Alright you mysoginistic shitlords, I’ve been super busy with a side venture lately that I’ll be using as passive income to my main line of work. It’s something that was inspired by TRP so here’s my quick Cheers to everyone here that’s helped me grow and the community as a whole for driving me. I’m writing this post to give you insight on how I plan on executing this venture.
Now let's get started. I will be attaching relevant laws from 'The 48 Law's Of Power'.
This isn’t my first foray into personal business nor will it be my last. Some of you may know I work for a family business(Yes I’ll get around to writing on family business eventually) but today we are going to talk about two mentalities I have correlated in the 11 years of meeting all kinds of business owners throughout my industry. The first mentality is;
Fuck You, Got Mine
Law 5 - So Much Depends On Reputation - Defend It With Your Life
This is pretty much the go too mentality I see perpetuated in today’s society and even here in TRP. We are talking wolf of wall street motherfuckers. We are talking slapchops and shake weights and shamWows and fat burning pills. Those people on instagram pushing energy drinks and plastic wrap that burn tummy fat and booty building pills. If you follow Bradley Martyn lately, the guys his ripping apart for selling bullshit $400 challenges. The CEO mentality I wrote about in my last business article, ”The Golden Rule: How to Not Get Fucked In Business”.
I deduct all these types of people into one category. The, Fuck you, Got Mine category.
Now let’s move on to a business model I learned from a man that sold 40% of his company for 150 million dollar back around 2005. We’ll call him Mr. 150 for simplicity. I don’t have a catchy phrase for this mentality because quite frankly, anything worth something is hard and long. Pun intended.
The best Business Deal for Next Year Is The One That Benefits Both Parties Today
Law 5 - So Much Depends On Reputation - Defend It With Your Life
Law 27 - Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
Law 29 - Plan All the Way to the End
Every single one of you has either held, seen or owned one of Mr. 150’s products. I’m not going to name him or his company but I guarantee you, if you live in America and even some of you Euros, there is probably a 90% chance you know this product or have owned one at some point. Mr. 150 has been in business longer than some of you have been alive, myself included.
I got to speak with Mr. 150 once about 8 years ago on his business model back when he first started and he told me this,
Mr. 150, ”I designed my business around my customer service, not my product.”
Wait, wtf? This was counter-intuitive to everything I’ve ever read about business. I had to know more as it made no sense. You must have a good product or no one will buy it. This dudes crazy(he really is kind of eccentric, picture a mad scientist almost).
”No, there will always be someone out there that is going to end up beating your product. There will always be a younger, faster more driven person than yourself. It’s the natural cycle of technology, you will eventually be outpaced. You can’t keep your youthful drive and enthusiasm forever. Eventually you will burn out. Yes, you can hire people to possible take up the mantle but even that is a gamble. Eventually you will grow tired of your passion you once loved. Eventually you just can’t mentality compete anymore. No one loves anything forever.”
Uh… Ok, what does this have to do with focusing on customer service and not making the best product?
”People don’t buy my product because it’s the best. I’ll be the first to tell you there are better alternatives on the market. But no one can hold a candle to my customer service and satisfaction. While all my competitors beat the dead horse of innovation to out produce one another, my technology hasn’t changed in 20 years. But I’m still the leader in my industry.”
Ok, you have a point, you do dominate your industry.(Mr. 150 really did, his company is synonymous with his industry. It’s like saying pop or cola and everyone immediately pictured a bottle of coke. That level of renown.)
”I’m still the leader of the industry because everyone knows when they buy my product, they can trust the name. They know my product won’t fail. It isn’t the best, but it will not fail, and if it does fail I will replace it free of charge”
Wait, you replace your stuff free of charge? How the hell can you afford that?
”Because I design my products to be brickshit houses. “The Best” is subjective. Is mine the best performing in the market? No, but mine will last 5 times longer than any other because I designed it to. People buy my product because they can trust the name. They know it will work and if it doesn’t I will replace it. I can charge more than the bottom of the barrel competitors because of my name. People don’t buy Harley or Colts because they are the best, they buy them because they are Harley’s and Colts”
I had this talk almost 8 years ago, back when I was too young to really grasp the entirety of it. I knew it was important because it came from a dude that just made 150 million dollars so it stuck, even if I didn’t fully understand it.
