How Dane Maxwell Will Make Me (and you) Millions

Today, the Dane Maxwell Software Business Round-table started. It's a diverse group of about 30 people who will work at a current, or new software based business startup over the next six months. The goal is to have a site with ten paying customers by the end of that time. Using the concepts of the Lean Startup movement, we're going to contact people in our selected market and gather ideas from them, "three or four layers deep, where the gold is."

It started off with an email with a payment link to cover our end of the deal. Let me tell you, I have simply been waiting impatiently for this link since Dane started talking about it. From what I could tell from other members, there's a general consensus that it was the easiest $500 (per month) we have ever spent.

After that, we were invited to a private chat area where the fireworks started right away. These folks wasted no time. I've never been a big fan of chat rooms, but this one was full of synergistic buzz. Everyone was brainstorming ideas and offering assistance and resources. Dane has done well to setup a supportive group of people that are vested in each other's success.

It's just a fact, but the first month will whittle away the folks that don't perform. It's our job to get our market, solicit ideas and needs from potential customers and find that gold nugget idea lying deep in the details. It's kinda like pivoting a few times before you even get started. However, the bar will be high and we gotta perform to stay in the game.

So, our job for today:

1. Know, and report our personality types (via https://www.enneagraminstitute.com). I am a 7/8 and proud of that :). It will help us work together as a team and let Dane know how to best work with us.
2. We attended the first of our daily Q&A sessions with Dane in our chat room. It was also the first time I've seen 25 or so people try to add stuff to a google doc at one time, so that was worth the price of admission alone.
3. We're reading chapter three of Breakthough Advertising by Eugene M. Schwartz. Dane says this book will make a few of us millionaires, so I'm reading it.
4. We're posting our daily progress for all to see (even if we didn't have any). To keep track of our progress we answer these questions: 1. How many hours did you work. 2. What did you accomplish? 3. What problems did you encounter? 4. What questions do you have of me (Dane)?
5. Dane urged us all to at least practice talking to some people in various markets, even if we have not selected one.

As it turned out, I found someone in my market for timegears.com right in the chat room. He's got a business that is very similar to our first paying customer. So, it was a great opportunity to practice my value proposition and get my mouth used to saying what we do in a very concise way. Thanks Luke!

By the way, the responses for my four Q's today:

1. 4 hours. 2. Personality test, chat/Q&A, talked with a lead from this very chat group. Read chapter 3 in Breakthrough Marketing, blogged about the roundtable kickoff at startupjerky.com. 3. It's hard to say goodbye to even more sleep, but it will be missed. 4. (insert obligatory wood chuck question here)

Well, I've still got work to do, so I'm done here. I'll have more soon.