FACT: “Everyone has problems. And almost everyone I know HATES having to deal with problems.”
This absolutely simple truth is the most basic formula for success in all of my businesses.
Because while everyone thinks of problems as unwanted nuisances that upset their well being and adds stress to their already stressful lives. I see profitable business opportunities just waiting to be started.
Let me ask you, my dear reader. If your problem was urgent enough, irritating enough, complicated enough, or time consuming enough, would you be willing to pay for your problem(s) to go away?
If you said yes, then someone in the world this very moment is already profiting from your problem(s) (It might even be me). Wouldn’t it be nicer if that someone who was profiting from your problem was you? In my article today, I’ll teach you how I do it in five very easy steps.
5 steps to make my problems produce profits for me
Step 1: I know that my problems, no matter how big or small are not unique to me, if I have these problems so does a whole bunch of other people. So let’s take this problem of mine as an example
“I need to eat healthy but I don’t know how to cook healthy food”
Now I’m willing to bet that this problem is shared by millions of people like me around the world.
Step 2: The next step of course would be to find a solution for it. And I’m not necessarily talking about having to invent a solution for it on my own unless of course I can or want to, I’m talking about finding a ready made existing solution to it — simply “google” it and chances are you will find pretty good suggestions immediately.
So for the problem I wrote above I googled “I need to eat healthy but I don’t know how to cook healthy food” and what came up in the search was a Blog of someone giving me these suggestions:
- If you are in a hurry and can’t cook, go to the grocery instead of the fast food and buy a rotisserie chicken its low in fat and tastes excellent. Just remember to remove the skin.
- Buy pre-cut salad mixes from the vegetable section, break open a pack when you get home then toss with a light vinaigrette which can also be bought in the Grocery
- Buy pre-seasoned lean meat in the meat department of the grocery and steam it when you get home.
And the suggestions go on and on.
Step 3: I will try and test the suggestions and see if it works for me. If it doesn’t then I go back to step 2 and find other suggestions or solutions then repeat until I find one that works. Now let’s say I like the suggestions already and it works absolutely fantastic for me. In other words, it solves my problem, AND there is a tangible result from this solution lets say I lost 20 pounds in a month and I completely stopped eating unhealthy fast food.
Step 4: This step is where I make a small business out of it by first creating a “product”. In this case my product will be my “Super healthy food system menu” — A menu of all the healthy food combinations I ate for one month that resulted in losing 20 pounds.
Then Once I complete my product which can be as simple as an Email, I create a super simple “offer” to people who have the same problem as me
The offer will look something like this:
“Do you need to eat healthy food but don’t know how to cook healthy food?
I had the same problem until I created and tested my super healthy food system that has absolutely no cooking time nor effort what so ever.
And these were my results:
- I completely stopped eating unhealthy fast food
- I lost 20 pounds in one month.
- I can sleep better now.
- I can move faster.
- And best of all, I feel absolutely healthy!
It cost me a bit of money and a bit of time to experiment with different combinations but because I know it will help you, you can have my super healthy food system menu that you just have to follow at one super low price. And the best part is everything on the Menu is available at your local grocery store.
To get my super healthy menu for just P500 just email me at (email address) or call me at (Phone number) or visit my website at (website)”
Or something like that…
Step 5: This step is where I launch the small business. I send out this offer to the right target market or those who have the same problem that I have. Who are they? Well they are people who are just like me, busy people, mid thirties, doesn’t get much exercise because of too much work, etc. I know their profile because they are me, well not as handsome though ha ha, but you get the point.
So In my example above, the problem was a small one which really didn’t need me to spend anything outside of what I had to spend — I needed to spend on my food anyway during my “experimentation” phase and when it came to my “product” I can deliver it by email. Now if I apply the right marketing effort and know how, this “small problem” would easily produce me some very nice profits.
So I hope you’ve learned how I view problems in a different light. For most people, problems are stressful nuisances that they want to get rid of even if they need to pay someone to solve their problems for them. But for entrepreneurs like me, the very same problems given the right plan, exists to make me even more profits.
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Hi Mark,
This is a simple yet profound way of seeing problems as opportunities for good and honest profit!
Thanks!
Bryan Uy
Thanks Bryan.
