As a new entrepreneur and SFI Affiliate, your best strategy should be all about “PARLAYING.”
What does that mean exactly? Here's a good definition: To use or develop something such as money or a skill to make it more successful or worth more.
The essence is that you "parlay" something you have into something better. And you keep doing this over and over until you reach (or exceed!) your financial goals.
This is what I've done my entire adult life. I started my own business—with no money—at the age of just 23 and I've been parlaying to better and better ever since. And if I were brand new and had no money to invest in a business today, I would use the same strategy.
First, I would take an inventory. Do I have some items around the house I don't really need that I can sell for a little starter cash? Can I temporarily eliminate a few niceties (fancy coffee or donuts)? Is there a project someone in the neighborhood needs done that would garner me a few dollars? Can I get a temporary part-time job? One or more of these will be more than enough to get you started.
Now I've got a bit of money to get started with my parlaying strategy.
If I have enough money, I'd go EA (buy an E-Pack). The fact is, the E-Pack is literally designed for parlaying! With an E-Pack, you can use the included ZCredits to win something that can help your business. And the bonus 1000 Rewardicals—that you can exchange for PSAs, CSAs, Bitcoin, and more—are all about helping you grow a business from nothing and help you become financially independent.
If you can't come up with enough to begin for an E-Pack right away, that's okay too. We all have to start with whatever we have.
So perhaps you have to start with just telling people you know about SFI. Or maybe you put up some inexpensive fliers. TIP: We have a number of free/inexpensive marketing methods documented in our Marketing Center.
We also have our inexpensive "X-Cards" which can be used in a variety of low-cost ways.
As I mention in another Rules of Success lesson, it's also very important to start learning everything you can about becoming successful in business. Don't waste time trying to figure it out on your own. There are thousands of people who've already made all the mistakes. You get to learn from them and save all that time and pain! And all the information you need is at your fingertips today, thanks to the internet! There's no excuse for not having the knowledge to earn whatever amount of money you want to earn. Want to be a millionaire, or even a billionaire? All the information is out there. All you have to do is grab it and APPLY it.
One last thing: To go from broke (no money) to financial independence, you may also need to become a Guerrilla Marketer. Guerrilla marketing draws upon creativity and inspiration—instead of monetary investment.
If you'e not familiar with it, the term guerrilla marketing was popularized by Jay Conrad Levinson. Jay's 1984 book Guerrilla Marketing was so successful that it was named by Time Magazine as one of the top 25 most influential business management books, selling over 21 million copies. It was so influential, that it has been called as one of the top marketing books ever written. You might want to check it out—as I did more than 25 years ago.
Bottom line: Know that you have to invest SOMETHING to build a successful business. It can be money. But it can also be "sweat equity," hustle, and just plain effort. Start with small, reachable goals (e.g. sponsoring two new PSAs in your first 30 days or making one retail sale). Then keep parlaying month after month! Do that and you can turn "nothing" into a thriving, profitable business. That's what I did—and you can do it too!
"If you want to invest in something with minimum risk and a guaranteed big return, invest in yourself."
-Unknown"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."
-Sean Patrick Flanery"In this world you're either growing or you're dying, so get in motion and grow."
-Lou Holtz
