Your First Dollar

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Make Your First Dollar Inside Thirty Days

EdDale

30Days–YourFirstDollarPrintedby:90-MinuteBooks302MartiniqueDriveWinterHaven,FL33884www.90minutebooks.comCopyright©2017EdwardDalePublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaBookID:161205-00632ISBN-13:978-1945733505ISBN-10:1945733500Nopartsofthispublicationmaybereproducedwithoutcorrectattributiontotheauthorofthisbook.Formoreinformationon90-MinuteBooksincludingfindingouthowyoucanpublishyourownleadgeneratingbook,visitwww.90minutebooks.comorcall(863)318-0464

Here’sWhat’sInside…Introduction......................................................1

WhyDon’tMorePeopleHaveSuccessSellingOnline?..................................6

AThrivingBusinessinaTopicYouLove!8

SolveYourTribe’sProblems,HelpThemGetWhereTheyWanttoGoandGetPaidWellforIt!..............................................10

HavingFun!......................................................11

TheElephantintheRoom..........................12

“IDon’tWanttoBeaGuru!”.......................15

EverythingYou’veReadAboutProductivityisWrong…ForYou...............16

LearningfromTheChallenge.....................17

The4TypesofEntrepreneursandTheWayTheyActisSuperDifferent...............18

InstallingYoureOS—TheEntrepreneurOperatingSystem..........................................19

WhyWorkingonYourWeaknessesisCrazy..............................................................21

OnceYouActinAlignment,EverythingHardandEnergySappingBecomesEasy..................................................23

Let’sLookattheAlternative......................24

TheEntrepreneurialOperatingSystem.26

TheKolbeExperiment.................................28

PlaytoYourStrengths!................................33

InstallingeOS..................................................38

TheZeigarnikEffect......................................48

ResearchTheMarket...................................65

SmallerisBetter............................................79

ThePowerofSingleTargetMarkets.......82

UnderstandtheMarket...............................89

FacebookGroups...........................................95

BuildingaTribe...........................................108

OfferingProductsandServices..............122

MakingYourFirstDollar..........................129

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Introduction30Days–YourFirstDollar!Theideaforthisbookwasplantedmorethan12yearsago,whenIhadjustsoldmybusinessandIfoundmyselfinNewYorkatStarbucksinTrumpTower.ItwasthedayafterthesecondseasonofTheApprenticehadwrappedandIwassittingattheStarbucksonthemezzaninelevel.IwasreadingabookIjustpickedupcalledHowtoWriteaNovelin30Days,whichturnedouttobeabookaboutNationalWriter’sMonth.Thetitleintriguedme,I’dalwayswantedtowriteabook.Atthesametime(SQUIRREL)IwasalsoreadinganunauthorizedbiographyofSteveJobs.Iwasalsofeelingprettygood;I’dalsojustsoldoneofmybusinesses!Iwassittingtherethinkingaboutallthesethings:TheApprentice,NationalWriter’sMonth,whereyouwriteanovelin30daysandSteveJobscrytotheoriginalMacTeam“Let’smakeadentintheuniverse.Itgotmethinking...,makingmoneyonlinewasallabout“MakeMoneybysellingmystuffonhowtomakemoneytootherpeople”.Istartedtothink,“WhatifIcouldshowpeoplehowtomake$1onlinein30days?”TheChallengewasbornrightthereandtheninStarbucksatTrumpTowerandnow,12years

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later,over400,000peoplehavegottentheirstartonanonlinebusinesswithTheChallenge.ThisbookisaculminationofallthelessonslearnedwhileteachingTheChallenge,withthebonusofhavingallthelatestgroundbreakingresearchonbehaviouralpsychologyandneurosciencemakingiteasierthaneverforyouforyoutomakeyourfirstdollarregardlessofyourlearningstyleandcurrentsituation.Havealookwherewearetoday.Lookatjobsecurity,wellthereisn’tjobsecurity.Theonlywayyoucanbecertainyouknowwhereyournextmoneyiscomingfromisifyou’reincontrolofthesource—ifyou’recaptainofyourownship.Startingyourownbusinesshasalwaysbeenconsideredariskythingtodo.Now,it’stheonlywayisforyoutobetotallyincharge.Youshouldbetheonlyonecapableoffiringyourselffromyourownbusiness.Believeitornot,that’sprobablyagoalyoushouldhaveatsomepointintime.Peoplesay,“Whatabouttherisk?”Whatyou’lllearninthisbook,withthetools,technology,andtheimplementationresearchthat’savailabletoyou-whichwe’vedistilleddowntokeyactionpointsinthisbook-startingabusinessonthesideandgrowingitsrevenuetoreplaceyourdayjobincomehasneverbeenmoreachievable,faster,orlessriskythaneverbefore.

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TheotherreasonI’mexcitedtosharethismaterialwithyouisIthinkifyou’regoingtodesignabusinessforyourself,itshouldbefunforyou.Whowrotetherulethatsaiditcouldn’tbefun?Oneofthebiggestreasonsit’snotfunisyou’retryingtofollowsomebodyelse’splan.Asyou’lldiscoverlaterinthisbook,therearedifferenttypesofentrepreneurs.Someofyoureadingthiswilllovetheideaofcreatingvideosforyourtribe.Someofyoureadingthiswouldratherslamanappendageinacardooratjustthethoughtofstandinginfrontofacameraandyou’llbemiserableintheprocessoftrying.You’regoingtolearnaboutyoureOS,(yourentrepreneurialoperatingsystem).Ifyoudon’tgetthecorrecteOSforyou—whichisaplayonthewordiOS(yourphoneoperatingsystem)—despiteyourbestefforts,you’llfail.Ifyougoagainstyourcorewiring,you’llmakeyourselfmiserable.TheflipsideisinstalltherighteOSforyouandyou’llachievemoreinthenext30daysthanyouthoughtpossible.Theotherreasonfortowritethisbookismydesireforyoureadingittounderstandthedifferencea$100,000businessmakes.IwastravelingearlierintheyearonasubwaytoNewYorkuptowatchthemusicalHamilton.Inoticedthisguystaringatmeabit.AsIwenttogetoffhegotup,cameuptomeandaskedme,“AreyouEdDale?YourChallengechangedmylife!”Itwas

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extraordinary,Iwasthousandsofmilesawayfrommyhomeandsomebodyrecognizedmeonthesubway.AttheProBloggerConferenceontheGoldCoastinAustralia,amotherandhercollege-ageddaughterapproachedmeandsaid,“Ed,Ijusthavetothankyou.Iwasatrockbottom,justbeendivorcedandlostmybusinessandhadayoungdaughtertogetthroughschool.IdidTheChallenge,andthankstoyou,IwasabletobuildmybusinessbackupandputmydaughterthroughUniversity.”Imentionthisnottoblowmyowntrumpet—andIgrantyou,Isoundabitobnoxious—buttoexplainwhyIdothiswork.Look,themillionsandtheflashycars,allwellandgood,andquitetrue,butIknowtherealdifferencecreatinga$100,000businessinthenext12monthscanmeantoyou.ItmaynotbesexyandI’dsellalotmorecopiesofthisbookifIhighlightedmystudentswhomadeamilliondollarsinthosesame12months.Iknowifyouapplythelessonsinthisbook,a$100,000-a-yearbusinessistotallyrealisticandthat’sifyou’reonlyworkingpart-time.Iknowwhatarealdifferenceanextracoupleofthousanddollarsdoestothefamilybudgeteachmonth.That’swhatIwantforyou.

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Enjoythebook!Iknowitwillconvinceyoutorealize,ifyou’vetriedtostartyourownonlinebusinessandithasn’tworkedout,it’sbecauseyou’veusedthewrongoperatingsystem.It’snotyourfault.Mostoftheproductivityadviceyou’veeverreadisdeadwrongforentrepreneurslikeyou.I’llexplainwhythisislaterinthebook,andit’sarevelation.Basedonthis,you’regoingtochooseamarketandgetmoredoneinamonththanyoudreamedpossible.Youaregoingtoyourselfuptoworkinamarketyou’repassionateaboutandearnyourfirstdollarandthenmore.Ihopethisbookinspiresyoutocreateabusinessthatwithinayearreplacesyourincomeandgivesyouflexibility,freedom,andfulfillment,nottomentionfuntolivethelifeyoudeserve.Whenyoudo,Ihopeyouletsomeoneelseknowthere’sadifferentpathandyoushowittothem.ToYourSuccess!Ed Dale

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WhyDon’tMorePeopleHaveSuccessSellingOnline?Ifyou’vepickedupthisbook,you’veprobablytriedmakingmoneybefore.Thismaynotbethefirsttimeyou’reconsideringcreatingabusinessandbranchingoutonyourown.Formanyofyou,thisisnotyourfirstrodeo.You’vealwayshadthestreakofanentrepreneur,butforwhateverreason,you’renotwhereyouwanttobe.ThisisthestoryofhundredsofthousandsofstudentsofTheChallengeoverthelastdecade.Thisbookisgoingtoshowyouwhythedeckhasbeenstackedagainstyouandyoudon’tknowwhy.I’msoexcitedtoshowyou.Mostpeopleareworkinginajobthatchoosesthem.AlotofpeoplewhodoTheChallengearesickofthebusinessthey’rein.Let’sfaceit,mostofuspickedourcareerwhenwewereateenager.Orworse,we’rejustfulfillingthewishesandvisionsofyourparents.Youdidn’thavemuchofasay.Youmaybeverysuccessfulandatthattopofyourfield.Thetroubleis,theviewisn’tthatexciting.Worse,withtheresponsibilityyouhave,you’reworking60hoursaweek.Toputitbluntly,you’remiserable.Theremustbeabetterwayandthegoodnewsisyou’rereadingitnow.

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Mostofyouwanttobeyourownboss.Inamassivestudyweconductedacoupleyearsago,oneofthekeyreasonspeoplewanttohavetheirownbusinessistheywanttobetheonewhomakethecallsandreapsthebenefits.Youdon’tlikebeinghandedabunchofpoofromaboveandbeforcedtodancetosomeoneelse’stune.Youdon’thaveasenseofbeingincontrolofyourowndestinyandit’seatingyouslowlyfromtheinside.Thankgoodnessthere’sasolution.Youmightbeinarutwithyourexistingbusiness.Quiteafewofyoumadetheleapintodoingyourownthing,butit’splateaued.You’vegotthefeelingoftreadingwater.You’reexperiencingthefeastandfamineeffectofservicingandgettingclients.Maybeyoualreadyhaveanonlinebusinessandit’sjustnotgrowinglikeyouhoped.I’mgladyou’rehere.ManypeopleuseTheChallengeasspringtraining.Theopportunitytorevieweverythingandconcentrateonthefundamentals.You’renotgoingtowasteyourtimeandyouknowhowyoustrugglewithoutsourcingandgettingtherightpeopleonyourteam.We’regoingtosolvethatstraightup.

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AThrivingBusinessinaTopicYouLove!Thisbook’sgoingtohelpyoudesignandarchitectabusinessthatdeliversconstantcashflow,buildingupto$100,000inthefirst12months.I’llexplainwhythisissuchakeynumberlaterinthebook.Iwantittobeinamarketyouloveandyouarethrilledtoworkineachday.Youlovetellingyourfriendsaboutyournewbusinessandyou’remakingarealdifferencetoyourtribe’slives.Workingwhenyouwantinthestyleyouwant.Ofcourse,oneofthewaysyoucouldmakedoubletheincomeisworkdoublethehours.Thisisnotagoodidea.Ithinktheideaofacompletelypassivebusinessisalsocompleterubbish.Yougobackpackingfor12monthsandIguaranteeyou’llcomebacktoasmokingruin.Youshouldbeabletogoawayforafewweeksandyoushouldonlydothestuffyoulovedoing.Iwantthebusinesseswearebuildingheretobefun.It’llstretchyou;there’llbechallengingdays.ThisisnotaBarbiemovie.However,thewholepointofdoingyourownthingistoarchitectabusinessthewayyouwanttodoit.MyAussiemarketingcolleague,JamesSchramko,manageshisentirethrivingbusinessbetweensurfingsessionsonhismobilephone.

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Hemakessureifthereissomethingtobedone,hecreatesaframeworktoworkinSlack,anawesometeamcommunicationsprogramdesignedformobile.DeanJackson,whoyou’llbehearingalotaboutthroughoutthecourseofthebook,hasdesignedhisbusinessso,intheory,hecouldputonabigpairofmittensandhe’dstillbeabletodohiswork.He’sthecowthat’sproducingthemilk.He’snotreallyacow,I’veswitchedintousingoneofhismetaphors.Hewandersthefieldeatinggrassandattheendofthedaywandersintotheshedtobemilked.Histeamhandlesthepasteurizingofthemilk,thetransport,thebottling,thedistribution,andthesaleofthemilk.Toomanyentrepreneursaretryingtodoitall.Thisisstoppingthemfromdeliveringanything.“Now,Ed,areyougoingtotalktomeaboutoutsourcing?Pleasedon’t.Iknow.”WhenIbringthisupatanyofmyworkshops,peoplegetangry.Igetit.Here’sthething,there’sonethingyoudon’tdothatmakesallthedifferenceinbuildingateam.Nooutsourcingcourseteachesthisbecausetheexcellentpeoplewhoaregreatatoutsourcingmakeupabout3%ofentrepreneurs.Inthisbook,I’llrevealwhyandit’llchangeeverythingforyou.

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SolveYourTribe’sProblems,HelpThemGetWhereTheyWanttoGoandGetPaidWellforIt!Here’sabigpointIwantyoutounderstand.Youdon’thavetobeanexperttohelpyourtribesolvetheirproblemsandgetthemwheretheywanttogo.Ifyou’reconstantlyidentifyingcoolpeopledoinginterestingthingsinyourniche,yourinfluencegrows.OprahbecamethehighestpaidTVpersonalitythroughherskillswithidentifyinginterestingthingsforheraudiencetheywouldappreciateandlearnfrom.Shebroughttheexpertstoheraudienceandherinfluencebecamelegendary.IfyourbookwastalkedaboutonOprah,youhadaguaranteedNewYorkTimesbestseller.I’mgoingtoshowyouthewaytheexpertsinyournichearegoingtolovetalkingtoyou,howsimplechecklistsonhowtosolveaspecificpaininyourmarketwillgetyoubuildingyourtribeasfastaspossible.Itwon’thappenovernight,butitwillhappen.

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HavingFun!There’snopointdoinganyofthisifyou’renotenjoyingdoingit.Itmaybehardtobelieverightnow,butyoucanwakeupexcitedtogetinandhelpyourtribe.It’sbecausewe’vedesignedabusinessyouwanttobeinwhereyou’reincontrol,doingjustthethingsyouwanttodo.Youwanttobeabletoworkfromanywhere.Oneofthegreatthingsaboutanonlinebusinessisyoucanrunitfromanywhere.IonceinterviewedMaryBartnikowski,thepublisherofVagabondMagazine.ShewasspeakingtomeonWi-FifromasmallteashopinNepal.Shewaspublishinghermagazineandphotographingtheworld.Shewasnotmakingmillions,butherbusinesscoveredheroutgoingsandallowedhertotravelwhereshewanted.LasttimeIchecked,shewasteachingphotographyandyogaandhelpingpeopleorganizetheirowntraveladventuresfromHawaii.I’mwritingthisonmyiPadProinoneofmyfavoritecoffeeshophaunts.Justbeingabletoworkwhereverisawesome.Isometimeslikeworkinginpubliclibrariesjustforachangeofscenery.Thisflexibilityisoneofthefirsttangiblebenefitsyou’llgetinyourbusiness.

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TheElephantintheRoomIthinkyouwillbelievemewhenIsayoneofthemostfrustratingthingsisseeingtheprocessworkingforsomeoneelsebutitdoesn’tworkforyou.Here’stheelephantintheroom.You’vetriedthisbefore.You’vefollowedthesteps.YoumayhaveeventriedTheChallengeanditjusthasn’tworkedforyouinthesamewayasthepersonwhocreatedthecourseortheYouTubevideoyou’rewatching.Thisproblemhasobsessedmeoverthepastfewyears.Inthelasttwoyears,Ifinallycrackedit,andinthisbook,I’llshowyouwhyit’shappenedtoyouandhowyoucanfixit.Lifehappens.Somethingcomesupandyounevercomeback.Youstartoffearnestlyandatsomepoint,lifegetsintheway.DoyouknowhowmanytimesI’vestuckwithaNewYear’sresolutiononlytohaveitbustopenatEaster?AllthosechocolateEastereggs,yum.Yougetbusyatwork,youhaveamassiveprojectdue,thekidsareattheirendoftheyearconcerts.Thiscouldbegoodstuff,likevacationsandholidays.Orbadstuff,likeatragicevent.Intheend,allofthisderailsthebest-laidplans.IwishIcouldsaythesewillstopafteryoureadthisbook.Thatwouldbeawesomebutfalse.However,whatifweacceptedthatstuffhappens(seehowIcleanedthatup)andwehadasystem

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whichtookthisintoaccountandcouldgetyoubackontrackinjust60minutes?Doesn’tthatmakesense?Justlikegettingyoursmartphonetostartworkingagainproperlybyturningitoffandon,weneedtocreateanentrepreneurialoperatingsystemallowingyoutoreboot.Willyouwasteyourtimecommittingtosomethingonlytohaveitfail?Thirty-fivepercentofyoureadingthishaveaveryspecificchallenge.HowdoIknowit’s35%ofyou?I’llrevealshortly.Youloveresearchingyourmarket,youlovelearningaboutallthisbusinessstuff,youlovereadingthisrightnow.You’llfilloutquestionnaires.Youlovetheplanningandresearch,butwhenitcomestopushingthebuttontoselectamarkettocommitto,pushingthebuttononaFacebookcampaign,orhittingpublishonyourfunnel,youfreeze.“Whatifit’snotright?Whatifitdoesn’twork?Ineedtobecertainthisthingisgoingtowork.I’msickofdoingthingsthatdon’twork.”Youendupnotstartingandyougobacktomorefactfinding.Look,thisisnotsomethingtobeashamedof.IwishIhadthatfactcheckinginstinct.I’mmoreofaYOLOpersonandhopefully-the-mess-will-be-cleaned-up-latertypeofaguy.However,youcanonlyberightorwronginhindsight.

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There’snowayofknowingifthemarketisrightunlessyougetinthereandtestit.Samewiththosefunnelsandmarketingcampaigns.Whatiftherewereawaytoharnessallthefactfindingandresearchtogetyoumovingforwardwithalevelofcertainty?Goodnews,youjustneedtherightoperatingsysteminstalled.Ifyouusedmypersonaloperatingsystemit’dbeadisaster.Readon.

