Psychology of Business
Noah Kagan
Lessons
Lesson Info
Psychology of Business
You're going to fail we're talking a lot about further to talking a lot about rejection and that's great and what you do is you say all right this didn't work what can I learn to make it better on so I actually don't know if you guys didn't notice this but I actually did that with this course during lunch today, eh? So we went back and reviewed the chats and the feedback that a lot of the online audience gave and it was that you guys were really upset about blackberries I'm sorry I didn't know black um and really try to understand all right, let me try my energy comes from you in the audience and so is you guys are running your business is one of the critical things is when things are working really well and as well when they fail which they will what can I learn from that? And so I learned you don't make fun of blackberry's talk about what it's not about the blackberry smashing it it's about him making a change improving is like investing in himself on then moving forward with that so...
make sure go look att revision of feedback and then make those revisions and learn from that experience uh before I move forward I think it's really interesting we talked about undervaluing remember how I got kind of uncomfortable promoting the how to make a thousand dollar a month business um I want to ask you guys, you know, kenya, you said that you felt uncomfortable charging what was it exactly? So I before coming on full time as a full time host here employees at creative live, I was like many folks out there starting on my own photography business. Ah, portrait business photographing families and babies and pregnant woman um and I had a very hard time asking for what my work is actually worth. Um, so this is a common common struggle amongst photographers, but actually valuing, as I said, like when I worked for corporate companies and I could market the heck out of these other products that was detached from me and who I am and what I'm creating but trying tio put a value on my own services and myself and what I create so different string when your photography and felt a little guilty charging versus being corporate, what was the difference? Because I was create it's my creation and so migration is never good enough, not perfect other people can do it better than anyone else relate to this in the room is anyone can it would not relate to this, ok, exactly. I think that's actually telling force the same fear of being found out impostor I'm not a riel photographer all those things, so what did you do? Um well, I've learned a lot by getting a free education here at create alive because that's how I started here was actually coming to classes um and learning about photography in the business of on dh so I was able tio raise my prices but what did you start your prices that when I start my prices that yeah, the first the first person that I that hired me I charge them one hundred fifty dollars and I thought that that was a lot for how many how much with it? I mean it was more a two hour session with two children with the dvd of images at that cheap or expensive really I'm like a hundred feet that's all that's expensive we'll take to you know what and so how much and then when I was having cowing prince made for her I was like, oh, I should just double the cost my costs for the print so the print cost ten dollars all charge or twenty ok, how did you get that first client family friend okay, and then so you ended up charging for one fifty and then what did you do on the second client? Good question. I mean eventually. Well, second client that's a good question. I'm not exactly sure, but I did raise it from their um after a while um and then eventually it sort of my my biggest client was actually getting a full year so selling somebody on like zero newborn too um to one year old and you do these like several sessions and that I was up tio um I think it was maybe eight hundred dollars but even that and I have grown and I was charging more but even that for the amount of hours and skill level that goes into that um was making not very much money it was probably like ten twenty bucks right a lot when you break it down I mean on the first job I really was probably like two dollars an hour so I think that well that's interesting for all of us myself is that so how did you evolve to start saying your own internal what's like the fundamentals that we can tell people online as well as an audience really was having a lot of these types of conversations and gaining confidence in my work by getting acknowledgement from people so that that the mom who paid me one hundred fifty dollars was like, oh my gosh, my we've never seen such beautiful photos of my children but I still like didn't accept that for myself so it took me actually um loving myself I mean really what it comes down to is valuing myself before and my work and saying yes can I think you are see I can't even e o in terms of how did you start loving yourself? I mean you're just like oh, and I said eleven and I'm like, well, how do I get that pill? Well, I still I don't know I mean I still do I still talk with that every day uh don't you start what you think was the things that were helpful for you um it's a very long story a noah but truly s o I was suffering from also from depression, anxiety, physical pain so I had chronic back pain um and it took a a siri's of doctors and other practitioners where I literally had to build this team of of people who were supporting me, including meditation including energy work on and it took me realizing that the secret the true secret is is self if not self out but is is self worth is self work and it took realizing that the only person that could heal me is me that all of these doctors and all these other people it has to come from me and it's a continual