The Millionaire Fastlane

by M.J. DeMarco

business hitchhiker seeks refuge from risk and cowers within the confines of a matriarchal organization. This subservient relationship relinquishes control and leaves you vulnerable to the driver’s actions. When you control your business, you control everything in your business—your organization, products, pricing, revenue model, and operational choices. If you can’t control every aspect of your company, you’re not driving! And if you can’t drive, you set yourself up for sudden, unexpected crashes. Fastlane drivers retain control. Those who violate the commandment do not.

Drivers create MLM companies; they don’t join them. Drivers sell franchises; they don’t buy them. Drivers offer affiliate programs; they don’t join them. Drivers run hedge funds; they don’t invest in them. Drivers sell stock; they don’t buy stock. Drivers offer drop-shipping; they don’t use drop-shipping. Drivers offer employment; they don’t get employed. Drivers accept rents and royalties; they don’t pay rents and royalties. Drivers sell licenses; they don’t bu...

The driver retains control and makes the big money. At best, the hitchhiker makes good money.

If someone can “flip a switch” and destroy your business, you’re playing roulette with your financial plan.

The problem with hitchhiking is you never know the driver. The driver could be ethical, moral, and just, or the driver could be corrupt and evil. Either way, you waive power to your driver. He who owns the keys owns the power.

Build corporate ladders—don’t join them. Build pyramid organizations—don’t join them. Think manufacture, not retail.

Not investing in my own brand was my grave mistake as a young entrepreneur.

Fastlaners control their brands, their properties, and their financial plans. They don’t blindly give it to others and hope for the best.

If you don’t control your system, money tree, and brand, you control nothing. You must sit atop the pyramid and serve the masses. Stop climbing pyramids and start building them.

The Commandment of Entry states that as entry barriers to any business road fall or lessen, the effectiveness of that road declines while competition in that field subsequently strengthens. Higher entry barriers equate to more robust, more powerful roads with less competition and the need for exceptionality.

Saturation causes declining sales volumes.

For example, when I sat in that auditorium with thousands of other network marketers, I realized that I had to be exceptional for success among thousands doing the same thing. I had to be the best. Honest with myself, I knew I couldn't be exceptional in that construct.

Lack of entry itself creates the marketplace, and to succeed in that marketplace, you must be exceptional.

Entry is a Process, Not an Event

Conversely, if I wanted to start a bed-and-breakfast in Sedona, Arizona, I'd have to find a property, fix it, finance it, insure it, get licensing, and permits, hire staff and perform about ten other steps. Entry is a detailed process.

Ever get stuck in traffic on the expressway and go nowhere for hours? Welcome to “everyone is doing it.” A road full of traffic is a road full of everyone.

If everyone is doing it, I won't be doing it. I'll exit the road, and you should too. Why? Because everyone isn't wealthy. If everyone were rich, “everybody is doing it” would work.

When there is irrational exuberance about any investment that pervades Team Consumer—the general populous—that's when I know it is time to GET OUT AND STAY OUT.

Sand Foundations Crumble Houses Ninety percent of all new businesses fail within five years, and I know why they fail.

They fail because they fail the Commandment of Need.

When you build a business on a flawed foundation, it will fail. Sand

Businesses that solve needs and provide value win. Businesses that solve problems win profits. Selfish, narcissistic motives do not make good, long-term business models. Think about the purpose of businesses. Why do they exist? To satisfy your selfish desire to “do what you love?”

People care about what your business can do for them. How will it help them? What's in it for them? Will it solve their problem? Make their life easier? Provide them with shelter? Save them money? Educate them? Make them feel something? Why on God's green Earth should I give your business money? What value are you adding to my life?

Reflect to our producer/consumer dichotomy. Consumers are selfish. They demand to know “what's in it for me!” To succeed as a producer, surrender your own selfishness and address the selfishness of others.

Stop chasing money and start chasing needs.

Stop thinking about business regarding your selfish desires, whether money, dreams, or “do what you love.” Instead, chase needs, problems, pain points, service deficiencies, and emotions.

Money isn't attracted to selfish people. It is attracted to businesses that solve problems. It's attracted to people who fill needs and add value. Solve needs massively, and money massively attracts.

The amount of money in your life is merely a reflection of the amount of value you have given to others.

Offer the world value, and money becomes magnetized to you!

People pay for their satisfaction; they don't pay to satisfy your need to “do what you love.” People pay for solutions, not for your enjoyment. People pay for solved problems. People don't give a rats-ass about your love for whatever. If “do what you love” doesn't fill a need spectacularly, no one will pay for it!

Your Ignition: Moving from Love to Passion and Purpose

Other people might call this a meaning, a purpose, or a why. You need to want something more significant for you, your family, or something else. It is different for everybody, but you will do anything for it when you find it.

What is your WHY? Why are you doing this? Why go Fastlane? Whom do you want to prove wrong?

A formidable “why” is all you need to turn your daily activities into passionate motivation —the “get up in the morning” metamorphosis to bust open a Fastlane road. What are your WHYS, and are they strong enough to motivate you into the process?

Passion and Purpose Erases the Suffering of Work

I was passionate about what I wanted, and I would get it. The Fastlane isn't a destination but a personal journey.

Get Your Road to Merge with a Fantastic Dream A road that doesn't converge with your dreams is a dead end.

“No passion” leads to mediocrity and the land of everybody. “No passion” leads to unhappiness. “No passion” equals no wealth.

If you're struggling for motivation, re-energize your dream and align it with a road capable of burning a trail to its reality. Dead dreams can't burn paths of passion. Passion fires your will to do what is necessary beyond what others can't.

How do you find your passion, a meaning, or a why?

Excitement (wants and desires) serves as passionate fuel, as does discontent (undesirable situations). Both allowed me to do what others wouldn't. If you find yours, you will too.

The Commandment of Time requires that your business and income detach from your time.

The Commandment of Time asks:

Can this business be automated and systematized to operate while I'm absent? Are my margins thick enough to hire human resource seedlings? Can my operation benefit from the introduction of a money tree seedling? How can I get this business to operate exclusively of my time?

If your business is based on money-tree seedlings, it should be capable of growing a money tree. Content systems, computer systems, software systems, distribution systems, and human resource systems are all seedlings to money trees. If your business isn't based on one, can one be added to make it passive?

And the failure starts when you choose a business not based upon a money tree seedling.

The problem with most business roads is that they are sterile for money trees simply because they fail the Commandment of Time.

Wealth acceleration is restricted when your business road violates the Commandment of Scale. In other words, you’re given a speed limit.

The larger the habitat, the greater the potential speed, or leverage, of your Fastlane.

Wealth = Net Profit + Asset Value Asset value is predicated on net profit, predicated by unit profit multiplied by units sold.