Today, 8 years later from that conversation, he has no part in that business anymore, but it still dominates the market. And it’s biggest product is now 30 years old and still hasn’t changed. They have newer products to cater to niche markets but that original brickshit house is still #1 and is what built his business to finally be sold for $150,000,000. The company has an extremely loyal customer base from his business tactics built 30 years ago. He built a cult like following.
Burn The Bridge or Repair It
Law 31 - Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
Day 29 - Plan All the Way to the End
A few years later my father sat me down after a business deal with another customer and explained to me why he did what he just did. My father was in a position to completely destroy this man. My father could have asked for the Sun and this dude would have had to deliver the Sun or burn.
Father, ”I could have gotten a better deal from that. But i didn’t.”
Me, ”wait, what? Why didn’t you?”
”Because i learned a long time ago that the best business deal isn’t the option where you fuck over the other party, it’s the one where both parties win. I’m not in this business for the quick buck. I’ve been doing this for 35 years. I don’t care about the quick buck. I’ll make way more money from this guy over the next couple of years than to burn the bridge now for a quick pocket filler.”
Money Is Made By Value
Day 29 - Plan All the Way to the End
A month or two ago some guys at TRP taught me the best thing you can ever do in business is become someone of value, then you can sell this value. This value can be knowledge, expertise, a product or a service. You can make money passively off this value without even selling it. You can design your business to be passive if you design it from the very beginning. The key is to always be building yourself. Every day a 1% improvement and one day you will be someone worth value, that you can then sell.
Plan to the end, every day.
Friend or Foe?
Law 2 - Never Put Too Much Trust In Friends, learn how to use enemies
Law 31 - Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
Law 43 - Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
Law 33 - Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
Law 29 - Plan All the Way to the End
This entire winter my company had an employee of 20 years that literally knows anything and everything there is to know about his work. Some people would look at this as a threat, some might fear he could turn or sell us out or start up his own company and steal our contracts from us.
What is the logical course of action? Well of course we bought him a building, fronted the equipment and let him start his own company. We now get a fixed cost and control the assets while he rakes in more money and profits by subcontracting.
If you have read the 48 laws, you probably have a story buzzing in your ear right now. The story of the Chinese Emperor selling out the land to all his generals so they wouldn’t turn and cut his throat for a power grab.
All these stories have 2 things in common. Building up those around you and building value to your name or brand.
We could have easily fired our 20 year employee and just hired a new guy that was less threat for less money. For a long time we payed this man double what we could hire a new guy for. For about 10 years he was overpaid, but he didn’t leave us because he knew he couldn’t make more money anywhere else. Like Mr. 150, we were the most trusted name on the block. He was our employee, but in a lot of ways he was a loyal customer too.
My father keep him because he understands the value of a deal that both parties win. And 10 years later my father finally cashed that chip in. Now that entire section of our business is handfree. My father doesn’t have to fuck with it anymore and he has a 20 year business relation with a man he can trust and count on that he helped build. But he played it smart to control the overhead so the guy can’t just steal all our work.
My Own Venture
Today I’m starting my own personal venture and all of these lessons are finally clicking. I realize what Mr. 150 was saying. I realize why my father didn’t charge that man the Sun. I am connecting the dots of those I talked to here at TRP about building value, selling it or turning it into passive income. I'm seeing how shortsighted the ”fuck you, got mine” mentality is.
Mr. 150 didn’t build his business to fuck the customer over. He understood the best deal is one that both parties win. He understood that one day his passion for something he once loved would be gone. And he knew he wouldn’t be able to compete in the rat race forever. He was honest and true to not only himself but his customer.
Mr. 150 built a name from trust. He built a brand, he built a cult. He built a name that when spoken, you know you can trust them. He designed his business from the start to be hands off once he could no longer compete. He didn’t do it for the quick buck. He could have designed his business to have second hand customer service and a great product. But like all his competitors, he’d still be in the never ending rat race of technological advancement. Forever a slave to the market. He didn’t become the dominant brand of his industry over night. He built it from years and year and years of the best customer service anyone could ever want with a dependable and reliable product. He didn’t care about building ”the best”, he cared about his Brand, its value and his customers trust.
He didn’t sell his company for $150,000,000 because of their products, he sold the Brand for 150,000,000.
(On the flip side, picture a company like comcast, do they strike you as a company that builds loyal customers? If they didn’t have their monopoly customer would be jumping ship faster than the Titanic)
Today I’m starting my own endeavor. I might crash and burn, I might make some decent cash or I might make bank. I have no idea, but from the advice of /u/IamGale, I’m going to stop thinking about it and just start The Hustle.
