Did you know that you can use your 20s to produce something totally spectacular? Yes it’s true. I’m not here to be some weirdo motivational speaker sort of dude. I truly believe that you can do amazing things in your 20s. It’s actually not that difficult. All you have to do is start right now, beat off the distractions, and keep on going.
When it comes to what to do after college, there are many options to consider. In this specific series, we’re covering 7 alternatives to graduate school. Today we’re going to finish the series off with some fun. We’re going to create something totally cool in our 20s.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” — Thomas A. Edison
How can you create something spectacular in your 20s?
Think of your idea.
The first step is to think of an idea or market that you’re going to aggressively go after. Now I don’t want you to get all caught up with chasing after some “perfect” idea that simply doesn’t exist and isn’t out there. This is why we need to find an idea quickly before we give up.
How can you find your highly lucrative idea?
- Check Amazon top sellers.
- Check out Craigslist.
- Go through eBay.
These three sites alone should help you find some sort of a profitable idea. You must remember that you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. You just need to keep the wheel spinning. If something is a top seller or a in high demand you can create a similar product, a review blog, a complementary product, or even write a book on the topic. This is the best way to find a profitable idea.
Ensure there’s money in the market.
Now you want to validate that you’re actually onto something and that you can make money with whatever you choose to do. You don’t want to be working away for a years in an industry where there’s simply no money to be made.
How do you see if there’s any money in the field?
- Common sense. There are just some things that nobody would ever pay for. You don’t want to start some sort of a online dog trading club. You should strive to use common sense to gauge what the money is like.
- Basic advertising research. Basic research involves finding out what others are charging for rates, what the products go for, how much Facebook advertising would cost, and so on. You need some basic research under your belt.
That’s the best way to see if you can actually make some coin while creating something in your 20s. You don’t have to chase the dollars, but it’s good to know what your potential is from a realistic point of view.
Check out your competitors.
What are the competitors like in this field? Are there any competitors? Are they making any money? I’ve always been told that a rising tide will float all ships. I recommend that you check out your competition. You can see what they happen to be doing right, what’s wrong, what can be improved, and what gap you can fill. From there you can work on your unique selling proposition and penetrate the market!
Launch.
I wish I had all of the answers for you (and myself for that matter). The best thing to do is to just launch and throw it out there. What’s the worst that can happen? The best learning often happens on the job. That’s what I did with my first blog. I just launched it and learned from others as I went along. This is a simple strategy and the best way to ensure that you’re actually going to do something.
Just so that I don’t come off as a hypocrite, I’ll be honest. I’m still working on creating something cool! I’m not giving up. You shouldn’t give up either. The good news is that this basic framework will help you start and create something different this weekend. How about that for weekend plans?
A recap of the best options for life after collge:
- Kill your debt.
- Master a skill.
- Do nothing.
- Learn a new language.
- Create something.
- Start your own business.
- Work abroad.
