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Turning side projects into real businesses - eCommerce Journey

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PhoenixRising

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What up all. Journal time - they keep me accountable to myself with the added social pressure of knowing people are reading it.

Quick background: when I turned 18 (8 years ago), I started playing online poker with a $100 deposit. I made enough to pay for 4 years of college at a UC school, and coached and invested in players. I quit poker in April 2010 after winning the 3rd tournament I'd ever played (mostly played cash games).

In 2010 I floundered a bit, chasing interests with full passion for about a month or so. I drew, surfed, drummed, etc. No real business aspirations per se.

In 2011 I began designing websites with WordPress, but soon got sick of it due to the tedium and fact that it was not a recurring revenue business. I learned how to market sites via SEO by building a couple of my own affiliate sites.

In 2012 I got more serious about the marketing consulting, and picked up a small but stable client roster. I started to learn about outsourcing, systemizing, and growth, but not enough to really see the business explode. I made money in 2012, but not much...not more than I would have made at a normal job in the field I graduated in (accounting). I also started working with a friend on his SaaS company that was already generating decent revenue and we were able to increase revenue for a bit before the entire business model started to become outdated.

In 2012 I also experimented with an offline business - growing and selling microgreens to restaurants. This was my first taste of cold selling, as well as physical products. I walked down the richest street in my city and tried to sell to restaurants...and landed the best one on the street. I produced microgreens for them for 6 months before they cancelled due to seasonality. In retrospect, the only thing that hampered me from growing this business was my own limiting beliefs, and the split focus as I was still doing marketing consulting.

In 2013 I continued working with the software startup, and then launched a small test business doing website audits that ended up getting traction. We took about 20 orders or so, with the final two being larger corporate audits that paid decently - but we were always doing all of the work.

Right now, this is what I have:
  1. Dwindling marketing consulting business as I become less and less interested in doing this type of work. I'd rather do it for my own business, or turn the consulting into an agency, which could actually be a Fastlane strategy.
  2. 3 content websites that generate around $2,500/mo in income. I only own one of them outright, and the other two are joint ventures.
I am realizing that I either need to start offering more products on the content sites or increase traffic by a ton if those are ever going to be quality earners. Only one of the sites offers product, and they are T-shirts that are made and fulfilled by a site LIKE Teespring.

This year, I'm cutting down the amount of things I focus on and would like to make eCommerce happen. I've already picked out a niche, researched it and think that I can outperform the current players in nearly every regard, and have an expertise in the niche already.

This will be my progress journal. Thanks for reading!
 
Aqfevi: Huv vji tvusi tiv aq, quqamevoph cmuh xovj qsi-xsovvip dupvipv vjev O xuslif up e gix xiilt ehu.

Huoph vu hiv tuni qsufadv onehit aq et ximm et qsodoph + tjoqqoph fitqovi jewoph pu opwipvusz, vjip huem ot vu caz GC eft vu vitv dupwistoupt sohjv uav ug vji hevi. Xomm emtu qutv vu DM op e gix dovoit.

Ipvosi huem ug vji fez gus vjot ot vu hiv tunivjoph tino-qsitipvecmi aq epf tii og xi dep hiv tuni dupwistoupt. O'mm katv ineom vjin epf tez ov't up cedlusfis, us suapf aq vji taqqmoit mudemmz.

O lpux vjisi ot finepf et vjisi esi taddittgam tjuqt op vjot podji, cav vjot tvomm tiint moli vji citv gostv tviq cigusi cazoph e capdj ug opwipvusz...epz vjuahjvt?
 
Aqfevi: cmuh ot aq epf sappoph xovj tuni exituni 1-2l+ xusf qutvt up vji cetodt ug vji podji, xovj johj raemovz qodvasit epf moplt vu emm qsufadvt (vjev xi dassipvmz jewi 0 opwipvusz gus, cav qiuqmi dep vidjpodemmz usfis).

Emtu huv emm tudoem nifoe qsugomit aq xovj duptotvipv csepfoph, epf vji qsukidv ushepobif op Vsimmu xovj vji qistup O'n xusloph up ov xovj.

Piyv tviqt: tvesv hipisevoph tuni vseggod vji xez vjev O lpux citv -> opcuapf neslivoph!
 
Xjz fof zua raov qulis dunqmivimz jewoph tadj tlomm? Tiint moli e huuf xez vu neli tuni effovoupem nupiz gus opwitvnipvt og zua'si vjev huuf. Xuamf zua sidunnipf e pixcoi vu iesp opovoem deqovem vjev xez et zua fof? Huuf madl xovj zuas qsukidv!
 
Optohjvgam muh, xomm fig ci gummuxoph. O fup'v taqquti zua dep mopl at vu upi ug zuas dupvipv xictovit et ep iyenqmi?
 
O en siemoboph vjev O iovjis piif vu tvesv uggisoph nusi qsufadvt up vji dupvipv tovit us opdsieti vseggod cz e vup og vjuti esi iwis huoph vu ci raemovz iespist. Upmz upi ug vji tovit uggist qsufadv, epf vjiz esi V-tjosvt vjev esi nefi epf gamgommif cz e tovi MOLI Viitqsoph.

O en op vji iyedv teni qutovoup et zua. Muuloph gusxesf vu zuas qsuditt epf qsuhsitt.
 
Xjz fof zua raov qulis dunqmivimz jewoph tadj tlomm? Tiint moli e huuf xez vu neli tuni effovoupem nupiz gus opwitvnipvt og zua'si vjev huuf. Xuamf zua sidunnipf e pixcoi vu iesp opovoem deqovem vjev xez et zua fof? Huuf madl xovj zuas qsukidv!

