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Vlad

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I'm sorry for being constantly off topic, I know the forum is about not gaming. For me not gaming is about doing something else instead and my "something else" is growing a business.

I think this is pretty normal. It seems to me that most logs goes further and further away from gaming as it's author loses interest in it. It's interesting to read what people are switching to instead. 

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I'm sorry for being constantly off topic, I know the forum is about not gaming. For me not gaming is about doing something else instead and my "something else" is growing a business.

I think this is pretty normal. It seems to me that most logs goes further and further away from gaming as it's author loses interest in it. It's interesting to read what people are switching to instead. 

A very wise insight, HappyCat

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Day 36

Time goes by in a flash. It's so weird that it has been 36 days already, also that the summer is ending and I'm suddenly 28. I'm feeling perplexed about that.

I might be a workaholic without gaming O.o. I cant' escape into dreamlands, so stay focused on the real world all the time. I don't enjoy working day and night and on weekends, but I'm desperate. I don't feel like I've gained enough traction to chill out. I've exchanged upscale offices and large paychecks for the dream of creating something of value, of self-actualization and higher checks (of course xD). And I have these doubts from time to time about how well I'm doing and if I have the ability to make myself proud. My brother is globe-trotting, my friends are getting married and I'm, well, I'm constantly working or thinking of ways to improve my business.

Some of my acquiatances who are more successful at business say that one key characteristic of successful entrepreneurs is being a little crazy in a natural and congruent way. I think I might have that, I sometimes think that I'm a little cuckoo and this thought is a little uncomfortable. Even in times of doubt I still would go back and make the same choice back then. I would make smarter moves, but the main direction would be pretty much the same. I think I'll embrace the way I am and call my ambitions a beautiful obsession of mine.

I've come up with another three segments people need: it's adults that want to complete their GEDs (two by geography and one extra by format). The approximate confirmed Moscow market size for that is 7k clients per year. So, now I have twelve segments in total (four are local, six are citywide and two are global) and sure as hell it is possible to gain 1k clients by May. First, I need to have have twelve landing pages, then I should decide on the segmentation of social media channels. I'm positive that I won't be able to create content for twelve accounts myself - I guess outsourcing is the only viable option, I'll plan myself though. I want my educational holding to become a huge whale.

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People are going to call you crazy because you have more ambition than them in coming up with ideas for your clients, but you are doing good not rushing into it and actually coming up with a plan. Just keep doing what you are doing, Vlad.

Thanks, bro

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Vlad, this forum is about "living a life you're proud of", not just not gaming. Gaming is the crutch, but then you gotta walk, right? You're doing damn fine man, keep up the great work! 

That said, a balanced businessman is a truly successful businessman. Don't forget to rest hard! You're training your minions to delegate after all. The Overlord doesn't micromanage, that's a videogame myth ;)

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You're out there doing it, improving your business. And like you said, you're not escaping into dream worlds. So be proud of that! ?

Vlad, this forum is about "living a life you're proud of", not just not gaming. Gaming is the crutch, but then you gotta walk, right? You're doing damn fine man, keep up the great work! 

That said, a balanced businessman is a truly successful businessman. Don't forget to rest hard! You're training your minions to delegate after all. The Overlord doesn't micromanage, that's a videogame myth ;)

Thank you guys, love your support.

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Day 37

I'm happy to tell that my weekend grind has paid off. :D I now have a solid understanding of my next steps and have already started on them, I have streamlined my urgent landing page and SMM work, also I've switched back to a site-building service I used three years ago. Whoa, didn't think I've been doing all that for so long now O.o. Anyways, they have greatly improved greatly and now provide a sufficient range of capabilities besides being more user-friendly than my current contractor.

I say that I will have my new landing page published and working by the end of this week (it's Monday already). Also I 'll start posting on my two new corporate Instagram and updated Facebook accounts. It's going to be a very busy week, wish me luck and I wish you the same.

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Day 37

Working round the clock. One of my new minions quit this Monday morning. She said she didn't enjoy the long travel to work. Well I think it's for the best - I haven't heavily invested in her training yet. The other one is doing A-ok. So, being understaffed and with new leads and clients piling up in the inbox I turned to automation opportunities. I consulted with a number of CRM-providers and while they don't suck entirely, they do not help me achieve my goals. I don't have issues with sales, I have a black hole in processing. I've tried looking at project managers, task managers and even ERP-systems. I don't remember how (sleep deficit ruins memory :/), but at late evening I struck gold with integrating basic Mycrosoft Office apps together and cloud storage (like Google Drive). I mean, I had to be good with Excel as an ibanker, but I was oblivious to automation capabilities of the other apps like MS Word, and MS Access is pretty much a fully-customizable CRM. The kicker - it all doesn't cost a penny in incremental spending. :D fucking awesome! I guess I'm lucky that my operations can be broken down into small and simple tasks, some of which can be automated. I still might be getting a CRM soon though, as I sure can't integrate MS Office with IP telephony my managers are using xD.

The moral of this episode is that being tight-pressed for everything but will and a cause gives +N to your attributes. B|

Edited by Vlad
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Sorry for missing posts, I'll recap and try to stay consistent with journal entries.

 

Day 38 (Tuesday)

All-nighter, and grind. Came home in the evening and passed out on the couch. So far, so good.)
 

