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Too old to be an entrepreneur, a little late in the game at 35? I was sick for long time.

G

GuestUser3010h

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Hello Fellas,

I’m 35 going on 36 in a few months. Why did it take all this time to think of being an entrepreneur?

Well I have been sick all my life and couldn’t work or go to university until recently. I went threw three years college before in the past , but then the sickness came back and I had to drop out for a long, long time up until now.

Anyway I’m getting better now according to my doctors. I used to have many jobs and I hated them all, hated working for mostly jerks. I had one boss that was nice to me and kind, and guess what? I worked much, much harder for him then those jerks, all because he treated me well like a human and not some machine. I would much rather work for myself. I don’t think I necessarily need an MBA , what do you think? In today’s market do you need a business degree. I also doubt I will ever get into Wall Street because those men go to Ivy League schools and I can’t get into any of those. Even if my grades were perfect I still probably couldn’t get into an Ivy League business school or work on Wall Street. Think I should get my MBA, do I need one to become super-rich?

If you guys have anything to say, any advice, opinions, thoughts, etc. that you think will help me in the right direction then by all means, please feel free.
 
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CaliforniaCPA

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Nice to see that you've persisted and still have the optimism to start your own business.

Getting an MBA will not really do anything to help you with starting a business. While you may learn a lot, as a practical matter, you can learn that on your own. Or eventually hire people that have the skills that you do not.

An MBA is in large part mostly helpful to progress up the ladder in corporate America and to a small degree to be able to show off. Starting and running a business does not require an MBA. And is by no means a qualifier to financial independence.

Just find a need in the marketplace for a product or service and fill it.
 

458

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Hello Fellas,

So I’m 35 going on 36 in a few months. Why did it take all this time to think of being an entrepreneur? Well I have been sick all my life and couldn’t work or go to university until recently. I went threw three years college before in the past , but then the sickness came back and I had to drop out for a long, long time up until now. Anyway I’m getting better now according to my doctors. I used to have many jobs and I hated them all, hated working for mostly jerks. I had one boss that was nice to me and kind, and guess what? I worked much, much harder for him then those jerks, all because he treated me well like a human and not some machine. I would much rather work for myself. I don’t think I necessarily need an MBA , what do you think? In today’s market do you need a business degree. I also doubt I will ever get into Wall Street because those men go to Ivy League schools and I can’t get into any of those. Even if my grades were perfect I still probably couldn’t get into an Ivy League business school or work on Wall Street. Think I should get my MBA, do I need one to become super-rich?

If you guys have anything to say, any advice, opinions, thoughts, etc. that you think will help me in the right direction then by all means, please feel free.

How bad do you wanna live on 10k a year for the next 5 years? Probably not bad enough. Seriously, 10k a year for 5 years.

If your cool with that, nothing can stop you.
 

MJ DeMarco

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In today’s market do you need a business degree.

No, the market tends not to care if you provide value. Exceptions exist of course... you want a doctor with a medical degree, an engineer to structure your house, etc.

Think I should get my MBA, do I need one to become super-rich?

You don't. See above.

Watch this video to see why "generally speaking" you don't need an advanced education to provide value.

 
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OlivierMo

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I don't think you're ever too old if you have a great idea. I'm almost 45 and am working on mine. Not easy to squeeze everything and find the time but age has nothing to do with that and is just a number. I've got more energy than some 20 year olds. (Just need my sleep though)
 

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I have an MBA, got it last April..

I learned 100x more about business by talking and meeting with actual successful business people and doing sales and marketing myself than I did with that degree.

All that degree did was teach me the structure of a large corporation and how things SHOULD work... not necessarily the best way things work.

My advice is to start selling a simple service that you can easily teach yourself with youtube. That way you can bring people on board and expand yourself. Expect to make little to none in the first few months but once word actually gets around that you do good work, they tend to come back around in waves so make sure you have enough capacity to face it and try to grow in your downtime.
 