struggle when I still struggle every day but it's waking up with gratitude um and when I feel not good um or not worthy is trying to remind myself thinking about people who have told me and tell myself what if in my darkest hour I love myself with duncan such unconditional love and telling myself that I deserve that um but I still struggle with that every day you don't feel the love in the room for her it's like running I feel good about tio thank you I think what what's kind of amazing about that is that you're not alone and I think all of us in our individual lives feel that way privately and it's kind of I think one of things that I was actually shocked by people like well you're sharing publicly how you're depressed about how I went to doctors to try understand like what mentally what's physically wrong with me and after a year it was actually mental it was all internal and mental you got anybody else have a story or an experience were like they were under charging or they don't feel worthy that they want to share kino of online says this is the main dragon to slay and all along I thought I was the only one on the irony of that is that there are pages and pages of people signed something we're going to send you think I struggle with it now it's like I you know I have a number in mind or like oh maybe this or I tryto kind of try to explain it away like I'll say a number or I'll say a client you'll to a client yeah you know explain a fee or a number and it's like even as I'm saying it, I'm thinking, oh, are they thinking this is to my shows, like all of the voice, you know, the different, like doubts of leader, it is valuable, are they thinking this is, um worth it? And, you know, I've already told myself that it's that it's not like I'm already telling myself, even as I'm talking and trying tio to sell it, you know, to them. So, um, I think it's still very much a very real thing for me right now, and so when you're just assuming I'm talking to you, you still feel like you're not charging enough for what is it that you're experiencing? Well, I think I think just to echo what kind of what you said with photography business in my business, yeah, like sometimes what I'm offering or what I need to offer is like, if I want to work out my hourly of what I'm making its like, that I'm not making enough and says, think, finding that balance of do you want to make you know you don't have to make a ton of money, but you want to make, you know, would be losing money or you want to be making money, but at the same time you know, just not just being confident like this is a value and I'm you know what? Why don't you charge more? So how much you try to give us an example like right now I'm charging seventy five dollars an hour and then what do you want to charge? I think, like five that would be up to about one hundred dollars an hour. I just had a stylist come over to my house that she charged me one hundred twenty five dollars an hour for the hair today no, no she's she's but, you know, she has no formal education, I would to a four year college I studied architecture she's got but she, you know, she had it feels like I should charge one hundred twenty five dollars to come in and, like, tell me what's crafted my closet well, so, um, why don't you try one hundred? I guess I just think I don't, you know, I feel like, ok, I can deliver at this low like, okay, then if it doesn't work out or if I don't, if they're disappointed in any way and it's like, well, it was sixty to seventy five dollars, but if it's one hundred dollars or they're gonna be fist yeah that's a that's, a really common thing where you buy books maybe by courses, maybe you could join a gym and it's not just because you want embrace to make your life better, you make it as an excuse that you have you don't have to look at yourself, you actually avoid it by putting it on something else. So even with the monthly one k dot com course, people buy and like, oh, yeah, the course sucked, and when you actually look at the person's answers and the work they did, they didn't put in the work. And so, you know, it's interesting. So how do you think you can go about our, you know, what do you think would help you have some thoughts, but like, anything could help you go back to these people are in your next client? I think just, you know, it goes back to the coffee thing it's like you can I think one thing I've gotten already that today is just ask, like, part of the part of the process is just asking, and you're always going to be pushing yourself, and I know that for myself, even as I've had the business maybe four months. Um, you know, I haven't been too uncomfortable because I haven't really been I haven't really had any rejection, so it's like that's kind of a measure of you're not pushing yourself when you're not really being rejected and I think that's a really interesting point just to reiterate it's like when you're not pushing yourself you don't have the fear of rejection and yes it's comfortable I guess what would you tell them? You know, people online as well the audience here like what what could you do to data to embrace that our challenge that for myself, for food, the other you know, I think just, you know, even even just looking at the clients I've done you worked with in the last couple of months or even just people that have mentioned stuff and I would kind of like, oh, you know, they go I really need you to come help me with this and I just wouldn't follow up or I wouldn't pursue it and I think because it's again it's like I want them to chase me and instead of that really just, like, make a list of five people that I can call it be like, hey, I've been thinking about you and you know that project you mentioned or this thing he had or whatever, you know it's wanting to throw it out there if you need help, I've got some free time coming up like I