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“IDon’tWanttoBeaGuru!”Oneofthegreatattractionsofanonlinebusinessisyoudon’thavetodealwithpeople.Itmaybeasurprisetoyou,butI’mhappiestwhenI’mbymyself.I’manintrovertatheart.I’mcomfortable,infact,Ilovespeakingtootherpeopleonstageorinvideo,butIstruggleabitone-on-onewithpeopleIdon’tknow.Itturnsoutwhenwedidourstudyandcomparedthecharacteristicsofdifferenttypesofentrepreneurs,beingcomfortableinfrontofacrowdoracamerasuitsonlyabout60%ofyou.Fortypercentofyouwouldprefertobebehindthecamera.Here’sthekillerthing:thetruthisyou’rewiredthisway.It’snotsomethingyoucanchange.Youmaybeoneofthemanyentrepreneurswho’vemadethemselvesmiserabletryingtobesomeonethey’renot.Here’sthegoodnews:youdon’thavetobeaguru.Youdon’thavetobeinfrontofthecamera.Oneofmymostsuccessfulstudentsofalltimecreatescoachingprogramsforparentswhovolunteertobekids’sportsteamcoaches.Theyoperateunderapseudonym,justlikeSting,Bono,andEltonJohn,andhaveneverhadtheirfaceanywhere.Weneedtodesignabusinessthatsuitsyou.Ifyoudon’twanttobethefaceofyourbusiness,youdon’thavetobe.Wewilldesignabusinessjustrightforyou.

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EverythingYou’veReadAboutProductivityisWrong…ForYouHere’stheproblem,ifyou’reanentrepreneur,andifyou’vegottenthisfar,haveyounoticedhowyou’vestruggledtoimplementaproductivitysystemthatsticks?Onethatworksforyouandmakesyoufeelincontrolofthesituation?Thereareonly3%ofyoureadingwhowillansweryestothisquestion.That’sright,3%ofyou.Thiswasperhapsthemostdramaticfindingofourresearch.Theentrepreneurialprofileis,literally,theoppositeendofthespectrumtothosewhocanmaintainandkeepaproductivitysystem.Allthosebooks,Daytimers,apps,andcoursesandnothingsticks.It’snotyourfault.Thetruthis,theverythingthatmakesyouanentrepreneuristhethingwhichwillkeepyoufromeverimplementingaproductivitysystem.Whatdoesthismean?Isitallhopeless?AmItofeeloutofcontrolandredliningforever?Fortunately,no.Youjustneedtherighttypeofentrepreneurialoperatingsysteminstalled.Youalsoneedasystemcreatedinpost-World-War-TwoJapanandperfectedbyabunchofsoftwarenerdswhorealizedtherehadtobeabetterway.I’vebeenusingthiswithmyclientsforthelasttwoyearsand,bluntly,thisisthemostimportantworkI’veeverdone.Thedifferenceitcreatesinhowyouworkisgamechanging.

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LearningfromTheChallengeHowdidIfigureallthisout?Truthis,Ifiguredverylittleofthis.Iwasextremelyluckytohavethelargestgroupofonlineentrepreneursontheplanet,myawesomechallengers.Iwasexposedtoaremarkabletestwhichallowsyoutodiscoverandworktoyourstrengthsandspentthelastfewyearsdevelopingsomeverysuccessfulsoftwareformobiledevices.Itwasthecrazyintersectionofthosedisconnectedworldswhichhelpedmefigureouttheconceptofanentrepreneurialoperatingsystemand,crucially,thefacttherearefourtypesofoperatingsystem.WhydidsomepeoplefailandsomepeoplesucceedwiththeChallenge?WhileitwasverygratifyingtoseethenumberofpeoplewhowerestartingTheChallenge,formeitwasalwaysaboutimplementationandfinishingthatwasimportant.Themorepeoplewhofinishedeachyear,thebetter.Thetroubleis,thesuccessrateforyourstandardonlinecourseislessthan5%.TheMagCastcoursewecreatedafewyearsagohadanindustrysmashingrateof33%ofpeoplepublishingaMagCastattheendofthecourse.Thetroublewiththisis67%didn’t.Notthattheywereunhappy,refundrateswereatanall-timelowforthisproject,peoplelovedtheprogram,butforwhateverreason,lifegotintheway.

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The4TypesofEntrepreneursandTheWayTheyActisSuperDifferentAsitturnsout,therearefourcoretypesofentrepreneursandtheyallactverydifferently.YoutrytofollowacoursecreatedbyadifferenttypeofentrepreneurwithadifferenteOS,entrepreneurialoperatingsystem,andifyoutrytofollowtheirstepstotheletter,you’llfinditincrediblyhard,demotivating,andworse,yourself-confidencewilltakeabighit,makingithardertosaddleupforthenextthing.IfyouknowwhatyoureOSis,youcantranslate.Youcanstilldothecourse,butnowyou’llknowhowtomodifyitsoitbecomesmucheasierforyoutoimplement.IjustwishI’ddiscoveredthisearlierinTheChallenge.Fortunately,weknowthisnowandthisbookisgoingtohelpyoufigureoutwhattypeofoperatingsystemyouneed.We’llinstallitcorrectlyandgetyoutherightappsforyoutobesuccessfulandactwithaneaseyouhaven’texperiencedbefore.

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InstallingYoureOS—TheEntrepreneurOperatingSystemEveryproductivitysystemyou’vetriedhasnotstuck.There’sareasonforthis.Whyhaven’tproductivityandorganizationsystemsstuckforyou?Itturnsoutthevastmajorityofentrepreneursarewiredtobeanti-process.They’regoodatfindingshortcutsand65%ofussufferfromsevere“squirrel”syndrome.We’relikeLarry,mydog,whenheseesasquirrel.Itdoesn’tmatterwhathewasdoingbefore,whenheseesasquirrel,he’schasingthesquirrel.I’moneofthe65%whoisinthiscategory.Here’sthethingyouneedtorealize.Allofuscanmakeawesomeentrepreneurs,wejustmusthavetherightoperatingsysteminstalled.Weneedtostoptryingtoworkonourweaknessesandfocusonandcelebrateourstrengths.Entrepreneursareuniqueto5%ofthepopulation.Onceyourealizethisandinstallthecorrectoperatingsystem,everythingchanges.Thevastmajorityofpeopleworkverydifferentlythanwedo.Thisiswhyoutsourcingandmanagingpeoplehasbeensohardforyou.Thepeoplewhocreateproductivitysystemsaretheoppositeofentrepreneurs.

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Note,theyareentrepreneurstoo,they’rejustthesuperrare—threeinevery100entrepreneurswhoexhibitthecharacteristicsoftheseproductivityexperts.Nobody’swronghere.Thisisnotsomethingyouneedtofix.Infact,onceyourealizeyou’llneverbeaproductivityexpertandacceptyouroperatingsystem,you’llsavesomuchcreativeenergyandstarttoreallyenjoywhatyou’redoing.

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WhyWorkingonYourWeaknessesisCrazyWhenIfirststartedworkingwiththeKolbeIndex(I’llexplainwhatthisisinatick),thethingthatslappedmeupsidetheheadwashearingKathyKolbe,thefounder,talkaboutwastedenergyassomeoneactingagainsttheirinherentnature.Thiswasarevelation.See,I’mlearningeveryday,too.Iwasworkingwithaprivateclientacoupleyearsago,andshewasinanichewhichwouldbeperfectforaYouTubechannel;ImeanPerfect.Iwassuperexcitedandcreatedanentirestrategyforher.WhenIpresentedtheconceptinourweeklysession,Icouldhearthehesitation.Sheunderstoodmyreason,andIfigured—completelyincorrectly,asitturnsout—she’dgetusedtothevideo.Afterall,Ifounditsupereasytodovideo,shejustneededtoworkatit.Shereallytried,butdoingthevideosmadehermiserableIfonlyIhadknownwhatIknownow.Heroperatingsystemwassuitedtowriting,notvideo.WhenI’mworkingwithaprivateclient,ImakesureIgetthemtodoaKolbeIndexsowecandesignabusinessthey’llenjoy.Bytheway,videowascrucialinthismarket,soshestartedwritingscripts,whichsheloved.WegotpeopleonFiverr,awebsitethatallowsyoutohire

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peopletodoworkforyouforfivedollars,todotheslidesandvoiceovertogowiththem.I’mcreatingthisbookthroughacombinationofbeinginterviewedandwhenI’mtypingI’vecreatedagameoftypinginshortsprints,whichappealstomysquirrel-likenature.Moreonthislater.

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OnceYouActinAlignment,EverythingHardandEnergy-SappingBecomesEasyWhenyouroperatingsystem’sinstalled,everythingbecomeseasier.You’llstillneedtowork,andbeingstretchedandchallengedisakeypartofthisprocessaswell.There’sneverbeenabettertimetostartanonlinebusinessandworkwithpeoplewhoaregreatwhereyouarenot.Whenyouarchitectabusiness,likewe’regoingtodonow,youcreateitsoyou’lleventuallyonlydothethingsyoulove.Sure,rightnowyoumayhavetodoeverything,butatleastwecanmakeagameoutoftheareasyou’renotsogoodat.Forexample,mytimerjustwentoffsoIshouldstoptypingandIgettoplay10minutesofClashRoyaleasmyreward.

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Let’sLookattheAlternativeIreadanarticleintheHeraldSunjusttheotherday,whichismylocalnewspaper.Itpointedoutthehighestpaidpersonwhoispaidasalaryisaneurosurgeon.Neurosurgeonsearnoverahalfamilliondollarsayear.Itoccurredtomethatpeoplethink,“I’llbeadoctorandI’llmakeawholebunchofmoney.”Thinkaboutthepathtoadoctor;inTheUnitedStates,youneedtostartdoingextracurricularactivities,youneedtobestartingtostudyandtakingtutorsfromtheageof10.Youbasicallydon’thavealifefromtheageof10becauseforyoutogetintotherightmedicalschools,foryoutobeabletoearnthebigmoneyasaneurologist,youmustbeinthetop.01%.Not1%,.01%.Fromtheageof10,youhaven’thadanysortoflifeatall.Thenyouhavesevenyearsofresidencyandworking36-hourpunishmentshifts.Thefirstyearoutafterliterally15yearsofstudy,education,goingtocollege,andresidency,theaveragewageforadoctoris$72,000.That’sright,$72,000and,bytheway,yourcollegedebtsareinthemultiplesixfigures.Thisisthejourneyofadoctor.I’maskingyoutogivemeayearofworking30minutesadayatthestarttocreateabusinesswhichcouldgenerateyoumorethanwhatadoctorearns

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aftertheywork15years.ThisiswhatIwantyoutofocuson.Givemeamonthtomakeyourfirstdollarandayeartomakeyourfirst$100,000.Fromthereyougoforward,andthat’sworkingpart-time.First,weneedtoinstallyourentrepreneurialoperatingsystem.

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TheEntrepreneurialOperatingSystemPerhapsthegreatestmiraclewe’veallbeenexposedtoisthethingthat’sprobablywithineasyreachofyourightnow:yoursmartphone.Thesmartphoneisanamazingdevice.You’vegotmorecomputingpowerinthatonephonethanexistedontheplanetupto1985.It’sextraordinary.Whatmakesasmartphoneandwhyisthisappropriateforanentrepreneurandyourownoperatingsystem?Forasmartphonetowork,forittodoitsthing,forittodoalltheawesomethingsthatyouwantittodo,therearethreeelementsthatitshouldhave.Thefirstisitmusthavetherightoperatingsystem.Ifyou’vegotaniPhonethat’siOS.IfyouhaveanAndroidsmartphonethatisAndroid.Ifyou’reoneofthefewpeoplewhohasaBlackberryorWindowsmobilephone,theyhavetheirownrespectiveoperatingsystemsaswell.IfyoutrytorunAndroidonanApplephone,thenyou’vegotallsortsofproblems;it’snotgoingtowork.Justhavingtheoperatingsystembyitselfdoesnothing.Thephoneitselfdoesnothing.ItneedstheOS,itcan’tfunctionwithoutit,butwithoutapps,thephonedoesnothing.Youneedtoinstalltheappstobeabletodowhatyouwanttodo.

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Then,ofcourse,justtheappssittingonthephonereallymeannothingunlessyouusetheapps.Ifyoucanimagineapyramid,thefoundationofthepyramidistheoperatingsystembecauseifyoudon’thavethefoundation,you’vegotnothing.Thenthereareappsandthenatthetop,youhavetousethem.Guesswhat.Yourentrepreneurialoperatingsystemisexactlylikethat.Ifyoutrytoinstall“Android”andyou’reaniPhonetypeentrepreneur,thennothing’sgoingtowork.Thisiswhat’shappeningwithpeopletryingtobuildabusiness.Therearefourdifferenttypesofentrepreneurialoperatingsystem,oreOS.Ifyou’reusingthewrongone,thenitdoesn’tmatterwhatcourses,whicharelikeapps,orhowyouact,youwillnotgettherightresultbecauseyourfoundationiswrong.

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TheKolbeExperimentIt’snotthelackofapps,it’snotthelackoftechniques,it’snotthelackofcoursesthat’sgotyou.It’swillpower,energymanagement,andactingtoyourstrengthsthat’sthekey.HowdowediscoveroureOS?Well,thisiswheretheKolbeIndexcomesintothepicture.Severalyearsago,IwasintroducedtotheKolbeIndex.Ihatepersonalitytests,Ireallydo.I’venevertakenanIQtestbecauseI’mterrifiedoftheresults.TheKolbeIndexAtestisdifferentbecauseitdoesn’ttalktoyouaboutyouremotionalcircumstancesorhowsmartyouare.Itjustfiguresoutthewayyouactandwhatyourstrengthsarewhenyouact.It’sunique.WhenItookit,itwasperhapsthemostcomfortingtestI’devertakenbecauseit’slikeKathyKolbe,whocreatedtheIndex,waslookingovermyshoulder.Youknow,sometimesyouneedpeopletobeabletotellyouwhatyoushouldknow,butyou’retooclosetoit.That’swhattheIndexwaslikeforme.Now,shedoesn’tknowmefromabarofsoapbutshewasabletodefine,justbymeanswering15minutesofquestions,thatIenjoyedspeakingoffthecuff,thatIenjoyedworkingwithvideo,thatIreallystruggledwithwritingandIhadstartedmanyproductivitysystemsinmylifeandnoneofthemhadeverstuck.Itwascrazy.Itwaslikeshewasthisamazingmindreader!

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IdiscoveredIwasa“squirrel”entrepreneurialtype.Iwassomebodywho’squicktoact,didn’tliketobehemmedinwithprocesses,andjustneededthebasicfactstogetstarted.AsIwasexcitedaboutthisKolbeIndex,Iwondered,“Whatifwedidatestwith200Challengers?Let’sjustseeifeverybodyislikeme,oraretheydifferent?”Thiswasreallyintriguing,sowedidtheresearch.Ofallthehundredsofpossibilities,aKolbeIndexnumberismadeupoffourdigitsandtheyindicatehowyouactinfourareas-factfinder,followthrough,quickstart,andimplementor.Yougetafour-digitnumber.Mineis4-1-9-4,whichmeansI’maveryhighquickstartandaverylowfollowthrough.AsKathypointsout,therearenowrongprofiles.Therearenobadprofiles,it’sjusthowyouareandit’showyouact.WhenIthinkaboutit,it’showI’vealwaysactedsinceIwasakid.Whatdoesthismean?WhenwedidTheChallengetest,theresultswereastoundingbecauseofthehundredsandhundredsofcombinationsitturnsouttherewerefour,threemajoronesandoneveryrareone,thatmadeupourtestingbase,ofChallengers.Thiswasanextraordinaryresult.Whatwasfascinatingwasthedifferenttypeshadcompletelydifferentapproaches.Iftheytriedtofollowtheapproachoftheother,usetheir

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operatingsystem,ifyouwill,oftheothertypeofentrepreneur,itwouldcausethemallsortsofmisery.Thiswasthediscovery.Whataretheentrepreneurialtypes?Wellthefirstone,whichismyoneand,bytheway,about65%ofyoureadingthis,iscalledsquirrelgroup.AsI’vementioned,thisisthetypepersonwhoisquickandexcitedtotrythings,perhapseasilydistractedbybaublesandobjects,whichiswhyIcallitsquirrel,andalwayslookingforshortcuts.You’relookingforwaystobuckthesystem.Ifyoumustturnupanddothesamethingeverysingledayyoubecomemiserable.You’vetriedalotofproductivitysystemsinthepastandnothing’severstuck.Youlovestartingthem,yougetveryexcitedstartingthem,butnothingsticks.You’requitehappytotryexperimentsandyou’realwaysexcited,butmaybeyoudon’ttracktheresults.Maybeyoudon’trealizewhatthevalue,butifyoutrytofollowasetofprocessessetoutbysomeoneelse,you’regoingtostruggleunlessyouknowhowtomanageyournatureandknowhowtouseyouroperatingsystem.Thirtypercentofyouarewhatwecall“researchaddicts”.Thisismycolorfultermforyou.Now,you’retheoppositetome,butIloveyouguysandyouarejustasgoodentrepreneurs.It’simportanttoemphasize,whereveryoufit,you’regoingtobeagreatentrepreneur.Thisisnota

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judgement;it’sjusthowyouact.Onceyoustartactingthewayyoushould,you’regoingtobewaymorecomfortableandeffective!Theresearchaddictissomebodywholovesfactfinding.Theyloveresearching,theylovedoingthecourses,theylovestudyingandreallyenjoytheprocessofunderstandingamarketandunderstandingtheneedsofamarket.They’regreat,butunfortunately,theyalsohavearelativelylowfollowthrough.Thatmeansthatstickingwithprocesses,they’remuchbetterat,butthey’refarmorelikelytobecomfortablewriting.Theymuchprefertobebehindthescenes,behindthecamera,thaninfrontoftheit.They’drathernottalkoffthecuff.They’dratherplanwhattheyshouldsay.Again,completelyoppositefromme,buttherearelotsofhugeadvantagestothattoo.Theresearchaddictmakesabout30%ofentrepreneurs.Another5%iswhatIcallthe“processking”.Theseare,inKolbeterms,highfactfindersandhighfollow-throughs.Thesearethepeoplewhoareactuallyreallygoodatunderstandingproductivitysystemsandprobablyhavespentthelastlittlewhile,ifyou’restillwithme,going,“Whatareyoutalkingabout?I’mgoodatmanagingmyto-dolist.Ilovemanagingpeople.I’mreallygoodatthat.

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”Youaregoodatthat,it’sawesome.ThatisfantasticandIenvyyouimmensely.Thechallengeforthehighfactfindersandhighfollow-throughsisgettingyoutostartsomethingnew!Youstrugglewithpushingthegobuttononacampaignorconductinganexperimentoranewfunnelordoinganewadvertisingcampaign.Whenyouhavetogooffscript,whenyoudon’tknowwhattheresultoftheprocessis,itcanbearealfreezemomentforyou.That’sokaytoobecausetherearewaysofworkingaroundthis.Thefourthtype,whichis,asIsay,superrare,ispeoplewhoareinthecategoryof“inventors”.Youhaveahighimplementerscore.Foreveryoneelse–wearenotsogoodwithourhands,notpeoplewhowouldbebuildingandconstructingabunchofstuff.ThereisasmallpercentagewhoaregoodatthisandwhenIasktheyareinevitablyinventortypes.Again,fantastic.Ofcourse,withinventionandinventortypes,theylovemakingthethingsbutthensellingandmarketinganddoingallthetestingistheantithesisofwhatthey’reallabout.Fortunatelyforyou,that’sokay;wecanworkwithyouaswell.

