16 years ago I started a journey that would become the rest of my life.

…blood
…sweat
…tears
…sleepless restless nights
…doubt
…wins
…mistakes (more than I can count)

But over the last 16 years I’ve made some really good money!

And in this post I’m going to share with you the lessons I learnt and the mistakes I made so you don’t make them.

…The point of this post is to save you years of trial and error.

I will also talk about the biggest shifts I’ve noticed and the mistakes people make that keeps them stuck at the same spot for years…

Let’s Start:

Lesson 1: Start Ugly BUT Start Now:

“Done is better than perfect!”

Analysis paralysis is a real thing. I’ve seen so many bright people sit on the sidelines for years waiting for the RIGHT THING.

….NEWS FLASH: There is no right thing!

There are 1000s of businesses that you can do online. And you’ll find someone in all these 1000s who is KILLING IT.

He/She likely jumped all in and figured it out on the go with data and market feedback.

STOP delaying your success – you’re not getting any younger.

Start Small but Start Now.

Start with little knowledge and trust yourself to figure it out along the way BUT Start NOW!

Action will get you where you want to go.

Lesson 2: Hard Work is Overated!

You are NOT Elon Musk…. most don’t even want that kinda life.

If you’re that 1% who wants to be like him – good for you.

Most however, don’t have to work super hard.

A few 🤫 quiet millions in the bank.

….the freedom to take a vacation whenever and wherever and with whoever!

….enough financial security to KNOW 100% that you’d be able to take care of the family and friends.

That’s what most of us want, right?

That’s what I want.

These motivational gurus asking you to go hard or go home.

Work 80 hours a week every week and then come home and work on the business.

“How bad do you want it” bullshit will only cause more stress in your life.

…last I checked – everyone really just wants 1 thing – to be HAPPY!

…nobody wants more stress.

The car, the house, the lifestyle you want is not because you want the car or the materialistic stuff…. it’s because YOU THINK IT’LL MAKE YOU HAPPY.

So instead of trying to brute force through life, figure out smart ways to do stuff.

Use Leverage, get help from mentors, ask questions to the right people, read….

One of the things I’m best at is modeling. I find someone who is best at something I want to learn. Then I model them, and learn it myself. 

Tony Robbins

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

…no need to figure out the electricity grid.

Use the resources available at your disposal to make the most out of your time.

…IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT TIME…. Poor people don’t get it.

Rich people BUY TIME with money because they know money can be made again – time….well – you can’t reverse it.

The private jets, the 7-8 figure teams are just to buy back time!

TIME TIME TIME!

Lesson 3: Riches Are in the Niches – But Only If You Nail the Offer

Heard the phrase “the Riches are in the Niches”?

And while it’s true that narrowing your focus can help you stand out, there’s a bigger, less-talked-about piece of the puzzle: YOUR OFFER.

It’s not enough to simply choose a niche and hope your audience comes running to you.

You need an offer so compelling that it cuts through the noise and screams, “I’m exactly what you need!”

A bad offer in the best niche will made you ZILCH, NADA, ZERO!

What Makes a Great Offer?

  1. A Clear Promise and Time Frame: Lose 30lbs in 30 Days Without Exercise or Diet Change

  2. Addresses a Specific Pain Point: Always solve 1 MAIN problem with the product.

    The promise, the headline, the copy will address the MAIN PROBLEM and then sprinkle in the MINOR problems in the copy and tell them how your product solves it.

  3. Ease and Speed: Nobody wants to wait…. Nobody wants a solution that takes YEARS. People want results NOW – so the faster you get them to their DESIRED SITUATION the higher the conversion rates are going to be.

  4. Social Proof, Credibility, Testimonials: Proven results, reviews, video testimonials, trust pilot reviews, celebrity endorsements etc.

This is the hardest part in the online business space.

Nailing an offer that converts takes YEARS of efforts and a team that know what they are doing.

There are too many moving parts (discussed here).

The Shortcut: Licensing!

Licensing proven offers gives you a shortcut. Instead of guessing, you’re plugging into something that’s already been tested, validated, and optimized.

