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Quit Trying To Start An Internet Business If You Suck With Computers...(Big Caveat Inside)

by Brad Spencer
22 replies
Hey,

I'm sure a lot of people are going to bash/scold me for this
and that's precisely the goal here. Because the subject line
really is meant to elicit a point...which many will see and many
won't.

What's the big caveat?

If you aren't willing to learn...

Read that subject line again now with that caveat added to it...

Sounds different now doesn't it?

This is a huge issue with newbies and we all have gone through
it at one point or another. The difference between you and the guys
"makin' the bacon" is that they NEVER let any obstacle prevent them
from reaching their goals...

Not Technology
Not Lack of JV Partners
Not Lack of Cash Flow
Not Lack of Time
Not Lack of Motivation...

NOTHING

Now, I don't want to sound like a complete A****** on here because
I love this place and make a really great living helping people on this
forum. But I keep getting emails every day saying something like
"refund this because it's too complicated or I don't have the tech skills."

We're talking $5-$97 purchases here. I'm not sure what makes people
think that starting a business online is always going to be easy (only
industry where people say "Make $XXX in 36 Hours Guaranteed" but
that's another story) but...

It's Not Always Ferraris, Bentleys and Big Houses...

We've all seen the crazy push-button crap and I'm here to tell ya..

no business on the planet is push-button. So you've got to learn some skills..

Usually Tech and Cash are the big holdups for people in the beginning...

So here's my solutions for those 2 issues so we can put this stuff to
bedand all sing kumbaya while we sip Mojitos on the Beach

(while the stereotype is laughable in sales copy...it's DAMN fun
hanging out with people drinking Mojitos on the beach...but I digress )

1. Tech Issues- Cheap Solution and Free Solution

Cheap Solution- Get a $10 hosting account at Hostgator. You'll need this
to put up a website but this also acts like a "free tech guy" in your pocket.

Their support people will fix virtually anything on your website or tell you
how to get it right for simply $10 a month. Just use their chat feature.

This support is so good I actually bought an account for this purpose alone
...I put a few domains on it and just ask questions when I run into snags.

Free Solution- Youtube...just youtube the problem and good chance you'll find a solution.

2. Cash

Here's a question every new person starting out should ask themselves
when they're "working" on their business.

Will doing this task put cash in my pocket within 7 days?

Think about it. That eliminates most SEO oriented products...most list
building products. Most product creation products too!

(Full Disclosure- I make my living teaching the last two of these things...)

The reality is that most people who are DESPERATE for money won't
do the easiest things to get that cash they need as well as build a
future for themselves.

Go to a site like Odesk or Elance and start bidding on jobs.

Those jobs if hired will pay you today and you'll get your money quickly.

Auction off all your old crap on Ebay and let the cash pile up. Yea
maybe it's not as sexy as getting Google to send you gobs of traffic
but it puts money in the pocket and the grocery store doesn't give
a damn where the money comes from.

Focus on that question until you are getting to a point where your
basic needs are met and then can invest in your own business. We
all started out here at this stage so no one will laugh at you and
you'll most likely get past this stage ultra-quick if you focus on doing
stuff that will put money in your pocket today.

=======

Ok...this has turned into a long-winded rant that I"ll probably go back
and tighten up throughout the day. However, you guys get the point.

Get out of the internet business if you're not willing to learn the damn internet...

And...get to work putting money in your pocket and getting the skills
because you have a lot of knowledge stored up in that noggin of yours
that could help a whole lot of people...

I don't care who you are...that's a fact just as its a fact that the sky is blue...

Cheers,

Brad
#business #caveat #computersbig #inside #internet #quit #start
  • Profile picture of the author Architex
    I agree with everything you have said. I see people all the time with the attitude of if it is not immediate they are not interested. What ever happened to patience? Anything in life that is worthwhile is not easily obtained, otherwise everyone would have it.
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    Architex
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Brad Spencer View Post

    Get out of the internet business if you're not willing to learn the damn internet...
    I'll take this one step further, go back to the days before the Internet if you need to. And don't discount the approach. It still works and works very well.

    What do you think information publishers did before the Internet and all of these new fangled technology platforms came along? How did they get information into the hands of the people?

    Why with physical information booklets and pamphlets of course.

    Simply put a booklet together what we would call today a hotsheet in the online world. Simply choose your in-demand niche, for example for online technophobes...

    "The perfect guide to getting your feet wet with today's internet technology" - (whatever you want to call it.) There are tens of thousands of niche subjects you can choose from, just use your imagination.

    Putting the information booklet together can take as little as a couple of days. Take this to your local printers and get your booklets printed up or use print-on-demand.

