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YAYYY!!!! @IceCreamKid Thanks for the kick in the nuts!
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Free registration at the forum removes this block.The ONE Thing That You Need
Does this sound like you? You spend months figuring out every detail about a niche that you can. You go to meetups to network with others, spend money on seminars hopefully to find more info on what to do, read more books, blogs, and podcasts on your project. 2 years pass and you have nothing to show for it. Perhaps you set up your website, an LLC, etc. but you haven’t taken any real action towards getting a customer.
You tell all of your friends that you're an entrepreneur. My man, stop lying to yourself. The truth will set you free...but it will seriously piss you off first.
You know deep down what the problem is. Somewhere deep in your subconscious, you feel that you don’t deserve to get rich. You say you want to become a millionaire…shoot, everybody does. But deep down you have doubts about yourself. Afraid to fail, afraid to fly.
Bro, I’ve started 8 businesses in the last 8 years. 7 out of the 8 failed for various reasons. Somewhere down the line, I realized something. Despite all of the failures, I wasn’t dead. My world didn’t come to a screeching halt and my friends didn’t say, “I told you so”. Actually a few of them did, so it was nice to be able to learn who to cut out from my life quickly. =P
I no longer fear failure in business because I’ve becoming quite skilled at failing. Failing doesn’t hurt so much anymore because I conditioned my brain to deal with it. Don't get me wrong, I still would rather succeed 100% of the time but that's not how business works. I don’t resist the possibility of failure like many do. Taking action daily is automatic. Zero f**ks given.
Failure is the foundation of success. It is the soil that the seed of success drops into.
So fail hard. Fall flat on your face. You need to fail fast so you can finally get to winning.
Dude, get that ONE customer. That ONE customer is all you need. Getting that first sale will clear the uncertainty, doubt, and fear. It will be confirmation that your plan just MIGHT work because someone saw enough value in your product/service to actually pay you money for it.
You know what’s emotionally, mentally, and physically draining? Thinking about doing something. It’s easier to think about taking action instead of doing it, but if you think for months or years about taking action then eventually you’ll become more tired from that than if you simply took action. Action brings clarity to the questions lingering in the back of our mind.
So don’t even focus on making the next big business. Just get that one customer first. The 1,000 other customers can come after that lol.
“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” –MLK
Take action daily. Get the ice cream.
For my current business - I pick a big problem. The problem that affects the largest amount of people.How do you find the one problem that you want to pursue?
Why that industry? Why that area of problems?For my current business - I pick a big problem. The problem that affects the largest amount of people.
Great question.... I actually have a product in the pet industry that does fairly well...and i'm not passionate about pets. For me, I had the passion for learning how to build something, and bringing it to market, etc. Wanting to learn business.Why that industry? Why that area of problems?
For me, I guess i'm more concerned with getting in the 'wrong' business that i'm not happy with or enjoying..
Like yeah, you can be making a contribution and helping out people, but if you aren't passionate about what you're doing why would you even bother doing it?
It would be like becoming some serial-entrepreneur and you decide to solve this huge pet-owner issue for dogs, some sort of new leash that has the benefit of X Y and Z... but you don't even *LIKE* dogs..
So why even the pet industry, if that's the case?
I just feel like there are a million problems to tackle, so how do you narrow yourself down to one project work on, which could potentially be the one project that you work on for the rest of your life..
It would be like becoming some serial-entrepreneur and you decide to solve this huge pet-owner issue for dogs, some sort of new leash that has the benefit of X Y and Z... but you don't even *LIKE* dogs..
So why even the pet industry, if that's the case?
Great question.... I actually have a product in the pet industry that does fairly well...and i'm not passionate about pets. For me, I had the passion for learning how to build something, and bringing it to market, etc. Wanting to learn business.
Your drive could be: Learn how to market a product, learn how to write sales copy, see the analytics data work for you ,etc.
Find your WHY.
Do you want to master facebook ads in 2 years?
Do you want to create a product that solves a problem you personally faced?
My new business is solving the $1 Trillion student loan debt problem. I graduated college with $30,000 in student loan debt and no application of skills during my education. I could pretty much get all the knowledge from my Master's degree from self study for free.
It's a big problem. A problem that has affected me. A problem I want to solve. and a problem I know can solve.