I wish to be as creative in the way you handle the problem and make a business out of it. I have the thought that maybe what I lack is the trial of selling or marketing a product. I have always thought that to market a product I need tons of money or at least some lunch money to cover my food and transpo. It would be a crunch but definitely, it is worth a try to try selling even with a small amount of allowance. For me to make my first sale is a challenge. What does it really take to sell? The bottomline is how easy would it be to make money. That’s it. I have a bunch of things that I do but doesn’t make money for me. Maybe, it’s really time to formalize a business of my own. I just didn’t have the experience yet and so I am still timid in forming a business. I guess I just have to find out what it takes to launch a business even without that much of a capital? Is it eagerness, hard work, business mindset or just claiming it? I have to find out in the very near future. The fact is what I got used to is the employment strategy that doesn’t work for me anymore. That is to have money, I need to get a job. I hope next time, it would be something like, hey if I want money, I’ll sell something or I’d go to business. All hopes for now. And action for tomorrow.
Hi rommela, thanks for writing in. I believe that if a person truly, whole-heartedly wants something, that person will get it. If you really want to start a business, then you will. If you want to really succeed in life, you will find a way. Success is not in planning, it is not in skill, it is predominantly in the persons will to do so. Don’t stop the fight, stay the course, and you will get what you truly desire a lot sooner than you think. Best!
I’m still loosing money in FXCM but I love it! It’s logcal, it’s fun and analytical. Logic must prevail over me when I loose money so I can learn from it. BTW, Mark, I did not follow you technical advice on Forex because I bet on indices. Basically I’m a fundamentalist person and I love betting on oil and indices.What prevails over me is your advice to play only with money we can afford to loose. However, I think I’m on a turnaround and I’d be showing some black on my account soon. Thanks always for all the words of wisdom and more power.
Well, at least you are building experience lol! if you discover something Profitable with your style, let me and the membership know then. Good to hear from you Martin.
Hi Mark!
Thanks for the wonderful article. I always read your articles but never have the time to comment. Keep it up! And hope to see you soon for a forex refresher. Miss your class! (and i’ve never said that of any course i took in college) hehe 😉
All the best 🙂
Allen
Hi Allen, see you soon for the refresher, September should be okay. My classes have been booked since july.
Mark So: “Well, at least you are building experience lol! if you discover something Profitable with your style, let me and the membership know then. Good to hear from you Martin.:”
Hi Mark! I’ll be crashing in on your class one of these days right after I fix my stock investments. Im buying EDC like crazy and converting a lot of my holdings to EDC. Very busy @ Citiseconline because there might be a double dip in the US. Anyway, talking about Forex, I’ll give you a teaser:
Here’s one: Siguradong sigurado: 1. I trade on the Indices when the Dow Jones opens. (It could also be the Euro Market…it doesnt matter but I bet on indices not currencies). I stay for a maximum of 30 min exposure ONLY.
2. As you have taught us I bet on the predictions on ForexFactory. I ready myself for the outcome, as predicted, and WAIT….I dont place the order YET, but Im about to strike the button. Here’s the last most important thing: 3. I WAIT FOR THE BREAKING NEWS! (To be concluded in your class, Hehe) See you Mark! You’re the Man—yes I agree completely! You’re good.
PS: One of my other styles is scalping on currencies ONLY WHEN THE DOW IS OFF. (Lesser fluctuations, more predictability, less headache)
Thanks Martin, but maybe you should be posting this and your future investment escapades in the forex club Manila forum instead of my business blog… Best!
Helllo..
I am a finance student from University of Makati…you’re really great! and your articles and information are very useful….keep up the good work…
can i ask you something….are you conducting seminars for less fortunate students like me.?…
godbless…
Hi Argel, thanks for writing in, glad my articles have inspired you. Regarding seminars, if you ask your school to send me an invitation to talk at your school and my schedule allows it, I will conduct a seminar for an hour for free. …Best!
Hi Mark,
I missed your last intro seminar on Forex as I was out of town. I was registered for that session. Can I attend the next available date? When will it be?
Meanwhile, can I invite your for coffee? I’d like to ask if I can invite you to be a speaker to our group. I am helping our organization in financial education and I’m trying to line up speakers to help us. Is this possible?
Let me know when we can have coffee at the lobby of Tektite. May I get your mobile number?
Thanks!
Hi Bryan, the next forex orientation will be on Aug 28, Sat from 2-4PM. Coffee? sure, just come over to our office at suite 1503A West Tower Tektite and we can have coffee there. Just call my secretary Cynthia at 6874445 loc 803 to schedule, she’ll check my availabilities for you….Best.
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Hahaha… my mind starts working now! Thanks Sir Mark for enlightenment. 🙂
the paradigm shift blended with the right attitude