Why does nothing work? Is it because of living in 3rd world country?

[Belhaj.B]

I'm 21 yo living in 3rd world country, underpaid $2/day, and working in aluminum carpentry (it's the only place that I can work from 9-5, so I can do something the rest of the day), I learned coding and basics of web development, I haven't made something yet, just watching YT coding videos and doing the same, before that I've tried Print on demand, Instagram pages, blogging, ecom, flipping, but nothing works! nothing! I ended up learning to code, but with all the failing I had over all those years, I think everything is a scam, all the courses on the internet are scams,

for example, if a YouTuber is actually making millions with copywriting and has 5 clients, then how in the hell he can manage a YouTuber channel posting every single day, huh? not only that, also managing a discord server and teaching 1-1, doing live streaming. this is just one example of many.

I've been reading some threads on the forum and I've come up with the conclusion that people can make money and build wealth from any industry (it doesn't matter), but the more I look into it, I see that most successful businesses are online in some way or another, so operating the business online is necessary, here's the problem:

people in my country mostly don't use web apps, this leads me to think of building web apps or SAAS for worldwide use.
but the real question is: do I have to start a youtuber channel too? do I have to create courses too? is it luck? is it just a scam?

I wish I could buy the Fastline book but I don't have money, so I looked up some summaries on yt, and now I do understand a bit about it. I appreciate any help/feedback/advice

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I'm 21 yo living in 3rd world country, underpaid $2/day, and working in aluminum carpentry (it's the only place that I can work from 9-5, so I can do something the rest of the day), I learned coding and basics of web development, I haven't made something yet, just watching YT coding videos and doing the same, before that I've tried Print on demand, Instagram pages, blogging, ecom, flipping, but nothing works! nothing! I ended up learning to code, but with all the failing I had over all those years, I think everything is a scam, all the courses on the internet are scams,

for example, if a YouTuber is actually making millions with copywriting and has 5 clients, then how in the hell he can manage a YouTuber channel posting every single day, huh? not only that, also managing a discord server and teaching 1-1, doing live streaming. this is just one example of many.

I've been reading some threads on the forum and I've come up with the conclusion that people can make money and build wealth from any industry (it doesn't matter), but the more I look into it, I see that most successful businesses are online in some way or another, so operating the business online is necessary, here's the problem:

people in my country mostly don't use web apps, this leads me to think of building web apps or SAAS for worldwide use.
but the real question is: do I have to start a youtuber channel too? do I have to create courses too? is it luck? is it just a scam?

I wish I could but the Fastline book but I don't have money, so I looked up some summaries on yt, and now I do understand a bit about it. I appreciate any help/feedback/advice

When you start creating value for people, your ideas will start to work. Beyond that, there's not much advice to give. You're 21. You've barely tried anything, and haven't stuck with anything very long. You've drawn incorrect conclusions about what does and doesn't work, and those conclusions are based on common mindset challenges that none of us can fix for you.

You need to figure out who you are most qualified to help, and how you are going to help that person better than anyone else they might turn to for help with whatever they need help with.

If you want to overcome the mindset challenges that are blocking you from success, start asking yourself these questions:

- What makes my offer better than someone else's offer?
- Who can I help better than anyone else?
- How can I make this thing I'm trying to sell a better deal for the customer?
- What can I add, combine, subtract, find, deliver, connect that would make me the go-to source for what I'm trying to sell?

You already know that it IS possible to create wealth. So getting stuck on what "doesn't work" is just silly. What you should work on is figuring out how you are going to make your idea work. That will happen when you start asking questions like those listed above.

 

[Belhaj.B]

When you start creating value for people, your ideas will start to work. Beyond that, there's not much advice to give. You're 21. You've barely tried anything, and haven't stuck with anything very long. You've drawn incorrect conclusions about what does and doesn't work, and those conclusions are based on common mindset challenges that none of us can fix for you.

You need to figure out who you are most qualified to help, and how you are going to help that person better than anyone else they might turn to for help with whatever they need help with.

If you want to overcome the mindset challenges that are blocking you from success, start asking yourself these questions:

- What makes my offer better than someone else's offer?
- Who can I help better than anyone else?
- How can I make this thing I'm trying to sell a better deal for the customer?
- What can I add, combine, subtract, find, deliver, connect that would make me the go-to source for what I'm trying to sell?

You already know that it IS possible to create wealth. So getting stuck on what "doesn't work" is just silly. What you should work on is figuring out how you are going to make your idea work. That will happen when you start asking questions like those listed above.