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PlaytoYourStrengths!Here’sthekeypointofallofthis.Ifyouplaytoyourstrengths,you’llhavemoreenergy,morewillpower,andyou’llhavemorefunimplementingwhatyouneedtoimplementtobuildyourbusiness.Unfortunately,ourentireeducationsystemisbuiltaroundworkingonourweaknessesandimprovingthem.Foryears,togiveyouapersonalexample,I’vetriedtowriteabook.I’vetriedandtriedandtried,andI’veneverbeenabletodoit.Iknowit’simportant,peoplehaveaskedmeto.Publishingcompanieshaveofferedmemoneyto.I’vejustneverbeenabletodoit.Irealized,withmyKolbeprofile,thatit’ssomethingIjustdon’thavethenaturalcompetency.Here’stheproblem.WhenIdowrite,itcanbeverygood.I’vehadsomearticlesthathavebeenreadbymillionsofpeople,butit’ssuchastruggleformetodothat.ThankstounderstandingmyeOS,thewayI’mdoingthisbookisbybeinginterviewed,I’mbeingrecorded.This’llbetranscribedandedited,andwe’llcreatethebookthatway.I’vefoundaprocesswhichsuitsmeandmyentrepreneurialnature,andthismightbesomethingthat’llbeveryexcitingtothoseofyoureadingthisbook,asawayofgettingaroundthefactI’veneverbeenabletowriteabookbefore.

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IfIhadn’thadaccesstothisprocess,thenIwouldn’tbedoingthis.It’splayingtomystrengths.Here’sthething:there’sneverbeenabettertimetooutsourceyourweaknesses.NowIknow,becauseofourresearch,ifyouunderstandtherightwaytomanagepeople,there’sneverbeenabettertimetofindpeoplewhocandothestuffthatyou’renotsogoodat.Forthem,it’ssupereasyandit’ssupercheapforyoutobeabletodo.Iknowalotofyoureadingthishavetriedoutsourcingandfailed.There’sagoodreasonforthisandwe’lladdressitlaterinthesystem.Togiveyouanexampleofhowthisworksandhowtheoperatingsystemworks,let’slookattheproductivitysystemjunkie.I’mcertainlyinthiscategory.I’vegotashelffullofproductivitysystems,dayplanners,ofdifferenttypesofdiaries,differentapps,allthesesortsofthings.I’vetrieddozensanddozensanddozensanddozens—hundredsprobably—ofthem.Ilovesettingthemup,butifitcomestofollowingthem,Ijustneveropenthemagain.IhavethingslikeEvernote,whereIcollectthingsstudiously.IputallsortsofweblinksandeverythingintoEvernote,andIneveropeneditagain.It’sjustthestyleIam.Thereareotherpeopleherewhoareresearchers,buttheydon’tactbecausethey’reworriedaboutwastingtheir

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timeorwhatwillhappeniftheygetthewrongresults.Thenthere’stheclassicsituationofbeingsomeonewho’scomfortabledoingvideoorcomfortablewriting.Someonewho’scomfortablewithanoffthecuffstyleorsomeonewhoneedstoplanwhattheyshouldsay.Nowlet’stacklethisoutsourcingproblem.Howcanyoumanagewhenyouhatebeingmanaged?IpromisedI’dtellyouaboutthis.Here’sthething,mostofuswhohavebecomeentrepreneurshavedonesobecausewehatebeingmanaged!Here’sthedeal:ifyouhatebeingmanagedhowcanyoupossiblybeagoodmanager?Right?Itdoesn’tmakesensewhenyouthinkaboutit.Letmesaveyoua$40,000MBArighthere.Here’swhatagreatmanagerdoes.Theyaskthreequestionsofeverypersonintheirteam.Theyask,“Whatdidyoudoyesterday?Whatareyoudoingtoday?Isthereanythingstoppingyoufromdeliveringwhatyoupromisedtodeliveratthestartoftheweek?”Ifyouaskthosethreequestions,youbecomeagreatmanager.Here’sthetrouble,youshouldaskthatofeverysinglepersoninyourorganizationeverysingleday.Apartfromthe3%ofyouwhoarethosehighfollow-throughswhoarereadingthis,wewouldratherslamanappendageinacardoorthandothiseverysingleday.

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Mostofus,becauseweassumepeoplearelikeourselves—that’sacompletelyandnaturalthingtoassume—wethinkthatifwecommit,wedeliver.Ifyou’rereadingthisandyousay,“Ed,IamgoingtodeliveryouthatdesignbyFriday,”you’regoingtodeliverit,byhookorbycrook.MostofuswillprobablyhavetosetouralarmsuperearlyonFridaymorningtorushtocompletewhatwepromisedtodeliver,butwewilldeliverit.Wewillabsolutelydeliverit.Here’sthething:we’re5%ofthepopulation.95%ofthepopulationdoesn’tworklikethis.They’rejustnotwiredlikethat.That’sneithergoodnorbad,itjustis.Howmanytimeshaveyougivenatasktosomebodywho’sanoutsourcerandyousaid,“HaveitdonebyFriday”?Ofcourse,youleavethemtoitbecauseyouhatetobebotheredyourself.Youdon’twantsomebodylookingoveryourshouldereverysinglemomentofthedaybotheringyou.YoujustleavethemaloneandthenwhenyoucontactthemonFridaytoseewherethedesignistheysay,“Ah,sorry,Icouldn’tfindthelog-intotheiStockphotothatIneededtogetthisdesignworking.”“Whendidthishappen?”“Tuesday.”Theyspentthreedaysnotbeingintouchbecauseit’sjustnotnaturalforthemtobeabletoreachoutandcontactyou.

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Thereisasolutiontothisbecausetherearepeoplewhoarewonderfulandlovenothingmorethanreachingouttoyourteameverysingleday.Thatisasubjectforanothertime.Rightnow,ifyourealizethatwhenyouunderstandhowyouwork(youreOS)andthenyoutaketheprocessesyoulearnandapplytheminthestylethatworksforyouusingyouroperatingsystem,everythingchanges.Therestofthisbookwillshowyouhowtoapplyallofthattothecreationofyourownonlinebusiness.HereisthelinktotakeyourownKolbetest:www.yourfirstdollar.com/kolbe

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InstallingeOSIfproductivitysystemsdon’tworkformostpeoplereadingthis,howdowepossiblygetthingsdone?Howdowestayorganized?Thisistheincrediblechallenge.Fortunately,thereisananswer.ItstartedwaybackattheendofWorldWarTwoatthecarcompany,Toyota.NowstaywithmeherebecausehowwegetfromToyota,thecarcompany,toyoubeingmoreproductivethanyou’veeverbeenisafascinatingjourney.AfterWorldWarTwo,Toyotarealizedtheyhadtomakechangesinthewaycarswereproducedbecausequalitywassopoor.Acarwouldgorightthroughthemanufacturinglineandapersonwhowasonthemanufacturinglinewoulddoonejob.They’ddothatonejobtheirwholelife.Theirwholecareermightbeputtingawheelonthecar.Theyneverchangedtheirjob,sotheyjustdidthatonething.Asthecarwouldgothroughtheproductionline,nothingwouldbefixed.Attheend,whenthecarrolledofftheproductionlineataFordfactory,allthedefectswouldbefixedattheendoftheline.Theywouldhaveteamsofengineerswhowerehighlyskilledtobeabletofixallthelittleerrorsandallthelittledefects.

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Toyotarealizedthisdoesn’tmakesense.BeforeToyotathethoughtofstoppingaproductionlinetofixaproblemwasheresy.Ifyoustoppedtheproductionline,yougotsacked.Thelinemustmove.Rawresourcesinoneend,carouttheotherend.Toyotasaid,“No,ifwefixtheproblem,ifweactuallyrestrictthenumberofcarsthatgothroughsothatwefixtheproblemwhenitoccurs,we’llactuallyhavemuchbettercarsandwewillimproveourprocessesovertime.”Thisrevolutionizedcarproductionand,indeed,manufacturingingeneral.Itchangedtheworld.That’swhyToyotabecamethenumberonemostprofitablecarmanufacturerintheworldandtheircarsconsistentlyhavetheleastnumberofdefectsinthem.Now,ofcourse,allcarsaremanufacturedthisway.Howdoesthisrelatetous?Well,weneedtolookattheindustrywhichhasshownthegreatestgrowthinhistory.Ifyoulookatthelastfewyears,there’snoquestionthethingwhichhasshownthemostinnovation,themostadvancement,issoftware.We’vealreadytalkedaboutthemiracleofoursmartphone.Castyourmindback10yearsago,whenaprogramupdatedandanewversioncameout,itwasamajordeal.Itmighthappenevery12months.

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Fastforwardtonow,howmanyupdatesdoyougeteverysingledayonyourphone.Thesoftwareonyourphoneisconstantlyimprovingallthetime.Facebook,forexample,updateseverytwoweekslikeclockwork.Howdoesthishappen?Well,agroupofsoftwaredevelopersin2000hadalookatwhatToyotahaddoneintheirproductionlineininvolvingtheworkplace,gettingpeopletolovetheirjobs,switchingjobsallthetime,makingthemfeelinvolvedwiththewholeprocess,andthought,“Whatifweapplythattosoftware.Woulditwork?”Well,theshortstoryis,itworkedincredibly.Ofcourse,softwareisnotphysical.Youcan’tseewhat’sgoingoninsoftware,sotheyhadtocreateasharedvisualboardsopeoplecouldseewhateverybodyelsewasdoingontheproject,youcouldseewhatwasgoingon.ThatboardwascalledtheKanbanboard,namedaftertheprocessthatToyotausedtotrackpartsthroughtheirsystem.Theyliterallyusedphysicaltickets.Kanbanwasarevolution.YoucouldtellifpartsweregettinglowbecausethecartthatheldthemwasrightnexttotheworkerwhoneededitTheAmericancarcompaniesspentmillionsandmillionsandmillionsofdollarsonsoftwarewhichjusthadtobechangedallthetime.Ofcourse,ittookyearsinthosedaystochangethesoftware,whereasasimpleticketthatsomebodywritesonandyoucouldvisuallylookattheline

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andsay,“Wow,that’swherealltheticketsare.There’sabottleneckrightthere.Weneedtofigureouthowtomakethatbottlenecknotbeabottleneck.”Itwaswaymoreeffectiveandtheycouldmakechangesovernight.Itwouldn’ttaketwoyearstoretoolanentireprocess,sotheycouldaffordtostoptheline.Softwaredeveloperswereabletoapplythisexactsameprocess.Theleanmanifestocreatedarevolutioninsoftwaredevelopment.FromthereJimBensonandTonianneDeMarieBarrywrotethebookPersonalKanban.Jimthought,“Hangon.WhatifItakealltheseprinciplesandapplythemtoindividuals?I’veneverbeenabletogetaproductivitysystemtowork.Ineedtobeabletotrackwhat’sgoingon,butI’veneverbeenabletogetittowork.Idon’tgetit.WhatifKanbanistheanswertothat—avisualwayoftrackingwhatneedstobedone?”PersonalKanbanwasbornandwhenIcameacrossthePersonalKanbanbook,itwasarevelation.Istartedapplyingittomyself.Ifyou’veseenanyofmyvideos,you’llnoticeabovemyshoulder,inthebackofmyofficewhereIcanseeit,isaboardwithabunchofPost-itnotesonit.ThatismyKanbanboard.IfyouimplementtheKanbanboard,asnowhundredsandhundredsofmystudentshave,andallmyprivateclientshave,youwillseeadramatic,dramaticchange.

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WhatIfindisit’softenthethingsthatseemthemostcounterintuitive,thatgomostagainstthestandardadvice,workthebest.Thisfirstonewillblowyourmind.Wemustgetyoutodolessworksoyoucanoutputmore.That’sright,lessworkandyou’llachievemore.It’sabouttheconceptofflow.Mostofus,whenwe’retrackingthings,useato-dolist,whetheritbeelectronicoronpaperandpad.Wetry,itdoesn’tworkthatwell,butwetry.Thinkaboutthisforasecond.IfIweretoaskyoutofindtherailwaystationonamap,Icouldhandyouamap,probablyofanycityintheworld,itwouldn’tmatterwhatcountry,andyoucouldlookatthatmapandyou’dseetheblacklinethatrepresentedarailwayline,oracoupleoflines,andyou’dbeabletoseeatrainstation.You’dbeabletopointtothetrainstationandsay,“Yep,look,there’salittlesymbolofatrain.That’satrainstation.”Youcouldprobablydoitwithinfive,10seconds.Itmaytakeyou30secondstofindasubwaystoporatrainstationonamap.Now,ifIgaveyoualistofeverysinglehouseandeverysinglerailwaystationandeverysinglebusinessinthatcityandsaid,“Pleasefindmetherailwaystation,”andyouhadtogothrough,alphabetically,andlookthroughthislist,whichwouldprobablybeasheetofpages,probably30,40pagesthick,howlongwouldittakeyouto

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findtherailwaystation?Itmighttakeyouhours,becauseyoumustgothroughuntilyoufindsomethingcalledrailwaystation.That’sthedifferencebetweenseeingsomethingvisually,whereyoucanrecognizeitinaninstant,likeamap,ascomparedtoalist.Whenyoulookatato-dolist,allyouseeisthishugeamountofstuffthatneedstobedone.Guesswhat,attheendofthedaywithato-dolist,it’sstillthere.Thevastmajorityofthingsarenotdone.Howdoyouthinkthatmakesyoufeel?Asitturnsout,thisistraumaticforyourbrain,butwe’llcomebacktothat.Wherehavewetalkedaboutpeoplebeingvisualandnotbeingsogoodatfollowingprocesses–It’shighlylikelyyoureOSisattunedtobeingvisualandproductivitysystemsjustneverstick.Thevastmajorityofentrepreneursareveryvisualinnature.KathyKolbetalksaboutthisextensively.Ithitme-whatifusingaKanbanboardlikesoftwaredevelopersistheanswer!Ithought,“Hangon.Thebigproblemwithallproductivitysystemsistheyarenotvisual,they’renotlikeamap.Theyarelists.”Oftenwhathappenswhenyoutickalist,itdisappearsorit’sjustabiglistthatsitsonanotepadsomewhere.

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Itcompletelydoesn’tworkthewayanentrepreneurworks.WhatifwecouldusethisvisualprocesswhereyoucouldlookataKanbanboard,onceyouknowwhatyou’redoing,andinaminute,you’llseeexactlywhatyoumustdonext,what’simportantthisweek,andhowyou’redoing,howyou’regoing?Havingavisualboardwaskeytotheprocess.Ithadtobephysicalbecause,guesswhat,entrepreneurslovetobeabletogetupandpacearound.Areyouthetypeofpersonthatlovesgettinguponawhiteboardandplanningthings?Oroftenyou’llfindyourselfdrawingandscribblingdifferentthingsandideasifyou’rethinking.Well,you’renotalone,that’smostentrepreneurs.We’reuniqueinthiswaysoweneedauniquewayofvisualizingwhatwemustdoandaKanbanboarddoesthisbeautifully.Thesecondrealization,andthisiswhatToyotafiguredout,wasthatatsomepointinanysystem,anymanufacturingprocess,there’sabottleneck.Let’ssay,forexample,it’stheengine.Buildingtheengineisthebottleneckforacarmanufacturingprocess.Itdoesn’tmatterhowmanypartsyouproduce,howmanybitsofinventoryyouhave,ifyoucanbuild10enginesadayandyou’redeliveringpartsatarateof20enginesworthofparts,guesswhat,you’regoing

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tohaveastockpileofinventoryandit’sgoingtogrowby10everysingleday.That’sincrediblyinefficient.Itcostsalotofmoney.Conversely,ifyoudon’tgetenoughparts,everythingdownstreamoftheenginebuilding,aresittingaroundtwiddlingtheirthumbs.Customersarewaitingforordersbecausetheywantthe10carsandtheywantthe10enginestogointhose10cars.You’vegotunhappycustomersandyou’vegotpeoplewhoaretwiddlingtheirthumbs.It’snotefficient.Themostefficientwayofworkinginanymanufacturingprocess,deliveringanything,istoworkwiththebottleneck.Youcanonlyworktothepaceofthebottleneck.Itmakessensetoworkontheeffectivenessofthebottleneckfirst.Guesswerethebottleneckinyourbusiness.Ifyou’reraisingyourhandrightnowyouarecorrect.Spoileralert:youarethebottleneck.Whenyou’restartingout,you’redoingeverything.Asyoubuildateam,youslowlystarttoremoveyourselfasthebottleneckinyourbusiness.Thisiswherewewanttogetto.Rightnow,asyou’rereadingthis,youaregoingtobethebottleneckinyourbusiness,sowehavetomanagetheflowofworkintoyoubecauseyou’rethebottleneckofthebusiness.DidImentionitYOUarethebottleneck.

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JimandMarianneinPersonalKanbanusetheimageryofastream.Ifastreamisrunningwiththerightamountofwater,it’sahealthystream.Fishareinit,it’sbeautiful,thefarmerscantakewaterfortheircrops.Everythingworkswellasasystem.Now,ifthere’stoomuchwater,andwhat’stoomuchwaterininventoryterms?Aflashflood.Suddenly,that’sadisaster.Thehousesalongtherivergetwashedout.Thefishdiebecausethey’rejustblownoutofthecreek.Theecosystemofthecreekmaytakeyearstorecoverfromaflood.Now,entrepreneurially,wehavefloodsallthetime.You’reprobablyinafloodsituation,somepeoplecallitredlining,rightnow.Youseemlikeyou’vegotthisincrediblenumberofthingsyouhavetodoallatonce—notjustinyourbusinessbutinyourpersonallife,inyourhealth,everything.Theconceptofwork/lifeseparationisrubbish.It’snotrealistic,particularlywhenyou’restartingoutabusiness.We’vegotthishugetidalwaveofstufftodoandobligationstomeet.That’snothealthy.Theotherway,ofcourse,iswhathappensifthecreekdriesupanditbecomesstagnant?Thenthefishdiebecausethere’snowater.That’salsoaproblem.Lessofaprobleminanentrepreneurialbusiness,asageneralrule,butit

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canhappen.Ifwegettheflowright,ifweunderstandthatyourcapacity,particularlywhenyou’restartingout,ifwemakesurethatyouareworkingtoyourcapacity,orslightlylessthanyourcapacity,youwillexperienceflow.That’swhatwe’retryingtoget.

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TheZeigarnikEffectThere’ssomethingelsethat’sreallysuperimportantforanentrepreneur,thisabsolutelyshowswhytheKanbanboardissopowerful.It’scalledtheZeigarnikEffect.TheZeigarnikEffectisaprocesswhichwasdiscoveredbytheCzechoslovakianresearcherBlumaZeigarnik.Shediscoveredbywatchingwaiterseverythingwe’retryingtorememberinourheadsisusingenergyinourbrains.That’saproblembecausethemorewe’retryingtojuggle—andguesswhat,asanentrepreneuryou’retryingtojugglemorethanmost—yourabilitytoactuallybecreative,yourabilitytohavethewillpowerandtheenergytoimplementwhatyouneedtodoisextremelydiminished.Thisisjustpurescientificfact.OneofthebenefitsoftheKanbanboardisthatitgivestheentrepreneurialbrainpermissiontorelaxbecauseitcansee,visually,atalltimeswhatisonyourplate.Nowthisiswhyhavingaphysicalboardissoimportant.Because,asIhearyousay,“Ed,ifIputthatonato-dolist,doesn’tthatdothesamething?”Well,yesitdoes,itactuallygivesyoureliefinthemomentsafteryoudotheto-dolist.Here’stheproblem,whatdoentrepreneursdo?Theydon’tlookattheirto-dolistagain.

