Lex DeVille
Sweeping Shadows From Dreams
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
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I don't know whether i'm having a mid life crisis at 38 or i'm simply not moving forward because of negativity and doubts.
I realised not so long ago that there was something missing from my life, I've got a wife and two kids and no health problems. I work out. I've had my current business since i left school at 18.
When most people are watching TV i'd rather be working.
A couple of years ago Amazon suspended my account and i lost 50% revenue for two weeks until it was re-instated. I still sell on Amazon today. (commodity products). I'm not building a brand. I'm simply moving electrical commodity items. At some point Amazon can and probably will suspend my account again. It may be partly due to that but i feel what's missing in my Life is the need to create something that's bigger than me. I've started selling some other un-related products in the RV sector on Amazon but they are of little interest to me and to be honest i'm not exactly sure what they are or how they're used. They sell here and there but it's not something i want to build a brand around.
I want to create a company that lasts 100 years. I want to see people experiencing the value of something i've created. It has my brand on it. When most slow laners are watching TV at night or stuck in traffic going to same job day in day out i want to be working on my creation. Not something that Amazon has all the control over.
The main issue is that i don't know what it should be.
Every time i think i've found it, i spend weeks looking at reasons why i shouldn't do it. I look at competitors far ahead of me, i look at what they've gone through to get there with their intriguing stories of how their company started and realise i don't have that, they're product is better and then i move onto something else.
I've read countless websites on how to find your calling, or your passion in business. Write down your strengths, weaknesses. What i like what i don't like etc. The fact is after 20 years of buying commodity products from China and selling on Ebay and amazon thats all i know. I know i like passive income, travelling and working when i want.
I see these people quitting their jobs because they're selling x amount on Amazon and i feel like screaming at them, Amazon can take down their whole business in a second.
I have even gone as far as registering a trademark, domain and had samples of a product. Then it felt like i'm just copying someone else who's doing the same thing so i've stopped after the sample stage.
I'll give you another example. I've spent the last week finding factories in Far East who can make flip flops. I love travel, i love hot countries, and i love the thought of selling millions of flip flops around the world with my brand on. I would gladly spend my time building this business up for as long as it takes.
Then i've talked myself out of it. I could never compete with Havaianas, i've never designed anything in my life, i know nothing about flip flops. No company will buy them from me. I can only afford to buy 4000pcs. I don't have a compelling back story.
And then i move onto the next idea. At the moment i literally spend every waking hour thinking about it. Feel like my brain is going to explode.
Not to make light of your experience, but this sounds like analysis paralysis. Stuck in your head and taking no action. My guess is, most of the companies you researched faced all of the same problems and challenges you'll face regardless of the industry or your story or approach. The difference is they did something about it.
There are 7.5 billion people on Earth. There's a good chance they're not all shopping with competitors. They don't all like the service or products they get now. There are niches that aren't being fully utilized or served in the ways they want to be served.
Really it doesn't matter what product you sell or what business you start. They're all a risk. Some are more risky, some are less. To me the biggest risk has always been not doing anything at all out of fear of what may or may not happen. You can't change the world by doing nothing. It seems like you already know that though.
On the INSIDERS area I've got a progress thread about my candle business. Probably the most saturated industry on the planet. Here's some problems I've run into:
- No candle making supplies - I bought some.
- No candle making experience - I watched YouTube videos, made candles, and got some.
- No unique personal backstory - I crafted a tale that doesn't involve me at all.
- Competition everywhere - Who cares, I'm focused only on my customer experience.
- Candles can be bought for nothing - So I've priced mine 20X retail store average.
- Every fragrance is available - I only offer one public fragrance.
I won't launch until January of next year. Who knows if anyone will buy. The only thing I know for sure is I'm 1,000 steps ahead of the guy still thinking about all the reasons it won't work. If I don't get a customer immediately, I'll change something. Price. Fragrance. Outreach. Targeting...and I'll keep doing that until I make one sale, and then two, and then ten, and then 10,000.
Soon I'll be a candle brand known around the world, not because I have the lowest price or the best candles. Not because I have the most interesting story. But because I'm the guy who stepped up and made it happen. Picked a destination, started walking, and found detours whenever something blocked my path.
Forget your calling. Your passion is business. Pick a product and set your mind on how to make it work instead of finding reasons it won't. That's it.