going broke, you see opportunity everywhere…if only you sharpened the abundance mindset.

Happy aloha Friday people! HOORAY I GOT SCAMMED SO I AM OFFICIALLY A BUSINESSMAN! LET’S THROW A PARTY! Bust out the cow bell, grab the tequila, and get the ice cream cuz we’re pumping our fist up and down since we’re developing the abundance mindset!

p.s. My dad says you’re not truly in business until you’ve been sued. When that day comes, we should throw an EPIC party in Candy Land...complete with those orange munchkins from Wizard of Oz.

 

[IceCreamKid]

This is a recurring pattern - I don't finish books, and even if I do it's a rarity - I'm lacking the persistence.

Bro, you need to reach what I call the F*ck it point. The point where you are 100% committed.

The F*ck It Point

People often wonder where all of my motivation comes from. They wonder how is this kid able to function off 4 hours of sleep a day. I honestly don’t know how to explain the motivation factor because it’s an overall feeling rather than something that I can put into words.

All I can say is that every man reaches a breaking point in his life. He feels like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders at this point. Frustration is at its highest, disappointment is at its peak, and worst of all is the underlying feeling that he wasn’t living up to the greatness that is within himself.

This is when he reaches the F*ck IT point. He becomes 100% committed NOT because he has something to prove to anyone, but because of who he is to become. Procrastination is replaced by action, he has no time to acknowledge the fear that exists with himself because he is moving so fast towards accomplishing his mission, and everything seems to come easily…because he has finally reached the F*ck IT point.

Being 99% committed is painful as hell. You second guess yourself. You overanalyze. You let fear paralyze you into inaction. But don’t worry…your moment will come when you are so sick of the fact that you’re getting older, you will have no choice but to take action like an ice cream addicted maniac…and that is when you will win the battle. And do you know where the battle takes place? Within your mind. Master yourself.

Don't you hate how there is such a spiritual side to this stuff? Don't you wish you could just complete steps 1,2, and 3 then a million dollar pops out of the other end? lol if only it were that easy.

 

[IceCreamKid]

How do I get out of my comfort-zone every day?

Okay this is something that I didn't want to reveal to you guys, but since this is some valuable advice that can REALLY help you I'm going to spill the beans. I used MLM tactics to get out of my comfort zone every day.

Back when I was a money chasing idiot teenager, I joined an MLM called Amway. They would brainwash their "independent business owners" by telling them listen to CD's every single night. No joke...talk to a diehard MLM guy and he'll sound like a friggin zombie. He cannot use critical thinking, he cannot use logic, he has literally been re-programmed by the CD's. Everything he does, says, thinks, will be in honor of his divine master, the Lord of The Upline Distributors.

Anyway, you can use this same tactic to turbocharge the re-wiring of your mindset by creating CD's using your own voice. I created an audio CD using my own voice that I would listen to all day for multiple days in a row. It would say stuff like "I am an action taking machine. I don't care if I get rejected, I just keep moving forward. I take confident action relentlessly. I feel fear and take action anyway because I am a badass mother F*cker". If you hear something enough times then you will eventually start seeing it as undisputed fact, even if your former belief system felt otherwise.

So yea, re-program yourself...I know it sounds psycho, but it can be a very powerful way to shift your mindset and become a relentless, action taking badass mofo. Brainwashing can be used for both good and bad. Look at Hitler and how he hypnotized an entire country to justify doing some horrible things.

This was a very absurd flavor of ice cream that I just shared with you. Hope you're not weirded out by it...actually, I think we've already established that everyone is a weirdo at the ice cream shop so you must be weird too if you're hanging out in this thread bro! Get the ice cream!

 

[IceCreamKid]

Great post.

would love to shake your hand some day!

Z

I must say it's quite humbling to hear one of my heroes say such kind words to me.

@zen******* I’m taking your advice and sharing the ice cream…it has been more rewarding than I ever thought it could be. I was on the local radio station this morning in an interview because one of the guys I helped out was able to hook me up with a short time slot. I was scared shitless because I've never done that before. Business is growing and I'm super swamped with orders, but I wanted to take some time to write a heartfelt message to you.

Is it alright with you if I tell you one of my dreams? This may sound crazy to a lot of people, but I know you treat others with loving acceptance. That's the Zen way.