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Theydon’tgobacktoit.Theyhideit.Itjustremindsthemofallthestufftheyhaven’tdone.Guesswhat,yourbrainrealizesthat,soitstartsstoringthemanyway.Eventhoughyou’vegotato-dolistsomewhere,itknowsyoudon’tusethemandthisviciouscycleoccurs.AKanbanboardallowsyoutobeabletodoshortcircuitthisprocess.Now,here’sthething,thereissomethingelseintheZeigarnikEffectwhichisalesserknownbutfarmoreimportantthingtoknowasanentrepreneur.Whenyoucompleteatask,unlessthere’ssomeemotionalattachmenttothetask,you’llforgetitimmediately.Yourbraindumpsitfromyourmemorybecauseitneedstofreeuptheprocessingpowerforthenextthingyouhavetodo.Iftherewasnoemotionalresonance,youarejustgoingtoforgetit.Now,ofcourse,whatsortofemotionalresonancedowehavetomosttasksduringtheweekthatwerememberattheendoftheweek?Thebadstuffthathappens!Werememberwhentherewasacrisis!Iseethisallthetimeworkingwithprivatestudents.Oneweekthey’llbethinking,“Thisisthebestthingever!Ilovebeinganentrepreneur!Thisisawesome!”Thenthenextweek,becauseawholebunchofbadstuffhappened,it’llbetheworst,“Thisishorrible,I’mterribleatthis.

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Isuck.I’mgoingtogowatchHousewivesofAtlanta.”Theyridethisincredibleemotionalrollercoasterandit’snothealthy.AnotherexampleoftheZeigarnikEffect,whichalotofyouwillappreciatebecauseyouarelikemewithlowfollowthrough.Idon’tknowifyoueverhadtotrytofilloutanexpensereport.Now,ofcourse,theorganized,the3%ofyoureadingthis,would,assoonasyougetareceipt,you’dwriteonthereceiptthisiswhatitwasforandeveryeveningyougobacktothehotelandyoudiligentlyfilloutyourexpensereportandit’dbedone.It’dbeaccurateandyou’dneverhavetothinkaboutit.Me,IusedtowaituntilIgotontheplaneattheendofthetripbecauseIfiguredI’dhaveacouplehourstodotheexpensereport.I’dpulloutthereceiptandI’dbelike,“Whatisthis?WhatistheOilyDuckandwhywasIthere?Ihavenoidea.”ThisistheZeigarnikEffectinaction.Fortunatelyforus,thecreatorsoftheleanmanifestofiguredoutasolution.Inatraditionalto-dolistandmostdigitalones,whenwecheckthetaskisdone,itdisappears.OnourKanbanboard,byhavingtheticketsofthetaskswe’vedoneinthedonecolumn,attheendoftheweek,wecanactuallyhaveanaccuratelookatwhatwewereabletoachieve.

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Moreimportantly,wecanhavealookatataskwedidn'tenjoyandaskourselves,“Hey,whatcanweimprovenextweek?Wecanactuallyhaveadecentconversationwithourselvesabouthowwe’reworking.IknowwhenI’mworkingwithprivateclients,it’sunbelievable.Icanlookatsomebody’sboardandseeexactlywherethebottlenecksare,exactlywherethechallengesare.That’swhyyoushouldbedoingaKanbanboard.Let’sbuildyouonerightnow.

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StepOne:The50-MinuteFocusFinderIgotthisexercisefrommydearfriendDeanJackson.Deancreatedabrilliantexerciseclearingeverythingthat’sonyourmindandgettingyoutothepointwherewecansetupyourfirstKanbanboard.Here’showitworks.Yousetatimerfor50minutesandyoujustliterallydoabraindumpofeverythingyou’vegoton.WhenIsayeverything,Imeaneverything.It’spersonal,family,health,business,librarybooksyou’vegottoreturn,whateveritis.Thekeything,youhavetodoitfor50minutes.Thiswasveryclever.Idon’tknowifDeanhadthisexactlyinmind,butyougothroughanemotionalrollercoasterasyougothroughthis50minutesandit’salwaysthesame.Forthefirst10,15minutesyou’llbewritinglikeacrazyperson,gettingstuffoutofyourbrain.Thenyou’llgothroughthislullperiodwhereyouthinkyou’vegoteverythingoutandyou’llstartreadingbackthroughthelist.Youmightgetacouplelittleprompts.Thensuddenly,about30to35minutes,maybe40minutes,thissecondwaveofstuffhitsyouandyou’llbewritingflatoutandyouwon’tknowwherethe50minuteshasgone.

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You’llfeelsomuchbetterafteryou’vegotitalldownonpaper.Why?TheZeigarnikEffect.However,mostentrepreneurswilljustleaveitatthe50-minutefocusfinderanddonothingelse.Allthatfeelgoodwillturntooverwhelm.Well,we’regoingtochangethat.Timetoworksetyourtimerfor50minutesanddothefocusfinder.

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StepTwo:SetUpYourWhiteboardWallLet’sbuildyourboard.Tocreateyourwall,weneedawhiteboard,apackofPost-itnotesandaSharpie.It’sthatsimple.Here’salinktothewhiteboardandPost-itnotesIuse:www.yourfirstdollar.com/toolsYouneedtoplaceitsomewherewhereyoucan’tavoidit,whereyougotodomostofyourwork.Formeit’swhenIwalkintomyoffice,it’srightinmyeyesightsoIalwaysseeit.Readthisnextsentenceverycarefully.Youcan’thaveitinacomputer,youcan’thaveithidden.Don’thaveitinanotherroomyounevergointo.It’sgottobesetupsomewherewhereyou’realwaysgoingtorunintoit.

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StepThree:SetaTimerfor10MinutesandPopulatetheOptionsColumnTakeawhiteboardmarkeranddividethesectionslikethebelow.Hereisadiagramofwhatyourboardwilllooklike:

Tosetitup,therearegoingtobefourcolumns,andmakesureyoudotheminapproximatewidths.You’vegotyouroptionscolumn,yourreadycolumn,thepentoday,andthedonecolumn.We’llexplainwhatallofthesedoaswegoforward.

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Nowyourboardissetup,setatimerfor10minutesandfilluptheoptionscolumn.Theoptionscolumnisthebiggestsectionandwe’regoingtojustdumpalltheimportanttasks.Again,thisisnotonlyyourbusinesstasks;thisisapersonalKanban.It’sforyouandyouarethesumofallyourparts.You’vegotworkcommitments,you’vegotyournewbusinesscommitments,you’vegotfamilycommitments,you’vegothealthcommitments.Whatevertheyare,theygohere.Justkeepthisverybroadatthisstage,butIwanttosetthetimer.You’vejustdoneyourfocusfinder,soyou’vegotplentyofmaterialforthis.IwantyoutowriteonethingperPost-itnote.Now,don’tgetgranular.Iknowyoufactfinderswilllovebreakdownthenotesintoallthedifferentparts.Don’tdothisnow.I’mjustlookingatmyboardhereinfrontofmeandI’vegot“researchcreatingaUdemycourse”.Nowthis,isbrokendownisabunchoftasks,butatthemoment,intheoptionscolumn,I’vegot“Udemyworthalook”.ThatmeansI’mgoingtoinvestigatedoingaUdemycourse.That’sjustonebigthing.Itmightbestartrunningorgethealthier.Whateveritis,itis.You’veonlygot10minutestofillthatoptionsboardwithallofthethingsthatyouaregoingtobedoing,oneatatime.

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Here’swhatmyoptionsboardlookslike:

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StepFour:MoveNoMoreThanSixTicketsintotheReadyColumn.Movingsomethingfromoptionstothereadycolumnisthecoremoveofthiswholeprocess.Herearetherules.firstthingis,whateverthetaskyouhaveonyourticket(whichisapost-itnote),itmustbeabletobecompletedinsidethenextweek.Ifit’sabigtask,usingmyexampleoftheUdemycourse,theveryfirstpartistoresearchthetypesofcoursesonUdemy.Iwouldwritemyselfaticketandputitinthereadycolumn.Somethingalongthelinesof“Spend30minutesresearchingproductivitycoursesonUdemy”.I’dplacethisticketinthereadycolumnbecauseit’sthethingI’mabsolutelycommittingtowhichI’mgoingtogetdonethisweek.I’mnotgoingtocreatethewholecourse,putitup,createthesalesmaterials,andsellitallinaweek.Ihavetochunkdownthisproject.Thetimetochunkitdowniswhenwemovetheticketfromouroptionscolumntothereadycolumn.Thesecondruleisyoumustknowwhat“done”lookslike.Thisiscrucial.Whenyouplaceaticketintothereadycolumn,youmustunderstandwhatfinishedlookslike.Forexample,I’vegotatickethererightnowwhichis,“transferChallenge.cotoHover”,whichisadomainregistrar.Iknowexactlywhatdonelookslike

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becausedonewillbeChallenge.coisatthenewdomainregistrar.Very,verysimple.WhereasifIhadaticketwhichhas“Udemyworthalook”,whatdoesthismean?Whatdoesdonelooklike?There’snowaytotellwhatdonelookslike.Now,ifyou’reresearching,I’llgiveyouagreattip.Putatimelimitaroundyourresearchsotheticketisdoneifyou’vespentthatamountoftimeresearching.Notwhatyouresearchbecausewhenyouresearch,guesswhat;youdon’tknowwhatyoudon’tknow.It’smuchbetterifyou’reresearchingtogiveyourselfa30-minuteblock.Forexample,Iwouldsay30minutesresearchingproductivitycoursesonUdemy.Iwouldspendthe30minutesandonceI’vespentthe30minutes,guesswhat;thatticketgoesintodone.Nowrememberthebottleneck.Thebottleneckisus,soit’sveryimportantthatyouonlyputsixPost-itnotes,sixtickets,inthereadycolumn.Afterwe’vepopulatedourreadycolumn,wedon’tlookattheoptionscolumnagainatanypointduringtheweek.Wewanttofocusonthesesixkeythings.StevenCoveyreferredtoitasfocusingonthelargerocksfirst.Thesearethethingsthatwe’recommittingtoourselvesto,yes,thisiswhatwewantdonethiscomewhatmay.That’sthepowerofthesystem.Wheneveryouwalkineachday,you’llseeherearethesixthingsthatI’vegottodoinmyreadycolumn.

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StepFive:MoveOneTicketNowmovethemostimportantitemintothetodaycolumnandworkontheticketuntilit’sfinished.Thisiskey.Becausealotofussufferfromsquirrelsyndromeandweloveswitchingandswapping.Thementalenergythisrequiresisincrediblyinefficient.Byfocusingonthisoneticketandaskingyourselfatthestartoftheday,lookatthecontextofthedayandsay,“WellamItravelingorareamItheoffice?What’srealisticformetoworkontoday?”Whateveryoucommitto,doittillgetsdone.Byworkingonjustonething,you’llblowyourselfawaywithhowmuchyougetdoneoverthecourseoftheweekHere’salittletip:I’dblockoutthehourinmydiaryIwasgoingtoworkonmytickettogetitcompleted.

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StepSix:Whenit’sFinished,MoveItIntotheDoneColumn.Asyoustarttopullticketsfromtodayandyoustartputtingthemintothedonecolumn,itgivesyouareallygreatfeeling.You’vegotavisualscoreboardofhowmuchyouaregettingdone.Thedifferencethiswillmaketoyourproductivity,intermsofbeingabletotrackwhat’sgoingonisastounding.TheyfiguredthisoutinToyotaallthoseyearsago,theworkersliketoseetheirprogress.Whenyouputascoreboardinfrontofpeople,theyliketobeattheirscore.We’rewiredtodoit.WithyourKanbanBoardyou’vegotyourownscoreboardnowinfrontofyou.

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StepSeven:PulltheNextTicketFromtheReadyColumnintoToday.Gotsomemoretimetoday?Great!Pullthenextticketfromthereadycolumnandgetcracking.Becauseyoufiguredoutthepriorityatthestartoftheweekyoudon’twasteanyenergymakingadecisionaboutwhattodonext.Then,ifyou’vefinishedthesixtickets,there’snorulethatsaysyoucan’tsay,“Hey,youknowwhat,I’mhavingagoodweekthisweek,let’spullanotherticketfromtheoptionscolumn,putitintothereadycolumnsowecandoitthisweek.”Here’sthething.Ratherthanhavingstuffpushedonyouallthetimesoyou’refeelingstressed,you’repullingtickets.Youareincontrol.Allofasudden,you’rebringingyourselfcontrol.Thepsychologicalimpactofthisisabsolutelyimmense.Dothisanditwillrockyourworld.Ofcourse,aKanbanboardisnotallUnicornsandHelloKitty!Whathappensifyoufullycommityourselfforthedayandthensomethinghappens,somethingyoucan’tavoid?happenswithpeopleisthey’llfullycommitthemselvesandthensomethinghappensandthedambursts.Adamcanhold100%capacitybutassoonasitgoesto110%,it’sadisasterbecauseallthatoverflowwaterwipesoutthevillageunderneaththedam.

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Whydotheybuildvillagesunderneathdams?Idon’tknow,butthat’swhat’llhappen.It’scrazy.That’swhathappenstoourentrepreneuriallives.Itjusttakesonethingwhenyouarerunningat100%.It’salsonotnecessarilyabusinessrelatedthing.Somethingwillhappen,yougetacallfromschoolandyourdaughterhasfallenoffthemonkeybarsandyouhavetogototheemergencyroom.Somethinghappenedandthenyourentireweekblowsapart.Whenyou’restartingyouronlinebusiness,thisiswhenit’smostvulnerable.Thisiswhereitneedsmostprotection.Bylimitingtheamountofworkwedo,weendupdoingawholelotmore.Ifthedamnisat80%andthereisabigstormitwon’toverfillandthevillagerswillbesaved!!YAY!Ifyouconstrainyourworkandsomethingcropsupyoucan’tavoid,it’scoolyoucanhandleit.Thisisthepowerofconstraints.ByapplyingconstraintstoyourKanbanboard,youendupdoingwaymore.Idon’tknowifyouwatchMasterCheforTopChef.Theyallhavethesemysteryboxchallengeswheretheyliftthelidoffandthere’sacanofSpam,somecilantro,andeggs.Theysay,“Right,youhavetocreateadishin10minutesto

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presenttothejudges.”What’samazing-I’vewatchedthousandsofthesechallengesovertheyears-Icancountononehandwithacoupleoffingerscutofftheamountoftimespeoplehaven’t,astheysayintheshows,‘platedup’,wheretheyhaven’tputsomethinginfrontofthejudges.Nowofcourse,itmaytastehorrible,butneverdotheynotdeliveranything.Thatisjustagreatexampleofthepowerofconstraints,whichiswhyIusetimersallthetime.You’llnoticethatwe’vebeenusingtimersallthroughouttheseexercisesitgivesyoutheconstraintwhichactuallypromotescreativity.Itmakeswhatyoudomorefun(YouhighQuick-Start–it’soneofthesurefirewaysyoucanexecute)andyouaremoreproductivewiththoseconstraints.I’vecreatedaseriesofvideosforyoushowingyouhowtoimplementKanban.Youcanfindtheseatwww.yourfirstdollar.com/kanban

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ResearchTheMarketIt’stimetodesignyourbusiness.Let’smakeitabusinessworthputtingtimeandeffortinto,somethingwhichexcitesyou.Theveryfirststepistochooseamarket.Youmayhavesomethinginmindrightnow—that’sgreat!Choosingamarketcanbearealshowstopperforgettinganonlinebusinessstarted.Youhighfactfindertypesmaynotstartbecauseyou’reconcerneditwon’tworkoryouwillwasteyourtime.Here’sthedeal.Wearegoingtogivewhateveryouchoosearedhotgoforthenext30days.Wewillknowbythenifit’sworthmovingforwardornot.We’llmakethatdecisionbasedonstatsandfeedbackfromthemarket.Wearenotgoingtoplaythisgameinourheads.Iftheworstthathappensisyoufullyengagewiththisprocessforthenextthirtydays,itwillbethirtydayswellspent—you’llhavelearntthecorrectwaytotestamarketinthefield,learnedabunchofnewthings,andperhapsmostimportantofall,forperhapsthefirsttimeinyourlife,you’veworkedinalignmentwithyoureOS.You’lldiscoverwhathundredsofclientsandstudentsoverthepastcoupleofyearshavediscovered.

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ApplyingthecorrecteOSandusingKanbanchangeseverything.IknowofmanystudentswhoarenowusingKanbanboardsfortheirfamily.Myeldestdaughterusesonetomanageherstudyatschool.RegardlessofwhathappensoverthenextThirtyDaysapplythesetechniquesandyourlifewillimprove.Thebest-casescenario…You’vefoundamarketyouwanttobeinvolvedin,you’veresearchedit,understoodthepains,gains,andjobstobedone,createdaSAGEdownloadguide(someofyoumayevendoabooklikethis!!),you’vedesignedandbuiltafunneltobuildyourtribe,runatrafficexperimentandmadeyourfirstdollar.Soevenifthemarketyouchoosedoesn’tpanout,youarenotgoingtobestuck.Sopickyourmarket,committoitandlet’sroll.SpoilerAlert:EveryMarketisaMarketIntheolddays—waybackin2005—itwasimportantforustoseeifyourmarketwasonline.Therewerealotofmarketsthathadyettocomeonline,andtherefore,youhadtospenddaysresearchingifyourmarketwasreachableonline.Fastforwardtotodayandyes,everymarketisamarket.

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UnderwaterKickboxingWhenIstartedteachingthechallenge,Ihadtobecarefulaboutmentioningspecificniches.IfItalkedaboutdogtraining,withinaweek,therewouldbehundredsofdogtrainingsites.Itwaslikethefirstruleoffightclub!Toavoidthis,wemadeuparidiculousmarketthatcouldnotpossiblybetrue…UnderwaterKickboxing.Stupid,right?GoGoogleit.It’sactuallyathing,kickboxersuseitfortraining.Thereisunderwaterrugbyaswellifyouareinterested.Pianostoolrestoration,PotteryValuationandDogParkreviews—theyareallthings,theyareallmarketswheresomeoneismakingaliving.Thankstothemobilerevolution,everyonehasaccessonline.Whenwestartedthechallenge,mobilephonesasweknowthemdidn’texist.TheiPhonewastwoyearsaway.(Howdidwelive!?!?)Youcancreateabusinesswhichwillmakeyoualivingmoreeasilythananytimeinhistory—AndknowyouknowhowyoureOSworksandisinstalled.Woof!KevinKelly,founderofwiredmagazinewroteanarticlewhichhadaprofoundeffectonmeandthechallengecalled“1000TrueFans”.

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It’sprettysimple,ifyoucanfind1,000peopletopayyou$100peryear—youhavea$100,000-a-yearbusiness.Let’sputthisintocontext.Thinkaboutyourfavouritehobby.Haveyouspent(way)morethan$100onitinthepastyear?Ofcourseyouhave.Aconcertticketisprobablydoublethatthesedays!Thisisexciting,weknowfromresearch,ifyoucanearnover$70,000,youcanpayallyourcorebillsandlivewellinawesternsociety.Sure,youarenotdrivingFerrarisandlivingonanexoticboat,butyou’vewanderedintothewrongbookifyouthinkthat’srealistictodoin12months.But100Kayearissuper-realistic,anddon’tforgetyou’rebuildingthiswhileyouaretransitioningfromyourexistingcareer.It’sparttime,notlikethe60-hourweeksmedicalresidentsdo.Whypeoplestrugglewiththisandwhyyoushouldn’tThereisanexcellentreasonyoushouldpickamarketevenifyouareconcerneditwon’twork.SCIENCE!I’mabouttosaveyoureadingthousandsofpagesofdisruptiontheory(whichissuper-cool)togiveyouthisprettyshockinginsight.