Thank you for your insightful advice. I truly appreciate it.

The questions you've provided are indeed valuable, but I find myself struggling with applying them directly to my current situation. While I understand the importance of creating value for others, I feel that my skills in web development aren't yet at a level where I can confidently offer something substantial.

I'm unsure whether I should focus more on leveling up my skills through job opportunities, freelancing, or building my own SAAS projects. However, I can't shake off the thought that many successful individuals in the field seem to prioritize content creation over building tangible products. It makes me question whether creating content is indeed the key to success, and if building SAAS projects still holds the potential for success these days.

I don't mean to sound ignorant or resistant to change, but I'm genuinely grappling with these uncertainties. Any further insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ZCP]

@Belhaj.B what country?

thought exercise for you:
if you had access to $1000 US, what would you INVEST in doing?
equipment / resources / skills / buy sell / partner / etc.
what would you invest in doing?

many of you young guns try to focus on the ONE thing, the silver bullet.
what are the big levers you can pull ... the big opportunities ... the big partners / connections
look for those while picking an amount to 'go get'.
your hustle will help you get that amount AND you'll then have an idea of what to do with it

 

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[Jobless]

Sell to westerners online, by hook or by crook, and make some USD. Forget about the local market and local currency, learn what western consumers like. Come up with a freelance offer or promote some type of affiliate offer. Stop consuming and start producing until something works. Contact people and suggest different products/services through affiliate links. Use platforms and offers that already exist. Do not create your own projects at this point.

$2 is under the international poverty line. Hustle online, and it can change your life. Affiliate offers, freelancing, outreach, build standing in online communities. It's what I would do in your situation.

 

[Belhaj.B]

@Belhaj.B what country?

thought exercise for you:
if you had access to $1000 US, what would you INVEST in doing?
equipment / resources / skills / buy sell / partner / etc.
what would you invest in doing?

many of you young guns try to focus on the ONE thing, the silver bullet.
what are the big levers you can pull ... the big opportunities ... the big partners / connections
look for those while picking an amount to 'go get'.
your hustle will help you get that amount AND you'll then have an idea of what to do with it

I live in Algeria.

I would spend the $1000 on fixing and upgrading my PC (it's been loud/slow since 2013), and paying the debts.

Thanks for the advice, but how do I find those "big levers"?

 

[ZCP]

no, no ... not what would you SPEND $1000 on ....
what would you use the $1000 US for to MAKE money. To invest it.
To build something bigger.

Inventory? Machines? People? Licenses? Buy a business? Certification?
Look for the bigger opportunities!!

 

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[Belhaj.B]

Sell to westerners online, by hook or by crook, and make some USD. Forget about the local market and local currency, learn what western consumers like. Come up with a freelance offer or promote some type of affiliate offer. Stop consuming and start producing until something works. Contact people and suggest different products/services through affiliate links. Use platforms and offers that already exist. Do not create your own projects at this point.

$2 is under the international poverty line. Hustle online, and it can change your life. Affiliate offers, freelancing, outreach, build standing in online communities. It's what I would do in your situation.

This is helpful, thanks for taking the time to help.

you make a good point, I should forget about the local market.

Indeed $2 per day is under the poverty line, but as I said I can't pick another job that will take my whole day "7 am to 10 pm for $6 per day" I choose to have some time to do something.

How do I contact people who will buy my service or affiliate recommendations?

 

[Belhaj.B]

no, no ... not what would you SPEND $1000 on ....
what would you use the $1000 US for to MAKE money. To invest it.
To build something bigger.

Inventory? Machines? People? Licenses? Buy a business? Certification?
Look for the bigger opportunities!!

your question is very interesting but for me, my best investing would be moving out of my country would be the best investment, as I can have online bank accounts easily, I can find a job in tech companies, I get the experience I get to know successful people, I get to build my projects.

so that's my biggest investment.

 

[Jobless]

This is helpful, thanks for taking the time to help.

you make a good point, I should forget about the local market.

Indeed $2 per day is under the poverty line, but as I said I can't pick another job that will take my whole day "7 am to 10 pm for $6 per day" I choose to have some time to do something.

How do I contact people who will buy my service or affiliate recommendations?

Depends on what you will help them with. Join some platforms/communities about topics you are interested in (a profession, skill or hobby) -- facebook groups, forums, discord servers, subreddit, etc. Show what you know and be super-helpful. Don't spam. If someone asks a question, do research and give them a detailed answer. If someone needs more help, you can tell them that you are a freelancer and accept clients. You can also say "Sorry I don't have time to help you right now, but check out this service/product - LINK".