    Take out an ad in a local, regional or national newspaper or a specialist niche magazine. Simple nuts and bolts of copywriting, a strong benefit driven hook and give very good reason why the reader (your target market) needs to act on this offer instantly.

    However you structure it, keep it all extraordinarily simple.

    When someone sends you the $10 (or whatever amount you choose) either via Paypal or in the form of cash or a check, you simply pop the physical booklet in the post to them when the money has cleared into your possession.

    The point is, you don't need to only be thinking about making money online. You can just as easily sell information products via 'old fashioned' but highly proven methods which have worked for decades prior to the Internet coming along.

    It's not rocket science folks.

    Millions of people still haven't got a clue how to do all of this online stuff, you're not alone so...

    ...make it easy for people to benefit still from your knowledge using every other means available to you.

    If you need to go the 'old fashioned' route to market, just do it! The sooner you get started on anything the better it'll be for you.

    Best,


    Mark Andrews...
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    • Profile picture of the author barbling
      Originally Posted by Mark Andrews View Post

      ...
      Why with physical information booklets and pamphlets of course.
      I forgot who really made this popular in IM (it was a woman) but yes indeed, booklets were a big deal in 1998 and the like!

      I even made some for my Avoiding The Contractor From Hell series.

      Anywhos, gosh .... yes.

      There are so many people who refuse to give themselves permission to expand their comfort boundaries.

      While I can understand the fear that drives that (it *is* scary to try and learn something new)...the plain fact is, if you don't do it, you're dead in the water before you start.

      Methinks that's why so many younger folk take to Internet marketing much better than us venerable young-at-heart folk.....
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    People in general do not want to take personal responsibility anymore.

    In the news we hear about home owners, banks, and now people with student loan debt wanting a bailout.

    The banks took risks. They shouldn't be too big to fail. But the government should have found ways to let them fail while allowing the medium and small banks that took good risks to benefit from their decisions. People never think about the smaller banks. How would you like to compeat in an industry where your competition could take extreme risk for massive profits but never had any real risk? People blast capitalism but this isn't capitalism it is corp socialism.

    I make $50 to 70k a year. I do not have a degree. I never saw a point in the loans. Yet because another person thought spending $50k on getting an english degree was a good idea we are suppose to give them that education for free? No they made that choice and should pay their bills. Yes I know you can't file bankruptcy on student loans but they can be forgiven after like 25 years. But in the end it was their stupid mistake. Why do they deserve our money more than those of us who made smart finacial decision like community college or in my case no college?

    And finally to home owners. If they made bad investiments they need to take their lose either by continuing to pay or finally bankruptcy and walking away. It happens. But anyone who thought buying into a market where people were allowing prices to double in 3 years and where many homes never got lived in(they were investments) needs to step back and accept they bought into a bad investment. When you make a bad decision you don't ask the government to fix it. You accept it, minimize your lose and move on.

    These ideas are in the news and I am sure the vast majority of the posters on here feel the same way as I do. Yet they don't stop and look at themselves. If you are not making money doing this it isn't because the products are crap or anything like that. You need to take action and need to learn the proper action to take if you learn, do, and test you will make money. This isn't fast and easy money but for someone willing to put in the effort it can be a great income and a lot of freedom.

    You want all those people on wall street, main street, and the colleges to take responsibility. Now look into yourself. It's hard. For a long time I blamed my relationship problems on others but now I see that I need to start with myself first. In life figure out what you did and learn from it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
      Banned
      Originally Posted by lordauric View Post

      People in general do not want to take personal responsibility anymore.

      In the news we hear about home owners, banks, and now people with student loan debt wanting a bailout.

      The banks took risks. They shouldn't be too big to fail. But the government should have found ways to let them fail while allowing the medium and small banks that took good risks to benefit from their decisions. People never think about the smaller banks. How would you like to compeat in an industry where your competition could take extreme risk for massive profits but never had any real risk? People blast capitalism but this isn't capitalism it is corp socialism.

      I make $50 to 70k a year. I do not have a degree. I never saw a point in the loans. Yet because another person thought spending $50k on getting an english degree was a good idea we are suppose to give them that education for free? No they made that choice and should pay their bills. Yes I know you can't file bankruptcy on student loans but they can be forgiven after like 25 years. But in the end it was their stupid mistake. Why do they deserve our money more than those of us who made smart finacial decision like community college or in my case no college?

      And finally to home owners. If they made bad investiments they need to take their lose either by continuing to pay or finally bankruptcy and walking away. It happens. But anyone who thought buying into a market where people were allowing prices to double in 3 years and where many homes never got lived in(they were investments) needs to step back and accept they bought into a bad investment. When you make a bad decision you don't ask the government to fix it. You accept it, minimize your lose and move on.

