The Millionaire Dropout

Acknowledgments xv

Preface This Book Isn’t About Me, It’s About You xvii

Introduction xxi

Part I Taking Control of Your Life 1

Chapter 1 Getting Started 3

Tiny Steps Lead to Massive Leaps 3

Can You Go the Extra Mile? 4

Breaking Free from Your Comfort Zone 5

Why I Want You to Succeed 6

Chapter 2 Let’s Talk About You 9

Time for Some Surgery 11

Let’s Summarize 15

Listening 15

Dressing for Success 16

The Right Dress Code for Men 17

The Right Dress Code for Women 17

Your Inner Voice 18

Happy Music Makes Happy People 18

Chapter 3 What Do You Want Out of Life? 19

What Do You Want? 19

Your Road Map to Success 20

Where Will You Be in Five Years Time? 20

Nonmonetary Goals 22

How Is This List Going to Help Me? 26

So Where Do We Go Now? 27

Chapter 4 How to Reprogram Your Mind for Success 28

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind 29

Waking Up to a Bright Day 31

Starting the Day the Right Way 32

Preparing the Night Before 32

How to Turn a Seven-Day Week into an Eight-Day Week 32

Why Lie-Ins Are a Bad Idea 33

Going to Bed Satisfied 34

Learn a New Piece of Information Every Day 34

Summary to Setting Goals, Visualizing, and Your Subconscious Mind 34

How Does Visualizing and Using Your Subconscious Mind Work? 35

How People in Sports Train Their Minds 35

So I Just Think About It, and It Happens? 37

Setting New Goals and Keeping the Momentum Going 37

Chapter 5 Making Decisions, Dealing with Problems, and Taking Action 38

The Ben Franklin Method 38

The Coin Method 39

The Sleep-on-It Method 40

The Flow-Chart Method 40

Once You Have Made Your Decision 40

How Never to Fail Again 42

Dealing with Failure 43

Getting a Second Chance 44

Dealing with Rejection 45

Why You Don’t Need Horoscopes, Tarot Cards, or Clairvoyants 45

Focusing on the Positive 46

Congratulations! You’re a Loser 46

It’s Harder Today to Be a Success 47

The Hot Dog Seller 47

Beating Yourself Up Has No Positive Effect 48

Your Success File 49

Chapter 6 Your Worst Enemy and Your Best Friend 51

Developing Your Best Friend 51

Getting Rid of Your Worst Enemy 52

Summary 52

Learning to Love Yourself 53

Stop Worrying Today 54

Tips to Help You Deal with Worries 55

Why Worry? 56

Summary on Worrying 56

The Past Is History; the Future Is Where to Look 57

Chapter 7 Magic Words or Tragic Words? 59

Tragic Phrases 60

Words to Erase from Your Life 60

Magic Phrases 60

Words to Add to Your Life 61

Listening to Skeptics 61

Can You Give Away Free Money? 62

Taking Advice 62

How I Give Advice 63

Professional Advice 63

Taking Responsibility for Your Life 64

How to Make Yourself Happy at Any Time 65

Accepting Praise and Taking Criticism 65

Summary 66

Asking Questions Makes You More Successful 67

Summary 68

Chapter 8 Associate with Eagles, not Turkeys 69

Summary 70

Dealing with Envy and Jealousy 71

Learning to Adapt and Changing Direction 72

Working Around Problems 73

Chapter 9 Personal Relationships 74

How to Help a Lagging Partner 75

What if My Partner Still Lags Behind? 76

Summary on Partners 76

Finding the Right Partner 76

Meeting Your Ideal Partner 78

Online Dating Agencies 78

Upmarket Dinner Parties 79

Summary 79

Act Before the Pain, Not After 79

Chapter 10 Getting It Done Now 81

Improve Your Memory 84

Balance 86

Marital Disputes and Affairs 88

Summary 88

Chapter 11 Food and Exercise 89

Why Being Fit Makes You Successful 89

Do You Suffer from Fatigue or Lethargy? 90

You Are What You Eat 92

My Personal Mind Diet 92

Overweight Dogs and Owners 93

My 90 Percent Good, 10 Percent Bad Rule 93

A Diet Is for Life 94

A Few Tips 94

Summary 94

Dealing with Poor Health 95

Chapter 12 Smart Education and Investing in Yourself 97

Successful People Study 97

Use Your Local Library 98

Why a Book Is an Excellent Value 98

Buy Books and DVDs, and Attend Seminars 98

Invest in Other’s Success, Not Their Qualifications 99

Losers Don’t Invest in Education 100

I Know It All and I’ve Done It All 100

Go the Extra Mile in Everything You Do 101

How the Extra Mile Brings Success 101

Believing Is Seeing 102

We Reap What We Sow 103

How to Move a Mountain 104