I have a dream to re-wire the mindset of people everywhere so that they can one day unleash the giant inside of them in order achieve the wealth of a millionaire and the heart of a monk. I want to create a legion of drunken maverick entrepreneurs, hungry for ice cream so that they can give back to the people. Perhaps you can call us Club Robin Hood...or The Ice Cream Men.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could one day be in the position to give away 90% of my income each year and still live a fabulous life of freedom using the leftover 10%? I must scale further to get there. I don’t need much to be free…I’m actually quite happy with my 2001 Nissan Maxima, my Levi’s jeans, and my sweatshirt. I used to go for fancy women whose looks promise heaven but deliver hell…I finally grew out of that.

I am teaching my offline friends the Zen way of the Dolphin and by golly it’s actually working! Some of them are still learning to build their own ice cream shops while one is actually surpassing my progress, he is in the mid 5-figures per month now. A few seem to not like the taste of ice cream at all and are more comfortable with the 9-5, that’s fine too! It’s about what makes you happy in life. There are many ways to dress your mistress and we all walk a unique path to get there.

During the day our ultimate mission is to rebuild communities, give back to charity, and revitalize schools. Our message is to deliver love and happiness by giving the people what they want.

At night, we get drunk off $3 wine from Trader Joe’s while singing jolly good songs together. We’re a quirky, high energy bunch of wackos in our 20's with a focus on action and moving forward. We believe that entrepreneurship can and should be fun. Although we have crazy fun doing what we do, we always hold on true to the magical secret to amass millions: Give the people what they want.

Thank you for teaching us to give the people what they want instead of focusing on what we want for ourselves. Serious MIND SHIFT right there.

It all started with writing copy...

 

[IceCreamKid]

At Capitalism and Bacon (the event in Albuquerque), Z said that 'cash is the lowest common denominator'. You don't need cash to provide value. You don't need to give equity to provide value. You just gotta be a little creative, and the creativity part is where most people stop.

THIS. This guy gets it. The creativity is where most people give up.

This is why the whole theme to my posts is ice cream. There is a method to my madness. Who are the most creative people in the world? Children. Stay childlike, my friends. Get the ice cream. And stay drunk.

 

[IceCreamKid]

Wow man that's profound. It sounds like being in a state of intense observation. My ideas are "my ideas", but an idea from a source outside yourself should be cherished even more because their observation comes from a purer place than yours?

For example I could be thinking about "this idea will win big" "I can sell tons of these!", but what you observe through listening to that other person's pain or idea isn't rooted in your own 'selfish' thinking?

Am I close or just rambling?

NO YOU'RE NOT RAMBLING. OH MY F*ckING A YOU GET IT! MY MISSION IS COMPLETE. LET'S PARTY AND GET DRUNK! YOLOOOO!

I'm going to unlock the potential in all of you. All of you can amass great wealth for yourselves if you give yourself the permission to. I give you permission to succeed. I give you permission to fail and be yourself. I give you permission to be vulnerable and be your authentic self with others.

Why haven't you guys given yourselves permission to succeed? That little voice in the back of your mind feeding you bullshit stories about why you can't have everything you ever dreamed of...crush him.

I need you to learn to build your own ice cream shops so we can build a following and give back to society. I see too much pain and suffering around me. Do it for your wife, your kids, your family, your cousin, whatever. Just do it. Whatever the F*ck it takes. Just do it. Build the ice cream kingdom so we can all party together in Candy Land.

Yo Dave where in Florida do you live? I wanna go to Miami. I'll rent a Lambo for a day and we can cruise around, go nuts throwing ice cream in the air.

 

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[Bigguns50]

Great that you posted this ! I hope many take it to heart.

Quick story..not revealing the product. I just started selling door to door (no, not F.L. but I NEED $) soooo...I did really shitty at first. I had no 'game'...I was like "hey, I'm selling bla bla bla and running a special"...(sound of doors closing).

After a while I quit....went home and thought.

I realized I wasn't selling this 'thing'...I was providing an opportunity to improve a family's safety at home. I sincerely want them to be safe. I went back out (-12 degree windchill thinking NO ONE will open their door).....and people were happy to pay for what I offered.

The cool thing is that besides making $...I feel good about it, which in a way, trumps the money.

 

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[IceCreamKid]

You're probably referring to me in the conversation we had the other day.