      These ideas are in the news and I am sure the vast majority of the posters on here feel the same way as I do. Yet they don't stop and look at themselves. If you are not making money doing this it isn't because the products are crap or anything like that. You need to take action and need to learn the proper action to take if you learn, do, and test you will make money. This isn't fast and easy money but for someone willing to put in the effort it can be a great income and a lot of freedom.

      You want all those people on wall street, main street, and the colleges to take responsibility. Now look into yourself. It's hard. For a long time I blamed my relationship problems on others but now I see that I need to start with myself first. In life figure out what you did and learn from it.
      I agree with you Aaron. Myself despite the economic boom years, the free credit, more credit cards than you can shake a stick at, the never ending supply of mortgage offers... none of it appealed to me.

      I don't do credit cards, I don't take out loans and I certainly don't have a mortgage. Never have liked any of that stuff. If I cannot afford to pay for something with cash, I go without. It's as simple as that.

      Want something in life? Pay for it with your own money.

      All those years with the extended credit lines going bonkers was destined to fail right from the very start.

      This economic downturn is no surprise at all when you're constantly looking far into the future. It was in plain sight even before the dot com bubble. The whole pack of cards system, was to a few people even back then, completely unsustainable and for this reason...

      ...I couldn't buy into it knowing in advance the inevitable eventual outcome. Which is precisely what has happened with this now global recession.

      The next 20 years are just as obvious what's going to go down next. All the continuing signs are there in plain sight IF you know how to interpret the world around you...

      It's about taking the helicopter mind view. Doesn't matter how complicated or complex the subject matter is, whatever this may be...

      You simply project the problem as a physical visual in front of your mind, like a holographic 3 dimensional image. And then turn it around and 'poke it' from lots of different perspectives and angles, feeding in lots of different data / scenarios based on the signals / interpretations you're seeing around you, to perceive and interpret any one of a number of different possibilities and probabilities.

      And finally you narrow this down to the most likely eventual outcome.

      Easy.

      Best,


      Mark Andrews
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  • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
    I didn't even know how to create a new folder on my desktop wen I started 5 years ago, now I can code php all because of my willingness to learn.

    If I have a problem I immediately start looking for and researching solutions, it's part of the reason I am so successful.
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Originally Posted by Brad Spencer View Post

    2. Cash

    Here's a question every new person starting out should ask themselves
    when they're "working" on their business.

    Will doing this task put cash in my pocket within 7 days?

    Think about it. That eliminates most SEO oriented products...most list
    building products. Most product creation products too!

    (Full Disclosure- I make my living teaching the last two of these things...)

    The reality is that most people who are DESPERATE for money won't
    do the easiest things to get that cash they need as well as build a
    future for themselves.

    Go to a site like Odesk or Elance and start bidding on jobs.

    Those jobs if hired will pay you today and you'll get your money quickly.

    Auction off all your old crap on Ebay and let the cash pile up. Yea
    maybe it's not as sexy as getting Google to send you gobs of traffic
    but it puts money in the pocket and the grocery store doesn't give
    a damn where the money comes from.

    Focus on that question until you are getting to a point where your
    basic needs are met and then can invest in your own business.     We
    all started out here at this stage so no one will laugh at you and
    you'll most likely get past this stage ultra-quick if you focus on doing
    stuff that will put money in your pocket today.


    Good stuff here.

    I have known people who have spent hundreds of man-hours and tens of thousands of dollars to get ranked in Google, only to discover that they got ranked for a keyword that did not make them money.

    Hell, I have done this...

    I spent dozens of man-hours to get ranked #1 in Google for a keyword... Once the sales started coming in, I realized that my profit margin was so thin on that particular service that it would take me 3 years in the #1 spot to break even on the investment I put into ranking for that keyword!!

    Since then, I stopped building back links on that keyword and I have since dropped to #7, but I don't care anymore about that keyword.

    #1 for that particular "buyer's keyword" did not convert enough sales or make me enough money to justify the chase.

    I hear what some folks are thinking, "Raise your prices."

    I had already found my sweet spot price point for that service. I knew that I was already at the price point that would ensure the highest profit per transaction. If I had to lower the price, my volume would go up, and my profit margin would go down at an equal level. And if I raised my prices, my sales would have gone down.

    My point is that many people chase #1 rankings with zero knowledge about whether that keyword will enable them to make a profit on their investment.