Chapter 13 Summary to Section One 105

Part II Making Money 107

Chapter 14 Making Money 109

Can You Juggle? 110

Being Your Own Boss 110

Why Owning Your Own Business Is the Only Option Today 110

Why Starting Your Own Business Is the Key 112

How Did You Choose Your Job? 113

Are You in the Wrong Business? 114

What Are Your Skills, and What Makes You Happy? 115

Chapter 15 Increase Your Income Right Now 116

Asking for a Pay Raise 116

Preparing a Case for a Pay Raise 117

The Outcome 117

Summary 118

Are You Too Comfortable? 119

Chapter 16 Starting Your Own Business 120

The Best Business Model in the World 121

What’s So Great About Mail Order? 122

What Mail Order Is Not 122

This Business Model Is Global 123

KISS—Keep It Simple, Stupid 123

What You Need to Succeed in Mail Order 123

Just Do It 124

I’m Not a Textbook Businessman 125

What Is Mail Order? 126

Offering Consultancy and Agency Services by Mail Order 127

Getting Started in Mail Order 127

Company Structure 128

Setting Up a Bank Account 128

Letter-Headed Paper/Online Signature 129

Creating a Letterhead 129

Business Cards 130

Virtual Phone Numbers 130

Fax 131

Mailing Address 131

Business Centers 131

Accepting Credit and Debit Cards 132

Borrowing Money 133

Stand-By Credit Cards and Overdrafts 133

Chapter 17 Finding Products to Sell 136

Research 137

The Market Will Make or Break You 137

Picking Easy Targets 138

People Buy What They Want, Not What They Need 139

Where to Start Your Research 139

eBay—What People Are Buying 140

Bestseller Book Lists 141

Shopping Channels 141

Be Alert and Watch Trends 142

Learn to Watch Trends 142

Magic Words That Will Help Your Business 143

The Dangers of Having Too Much Money 144

What People Want 145

Chapter 18 The Ideal Mail-Order Product 148

Lead-Generating Products 149

Tax 149

Selling Products You Like 150

Audio Information 152

DVDs 153

Getting DVDs Produced 154

Making a Video with PowerPoint or Keynote 155

Webinars 155

Buying the Rights to a Video 156

Newsletters, Blogs, and Membership Sites 157

Novelty Items, Kitchen Gadgets, Health & Fitness, Jewelry, and Personalized Items 163

Seasonal Items 164

Products That Solve People’s Problems 165

Packaging Products Together 165

Back to Packaging Products 166

Importing and Exporting Products and Ideas 167

Summary 167

Adding Value 168

A Note on Copyright and Copying Others 168

Chapter 19 Advertising and Marketing 170

How to Sell Today 170

How Compounding Made Me Rich 175

Selling on eBay 177

Amazon Marketplace 178

Selling on Clickbank 178

Promoting Your Product or Service 178

Magic Words 182

What Makes Someone Respond to an Ad? 183

Chapter 20 Become an Expert by Writing Articles and Press Releases 190

Press Releases 191

Wire Services 192

Summary 192

Chapter 21 Why Back-End Selling Leads to Big Profits 193

How to Back-End Sell the Right Way 193

Find Another Golden Goose Before the First One Dies! 195

Don’t Be an Octopus 195

Good Ways to Expand 195

Doing Business Overseas 197

Credit Cards Are a Global Currency 197

Chapter 22 Learning to Invest, but Keeping Costs Down 198

Attending Shows and Events 199

Chapter 23 Summary to Making Money 202

Part III Saving Money 205

Chapter 24 Saving Money 207

How to Add Fifty Cents to Every Dollar 207

Chapter 25 Buying Designer Clothes for Less 218

Dress Agencies 218

Perfume and Makeup for Less 221

Chapter 26 Buying from Auctions and Wholesale 222

Government Auctions 222

General Auctions 222

What You Need to Know 223

Buying Wholesale at Discount Clubs 223

Chapter 27 Getting Cheaper Calls 224

International Calling Cards 224

Skype 224

Cable TV, Satellite TV, and Cell Phones 225

Chapter 28 Credit Cards, Cash Back, and Points 226

Need a Credit Card but Have Poor Credit? 227

Credit Card Offers 227

Chapter 29 How to Get a Discount on Anything 228

Coupons and Discount Codes 228

Gift Cards 229

Fancy Seeing a Free Show? 229

Eat Out for Less 230

Chapter 30 Making Your Money Work Hard by Saving and Investing 231

Use Up Your Tax Allowances 232

Keeping Some Cash in Savings 233

Summary 233

Chapter 31 Time to Say Goodbye—Where Do We Go from Here? 234

Free Newsletter and Updates 235

Index 237