think just the power of trying is something you know, we I think I've gotten today already just power trying, okay um I think there's a lot of different key things that we shall be taking away from this you remember when I mentioned, of course I got really uncomfortable selling it right and promoting something that I am genuinely proud of, like spent years on this and hundreds of thousands of dollars um and I think the thing is, why do we undervalue ourselves? Why do we feel guilty charging? And it could be something from the way we're raised, but I think the interesting is also how do we start evolving to feel better that like, yeah, I'm worth it like there's a big sean wraps on says I'm worth it, right? It's like I am worth it, I feel good, and I think all of us have moments in our lives when we're like, oh, I'm the man, I'm the I'm the woman like this is my this is like my zone of, like, amazing this whatever you want to call it where, you know, fifty bucks now they're getting a steal um and I so I think you know, some exact tips on how you can evolve to that is do it for free, so if you're like, hey don't think I'm actually good at contracting, I'm not good as a stylist, I'm not good as a designer, I'm not a great photographer build up your confidence, build it with free go work for free. Uh, alex here has helped a lot of people for free and that's how they've been able to build up their business. They help people for free. Eventually that enough people they're like, we're gonna start charging, or can you give me a referral? That's a great way to start it. And now you are to have clients it's like, all right, you want to see it for free and their people are valuing it that's where you look all right, well, now they're actually a lot of value, and I'm getting too busy. I'm going to charge a little bit, so the second part is after you, free charge a little bit, a little bit like I charge this is, I think it's ridiculous. I charge a thousand dollars an hour to talk to me like if you go to clarity dot fm and you want to hang out or talk to me about anything it's a thousand year do I think I'm worth a thousand dollars an hour to other people? Probably. Sometimes I question it. Um I don't want to do those calls, right? And I started small, I used to do it, you know, for I mean for in baseball is due for eight dollars an hour and over time you kind of evolved to start you build up your hourly but the thing with charlie's I think what you have to realize is what's the value being created so it's not necessarily oh I started small did start small and I built up right but what value my critics sort of thousand dollars an hour if you think about it that that is a fair amount of money if there's a lot of money and said hi to anyone so once I started not thinking all right I'm costing one thousand dollars but what's the value in the return to that other person like if that one piece of advice provides ten thousand dollars or one hundred thousand dollars of new business or new revenue for them that thousand dollars of steel or like mint dot com I quit their slash that they said I fired but it's a draw okay um but with mint dot com I got paid one hundred thousand dollars twenty five and I thought I was the man I was like these guys are so stupid right? I was like these guys are definitely stupid on it's a long story how I got there and I'm happy about it but I honestly always felt like I can't see the pain this much I really can't believe it um and then they sold for two hundred million all right there's over two hundred million and I was like, oh, I guess what I did was kind of valuable on dh so I think when you maybe talk with the people you're helping if you start on a free basis on a little bit of a paid basically consorting what's the value there actually generating like if you're doing design how much how did they feel in their house now if you're doing photography like, how important is their child photo to that? Um and so and I think overall it's like you start charging small, you do free, you recognize the value and you just build up your confidence all right coming back to this whole presentation it's like I don't know if I felt comfortable coming in presenting to you right? But I've given this stuff I know it's mostly just sharing my story and talking to you guys about your stories um so with that I think is you guys are feeling guilty those are some of the tactics I think we'll help you explore sort of feel better not undervalue yourself in value yourself accordingly and I have noticed very, very clearly that the people that charge me more I value more is that a man from everyone know where that is it's like everyone got really yeah, because like I've had people who are like you, I'll help you out um there's a guy named daniel who's in our course actually and he's very amazing, I guess one of the it's been great to work with him and, you know, he charged me a little and then a charge searching anymore, and I was like, all right, this guy's actually really help for me versus other people like I'll do for free, and I don't want to work for free like dan, actually, dan, when he did, it was offered for free, he gave me the work he's like here's, what I'm gonna do for you if you want more painting, so he got in the north free some of the alex then he said, I'm gonna help you more, per paid, and it was only when I started paying that I started taking what he sent me. Seriously, how many e books that's one thing I was like, how many books have you gotten for free that you've never read? How many block posted your that you just skinned right versus you guys are spending eight hour many dollars? We hear a lot six hours total in here, like, I'm sure there's going to be like you're investing in something that will produce a return if you were buying the course or whatever it is like you will produce for you, the