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In today’s market do you need a business degree.

One of the things I've learned is that society teaches us to think in ways that make no sense and rather are based off norms and identities. It ruins our expectations and our evaluation of our abilities.

"Nope, I cannot do that because I never went to college"

If we rather reasoned off first principles or strictly off of facts or axioms then our evaluations of things would be more accurate. First principles are basically basic truths that cannot be negated that allow us to arrive at complex conclusions and insights.

Our reasoning would start off something like this:
1. What is money?
2. How does money move?
3. How do we get money to move to us?
4. How do we solve problems?
5. How do I become better at something?
6. If I'm not smart then why am I not smart?
etc.

All of sudden college degrees become worthless. All of a sudden passion becomes worthless. All of sudden all sorts of things become irrelevant.

Because all of a sudden what were taught to believe doesn't match up with rigorous first principles.

 
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Kak

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I'm going to give you the harsh advice that no one else has. Keep in mind I take ZERO pleasure in the failure of others.

You are going to need to clean up your act...

1. What made you choose a picture of yourself for your avatar that makes you look like a deranged school shooter that just rolled out of bed?

2. Your spelling, punctuation and grammar sucks. There is zero excuse.

3. You seem to be LOOKING for an excuse: "I was sick"... You're not any more. "I Don't have an MBA"... You don't need one.

Now you are asking us with the title of this thread to validate what seems like your next excuse... "I'm too old." I have news for you. You're not.
 
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Late Bloomer

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I've got quite a few years on ya, Kid Makip, but Ray Kroc was older than I am when he was ready for his lucky big break :hilarious:. Seriously, I highly recommend the movie "The Founder" about Ray and the McDonald brothers. A very few facts and people were shuffled around for Hollywood storytelling, but most of it is very accurate.

One of the most important reasons for me to pursue business now, is that you can set it up so clients don't give a damn about your resume/CV or "pedigree."

Today, I can help your business succeed, here's how it works, here's the return on investment, are you interested? Which part of this effective pitch outline included a list of places I've worked, and what my title and salary and boss were there? Not relevant!

This approach means that the time lost to illness, life mistakes, bad bosses, etc. just doesn't matter any more. So don't even bring it up, unless you want to discuss the philosophy of life lessons with someone who's great at patience and caring empathy. (I happen to be one of those people, and so are some others. But I've found this forum overall isn't the place for that, rather it's best for WHAT'S NEXT to streamline your path to success?)

Who the hell would have bought an Apple I computer if they'd seen Steve Jobs's resume at the time? Or BASIC, back when Bill Gates had Harvard dropout and founder of Traf-O-Data, the Albuquerque company that can count how many cars drove over a rubber hose across the road (seriously!), as his background?

You're correct that you don't need an MBA to be rich. If you get an MBA, you'll have a very nice toolkit of analytical and communication tools that are useful for management. Most of which you can learn on your own as needed.

Depending on which MBA program you go to, you might not learn anything at all there about how to create a business from scratch, or how to develop uniquely valuable products and services. For the programs that do teach this, the material's available in books and online lectures and web sites, for examples Stanford's "Lean Startup" model.

A top-tier program would also give you some connections for networking, which might be useful in your future. Or, might not.

It would also give you some connections for a job hunt, but you already know you don't want to serve The Man from 9-5 any more anyway.
 
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lewj24

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Raoul Duke

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I'm going to give you the harsh advice that no one else has. Keep in mind I take ZERO pleasure in the failure of others.

You are going to need to clean up your act...

1. What made you choose a picture of yourself for your avatar that makes you look like a deranged school shooter that just rolled out of bed?

2. Your spelling, punctuation and grammar sucks. There is zero excuse.

3. You seem to be LOOKING for an excuse: "I was sick"... You're not any more. "I Don't have an MBA"... You don't need one.

