Treasure's Abandoned in the Garage

Hello Everyone!

What a remarkable time!

This morning I was thinking to myself about one of my most treasured gifts I have ever given. I had not seen it since 1975, when I first gave it to my Grandmother.

It was one of my first books which I entitled "Thoughts, Feelings and Emotions". It is a collection of poems and essays....and today as I was rummaging in a box in my garage I uncovered it.

Just this morning, I was reading "A Tale of Two Cities" for the umpteenth time. The first chapter, besides having the amazing "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" soliloquoy is entitled "Recalled to Life".

Thats what it felt like, re-reading those pieces written by a thirteen year old girl teetering at the gate of adolescence.

I am "Recalled to Life" every day when I wake up and recommit to this amazing journey called "Entrepreneurialism".

What is Recalling YOU to life?

With Passion and Purpose,

Julie Jordan Scott


Dare to Discover Your Passion, Decide to Live Your Destiny

Hi Julie!

> It was one of my first books which I
> entitled "Thoughts, Feelings and
> Emotions". It is a collection of poems
> and essays....and today as I was rummaging
> in a box in my garage I uncovered it.

Wow! What a wonderful find! :)

Julie, you've reminded me of an old book I still have.... It's called "My Book About Me" by Dr. Seuss. It's got spaces for kids to fill in the gaps about themselves.... Such as a trace of your hand, a trace of your foot, your favorite teacher, or your favorite pet!

One part is - "When I Grow Up, I Want to Be...."

Here's what I filled in (I would have been six years old at the time!)

When I Grow Up, I want to Be "Astronaut and Gold Miner & Acrobat & Singer & cartoonist"

Hmmm.... Okay, haven't quite made those wishes yet! :)

I've still got things to work on....

Know any good acrobatic schools I can join? ;)

Thanks Julie - that was a great post! You really have a gift for inspiration.... :)

- Dien Rice

> When I Grow Up, I want to Be "Astronaut
> and Gold Miner & Acrobat & Singer
> & cartoonist"

Personally, Dien, I preferred the combination of "astronaut and basketball star and president."

:)

I just found something I wrote when I was under 10...

One of many things I liked to do as a child was to draw. I have an aunt who is actually an artist, but that's not where I developed it. I just liked to draw. My parents encouraged me. I went to one of those preschools where you drew a picture of something every day. (and fought over the "good" toys)

So here I was at age 10 let's say. I like to draw. And I need some money to buy basketball cards. (Hey, Sarunas Marciulionis was my hero, I'm Lithuanian... but Michael Jordan was ok too.)

I created a letter to my aunt Indre.

Every time I read it, I beam with pride in myself.

It went as follows. I don’t think I ever actually gave it to her. It was lost for a while, I think.

(Printed in what was pretty neat handwriting for a kid, but still not completely straight in a cute way)

“Dear Indre,

Us here at Lukas Ink would like to have you as one of our customers. We make high quality paintings and drawings of whatever you want. I can draw lots of things. We can make postcards, paintings, or surprise you.

How we figure out the prices is by time. It’s $1 for half an hour of working on a drawing. And it’s $2 for half an hour of painting. I can make large and small pictures.

We look forward to having you as a customer.

Thank you,

Erik Lukas
CEO Lukas Ink”

Yes, for any of you who want to reverse engineer my post that makes me 20 years old. Whoops, bag of worms.

I hope you don't view that in a negative light. I'm going to just include the whole story copied and pasted from an email to my friend Anthony, no editing:

--------------------------------------------------

Anthony,

I’ll make this short and sweet. As much as I can.

I’m 20 years old. I’m a sophomore in college.

Shocked, yet?

I just wanted to level with you in case you thought I was a little older (which I’m sure you did). I’ll shoot straight.

Yes, if I’m 20 now, I must have been, hmmm, let’s see, 15 years old when I wrote my book. Yes, that’s right. 14 or so when I joined the Internet Marketing Warriors when they were just starting up.

Prior to that, I’d been studying direct marketing for around 4 years.

I started applying concepts from direct marketing to my first internet biz. If you’ll recall, and you might not, I was one of those search engine positioning cowboys who tried to lasso good spots for myself and my clients. I picked up a few clients. Made a few dollars all the while trying to help other people market their internet biz ideas. I found that was a strong area for me. I could write well and not only that, my marketing ideas also worked.

I knew who was making money and how they were doing it. Back then, the markets were smaller and one person could know a lot of the competition almost personally.

I started writing little daily posts for the warriors while continuing my own study.

Pretty soon I realized that the information I had gathered in my quest for knowledge would be worth a lot to others by saving them time.

So I naively started selling my little ebook for $19.95. Picked up a few sales here and there and then found I was converting a good % of visitors.