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TheStanfordStartupSurveyAsurveyundertakenbyProfessorAmarBhidedocumentedinhisbookOriginandEvolutionofNewBusinesssurveyed3500successfulstartupsandaskedthissimplequestion:“Wastheideayoustartedoutwith,theideathatmadeyousuccessful?”93%ofthesurveyrespondentssaid…NO!!!WhenIfirstreadthis,Ithought,“Fairsuckofthesausage,that’sgottoberubbish.”ThenIthoughtbacktoeverysuccessfulthingI’veeverdone. TheChallengecameoutofalarkwhilemybizpartneratthetime,FrankKern,waslookingafterhisnewbornsecondchild. Isoldmyfirstcompanyfor$3.5milliondollarsbasedonasingleprojectwestartedaspartofwebdevelopmentwork.MagcastandScrivcast—thesoftwareserviceresponsiblefor10milliondownloadsand2000publisherscameoutofapubliccompanydesignedtobeabusinessthatbuysotherbusinesses.

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NoneofthesewasthereasonIstartedthebusinesstheyevolvedinto!! So,GreatNews!Thereisonlya7%chanceyourfirstchoiceofmarketisgoingtoberight! “HangonEd!Aren’tyoumakingtheargumentweshouldn’trushinandgowithourfirstmarketchoiceaswehaveprettygoododdsit’snotgoingtowork!!!!” That’sexactlywhatI’msayingandthereasonisSCIENCE! Well,ECONOMICS!!!Tobeexact. DeliberateandEmergingStrategiesHenryMintzbergandJamesA.Waters,theprolificeconomists,explainedthisphenomenonmanyyearsago.AndthisiswhereI’vesavedyouacoupleofthousandpagesofresearch.Theirrevolutionaryresearchwhichhasdramaticconsequencesforyouhasthesexytitle“OfStrategies,DeliberateandEmergent”.It’sokifyouneedtotakeamomenttoabsorbthefullepicnessofthetitle.Letmebreakitdowninasentence:“Ifyoudon’tstartsomething(Yourdeliberatestrategy),thethingwhichendsupworkingforyou(Theemergingstrategy)willNEVERappear.”

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Havealookatthisdiagram:

Ifyoudon’tstart—andthedefinitionofstartistoconducttests,buildyourfunnel,andinteractwithyourchosenmarket—thethingwhichwillbeyourhitwillneverarrive.That’swhyit’scalled“emerge”:Itcan’tifthereisnothingforittoemergefrom!!So,acoupleofthousandpagesofeconomicshasleadmetothisconclusion.Youneedtopickyourmarketassoonasyoufinishthischapter.Becauseifyoudon’tstartworking,thethingwhichwillmakeyousuccessfulwillneverappear.Thatwouldbesad.

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Howbadwereyouthefirsttime?Howbadwereyouthefirsttimeyou…?(fillintheblank) Youranswer(apartfrombeingarevealinginsightintoyourpersonality)givesyoutheotherreasonyoushouldpick.Byspending30dayslearninghowtostartandtestyourmarket.Youaregettingyourfirstlegitimatebruisesofexperience.Ifitdoesn’tworkout,howmuchbetterwillyoubeatyoursecondattempt?Likeanything,youneedpractice. Andknowthatwhatfollowshasbeentestedinthefieldthousandsoftimesusingtheverylatestimplementationstrategies. Let'sstart.Whatdoyoulove?Thisistheobviousplacetostart.Rememberourfirstlaw:everymarketisamarket.Sowedon’tneedtotestifthereisamarketthere.Youaregoingtobespendingalotoftimewiththismarket.Plus,wearedesigningabusinessyouwanttobeinvolvedin.Soitmakessensetostartwithwhatyouarepassionateabout.

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Doyouhaveamarketyouarepassionateabout? Thiscouldbeareallyquicksectionforyou.Doyouhaveamarket,ahobby,acauseyouaresuperpassionateaboutandwanttobeinvolvedin? Great!Job’sdone.Let’sstartthere.Ifthiswasastruggle,don’tstressaboutit,itoftenis.Let’sdigabitfurther. Wheredoyouspendyourmoney?RememberthosethousandsofpagesofdisruptiontheoryIsavedyoureading?(Hey,IfindthestudyofSouthKoreanharddrivemanufacturerspageturningawesome!)Well,thereisanothergemhiddeninthere.Don’tlookatwhatpeopleSAYtheywanttodo.Lookatwheretheyspendtheirtwokeyresources:timeandmoney.We’regoingtousethisfactlateronwhenwelookatyourmarket.We’reliketheWatergatereportersgoingto“followthemoney”inourmarket.Butfirst…Whatareyouspendingyourmoneyon?Someofyouwilljusthaveenoughmoneytocoverthebasics(we’llfixthat),butit’sreallyinteresting.Havingspokenwiththousandsofchallengersovertheyears,it’samazinghowpeoplefindmoneyforsmallluxuries.(Starbucks,anyone?)

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Whatareyouspendingyourmoneyon?Setatimerfortwominutesandlet’sdoafreewritingsession.Simplerule:Youarenotallowedtostopwritingfortwominutes.Ifyouaredrawingblanks,writeI’mdrawingblanks.Idon’tcareaslongasthepenkeepsmoving,andyes,Iwouldmuchpreferyoutohandwritethisexercisebecauseunlessyouwerebornafter2007,andgoodforyoureadingthisifyouwere!!,youlearntwithapeninhand,yourneuralpathwaysattheirmostcreativewereformedpeninhand.Souseapenandpaper.Ifyourpendoesn’tstopfortwominutes,magichappens.Youseeyourbraingoes,“WOW!JaneisactuallySERIOUSaboutthis!Ibettercomeupwithsomething.Usually,IcandistractherwithCandyCrushorHousewivesofAtlantabecauseIknowtheymakeherfeelgood.Butokay.Here,thisiswhereyouspentyourmoneyandhuhreally—what’sallthatmoneyonHamstersandtoothpaste?”Orsomething…Thisisanotheroneofthoseexercisesyoulearnherewhichwillpayoffbiginallaspectsofyourlife.Thinkinginyourheadisbad.Thinkingonpaperisproductiveandawesome;youjustneedacoupleofsimplerules.Right.Godoit:twominuteson“WhereIspendmymoney.”

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Wheredoyouspendyourtime?Nowthatwe’vefiguredoutwhereyouspendyourmoney,wheredoyouspendyourotherpreciousresource:time?Wearegoingtodothesametwo-minuteexercisewiththesalesrulesaslasttime.Thetopic:“WhereIspendmytime.”Acoupleoftipstomakethiseveneasier.Iwastaughttostartwiththissentence“I’mgoingtotakeafreeandeasylookat…,”inthiscase,“…whereIspendmytime.”Itgetsyourpenmovingandit’sdesignedtotakethepressureoffthetwominutes.It’sjustwritingnon-stopfortwominutes.Youdon’thavetobringaboutworldpeace(althoughthattoowouldbeawesome).Whatdidyoulovedoingasakid?Howareyougoingwithyourmarketideas—anyhits?Somepeoplearestillstrugglingatthispointandthisnextonedoesthetrick.Whatdidyouenjoydoingasakid?Itmightbeawhileago,butwhatyouloveddoingasakidwhenyoudidn’thavealltheresponsibilityyouhavenowisoftenagoodindicator.KathyKolbemakesthisclearinherstudies:Yourindexissomethingyoucan’tworkonorimprove—itjustis.Thethingsyoufoundeasierandmorefuntodoasakid,youwilldonow.ThereisoneresultIhaven’ttalkedaboutinthe

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KolbeIndexthatdidpopupinthestudyandourimplementationprogram.Somepeoplegetaresultthatis“Intransition”.Thisusuallyoccurswhenthepersontakingthetesthashadatraumaticeventinthepastcoupleofyearsandislookingtogetbackontrack.Ifthisisyou,thisexerciseinparticularisimportant.Rememberingyourpassionsasachildcouldbethekeytorediscoveringitnowafteratraumaticevent.Youknowthedrill:Takeafreeandeasytwominuteswritingaboutallthethingsyouenjoyeddoingasakid.Youdon’thavetobeanexpert!!Oneofthereasonspeoplestruggletopickamarket—anditoftenkicksinaroundthispoint,particularlywhenitcomestoourhighfactfinderfriends—isthis:“HowcanIbeinthismarket?I’mnotanexpert!”Spoileralert:Youdon’thavetobe.Whatyouneedtobeisanenthusiast.Youhavetobepreparedtorespectandunderstandthemarketbyputtingintheresearch—whichwearegoingtoshowyouhowtodoshortly. Ifyouthinkaboutit,thebestathletesmaketheworstcoaches.Thebestcoacheswerepoorplayersatbest.Theyaredifferentskillsets.Now,youshouldNEVEReverclaimtobeanexpertwhenyouarenot.That’sbadnewsandwillgetyouinserioustrouble.

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Onethingeverybodyhasinshortsupplyistime.Ifyouareunearthingamazingcontentforyourmarket,you’llgetallthecredit.OprahFormanyyears,thehighestpaidpersonontelevisionwasOprahWinfrey.Shegottherebybeingenthusiasticabouthersubjectsandbeingabletomakeherguestfeelcomfortable.Shewasn’ttheexpert(althoughsheisanexceptionallytalentedinterviewer),hersubjectswere.IfOprahrecommendedaproducttoherTVaudience,itbecameaninstanthit!Thisisbecauseoveryears,shebuiltupherskillsandsheunderstoodtheaudience.Youneedtodothistoo,andinthenextsection,I’mgoingtoshowyouhow!Inameeting,whoisinthepositionofinfluence?Anotherwaytothinkaboutthis.Inanymeeting,onaTVshowyouwatch,whoisthepersoninpowerinanysituation—thepersonaskingthequestionsortheoneanswering?Beopentoyourtribe,invitethemonyourjourney.Justafewminutesago,IwaswatchingaYouTubechannelofawomenwhodecidedtotakeupviolininher20sandsherecordedherprogressandcreateda

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videoshowingherprogressionoveracoupleofyears.ShenowhasathrivingYouTubechannel.Shewasnotanexpert,andshestillisn’tanawesomeviolinplayer,butherjourneyisinspiring(andsheisverygood,Ishouldadd!!).Youcandothistooinyourmarket.YourabilitytorelatetoyourtribeisWAYmoreimportantthanbeinganexpert.

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SmallerisBetterTheothermistakewhichhappenshereistheychooseahugeniche—weightloss,Golf,DogTraining,UnderwaterKickboxing.Justcheckingyouarepayingattention.Foryourfirstattempt,thesemarketsarewaytoobig.It’stoohardtofigureoutthepains,gains,andjobstobedoneinsuchalargemarket.Youusegenericresponsesandgeneralisdeath!BigFish—SmallPondYouwanttobeabigfishinasmallpond.Iknowthisgoesagainstalotofadviceyoumayhaveread.Istickbyit.Remember,1000passionatefanspayingyoua$100overthecourseofayearisa$100,000dollarbusiness.I’mprettysureifyou'rereadingthis,youdon’thavea$100,000-a-monthadbudget!(Ifyoudo,callme!!)Theadvantagewehaveiswecangettoknowoursmallsegmentofamarketreallywell.Weunderstandwhatmakesittickintimately.Weunderstandtheconversationsgoingonintheirheads.Weunderstandtheirproblems,theirdreamresults,andthethingstheyneedtolearnhowtodotoachievethem.Let’susearidiculousexample.Anexampleofabigmarketisweight-loss,amulti-billiondollarindustry.

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Therearealsomassiveorganisationsmarketinginthisspace.Doesthatmeanweshouldavoidit?Hell,No!Ifyouarepassionateaboutweightlossandhaveastrategythatworks,goforit.WhatdidConfuciussay?“Thejourneyof1000milesbeginswithonestep.”Well,yourpathtoweightlossdominationbeginswithasingletargetmarket.Ifyoutrytotackleeverybodywithaweightproblem,you’llsoundgenericandwillnotstandoutfromthecrowd.“Getmoreenergytodostuff!”“Getyourhealthback!”“Makesaladdelicious!”(IfSaladtastedasgoodasaTimTam,I’dlookasbuffasfellowBulldogssupporterandThoractor,ChrisHemsworth!)Nowlet’susemyridiculousexampleofasingletargetmarket.WeightlossforRealEstateagentsinPhoenix,Arizona.Ridiculous,right?Orisit?“FivetakeoutjointsinScottsdalethathavetastyfatreducingfastfoodyoucaneatinthecarbetweenshowings.”“Howasimplechangeindietwillgetyouthreeextralistingsamonth.”“HowyourweightproblemisaffectingyourabilitytosellrealestateinPhoenixandtheonethree-minuteexerciseyoucandotofixit.”Let’slookatanotherexample.Everyday,mylocalfloristhasatleastonesalespersoncontactthemofferingtogetthem“morebusiness!”

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Now,mostsmallbusinesseswouldlikemorebusiness,buteffectivelywhatmyfloristishearingis,“LetmeinterruptyoufromyourlatestcrisissoIcangetmoneyfromyou.”Asmartsalespersonwouldstartwith“Hey,doyoudoweddings?”Weddingsarethecrackcocaineofthefloristbusiness,that50-buckbunchofposiesonTuesdayisworth$150ataweddingonSaturday!That’sthepowerofpayingyoursmallmarkettherespectitdeservesbyunderstandingtheirobjectives,theirneeds.Inbothexamples,youradvantageisknowingthemarketwell.ThegoodnewsisI’mgoingtoteachyouhowtodothatquicklyandeffectively.

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ThePowerofSingleTargetMarketsWhenItalktopeopleaboutthis,theygetthatitmakessense.Unfortunately,themessagegetsturnedintheirheadandtheythinkthatIwantthemtojustfocusonthistinymarketforever.That’snotthecase.Idon’tcareifyouwanttobuilda100,000-dollarbusinessora10million-dollarbusiness—youstartthesameway.Getthisonesegmentrightandthenmoveontothenextone.ThegreatestbusinessofthelastdecadeisFacebook.Theystartedononecampus(Harvard),andthenslowlygrewfromcampustocampus.Thentheyopeneduptoselectcompanies,andfinally,in2007toeveryone.Startsmallandgrowfromthere.Tryingtobeeverythingtoeverybodyisdeath.GaryHalbertRailwayStoryMymentor,GaryHalbert,hadanotherwaytoillustratethispoint.Imagineyouareinarailwaystationatpeakhourandyouyellout,“HeyYou!”Noonewillturnaround.Ifyouyellout,“Heyyouintheredjacket,”everyoneinaredjacketwillturnaround.Ifyouyellout,“Hey,Ed,”allthepeoplenamedEdwillturnaround.Wecanrigthegamesignificantlyinourfavourbygoingsmalltogetbig!

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PickYourMarketAlright.It’stimetopickyourmarket,thereisnowrongchoiceastheworstcasescenarioisyouwillhavelearnedahellofalotandingrainedkeynewtechniquesthatwillhelpeveryaspectofyourlife.Step1:10-minuteFreeWritingExerciseThisislikestretchesforyourbrain(anda10-minuteticketonyourKanbanboardisaneasyticket!).Youaregoingtouseexactlythesamerulesasthetwo-minuteexerciseswedidearlier.Turnoffalldistractions,usepenandpaper,anddonotstopwritingforanything!Startoffwiththephrase“I’mgoingtotakeafreeandeasylookatwhatmarketIshouldgointoasmyfirstmarkettest.”Likehundredsofthousandsofstudentsbeforeyou,thisexercisewillblowyouaway.There’llbeabunchofjibber,butinamongst,allthecoaltherewillbeadiamond.Thereisalwaysadiamond.That’swhat’samazingaboutthisprocess.Oh,andspoileralert:werunabrainstormingmarketselectionsessioneverycoupleofweeksyoucanjoininonanywhereintheworld!Detailstofollow.

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Step2:PickYourTargetMarketAtthispoint,youareinoneoftwostates.You’llhaveyourmarket—yourownunderwaterkickboxing.Awesome!Movealongtothenextstep.Ifyoustillcan’tdecide,nostress.Therearethousandsandthousandswhohavecomebeforeyouinexactlythesamespot.Sohere’swhatwearegoingtodo.Setatimerfortwominutesandwriteoutatleastthreemarketsonthreepiecesofpaper.Youneedatleastthree.Ifyouonlyhaveoneidea,that’snotachoice.Twoideasareadilemma,threeideasareachoice.Soyouneedatleastthree.Gotthethree?Iftheanswerisstillno,Iwantyoutodoanother10-minutefreewritingexercise.Setthetimerfortenminutesandstartoffwiththephrase,“I’mgoingtotakeafreeandeasylookatwhyIcan’tpickamarketeventhoughEdtoldmeitdoesn’tmatterandI’vejustreadabunchofreasonswhyitdoesn’tmatter.WhatisitthatI’mreallyscaredof?”Attheendofthistenminutes,doyouhaveanidea?Stillno?Attheendofthischapter,I’lltellyouhowtojoinmeonalivebrainstormingsessionfromanywhereintheworldtohelpchooseyourmarket.

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Nowrememberthoseatleastthreeideasforthemarkettotestoverthenextfewweeks,eachonaseparatepieceofpaper.Lookatthem.Isthereonethatjumpsoutatyou?Awesome.Lockitin.Stillno?I’mnowgoingtogiveyouatechniqueondecisionmakingthathasrevolutionisedthepracticeandtheoryofhighachievementandimplementation.Areyoureadyforthis?Youwillneedanopenspaceanditwillonlytakethirtyseconds.Cruncheachoftheideasintoasmallball.Kisseachoneandthenthroweachballofpaperashardasyoucan.Gototheonewhichtravelledthefurthestandopenit.That’syourmarket.“AreyouseriousEd?”Deadly.Here’sthescience,it’sthepracticeofmakingadecisionthatmakesthingshappen.Goethesaidit,TonyRobbinssaidit,butit’snot“woowoo”hippycrap.It’sthetheoryofdeliberateandemergingstrategyasexhibitedinthehumanbody.Onceyouhavelockedinonadeliberatestrategy(theideaballwhichtraveledthefurthest)andyoustartworkingonit,takingaction,yourbrainrealizesyou’reseriousaboutitandstartsshapingneuralpathwaystohelpyouaccessallthatstuffyouhavebeenabsorbingoveralifetime.

