The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime

MJ's book is probably one of the best business books I have read in my entire life, and to be frank I rarely ever say that about most books I read.After reading MJ's book, I have probably already recommended it to 30+ of my closest entrepreneurial friends who also have felt the same about the book.As an avid reader of many business books, it is hard to come by a book that truly cuts through all of the BS, and delivers time-tested and proven information from a been there done that no-nonsense entrepreneur who truly cares about your success.Compared to other authors who write books that just want to up-sell you into multi-thousand dollar training programs on the backend, this book stands in the face of all of that noise and "flips them the bird."Not only does this book give you the mindset you must adopt if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, but even more so gives you the tools to use and implement to achieve massive success.I recommend that when implementing a new business idea, or enhancing your current business, please, please, please use this book as your guide.You won't be sorry! By using this book to help you, you are definitely guaranteed to reach all of the goals you have set for yourself and your business...and I stand behind that statement 100% because it has already helped me tremendously with my mindset and business.Here is the truth...While most business books I read are "good," very few of them are great.MJ's book falls into my "great" category for many reasons as described below!In his book, not only do you get a glimpse into the mind of a been there done that multi-millionaire entrepreneur, who made his money OUTSIDE of the publishing business (unlike some of the most well-known business/financial guru's), but even more so, you get a to buy a book that you will want to keep on your night stand forever and be something you reference for many years to come.The parts in the book that truly stuck out to me, and helped me gain a lot of insights and clarity for my business, life and financial plan were the specific parts highlighted below.1. Why Understanding The Process To Creating A Successful Business, is More Important Than Focusing on the One Time "Wealth Event" at The End...(The truth is that if you complete and stick to the process correctly, the wealth event at the end will be a result of all your hard work and discipline to not get ahead of yourself). (After reading this section I realized too many individuals are focusing on the wrong thing when they go into business. This mindset is definitely going to flip you for a loop and challenge every previous thought you ever had about accomplishing anything, and building a company for that matter)2. The Essential Elements To A Fastlane Business (And no they are not what you would expect...this part of the book is worth MILLIONS of dollars to you, and will help you eliminate TIME-WASTING wheel spinning activities in during your current and future entrepreneurial career)3. How to Make a Decision When Faced With Two Semi-Desirable Options (The logic in this is so sound, and the process can be duplicated over and over again, no matter what you are choosing between in the future)4. How To Truly Value Your Business and Set it Up To Be Sold For Millions (And no...it has nothing to do with how many "users" you have without any profit...get ready for this part of the book to blow you away)5. How To Create An Effective Exit Strategy For Your Business That Will Leave You Wealthy...Never Have To Worry About Money or What You Do With Your Time Ever Again (This mindset is so critical to grasp, as most of these web 2.0 companies exit strategy is "sell to Google," when in reality that exit strategy is like praying to win the lottery without a sound base to stand on)6. How To Effectively Think About Investing The Money You Make After Selling Your Company For Millions to Ensure You Continually Grow Your Wealth and Income (If you thought you should be counting on the stock market to make you wealthy, this part of the book is going to shock you, but makes so much sense)So without making the book sound any better than I already have, just listen to me and buy the book...you won't be sorry...just trust me.Truth be told...The book was so good that I even bought it a second time on my new E-Reading device (nook), because I wanted to make sure I had it with me forever to reference if I ever lost my physical copy, or if one of my entrepreneurial friends secretly stole it from me without letting me know they were going to borrow it.And finally...If I had to give a rating out of 5 stars for this book, I would give it a 10. You can't go wrong buying this book because the author truly cares about helping you create all of the entrepreneurial success your heart desires...Hell, he even gives you his e-mail address to contact him after finishing the book! I don't know about you but that says a lot.Enjoy the book! You won't be sorry!-ScottP.S. I even interviewed him for my site here is the link to the interview enjoy![...]