things you invest in you're prioritize and people you pay more for they'll actually psychological like wow, this person is a lot better than paying seven ten dollars for the design has an interesting point online and I think it's applicable to photography and also to a lot of the a lot of creative areas and that is that there are so many things absent things for free that make the every person think that perhaps they're really good at the thing that you are actually really good at it and he says, where is he have lost any really good and he's talking about making music? He records music people, but he says people don't want to pay even though the child is not that much because they can record in their own home even though it sounds really crappy afterwards. So how would any work around that thing were suddenly everyone's a photographer everyone when I use carriage banned overtime, I'm not record it, right? Yeah, I had someone e mailed me yesterday his name's, dove berg and he's jewish like me, and he said that he's like yet the jew jewish people didn't want to pay and he's going to focus on a new market and I was like that's actually not the case with the cases that you're not important enough to them and that's what most people missing, I call it a totem pole right and so we'll talk about it later but the idea is that if you're going to someone with oxygen I'm pretty sure that they would pay you if you're important enough versus like hey, I'm gonna come and you know maybe more your lawn but you live in a condo that's not something a lot of people probably wouldn't pay for and so what I think most people miss when they're starting a business is solving things that are not really as important as they think and you know, people are like, well there's already other music business is you know, there's a lot of other there's how many restaurants in san francisco alone there's room to help everyone but you got to do is make yourself valuable enough so that people are excited to give you money and people are start coming to and say you're designed stuff is awesome and you're like I'm a little too busy right now good conversation conversations going on conversations right of conversations so let's do a club make sure we're all here one two, three clap good we're going to be moving forward teo you know this is actually great I wasn't kind of really planning this it wasn't part uh we're going talk about as much a lot of people love seeing how much I failed it's like the not mostly said but it's very exciting for people to hear you know facebook you know, got fired and you know what I could tell you about the day, but I also was cares for online but you guys like who here is it has been fired um from a job that you tell us a little bit that sure I was working at their site and it was a ten percent layoff. Got to show up, get sent to a conference room and can even go back to my desk, get my stuff got sent, told we've got it lay off, got to go to our car stuff was boxed up. See you later. Felt like a criminal. You felt like a criminal. Yeah, well, you just x according to our cars, by security, you know, when was this? This was two thousand two. We're expecting them. No. What did you that day? Do you let you know one thing? And who else has been fired her for? Shonda? Betsy? Um, how vividly? Remember that day pretty vividly what you do after that moment you got your car when I got some coffee? E did you copy? Challenge? I don't think no, no coffee challenge. Ok. And so this is I think the most fascinating we talk about psychology it's when failure occurs and bad things occur, which they're going to, so how did you move forward with that? Well, it was the dot com bust a that point and I was I was taking the train to work and seen a lot of my friends get laid off so it was it was pretty tough seeing so many people lose their jobs and I was like I was feeling pretty lost you know? We had to take the train back and I had to wait about so that was like nine o'clock in the morning the next train wasn't leaving until like three thirty in the afternoon so I had a lot of time to waste and I had a lot of time to sit in think about stuff so I had to call my husband and tell him that I just lost my job and that was how do you feel calling him like crap felt really bad deal with that and it's like half our income was toast so there was it was tough we've just gotten back from our our honeymoon so we've just gotten married. Yeah, it was it was it was hard time soon, but how did you get past that? What happened? The well my my my job as soon as I got home was finding a job, so I started just applying like crazy and and I got a job at a company that was bankrupt, so that was that was pretty cool but I'm still their other pay if they're bankrupt oh, because he turned the lights on it's a company that its energy companies are utility company here in california they were just in bankruptcy at the time. Okay, yeah so I mean, if someone I think getting fired is a great thing and I can discuss it a bit more but like, what would you give someone advised they get fired? They were facing failure within their business or with another job? Well, he can't take it personally. I mean, it wasn't about me it was a ten percent layoff at the time that felt very personal, but e had to come to grips that it wasn't about me it wasn't about necessarily my performance it was about somebody like my boss had to make a decision they were told by their boss we need to get rid of somebody and it has to be one person on your team and I just I wasn't a good fit for that team because everybody else was an engineer and I wasn't I was in a software engineer. You and dana bulls look a little bit of thought like, oh yeah, that one time one time it baskin robbins and should have taken ice cream um is there a story you guys wanna share? I've got kind of a funny one