Thread by @DONVESH

3 years ago, I was making $25 selling gumroad ebooks as an affiliate

Failed my 1st copywriting agency, switched to lead gen, made some $

& now, we're on track to hit $10M in sales from info products & SaaS by Dec 2023 with our partners

17 things I'd tell my 17-yo self

Thread:

1// On comparison with others:

Comparing yourself isn't bad

Insecurity isn't bad

If you keep comparing yourself and do nothing, that's terrible for your mental health

But if you compare yourself with others and improve daily, it's the best thing ever you can do to yourself

2// How to get better at something

The easiest way to get better at something is to increase your volume, which will over time, improve the process...

And that will inevitably improve your output

Stop using your weaknesses as an excuse for your incompetency

If you're not good at something, do more of it, hire a coach, get a course do everything you can, and get better at it

Stop labeling things you don't have experience in as "your weaknesses"

3// On taking action

You already know what to do, you're just scared & lazy to do it

If you want to get ahead, think about what the smartest person you know will do in your position

You already know the answers

You just have to look hard inside, get out of your head

4// The hard work comes from fire within

When I was starting, I was grinding for hours tirelessly on a $100 phone and $300 9 yo laptop

Now I have an egonomic chair, $2500 MacBook, ultrawide monitor, standing desk & I work fewer hours

It's not about what you have, it's about what you do with what you have

5// On Conviction & Certainty

Your job as a service provider & a salesperson is to induce certainty in your clients

Explain to them why you're doing what you're doing and they will be 100% onboard with the process and trust u more

6// On being an influencer & building your personal brand:

Having a sizable personal brand is one of the most leveraged things you can do

But it's not for everyone

And it's also not MANDATORY to be successful

I have the connections, resources & experience to start making reels & youtube and go hard on Twitter and become a guru

But I don't

Because being an influencer is not my thing

There are more ways to make money than just being an influencer & selling gumroad courses or coaching

7// Selling courses & coaching is the easiest model to build a large amount of cash flow

But if you get swayed & stop being in the trenches doing what you're teaching, your information will get outdated

People will see right through it & your brand will start to decline

8// On shiny object syndrome & focus:

Choose a business model that works and an industry that is growing

Then dedicate the next 3-5 years of your life doing that single thing

No other side hustles, no small projects, no one-time consulting shit

Just go all in on 1 thing

9// On Vision & Goals

If you have small goals, you'll get comfortable when you hit them

And you will almost lose your life's purpose

"Okay I hit this milestone, what now?"

You could continuously keep moving to the finish line every few months

Or you could have a 10-year vision & execute daily towards that 1 larger than life reality

10// Games without rules are boring

If you want to have real fun, set constraints

And try to live your life within constraints

This will make stuff 10x more interesting

Anyone could build a 7 figure business in 40 years

But try doing it in 2 years, work 30 hours per week

11// On learning:

After a certain point, most courses, coaching & mastermind will not be as useful as trying something new every week, and learning from the results.

Work like a scientist:

Identify problems

Theorize & prioritize solutions

Test & keep what works; repeat.

12// Character traits of good clients:

- Speed
- Discipline to do the boring work
- Ego disconnected from their status/income/followers

13// How to solve problems:

1. Notifications off

2. 60 minute timer

3. Define the core problem

4. List the constraints

5. Think from first principles how you can solve the problem

6. Execute

14// How to choose the right business model:

Factor in the following metrics:

1. Your skills
2. Market size
3. How easy it is to get in touch with your ideal customers
4. Saturation
5. Average order value
6. Return rate/ How often does the customer experience the problem

15// On choosing what problem to solve:

1. Most people pick a solution and try to find what problem to solve with the trend
2. When instead they should start with a problem, ideally something they have experienced themselves and then try to find a solution for that problem

16// The anticipation & anxiety of work is more excruciating than the work itself

The answer to procrastination is to just start doing the work.

17// For writing:

While presenting ideas in an overcomplicated way makes you look like a dork

Oversimplifying ideas for your audience runs the risk of them thinking that you think they are dumb

Maintain a balance.

Bonus:

To all my friends spending 2 hours a day meditating, affirming, cold showering & listening to podcasts:

BRO JUST GO & MAKE SOME FUCKING MONEY

All this morning routine stuff is cool, but it's complimentary to making money

If you're not making money,

GO MAKE SOME MONEY

If you liked this thread, like & share the first post
& I'll get the dopamine to post more stuff

https://twitter.com/DONVESH/status/1702680694307336622