I posted this on Bill Myers board when it was free and open to the public. He basically bashed me thinking my 9%+ claim was an outright lie. I don’t blame him for being skeptical. But luckily, I had everything perfectly in place to prove him wrong.

I replied with a link to my counter stats as well as a saved copy of my clickbank orders.

Proof. And Bill was man enough to leave it up. The next day when I checked my email I had around $900 in orders. I remember actually jumping up and down pumping my fist in the air. It was a great feeling and a great day.

Over the next year (not sure which one, I lose track), I made around $10,000 in pretax income. I was happier than a pig in ****.

For a while, my enthusiasm increased. But soon I grew tired of the daily battle that was search engine positioning.

I found other teenage hyjinks to distract me. True even without those “mistakes” I would’ve been another person in another place now, but I still can’t say I’m super fond of them.

Soon I found myself with a driver’s license. Soon after that, the foolish person that was me found himself in front of a judge with his brother on a charge of criminal mischief. Probation for a year. Luckily, I got past that rough part of my life and became a better person because of it.

Another year later found my internet income steady around $5000 for the year.

That’s when I started looking for a car.

I met new friends that year and picked up a ’72 Oldsmobile Cutlass, which ate up a chunk of money that year, and every year after. I grew socially and had fun during this time, but not financially.

I was still voraciously reading business books and articles. That was a steady habit, hard to kick, still haven’t managed to… There’ve been periods where I devoted in excess of 4-5 hours to it per day for months on end. Always at least 2 hours per day.

I wasn’t the most normal 14 year old. And I’m not the most normal 20 year old.

Right now, my internet income levels will barely manage $1,500 this year. Tuition at IU is a little pricey.

That’s where the deck work came in…

I made a pretty good amount of money for a summer’s worth of work, not sacrificing time with my family. I think I probably pocketed around $5,000 total. And a good amount of that has slipped through my fingers into expenses of one kind or another.

Like my internet venture, I know my deck biz could’ve been much more successful.

With the internet biz, it was a matter of waning enthusiasm.

With the decks, it’s a matter of how much time I’m willing to give up. And my answer is, what would amount to surprisingly little in other people’s eyes.

I am madly in love (what teenager isn’t?) and I love my family too. I enjoy my summer’s more than anything else. I have ever since I first splashed around in the water.

If you want to know what the future holds for me now, Anthony, I’ll tell you.

I plan to continue with more deck work in the spring in order to raise capital. I’ll save a little more this time. Until that time, I will be papertrading stocks until I am confident in my abilities. After that, I will put the money to work for me.

Yes, I know, a dreamer I remain.

But I will make it happen.

So, here we are, Anthony, my friend.

I stand before you, naked, as it were.

You’ve been more than kind to me and helped offer me ideas and I’d be more than willing to do the same for you.

So I guess it comes down to, do you still want my help or not?

Success,

Erik Lukas

P.S. If you think you must warn the world of my age liability, feel free to do so (although I think if I had really thought about it I could’ve turned it into a positive by making it simply an item of interest that I was so young).

--------------------------------------------------

The projects I’ve currently got running through my head:

- Stock trading (no, don’t bother warning me, I’m beyond hope.)
- Joint Ventures (thanks to some pushing from a friend of mine)
- Menu desk (still interested, mostly from curiosity)
- Deck work (I actually enjoy it, but there is snow on the ground)
- Real estate (fixer ups, I’ve actually built a rather large house before with my family so it’s not completely foreign to me)

I’m not looking for responses. If you want to search your inventory of memories for something that makes me a flake or a phony, feel free to. But I haven’t misled anyone. I’ve always tried to give value for value, from where I am, from what I know.

But I have omitted details of my life and I feel like you don’t know me as well as you should, so that’s why I’ve finally posted this doodad. I feel like a member of a very close knit group of entrepreneurs, and it’s been hard for me to hold back things about myself that would date me (as one of the diaper wearing corps).

So, there, cat’s out the bag. He’ll probably claw me once or twice.

Success,

Erik Lukas

P.S. Think back to all the direct selling posts I’ve participated in in the past. I think my viewing of my age as a liability has been one of the things which held me back from trying a number of ventures that could be a success. I’m working on changing that by doing. And dealing with all of you from who I really am is my first step.

Dear Erik and all,

I never see age as a liability or an asset. It just simply is.

I still am not convinced I am grown up, although I have a few years on YOU! (I'm not saying exactly how many!)

Nice to "meet" such a veteran.

With Passion,

Julie


Dare to Discover Your Passion, Decide to Live Your

Ah, completing the task of making a horse's ... of myself, I took a quick digital photo of myself with my webcam.

Success,

Erik Lukas

P.S. If you're wondering why it's not under my regular domain, I'll have to make another confession. My ftp program isn't working and I can't remember my password. I've emailed my web host sheepishly.


Digital Photo... don't fawn over me too much, I'm taken :)

Hi Erik,

Age is no barrier!

