Real world money who actually does it>? Not just sell reports or "support"

I've never believed pizza ad co-op's work in this day and age.

I take that back... they probably do work on a very small level but how do you justify the time and effort put in just to make peanuts.

Well if it makes you feel any better I'm still "doing it" everyday while still creating reports here and there.

The truth is, it takes so much work to build a business and continue to scale it up, that many people who are experiencing success come here less often.

I still like to read and contribute, but it is mostly motivational, mindset, or work ethic type stuff.

After working with hundreds of business owners, being in several partnerships, and coaching more "wantrepreneurs" than I care to think about, I believe success has very little to do with exact methods. Most people fail because they never learned how to work. I was in the same boat at one point.

My advice :

1 - Leave behind the sales gimmicks. These are not real businesses.

2 - Find something that is being sold on a large scale. I don't think there are billions worth of pizza flyer contracts. Pick something bigger. Something massive. Something that is responsible for billions in sales each year. Doesn't matter what it is, as long as there are lots of people buying it.

3 - Gain real expertise in that thing. I mean REAL expertise. If you tell me you know how to do something, I will say "show me" - if you can't provide me with examples of your experience I will say that you don't know how to do it.

There is a huge difference between knowing ABOUT how to do something, and really knowing HOW to DO it.

4 - If you don't really know how to do something valuable, it is time to get a job and work like hell. You will learn more in two years as an employee than you will in two years of searching on your own. Find the thing you want to be great at, find the five most successful companies in that space, and get a job.

It doesn't matter if the company is far away and you have to move... Just make the move. You can come back when you have learned what you need to learn.

Walk into the interview and look them right in the eye and say "I don't have experience, but I am determined to master this skill. I guarantee, I will work harder than you ask me to and you will be happy you hired me." Then do it. Work like hell for a few years to be the master.

5 - Become the best. Do what it takes. Learn how to succeed.

6 - Save all your money and only start your business when you have a foundation of strength. When you are on your own, mediocrity will starve you to death. Save enough cash because you will take a paycut at first.

That's it. Stop messing with sales tricks and gimmicks. If you do what I describe, in 5 years you will be wealthy.

PS - I'm not saying 9x12 is a gimmick. Some people are doing well with it. Some are not. If you do it, you might make some cash. If you do what I outlined above, you WILL create real wealth. No doubt about it. If you work for one of the top 5 in any industry, and work hard to become one of their best, you will be earning hundreds of thousands. You will be able to use that success to launch out on your own in a big way.

Well...umm....thanks Dan but I guess you could post that advice on all these threads and all the forums - ie, get a real corporate job LOL.

I do some printing sales and marketing sales. I don't think the pizza idea will be some earthshattering get rich idea, but I do think it could work in some areas locally, especially those that are not open or friendly to other forms of advertising. For instance : we have a few local (more upscale) communities that allow NO neon, no outdoor ads, no flyers, no billboards, no sign wavers nothing but a small -every biz the same - sign above the door in a shopping strip. Some are so restrictive they do not even allow McDonald's to display the arch haha

For these areas getting in the door with a pizza might be very appealing.

I was simply underwhelmed by the various "reports" that seem to no longer be supported by the very people who wrote them. Look at any old thread here (I did) and you will see all this initial enthusiasm, glowing "reviews" by who knows who (do these people actually run a business or make money?) and lots of excitement....then you see it drop off

One thing I notice however is that with many of these ideas, people have real world problems implementing them because of lack of sales skills, fear of picking up the phone or walking in cold. I don't have those fears. I just wonder why the author of these reports stopped doing their "thang" (pizza flyers, 9x12 non face to face). Looking at a 2 year old bragging video and seeing the reports still on sale makes me think they made their real money writing a report haha

I'm one of those people who has done the pizza flyers
and has made money at it. I've sold the rights to flyers
that I've started. I've also joint ventured with others
to handle the work, for flyers that I've started.

I got the initial idea from Don Alm, You can look him up in the
search tool.

I don't know much about the "reports" here. I don't spend my time
that way. If I'm interested in something, then I put together whatever
I need to get started and see if I can make it work.

I can say from experience, the pizza flyers work and it's a good
moneymaker.