Now you are asking us with the title of this thread to validate what seems like your next excuse... "I'm too old." I have news for you. You're not.

kanye-1.jpg



Shouldn't he work on a product-based business???


;)
 

GPM

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Let me start by saying that if you are serious about this forum, and believe that there is even a shred of it being a positive environment for you, then for the love of all that is good please change your avatar. This is somewhere to learn and grow, to network, make friends, and potentially meet business partners. The words that you choose to type, and the images you display all go towards the impressions that people form about you.

Writing does not need to be perfect, and I make a ton of mistakes, but please please please at least try to make it look somewhat professional. Positive habits in forum posts will impact other areas where you write and interact with others.

When making excuses, the only person affected by them is you. Make 100 excuses about why you can't do something and in the end there is only one person who has to live with it. People are either too young, too old, too fat, too skinny, too male, too female, too gay, too straight, too black, too white, born in the wrong city, born in the wrong country, has the wrong girl/boyfriend, has a pet that needs to be taken care of... The list is infinite, and it is just a bunch of bullshit that only stops the person saying and believing it.

Your life is the culmination of your decisions. Sure shitty things happen to good people, but good things also happen to shitty people. Stack the odds in your favor and start making good decisions today that are going to ripple out through your life. Your life is in your hands.

The best time to start someone was 10 years ago. The next best time is TODAY. Literally today. Like THIS SECOND. Do something RIGHT NOW to make your life better. Not a single excuse. Start with one action, no matter how small, it will have the potential to change your entire life through a cascade of events.
 

Real Deal Denver

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I'm going to give you the harsh advice that no one else has. Keep in mind I take ZERO pleasure in the failure of others.

You are going to need to clean up your act...

1. What made you choose a picture of yourself for your avatar that makes you look like a deranged school shooter that just rolled out of bed?

2. Your spelling, punctuation and grammar sucks. There is zero excuse.

3. You seem to be LOOKING for an excuse: "I was sick"... You're not any more. "I Don't have an MBA"... You don't need one.

Now you are asking us with the title of this thread to validate what seems like your next excuse... "I'm too old." I have news for you. You're not.

^^^ THIS is the kind of friend everyone needs. No bullshit. I just followed him because I am really getting a ton out of his posts. Every. Single. Time.

But, the most important thing you really need to know right now is to never... wait a minute... damn kids are on my lawn again. I'll be right back!
 
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G

GuestUser3010h

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Thanks everyone for your help.

I seem to have made a very terrible first impression with my horrible looks, bad hair, bad grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. , etc. , etc. Seems I didn’t do a thing right. I hope this hasn’t discouraged anyone from possible future networking, I suppose it’s too late now to tell because if I lost any of you from this first impression I can’t get you back ever again. I’m so sorry everyone.

I just bought your book MJ DeMarco ‘The Millionaire Fastlane ’. I hope it’s not like all those other books promising that you will get rich quick by reading them and end up learning nothing that will actually make you a millionaire. I started reading your book though and it seems very different to the other books I have read on how to get rich.


Just find a need in the marketplace for a product or service and fill it.

This is the most difficult part, because every product or service has already been filled...right on down to even the most infinitesimal niche market. Wouldn’t you say?

The only idea I came up with was to expand on an already existing product.

One of the things I've learned is that society teaches us to think in ways that make no sense and rather are based off norms and identities. It ruins our expectations and our evaluation of our abilities.

"Nope, I cannot do that because I never went to college"

If we rather reasoned off first principles or strictly off of facts or axioms then our evaluations of things would be more accurate. First principles are basically basic truths that cannot be negated that allow us to arrive at complex conclusions and insights.

Our reasoning would start off something like this:
1. What is money?
2. How does money move?
3. How do we get money to move to us?
4. How do we solve problems?
5. How do I become better at something?
6. If I'm not smart then why am I not smart?
etc.

All of sudden college degrees become worthless. All of a sudden passion becomes worthless. All of sudden all sorts of things become irrelevant.