    Originally Posted by Brad Spencer View Post

    Focus on that question until you are getting to a point where your
    basic needs are met and then can invest in your own business.     We
    all started out here at this stage so no one will laugh at you and
    you'll most likely get past this stage ultra-quick if you focus on doing
    stuff that will put money in your pocket today.

    There is nothing shameful about having a job.

    If you cannot yet cover the cost of your basic needs, you either need to get a job or pull a rabbit out of your butt.

    When I started this IM thing in 2000, I had a job. I left my job in 2001 and then had to get a job again in 2002, when I found that I had lost a couple of large customers.

    I took any job I could get in 2002, then got a good job later that year. I kept that good job for 2.5 years, until my online income had been high enough to pay ALL of my bills for 12+ months.

    I quit my last job in March of 2005, and I have yet to need to take another job.

    Yet, I have met hundreds of people online who tell me that they want to go from nothing to a living in one month.

    Being from Oklahoma, there is a phrase that I have often heard that fits will here... "You can 'want' in one hand and 'poop' in the other... Then look to see which hand fills up faster!"

    If you are not able to cover your basic needs in this moment, you need one of two things:

    1. A Job; or
    2. The knowledge to create money out of 'thin air'.

    If you don't have a job to cover your basic needs and you don't have the knowledge to make money in 7 days, then you are going to be in a world of hurt when your bills start coming due!!

    If you have nothing and you absolutely NEED to make money fast, you will either end in failure with stress eating you alive, OR depending on your capabilities, having your back to the wall, you will force yourself to pull something out of 'thin air'.

    If you have no knowledge about how to pull a rabbit out of your butt, then GO GET A JOB!! To do otherwise would be foolish...



    Originally Posted by Brad Spencer View Post

    We've all seen the crazy push-button crap and I'm here to tell ya..

    no business on the planet is push-button. So you've got to learn some skills..

    I read a sales page one time that promised the "get rich in 5 clicks"...

    I was overwhelmed by curiosity... I wanted to know what in the world they would be telling people that could potentially lead to making money in "only 5 clicks"...

    So, I spent the money, got the product, and began to read...

    Now, I have been doing article marketing for more than a decade. Some people even call me an "expert on article marketing".

    But I must have been doing something wrong in the last ten years, because I have to push WAY MORE than 5 buttons to do article marketing!! :p

    Yep... The "get rich in 5 clicks" product was all about article marketing!!

    No wonder the product refund rate was over 50%!! LOL
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    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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    • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      Good stuff here.

      ....Yet, I have met hundreds of people online who tell me that they want to go from nothing to a living in one month.

      Being from Oklahoma, there is a phrase that I have often heard that fits will here... "You can 'want' in one hand and 'poop' in the other... Then look to see which hand fills up faster!"

      If you are not able to cover your basic needs in this moment, you need one of two things:

      1. A Job; or
      2. The knowledge to create money out of 'thin air'.

      If you don't have a job to cover your basic needs and you don't have the knowledge to make money in 7 days, then you are going to be in a world of hurt when your bills start coming due!!......
      Best advice you will read...and I'll bet will largely be ignored by those who need to hear it most.

      I routinely receive emails from new marketers in deep water financially, who want to turn it all around with internet marketing, and do it overnight.

      When I suggest temporary employment to at least relieve some of the immediate $$ burdens, they usually react negatively.

      It's as if they feel it must be internet marketing ....or nothing.
      _____
      Bruce
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  • Profile picture of the author wordydiva
    I've learned a lot since I got started, and I continue to learn something new each day. That typed... I am constantly running into people who think they can turn on their computer one day and have thousands of dollars in their bank account the next without doing an ounce of work. Even someone who is absolutely horrible with computers start an internet business if they are at least slightly willing to learn.
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    • Profile picture of the author BlueCollar
      Originally Posted by wordydiva View Post

      I've learned a lot since I got started, and I continue to learn something new each day. That typed... I am constantly running into people who think they can turn on their computer one day and have thousands of dollars in their bank account the next without doing an ounce of work. Even someone who is absolutely horrible with computers start an internet business if they are at least slightly willing to learn.
      I totally agree! I'm in my fifth year and am still learning. It takes time and if someone isn't willing to devote themselves to IM they will be a failure.