Don't tell them you are 21 yo from Algeria. It won't help you.

 

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[ZCP]

your question is very interesting but for me, my best investing would be moving out of my country would be the best investment, as I can have online bank accounts easily, I can find a job in tech companies, I get the experience I get to know successful people, I get to build my projects.

so that's my biggest investment.

then do that.

Don't make this any harder than it needs to be. Get enough money to get out of the country.
What are the three fastest ways to make that happen?

 

[Belhaj.B]

Depends on what you will help them with. Join some platforms/communities about topics you are interested in (a profession, skill or hobby) -- facebook groups, forums, discord servers, subreddit, etc. Show what you know and be super-helpful. Don't spam. If someone asks a question, do research and give them a detailed answer. If someone needs more help, you can tell them that you are a freelancer and accept clients. You can also say "Sorry I don't have time to help you right now, but check out this service/product - LINK".

Don't tell them you are 21 yo from Algeria. It won't help you.

this is incredibly helpful advice! Thank you so much.

I'm definitely going to take your suggestion to heart and start engaging more actively in online communities related to my interests and skills.

I'm thinking about building some web apps for my portfolio and landing some clients.

If you have any other tips or advice, I'd love to hear them. Again, thank you for the valuable advice!

 

[Belhaj.B]

then do that.

Don't make this any harder than it needs to be. Get enough money to get out of the country.
What are the three fastest ways to make that happen?

Thank you for the straightforward advice. Your reminder to keep it simple is valuable

about your questions, I think freelancing would help me or by creating content online, but I don't think creating a personal brand or content will help me as I can't record a video due to the noise of the PC, and kids, so freelancing is a good choice.

I don't think there is a third way. local work doesn't help.

 

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[ZCP]

Thank you for the straightforward advice. Your reminder to keep it simple is valuable

about your questions, I think freelancing would help me or by creating content online, but I don't think creating a personal brand or content will help me as I can't record a video due to the noise of the PC, and kids, so freelancing is a good choice.

I don't think there is a third way. local work doesn't help.

how much money do you need to get you and the kids out of the country?
what country would you go to and what would you do to setup your initial foundation / life there?
what opportunities are you missing by looking at only small things right in front of you?

 

[Belhaj.B]

how much money do you need to get you and the kids out of the country?
what country would you go to and what would you do to setup your initial foundation / life there?
what opportunities are you missing by looking at only small things right in front of you?

Regarding the cost, I estimate that $5k would be the minimum for 1-2 months.

As for the country, I'm considering the USA/Canada/UK due to my English proficiency.

Regarding missed opportunities, if it's about my current location, online payments are a challenge due to the lack of payment gateways and distrust in online transactions. While my coding skills may not be as effective here, I'll focus on maximizing opportunities that align with my existing skills and resources.

 

[MTF]

As for the country, I'm considering the USA/Canada/UK due to my English proficiency.

These are some of the hardest countries to immigrate to unless you get a student visa.

What if you tried to move to Morocco, Turkey, or a similar country like that? You'd be in a similar culture and it should be much easier for you to move there. From there, you could more easily build up your savings and take another step.

 

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[Belhaj.B]

These are some of the hardest countries to immigrate to unless you get a student visa.

What if you tried to move to Morocco, Turkey, or a similar country like that? You'd be in a similar culture and it should be much easier for you to move there. From there, you could more easily build up your savings and take another step.

tbh, I haven't decided yet as I need money first. also, I'm looking for a place where I can at least find a good paying job, just in case my freelance didn't go well.

 

[Einfamilienhaus]

Do you know the freelance platform: Upwork? A couple of years ago it worked well for me. Try it out.

Btw. How can you live with $2/Day? How much do you pay for food and rent? If you it is ok to ask

 

[Roli]

Thanks for the advice, but how do I find those "big levers"?

Start by training your mind to think like an entrepreneur.

The next time you have some free time take a walk in a busy part of town, take notice of the businesses that serve the public. Look at the cafes, shops, market stalls, and restaurants, take note of who is doing well and who is not.

Now start to compare and ask questions, if you see one cafe is full of people and another one, just over the road, is empty, ask why. Try and figure out what the busy one is doing that the empty one isn't.

This is the essence of being an entrepreneur, finding problems and trying to solve them. Sometimes the solution is simple, other times not, maybe the empty cafe has not got a visible sign, or the busy one does a special on a weekend.