Because all of a sudden what were taught to believe doesn't match up with rigorous first principles.


To be fair Elon Musk did go to an Ivy League school, and he has multiple degrees in economics and physics. I also believe he only hires people from Ivy League , or well established schools as well. So a lot of what Elon Musk says doesn’t match up with what he actually did in his own life.


I’m actually not all that great with punctuation, grammar, spelling. Any books you would recommend to help me? My condition also gave me a neurological problem ( I.e. means I have become a bit dumber ) which is the reason I’m bad with writing and many other things. However, my doctors say even though I have this neurological drawback If I work hard enough I can get my good grammar back on track. So recommending books or YouTube videos, or if it’s so bad I will go back to high school and get my GED ( even though I have a high school Diploma already) if you think that would help.
 
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G

GuestUser3010h

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As for my hairstyle, I have to comb it this way because of the many head scars caused from my condition. If I comb it like a normal person it looks even worse because people can see the scars and they don’t like to look at scars at all. They would rather have crazy hair then scar head, see what I’m saying? So go easy, you can say what you need to say without being so harsh. I would of learned exactly the same thing if you were more tactful in your wording. This hair style covers it up. If I get enough money though I might be able to get rid of the giant head scars with a good cosmetic surgeon. In the mean time I’m sorry but I have to stick to this wild hair, which girls love by the way.
 
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Caroline888

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@Makip, I get You. However, keep in mind that you are not an exception.
I am almost 40, I also struggle with serious health issues...
Still, if we all allow the excuses to stop us from going forward... not a good way.
Nothing in life comes for free. Whatever it is making powerful decisions or living from the heart. Even small steps every day - can make a big change.
 

Real Deal Denver

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I just bought your book MJ DeMarco ‘The Millionaire Fastlane ’. I hope it’s not like all those other books promising that you will get rich quick by reading them and end up learning nothing that will actually make you a millionaire. I started reading your book though and it seems very different to the other books I have read on how to get rich.

There are hundreds of books on how to get rich. There is only one book like MJs. You won't know what that means until you finish the book.

If this book doesn't open your eyes and change the way you think, I'm afraid nothing will. After you read it, everything you do from that point on will be different. You may get rich - you may not. But you will never be the same again.

I seem to have made a very terrible first impression with my horrible looks, bad hair, bad grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. , etc. , etc. Seems I didn’t do a thing right. I hope this hasn’t discouraged anyone from possible future networking, I suppose it’s too late now to tell because if I lost any of you from this first impression I can’t get you back ever again. I’m so sorry everyone.

Yes you did make a bad impression. No big deal. Deal with it. Now you know you can do better. You seem to sell yourself short. Consider this - you HAVE hair to be messed up. That in itself is something I wish I had more of! You're young. You have plenty of time to learn and grow. I sure which I had more time. Your grammer is not good. They make dummies books, which did not exist when I was learning spelling and grammar - so consider yourself lucky that you don't have to toil away at it for hours. You can be spoon fed in such a nice easy way to learn. You also have youtube that can teach you almost anything you can think of. Beyond youtube you have Amazon that has thousands of books - all ready and waiting for you - and cheap too.

You and your generation have SO much going for you. Step back and appreciate what a buffet of knowledge lays before you. Untold opportunity, the likes of which have never been seen before on this planet! What? Read that part again. Yes, generations have DREAMED of what we have right before us.

Now.

With that, I hope you see things a bit differently.

And one more thing. No, I am not abandoning you because you may look freaky and can't use good grammar. Some of the finest people I have ever met were a bit freaky and were certainly not very educated in a formal sense. Did you notice I used the word finest?

Work with what you have. Nobody has everything. You have a lot! If you don't think so, read up on Helen Keller. Then, more modern day, there is Nick Vujicic. Then you will realize, compared to them, you have it made. Right now. Nick has several videos on YouTube you will enjoy. Let me know what you think.