      Some if it is due to the Guru's constantly using the lure of "instant riches" when selling their products. People buy these IM courses expecting to get rich overnight!
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  • Profile picture of the author John Redlinger
    Remember this quote:

    If someone thinks they CAN do something or they CANNOT do something, they are both right. The thing that is important is to pick yourself up after any failure, dust yourself off and try, try again.
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    FREE ebook reveals up to date SEO strategies--no opt-in required-- Just take my (short) survey--Click Here Now

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  • Profile picture of the author SmartSuccess
    Yes I have been doing a lot of learning the last 3 years, but unfortunately not made any real money with the internet....
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  • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
    If you are interested in the little physical pamphlet model, check out this thread. One free education on creating information products:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ucts-free.html
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    The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. ~ Lin Yutang
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  • Profile picture of the author kralcx
    IM is like sports... the guy who wants it the most usually wins!
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  • Profile picture of the author art72
    Brad,

    Your timing was superb, as I was near having melt-down today in realization that my long-term business model though doable, IS NOT going to be of any benfit next week "IF" I don't start churning out some green!

    I started looking through my hard-drive today, and there was a ton of resell packages I bought months ago, complete websites, PLR, and just an arsenal of informative an useful information "somebody" could be using.

    Like me, who initially bought these products to start a membership site and a store, until I realized the reality of doing so was a great future goal, just not a goal oriented by my current ability(s).

    While, I respect your post, I too am a victim of my own making as I have the tools, I have the product, I have the ability to have money flowing by next week, and yet, I keep wanting to build that "Golden Website" or a "Shrine of IM Knowledge"...LOL

    Thanks for the share, I needed a serious kick in the @$$ today!!!

    All the Best,

    Art
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Parkin
      Nice post mate,
      I think to many people think they are literally going to have everything handed to them on a plate - but I also think that could be because of some of the bull**** sales copy that's around.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Kage
    My personal advice is to find someone who is willing to teach you the ins and outs of IM, like a coach that will watch your every move, for a price of course... but it is worth it, trust me, I have done the same thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joshua Rigley
    Banned
    Well said Brad. That's actually applicable to me. Although I'm not making big bucks right now...I'm not letting that stop me.

    For example, I spent 2 weeks working on a product...only to have to scrap it because I ran out of time. I then tried launching a facebook ad campaign...it bombed, and I was out a few bucks.

    Now, I'm at a point where I'm very short on cash, and need to get some fast. I tried launching a fiverr gig, got a couple of potential customers, and had to scrap it because the platform I was working on made it almost impossible for me to deliver. Then, I tried to get started with an affiliate marketing campaign, but couldn't do that because my paypal account wasn't verified. It WAS at one point, but for some reason paypal disabled my bank account (apparently it was because my bank refused a transaction because the account number was invalid...and it wasn't).

    I had to make a few phone calls, but I'm on track to getting my bank account back into paypal and getting my paypal account re-verified. No telling when that will happen.

    Tomorrow I'm going to de-junk and sell some of my old stuff on classified ads sites to get some fast cash to cover my advertising expenses. After that, I'll have enough breathing room to test some campaigns and get the ball rolling with something.

    And all the while, I'm dealing with a massive toothache, which often causes my mouth, eyes and the bones below my eyes to ache horribly. I may have to get a root canal.

    Now, I don't want you to feel sorry for me. Despite the pain and setbacks, I feel GREAT. For all I know, my next endeavor will also fail...but that doesn't matter. I'm not letting these setbacks stop me. I just keep going, and when something doesn't work, I move on to the next thing. I'm taking ACTION, and every action I take brings me close to success.

    Funnily enough, it doesn't take a lot of time to know whether my latest campaign will fail or not. And it doesn't take a lot of time to find a way to overcome an obstacle. In fact, it takes a LOT less time than simply thinking about it and not doing anything.

    I feel great, because I know in the end, as long as I keep at it, I will succeed. Plus, one of the requirements of being an optimist (or fool), which is essential to being an entrepreneur, is that you ALWAYS feel great, even when you don't want to.

    "Most people are about as happy as they make themselves out to be." ~Abraham Lincoln.

    I've said enough. Good luck with your future endeavors.

    Joshua
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    • Profile picture of the author Jacko
      IM takes time, and only the smart ones will learn
      with each failure and get stronger.
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  • Profile picture of the author Watchman220
    Totally agree. I learned the hard way that this business just sucks you in deeper and deeper.

    If you are the type that likes to see where the rabbit hole goes...then Internet Marketing is the business for you.

    It really is like an Alice in Wonderland kind of experience...some really bad places...some really sweet places. Lots of in between annoying wall flowers taking up space along the path to success.

    Everyone is saying that they have the secret...

    Honestly...I think the secret is learn to climb the google mountain.
    Then it does not matter what you are selling...almost.

    The Watchman
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  • Profile picture of the author xohaibx
    This is is an awesome post. Couldn't agree with you more! Really - someone had to say it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stefan S
    Great stuff as always, Brad
    Right on the spot
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