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Yourreticularactivationssystemisactivatedandallthestuffthatcanhelpyouwhichyourbrainwasautomaticallyfilteringopensupandyoustartnoticingthingsthathelp.Sothrowthedamnideaballandpickamarket.Magicandsciencewillhappen.Step3:BreakDownYourMarketOnceyouhaveamarket.Wearegoingtodoanother10-minuteexercise.Iwantyoutothinkaboutallthewaysyoucanbreakdownyourmarket.ForexampleifyouchoseGolf.Marketbreakdownscouldinclude:

• Putting• Driving• BunkerPlay• Gettingoutoftherough• SeniorGolfers• WomenGolfers• SeniorWomenGolfers• Breaking100• Breaking90• Breaking80• GolfTravel• Golfequipment

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Yougettheidea.Eachofthesecouldbeamarketintheirownright.Thesmalleryougo,theeasieritistodigintothePains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.Thepainsofsomeonewhostrugglesputtingareverydifferenttosomeonewhohasdrivingorshortgameproblems.Youcanalsobreakdownyourmarketbylocation,occupation,andotherdemographics(remembertherealestateagentsinPhoenixwhowantedtoloseweight!).Thinkaboutit.ImaginebeingarealestateagentinArizonaandI’mlookingattwopotentialbookstodownload,agenericweightlossguideoraguideaboutrealestateagentslosingweightinPhoenix.Whichwouldyouchoose?It’sSCIENCE!Notreally,butyougetmypoint.Thesmallerwestartwith(andrememberthisisjustthestart,asyougetbigger,moreexperiencedandmorecashedup,you’llstarttargetingothersegmentsofyourmarket!),theeasieritistobenoticedandthemoreeffectiveyoucanbe.Sosetthetimerfortenminutesandbreakyourchosenmarketdown.Step4:PickaSingleTargetMarketNow,youneedtochooseasingletargetmarket.Inthegolfmarketabove,forthenextfewweeks,I’llfocusonputtingbecausethat’sanareaI’minterestedin.

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Sogoahead,setatimerfortwominutesandmakeyourdecision.Struggling?NoStress!Ihaveatechnique.Writeeachofthesingletargetmarketsonapieceofpaper(stopmeifyou’veheardthisbefore).Foldeachcarefullyassmallasyoucanwithoutforcingthem.Findsomesortofreceptacle(ahatisconsideredthemosttraditional),andwithdrawoneofthecarefullyfoldedpiecesofpaper.Unfoldit.Congratulations,yoursingletargetmarkethasbeenselectedandsciencetellsusbymakingthischoice,yourchancesofcreatingasuccessfulbusinesshavejustgrownexponentially.Remember,you’renotpickingforlife,youarepickingforamonth!!Youarelearningtheprocess!ChangecanonlyhappenwhenyoumakeachoiceandACTonit.StillStuck?Shootusanemailtoed@yourfirstdollar.comandasktojoinoneofourfreemarketselectionbrainstormingsessions—Usethesubject“Helpmepickamarket”.

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UnderstandtheMarketRememberoursuperpowerisknowingoursmallsingletargetmarketsuperwell.Fortunately,thisiseasy.Nowwehaveoursingletargetmarkettoworkwithforthenextfewdays,weneedtounderstandourmarketinveryspecificways.Researchingandunderstandingamarketisanothertrapinstartingabusiness.Ourhighfactfinderswillneverbelievetheyhaveenoughinformationandmayresearchthemselvestoastandstill.MyfellowYOLObroswillnotdothisenoughandwillbarrelintomarketswithoutanyunderstandingandfindthemselvesindeepdoodoothatcouldhaveeasilybeenavoidediftheyhadjusttakenthetimetounderstandthemarket.Rememberourflorist.TheFloristExampleBytakingthetimetounderstandthatflorists’mostprofitableworkisweddings,andit’sthethingtheywanttodomoreof(AGain!),wecancustomisemethodsandthingstohelpthembyhelpingthemgetmoreofthespecifictypeofbusinesstheywant.

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Inourputtingexample,wediscoverthatreadingthegreenandfiguringhowtheballisgoingtowrigglearoundthegreenisthebiggestproblem(APain!),sowecanhelpwiththis.Anunderwaterkickboxerneedstoworkouthowtoextendtheirtimeunderwater(remember,thisisathingnow!!)—AJobToBeDone.Therearethreethingsyouneedtounderstandaboutyourmarket.I’mabouttosaveyouanenormousamountoftimeandit’swhyI’msoconfidentthat,attheendofourtimetogether,youwillhavethefoundationofyourbusinessestablished.Insteadofresearchingyourselftodeath,thereareonlythreethingsyouneedtounderstandaboutyoursingletargetmarket.Thecoolestbitis—bykeepingyourfirstmarketsupersmall—wehavesavedyouanenormousamountoftime.Inthissection,I’mgoingtoshowyouPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.You’lldiscoverwheretofindthemandwhattolookfor.PainsSomeoneoncesaid,“YoualwaysslowdownfortheCarAccident.Yourarelyslowdownforthebeautifulsunset.”Thankstoafewmillionyearsofevolution,wearealwaysmotivatedtoavoidpain.

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Itmakessense,fromrunningfromsaber-toothedtigers,tofiguringouthowtobreathebetterinunderwaterkickboxingsoyoudon’t,like,die.Painsdon’thavetobelifeordeath.AprivateclientIworkedwithpublishesamagazineonWaltDisneyWorld.Thehappiestplaceonearth(IknowDisneynerds—that’sactuallyAnaheim)surelycan’thavepaininvolved.Turnsouttherearealot:Howtoavoidlonglinesorbookthebestdinners.Youmissoutonabunchofcoolexperiencesbecauseyoudon’tknowaboutthem.ArriveatWDWtotryyourfavouriteattractionandit’sclosedformaintenance.Sure,noneofthesearelifeordeath,buttheyareveryrealissuesforsomeonehavingaonce-in-a-lifetimeexperience.Theywantittobeperfect!Typically,ourfirstSAGEpieceofcontent,foryoursoon-to-betribe,willbekeyinhelpingsolveabigpoint.WearegoingtouseSCIENCE!Andbuildyourtribeinthemostpowerfulway.GainsEverymovie,everybook(thatholdsyourinterest),course,hobby—anythingbasicallyisastoryaboutajourney.Youstarthere,goodandbadthingshappentoyou,andyouendupsomewheredifferent.Youarechanged.

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EveryStoryworksthisway.Badtoworse,badtoworsetotragictoredemption.Allofthemaresomeversionofthis.Agoodcourse,agoodvideoseries,anemailshouldhaveelementsofthis.Inthismodel,itiswhereyourtribewantstoendup.Thatchangescircumstance,theresultisthegain.Whenourunderwaterkickboxercannowtrainforthreeminutesunderwaterinsteadoftwominutes,that’sagain.Whenourkidsscoretheimpossibletoget(unlessyouareintheknow)characterdinnerinCinderella’scastle,thesearegains.Everypersoninyourtribewantstogetsomewhere.Understandingthisisthesecondcrucialpieceofinformationweneed.JobstobeDoneBobMoestaandhisteamcreatedtheconceptofJobstobeDone.Theirfamousexampleofunderstandingthejobofathickshakeinthemorning—convenientfordrivers,canbesippedoveracommute,fillingthemup—isfascinating.Inourcontext,weareidentifyingthetechniquesandthingspeoplemustlearntoachievethegainorgetoutofthepainwearein.WhatarethespecificstepsforourUnderwaterKickboxertousetoincreasetheirlungcapacitypriortoaworkout?What’sthesecretnumber

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youneedtocallandtheexacttimeyouneedtocalltonabtheCinderella’sCastlecharacterdinner?Nowweneedtoknowwherewegotofindoursmalltargetmarket’sPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.Thesmallerthemarket,theeasierthisis.Beforewedo,Iwanttoemphasizehowmucheasierthisnextexerciseiswithasmalltargetmarket.RememberwetalkedaboutthegolferlininguptheputtortherealestateagentinPhoenixwantingtoloseweight.ThekeytoeverythinggoingforwardforournextfewweekstogetherisunderstandingspecificPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.Youneeddifferenttypesoffishinglurestocatchdifferenttypesoffish.Don’tbescaredoftiny.Remembertheworstcasescenarioisthistinypartofthemarketdoesn’tworkout.You’llhavelearnedvaluabletechniquesandyou’llmoveontothenextpartofthemarket.WheretofindthisoutTherehasneverbeenabettertimetofindoutwherethemembersofyourpotentialtribehangout.I’mgoingtogiveyoumyfavouriteshere.Awordofwarning:thesegroupscanbeliketheBermudaTriangleoftimeeffortandenergy.

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Inthenextsection,I’mgoingtogiveyouveryspecificstrategiesforgettingtheinformationweneed.Itcanbeexcitingandfullofopportunitiesfordopaminehitshangingoutintheseforums.Youareinforumsforthesefourreasons:

• Understandyoursingletargetmarketspains

• Understandyoursingletargetmarketsgains

• Understandyoursingletargetmarketsjobstobedone

• LookforopportunitiestoserveNoticethatnoneoftheseare“Pimpmystuff”—verycrucial!!

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FacebookGroupsFacebookgroupsaremyfavoriteplacerightnowtodiscoverthePains,Gains,andJobsToBeDoneinamarket.YoumaybenotlikeFacebookthatmuch.YoumaynotbethatinterestedinFacebook,butletmetellyouthat’swhereJoeandJaneSmithare-ourtargetmarket.TheyareallonFacebook.Facebookgroups,ifyouhaven’tbeenapartofit,iseffectivelyareplacementforwhatusedtobetheoldforums.Therearegroupsforliterallyeverything.ThesegroupsareafantasticwayforyoutobeabletofigureoutthosePains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.ThebestwaytofindFacebookgroupsisusingsomethingmostpeopledon'tevensee–thesearchbar.There’sasearchbaratthetopofFacebook,andifyoutypeinthesearchbar“yourtopicgroup”,you’llseeawholebunchofgroups,anditveryhelpfullytellsyouthenumbersinthosegroups.Therearedifferenttypesofgroupsaswell.Thereareprivateandpublicgroups,somegroupswhereyoucanjustjoinautomaticallyandsomegroupswhereyouhavetoapplytojoin.Atthispointintime,IwanttodoawarningaboutallthethingsthatI’mabouttotalkabout.

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It’sabsolutelycrucialtheonlyreasonsyouareinthisFacebookgrouporanyoftheplacesI’mabouttodiscussaretolearnandtohelp,nottopimp.You’renottheretosellyourstuff.You’rethereveryspecificallytolearn.Makesureyouoperatethisway.There’snothingworsethanseeingsomebodywhohasneverbeeninvolvedinagroup,aforum,oraReddit/sub-Redditandtheystartpimpingtheirmaterialwithoutanysortofcontributionatall.Wedon’twanttodothat.Facebookgroupsaremyabsolutefavoriteplacetogo.Mynextfavoriteplaceisforums,which,ironically,FacebookgroupshastendedtoreplaceforJoeandJaneSmith.Thepeoplewhoweremembersofforums,whicharethetraditionalbulletinboardstylegroupsthathaveexistedforthelast25years,areyourhardcoreusersinaparticulartopic.WhereaspeoplewhoaremembersoftheFacebookgroupmayflitinandoutbecausetheyjusthappentobeonFacebook.Peoplewhoaremembersofaforumhavetophysicallyremembertogototheforum.Theyhavetojointheforum.Thereisacommitmenttobeinginaforum.Theseareyourmorehardcoreusers,andfrankly,theycanbeyourmorepersnicketymembersaswell.It’sevenmoreimportanttotreadcarefullywhenyou’reinvolvedinforums.

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Verysimply,tofind“forums”,gotoGoogle.Typeyourtopic,“forums”.You’llbeamazedatwhatyoufind.Justbecareful!Mynextoneisnotanewkidontheblock,butitwillbenewforalotofyouunlessyouhappentobeamillennialreadingthis.ThatisReddit.Redditisabrilliantforum,dependingonthetypeofmarketyou’reinvolvedin.Redditisagainmuchmorethehardcoreuserinaparticularenvironment.It’sfarmorepopularthanforums,anditisagainprobablywherepeoplewhoareonthemostcuttingedgewillbe.It’sworthdoingasearchforyourtopic,Reddit,tofindoutwhereitis,andthen,it’sbeyondthescopeofthisbook,butfigureouthowtouseReddit.IprefertouseReddittheapponamobilephone.It’sfareasiertonavigate.It’sworthit,ifyourmarketdoeshaveanactiveRedditgroup,it’sprobablythesinglebestsourceofplacestofigureoutPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.YoucankilltwobirdswithonestoneherebylookingatAmazonreviewsandtypinginyourmarketandtheword“books”behinditbecause,let’sfaceit,therearebooksonprettymucheverything,andthat’sagoodsign.It’snotsomethingyoushouldbeconcernedabout.Infact,theonlytimeyouprobablyshouldbeconcernediswhentherearenobooksonyourtopicatall.

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Here’swhatyouwanttodo.WewanttolookattheAmazonreviews.ThesearegoldforfiguringoutPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDonebecausethepositivereviewswilltellyouallthethingsthatpeoplewanttogain.Thenegativereviewswilltellyouallthepainpointsthatpeoplehave,andyou’llalsoseestatementslike,“Iwishyou’dshownmehowtodothis,”or,“Iwishyou’dgointomoredetailaboutthat.”It’smannafromheaven.AmazonreviewsisagreatplacetofigureoutPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.Thefinalone:YouTubecomments,butbecareful.It’sprettymuchacesspit.Havingsaidthat,thenarroweryourmarket,themorelikelyitisthatyouactuallyhaverealenthusiastswatchingthevideos,andthecommentswillactuallyagreatplacetofigureoutPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone,particularlycommentswhichhavereceivedalotofthumbsupbecauseyoucanlikeindividualcomments.That’sreally,reallyhelpfulaswell.Ultimately,theabsolutebestwaytofigureoutPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDoneistoactuallyspeaktosomebodyinyourtargetaudience,tobuythemacoffeeandhaveachat.Gotoatradeshowwhereallthesepeoplearecongregating.Therearetradeshowsonallthedifferenttopicsthatyoucouldpossiblyimagine—includingkickboxing,Imightadd.Atradeshoworactually

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havingtheopportunitytospeaktopeopleisafantasticresearch.ThereasonIputitlastisit’snotnecessaryatthispoint,butultimately,itwillbethebestthingbecausewewanttogetcustomers.Ultimately,weneedtosellsomething,soreallyunderstandingyourmarketandspeakingwithpeopleisafantasticwaytounderstandPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.Whattolookfor.Inthissection,Iwanttogiveyouthetypeoftriggerstatementsyouarelookingforwhenyou’regoingthroughanyofthepreviouslydescribedgroups.Ifyouknowwhattolookfor,you’regoingtosavetime.Remember,atthestartofthisentiresection,wewarnedyouaboutresearchingyourselftodeath,youresearch,research,andresearch,andneveractuallygetinvolvedinthemarket.BytellingyouexactlywhattolookforwithPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone,youcansetyourselfataskoverthecourseofthisweekjusttodeterminePains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.Lookingforthesesortsofstatementswillhelpyounarrowyoursearchdownsoyoucandothisrelativelyquickly.Pains:Thetypesofphrasesyouarelookingforthingswhicharepainfultoyoursingletarget

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marketarephraseslike,“Ihatethis.Idon’tlike...Thissucks.”Youwanttolookforcomplaintsandfrustrations,thingswhichannoypeople.Thegreatthingabouthumansisthey’reveryhappytotellyouwhatcheesesthemoff.Thisisgoldforyoubecause,remember,whenyouarelookingatcreatingaSAGE-stylegiveawaytocollectemailsforyourtribe,thepainpointisgoingtobeourbestopportunitytocollectanemailandhelppeopleinourmarket.Gains:Gainsarewherepeoplewanttoendup.Thisiswheretheywanttofinishtheirjourneyorattainaparticulargoal.You’relookingforphraseslike,“IwishIcould.”“Oh,I’msojealous.”“Ialwaysdreamed...”Youwanttolookforthingsinyourmarket.Wheredotheywanttogetto?Anothergreatquestiontoaskiswhatistheirdreamresult?Forthesingle-targetmarketthatyou’vechosen,whatisthedreamresult?ForourrealestateagentinPhoenix,Arizonawhowantstoloseweight,whichwasourridiculousexampleinanearlierchapter,theirdreamresultistoloseweight,havemoreenergy,beabletogetmorebuyersandsellers.Forourunderwaterkickboxers,theirdreamresultistowintheUnderwaterKickboxingChampionshiportobeabletowinmorebouts.Iftheylearntobreatheunderwaterbetter,they’llgettheirdreamresult.Veryimportantinformation.

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JobstobeDone:Theseareareaswherepeoplewanttolearn.Theywanttoseehow-to’s.Theywanttoseechecklists.Theywanttoseestep-by-stepguides.Lookforphraseslike,“HowdoI...”“Doyouknowhowto...?”“Tutorialrequests,”and,“Couldyoupleaseshowmehowtodothis?”Allofthesejobsarejobstobedone,andtheyaregoingtobefantasticforyoutoutilizeasyoustarttobuildcontentinyourmarket.It’sgoingtobeusefulforproducts.It’sgoingtobeusefulforeducatingpeopleasyoutakethemdownthepathofbecomingaclient.

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ActionStepsStepOne:Spend30minutesdiscoveringthebestsourcesforyoursingle-targetmarket.Herewe’regoingtowriteourselvesaticketforourKanbanboard.We’regoingtosetaclockfor30minutes,andusingthemethodologyIdescribedabove.We’regoingtodoaFacebooksearch,aGoogleforumsearch,andAmazonBooks.Youhave30minutestofindwhereyoursingletargetmarketishangingoutonline.It’sarace.You’vegot30minutes.One30-minutesessionwillgetthatdoneforyou.StepTwo:Getsome3x5cards.Getsome3x5indexcardsandcreateaPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDoneindexcardbox.Whynotdigitized?Aswediscussedalready,forthevastmajorityofyou,ifyouusesomethinglikeEvernoteorsomesortofdigitalcollectionservice,you’llnevergobackandlookatanythingthatyou’vecollectedinthatserviceagain.It’simportanttohavesomethingthat’svisual.Asmymentor,GaryHalbert,usedtotellme,helovedtofondlehisindexcards.It’sveryimportant.Youphysicallywritetheinformationdown,whichhelpsyouwithyourmemoryandretention.BydividingyourindexcardboxintoPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone,you’remaking

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acollectionandwillbeabletousethesecardsinaveryvisualway,which,asweknowforthevastmajorityofyoureadingthisbook,isgoingtobeveryimportant.Youneedtogetthose.Here’sanAmazonlinktomyAmazonWishlistwhichwillenableyoutogetthecardsandcardboxthatIuseandrecommend:www.yourfirstdollar.com/toolsStepThree:Createthreeticketsforthisweek’sKanbanboardonPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.You’regoingtospend30minutesresearchingeach.Thisisverystraightforward.Iwantyoutospendatotalof30minutesresearchingtheplaceswhereyouhavefound,andIwantyoutodothreepasses:onepassforpains,onepassforgains,andonepassthejobstobedone.Youhave30minutesforeachpass.That’sright,atotalofonehourandahalf,90minutestofigureouttheinitialrunofpains,gains,jobstobedone.Remember,hereisahugetrappeoplehaveventureddownthepathofresearchingtheirmarket,andthey’venever,everreturned.I’mlookingatyou,highfactfinders.Youneedconstraint,andyouneedtomakethisagameforyoutodoit.