The more you look for problems whilst trying to solve them, the more you will start to think like an entrepreneur. Until one day, you will identify a problem that a lot of people have, that hasn't been solved adequately, and you will realise that you have the skills and determination to solve the problem.

In your situation, online is probably the way to go; however, I wouldn't rule out looking around your local community and seeing if you can become a problem solver. This will make you a little bit of money which you can invest into your future.

 

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[Roli]

Do you know the freelance platform: Upwork? A couple of years ago it worked well for me. Try it out.

Btw. How can you live with $2/Day? How much do you pay for food and rent? If you it is ok to ask

Around 650,000,000 people around the world live on less than $2 a day, that number goes up to around 1.9 billion if you adjust to $3.65 (the supposed minimum subsistence limit) a day.

We're the lucky ones, remember that next time you complain about your lot.

 

[Belhaj.B]

Start by training your mind to think like an entrepreneur.

The next time you have some free time take a walk in a busy part of town, take notice of the businesses that serve the public. Look at the cafes, shops, market stalls, and restaurants, take note of who is doing well and who is not.

Now start to compare and ask questions, if you see one cafe is full of people and another one, just over the road, is empty, ask why. Try and figure out what the busy one is doing that the empty one isn't.

This is the essence of being an entrepreneur, finding problems and trying to solve them. Sometimes the solution is simple, other times not, maybe the empty cafe has not got a visible sign, or the busy one does a special on a weekend.

The more you look for problems whilst trying to solve them, the more you will start to think like an entrepreneur. Until one day, you will identify a problem that a lot of people have, that hasn't been solved adequately, and you will realise that you have the skills and determination to solve the problem.

In your situation, online is probably the way to go; however, I wouldn't rule out looking around your local community and seeing if you can become a problem solver. This will make you a little bit of money which you can invest into your future.

This is so interesting, I like that mindset of solving problems, it's a bit similar to coding.

I'm currently working and saving up to move out and get some life.

 

[ZCP]

Thanks for the advice, but how do I find those "big levers"?

Notice the pattern of larger, open ended questions I have been asking you. I am trying to get you to look PAST your survival and look at opportunities in a bigger way. I know you need money. Cool. Let's not FOCUS on that.

FOCUS on what value you can provide at a larger scale to help people. Then begin to break it down into next steps. Not IF-THEN steps, next steps. Like try to buy something for $1 and sell it for $2 this week. That will get you to start seeing value add. The world will begin to look different. Money will then find you.

 

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[Belhaj.B]

Do you know the freelance platform: Upwork? A couple of years ago it worked well for me. Try it out.

Btw. How can you live with $2/Day? How much do you pay for food and rent? If you it is ok to ask

Yes, I do know Upwork, I'm planning to make some cash from it.

About the $2/day, I live with my parents, so I don't pay the rent or pay for food, I just pay for internet, and I'm trying to do some freelance with it.

Tbh, the thing that made me not going for interviews is that my PC is so loud, when I talk to someone on the phone they say it's loud, so if I get an interview it would be annoying for the interviewers and I'll probably get nothing.

I do think of upgrading the PC, but things are so expansive.

Here is a little story about me:


In 2013, my dad bought me a PC for gaming, but it had issues and couldn't run games properly.

Instead, I played poker and Spider Solitaire for two years.

When the PC started having more problems, I couldn't afford to fix it, so I taught myself coding on my dad's phone.

I was working on the summers, so I saved up and managed to repair my PC in 2016, even buying my first phone, which was painfully slow, then bought a better phone, then new monitor.

I'm on a journey from a $2/day job and improving my web development skills. With all of this I'm grateful to God for everything, some people are in poverty more then me, at least I have clean water to drink and food to eat, even WiFi to write on this forum.

 

[Belhaj.B]

Notice the pattern of larger, open ended questions I have been asking you. I am trying to get you to look PAST your survival and look at opportunities in a bigger way. I know you need money. Cool. Let's not FOCUS on that.

FOCUS on what value you can provide at a larger scale to help people. Then begin to break it down into next steps. Not IF-THEN steps, next steps. Like try to buy something for $1 and sell it for $2 this week. That will get you to start seeing value add. The world will begin to look different. Money will then find you.

I swear this is mind opening, I like that, I like it.

 

[Einfamilienhaus]

Yes, I do know Upwork, I'm planning to make some cash from it.

About the $2/day, I live with my parents, so I don't pay the rent or pay for food, I just pay for internet, and I'm trying to do some freelance with it.