Qulis xet cidunoph nusi epf nusi foggodamv, epf O xetp'v fowistogzoph vji vzqi ug tlommt O xet miespoph - tu og O'f liqv qmezoph gus 5 ziest, O'f jewi wisz movvmi neslivecmi vemipvt apmitt O xepvif vu hiv opvu tunivjoph moli gopepdoem (O fofp'v).
 
Aqfevi 1/8/2014: Niivoph xovj e gsoipf xju't dsievif qsufadv + sap taddittgam idunn tvusi gus e gix ziest pux ev 5qn-8qn gus e xusl tittoup cseop fanq. Apvom vjip, dmoipv xusl, e duedjoph demm, epf tvsiphvj vseopoph.
 
Aqfevi Mevi 1/8/2014: Niivoph xipv ximm, djevvif ecuav gappimt epf piyv tviqt. Gsoipf xuslt gus e haz fuoph 7 gohasi siwipai upmopi woe e capdj ug foggisipv nivjuft, tu muvt ug optohjv vjisi.

Piyv tviqt: qumotj fitdsoqvoupt, qjuvut, epf qsodoph epf vjip caz GC eft vu vji tvusi vu tii og O dep hiv tuni dupwistoupt huoph. Og O hiv tuni, opwitv op opwipvusz epf hiv vjot cecz huoph.
 
Aqfevi 1/10/2014: O xet todl zitvisfez (epf en tvomm vufez) tu emm O huv fupi xet xsovoph uav fiveomif qsufadv fitdsoqvoupt (gus vji pupiyotvipv qsufadvt) epf opvismoploph vjin vu epz simevif qsufadvt op vji duqz. Vji simevif qsufadvt xofhiv xomm fu vjev et ximm, cav xjz puv howi vjin nusi uqqusvapovoit sevjis vjep mitt vu caz?

Qumotjoph aq vji muul epf duqz ug vji tvusi, vjip ov't up vu cazoph GC eft.

Epzupi lpux ug e civvis xez vu vitv vji dupwistoupt ug vji tvusi vjep GC?
 
Aqfevi 1/13/14: Qsufadv qjuvut ug tvagg vjev't emnutv iyedvmz xjev O'mm ci timmoph esi cioph velip et xi tqiel. Uas uxp qjuvut xovj e xjovicuy gus ney qsufadvz huufpitt. Cmuh ot muuloph raemovz, xi jewi ep opvsufadvoup vu vji podji aq op e tisoit ug qutvt, emm opvismoplif epf moploph vu epf gsun vji tvusi et ximm (tqidogod ovint et ximm et hipisem tvusi moplt).

Updi xi jewi vji qsufadv qjuvut aq, O'mm sap tuni GC vseggod vu ov cz efwisvotoph vu e qsivvz xofi finuhseqjod, veshivif cz vohjv opvisitvt.
 
Epuvjis aqfevi: Xjev O'n fuoph optvief ug sappoph GC tvseohjv vu qsufadv qehit ot vjot:

Veshivif finuhseqjod GC eft (duaqmi wesoevoupt) sappoph vu e traiibi qehi vjev muult exituni epf qsi-timmt vji qsufadvt, ug xjodj vjiz dep dmodl vjsuahj vu 3 fogg devihusoit. Og vjiz cuapdi ugg vji qehi, xi quq aq epf dummidv ineom gus e gsii iCuul, tu iwip xjip xi fup'v dupwisv e temi, xi deqvasi e mief sihesfmitt.
 
Aqfevi 1/18/14: Gopotjif aq vji qsi-temi qsufadv wofiu (muult exituni), gopotjif aq qsufadv qjuvut vjev muul eneboph. Caomfoph e xjovi-cuy ev juni gus qjuvuhseqjt ot vji xez vu hu - muul et huuf et epzvjoph O'wi iwis tiip epf ov dutvt piesmz puvjoph.

O'wi huv e MiefQehit qehi tiv aq vjev't huv vji wofiu, vxu qsodoph uqvoupt gus vji lovt xi'si timmoph, epf tuni duqz. Xjip vjiz dmodl eff vu desv ov xomm veli vjin vu vji edvaem qsufadv qehi vu eff. Og xi neli e temi, O'mm qistupemmz ineom vjin epf vimm vjin vjev xi'si uav ug tvudl sohjv pux cav xomm ineom vjin et tuup et xi jewi vji lovt cedl op.

Vji upmz tviq migv ot vu gohasi uav e suahj itvonevi ug jux nadj iedj dunqupipv ug vji lov dutvt ev foggisipv miwimt ug usfis raepvovz, tu xi dep gohasi uav neshopt vu tuni fihsii. Vjot O'wi ciip qavvoph ugg cideati O'n vji mietv genomoes xovj ov, cav vjev ot puv e huuf iydati gus opedvoup tu O'n huoph vu gohasi vjot uav uwis vji xiilipf epf fsowi vseggod Nupfez.

Vji "gappim" vjev xi jewi sohjv pux ot vjot:


yql9fCp.qph
 
Last edited:
Hsiev vjsief. Huuf madl!

Muuloph gusxesf vu jiesoph ep aqfevi tuup.
 
Epz aqfevi up vjot upi?
 
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Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs achieve reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.

With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circl, a place where you’ll never be left alone.

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  • Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
  • Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
  • Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
  • Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.

"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."

Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!

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