Fair warning: everything I’m about to write should be taken with a grain of salt.
This is MY opinion. Don’t go doing crazy stuff because I told you to.
But I’m pretty sure I figured out the biggest secret to success today, ready for it?
Those that have the APPETITE for the most risk, typically win in the long term, and win BIG.
the only way I know how to explain this is with a few very short stories okay?
Story #1 - My Amazon Business + 50k in Credit Card Debt
Is putting $50,000 on CREDIT CARDS a proper business decision?
Ask any PROFESSOR or someone who ISN’T an entrepreneur, and they will say a resounding “HELL NO”.
But ask someone who’s been through the fire and come out the other side?
You might get a different answer….
That’s honestly how I started my first Amazon business.
I didn’t have any money!
I was fresh out of college, with a horrible 27k per year job….
How was I supposed to order inventory for an Amazon business?
Well, luckily, there’s this thing called CREDIT..
I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but the world runs on it…. :)
And I might be a psychopath, but I honestly thought to myself, “who gives a shi*”…
If this fails?
I’m broke.
Just like I am now…
If it doesn’t fail, I get to leave this miserable cubicle….
So I literally said F it.
And put it all on credit cards.
And it was the best decision I’ve ever made.
Story #2 - Quitting my job.
Want the VERY honest truth?
I didn’t quit.
I got fired! Haha!
Here’s how it went down…
I walked into my bosses’ office.
She said, “Kale, we need to talk”
(not the best words you want to hear from your boss haha)
She showed me a youtube video that I had made talking about Amazon.
Told me it was a “conflict of interest” to be a business consultant AND help people sell on Amazon on the side….
I guess it probably was.
She basically gave me an ultimatum, shut down the youtube channel, or be fired.
I said, I kid you not, “should I pack up now?”
Maybe I’m a psycho.
Maybe I just am not wired like most people.
But this was never even a question for me.
Now let’s get something straight here.
Nine University wasn’t a thing.
All we had was AMAZON.
It was profitable, but we still had some credit card debt.
By quitting my job, I was LITERALLY putting it all out there.
It was make it work, and make it work better, or LITERALLY have no way to pay my debt and go bankrupt.
And I gladly took that risk.
Without even thinking about it for more than 2 seconds, wasn’t even an option for me.
Now before I tell any more stories, what do these two stories have in common?
#1 - A “fuck it” attitude.
I’m sorry for the language but there’s no other way to describe it.
The best entrepreneurs I know, all got to that “fuck it” moment.
It’s that point in your life where even if you completely BOMBED.
Even if this entrepreneurial venture lands you in heavy debt.
You still don’t give a shit.
How could you?
Your situation is already so crappy, going bankrupt won’t make it crappier!!!
You’ll just have to keep working that same crappy job, that you’re working RIGHT NOW!
Who cares!
Honestly, I think this is really what holds many people back from greatness…
They have too much to lose….
Those that have nothing to lose are DANGEROUS….
#2 - A SUPREME confidence in oneself to FIGURE IT OUT.
Maybe I sound crazy.
And I am.
But the reason I wasn’t worried about racking up 50k in debt?
Or quitting my job WAY too soon?
It’s because I knew myself.
I knew that literally the only way to stop me is to kill me.
Bury me six feet in the ground.
And put a BIG HEAVY HEADSTONE over it so I can’t crawl back out.
I’m serious, I truly believe that deep down that I’m a beast.
And if push comes to shove I will make it no matter what.
I think all Entrepreneurs believe that to some level.
Which is what allows them to take that jump.
Because make no mistake, it is a JUMP, and your risk tolerance needs to be through the roof.
I guess it’s summarized as, yes, we SEE the risks, we just don’t care, because we know that even in the WORST CASE SCENARIO we will still find a way to twist it in our favor….
Last story - Someone you respect more than me - Elon Musk After PayPal.
I’m sure you all know this story but it bears repeating…
How many of you would have balls that big??
That’s some big ass kahunas right there….
Elon never had to work a day again the rest of his life…
Yet he did THAT….
Wow.
I would say it’s paid off though….
Elon is now the second richest person in the WORLD.
My prediction is that he will soon pass Jeff.
And also become the first TRILLIONAIRE…
(He has massive stock incentives at Tesla + Space X and STARLINK will generate RIDICULOUS profits at MASSIVE scale)
If you haven’t already read it yet, I would REALLY encourage you to read Elon’s biography, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read -> https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future
It really shows what I’m talking about here…
A RELENTLESS appetite for…
1) Risk
2) Success
and then also the INSANE confidence that it takes to persevere no matter what.
Now, you may be reading this and thinking “that’s not me”.
You probably have a decent life.
You aren’t stuck in a cubicle like I was.
You have kids to worry about, or bills to pay, or whatever.
And that’s totally fine.
I get it 100%.
But what I do want to say is that life is VERY short.
This may be the dumbest phrase ever in a serious letter but…
“You’ve gotta risk it to get the biscuit”.
That literally sums it all up ^^^ haha!
I promise you right now that every successful entrepreneur you know took CRAZY risks to make it happen.
They may not talk about it openly.
They may not always even be MONETARY risks.. (often it’s just perception, what will he/she/or MOM think)
But trust me, they took them.
Hell, I’ve even taken risks that I won’t share openly on this letter, because you’ll think I’m insane.
I’m starting to ramble now, but I guess I’ll just leave you with this.
After teaching thousands of people to become successful entrepreneurs I’ve learned one thing…
Sometimes you’ve gotta get UP IN SOMEONE’S BUSINESS to get them to change.
Sometimes it’s the easiest to just STAY where you’re at.
An object in motion STAYS in motion.
An object sitting on the couch, well, you get the idea.
I’ve dropped quite a few F bombs in my day, particularly with the people I LOVE THE MOST, in order to get them to EFFING DO IT.
From the outside looking in, it’s EASY to see that they are underperforming.
They are NOWHERE NEAR living up to their potential.
And sometimes, you just need to yell, say the F word, and point it out so it hurts a little.
The best part?
You can do this with yourself.
Stop reading now if you can’t handle a little language.
This is what I personally said to myself to get myself to start my Amazon business.
Again, stop reading now if you don’t like it getting real.
“Kale, are you just going to keep being a fucking loser your whole life? Cry home to your mommy because basketball didn’t work out? Quit being a fucking wuss and figure out how to make money. No one gives a shit about you and isn’t going to help you. They are focused on themselves. Deal with it.”
Contrast that with the wussy version…
“Kale things didn’t go your way. It will be okay. One day at a time. Just do the best you can at your job and it will take care of itself.”
Seriously! That’s just one example. Which one gets you fired up more?
Stop talking to yourself like a little wuss.
Stop justifying all your little excuses for being average.
Do you really want to be fucking average?
Notice how saying a bad word makes it sound even MORE average and despicable?
You are BETTER than this.
WAY BETTER.
Okay, rant over, I hope all that above made sense.
Get out there this weekend and DO something about it.
Oh, and share this with that ONE person who needs it. This should probably have the most shares of any letter I’ve ever written.
See you Monday, if you’re subscribed.
Kale
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