
How To Make A Million Dollars - revorad
http://danshipper.com/how-to-make-a-million-dollars
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kjhughes
The article is really no better than its link-bait title would suggest. If you
read it, you'll have a nagging feeling all along that you're not going to
learn anything, and that feeling will be confirmed when you get to the end:

“The ability to ask for advice, and assimilate it correctly is the single most
important thing you’ll have to do in your business life.”

“I can tell you how I made a million dollars. The real question is: how are
you going to?”

“And that, you’re going to have to figure out for yourself.”

~~~
dshipper
Really sorry that you feel that way. I tried to write it in a way that would
speak to some of the things I've learned over the last few years. That advice
may seem obvious, but I'm continually surprised at how many people don't think
about things that way.

I know a lot of entrepreneurs that refuse to think they ever need help, or who
do the "flip-flop" I described where they change their opinions every time
they talk to someone new. Sorry again that you felt like you didn't get much
out of it, I'll think about how I might be able to change that.

~~~
orangethirty
Re: People who think they never need help.

Zeus, I hate dealing with these people. Its just a waste of time. One of the
key lessons about business is to learn to delegate.

"But orange, I don't have money to hire someone to help!" - is what I often
hear. My answer is:

"Money is just a trading tool. There are always other options available.
Always ask and explore those other options." You would not believe the amount
of things I get from doing trades. You don't need money to get what you want.
Money is more convenient, but its not the end.

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speeder
That is one of the most brilliant things I ever read in a while.

Specially the part of the elephant.

Why there are so many conflicting opinions? Because they are all right at the
same time, but only for a part of the problem.

Things are constantly in flux, I saw a talk last week, 7 startups that had
exits, talked about how they did it, one thing was a constant: the economic
scenario greatly influenced each of their paths.

One, was in a economy ready to bust (early 2008), and he knew it, and what he
did was take the first good offer.

Other, was in a bustling economy, he just made buyers compete to buy his
company.

Other, had his 2 year of development product, get made obsolete at launch
because of political shifts, requiring some emergency pivoting.

You cannot copy other people, because you are not them, you are not in the
same situation, you did not had the same parents, you don't have the same
skillset!

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calinet6
The thing I hate most about people giving advice from the point of view of "I
got rich, here's how you can too," is that they never realize the statistical
anomaly that they are.

Some things are controllable, of course. Some advice is good. But some of it
is sheer luck and timing. Would you listen to advice on how to win the lottery
from someone who has? Of course not.

So what do you do instead? Listen to the science and math of it. Look at your
market with a microscope, and your product like a scientific machine. Look at
it like an artist and study social trends and psychology. Even then there will
be some luck and chance in it, but at least you'll know how much.

Don't listen to people who won the lottery—listen to the ones with
reproducible results who can tell you exactly _why_. And I guarantee you it
wasn't only because they _listened to other people's advice._

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atomical
Watch this video instead:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0CDXJ6bMkMY)

~~~
sstarr
That was really great, thanks.

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orangethirty
As someone who is always fighting off an avalanche of emails asking of for
business advice, I can definitely identify with this. Everyone wants to hear
what they think is the right choice, but no one is ever paying attention when
I tell them that they have to figure it out themselves. Seems people
(specially programmers) are obsessed with finding the correct path to riches,
but few ever manage to go out and follow along the path. Success is more about
perspiration that about planification.

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lutusp
People make a million dollars by succeeding at something else. It's a shame
how often one sees articles that focus on the outcome rather than the process.

I made millions in software development, but that wasn't my reason for writing
software, it was an unintended side effect. If I had set out to make a million
dollars (the sort of person articles like this appeal to), I would still be
waiting at the door.

~~~
revorad
Your anecdote actually illustrates the problem this article addresses with the
blind men and elephant analogy.

Just because you made a million dollars by accident does not mean one can't
make a million dollars intentionally.

~~~
lutusp
> Just because you made a million dollars by accident does not mean one can't
> make a million dollars intentionally.

The point I was making is that setting out to make a million dollars shouldn't
be the goal. There needs to be a more substantive goal, something people might
find useful.

~~~
revorad
And my point is that setting out to make a million dollars is a perfectly
legitimate goal. Making something people find useful is one way to achieve
that goal.

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stevoyoung
Great article. It seems very simplistic and shallow but if you really think
about the points being made they are spot on. I've always said that success is
not repeatable, however, the habits to success are. This article does a good
job of supporting that theory.

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lifeisstillgood
Simply the hokey-ist article I have read in a long time.

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thirdstation
tl;dr: "you’re going to have to figure out for yourself"