funny the better case so one of my first jobs was at a subway restaurant okay, you somewhere? Sandwiches? Yeah, you could call that a restaurant, a restaurant or whatever they call innocent simply restaurant you and you're an artisan. Where? Your sandwich artist? How was a sandwich? Artisan? Ok, about three weeks and I sort of their subway what's that you got fired from someone fired from subway after three weeks. So I got there and you, the gimmick is eat fresh, right? And I was really like, wow, this should be interesting. So when things started coming in and frozen blocks out the in the back and they were the you know, they take the cheese out it's all frozen and take the meat out it's all frozen that kind just thaws out. These came bro containers I was like, this doesn't really add up to me, so I started talking to a lot to the manager about it. Like, is this really how subway operates? I was complaining a lot about, like, not overtly complaining where I was, like, really confused about it. And after a while after three weeks, as a matter of factually is like, this is how the subway culture works, you're not a good fit for the subway called shooter fired, so yeah, it was kind of funny because I was like, I even have a younger I was like fifteen at the time and I was just like excited to have a job and I was just so perplexed that this is how they ran a business and that's why that's why I got fired cause was asking too many questions what did you learn from experience? What I learned was that, um well, I took it really personally because I was young obviously and I was like, oh god, this my first job got fired in three weeks I'm I'm unemployable you know? I thought I'd label myself forever for that, but more than anything it was just after looking back on it again you can't take it personally because you don't want someone like me at a subway I'm not going to promote your food I'm not gonna help you sell your shitty food so it's just like that excuse me? I mean it's okay, okay it's like plastic but it's good five books would suddenly shrimpers so that's kind of mean you have to understand that businesses running to create profit and if you're not contributing to the bottom line, you're your liability basically so and unfortunately, sometimes you're just going to get cut because you're not contributing to that so well you talk about as far as like doing what you really want to do imagine being in that position except you're doing something you really love your able to contribute something and increase the bottom line can you repeat that? Just about I think everyone in the audience as well as here, like, remind us what you just said, I think that's great. Yes. Oh, it's, just what you were talking about earlier as faras doing what you were, I want to do what we're supposed to have two or whatever, you know, ifyou're imagine if you're putting all that energy into loving what you do and you're also increasing the bottom line, like, how much more productive you're going to be and how much more productive business is gonna be there? I can tell you I've had to, you know, I've been with facebook and men, which I you know, facebook to me, it's funny that you guys both have a common thing. It was my identity. I was noah at facebook, I wasn't just noah, right? And it was more important than everything else to me and that's what I wanted to be doing, and then when that got taken from me or when I lost it, I mean, depending on, you know, I think responsibility when I lost it, um, I had a very when I was very embarrassed and I was very I didn't know I was like, well, who the hell am I now? Because this is this is I mean who's going to hire me? What the hell am I going to do next? And so I mean, did you go? Did you have something? Mcdonald? Um after that, I was gonna know it until I went into the navy, okay, I think some of the things in terms of getting fired, I'll talk a little bit more about my facebook story is that is we're running your own business is and you want to create your own business or maybe we're gonna company it's figure out, how can you control your outcomes? How can you actually control that? You're not at the dependency of them saying you're fired or not fired, right? So it's figuring that out? And I think the second thing is, you know, and running up so it's hard to hire good people. And so how do you make yourself more valuable if you're at a job? That's fine there's nothing wrong with that or if you're being a designer, how do you become a designer that everyone wants to hire you? What can you do to get to someone's top of the totem pole either in your own job, like I wasn't in tow or starting your own business to your customers, so, you know, with facebook I got the job there, I got decent equity have you seen my profile photo on facebook right? I've never told the story about it publicly, but I have never changed my photo since I got fired. Uh it's been the same exact photo and I don't know if you ever plan on changing it uh it was very tough for me especially I think kind of what betsy said telling your husband, right? Yeah, I remember that day very vividly where you kind of come into you goto you know, supposed to have coffee with my boss and I we sit down and there's another guy there and he's like, uh, today's your last day and it's like, wow, I guess I like and I'm grateful for it I'm grateful for it. I mean, you have to make the best of what you get so when things are bad it's a guy well, let me learn from the nation's. What did I do wrong? What can I do to make it better? First up working for someone else or starting my own business? Um and you know exactly after that I, um I went sorry, my smoke cigarettes. I want about a pack. They took my phone, my blackberry adam uh, they took it back, so I to go to the verizon store to call my girlfriend that time very embarrassing I know having