Just Do It—Really!
AUSTIN WOOLRIDGE
Many people like to make fun of the Shia LaBoeuf motivational video where he screams “Just do it!” dozens of times while flexing. It’s pretty ridiculous and the message is simple, but really, he is expressing the crucial first step in what it takes to be an entrepreneur. The act of “doing it” is a lot harder than people think. You have an idea, dream or goal but the only way you can get there is to dive in headfirst and do it. For most people, that dive is off a cliff and it is intimidating.
In an entrepreneurial sense, the definition of “doing it” is different for each person and ranges from minimal effort to drastic. Whether you need to get a logo designed to brand your business, or you’ve reached the point where you have to quit your full-time job in order to chase your dreams, that “do it” moment paves the way for everything else to fall into place.
There were two points in my life that stand out as “do it” moments. The first was my freshman year of college. I have always been pretty tech savvy and up to date on internet trends. Early in my first semester I wanted to make some extra money online, and was curious how people were doing so. Instead of going out and drinking like most of my friends were that weekend, I stayed in my room and spend two days researching how to make money online. I came across the concept of affiliate marketing (where you promote other people’s products for a commission on each sale) and had an idea: I did all this research and now have a bunch of notes with methods on how to make money online— why not compile that into an eBook format easy for people to digest?
So I did it. The eBook had links to products and services that I found, each of which help people make money online. If a reader clicked that link and paid for it, I’d make a 50–75% commission. I distributed it for free across torrent networks, and made several thousand dollars in affiliate fees over the next year and a half.
After that modest success story I knew that it wasn’t the idea that matters, but taking the initiative to actually do the hard work. I used that mentality I gained first hand to try and achieve the ultimate goal: being my own boss.
Fast forward almost eight years. After a few fail attempts, I have my first funded start up, a social gaming platform where gamers can play opponents online for cash and prizes. The only reason I am building this company is because I gathered up the courage to “do it” many times to push the company further. After starting from scratch, my co-founders and I now have a thriving business with the CEO of one of the largest gaming publishers in the world as our lead investor.
Having ideas doesn’t make us special. It’s the people who act on their idea who get to change their lives. So channel your inner Shia LaBoeuf, and go do it.
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