You don’t need to worry if your audience will buy — the audience is already buying it.

It’s a proven system that works.

Think of it like this: Why would you struggle to invent the next Coca-Cola when you could license the formula and start selling instantly?

You get to use someone else’s hard work to make money NOW – without having to figure out most parts or learn skills that take years!

Lesson 4: The Secret to Scaling Fast: OPM (Other People’s Money, Media, and Models)

When you use Other People’s Money, Media, and Models, you’re stacking multiple layers of leverage to create exponential growth.

Here’s how it looks in action:

  1. You license a proven product or become an affiliate or partner in a proven product → Leveraging someone else’s product/funnel/model.
  2. You tap into a pool of affiliates or collaborators or pay for influencers to do a shoutout (drive traffic) to promote it → Leveraging other people’s media/traffic/influence.
  3. You reinvest the profits from products or affiliate revenue to scale further → Leveraging the money other people’s product and traffic sources made.

This combination allows you to:

  • Scale without massive upfront investment.
  • Grow your audience quickly without waiting years to build your own.
  • Focus on selling and collecting money instead of building and testing.

Real-Life Example

Think about companies like Airbnb and Uber.

  • Airbnb scaled by leveraging other people’s properties (hosts’ homes).
  • Uber scaled by leveraging other people’s vehicles (drivers’ cars).

Now, apply the same principle to online business:

  • Licensing/Cloning/Modeling allows you to scale by leveraging other people’s systems—products, funnels, and frameworks that are already successful.

Why would you want to start from zero when you can plug into a system that is already getting results?

Did you start this online journey only to struggle and then eventually quit?

LEVERAGE the assets that others aren’t fully utilising to get ahead of the curve faster than the rest of the market.

LEVERAGE!

Lesson 6: Passive Income Is a Myth Without Active Leverage

“Passive income” is one of the most overused—and misunderstood—terms in the online business world.

Everyone dreams of making money while they sleep, but here’s the harsh truth: there’s no such thing as truly passive income.

When most people hear “passive income,” they imagine lounging on a beach while cash magically flows into their bank account.

That is what the GURUS had you believe…. the visual is amazing but the it’s BULLSHIT.

In reality, every so-called “passive” income source requires:

  1. Active effort upfront to set it up.
  2. Ongoing maintenance to keep it running smoothly.

For example:

  • Real estate? Requires buying, managing tenants, and maintaining properties.
  • Dividend stocks? Require significant capital investment and ongoing portfolio management.
  • Online businesses? Need systems, offers, teams and marketing strategies to generate recurring revenue.

The dream of “set it and forget it” might sell courses, coaching and consultations…

…but it’s rarely how the real world works.

Why Active Leverage Is the Real Secret

While true “passive income” might be a myth, what’s achievable—and far more valuable—is leveraged income.

Leveraged income allows you to multiply your efforts, scale your earnings, and reduce the time you spend working on your business.

Here’s what active leverage looks like:

  1. Systems: Automating repetitive tasks with tools and technology.
  2. People: Delegating work to a team or outsourcing key tasks.
  3. Licensing: Leveraging pre-built products, funnels, and frameworks to start earning immediately without the trial-and-error phase.

The key difference?

Leverage requires an initial investment of time, money, or resources but pays off exponentially by reducing the amount of effort required to maintain and grow.

This is what most 8-9-10 figure businesses have.

Jeff Bezos doesn’t work on Amazon’s core parts – he’s the person responsible for deciding the direction of the company.

…the rest is done with SYSTEMS and PEOPLE.

Whenever possible find a way to sneak into someone else’s business and be a part of their deal…. you’ll get faster results.

Lesson 7: Don’t Reinvent the Wheel—Clone It

There’s a disastrous mindset that keeps most entrepreneurs stuck: the belief that success comes from originality.

The truth is, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel—you just need to find a wheel that works and start rolling.

Cloning success isn’t about copying blindly; it’s about modeling proven systems, strategies, and frameworks that already deliver results.