Nahhh I wasn't specifically referring to you, my brother! I see the mindset everywhere. There was one just yesterday where a guy was talking about jumping into the marijuana industry because it's about to grow 20% this year. It's also in the threads titled "I will make $1M in the next 12 months, just watch me".

We don't hate in the ice cream shop. It's all about sharing the love around here cuz there's enough to go around!

The things MJ in his book (and a lot of people on this forum @zen******* @JackEdwards @ryanv408) make a lot more sense when you look at it this way, and I feel like they truly mean something deeper as compared to what most people probably see as business advice.

Dude, YES. There is something huge hidden deeper than just what you see on the surface. Listen, I used to pay huge money just to see great entrepreneurs give speeches in person. Why did I do that? Their energy. The movers and shakers have a certain energy about how they do things that I cannot explain in words. They're switched on, they're alive, they have an unmistakable fire in their eyes and pep in their step. After a while, you absorb that similar energy and it becomes part of your subconscious. This is the Zen side to the stuff. I struggle to put it into words, but I try.

You will get the ice cream soon, my friend. And we will proceed to get drunk, sing, dance, and break things.

 

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[DeletedUser2]

How should I be prioritizing?

pick 1 thing and get good at it.
Video? do 10 a week or 40 a month, until your an expert.
copy? write write write.

paid traffic?
spend more. be more analytical.

do one thing. and do it until you master it.

your like drilling oil wells all over 1 square mile.... only 6 inches deep, lots of little holes.

real oil. is 1 mile DEEP. 6 inches wide.....

Drill deeper

Z

 

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[IceCreamKid]

If I Lost Everything And Had To Start All Over With Zero Ideas And Zero Dollars…

I would start a religion. For those of you who know what’s up, the Catholic Church is the #3 largest land owner in the world, possessing 177 million acres of land throughout the globe.

Okay in all seriousness, I wouldn’t start a religion because I’d get tired of guys like KLaw constantly asking me to show proof of my product. It’s really hard to prove that there is a man in the sky watching over us making sure that we will descend into the fiery pits of hell to hang out with Satan if we commit sin.

If your goal is to create a business instead of a religion with zero ideas and zero dollars then this is what I’d recommend for you to do.

1. Re-wire your mindset. In the famous words of Z, “Do want to be right, or do you want to be rich?”. Mindset is everything because business is naturally a rollercoaster of emotions. The highs are super high and the lows can be quite low. You can hand a successful business to someone, but if he has the wrong mindset then there’s a good chance that the business will be wrecked within 12 months. You don’t have to look very far as MJ’s limo company to see proof of this. Mindset, mindset, mindset.

Read up on the fundamentals of business. You need both mindset and fundamentals. Read through this thread to get the basic foundation of mindset then start hanging out with successful people who know what it takes to build a successful business, they will give you the fundamentals. You’d be amazed by how much you will change simply by hanging out with people who run their lives according to a different code.

Rid yourself of the victim mentality people in your life. If I got a gallon of ice cream for each PM that I get from depressed people, I could probably feed a small nation by now. Are your friends the type who play the blame game? Do they take responsibility for their lives? Do they complain about problems rather than wanting to fix them? Do they seek approval rather than seeking results? Shifting the mind will shift your life.

2. Grow a pair and talk to people. I find that whenever I come up with my own ideas, they usually suck bigtime. Instead, I learned to talk to people and shut up. I let them spill out their problems to me. Guess what happens? The ideas come. Most are not viable business ideas, but if you dig enough then you will find something.

Go to the top players in your niche and find out what their needs/problems are. By dealing with the biggest players, you’re more likely to get LARGE orders simply due to the fact that they do big volume bro! Maybe one day I’ll get some really big guts and talk to the biggest player of them all, the United States Government.

3. After you have found the idea by talking to people, create a prototype or demonstratable example of what you have to offer. This comes directly from zen*******'s course about how to raise capital. That course is worth the INSIDERS subscription alone. You should probably send him $100 rep bank minimum for that course.

Anyway, in the course he interviews a guy who discussed the importance of showing physical examples of what your product has to offer. This is far more effective than just throwing ideas out because the customer will then have something that he can see and feel. The value provided appears much more real. Why else do you think Costco gives out all those yummy free samples?