a blackberry it's embarrassing no calling my girl from from a verizon store and uh you know I think the key thing though is not that something I got fired I didn't make a lot of money and I see all these people with tons of money now um it's more about recognizing like all right what can I learn and what could I move forward with this so for me the three things you know and I think it's for everyone you get fired you start businesses when I was selfish it was all about promoting me I think the best way to be a good employer great company is don't be selfish and selfishness has its good points but I was all about noah and the best way to get no up promoted was to make facebook bigger not promote noah and that's why I ever saw since then I was kind of looking to put myself out there even now right like absolutely only recently with the course that I start saying you know I've actually I'm pretty decent starting businesses and I'll help you if you want um secondly marketing its figure out how you work with people so as betsy said it's like all these other people were kind of difficult I think as well with dan you know these other people different so how do you work in a corporate environment you're always going to do with people and that's a thing I had to learn so getting fire with such a great thing in skills uh you know as we evolved in our jobs on ourselves like where do I create skill that's invaluable right and is my school good for the company when we were thirty people it was awesome it was amazing because I could do everything it was super chaotic like you know, work in this corner the desk right we're gonna move offices all right everything's changing but when we had meetings we had organization when we had excel sheets like I wasn't really boring that familiar to anyone else and that's where corporate yeah was that familiar what did you do about that um maybe stepped away from it a little bit so I found out the things that I needed to get done and worked on those what do you need to get them so be, you know, managing a team of business analysts or I'm running a project and I just find out what needs to get done on what didn't need to get done onda stuff that could follow I have just leave it and that was sort of may saying to the man so for you with corporate earnings focusing on what you can actually affect impact and so with facebook you know this is a kind of a big realization for me um you know, I wasn't meant to be there at that time and same with my own company like I've had people that were there in the beginning of up some of that would definitely not be ready now um and I was depressed for six months does anybody here felt really depressed? No one everyone everyone at some point is felt you know, low self worth or just depressed about you know, who am I? And so during that time, you know, I think the number one thing that kind of helped me was I embrace that it was gonna be sure one things I've picked up from therapy is that not every day is gonna be a skyrocket like seeing the chat see you guys walk away hopefully was something pakal feeling more energy from y'all that puts me in a high doing something brand new puts me in a high but embracing when the days aren't high is one of most powerful things I've had this year when it's just an ok day it's like that's not a bad thing is just part of embracing that this is the moment right now and then that experience allowed me to explore what I really wanted I didn't really want to be in a corporate environment ahead until uh and so I started just exploring I wanted consulting, I went to korea and top business um I put on events I really found out that I like putting on events and actually made about two hundred thousand dollars putting on events, right? And that may be an expert in social network, supposedly right? It was just putting on events, and people start looking at me that way. So I think overall it was saying, you know, explore the things I enjoy doing and that they gave me an opportunity. I've actually almost never met someone who got fired that didn't say the next thing was better. It's kind of true, though, huh? Have you ever would you like? I think maybe the question would you go back to the very sight now, would you go back to what that call them? Very. Cyrus, would you go back to subway? Yes, I know I did a zoo customer, you know, sean, would you go back now? That's actually really fascinating, right? Our life just keeps going for there's. No pause and in expenses like relationships it's like all right, how do I make the next step? Is we talked about earlier, better and so on facebook I was like, all right, you know, there's things I really enjoyed there's things I don't enjoy and now there's no way, there's not enough! I don't know how much money have to pay me to even go back work out of, like, five thousand people and so the other thing that was really helpful in terms of like a tactic and a method that helped me overcome that really tough and low period remember like seeking my friend's couch uh remember being embarrassed cause that night everyone's asking how space because facebook and I was like it's great especially then my mom you know everybody's seeing it on tv oprah's interviewing mark it's a very tough time on dh so I try to just go and explore what I want to do and then I also try to really meet with interesting people I really went out by people lunch that's the cheapest investment you could do its cheapest investment you could do to get a great return you take someone burritos or tacos or a nice lunch and the amount of return you can get just from some like that I can tell you people have messaged me and I'm just like and then let people message asking for things yeah because we you know someone like I need something versus let me give you something and then ask for it later like doing something for free and