… Ad strategies that work,
… Sales mechanisms that work,
… Funnels that work,

CLONE or STEAL these ‘working-models’ to get the ultimate shortcut to success.

Think of it as using a SUCCESS GPS instead of wandering aimlessly— with a PROVEN PATH you’ll reach your destination faster, with fewer detours.

Why Reinventing the Wheel Fails

Starting from scratch is a MISTAKE. It’s a slow, risky, and often a frustrating path.

  1. You Waste Time: Building something new takes months (or years), and there’s no guarantee it will work. Initially you’ll just end up throwing things against the wall – trying to figure out WHAT STICKS.
  2. You Burn Resources: Testing offers, funnels, and ads eats up money that could be invested in scaling. It also wastes time, energy and motivation.
  3. You Risk Burnout: Trying to do it all yourself leads to overwhelm, not success. There are too many moving parts in a modern online business.

Think about it: Would you rather spend years learning how to build a car from scratch, or start driving one today?

Cloning or modeling saves time, resources, energy and is the shortest path to your success.

Real-Life Examples of Cloning Success

  1. Franchising:
    • McDonald’s franchisees don’t start from scratch. They follow a system that’s been perfected over decades.
    • Licensing in the online business world works the same way—it’s like owning a franchise for a proven digital product.
  2. Successful Affiliate Marketers
    • Top affiliates don’t create the products they sell. They plug into offers that already work and focus on driving traffic.
  3. Licensed Funnels:
    • Entrepreneurs who license a funnel don’t need to build or test their own—they leverage what’s already proven to convert.

Cloning Success Isn’t “Cheating”

Some people hesitate to clone success because they think it’s unoriginal or unethical. But here’s the thing:

  • Every major innovation in history started by improving on what came before.
  • Success isn’t about being the first; it’s about being the ready to implement stuff that works….

When you model what works, you’re not copying—you’re optimizing to get more money into your own pockets.

The cost of not knowing how to make $50,000 per month is $50,000 every single month.

…because the more you delay it the more months you go without making the $50,000 months!

Prashant Sharma

Reinventing the wheel is a recipe for frustration.

Clone success.

Lesson 8: Time Is More Valuable Than Money

You can always make more money, but you can never get back lost time.

Time is the one resource that’s truly finite, and the most successful entrepreneurs know this.

They don’t focus on doing everything themselves; instead, they focus on leveraging time through systems, people, and proven strategies.

Who Not How? There simply isn’t enough time.

The Real Cost of “Figuring It Out” Yourself

Let’s say you’re starting an online course business:

  • You spend 1 month trying to nail the niche.
  • You spend 3 months creating the course.
  • You spend another 3 months testing and tweaking your funnel.
  • You spend thousands of dollars on ads that don’t convert because the offer isn’t optimized.

That’s 7 months of time and a significant financial investment—all with no guarantee of success.

Compare that to making the best use of your time and leveraging what is already available in the market (license):

  • You start with a proven product and funnel.
  • You focus on driving traffic, using tested ads and you can start getting results from Day 1.

It’s heart breaking to see so many people struggle for years and then eventually quit.

…without ever getting any significant results.

Why?

They had no idea what they were doing.

It was always as if they were missing a piece of the puzzle.

Wasted time never comes back.

Working with someone who has already done what you want to do and asking them for help directly is the surest way to success.

DO NOT WASTE TIME…

Lesson 9: Success Loves Speed – But Only If You’re Running in the Right Direction

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Success loves speed.”

And it’s 100% true. In the online business world especially, speed can mean the difference between being a market leader or being left behind.

But here’s the catch: speed only matters if you’re heading in the right direction.

Running fast toward the wrong goal—or with the wrong strategy—doesn’t get you closer to success.

I saw so many people lose their shirts when crypto went mainstream and some newbies thought they were running ahead of the curve while the market was awaiting a correction…. millions were lost.

Same thing happened recently when AI Powered bots became all the rage and people thought that they could profit 100% on all their FOREX or CRYPTO trades using AI….

…because well AI knows everything!

… ended up with people getting scammed off of thousands of dollars and losses in their trading accounts.

