I'll have the results of the "extreme value for price paid" question at the end of the week. Interesting that most of the answers were small, private companies and not big tech operations. Couple of points here:

1) Huge opportunities exist in taking market share away from big, non-responsive tech giants.
2) People love doing business with small companies VS big monoliths.
3) Big companies are not nimble, and it is widely known that they offer POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE regardless on how good the product is.

Bottomline: Don't fear competing with big corporations -- your "smallness" can be viewed as a positive value skew.

Here are the results of our "extreme value" survey done a few weeks ago. Notion won the survey by far with the most mentions. I tried to list everything, but some solitary mentions are not listed if it really wasn't relevant to business.

A lot of these companies are fairly new, and started small. Canva is a few years old and has stolen BILLIONS in market share away from Adobe.

Don't fear the big guys! The big guys are RIPE for plucking! Have a great weekend!

I've been saying for over a decade that popular platitudes like "do what you love" and "follow your passion" encourage mediocrity and average results that won't change your life.

It's fools gold.

It seems my position is getting more popular as I'm finally starting to see mainstream books reflect the same sentiment I expressed years ago. This quote was pulled from Atomic Habits by James Clear. I view my life as a great reflection of my willingness to fight through challenges and tough times, even when the work sucked. Even when passion abandoned me. Better, when I conquered the challenge, or fought through the tough, tedious work, becoming someone improved, the passion returned.

Love this quote by Jim Rohn: "You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? Got me saying? Got me thinking? Where do they have me going? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Is this OK? Life does not get better by chance, but by change." (And I will add, "by choice" too). Have a great weekend! -MJ

Via the forum: When do you quit on a venture? The answer depends on 4 items: 1) Have you made the right offer? 2&3: Has your offer reached the right audience & enough of them? 4) Is my value a productocracy? Many failed ventures aren't due to a failed product, but a failure of offer crafting, channel targeting, poor UI, more. A good product can signal failure w/o the right execution behind it.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/how-do-you-know-when-to-give-up.104215/

For years I've believed that anyone can be an entrepreneur, and that if you don't have the right "mindset" you can change it. I'm not sure anymore. Fact is, most people do not change. Entrepreneurship is 90% in the head, 10% is behavior from those thoughts. If the 90% is messed up, the 10% doesn't have a chance.

If someone doesn't have what it takes mentally, but wants to change that: I would suggest as a first step is to tackle a discipline that requires a process and habits.

Learn how to play piano.
Get in shape.
Train for a bodybuilding show.
Train for a marathon.

Do SOMETHING that requires a process and series of habits. If you can do those things, guess what, you can be an entrepreneur.

Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has become bizarre.

As entrepreneurs, if you ever SELL or BUY a business, complete transparency is an absolute necessity. Expect it on either side of the transaction, especially if you are fortunate enough to sell a business.

On the buy side, if a seller refuses to disclose anything-- and I repeat-- anything, run the other way. Reports indicate that Musk "waived" due diligence on the property which is completely baffling, and downright foolish. Now that it appears BOTS might be > 5% of the users, he's balking. Never waive due diligence. Never.

None of my books have ever hit the New York Times best-seller list, and yet, I have sold more than most NYTs best sellers. Interesting wouldn't ya say?

That said, what is a great, "must read" book that is not widely known, hyped, or publicized? If you have a great book recommendation that is NOT widely known, like an underground favorite, please share and I will compile the data and share later.

Try sticking to business and self-development. PLEASE: No hyped "best sellers" that every Tom, Dick, and Harriet likes to recommend. Any NYT best-seller will be disregarded. While good books, mentioning Atomic Habits, The 4HR Workweek, and Rich Dad Poor Dad helps no one.

Looking forward to seeing the results and sharing the data!

If you only read books that come from best-seller lists, this means you are only reading viewpoints that come attached with a pre-approved consensus, stamped "ok" by big corporations and/or institutions.

I was a bit shocked to see that many people couldn't respond with books not found on any best-seller list. Instead, they recommended books that everyone has already read, everyone as already recommended, and everyone was already tired of hearing. Sorry, but only reading best-selling books gives you a narrow viewpoint deemed acceptable by culture. I wrote more about this here...

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/i-only-read-best-selling-books-which-gives-me-a-curated-narrow-viewpoint.104365/

Nothing wrong with reading best-sellers. But for every best-seller you read, you should probably dive into something that doesn't enjoy the big media/publisher hype train. You'll likely find something more actionable in the hidden-gems, moreso than the big best-sellers that everyone reads, and everyone tries to mimic.

If you'd like to contribute to the "hidden gem" book discussion, feel free to enter your recommendations at the following Google form:

https://forms.gle/3jF96nRneP8YtDUb6

If you make a recommendation, again, I repeat: NO BEST-SELLERS. NO FAMOUS AUTHORS. I'm not interested in seeing books that have been recommended 1,420 times and have 10,000 reviews at Amazon. Don't forget to include the author name in your recs.

Many thanks to people who made recommendations here, I will definitely review them however the thread has become quite chaotic so I might miss a few. Ultimately I will have this data compiled and share with the group for easy reading and review!