Tbh, the thing that made me not going for interviews is that my PC is so loud, when I talk to someone on the phone they say it's loud, so if I get an interview it would be annoying for the interviewers and I'll probably get nothing.

I do think of upgrading the PC, but things are so expansive.

Here is a little story about me:


In 2013, my dad bought me a PC for gaming, but it had issues and couldn't run games properly.

Instead, I played poker and Spider Solitaire for two years.

When the PC started having more problems, I couldn't afford to fix it, so I taught myself coding on my dad's phone.

I was working on the summers, so I saved up and managed to repair my PC in 2016, even buying my first phone, which was painfully slow, then bought a better phone, then new monitor.

I'm on a journey from a $2/day job and improving my web development skills. With all of this I'm grateful to God for everything, some people are in poverty more then me, at least I have clean water to drink and food to eat, even WiFi to write on this forum.

Thank you for sharing your story!

From your writing I can see that you don't have the classical "mindset - problem". What you are missing are the needed Ressources to accelerate your ideas.

How much Money would you need to buy a functioning PC/Laptop? Have you asked your family for a small loan? Like your Uncles etc...?

 

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[Belhaj.B]

Thank you for sharing your story!

From your writing I can see that you don't have the classical "mindset - problem". What you are missing are the needed Ressources to accelerate your ideas.

How much Money would you need to buy a functioning PC/Laptop? Have you asked your family for a small loan? Like your Uncles etc...?

thanks for reading the story, but what do you mean by "mindset - problem"?

about the loan, I really can't borrow money from anyone as I'm not close to my uncle or other family members, about my parents, we're having financial issues, we just bought our apartment. that's why I count on myself to do everything.

 

[paz1_ws]

I've been studying programming (almost a year now), I'm studying to be a backend programmer, but the truth is that finding a job as a programmer is difficult (if you don't have the skills required by the market). I don't plan to be a programmer all my life, I will open a business, because no one should be tied to a job that takes time away from you not hired, if anything, you are not alone. We will find a way to start generating!

 

[Belhaj.B]

I've been studying programming (almost a year now), I'm studying to be a backend programmer, but the truth is that finding a job as a programmer is difficult (if you don't have the skills required by the market). I don't plan to be a programmer all my life, I will open a business, because no one should be tied to a job that takes time away from you not hired, if anything, you are not alone. We will find a way to start generating!

Opening business is in my plan, but I think programing is the way to get there, as ecom is very bad in here. Also why not solve a problem in an industry with a web app? For me it's the best way to millions.

 

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[Roli]

I'm on a journey from a $2/day job and improving my web development skills.

Have a look at @Fox's web development thread. He shows how you can make good money by learning a minimum of coding, then focussing all of your efforts on providing value. He talks about how to identify websites (of big companies) that are not converting their visitors to sales. Once you identify, you approach.

Regarding your loud PC, don't let that put you off interviews, there's nothing wrong with a potential employer knowing that you need the money.

 

[barrackus]

I'm 21 yo living in 3rd world country, underpaid $2/day, and working in aluminum carpentry (it's the only place that I can work from 9-5, so I can do something the rest of the day), I learned coding and basics of web development, I haven't made something yet, just watching YT coding videos and doing the same, before that I've tried Print on demand, Instagram pages, blogging, ecom, flipping, but nothing works! nothing! I ended up learning to code, but with all the failing I had over all those years, I think everything is a scam, all the courses on the internet are scams,

for example, if a YouTuber is actually making millions with copywriting and has 5 clients, then how in the hell he can manage a YouTuber channel posting every single day, huh? not only that, also managing a discord server and teaching 1-1, doing live streaming. this is just one example of many.

I've been reading some threads on the forum and I've come up with the conclusion that people can make money and build wealth from any industry (it doesn't matter), but the more I look into it, I see that most successful businesses are online in some way or another, so operating the business online is necessary, here's the problem:

people in my country mostly don't use web apps, this leads me to think of building web apps or SAAS for worldwide use.
but the real question is: do I have to start a youtuber channel too? do I have to create courses too? is it luck? is it just a scam?

I wish I could but the Fastline book but I don't have money, so I looked up some summaries on yt, and now I do understand a bit about it. I appreciate any help/feedback/advice

Go outside your country with your offer. Poor countries tend to have people cutting costs and prefer to do all by themselves (as their time is cheap) over paying someone to do it.
How to go outside? Someone mentioned Upwork, I could also recommend Fiverr. It's really easy to get gigs there - usually not paying much but good for a start. I hope it's possible to setup paypal from your country.