Day 39 (Wednesday)

More leads and prospects turn into clients. Grind and hassle. Worked on my database - eventually got carried away, designed something way too fancy and overcomplicated to operate swiftly. I'll stick to the bare minimum and accept a risk of some mistakes on my employees' part, it's not the important and we'll check and edit if necessary.

 

Day 40 (Thursday)

A competitor came over to try and claim territory, instead handed over the docs for 5 my new clients :DB|, very sweet. Busy on new docs drafting. Tomorrow we're moving the business segment from HQ to the new office I wrote about previously. It's going to be a little rough around the edges, as I haven't arranged the Internet and consequently IP telephony. We'll manage a few days with mobile router and call redirect no problem. The customers may come to the HQ, which is a little inconvenient, as I processing is now situated at the new location. I'll post a vacancy for my second minion at the new location. By the end of next week we'll be +1 employee.

Yeah, and I have officially reached my weight goal! I was at 219 lbs this morning. :)

Edited by Vlad
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Day 40 (Thursday)

A competitor came over to try and claim territory, instead handed over the docs for 5 my new clients :DB|, very sweet. Busy on new docs drafting. Tomorrow we're moving the business segment from HQ to the new office I wrote about previously. It's going to be a little rough around the edges, as I haven't arranged the Internet and consequently IP telephony. We'll manage a few days with mobile router and call redirect no problem. The customers may come to the HQ, which is a little inconvenient, as I processing is now situated at the new location. I'll post a vacancy for my second minion at the new location. By the end of next week we'll be +1 employee.

As long as there are not russian 90s business practices involved... :ph34r:

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HIIT Workout? But seriously, it's good that you are finally gaining a foothold on your company, literally making them throw their profits at you, nice!

No, just plain powerlifting and healthy diet.) Thanks, I'm doing my best.

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Day 40 (Thursday)

A competitor came over to try and claim territory, instead handed over the docs for 5 my new clients :DB|, very sweet. Busy on new docs drafting. Tomorrow we're moving the business segment from HQ to the new office I wrote about previously. It's going to be a little rough around the edges, as I haven't arranged the Internet and consequently IP telephony. We'll manage a few days with mobile router and call redirect no problem. The customers may come to the HQ, which is a little inconvenient, as I processing is now situated at the new location. I'll post a vacancy for my second minion at the new location. By the end of next week we'll be +1 employee.

As long as there are not russian 90s business practices involved... :ph34r:

I think the 90s best practice was actually better than what we have now, too much relies on authority support and nepotism. Vanilla gangster business environment was more clear cut and honest to be frank. I'm getting old and start praising the good old days xD.

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Day 41 (Friday, 09/01)

September 1 was a little hectic as expected. Worked hard, moved in the new office. After the previous lessie moved out it looks somewhat below average: the floor has taken a beating over time and so have the walls. We'll redecorate it soon, so to be proud to have visitors over. I'll try to get by with minor cosmetic stuff. Have got a ton to do for the weekends. I've successfully negotiated 24/7 access to the office, so in some time I'll be able to provide customer service hours unheard of in my industry, but obviously needed by clients.

As per SMM, the photographer was so-so, but I'm glad that I have some material to work with and more importantly that I've learned to hire real life freelance help on short notice. Previously I have only worked with remote freelancers.

I'm happy to feel that I can solve all kinds of stuff. Quitting gaming has made me significantly more driven and success-oriented. I'm grateful for your support, guys. Alone it would be much harder to quit. Maybe I'll become more well-rounded with time as well.

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Congratulations on reaching your weight goal! You've worked hard to get here. ?

Thank you, Bob. It's a joy to constantly be below 220 lbs, in kgs it's even a more round number - 100 kgs. I'm happy to be in the two-digit kg territory. My girl is getting on my nerves to stop losinf weight, but I guess that's how women are. She might be worried that I may be getting more attractive to her competition. I'm not turning into a ballerina knocked down by wind, The lightest I'm considering is 180 lbs to fit into a powerlifting weightclass, anything below would be a ridiculous loss in lean mass. The powerlifting weightclasses that are anyhow close are

  • 220 lbs
  • 198 lbs
  • 182 lbs
  • 165 lbs

I'll see how I feel at 198 lbs and I'll go from there. The next milestone is my maximum "marine shipping" weight - 214 lbs. Any bets on the timing? ;)

Edited by Vlad
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Never heard of a female encouraging a person to gain weight, its always the opposite with me. XD. In all seriousness, when i had to workout i hit the weights first 35lbs, 45lbs, rest, use the 60lb weightbar to do curls and free lifts, do 20 reps on the bicep curler. Afterwards, i'd hit up an empty space near the treadmills to do about 30 reps of pushups and situps, alt with crunches. Rest. Finally hitting the treadmill for a power mountain jog uphill for 30 mins. Rest. That would guarantee muscle mass without losing speed, Vlad.

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Never heard of a female encouraging a person to gain weight, its always the opposite with me. XD.

In my case my wife was worried that I might become too weak if I lose wieght, but then again I was never overweight) It usually happens when I say things like "hmm, perhaps I shoul eat less sweets".

 

>> I'm getting old and start praising the good old days xD.

*Shrugs* Does it happen in education bussiness too?

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