Do you want tires & brakes with your new car? Don’t “scumbag” your company. Here’s a great example of a good product that will lose customers due to excess marketing gimmickry.

https://bit.ly/3zRQSWC

I was ready to buy until they poured on the ridiculous marketing gadgetry and add-ons. When you’re done with all the BS, the price exceeds $500. What a great way to sour your brand. Not only will I pass, but I will leave with a negative view on your business. And yet, some people call this "good marketing." Vomit. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

Here's a great reminder when dealing with other people, regardless if it is sales or relationship oriented.

Years ago, researchers paired 20+ male/female coeds (strangers) and asked them to sit together for 20 minutes in silence. They could only say 3 words, except they had to say those 3 words with all the love+passion they could muster.

After the experiment was over, several of the couples started dating. Some got married. Those 3 words that were said with love and passion?

"Pass the salt."

The point? It's not WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it. As they say, non-verbal cues account for 75% of what you say, while the actual words are around 25%.

Great to remember when dealing with your spouse/significant other, or a potential client. Also a reminder to the dangers of text messaging, and why confusion can occur.

I’ve run a forum now for over 15 years. Nearly 1M comments have been posted. Over that time I’ve read a ton from aspiring entrepreneurs, and many patterns emerge. A common theme is this: OVERTHINKING.

Amazing how many people absolutely refuse to do anything until they have all the questions answered, all the potential problems solved, and all the risks alleviated.

As Andy (via the forum) says, “Overthinking is the art of solving problems you don’t have. Business is simple: Help people. Get paid. Help more people.”

Some years ago, a Girl Scout become the top-seller for cookies in the country by using RIDICULOUS CONTRAST to set a stage. She rang doorbells and asked for a $30K donation. When people said "no" she then asked, "OK, how about a few dollars for a box of cookies?"

Kids do this too. "Dad, I crashed the Lexus. Just kidding, but I failed math."

Sales is always about presentation and psychology!

AirBnb was founded because the founders were scratching their own itch, a needed resource when hotels were sold out due to conferences. They were its first customers. Originally, it was a "crash on an air mattress" service (hence the "air") but multiple pivots (acts, assess, adjust) turned it into what it is today.

When they started this service, they had no intention on it becoming a multi-billion dollar unicorn. They just wanted to create a valuable service that solved a problem. They only focused on solving the days problems, and improving from there. It morphed into something that would change an entire industry.

Point: If you're solving problems and focusing on the value in front of your face, the long-term will take care of itself.

The key to living your BEST LIFE isn’t found in talent. It isn't found in knowing the right people, eating the right food, or going to the right schools. It isn't found in getting a great job or starting a business. It isn't found in meditation or a going to church 3X a week.

Your best life evolves from something that connects all these things: THE POWER TO CHOOSE. The power to decide, to act, to critically think, to see the veils and hyperrealities of your media/culture, to persevere, to solve problems, and to seek the truth in a world of falsehood.

A member of the forum recently posted a short story on how his choices yielded a better life, while his friend, made no choices and stagnated in the same job, the same city, and the same doldrums.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/why-dont-you-give-me-your-money-because-i-am-a-victim-and-you-are-rich.104615/

When you deny agency in your life, you deny your best life.

This story was shared with me: A local charity had 100s of classical music CD's left over from a past fundraiser, likely gathering dust in a closet.

Instead of wasting them, a volunteer used them as a marketing enticement: He went door to door and when people answered the door, he said a $10 donation would get them a FREE CD.

The CDs were put to good use instead of ending in the trash. Better, the volunteer secured $1,200 in donations.

Is there anything in your biz that could use an enticement? Any stagnate resources you can deploy as a freebie?

I wrote this in the weekly newsletter for Fastlane Forum members and it bears repeating here:

Want to live your best life with ZERO regret?

Perform this thought experiment: Fast-forward to the hour before your imminent death. You lived to 85, but your time is up. Ask yourself...

❓Will you regret the decisions you made, or didn't make?
❓Did you proactively decide to pursue your best life?
❓Did you live BOLDLY, or did you take the safe, risk-less way out?
❓Did you do what OTHERS expected? Or what you wanted or desired?
❓Did you fall into the trap of cultural expectation and inertia?
❓Did you live a life of someone else's design?

Years ago, I performed this thought experiment, and it crystallized the type of life I wanted to live, and it allowed me to make decisions that would yield my best life, yesterday, today, and in the future.

And I knew a life as a Fastlane entrepreneur was the best way to make my "regretless" life happen.

Succeed or fail, if you can die with zero regret, you've lived your best life.

Would greatly appreciate it if you guys can REPORT this ass-clown for impersonating me and trying to scam unsuspecting people, privately asking people about their financial information, and God knows what.

Thank you for your help on this.

Also, please REPORT as "someone you know" not as a celebrity or famous person. I am "unverified" and IG doesn't consider me a celebrity or someone worth verifying. THanks!

https://www.instagram.com/mj.demarrco/

BTW: My real IG is https://instagram.com/mj.demarco

Public libraries were instrumental to my success, from learning new things from code to marketing, to access to company data/registrars. Here in the USA, they are often funded by property taxes, so private landowners (middle- to upper-class folks) are helping you learn for free.

With Libby (a mobile app) you can download free eBooks from your local library, without leaving your home, giving you a true "try before you buy" experience.

If the book is good and has provided value to your life, then you can support the author and buy the book!