The fact is - you have MUCH more experience in business than most people do!

You've probably seen posts here occasionally from my brother Thomas - he's 22. Since his teens, he'd already set up several business (and had some failures too). Right now, his focus is more on a (probably lucrative) career in finance than on entrepreneurship, however, sometimes I think it's easier when you're younger. For one thing, there are more "publicity" angles. The media love stories of young entrepreneurs, which is an opportunity for free publicity.

A lot of us who got "later" starts in business WISH we had started when we were younger!

By the way, there are lots of stories of people who are succeeding (or have succeeded) at young ages. Age really is NO barrier at all.

I wrote a post last year about how Michael Dell got started in busines as a teenager. Bill Gates got an early start too. This shows that age really is no object....

What counts more is your knowledge, your skills, your ability to spot business opportunities - and a willingness to put all this into action. At least that's my view. :)

- Dien

P.S. By the way, Erik, is your original sales letter online - the one from a few years ago? The "10%" response one? I'd love to read it again, if it's still around somewhere.... That was a great sales letter! :)

> Personally, Dien, I preferred the
> combination of "astronaut and
> basketball star and president."

> :)

> I just found something I wrote when I was
> under 10...

> One of many things I liked to do as a child
> was to draw. I have an aunt who is actually
> an artist, but that's not where I developed
> it. I just liked to draw. My parents
> encouraged me. I went to one of those
> preschools where you drew a picture of
> something every day. (and fought over the
> "good" toys)

> So here I was at age 10 let's say. I like to
> draw. And I need some money to buy
> basketball cards. (Hey, Sarunas Marciulionis
> was my hero, I'm Lithuanian... but Michael
> Jordan was ok too.)

> I created a letter to my aunt Indre.

> Every time I read it, I beam with pride in
> myself.

> It went as follows. I don’t think I ever
> actually gave it to her. It was lost for a
> while, I think.

> (Printed in what was pretty neat handwriting
> for a kid, but still not completely straight
> in a cute way)

> “Dear Indre,

> Us here at Lukas Ink would like to have you
> as one of our customers. We make high
> quality paintings and drawings of whatever
> you want. I can draw lots of things. We can
> make postcards, paintings, or surprise you.

> How we figure out the prices is by time.
> It’s $1 for half an hour of working on a
> drawing. And it’s $2 for half an hour of
> painting. I can make large and small
> pictures.

> We look forward to having you as a customer.

> Thank you,

> Erik Lukas
> CEO Lukas Ink” Yes, for any of you who want
> to reverse engineer my post that makes me 20
> years old. Whoops, bag of worms.

> I hope you don't view that in a negative
> light. I'm going to just include the whole
> story copied and pasted from an email to my
> friend Anthony, no editing:

>
> --------------------------------------------------

> Anthony,

> I’ll make this short and sweet. As much as I
> can.

> I’m 20 years old. I’m a sophomore in
> college.

> Shocked, yet?

> I just wanted to level with you in case you
> thought I was a little older (which I’m sure
> you did). I’ll shoot straight.

> Yes, if I’m 20 now, I must have been, hmmm,
> let’s see, 15 years old when I wrote my
> book. Yes, that’s right. 14 or so when I
> joined the Internet Marketing Warriors when
> they were just starting up.

> Prior to that, I’d been studying direct
> marketing for around 4 years.

> I started applying concepts from direct
> marketing to my first internet biz. If
> you’ll recall, and you might not, I was one
> of those search engine positioning cowboys
> who tried to lasso good spots for myself and
> my clients. I picked up a few clients. Made
> a few dollars all the while trying to help
> other people market their internet biz
> ideas. I found that was a strong area for
> me. I could write well and not only that, my
> marketing ideas also worked.

> I knew who was making money and how they
> were doing it. Back then, the markets were
> smaller and one person could know a lot of
> the competition almost personally.

> I started writing little daily posts for the
> warriors while continuing my own study.

> Pretty soon I realized that the information
> I had gathered in my quest for knowledge
> would be worth a lot to others by saving
> them time.

> So I naively started selling my little ebook
> for $19.95. Picked up a few sales here and
> there and then found I was converting a good
> % of visitors.

> I posted this on Bill Myers board when it
> was free and open to the public. He
> basically bashed me thinking my 9%+ claim
> was an outright lie. I don’t blame him for
> being skeptical. But luckily, I had
> everything perfectly in place to prove him
> wrong.

> I replied with a link to my counter stats as
> well as a saved copy of my clickbank orders.

> Proof. And Bill was man enough to leave it
> up. The next day when I checked my email I
> had around $900 in orders. I remember
> actually jumping up and down pumping my fist
> in the air. It was a great feeling and a
> great day.

> Over the next year (not sure which one, I
> lose track), I made around $10,000 in pretax
> income. I was happier than a pig in ****.