I am on your side 100% - and I know you'll do well. When you finish the "get rich" book, I hope it awakens the genius inside of you. It did that for me.

And nothing has been the same since.
 
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Kak

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This is the most difficult part, because every product or service has already been filled...right on down to even the most infinitesimal niche market. Wouldn’t you say?

No. I wouldn't say. Not even close. If you believe this... Why are you even here?

Learn to develop an INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL. You have a SEVERE external locus of control. Making excuses. Over and over and over. You are making excuses for your excuses.

So you have some scars on your head, so what? Don't let it stop you. SOMETHING WILL look better than that hair style. Put a Stetson on like a yeehaw oil tycoon. Put a F*ckin golf shirt on, maybe even a jacket. Before you tell me its too hot outside for a jacket and too cold outside for a golf shirt, just know you're making excuses for your own appearance when you can absolutely do something about it.

-Your grammar can absolutely improve. You said it YOURSELF! You can also just take the initiative to check the grammar and spelling on your computer before you submit a post. Assuming you don't have a scar on your eye that blocks your view of the red squiggly lines.
-How you present to others can absolutely improve.
-You can absolutely ditch the excuses.

Now, before you make another excuse. Just take our word for it. You'll be happier and better for it.

HERE IS A NEW AVATAR FOR YOU:
(I know it's the wrong shape... That's the first test.)
quote-those-who-believe-they-can-do-something-and-those-who-believe-they-can-t-are-both-right-henry-ford-49-80-61.jpg


4f256f403e35d8cf856ac9c81872a1ba.gif
 
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lewj24

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This is the most difficult part, because every product or service has already been filled...right on down to even the most infinitesimal niche market. Wouldn’t you say?

If what you said here is true then nobody will ever be able to start a successful company from this day on because everything is already being done.

Obviously people are going to create billion/million dollar companies in the future. Your statement is false and you are using it as an excuse like Kak said.
 

SquatchMan

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A guy that worked for the patent office once famously proclaimed, "Everything that can be invented has already been invented."

This was in 1899.

So no, I disagree with your conclusion. Humans have ALWAYS looked for a way to make things bigger (or smaller), faster, or stronger.

Edit: Changed the year and put the full quote.
Edit #2: Apparently no patent employee actually said that. However, the sentiment still stands. I'm sure many people have thought that throughout history.
 
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CaliforniaCPA

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This is the most difficult part, because every product or service has already been filled...right on down to even the most infinitesimal niche market. Wouldn’t you say?

The only idea I came up with was to expand on an already existing product.

It's kind of a funny comment that "everything has been filled"... because new products and services get invented all the time. But you don't even need to do that. You can just improve on something that already exists. For example, my line of business is fairly boring especially when you look at how most of the old accountants run their businesses. I went off on my own and made it better. Something that I actually like and can continue to improve. It has a fairly high barrier to entry, and therefore has high margins.

Here's another example. For years, my standard line when talking about starting a business in America was that you can literally wake up one morning and decide to have a dog walking business. You don't have to have a lot of skills and you can start making money the same day.

Then... one day, I actually got a client that had a dog walking business! They also do mobile pet grooming. They were located in a major city and surprisingly, they were doing a couple million dollars a year in business. Now, obviously they were operating at a much bigger scale. It was also a very capital intensive business (lots of equipment) and very labor intensive, but the owner made a pretty nice net profit margin.

Basically, my point is that there are many different ways to get started. And I'm not necessarily recommending you start a dog walking business. But, there are many different businesses where you can start small and grow it bigger.
 

MJ DeMarco

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This is the most difficult part, because every product or service has already been filled...right on down to even the most infinitesimal niche market. Wouldn’t you say?

Wow, so you're the first on the planet to confirm that we live in a perfect utopia.
 
G

GuestUser3010h

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Edit : By the way I wasn’t making a statement that the market is already filled up, I was asking you guys if YOU thought it was.

Thank you all for your input.