4. Use the prototype or demonstratable example of your product to pre-sell and validate demand. Alright this might spark a lot of controversy here. You don’t absolutely have to get pre-sales to validate demand, but I think that if you are able to get some then it’s a fantastic sign that you’re on the right track. On top of that, it lowers your risk. There’s nothing worse than spending $20k to develop a product, only to find out later on that there’s no demand for it.

5. Get creative with manufacturing/development of your product. There are ways to acquire the product more affordably, just think outside the box. It is very possible to start a business with zero dollars. There are books on this stuff. Read them.

6. Scale in the most efficient way possible. Webinars, facebook ads, Craigslist, hiring salespeople across the country. Try to delegate the tasks that don’t utilize your time very well. Scale out your time.

7. Accept that the road is hard. Holy shnykies, this is a big one. Just keep pushing. "If you're going through hell, keep going."-Winston Churchill

8. Drink top shelf alcohol only. Grey goose, Belvedere, Ketel One, Patron, Avion, Cazadores, Maker's Mark, Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal. If you drink the low quality crap that has only been filtered once, you will wake up with a hangover and the entire following day will be wasted. Business is a serious gig and if you waste one day, your a$$ will be kicked by a competitor who worked diligently while you were passed out in front of the toilet.

Seriously, take care of your body. Stay away from too much sugar intake and high carbs. This will spike your insulin which causes you to get food coma and feel sluggish. I cannot stress how important it is to take care of your physical self. You need to feel energetic if you want to operate on full throttle and think with clarity.

 

[IceCreamKid]

Live Dangerously Until The Day You Die

This post is a reflection on a speech I heard once upon a time.

One of the most dangerous things you can do is follow your heart. Wanna know why? Because everything will be a complete mess in the beginning when you do this. You take the path less traveled and make a ton of mistakes because nobody taught you what to do. You suck for weeks, months, years, before you start getting good.

But there is a positive side to all of this chaos…you are exercising the iron quality of entrepreneurs: courage. The experience was a complete mess, but you are GROWING. That is why you should do dangerous shit. The real value is not in the money that you get, but the person that you are becoming.

When you jump off that cliff and your only intention is to fly before you hit the bottom, you’ll learn how to be as focused as a high powered laser and become incredibly creative to make deals happen.

Most people walk to the edge of that cliff and stare down into the deep chasm until they’re 50 when they have a midlife crisis. At that point they decide they’ll never take the jump because they’re “trapped” by all of the “trappings” of society: a wife, kids, career, mortgage, etc.

If you just stand there still looking at the chasm below, for the next 25 years you will have a nagging thought in the back of your mind reminding you that you didn’t live up to the greatness that is within. You should’ve jumped and now you have to live with it.

Shit will seem crazy and not make any sense. Your heart will tell you to do it and you let go into the river of life. You will let it carry you and you will be okay with the challenges and failures…but you will be overjoyed by the success later on because you can call it your own. YOUR OWN FORTRESS.

You will learn to grow courage, commitment, and discipline. You will feel a sense of peace of mind with yourself because you listened to your heart regardless of what all the “trapped” people told you to do.

“I’m scared to take the wrong action. I feel like I need to be prepared before doing anything.”

“People don’t take me seriously, I’m too young, not qualified enough, etc.”

“People will think I’m trying to cheat them.”

“This is too hard. There’s too much information out there. I don’t know where to start.”

“I don’t have enough money to get started.”

Who cares. Do dangerous shit. I was the guy who was paralyzed by the thought of cold calling. I literally would take shots of vodka before picking up the phone. Holy shnykies batman it worked. The liquid courage worked hahah! After a while, I didn’t even need the liquid because I became a new ice cream kid.

Stop waiting, bro. Stop reading this thread, there's too much noise on this forum. The whole reason why you haven't taken a single action is because you're terrified by the thought of failure. I don't know how to tell you this, but you're not going to die. If you lose all your money, you'll still be okay. If you lose the house, the job, the lover, you'll still be okay. If you have your heart shattered, it's not going to kill you. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who walked the path. They're still alive bro. You have nothing to fear other than the thought of being 50 and feeling like you weren't true to yourself.

Start a business and fail. Have your heart broken by a girl then do it again. Go broke again and again. You just might be surprised that you won't die.

Jump off the cliff and trust yourself. Do dangerous shit until the day you die. You will become a better version of yourself, I guarantee it.

 

[IceCreamKid]

The Hidden Wisdom Behind The Zero F*cks Given Mentality

I wish that someone had written this post for me many years ago because it would’ve saved me years of action faking while I was trying to fix my mindset. I hope this helps somebody who is in their own way.

