On days like today when the stock market crashed hard (then a late recovery) it’s a great reminder that there are gurus out there who call themselves “financially independent” who are/were sweating bullets, as their “financial freedom” is ironically, dependent on the uncontrollable whims of stock market action. This is why a CENTS-based business remains your best bet for lasting, durable wealth.

Looking for the next billion+ opportunity? A new wave of billionaires will be minted in the next 36 months in one emerging industry that is also ripe for disruption and a new paradigm: online K12 home schooling apps and curricular. Execution could be free of political BS, or it could come loaded with it, either way, you can bet there's a niche for it.

"Trust the process" is a pretty common platitude, but what exactly does it mean? It means that you can have faith that your habitual effort will yield the outcome you desire, whether it is weight loss, fame, success, money: you can control the process, but you cannot control the outcomes. If you "trust" the process, you likely will get what you want, or less, you'll be clearly headed there.

Sorry folks I've ghosted the group this week, I've been out with COVID 🤧since Sunday. Been handling it pretty good, lots of fatigue and some fever, no other symptoms. Been getting regular IVs through a mobile IV service, there's a post on the forum about that emerging opportunity that has helped me tremendously. Hope to be back in the swing of things next week. 🙂📈

Read something the other day about this entrepreneurial journey we've decided to take, a journey that can be lonely, challenging, and full of ups-n-downs... however it bears repeating: "You don't build a business, the business builds you."

PS: I've posted my COVID update on the TheFastlaneForum.com.

Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady exemplifies this truth: A lot of pros with middle-of-the-road talent go on to become GOATS whereas extremely talented pros endure mediocre, under-achieving careers. Hard work can beat talent, whereas talent tends not to work as hard and relies on inherent gifts or laurels. Don't let lack of talent discourage you, disciplined work can overcome!

What do you want out of your business? An empire with hundreds of employees? A lifestyle business? A business to set you free? These are important questions you need to ask before starting & growing your business. The 2nd time I sold my business I knew I didn't want a huge business which made the sell decision clear. A great thread on this topic is here: https://bit.ly/3rVZOG4

No one is born with any particular skill. Jerry Seinfeld wasn't born delivering jokes. Tom Brady wasn't born throwing a football. Elon Musk wasn't born a founder, an inventor, or an entrepreneur. Everything you want is on the other side of FEAR and PERSISTENCE, the relentless drive to step outside of comfort zones while overcoming the tough challenges that await. Have a great weekend! ~MJ

Interesting factoid: In 2000, Netflix offered itself for sale to Blockbuster for $50M. The Blockbuster CEO refused & laughed. Netflix is now worth nearly $200 billion, Blockbuster a figment of the past.

I bring this up because I recently did a YouTube video that covers this "sell or hold" decision which marks my 3T Strategy, a guide for making financial decisions. Check it out and it might save you 7- or 8-figures.

https://bit.ly/3t0ViWo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOL3gYh3Gwg

Very few authors (and entrepreneurs) get to sell over 1,000,000 of anything. When people ask me for some type of strategy or secret, the answer is always the same, not just for me, but for other successes: My customers represent most of my marketing department through word-of-mouth. I spend very little $ on marketing. If you lack this crucial element, you risk owning a marketing venture that dies sans-marketing, not an actual product-centered business that can survive on its own momentum.

The Commandment of Control is the “It won’t happen to me” commandment. As posted in the chat group, this startup had $75M in revenue, 100+ employees and a $100M LOI for its sale — oh yes, and totally reliant on Facebook and their algorithm. Then FB changed everything without notice or recourse. The $100M offer disappeared, as did the company several months later.

Full story here: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/commandment-of-control-violations.51169/post-991957

If you can brand your biz with a purpose & a story, like a personality, it’s a powerful value skew. This process is exemplified in the story behind The Great Rat Race Escape. When people identify with your company’s “personality” price becomes less important & loyalty rockets. This is also why many corporations have gotten political, even though it might alienate large swaths of the market.

Had a bunch of folks ask me about hot-button politicization (or going “woke”) as a marketing/brand builder, such as advocating FOR/AGAINST guns. I think it is a bad strategy, despite being recommended by some marketing gurus. You can personify your brand without alienating large segments of your market. The power of story and narrative can do this. There are corporations I avoid because of their brand positioning.

Interesting factoid: "Snake Oil" was actually a product that was used by Chinese laborers to ease back pain in the late 19th century. When American marketers heard of this product, they produced their own that was defective (wrong snake) and added other ingredients (opium?) to increase its "effectiveness". After the fraud was discovered, "snake oil" then became synonymous with a scammy marketing.

Discord recently changed their terms of service to basically say that if "they" determine you are distributing misinformation, you can be cancelled and your community terminated, once again proving that there are huge risks in building a brand around these technocrats.

Your time is worth more than a few bucks an hour. Learn the difference between making $180,000 hour return on your time, or a paltry $8 bucks. Most of the world, even the seemingly affluent, values their free time at less than minimum wages. You are better than that and YOU get to decide what your time is worth. Don't let the Mercedes or Audi fool you.

https://youtu.be/_4uSt5i1bNI

PART ONE: Former President Trump is behind the new Truth Social app which already has over 1M users. First thing of relevance: #1) VALUE SKEW: The skew behind the service is free speech and not being censored by Big-Tech technocrats. This fact has created a void in the marketplace and an opportunity for skew creation for the president's associates, or for other entrepreneurs.

PART TWO: Trump has a huge audience. If you focus on “audience building” before launching your business, you can cut the acquisition curve by months, even years. Even if you don’t have a biz in the works, it pays to start building an audience early. I started my forum years before I wrote my book. If you have a YT channel with 1M subscribers, how much easier would it be to monetize your new biz?

As a follow up to last week's tip about earning $180K/hr return on your time, after hearing this, a reader messaged and said he just saved $10K on an industrial project cuz he decided to spend an extra 20 minutes ensuring he was getting a competitive price. That's $30,000 per hour return on time spent. Saving money is not cool if it yields poverty wages, it's cool if it generates CEO returns.

Spotify has a 29% conversation rate on free trials whereas the normal "good" conversion rate is about 4%. Two value skews are responsible for this incredible conversion-rate: 1) User experience (customization, recommendations) and 2) emotional connections through music. If your biz can stimulate emotions through user experience, you likely will blow beyond the good average of 4%.

I think sometimes my messaging seems to dismiss marketing as my philosophy is very product-centered, focused on building products/services that are recommended. 1 new customer + 1 new customer = 3 new customers. However, marketing is a top value skew. Take 2 identical products with exact same utility: The better marketer will grab the sales and grow. The other will lag.

I saw an AD (not a recommendation) for a device that claimed improved sleep. Several value skews incited me to buy, including a refund guarantee. I bought. After 2 weeks of use, the product was a total disaster, I asked for a refund. I posted a bad review, which they quarantined. In short, they're gatekeeping reviews. Liars. Not a Productocracy. This is why I'm skeptical of massive ad pushes.