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JustlikeagreatMasterChefMysteryBoxChallenge,you’vegot30minutesforPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.Wealsoknow,thankstothegreatresearchofMalcolmGladwellinhisbookBlink,thatyourfirstimpressionsaboutwhatPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDoneareusuallyright.There’snoneedtoresearchourselvestodeath.StepFour:Whenyoudoyourresearch,goforquantity,notquality.Youreadthatright.Iwantyoutosetyourselfatargetforatleast103x5indexcards,onepainpoint,onegainpoint,onejobtobedonepointforeach.Foreach30-minutesession,Iwanttoseeaminimumof10cards.Themore,thebetter.Ifyouget30cardsineach,I’llbesoproudofyou.Thatwillbeawesome.Why?Whydowewanttogoforquantityandnotquality?Iwanttoreferyoutothisgreatexamplefromthebook,ArtandFear,ofanexperimentthatwasconductedinSanFranciscopotteryclass.Theclasswasdividedupintotwogroups,andthepotteryteachergavethefirstgroupastandardassignment.“Youhaveaweek.Iwantyoutoproduceonefantasticpotterypiece,andthatiswhatyouwillreceiveyourgradeon.”

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Tothesecondhalfoftheclass,thepotteryteachersaid,“Yourgradewillbedeterminedbyweight.Ifyoudeliver40poundsofpottery,yougetanA;30pounds,you’llgetaB;20pounds,aC,andsoon.”Onesidehadtodotheirbestwork,andtheothersidejusthadtogoforquantity.Theyhadtocreate40pounds,andthat’salotofpottery,togetthebestgradetheycould.Attheendofthisprocess,theythenhadoutsidepotteryvaluationexpertscomeinandgrade,fromtheirperspective,thebestpieces.Canyouguesswherethetop10bestpiecescamefrom?Ifyouguessedthequantitysection,youareabsolutelycorrect.Peoplewhowereobsessingovertheironepiecedidn’tevengetclose,butthepeoplewhoweregoingforquantity,insideallthatcoal,therewasthatdiamondthatmadeeverythingworthwhile.Whenyou’redoingtheseexercises,whenyou’relookingatPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone,Idon’twantyoutothinkabout,“Oh,it’sjustreallygoodpain,”or,“It’sjustanaveragepain.”“Oh,Idon’tknow.Ithinkthismightbe...Really,ah,Ijustdon’tknow.”Idon’twantyoutoeditatall.Ijustwantyoutogofullquantity.Themorecardsyouhavethebetter.Goforquantity.

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StepFive:CreateaNewTickettorank.Spend10minutesrankingyourPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDonefrombiggestissuetolittlestissue.Wewilltake10minutesforeachgroupsotherearethree10-minutesectionsinall:10minutesforpain,10minutesforgain,10minutesforjobstobedone.We’regoingtotakeoutourcardsfromourindexbox,inthiscase,pains.Iwantyoutolaythemoutonthetable,floor,orwhereverishandy,andIwantyoutosetatimerfor10minutes,andthenIwantyoutosortjustbasedonyourgutinstinctwhatyouthinkthebiggestpainis.Thenyourankitdowntowhattheleastpainfulorperhapsannoyingthingisinthatmarket.IjustmentionedMalcolmGladwell’sbook,Blink.Thescienceregardingthisisweknowthevastmajorityoftimes,you’rerankingisgoingtobeprettygoodsolet’snotstress.Spend10minutes.Iknowyouhighfactfindersareprobablyhavingabigofafitrightaboutnow,butthisisthewayyougetsuccess,becauseIwantyoutofocusontheprocess.It’snottheoutcomewhichisimportanthere.Theprocessofdoingthisiswhatgetsyouthetic.It’swhatgetsyouthegoldstar.

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StepSix:Putthembackinyourresearchcardboxinorder.Nowthatyou’vegotthemranked,putthembackinyourboxinorder,andyou’llseewe’llbeusingthatboxforawholebunchofstuffaswegoforward.ThisseemslikeanawesometimetomentionIdoapodcastfocusedonhelpingpeoplethroughtheYourFirstDollarprocess!Youcanfindoutallaboutithere:www.yourfirstdollar.com/podcast.YoucanevenbecomeaguestonthepodcastwhereIcanhelpyouwithanyoftheYourFirstDollarprocess

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BuildingaTribeWhenIsay“buildingatribe,”Ireallymeanbuildingalistsoyoucanserveyourmarket.Rightnow,today,anemaillististhemostvaluableassetyoucanpossiblyhave.Idobelievethat,inthefuture,instantmessagingandtextingwilltakeoverfromemail.That’snottoday.Today,whenwelookatbuildingourtribe,myfriendAshMurya,talksaboutcreatingahappycustomerfactory.Inahappycustomerfactory,yourrawmaterialsareanemailaddress.Ifwedon’thaveanemailaddress,wehavenowayofhavingadiscussionwithourclients.Anemailisabsolutelythemostvitalthing.Howdowedothis?Weneedtohelppeoplewiththebiggestchallengetheyhaveintheirmarket.Inreturnforthishelp,they’regoingtobethrilledtogiveustheiremailand,moreimportantly,lookforwardtogettingafurtheremailfromus.That’sreallyexciting.Ofcourse,there’saprocesstoit.Thisisthefirsttimeweareneedingtodosometechnology,butdon’tstress.Weuseasupereasyservicewhichhandleseverythingforyouandisfreetostart,soyoucanmakesureit’sworkingbeforeyouhavetopay.Wecanalsogetsomebodytohelpdothetechforyousoyoucanfocusonhelpingyourmarketfirst.Infact,let’sfocusthere,andwe’llgettothetechlater.

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StepOne:Let’sStartWiththeBiggestPain.Pullthefirstcardoutofthepainsectionofyourindexbox.Thiswasthebiggestpainyoudiscoveredinyourresearchandit’swhatwe’regoingtousetohelpbuildouremaillist.Whydoweusethebiggestpainfirst?“Everybodyslowsdownforacaraccident,andveryfewpeopleslowdownforthebeautifulsunset.”It’shumannaturetofocusongettingoutofpainfirst,thisisoneoftheeasiestwayswecangetattention.Also,youhavepositivefeelingstowardpeoplewhohavehelpedyougetoutofpainorshowingouthowtomakethepainbetter.That’sallweneedtodo.Iknowalreadysomeofyouarethinking,“ButEd,Ijustbarelyknowthismarketatall.I’mnoexpert.I’vebeendoingthisresearchforapproximatelytwohours.”Staywithme–Ihaveyourback.StepTwo:HowCanWehelpWithThisProblem?Themostimportantthingyouhavetounderstandisyoudon’thavetobeanexpert.Youdohavetobeanenthusiast;youdohavetobesomeonewho’sexcitedaboutlearning.

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Ioftentellthestoryofthechiropractor.Ifyou’vebeensufferingchronicbackpainforthelastdecade,andyounoticethere’sanewchiropractorwhohasmovedintotown,andyousay,“Youknowwhat,let’sgivethenewherago,andhopefullyshe’llbefantastic.”Yougotothenewchiropractor,andit’samiracle.Sheisbrilliant.“Oh,mygoodness!Forthefirsttimeinadecade,Ihavenopain.Thisisamazing.”Ofcourse,whatwouldhappenwhenyoudothat?Youtelleverybodyaboutit,right?Whenyou’retalkingtoyourgoodfriendaboutit,theysay,“Oh,yes.Iknowher.Youmusthavebeenherfirstclient.She’djustgraduatedfromchiropracticschool.”Here’sthething:Ifyou’dknownyouweregoingtobethisperson’sfirsteverprofessionalclientwhenthey’reoutontheirown,andyou’vehadchronicbackpainfor10years,wouldyouhaveyougonetothem?No,ofcoursenot.Youwouldn’thave.Theysolvedyourproblem,soyoudon’tcareabouttheirbackground.Youdon’tcareabouthowmanyyears(ornoyears)they’vebeenpracticing.Theyhelpedyouwithyourproblem.You’rethrilled.You’rethankful,andthat’swhatwewanttotakeadvantageofhere.Oftenwhenwe’retalkingaboutsolvingpainsinthiscontext,we’renotsolvingthemcompletely,althoughthat’sawesomeifyoucan.

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Wewanttoatleastpointingpeopleintherightdirection.Doyouknowhowtohelp?Thisisourfirstpartofthis.Ifyouknowhowtohelp,thisisgreat,andwecancreateasmall,simplechecklistorguidetocreate,togiveawayfortheemail.Whatifyoudon’tknow?Youhavetoresearch,andwe’regoingtotalkaboutthatveryshortly.Ifyouknowhowtohelp,youwanttocreateaSAGEchecklist.SAGEstandsforShort,Actionable,Goal-oriented,andEasy.Thinkaboutit.Peopledon’thavetimetowatchhoursofvideo,eventhoughtheycouldbereally,reallyuseful.Ifyouoffersomesortoffreeconsultationtopeople,theythinkthat’ssomesortofcodeforasalesconversation,whichittypicallyis.Awebinar,theyhavetobeabletogoandspendtime.Beforetheyevengetanysortofhelporfeedback,it’sgoingtotakethemawholebunchoftime.Oryoucanhavesomesortofverysimple,smallchecklist,atwo-pageguidethatpeoplecandownloadanduseimmediately.Thereisanadvancedversionhere.Thebestthing,andinfactyou’reexperiencingitrightnowaswespeak,what’sworkingtheabsolutebestrightnowistocreateabookandhaveabookasagiveaway.Itactuallymeetsallthecriteria.Iknowwhatyou’rethinking,creatingabookissuperhard,andthat’swhatIthoughtfortwo

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decadesaswell,butusingthisamazingprocess,atwww.90MinuteBooks.com,Ihaveactuallycreatedthebookyouarenowreading,whichishelpingyou!Ifyou’vegotsomeresources,it’sisafantasticwayofhelpingthemarket.Ifwe’restartingfromscratch,ashortchecklistisgoingtobefantastic.Isthereamagictrick?Doyouknowsomethingwhichcanhelppeoplereallysimplyandquickly?Again,I’mtalkingtopeopleinthemarketwhoalreadyknowwhatthey’redoing.Don’tworry.Ifyoudon’tknow,I’mgoingtohelpyouveryshortly.TheexampleIliketousehereisaphotography.ThereareacoupleofthingsIcanshowpeople,andthey’reinstantlytakingbetterphotos.Thefirstthingistoteachpeopletheruleofthirds.Ifyouimagethreecolumnsandthreerowsonyourviewfinder,sowheneveryou’retakingaphoto,imagineawindowpanethathasthreecolumnsandthreerows.Ifyouplacethesubjectsofyourphotowherethosepanes,intersect,whichyou’llnoticeisnotinthemiddleoftheframe,you’llinstantlystarttakingbetterphotos.You’llnoticethis.NowI’mgoingtoruinwatchingTVforeverforyou.Innewsbroadcasts,anyscene,you’llnoticethatthepeoplewhoaretalkinginasceneareontheselines.They’renotdeadcenterinthecamera.Thedeadcenteractuallylooksreally

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weird,yetmostofustrytogetthesubjectrightinthecenterofthephoto.Byknowingthat,ithasjusttaken30secondsorsotoreadthis,you’lltakemuchbetterphotos.Thesecondruleisagreatone,“FilltheFrame”.Whateverthesubjectisyouareatakingaphotoof,justmoveclosertoitorfurtherawaysoitfillstheframeandyoudon’thaveanyrubbishoranythingoutsideofthesubjectofyourphoto.Startdoingthis,you’llinstantlytakebetterphotos.Thisissomethingyoucantestliterallyin30secondswithyourcameraphonerightnow,andyou’lltakebetterphotos.That’swhatImeanbya“magictrick”:somethingyoucanshowpeopleandtheygo,“Wow!Thatisreally,reallycool.”Youmayhavethat.Itmightbeforourunderwaterkickboxers,itmightbeaparticularbreathingtechniquewhichincreasesyourabilitytoholdyourbreathby50%justbyusingthisparticularphrase.Whateveritis,itshouldbecool.Youmay,forexample,knowsomeYouTubevideoswhicharereallygood,notdonebyyou,butbysomebodyelsewhoreallyhelpedyouunderstandthisparticularpainwhenyouwerefirststartingout.

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Whatifyoudon’thaveaclue?You’vegotnoideaaboutwhatthisthingshouldbe.You’vegotnoideahowtosolvethispainpointonyourindexcard.Greatnews:We’regoingtofixthisrightnow.Thefirstthingyou’regoingtodoiscreateaticket.Spend30minutesfindingtheanswertothispainpoint.You’rethengoingtocreateanotherticketforyourKanbanboard.Forumpost:What’sthebestwayyouhavesolvedthisproblem?Yes,thisisreallycool.Iknow.Thefirstthingyou’regoingtodoissearchyourFacebookgroupsandsearchyourforums.Theyallhavesearchfunctionstoseeifsomebodyindeedhasansweredthisquestion,andmostimportantly,hashadresponsesfrompeoplesaying,“Ah,thisisgreat.Thisisfantastic.That’sexcellent.”Ifyoufindthisfirstup,beauty.Jobdone.Thatisawesome,right?Youknowalready,andyou’vetaken30minutesofsearchingonaforumorinyourFacebookgrouptofigureouttheanswer.Ifforsomereasonyoucan’tfindit,thenaskaquestionontheforumandsay,“Hey,guys,I’mtryingtofigureouthowtosolvethis,”andexplainthepain,andseewhatresponsesyougetfrompeople.Lettheforumtellyou.Thatisahugechecklistandwonderfulvaluecreator.Peoplelovetohelpout,andaskingpeoplewhoaredealingwiththethingeverydayisagreatwaytofigureoutwhatispossible.

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Justdon'tjumptothissecondstepfirst–spendagoodthirtyminutesresearchingfirst.Nothingwillgetyouanegativeresponsethannotrespectingtheforumandaskingaquestionwhichhasbeenanswered.StepThree:CreatetheGiveaway.Theymaypointyoutoresources.TheymaypointyoutoYouTubevideos.Great.Justcreateanice,one-pagedocument,whichisalinktothebestarticles,thebestYouTubevideos,maybethebestpodcastforsolvingthisparticularproblem.You’vejustsavedyournewtribememberanenormousamountoftime.IwouldalwaysmakethedownloadlookprettybyprovidingthelinkstoagraphicdesigneronFiverrandpaythem$5or$10ifyou’reinarush,tomakethechecklistlookreallynicesoyou’vegotareallynicechecklistpeoplecanuse.Boom!It’sdone.You’vecreatedyourfirstSAGEdownloadwecanusefortesting.Ifyouneedhelpwiththis,sendanemailtoed@yourfirstdollar.com,subject“Ineedhelpwithmyfunnel!”

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StepFour:CreatetheFunnel.Firstofall,let’sdescribewhatafunnelis.Ifyouthinkaboutafunnelwhereyou’retryingtopourwaterinacontainer,youusethefunnelsoyoucancaptureallofthewaterandhaveit,inacontrolledway,gointoyourcontainersoyou’renotspillingstuffeverywhere.Wewanttodothesamewithpeoplewhoareinterestedinourtopic.Wewanttoaskpeopleinoursingletargetmarketwhomaybeinterestedandwhowecanhelpandwewouldliketoservebygettingtheiremailaddress.That’swhatafunneldoes.Thereareanumberofcomponentstothis.Thefirstcomponentistheopt-inpage.Iknowyou’veseenthisbecausethereasonyou’rereadingthisbookisyousubmittedyouremailtoanopt-inpage.Thisiswheretheopt-inpageisverysimple.Formineitwasthepictureofthebookandwhatyouwouldgetoutofthebookandadownload—very,verysimple.It’sawayofsomebodygivingyoutheiremailaddress,andinreturn,yougivethemyour,inmycase,bookorperhapsinyourcase,yourSAGEgiveawayyou’vecreated.Thesecondthingyouneedissomesortofauto-responder.Anautoresponderserviceistheservicewhichcollectstheemail,collectsyourdatabaseofcustomers,andenablesyoutoautomaticallysendemails.

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Forexample,sendingpeopletheinformationwheretheycandownloadtheirgiveawayyou’vejustpromisedthemInanidealworld,allofthesethingscanbefoundinoneplaceandforfree.Fortunatelyforyou,exactlythesameserviceIusewhenstartinganewnichefromscratchisavailabletoyouto.www.GoGoClients.comdoesallofthesethingsanditdoesitverysimply.Thebestpartisit’sfreeforamonthtotry.Beforeyouwanttocommittoaparticularmarket,youcaneverythingforamonth,whichismorethanenoughtimetotestamarket.Becausethingschangefromtimetotime,I’vecreatedaseriesofvideostoshowyouexactlywhatyouneedtodo,stepbystep.Youcangetthesevideoshereatwww.yourfirstdollar.com/funneltoolsDoyouwantmyteamtodothisforyou?Justshootmeanemailed@yourfirstdollar.comwiththesubject,“Ineedhelpwithmyfunnel.”StepFive:YourFirstTest!Getexcited!Don’tbescared.Remember,thetrickistocompletetheprocess.Theresultsofthisdon’tmatter.Forthoseofyouhighfactfindersoutthere,pleasedon’tstress.Followingtheprocessisthevictory.

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Here’swhatwe’regoingtodo.We’regoingtospend$20onFacebooktotestoursmallfunnel.We’regoingtotargetaverysmallgroupvery,verysafely.Whatdoweneedtocreate?Weneedtocreateanad.Guesswhat?Thecopyfortheadhasprettymuchbeenwrittenforyoubecauseyou’vegotyourfirstpainpoint,yourindexcard,andyouropt-inpage.If,forexample,ourmarketwasunderwaterkickboxing,andwewantedtohelppeoplebreathe50%longerOuradsimplysays,“Discoverawaytoincreasethetimeyoucanholdyourbreathby50%.Clickhere.”Verysimple.Youneedtohaveanimagethatyoucanuseaswell.BecausethingschangeallthetimewithFacebook,I’vecreatedaseriesofvideosyoucanwatchatwww.yourfirstdollar.com/traffictoseethelatestmethodstoadvertisesafely.Youcanfollowthesevideostocreateyouradandwewillsendthetraffictoouropt-infunnelatGoGoClients.We’llsetasmallbudget(around10dollars)andseewhathappens!!OneofthereasonsIlovetestingwithFacebookisthatyoucantestwithsuchsmalldollaramounts.

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Believeitornot,eventhebiggestadvertisersinthebusinessstartouttestingFacebookthisway.It’sactuallyareallybigtrick.SomepeoplegoandthrowabunchofmoneyatFacebookinitially,anditactuallyhurtsyourresults.Youwanttostartreally,reallysmall.Oncewehaveouropt-inpageforourdownload,we’veusedGoGoClientstocreateit,thenthey’regoingtoturniton.Withinashortperiodoftime,withinthenext48hours,you’regoingtogetyourfirstemail,andit’stimetocelebrate.You’vegotyourfirsttribemember.Ifyouwantmyteamtodothisforyou,justshootmeanemailtoed@yourfirstdollar.comwiththesubject“Ineedhelpwithmyfunnel.”StepSix:ReviewandAdjust.Weneedtolookatournumbers.It’sveryimportant.NowI’mtalkingtoyouhighquickstartswho’djustliketoseeifthere’sanemailaddressandforgetaboutallthedetail.Wewanttolookathowouradisworking.OurkeymetricherefromaFacebookpointofviewisclick-throughrateorCTR.Youwanttomakesureyouradisproducingatleasta1%click-throughrate.Thatmeansofevery100peoplewhoseeyourad,eitherontheirmobilephoneorontheirdesktop,atleastoneclicksthespecificad.That’sourclick-throughrate.