> For a while, my enthusiasm increased. But
> soon I grew tired of the daily battle that
> was search engine positioning.

> I found other teenage hyjinks to distract
> me. True even without those “mistakes” I
> would’ve been another person in another
> place now, but I still can’t say I’m super
> fond of them.

> Soon I found myself with a driver’s license.
> Soon after that, the foolish person that was
> me found himself in front of a judge with
> his brother on a charge of criminal
> mischief. Probation for a year. Luckily, I
> got past that rough part of my life and
> became a better person because of it.

> Another year later found my internet income
> steady around $5000 for the year.

> That’s when I started looking for a car.

> I met new friends that year and picked up a
> ’72 Oldsmobile Cutlass, which ate up a chunk
> of money that year, and every year after. I
> grew socially and had fun during this time,
> but not financially.

> I was still voraciously reading business
> books and articles. That was a steady habit,
> hard to kick, still haven’t managed to…
> There’ve been periods where I devoted in
> excess of 4-5 hours to it per day for months
> on end. Always at least 2 hours per day.

> I wasn’t the most normal 14 year old. And
> I’m not the most normal 20 year old.

> Right now, my internet income levels will
> barely manage $1,500 this year. Tuition at
> IU is a little pricey.

> That’s where the deck work came in…

> I made a pretty good amount of money for a
> summer’s worth of work, not sacrificing time
> with my family. I think I probably pocketed
> around $5,000 total. And a good amount of
> that has slipped through my fingers into
> expenses of one kind or another.

> Like my internet venture, I know my deck biz
> could’ve been much more successful.

> With the internet biz, it was a matter of
> waning enthusiasm.

> With the decks, it’s a matter of how much
> time I’m willing to give up. And my answer
> is, what would amount to surprisingly little
> in other people’s eyes.

> I am madly in love (what teenager isn’t?)
> and I love my family too. I enjoy my
> summer’s more than anything else. I have
> ever since I first splashed around in the
> water.

> If you want to know what the future holds
> for me now, Anthony, I’ll tell you.

> I plan to continue with more deck work in
> the spring in order to raise capital. I’ll
> save a little more this time. Until that
> time, I will be papertrading stocks until I
> am confident in my abilities. After that, I
> will put the money to work for me.

> Yes, I know, a dreamer I remain.

> But I will make it happen.

> So, here we are, Anthony, my friend.

> I stand before you, naked, as it were.

> You’ve been more than kind to me and helped
> offer me ideas and I’d be more than willing
> to do the same for you.

> So I guess it comes down to, do you still
> want my help or not?

> Success,

> Erik Lukas

> P.S. If you think you must warn the world of
> my age liability, feel free to do so
> (although I think if I had really thought
> about it I could’ve turned it into a
> positive by making it simply an item of
> interest that I was so young).

>
> --------------------------------------------------

> The projects I’ve currently got running
> through my head:

> - Stock trading (no, don’t bother warning
> me, I’m beyond hope.)
> - Joint Ventures (thanks to some pushing
> from a friend of mine)
> - Menu desk (still interested, mostly from
> curiosity)
> - Deck work (I actually enjoy it, but there
> is snow on the ground)
> - Real estate (fixer ups, I’ve actually
> built a rather large house before with my
> family so it’s not completely foreign to me)

> I’m not looking for responses. If you want
> to search your inventory of memories for
> something that makes me a flake or a phony,
> feel free to. But I haven’t misled anyone.
> I’ve always tried to give value for value,
> from where I am, from what I know.

> But I have omitted details of my life and I
> feel like you don’t know me as well as you
> should, so that’s why I’ve finally posted
> this doodad. I feel like a member of a very
> close knit group of entrepreneurs, and it’s
> been hard for me to hold back things about
> myself that would date me (as one of the
> diaper wearing corps).

> So, there, cat’s out the bag. He’ll probably
> claw me once or twice.

> Success,

> Erik Lukas

> P.S. Think back to all the direct selling
> posts I’ve participated in in the past. I
> think my viewing of my age as a liability
> has been one of the things which held me
> back from trying a number of ventures that
> could be a success. I’m working on changing
> that by doing. And dealing with all of you
> from who I really am is my first step.

I'm a little unclear on who this 'Anthony' is. Someone who dissed you in another post, maybe on another forum?

Regardless, I am impressed. Impressed with your maturity and with your business-minded, go-get-'em attitude. I wish I was a bit more like that, myself.

I liked the letter to Aunt Indre, too. Quite the little entrepreneur-in-the-making, weren't you?

Best to you,
Chris

Hey Erik

I couldn't give a toot if you're only two years old! Most two year olds are way smarter than me anyway.

If I can learn from someone else, be they two or a hundred, I will. That's what makes life great:-)

Cheers

Philip