The $20,000 Scam Lesson: Amazon FBA, Crypto, and the Pursuit of Success
Real talk: avoiding the pitfalls of overnight success promises
I was trying too hard to make a quick buck.
It was my second year of teaching; my son was born. Everything seemed perfect. Not to me. I felt stuck in 9 to 5. It was agonizing.
One night, on social media, random Amazon FBA coaches, and Crypto-Experts caught me.
I fell prey to them.
If you have a lack of self-worth or “success” in your life, you are prey to “coaches” who will promise you overnight success and your dream life.
I didn’t just lose $20,000, but the belief to change my life. It’s getting better. Slowly.
Reflecting on my own experiences, I’ve learned firsthand the importance of understanding our needs to navigate life’s challenges effectively. This realization has led me to recognize the significance of aligning our personal aspirations with our actions, especially when venturing into new endeavors such as starting a business.
Therefore, I want you to not make the same mistakes as I did.
So how do you become aware of not falling into the same trap?
There are two parts to it — your needs and some business-related advice.
1. You have to know your needs in the first place.
Physical needs are easy to discover.
We all get hungry, thirsty, sleepy, and that’s what’s getting abused by others. If you are low on fuel and walking around in a shopping mall, you are much more likely to fall for fast food. They got you. But if you know that, you can choose to eat at home before you go to the mall.
The same goes for psychological needs.
Being aware of what’s missing in your life will protect you from falling into any kind of trap. Marketers play with our emotions all the time. It is part of their game. It’s not my game. I want to choose.
One easy way to see what you’re missing. Check your Netflix account.
What are the overarching themes you love to watch? — Romance? — Adventure? — From the gutter to the top?
This will give you a general direction of where to look.
I love underdog stories and tend to fall for overnight success promises.
I check my needs daily; this way I’m less likely to be abused. Takes about three 1-minute blocks each day to check my physiological and psychological needs.
Just scan through them.
It’s hard at first, but it gets easier.
2. On starting a business
#1. Get information of good quality
If you want to start a business — OK. But do your research about the challenges and opportunities. Use the information on the web, but always double-check. Is someone trying to sell a general principle or not? Watch out for scams.
#2. You can talk to real people.
If you have the chance to get in touch with business owners in your neighborhood — go and talk to them. Connecting with someone who has navigated the business waters you are about to enter is even more beneficial.
#3. Take your interests into account.
It keeps you going when the waters get rough. I never felt any kind of connection to random crappy products I could sell on Amazon. The business I was building wasn’t a reflection of me, hence it failed.
If you take these tips to heart, you’ll be fine.
It’s crucial for whatever endeavor we might want to undertake to know about our needs, in order to stay true to ourselves and the goals we want to achieve; otherwise, we could get sidetracked easily.