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Ifyou’regettingmorethan1%,thisisgreat.Ifyou’regettinglessthan1%,weneedtochangetheadforournextexperiment.Weneedtotryanewheadlinebecausewe’renotgettingenoughattention.Ifyou’regettingabove3%,that’sincredible.That’sawesome.We’reonlylookingforabove1ina100peoplewhoseethea.Ournextstepistofigureouthowouropt-inpageisworking.ThegreatthingisGoGoClientsprovidesallthisinformationforyou.Wewanttolookattheconversionrate,inotherwords,howmanypeoplearriveatouropt-inpage,butthenleaveusanemail?Inhere,we’relookingforabove30%.Above50%isawesome,andforbookopt-ins,weareoftenseeinganywherefrom60%to70%opt-inrate.Ifwearenotgettingatleasta30%opt-inrateweneedtotweakthepage.Weneedtochangetheheadline.Why30%?Ofevery10peoplewhocometoourpage,we’dliketoseethreepeoplesignup.Thinkaboutit:Ifthey’vebeensurfingonFacebookandthey’veactuallyinterruptedtheirFacebooksurfing,becausethey’vebeenintriguedbyyourad.“Yes,Iwanttolearnhowtobreathe50%extra,”thentheydon’tgetyourguide,itseemscrazybecausethey’veactuallyinterruptedthemselves.

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That’swhywewanttoseeadecentopt-inrate.Guesswhatwe’regoingtodo?We’regoingtocreateanewexperimentbasedontweakingourheadline.Dependingonourclick-throughrateandourconversionrate,wecanthencreateanewexperimenttoseeifwecanbeatourconversion.Werinseandrepeatedthisprocess.

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OfferingProductsandServicesHowdoyougotoeducateyourmarket?Youneedtopickaweeklywaytocommunicatewiththem.ThisiswhenDeanJacksoncameupwithanamazingsolution.Hehasanemailmarketingsolutionyoudefinitelyneedtocheckoutat:www.yourfirstdollar.com/emailmasteryWhenIlearnedthisfromDean,itrockedmyworld.Here’sthething:Ofanygivenmarketof100%ofpeoplewhogiveyoutheiremail,50%ofthemwon’tbuyfromanyoneever.Again,checkoutthelinkaboveforthemoredetailonthis.Idon’twanttotaketoomuchtimehere,butIdowanttotellyouthekeyresultsofthis.Fiftypercentofpeoplewon’tbuyatall.Ofthe50%left,85%ofthosepeoplewillbuysomethinginyournicheatsomepointintimeoverthenext18months.Theother15%whoareleftwanttobuysomethingprettysooninthenext60days.Thevastmajorityofpeoplearen’tgoingtobuyfromyourightaway.Weneedtocreatesomethingwhichisgoingtohelpeducatethemandenthusethemtowanttoraisetheirhandtoletyouknowtheyarereadytotakethenextstep.Youneedtopickaweeklywaytodothis.Onceaweek,thereneedstobesomesortofcommunication.

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YourKolbeprofile,whichwetalkedaboutintheveryfirstsection,willhelpyou.Ifyouarelikeme,there’sahighquickstart,lowfollow-through.Videoorpodcastingisgoingtobewaymoreusefulforyou.Ifyou’reahighfactfinder,maybeanemailnewsletterorsomethingwrittenisgoingtobebetter.HereiswhatIdo.PleaseremembertokeepyourownKolbeinmindbecauseyouneedtodothisconsistently.Itneedstobedoneonaweeklybasis.Consistencyisvitalforthispartoftheprocess,soyou’vegottoenjoydoingwhateveryoudecidetodoonaweeklybasis.It’snotaboutdoingmassivevolumes,bytheway.It’saboutbeinghelpfuleverysingleweek.Myabsolutefavoriteisapodcast,andthisiswhatIdo.Youcanuseapodcasttobeabletoanswerquestions,totalktopeopleinyourniche,tocreateinterviews.It’sawonderful,wonderfulthing.Forthoseofyouwhoarepodcastfans,youalreadyknowwhatitis.WhenIthinkaboutthepiecesofcontentImostenjoyreceivingeverysingleweek,it’swithoutdoubtpodcasts.IspendmoretimewithinthepodcastthananythingelsebecauseI’mwalkingthedogseverydayandIlistentothepodcastwhenIwalkthedogs.WhenI’mdrivingorI’mwaiting,I’mwaitingwithmydaughters,I’mlisteningtothepodcast.

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Creatingapodcastwhichisoutsidethescopeofthisbook.I’llprovidealinkattheendofthissectiontogiveyoumyfavoriteresourcesforallofthesethingsforlearninghowtodoeachone.Asimplenewslettermaybethebestthingforyoutodotostart.Thegreatthingiswithwww.GoGoClients.com,you’vegotallofthisfunctionalitybuiltin.Youcouldsendoutanemailonaweeklybasis,helpingpeople,pointingthemtoqualitycontentormaybeshortarticles.Youcouldalso,likeallthekidsaredoingthesedays,createaYouTubechannel.YouTubehasbeenphenomenal,andwhenyouthinkabouttheamountoftimeyouspentwatchingYouTube.Moreimportantly,thinkaboutallthemillennialsinyourlife,howmuchthey’rewatchingYouTube.I’lltellyourightnow,mykidsarewatchingwaymoreYouTubethantheywatchtelevision.Thisisthefuture.Ifyou’resoinclined,aYouTubechannelwhereyoupublishvideosonaweeklybasiscouldabsolutelybeafantasticwaytokeepthe85%educatedandentertained.Peoplefeelreallycomfortabledoingthisfreestuffbecausetheydon’thavetodoanythingscarylikeaskingformoney.Thisisabadmistakemistake,andthisnextsectionwillhelpyouavoidthenumberonemistakepeoplemakewhenmakingfreecontent.

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YoucanlearnaboutmyPodcastdesignedtohelpyoueveryweekhereatwww.yourfirstdollar.com/podcastAlongwithsomeofmyfavouriteresources,IalsotalkaboutthepodcastinggearIuseatwww.yourfirstdollar.com/toolsDon’tgivefreehugsIwantyoutoimaginesomething.Iwantyoutoimaginethatyou’regoingtoyourparents’ifthey’restillaround.Iknowmymother-in-lawmakestheseamazingdinners,soforthelast15years,I’vebeengoingtomymother-in-law’splaceforEasterandforChristmas.Mygoodness,thespreadsarejust…I’mgettingexcitedjustthinkingaboutitrightnow.Itisamazing,andIloveit.Shemakesmyfavoritechocolateripplecakedessert.It’sawesome.JustimaginethatthenexttimeIgothereforChristmasDay,Isay,“Marlene,thishasbeenfantastic.Thankyousomuchforanotheramazingeffort.”Shesaystome:“Ed,that’sawesome.I’msogladyoulovedthat.Thatwillbe$35.”What?“Whatjusthappenedhere?”WhenItellthisstoryinworkshops,peoplephysicallyrecoilandlaughandthink,“Ha,ha,don’tbesilly.”WhatpeoplewhocreateaYouTubechannel,blogorpodcastdoiscreateallthisfreecontent—freehugs,aswecallthem—andthen,allofasudden

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theystartchargingforsomethingtheiraudiencehasbeengettingforfree.Yousay,“Hangon,Ed.Ispent12monthsresearchingthisnewcourse.I’veinterviewedexperts.Ispendthousandsofdollarsoftravel.Iputittogether,whyshouldn’tIcharge?”Theproblemis,yourmarketdoesn’tknoworfranklycareaboutallofthat.Attheendoftheday,theyseetext,digitaltext,videos,PDF,stuffthatyou’vebeengivingawayforfree,andnowallofasuddenyou’recharging.That’swhythemarketgoesBananaramawhenyoudothis.ThegreatDeanJacksonsolvedthissoelegantly.Hehasamethodologycalled,“Doyouwantacookiewiththat?”Again,I’mnotgoingtoexplainitindetailhere.Youcanhearitmuchbetterfromthegreatmanhimselfwww.yourfirstdollar.com/emailmasterySomewhereinyourfreecontent,youneedtoaskpeopletoraisetheirhandtoletyouknowthatthey’repreparedtotakethenextstep.Forexample,usingourunderwaterkickboxer,wehaveacoursenowwe’vecreatedwhichisaguidetoincreasingyourabilitytoholdunderwaterbreathby50%.

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Let’scallitaworkshopwherepeoplecomeintoourspecialunderwaterkickboxingtrainingfacilityinThailand,andtheytrainwithusforaweek.Attheendofeachpodcastwedoonourunderwaterkickboxing,I’llsaysomethinglike,“Hey,areyoureadytoincreaseyourlungcapacity–getthis7-stepguidetoincreaseyourbreathholdtimeby50%”Bysimplyasking,asDeanwouldcallit,“Wouldyoulikeacookie?”you’relettingpeopleknow,yes,they’regettingamazing,valuablecontent,buttherearealsopaidoptionstoincreaseandenhancetheirexperienceorhelpthemimplementwhatyou’reteaching.That’sthekeyonesimplelittlechangewithyourweeklycommunicationswhichmakesallthedifference,andyoudon’thavethe,jarringresponsewhenyouofferaproducttoyourlistifyou’reusedtogettingfreestuffallthetimesimplybyasking,“Wouldyoulikeacookie?”Agreatwaytocomeupwithcookiesisthinkaboutwhatwouldbethenextstepforyourparticularmarket.Thisisthekeyquestionyouwanttobeaskingforthecookie.Wheredowegettopicsforwhatwe’regoingtoputinthiscontent?Guesswhat?You’vegotanindexcardboxfullofthem.

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RememberwhenwedidallourPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone?Allyouneedtodotocomeupwithtopicsistoflipthrough,maybeevenrandomly,closeyoureyesandrandomlypickacard.Thatcanbeyourtopicfortheweek.Ofcourse,asyougetinvolvedinthemarket,youwanttobecomeacollectorofPains,Gains,andJobsToBeDone.Ihavealittlecardholderformy3x5cardswhichItakewithmeeverywheresoIcanjotdown,andifIhearapain,oragain,orajobtobedone,Icanjotitdownandputitinmycardboxcollectorforthatparticularproject.I’mconstantlycollectingthings.Thenofcourseyoucanmakeanoteontheindexcardwhereyouaddresseditinapodcast,anewsletter,orablogpostsoI’vegotsomethingofvaluetosendtopeopletohelpthemout.Bytheway,weholdbrainstormingsessionseverycoupleofweeksonwaysthatwecanserveourmarketsandcookiecreation.Ifyou’dliketojoinus,justsendanemailtoed@yourfirstdollar.comandwe’llletyouknowwhenournextbrainstormingeventis.

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MakingYourFirstDollarIfthere’sonepartoftheprocesswhichhaschangedovertheyearsofmedoingthechallenge,it’showmucheasiercreatingaproducthasbecomethankstooutsourcingandusingserviceslikeFiverr.butbeforewebuildaproductweneedtotestwhetherthemarketispreparedtobuysomething.Thebigmistakepeoplemakeistheylockthemselvesawayforeightmonthswritingtheirepicbook,ortheiramazingcourse,ortheirincrediblevideoseries.Theyreleaseittotheworldandthenhavethehorriblediscovery,nobodywantstobuyitinthefirstplace.Instead,wewanttotakefromouragilemethodologywetalkedaboutwithourKanbanboardtocreatewhatiscalledaminimumviableproduct.Thisistheminimumthingwecancreateorusetotestourmarkettoseeifthereisdesirabilityfortheproblemwewanttosolve.Willthemarketbuy?Theawesomethingaboutonlinebusinessesistypicallywecanuseaffiliateproducts—inotherwords,productsalreadyservingourmarketwhichwelike,thatwe’veusedourselves,itcouldbeabook,oritcouldbeavideoseries.

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Itcouldbeanything,butit’sanaffiliateproduct,sowecanseewhetherourmarketisactuallybuying.Ifyoucreatesurveysanddoallthosesortsofthings,that’sonething,butwhenyouseepeoplespendmoney,that’swhenyouknowyouareonawinner.Thegreatthingabouttestingyourmarketisidentifyinganaffiliateproduct,andthebestwaytodothisistoGoogleyoursingletargetmarketaffiliateandseeifthere’sanythingthatcomesup.MyotherfavoriteisjusttouseAmazonandtouseabookonthesubjectthatyou’vereallylovedbecause,again,we’renotaimingtoberichhere.We’rejusttestingtoseewhetherourmarketwillbuy.Guesswhat?Thisisalsothemostawesomewayandthequickestwaytomakeyourfirsteverdollarinyournewonlinebusiness.Becausethischangesallthetime,I’vecreatedavideoatwww.yourfirstdollar.com/amazonaffilatetoshowyouhowtosetupasanaffiliateonAmazonandtorunourfirsttestusingwww.GoGoClients.com.Thisisanexcitingstagebecausewhenyoumakeyourfirstbooksale,youonlyneedtosellacoupleofbooksandyouwillhavemadeadollar!!

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Rememberbeforeyoucanmake$100,000,beforeyoucanmake$1million,youneedtomake$1.Ifyouseethere’sacertainpercentageofpeoplewhoarebuyingthisbook,youknowthereisanappetiteinthismarketplace.Idon’twantyoutoeventhinkaboutcreatingyourownproductuntilyou’vebuiltyourlistupto1,000emails.Forsureuseaffiliateproducts.Forsurepromoteotherpeople’sstuffyouthinkisgoingtohelpyourtribeandit’sgoingtobeusefulforpeople,butwhenyoureach1,000emails,that’stimetothinkingaboutcreatingagoodproducttodesignforyourmarket.Wedon’twanttogoandcreateourproductrightnow,becausewhyriskit?Inthisdayandage,thereisnoneedtoriskcreatingaproductfirstbeforewesellit.Sowhatcanyoudototestyourownproductwithoutbuildingit?Therearetwoamazingstrategiesthatyoucanuse.Thefirststrategyissalespagebetatesting.Whatyoucandoiscreateasalespageforyourproduct.Justdon’tbuildtheproduct.Sendtraffictoyoursalespageandseehowmanypeoplewillregisterforawaitinglistandthisisanexcellentindicatortodemandfortheproduct.Iftheywon’tleaveanemail–theysurewon’tbuy!

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Ifyouwanthelponproductdevelopmentandproductplanning,wehaveabrainstormingsessionweruneverymonthoncreatingproducts,andproductdevelopment,andtalkingaboutsalespagebetatesting.Iyouwanttojoinus–justsendmeanemailed@yourfirstdollar.com,andwe’llletyouknowwhenournextsessionis.Salespagebetatestingiswherewedesignwhatwethinkourproductwillbe.We’llcreateallthefeaturesandthebenefits.Wemightcreateasalesvideo.Wetalkthroughitall.Wehavea“buy”buttononthere,andyoucandoallofthisthroughGoGoClients,butinsteadoftakingpeople’smoney,wesay,“Look,thankyou.”Whentheygotothebuypagewesay,“Thanksforyourinterest.Theproductisinbetaatthemoment,andwe’llletyouknowwhenit’savailable.”Thatisgoingtogiveyousomefantasticdataabouthowgoodyoursalespagesare,howmuchinterestthereisintheproduct.That’sonewaythatyoucantestaproductwithoutactuallyhavingtobuildtheproduct.Thishasbecomeincrediblypopular,andinsteadofspendingpotentiallymonthsonanewproduct,youspendaweekcreatingasalespagefortheproduct.Thesecondidea,andthisisahugetrend,iscrowdfunding.Oncewe’reupto1,000emails,wecanpotentiallytakeprettymuchthesamesales

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pagewecreatefortestinganduseitforcrowdfunding.Oncewe’vefiguredoutthereisinterestforthis,wecanthenturnitintoacrowdfundingcampaign.Oryoucangostraighttothecrowdfundingcampaign.It’suptoyou.Acrowdfundingcampaignisverysimilartoasalespage,butthegreatthingaboutitisyousay,“Okay,here’stheproduct.I’mgoingtocreatethisnewunderwaterkickboxingbreathingguide,andI’malsogoingtocreatethisnewunderwaterbreathingapparatus,anewtypeofsnorkelthatisgoingtobeusedforunderwaterkickboxing.”Ifigureitout.Idoallmyplanning.Ifigureoutwhatit’sgoingtocost,whatthetimeframeis.Iplanthewholeproductout,sourceit,doprototypes,allthosesortsofthings.BeforeIbuilditorcommittoanyofit,Icreateacrowdfundingpage,andhere’swhathappens.Isetacardforthistobeworthmywhile,Ineedtoraise$10,000.WhatIdoiscreateacrowdfundingcampaign,andoneoftwothingshappens.Iletmyaudienceknowaboutthecrowdfundingcampaign.Infact,IletthemknowwellbeforeIevenstartthecrowdfundingcampaignthatI’mthinkingaboutdoingacrowdfundingcampaignand,asIsaid,oneoftwothingswillhappen.

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One,ifIhitmy$10,000goal,Ihavethemoneytobuildmyproduct,andnowIgoaboutbuildingit,andbytheway,peoplearetrainedwithcrowdfundingnottoexpecttheproductsstraightaway.Theyaretrainedtowaitfortheproduct,soyou’vebeenpaidfortheproduct.Nowyougoaboutcreatingit.Forthosehighquickstart/lowfollowthroughamongstus,thisistheperfectwaytoensureyougetyourproductdonebecauseyou’vegotpeoplewho’vepaidyoumoneytomakesureit’sdelivered.Itisabrilliantmotivatorforyou.Orifitdoesn’tgetfunded,guesswhat?Youdidn’thityourmarketnailonthehead.Nostress.Everybodygetsthemoneytheycommittedbackandyoucanmodifythingsandgoagain.ManyofthemostsuccessfulKickstarterprojectsofalltimedidn’tworkontheirfirstgo,butyoudon’thavetoriskallthetimeandeffortofproductcreationbeforeyouknowit’sasuccess.AsImentioned,wehaveanamazingmonthlybrainstormingsessionwherewetalkaboutproductandbrainstormproductdevelopmentideasandallthethingstodowithcreatingproducts.Ifyou’dliketojoinusonthat,pleasesendanemailtoed@yourfirstdollar.com,andwewillfigureoutthebestwayforwardforyou.

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Here’sHowtoMakeYourFirstDollarin30DaysandYourFirst$100,000Insideof12Months…Youalreadyknowyouwanttostartanonlinebusiness.Youmayhavealreadytried,butsomethingneverclicks.Jugglingadayjobwhileyoubuildyourdreamlifecanjustbetoodifficult.That'swherewecomein.Wehelpyoucrackthecodebyinstallingan‘operatingsystemfortheentrepreneur’togetyouthefreedomofasuccessfulonlinebusiness.

Step1:Wehelpyouunderstandwhattypeofentrepreneuryouare,socreatingyourbusinessbecomeseffortless.Step2:Wehelpyoufigureoutwhichmarketyou’dlovetoworkinandhelpunlocktheformulatohavingpeoplewanttoworkwithyou.Step3:Weshowhowtoquicklytobuildyourlistandgatheryourtribebeforeguidingyoutobuildanoffer,productandservicesyourtribewilllove.

Mostentrepreneursquittheironlinebusinessrightbeforethey’resuccessfulbecausetheydon’trecognizetheirflawedoperatingsystem.

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Nowit’stimetogetcracking–DownloadyourEntrepreneurOSchecklisttoguideyoustepbystepthroughthefirstdollarprocess:www.yourfirstdollar.com/checklistMakesureyouletmeknowwhenyoumakeyourfirstdollar–ed@yourfirstdollar.com.Ican’twaittoreadyoustory.