I’ve long harbored this frustration. Yes, it’s frustration. I’m aware of what it says about me, but that’s not the point.
I don’t want to be a Grinch or a dream crusher, but there’s too much talk and selling of the entrepreneurial dream. The entrepreneur lounges on a beach with a Cuba Libre in a hammock while the business runs without him, and money flows into his account without any effort on his part.
There’s too much emphasis on overnight success. And I understand why the masses buy into it.
Few speak the plain truth. The costs that come with entrepreneurship, or the expenses incurred when buying into overnight success, are rarely discussed. Few present the full context.
We all wish for an easy life. To make a lot of money quickly and without significant costs. To lose weight with a pill. To have a relationship like in sappy movies. But it’s a fantasy. Everything in life comes at a cost.
The question is how much you’re willing to pay and, more importantly, how informed your choices are.
I said in the title that making money is easy. Not simple, but easy. You need to be unethical (by my definition of ethics), exploit basic human needs and fantasies, and have an excellent team to implement a marketing strategy based on this.. And there you have it. That’s the recipe for success.
But is it sustainable in the long run? How fulfilling is it? Is this really the legacy you want to leave behind?
If I were to pursue making as much money as possible, I’d spend my time boasting about how much I’ve earned working just 2 hours a day, sometimes even a week; or about the conversion rate in campaign X or the results of people I work with, or managing budgets of millions of euros.. Or generating X millions for so many clients.. And the list goes on. It would be easy for me, as these are things I’ve done and can prove and easily showcase.
But I’ll leave aside the mistakes I made. The three bankruptcies I’ve had. The tens of thousands of euros I invested in my education. The sleepless nights. The early years when I don’t know if there was a month when I didn’t wonder where I was going to pay salaries… And I can go on. But I won’t talk about it if I want to sell overnight success.
I could devise a catchy marketing title, show only perfect results, and say, “You can do it too.” But then I would have to lie to you. It’s not that I’m saintly because I’m not. But I can’t lie about this.
Telling you that you can do it, too. Taking some things out of context and then presenting you with: “Here’s a course that will transform your life in 90 days. Buy it.” And I could literally get rich off such a course.
And no, it’s not a fantasy. There are many people already doing it. More selling this dream than those who have actually experienced any freedom like this, but that’s another story.
Not long ago, I saw an ad talking about how to have a successful business in field X. But the ad was from a freelancer who had never been an entrepreneur, never managed a team, never faced the challenges that come with it, didn’t know what it’s like to lose sleep over not having enough money for salaries in a month, didn’t understand what it means when an employee ruins a project costing you tens of thousands of euros, what CAPEX is, or having pulled out over 50,000 Euros in dividends in a year.
But hey, they’ll teach you how to have a successful business. Sure, everyone has the right to do what they want. What saddens me, though, is that people buy it.
But I haven’t chosen this “fight.” Today, I’m in the camp discussing the less sexy, less marketable things. The ones you don’t make money from in marketing. If this blog were a business, it would have gone bankrupt before it even launched.
People don’t want to hear the bad part. They don’t want to go through the process. To pay the cost for it. Most people want the result, and they want it yesterday.
Want to argue with me? I love debates. But they should be based on arguments and data. Opinions… we all have them, and it’s okay to have them. Let me start with an example: If I were wrong about this, most businesses in the fitness & nutrition industry would go bankrupt.
There is tons of information on YouTube; millions of trainers say the same thing everywhere you look. Whether you want to lose weight, tone up, or gain mass… Whatever everyone wants. It’s the same fucking process.
And it’s an industry worth hundreds of millions of euros. Thriving. Why? Why do people buy and resonate with messages like, lose 5kg in 7 days? If it’s that simple… Then why do we still have this problem? And many of these people are repeat customers. Buying another program. Losing weight again, gaining it back, changing trainers and programs… believing in another miraculous program…
Why is there so much content on this topic, literally enough to spend a lifetime consuming all the FREE content available to achieve your fitness goal, let’s call it that, and yet, those selling miraculous programs are making millions (or a lot of money in general). At the same time, those who buy mostly remain loyal customers but keep changing providers?
And a disclaimer here: I’m convinced there are people in this world for whom these “programs” work. For whom such fantasies are enough to spark a lasting transformation?
My issue is that they are few. What I desire, or what I advocate for today, is that when someone makes a choice, they do it with full awareness. I know people are drawn to these things… It’s natural. But if more people presented all sides (even if it means not making a million euros per campaign initially), I truly believe that at some point, people would say… Well, I have no choice.
If I want this, I need to go through the process. Or I won’t do it because I’m not willing to pay the price for it.
Let’s look at entrepreneurship: how many millions of Giga are there with free content? How many miraculous programs promising to transform your business in 2 months do you know? How many courses come to mind selling overnight success?
And the results… where are they?
Why do we have (statistically) so few businesses that survive from one year to the next and so few companies that exceed 1 million Euros/year? Why are there entrepreneurs working harder than when they were employees, but this time with less money and more risks? And the list goes on.
Do you know at least one person in your circle who attends all business courses, consults with all consultants, devours education, always buys all the programs… but if you look at their business, it hasn’t changed much from 5 years ago? Or 10 years ago? Maybe with some figures, but that’s like earning 100 euros more but also spending 100 euros more; ultimately, you’re struggling in the same circle.
My point?
Let’s stop chasing illusions. Let’s not believe that everything that flies is edible. Let’s see the pros and cons of a thing, situation, career, objective, etc. And only then, embrace them. If we still want to.
Let’s not believe we can achieve anything quickly or without costs. No. Everything has a price. And when you fail to see this from the beginning, disappointment, suffering, or frustration is inevitable and much more profound.
Want to be an entrepreneur? Great. But hey, you should know it’s not all easy, and you only need 3 funnels to get rich. No, it’s not quite like that. Certainly, those selling you this are making money. But you won’t do the same, and certainly not in the first month.
Few will come to sell you the process because they wouldn’t make as much money either.
Good people, for anything in this life, we have to pay with something. You do yourself ten times more harm when you buy illusions.
Whether it’s hours of work, study hours, investments, sometimes having to bring money from home, paying with sleepless nights, hundreds of hours of practice, relationships you care about for which you won’t have enough time for a while, difficult emotions to manage, decisions that come with anxiety, stress, moments when you want to run away to the world, health, time… there’s always a cost. I can go on for another 10 articles.
Just like if you go to the gym for a month, you won’t build a muscle package. No. You have to put in the effort. Have a healthy lifestyle. Rest. Be disciplined with your workouts. Educate yourself. Have a bad day and not be able to train. Start over. Resist cravings. And so on.
And you do all this and see that you haven’t transformed into Arnold in 3 months. And you hardly notice the results… but that guy on Social Media who has 1000 likes, why can he do it in 3 months? Because he told you so, right? See my point?
Man, whatever you want to do, whatever you buy or chase…
First, educate yourself. In this way, you will be able to choose for yourself and not let others decide for you.
And secondly, always, but always, look for the cost. See what cost you have to pay for any result you want. And no, I’m not just talking about money.
Only when you have the complete picture, then you can decide. Informed.
When you stop looking for overnight results and consciously choose when you go down a path or towards a goal, whatever it may be… I promise you, your life will change.
David
#globalentrepreneur #booklover #stratgicthinker
