Why oh Why, Oh Why..why why why?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Brandonf, Apr 5, 2009.

  1. Brandonf

    Brandonf Sponsor

    Been getting this questions a bunch from my fellow ETers the last month or so, and especially again the last few weeks.

    Mostly it's one of these. "Those who can do, those who cant' teach, fuck you loser bye" That's just typical ET chirp, I dont really care about it anymore.
    Next though comes one that I do care about, which a few people have said and it's something that honestly does hurt. "I used to respect you, I thought you where a real trader and I learned stuff from you, but now you appear to be just another marketer"
    And thats one that stings, and maybe it's meant too..I hope I can address it though.

    Why would a guy like me, if I can trade (and I can) sell stuff..not just trading stuff but dating stuff, foreign language training stuff, credit repair stuff and all kinds of offline stuff.

    Well here is how it happened for me.
    It actually does start with my interest in the markets.
    I can remember being a little kid and there was never anything on TV. But I can remember waiting all week for 20/20 to be on Friday nights, and all day for Peter Jennings to be on world news tonight. I was probably the only 1st grader wtih such a news fetish..but hey we only had 3 channels on a good day, and two on most.
    As I got older I became also interested in psychology, and how we as humans interact with each other. I was especially interested in how much different our behavior was in groups then one on one.
    I hated the poverty I grew up with and when I discovered the stock market in the 6th grade I really become interested. In 9th grade I took a voag class and discovered commodities and become obsessed. I was determined that this could be my (quick???) ticket out of poverty. Not only my ticket out of poverty, but a way to get out of poverty that actually combined the two things I was most passionate about...news/politics/current events/economics and psychology. It was a lucky match and I was fortunate to have made a lot of money.
    In 1998 we got our first site started and I did ok with it. We did not start charging until either August or Sept. of 1998, but during the year of 1998 I made $65,000 as a trader and $70,000 as a vendor (in three months).. not bad for a 19 year old country hick from Iowa who didnt even have hot water till he was in 4th grade.

    Now a lot of this was dumb luck (the glory years), but a lot of it was also skill. I also discovered that I loved teaching, and I had knack for it too boot (which might explain why it was so easy to enjoy....or maybe I had a knack for it coz I enjoyed it..chickens or eggs??..anyway).

    In 1999 I made 150K or so trading and about 200K selling. Honestly I was terrible at selling..but the market was so good, and if I can break my own arm patting myself on the back..the product was the best out there..it covered up for a lot of our terrible marketing.

    Continued like this into 2001/2002 but the selling business became harder and harder, and in fact in the first 9 months of 2002 we barely cleared $25,000. We came very close to shutting the business (website) down totally at that point and just trading..but it was a nice thing to have. I mean if your trading and your having a bad stretch of a few weeks...it's nice to know you have $10K in CDs your probably going to sell, and another 10K in chatroom revenue (even though that dips ALOT when your trading isnt going so well). Anyway....I decided you know..I'm going to give this a few months...but...I'm going to really dedicate myself to learning to sell shit. So I bought a course by a guy named Cory Rudl who is considered one of the pioneers of Internet Marketing. Had he not passed away there is seriously no telling what this guy could have done, he'd be a billionare. Anyway, his things put me on the right track and I started to learn a little about marketing. Id try one little thing,then another and all of the suddent I found that we where making more and more money on our website. Not only making more and more and more, but actually worrying about it less..and having a hell of a lot mroe fun on the business side of things too.

    What I discovered was that I had as much passion for marketing as for trading. At least as much. It was all the stuff I loved about trading and then some. It was social (whcih trading aint...but I am), and it was definatly all about psychology (what will make em buy). It's also very scientific..so it satisfies the little engineer hiding out in me. Anyway, like I said I discovered I loved marketing.

    Late 2005 I was as most everyone here knows diagnosed with cancer. It really turned my world upside down since I was told by everyone I'd not be alive right now. For the first time in my lfie I honestly had to face the fact that hey you aint gonna live forever. I got very sick...but my insurance ran out eventually and I still had ot find some way to make money..

    Well, I was way to sick to trade..so I just put up some very simple info product websites..Chex Victims, Vacation Hotspots, cooking..a bunch of little things and did what marketing I could. It had a great return on time and equity for me and maybe most important gave me a sense of purpose..and an escape from the terrible hell that was my life at that point with chemo, surgeries, transfussions, financial problems (as I've disclosed here a few times I came very close to having to declare a medical bankrutpcy since my lifetime insurance benefit was hit so I had to pay for the majority of my treatments out of pocket)...etc etc etc. It was horrible, but the marketing was a light for me.

    I discovered over time that I'm a good trader, but I'm an excellent marketer. I also discovered that if you put a gun to my head and said I could only do one or the other...I actually enjoy marketing more. It does not consume your life like trading does (or at least it did for me). I can work 30 to 50 hours a week on marketing and make seven figures. I cant do that trading, I can work 70 to 80 hours a aweek and make very high six figures...
    Thats a quality of life I did not mind having at all when I thought I;d live forever...but now I know I wont. I've got two kids who are great. I like having some time.
    I also still have a ton of ongoing medical bills...so I need to put my time to the most effective use.
    I still trade every single day when I'm feeling well...I think only three or four weeks have gone by in the last few years when I did not make at least one trade. I still love trading, and I'm good at it. I'll probably make 80 to 90K this year with my trading and I'm plenty happy with that. Could I make more? Yes. Alot more? Yes..but I just dont have that much passion for trading anymore. Im willing to give my work 30 to 50 hours a week of my life, not 80 or 90 anymore. And all things being equal, like I said I just find marketing very interesting for basically the exact same reason I find trading so interesting too..
    so anyway..thats why Im a "slimy marketer" now. Hopefully you see though that I'm not so slimy, and why I've gone in the direction Ive gone in.
    Also that I love the friendships Ive made at ET..and I'll always be a trader too. Thats as much a part of my self identity as anything else..its something I enjoy, and something Im fortunate to be good at too. But, marketing is the same, and I like it a bit mroe, but it gives me a lot more and it gives me time...whcih trading could not.