Law 35 - Master the Art of Timing
I’ve had 11 years of gathering knowledge, information and learning, I’ve been schooled from some truly brilliant and successful individuals thankfully but it’s time to try and put it to use. Quite frankly I don’t care how it turns out, I’ll grow and add value to myself through the experience regardless and I’m not worried about making money, I’m confident enough now in my 9-5 career that I’ll make a living no matter where I go. Statistically every millionaire today has gone bankrupt 3.5 times. Statistically I’ll fail, but I’d rather try and fail then continue theorized what could have been. It's time to start mastering my own time. There is a time for planning and there is a time for action.
Know Yourself & Know Your Enemy - Sun Tzu
Law 23 - Concentrate Your Forces
TRP has given me great insight into who I am, my strengths and weaknesses and how to manipulate myself and not fall short this time(I’ve done personal ventures before but they didn’t land me bankrupt). Just like Mr. 150 knew himself 30 years ago, TRP has helped me be honest with myself, my weaknesses and strengths. Accept them and work around them this time instead of against them.
Day 29 - Plan All the Way to the End
Right now I’ve already sunk a grand into this venture just to get it running, a small risk when you look at the money you’ll make in a lifetime. I have no idea whether I’ll go broke or turn a profit. I expect it won’t even break even for 6 months if that.
Law 28 - Enter Action with Boldness
Don’t really care though, I'm confident I'll survive no matter the outcome. I'm doing it because i want to, not because i need too.
I’ll update in a few months. I guess this post is one part a thank you to TRP and one part a post to kick some of your asses into gear if you are contemplating making some changes in your life. One of my greatest weaknesses is reading and theorizing to much. Go out and just start doing.
My post frequency is probably going to drop a lot
Oh ya, Mr. 150, need i remind you, only made $150,000,000 on 40% of his business. He sold the other 60% for an undisclosed amount a few years later. I suspect he’s now Mr. 300-500 million. Not sure, not gonna ask him.
Lessons Learned
Plan to the very end
You eventually want your business to be hands off so you can tackle a new venture or passion, you won't love it forever. You can do this by building a brand then selling it or building up those around you then cashing that chip in to lesson your load. Make them invest in you and control the cards like my father.
Master The Art of Timing
There are a lot of guys reading here of all different ages. some of you aren't ready for something like this. Some of you are way past due to push yourself out of your shell. You know you better than any of us will. It's your job to master your own time.
Law 23 - Concentrate Your Forces
I know my weaknesses. I use to fight them. I use to try and do the classic 9-5. But that's not me, that's forcing myself to be something I'm not. Break the chains and do your own thing, if that's who you are.
One of my biggest strengths is also my greatest weaknesses. I think and contemplate way to much. I dive deep into rabbit holes, i fantasize and theorize about everything. I'm innately curious and I've been like this since i was a child. It's allowed me to amass a great deal of knowledge for my age as I always ask the question "why". but it's time to acknowledge this weakness/strength and wield it into productivity.
I also understand my reward circuits, the power of visualizing and the danger of fantasizing of something you have yet to achieve. I'll pat myself on the back when this venture is finished. Until then I've done enough thinking and theorizing. I need to start learning from trial by fire, I've learned enough from studying others.
My second greatest weakness is procrastination of goals that don't have deadlines. So I watched this TED talk and now have a week calendar sitting in my room. I want to retire at 50, I've already wasted half my time doing nothing. It quickly puts your life and time into perspective. I mark a box off every week now.
I learned that size in the animal kingdom does matter. The bigger you are the more respect people show you, the more they will listen to you and the more your words will hold weight. So In a year I've gone from 6'2'' 175lbs skinny fat to 6'2'' 201lbs and ripped. I can confirm that people do indeed respect you more, listen to you more and value your opinion more. I can wield this in my business venture.
90% of all this introspection was learned from this Sub, I've advanced personally in this past year and a half then the past 25 years of my life. I've always fancied myself to be a very introspective person but TRP is literally like taking introspective steroids.
Always be building Value
Every day i do something to improve myself physically, educationally or financially. Every day, eventually those 1%'s will start becoming something of value, then you sell it.
Build a Cult Like Following
My personal venture is designed around being completely honest and true to the customer. My aim isn't to make money. It's to have a loyal customer base and building a Brand that is trusted. The money, like girls, will naturally come.
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