through just meeting interesting people I was able to get my job at mint dot com right? So I was able to meet dave mcclure and he said, hey, check out this finance thing that seems pretty neat and just from investing and spending time on it not rushing into the next thing able to find something that I truly wanted to be a part of, a few of you might be saying in the chat room, I don't know like, do you guys have friends that are entrepreneurs or friends were successful later? Not me. My boyfriend has business. Okay, kevin, that was the most shocking that this is one of the shocking things. So when we're doing the course we originally, I ask people to email their most successful friend and find out how they did it. And I was like, oh, that's, a great question, no good job. Oh, you're smart today, right? That was one of the top five pages. Why people quit, of course, top five. All right, it's, hard to start a business and you need a you need to own it and go find some successful friends, and it shocked me because I didn't realize that not everyone has that available. You don't have either may be a role model like my dad sort of business, she self sabotage in it went down, but I saw my dad sort of business. I went and sold saw clients and as a little kid, and same with dan and how who else is doing around me that I can feel motivated, inspired by? And so, you know, we talked about the facebook group that's where that provides that outlet for a lot people the monthly one k dot com course that provides that outlet for people want to start businesses that would probably buy into that different sort of angle. Chris from estonia I don't have money to do what I want to do I don't know if you've ever experienced tree poverty and humility in the shame that come with it what would you suggest to someone who's poverty is holding him or her back and maybe that buys into the whole contact thing? Well, what I say is you need to care of your basic needs, so don't start I wouldn't tell him she was assigned to go work at subway because a lot of people come in and like I need overnight cash need some quick scheme and there's nothing out there it only exists in block posts and like fairy land and so anybody who wants to then you scared their basic poverty just go work that's the thing that fascinates me let me let me do a quick question here who here in this room or in the chat room does not have a dollar on them but he's not fascinating one hundred percent of people here have money the money is all out there it's just how important are you to help other people so if that guy really wants to get out of poverty yeah it's easy for me to just sit in this chair and like, have the cameras and be like, oh, yeah, get out of poverty, whatever, but if he's really want but if he really wants it and that something he's actually really aspiring to like, he needs to get off his ass and do some work he needs to go what? You know, I've always thought this mcdonald's is always hiring, they're going for about fifty years, so then we're screwed, but until then they will always hire and if you're willing, I worked at a popcorn stand for two years I worked at office, max, for two years I worked at macy's selling bed sheets I worked at summer camps like I've done groundwork, and now I feel fortunate I honestly feel blessed that I considered a computer make money so many times a lot of people are looking at my story and saying, I want that but it's like, what are you doing about it? Like a stony got like, I don't even know disney when norris tony is feel bad, you know it is it's near russia, russia did you guys know everyone knew that I'm the only guy just yeah, exactly you're in estonia there's opportunity luckily the internet everywhere but if you have basic poverty really positive poverty amounts take care of that first then when you feel stable then you start explain how can I help people how can I go on craigslist gum tree or kg and help people they're saying I won't work are going fiver go on five or dot com there's people every day saying I will pay five dollars go on freelancer dot com going otis whatever it is there's money out there everyone in this room has it and guess what everyone else in this room has two problems so get your basic stuff covered go solve problems if you want to pay you for there's just give you a few online resource that you can do we're out there just because we're talking about the guilt of having to tell the loved ones that you've been fired miss off from dubai wicket without his toe what is the best fighter transition from employment to entrepreneurship issues if your job is important to sustain your family so it hasn't been fired but wants to leave okay? So I you know I'm a little more I think different than a lot of entrepreneurs is that I'm not risk not a risk taker because it's a very it's a very common it's counterintuitive the way I am because most we were like oh jump off the you jump off the cliff and you build your parachute on the way down and I'm not that way, it's just not my style. I like taking calculated risks specifically, what I'd encourage that person to do is what I've done in every business, which is when I worked at mint dot com I didn't quit until the thing was ready, so it meant, and if he wants to have his own business and have that freedom, he has to put in the work, which is obviously, it sounds cliche and easy, but at mint basic, I'd work nine to six crush it, go home from seven to ten, seven to twelve and start working on facebook aps they're making facebook games was one of the top facebooking developers this was after getting fired, it was a very hard thing from to do, but once that was I said once this makes enough for my, what I would encourage him is how much does he need to make? So I knew if I could get thirty five hundred dollars a month, then I could quit. What most people