There are those who want more information, more supportive evidence, and more research to back them before they take action. They convince themselves for years that they are being productive because they are learning new things, despite the fact that they have taken zero action. The reality is that all of this research and data gathering is done because they are cowards.

Trust has a cousin named courage. Let go and allow your fate to happen.

Courage is the iron quality for all success…relationships, business, financial, spiritual. By taking action even though you don’t have all the supportive evidence, you ultimately develop more courage.

The guppies had no proof that they would gain anything by moving to New Mexico, but they did it anyway.

JackEdwards had no proof that he would make millions by leaving his job and coming to California, but he did it anyway.

MJ had no proof that starting a lead generation website would make him millions, but he did it anyway.

zen******* had no proof that taking a company public would actually help or not, but he did it anyway.

I'm about to spend close to $1k on samples from a supplier to test for the quality of their products. I have no guarantee that the samples will be good.

It is through acting courageously that you ultimately end up building massive courage. You don’t develop courage by reading books, analyzing stuff, or reading my posts. You get courage when you do the damn thing every single day.

Being an entrepreneur isn’t some fancy badge that you wear and proclaim to the world. Leave that to the MLM zombies. Being an entrepreneur is a lifestyle that becomes part of your identity. It’s a big shift from the 9-5 mindset, but after you do the entrepreneur thing regularly you’ll find that taking action daily becomes a habit and ultimately shapes your identity.

Trust and courage will take you to magical places...places far beyond that which most people go.

Let go and trust…let go and trust…let go and trust…

Be encouraged when things get hard because that means less competition in the end. Don't wimp out. Spartans don't wimp out.

Fight to make things work...and they ultimately will.

Take action daily. Get the ice cream.

Always rooting for you.

Your Man,

ICK

 

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[IceCreamKid]

Great Thread Ryan...

Damn...JackEdwards just complimented me. I can't lie, this one moved me. I have mad respect for the guy...I hope one day I can ride in his F430.

I had my first $2k day today. I can't figure out why it happened so I'm currently investigating it so I can repeat the process. Business is all about optimization and repeating what works best for you after you have optimized.

This morning, I got approached by an MLM to be a motivational speaker for them. They were asking me to lie and pretend that I had created a huge downline for myself. I can't sell my soul. My reasons for wanting to motivate you guys go far deeper than money. I'm super busy running my business right now and I spend a lot of time/energy writing these posts to make sure that each one is fun yet informative at the same time.

I never told anyone this, but JackEdwards played a part in my story as well. Many fastlaners on here did, actually. They say good artists copy and great artists steal.

I stole the Dolphin mindset about love and persistence. I stole the JackEdwards angle of creativity...the guy approaches business from crazy angles and I am amazed by it. I stole the CENTS formula from MJ. I stole Vigilante's thoughts about branding. I'm actually stealing from all the rich guy contributors on here and giving back to the people, just like Robin Hood bwahahah! Like a ninja thief in the night, I stole bits and pieces from everyone and created my own amazingly tasty blend of ice cream that the people apparently want to pay money for. Please make sure that the people are willing to pay money for your ice cream before you go out and invest your entire life savings towards an ice cream factory.

This thread is nearing 4,000 views yet I see very few people taking action. To say that I am frustrated by it would be an understatement.

I've decided that I'm going to create an mp3 audio file to address all of the peeps in here who hide behind the computer and aren't taking action. We will cover fear, limiting beliefs, your why, and all sorts of cool stuff that I taught to my friends in the offline world. I first started addressing it with typing, but it simply isn't effective enough because you can't feel the underlying emotion behind what I'm saying. ALL FREE. Ice cream for everyone yaaay!

Real talk, the Dolphin mindset works...I've seen it at work with my own eyes. One of my buddies was even a former drug dealer in San Francisco and he seems to be on the road to turning his life around. He hasn't built a fully running ice cream shop yet, but he's taking baby steps learning it every single day. And that's what counts. Taking action every single day.

Anybody read the story of the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise never stopped. He just kept taking consistent action every single day and eventually won the race. Wanna be successful? Develop the habits of success. The only place where "success" comes before "work" is in the dictionary.

Everything on the exterior of your life is a reflection of what's going on internally within your mind. Shift your mindset.