It's doesn't matter. If you are helping dog owners with a problem, does it matter that you don't like dogs?
when you only have 86,400 seconds in a day, why spend a single second working on something you don't care about?
What i mean is, there's a million problems you can pick to work towards and spend every second of every day solving. So why would you choose helping dog owners if you dont care about dogs? Why not electricity? Why not space? Why not pets, industrial, medical, health, fitness, wellness, etc etc.... the billion industries to choose from.
Why try to build an ice cream shop if youre allergic or don't like ice cream? Why not build an electronics store?
How do you find the one problem that you want to pursue? I feel like if you took the time to listen to people's problems or make a list of problems that you want to solve selflessly, you could come up with a million things on the list.
What I get caught up on is "What do i do?" - I feel like you could pick any item from the list, but then i freeze at the thought of all the different possibilities and problems I could take on, and I can't make a decision as to what i will take on..
I've been working on one passion of mine (Fitness and personal training) however when i think big picture, fitness and personal training doesn't exactly fit into where i'll be 10 or 20 years from now. I'm passionate about it, but i can't see myself doing it forever. You see a lot of successful guys posting on this forum, but how do they decide "This is what im going to do" when there's a million other projects out there just waiting for you to tackle?
How do you find the one problem that you want to pursue? I feel like if you took the time to listen to people's problems or make a list of problems that you want to solve selflessly, you could come up with a million things on the list.
Why that industry? Why that area of problems?
For me, I guess i'm more concerned with getting in the 'wrong' business that i'm not happy with or enjoying..
Like yeah, you can be making a contribution and helping out people, but if you aren't passionate about what you're doing why would you even bother doing it?
It would be like becoming some serial-entrepreneur and you decide to solve this huge pet-owner issue for dogs, some sort of new leash that has the benefit of X Y and Z... but you don't even *LIKE* dogs..
So why even the pet industry, if that's the case?
I just feel like there are a million problems to tackle, so how do you narrow yourself down to one project work on, which could potentially be the one project that you work on for the rest of your life..
I think you're putting to much pressure on yourself by trying to find a problem/customer solution that will last for your long term business career. You will change as you grow older. Markets will also change. Trying thinking shorter term and look at your first endeavor as a stepping stone to further reaching problems/solutions.
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).
Have a great 2015 everybody. Here's a poem that's nearly 100 years old....lots of wisdom underneath its words.
The Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career
however humble;
it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you
to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
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.
IceCreamKid said:
Most people feel like they have to portray that they’re somebody else in order to create a successful biz. They get fancy biz cards, logos, make a website, buy a suit, and parade around as if they are someone of influence.
IceCreamKid said: ↑
This lack of alignment actually develops fear and lack of confidence. It makes it hard to take sustained action because they are constantly playing the juggling act of being someone else. It's exhausting.
But something still just isn't right, if you know what I mean? Its like, if I just be myself its synonomous with people wanting to shiv me. I feel like a moderate fighter in a bad neighborhood that makes up for it with that edge .
I just need to understand, how in the darndest heeby jeebies I can stop making that portrayal and get outta that place, cuz its killing my love. I end up exhausted, conflicted, and only half alive after I get in these portrayal clashes.
I seem destined to just constantly be visciously kicked, and so I portray an image to make my bruises a little more blue rather than the black they would be.
You got anything you can expand on about this portrayal stuff that might turn on a light?
Cuz sign me up. I know that portrayal is a very very bad life raft (toxic even?).
I read this around 11PM, the time right now is 7:52AM i still haven't slept, but I just might have come up with one of the most remarkable ways to market my business, if this works sir, because i'm testing it today in the next one hour to be precise, if this works sir, I will owe you my ever undying gratitude.You know what's de-motivating for me? Listening to my WHY and reading it out loud for years yet being in the same place as when I started.
You know what's motivating? Picking up the phone, talking to somebody, having them open up to me up about what their problems are, then solving it and making some swiss cheese for helping them. When you see the ice cream coming in by the gallon size, you will become motivated. But you can only get the gallons coming in if you take action.
Wanna get motivated? Get out of your head and into the world.
IF YOU HAVEN'T MADE A SALE YET, DO NOT SLEEP UNTIL YOU MAKE A SALE. SLEEP IS WHACK AS HELL.