do is like, I don't have a lifestyle business. Well, how much is it to support your lifestyle? And I wanted to go to thailand and work from there, and so I said thirty five hundred is what I need to live there comfortably, and when I finally got that is when I quit so I would not encourage him in the same thing with that sumo I worked I c coming back to the undervaluing I was getting paid one hundred fifty dollars an hour to do product consulting just like speed date dot com and find out how people meet fascinating they're paying me a hundred bucks to tell him how to build a product I was like different dome to but then you realize like from your impact the value that they got and on lee when absolute will actually made enough for me to support my lifestyle that I say hey, I have became working and that was six months so it's gonna be a bit of a grind and if people are aware of that it makes you okay during that process I think know that like you said everybody here has a dollar just having that mindset of abundance versus scarcity is really something that can help us well, you know, I've thought about a lot of this because of the scarcity verse abundant bless you does anybody know that scarcely ever such abundance abundance mindset what does that mean to you thinking of that guy in particular is like if you approach it if you approach life in a way that o you're focused on your poverty or your lack versus actually everybody one hundred percent of the people possibly around you have a dollar that you could somehow offer value for it's like you see the possibilities rather than the limitations I think just it's a different apartment it's a approach life differently when you have that they just treated a button see versus scarcity and it's one of these things where I actually feel for this person that this stony guy are you were just saying in general thiss one is now dubai dubai I know where that place is so I think what's interesting is it's very easy to have an abundance of mindset so abundance he means that there's more let me break every simply but it's mean there's more money out there there's much more money for me to get scarcer means there's only this much for me to protect and keep like savings and not spending versus investing kind of like there's two different worlds like there's a lot of it or there's not that much and it's very easy to live abundantly when you're making money it's really fascinating to start and I think there's not necessarily like a trick to say you're gonna live abundant because if you think about it you'll do it it's hard but I will tell you the days of absence is not making money I'm like who needs to get fired today and towns in the back of what dog but it is really interesting is that how do you become aware of when you're in that mode in what is causing that what is the root of plus. Feeling like man there's so much more money to for me to get versus that there's. Not that much. And if you can actually journal what I encourage everyone to do is journal out. Why am I feeling this way? How can I face it? And we'll make you feel more comfortable. So without sumo specifically, we had a hundred thousand a month bill every month, every month. And I honestly was just like I was really scared, like one if it fails it's embarrassing again, these people are all counting on me, and I don't want to do this business. And so what helped me go from that scarcity of like, god, I gotta fire everyone is what would make me feel abundant. What does that scenario look like coming back to dan painting that picture? What makes me feel abundant and what I realize is I just want to break even. And I said, all right, well, let me fire some people and cut my cost to a point that I actually feel I could break even easily enough that I feel good about it. And then once we got to that level was easy for me to grow and run the business again.
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a Creativelive Student
I've been following Noah for a few years and have been lucky enough to get a couple of my courses promoted on AppSumo. Noah is simply the man. It has been awesome to see his evolution into a now a fantastic public speaker and motivator. Although I already have a successful business and are very happy in general this seminar was a treat to watch. It's amazing to see Noah basically change the lives of some of the participants and pushing them to start or improve their businesses, all live! This course should be a must watch in all schools or for anyone thinking to start a business but not knowing where to start. Turns out starting and validating a business idea is much simpler than you think. The main barrier to take the first step is our own fears and Noah does a fantastic job helping people overcoming those fears and helping them get closer to whatever their dreams are. Please do yourself a favor and watch this. If you don't get any value from it send me and email at miguel@grumomedia.com and I'll refund you myself for the course. In other words it is NOT possible not to get your money's worth. Kudos to Noah and the amazing CreativeLive team!
Tanya McGill Freeman
Absolutely awesome! As usual, and congruent with everything Noah does, he delivers wayyy beyond your expectations with this course. Noah is uniquely brilliant at understanding what it takes to be wildly successful in today's world of entrepreneurialism, AND he's gifted at being able to teach what he knows to others in a way that's simple, easy for them to grasp and take swift action on. On top of everything, he never fails to deliver his content/lessons with genuine presence, warmth and light-hearted humor. Yes...biz can be FUN, especially with Noah. I can't recommend this course and his other work enough. If you want to learn from someone who truly cares, he's your guy.
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