Running in the wrong direction just because everyone is running there is will just make you tired and frustrated.

The key is to combine speed with clarity and focus.

Why Speed Matters in Business

  1. First Mover Advantage
    • The faster you act, the more likely you are to seize opportunities before your competitors. Whether it’s launching a product, capturing market share, or riding a trend, being quick pays off.
  2. Momentum Builds Motivation
    • Progress creates energy. When you see results quickly, it motivates you to push harder and scale faster.
  3. Rapid Feedback Loops
    • Speed allows you to test ideas, gather data, and make adjustments faster than your competition.

But without clear direction, speed can lead to wasted effort.

This is why many entrepreneurs burn out – they’re moving fast but aren’t making meaningful progress.

Don’t be a clueless hamster on a hamster wheel.

The Danger of Running in the Wrong Direction

Imagine sprinting full speed toward what you think is success, only to realize you’ve been on the wrong path all along.

  • You spend months creating a product no one wants.
  • You build a funnel that doesn’t convert.
  • You invest in ads that drain your budget with little return.

The Solution: Speed + Proven Systems

If speed is essential to success, then clarity is the compass that ensures you’re heading in the right direction.

And one of the fastest ways to gain clarity is by leveraging proven systems and processes.

See what the successful people in your industry are doing and clone/model them.

Here’s how leveraging proven systems keep you on the right path while letting you scale at lightning speed:

  1. You Start With a Winning Formula
    • Proven products and systems come with built-in validation. You’re not guessing what might work—you’re working with something that’s already been proven.
  2. You Avoid Costly Mistakes
    • Instead of wasting time and money building products, funnels, or campaigns from scratch, you get a plug-and-play system that’s already getting results.
  3. You Scale Immediately
    • With the foundational work done for you, you can focus getting sales and money right out of the gate. That means you get PAID FASTER.

Lesson 10: Licensing and Leverage Are the FASTEST Way To Succeed

When it comes to scaling an online business, most people focus on two things: working harder and trying to figure it out on their own.

In short: The surest path to having you pull your hair out 1 day at a time…haha!

Some might eventually succeed but most WILL NOT.

It’s slow, inefficient, and full of costly mistakes.

If you want to scale FAST, you need two things: Licensing and Leverage.

Why Licensing Is a Game-Changer:

Licensing allows you to start with a proven product, system, or model instead of building from scratch. It’s the ultimate shortcut to getting results faster because it removes the guesswork.

Here’s what licensing does for you:

  1. Eliminates the Trial-and-Error Phase
    • Instead of wasting months or years testing ideas, you plug into something that’s already validated.
    • You start with a product that sells, a funnel that converts, and marketing materials that work.
  2. Gives You Instant Credibility
    • When you license a proven system, you’re not just selling a product—you’re leveraging the success of something that already has a track record.
    • This builds trust with your audience instantly because you’re also BORROWING AUTHORITY…without any work on your part!
  3. Saves Time and Resources
    • Why spend hundreds of hours creating something from scratch when you can license it and focus your energy on getting money right off the bat?
  4. Simplifies Your Business
    • Licensing removes complexity.
    • You don’t need to worry about backend systems, product creation, updation, delivery, email marketing, ad creation, content creation or tech headaches.
    • Everything is ready to go.

Real-Life Success Stories

Take a look at some of the most successful business models in history:

  • Franchises: Companies like McDonald’s, Subway etc. scale by licensing their systems to franchisees.
  • Franchise owners don’t reinvent the wheel—they plug into a proven system.
  • Franchise owners have a much higher chance of success because everything is already proven to work.
  • They just plugged into a system that works!

If you’ve come to this page from the licensing video that I had you already saw how 2 partners are on their track to making $200K this year – just by licensing a proven system. If you don’t know what I’m talking about watch the video below:

Conclusion:

Don’t waste your time setting things from scratch.

  1. First get the money.
  2. Then learn while you earn.
  3. Create your own offers.
  4. Right now, if you don’t have the skills or time, LICENSE!
  5. Go get money NOW – money loves speed!

If you need anything leave a comment,