I changed my avatar, but it hasn’t seemed to change yet.

Based on what you all have told me it’s safe to say you all believe in free will then? Most people these days are die hard determinists. It’s quite refreshing to feel I have complete control over my life then these neuroscientists, like Sam Harris, are leading me to believe.
 
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Real Deal Denver

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It’s safe to say you all believe in free will then?

A lot more than that. How can you miss what everyone has said? Even the dog walking part was brilliant in its simplicity and truth. It's more than a statement - it's a "standard" of what is possible, and a reminder of the power we have to control our lives, right now! What is controlling your life right now really mean? Free will. You can do it. Right now.

Now that I have your attention you might want to take a moment to think...

I believe that we live in the greatest country that has ever existed, at the greatest time in the history of mankind, and that we have the most and greatest opportunities available to us. Maybe you don't live in the USA, which I consider the greatest country in the world. Fine. There are two members here that I highly respect that live in Mexico. There is one in France. And I only know a very few here - I am sure there are more that live in other places other than the USA.

Not only did you miss the major points of what was said - you might not have noticed the finer details, like...

I like the golf shirt idea a lot. I'm getting some tomorrow. I'm kind of a "throw on a T-Shirt" guy because I just don't care, really. Note to self - start caring more. (Thanks for that little wake up call @Kak - every little thing helps!)
 

Late Bloomer

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I seem to have made a very terrible first impression...I suppose it’s too late now to tell because if I lost any of you

Couldn't ask for a more sincere, humble and heartfelt response to criticism. Very graciously handled in a thoughtful way. Way to go!

A couple of things to remember...
  • The forum has new people joining every day. Also, it has many members who have never encountered you before. For those people, their first impression of you is yet to come in the future... based on what you do now. It's not too late to make some brand new first impressions, if you like.
  • I think most of the people who've criticized you here, did so because they see potential in you and want to see if they can help you reach it... rather than just a "drive by and gone forever" attack.
  • In the forum and in life, there are probably new people you can meet, and also people with whom you can say, "Oops I seem to have screwed that up, but on this basis of what I've learned, may we try again?"
  • There's still about 50% of the world's population that doesn't have Internet access at all. Lay low a while and when you pop back up, they won't know any better! :rofl:

I agree MJ's book is very different from most books about business and life... that's why he's attracted so many people to a different kind of discussion forum.

This is the most difficult part, because every product or service has already been filled...right on down to even the most infinitesimal niche market. Wouldn’t you say?

Absolutely not!!
Automobile maker Henry Ford said, "If I'd have asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said, a faster horse!"
The president of IBM said around 1960, I think it was, "There's a world market for about five computers."
Steve Jobs brought a graphical computer to the market when NOBODY was asking to buy a graphical computer... they didn't know about the research that had been done, so they didn't even know what was possible to ask for.
There were other amusement parks before Disneyland.
There was other fast food before McDonald's.
There were other discount stores before Wal-Mart.
There were other expensive, exotic fast cars before the first Lambourghini.
There were other science fiction films before Star Wars. Why bother to see any more space ships on screen in this lifetime?
There were even other ways to get people to see a song they didn't want to see again, before this one came along:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ


I’m actually not all that great with punctuation, grammar, spelling. Any books you would recommend to help me?
This area is a strength of mine, and you're welcome to contact me directly if I can help further.
A short book that's very helpful is "The elements of Style" by Strunk & White.
An extremely long book, somewhat old-fashioned but that's very helpful is "Applied Business Correspondence" by Herbert Watson.
The best overall book on business writing I've ever seen is "The Business Breakthough" by Eugene M. Schwartz. This is not the same book as the very popular "Breakthrough Advertising" by the same author. Unfortunately, used printed copies go for $800 and up, and it's nearly impossible to find online.

If you already have a GED then there's probably no point in an additional high school diploma. But there might be a community college class in writing, that would be an easy and inexpensive way to improve your writing skills.
 

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