Seriously though man just get out there and make a sale. This is what you should be telling yourself when you get out there...I don't care how many times I get rejected. I don't care how shitty I feel. I don't care if I got 2 hours of sleep. I don't care that I don't have money, I'll find a way. I don't care that I don't have an idea, I'll figure out a way to get an idea. I don't care that I'm scared, I'm moving anyway.
I....don't....care.
Sorry if this came across as some tough love. Try taking some action though. You're gonna like who you become.
Take action. Get the ice cream.
It's 5.22am here in Singapore. This is my first post on this forum. I just finished 31 pages of this thread over 5 nights of reading. I made a 25-page, 10,000 word document of everything I've learnt from this thread. Just a little background of myself: I already possess the abundance mindset from reading entrepreneurial books for the past 2 years since I turned 19. I currently an online-based business, which is service-related. It's not fastlane business, but with good marketing it does provide a solid income equivalent or higher than average wage earners and it doesn't take up too much of my time. I started this business not as my fastlane business but as a learning experience. I just completed my first year of college in the best university in my country, and I am going to take a 1-year leave of absence from the school to take MASSIVE ACTION on my dreams. (Made this decision before I came across the thread. I already had decided on taking massive action.)
I just want to say a HUGE Thank you to IceCreamKid for giving so much to me through this thread which really summed up what I learnt over the past 2 years and really gave me that extra push I needed. To me, you are not just a teacher but a MENTOR - I could FEEL your essence, spirit, and passion from behind my computer screen!
The next steps?
I just ordered "Scientific Advertising" -by Claude Hopkins and "How To Write A Good Advertisement"-by Vic Schwab". I am going to read these and get good at copy while taking action.
I am going to start to take action by calling up businesses to find out their pain points. Then, I will find out the solution, validate it, pre-sell, outsource the development, and launch and market the hell out of it, then scale. I do not have all the answers now, but I use use hard work and my resourcefulness, along with having the right mindset, to figure and learn along the way. I believe 100% that I can and will suceed.
Lastly, I will join INSIDERS forum soon (once I'm ready for more golden nuggets, gotta take some action first) to read up on zen*******'s posts (if they are still there, because from what I see his account is deleted)
I will be reporting back with my experiences from my action-taking very soon. There is plenty of ice cream in the factory, and I'm coming to get some.
Rum
GET DRUNK.
How Did you get there from this thread ?
The Story We Play In Our Head Reveals All
“I only have X dollars to start a business”, a member once told me through PM. The scarcity/lack mindset had consumed his entire life. This caused fear to set in for him. What if I spend all my money and end up failing? He took zero action because it was “safer”.
Then one day, by sheer luck he bumped into a dolphin while swimming in the ocean. Much like Santa Claus, the dolphin carried around a bag of presents with him. What was the present given this time? A NEW PAIR OF GLASSES. The kid put on the new pair of glasses and realized the truth: he was only limited by what he decided NOT to do. Like flicking a switch, he realized that the world was a HUGELY abundant place, where as long as you pick up the shovel then you can dig in and get as much of it as you want into your wheelbarrow.
He started off with just one shovel by himself…digging for days and days, barely making any cash to throw into the wheelbarrow. He wasn’t making as much money as those in the rat race…negative thoughts would occasionally come to haunt him. Why is this happening to me? I’m not trying to rob or steal from anybody. I’m just trying to make some money to take care of my family. Those thoughts would constantly taunt him, but he kept digging daily. Over time he was able to hire a crew and give them shovels. Then he upgraded the crew’s shovels and gave them bulldozers to allow them to dig more and get things done faster and more easily. He was easily making a rat racer’s annual salary in only 1 month by that time.
He never would’ve gotten to that point if he didn’t take action with that first shovel for himself…he didn’t take action for years, justifying it by saying that he was learning how to become an entrepreneur through reading books and browsing forums.
Then when he hit his mid 20’s he didn’t want to lie to the man in the mirror anymore. He could lie to the world forever, but there is no escaping the man in the mirror. He had reached the F*ck it point, humbled himself to the words of the dolphin, and took action without hesitation.
The action brought clarity to the confusion. It brought confidence because he learned that he KNEW he could change things, affect things, and that nothing could stop him if he really wanted it badly enough…the confidence came AFTER he took action and tested his perceived limits.
And that is where he learned that it is not the money that is valuable, but the person that you become that is the ultimate value.
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