I’ve been on the road for seven months travelling through Asia and Australia and as a digital nomad, excited about living a financially free lifestyle, it’s quite refreshing to read de Marco’s Fastlane Millionaire self help book.I like reading books like this one. First, the author is the kind of underdog expert I like. He’s not Tim Ferris, he doesn’t use fancy terms, I won’t be reading what the whole world is reading and my thinking isn’t interrupted with incessant exercises. Like Allen Carr for smoking or Steven Pressfield for writing , MJ de Marco builds a thorough, plain how-to-guide for apprentice businessmen. More often than not, every page has some sort of breakthrough point causing serious questioning or utter bewilderment. I say bewilderment because I believe that’s the necessary step to welcoming the understanding of a new perspective. I was baffled when I read the writer’s sharp but offensive opinion on slowlaners. After all, my parents and most of my friends are slowlaners.The book compares three metaphoric paths to becoming a millionaire under the appellation of lanes. Put simply, you’re either on the sidewalk, the slowlane or the fastlane. I’ll leave the sidewalk section out of this review since leeches are hardly worth mentioning. Most people are part of the slowlane -- in other words the rat race – working the in the 9 to 5 model, repeating relentlessly the same daily effort to gain crumbs of extra wealth. The slowlaner is on the slow path to wealth – the 40 years path to retirement. The financial plan the slowlaner adopts encompasses saving 10% of their salary, living like a meager, investing into the stock exchange (and in compound-interest-yielding solutions) and praying that by the time he turns 65, inflation or a Ponzi scam hasn’t annihilated his savings…and then there’s the risk of a heart attack, cancer, etc. Even if he makes it, he’s too old to be pleased with it.I’ve got to say the first half of the book isn’t the most pleasant to read. Nor is it the most instructive for anybody with some reading pedigree. It’s repetitive and it strikes me as a bashing way to get the reader’s attention for the second part of the book. After all, what better way to sell the author’s fastlane to the reader in awe after reviewing all the downsides of the slowlane? The author’s style, quite abrupt at times, made me feel bitter and that’s not what I’m looking for in a book. De Marco is fastidious to say the very least and the read goes on and on. I’ve verified this aspect with a friend to who I suggested the book. We agreed, however, that once you got started on the fastlane part, the excruciatingly slow start to the book is all but forgotten and the serious learning can start. As the reading elapsed, it occurred to me that the first part of the book is a necessary mind stir to open it up to the newness of the fastlane.Besides, because the fear of leaving a comfortable but unchallenging job is so overwhelming and conflicting, something requires shredding that resistance.Crack the code to wealthDe Marco became a millionaire after building a multi-million internet-based business. He built it from scratch, after years of seeking an idea with a potential million at the end of it. Then, he persevered to be better than his competitors before selling it.This is the right time to evoke the book’s subtitle, “Crack the code to wealth”, that de Marco uses to drive his point. When you’re in the slowlane, your potential for wealth increase is limited. You have a salary and can only expect so much from a raise. Assuming you don’t need to sleep, you’ll never be able to break the 24 hours threshold. In the fastlane however, your salary follows an uncontrolled unlimited leverage. The fact that the slowlane’s gains are limited by time contrasts with the fastlane’s exponential income leverage. Because the fastlaner can rely on an income factored by magnitude (how much you’re selling your product/service for) and by scale (the number of people you’re selling to) your gains are almost infinite. Numbers make the contrast more real, so here’s a numerical example inspired by the book:If you’re making 10 bucks an hour and work fifty hours a week, you’re making 2000 bucks a month. Let’s say you get a 5% raise, you’ll make 2100 bucks a month. Your gain is linear and limited. Now let’s say you own an internet business that sells an web analytics tool you sell for 50 bucks a month to roughly 500 customers. Feeling confident with the competitiveness of your product, you increase your price to 75 bucks and with word of mouth making its way (and SEO improvements) on how good your product is, 1,000 people are now buying your product. Your monthly income has now inflated from 25,000 to 75,000 bucks; that’s a 300% raise.This revealing contrast precedes a methodology and the outlines of a mindset to stick to the fastlane. It’s not going to be easy, says de Marco. The fastlane is not a Disneyland ride. No one is promising you you’ll make millions. Only you can take responsibility of that, through your choices. But with a focused process, designed toward success, the fastlaner can achieve in a few years what the slowlaner might only do in fourty.Forget what you love, everybody is already doing that.If one wants to build a successful business, it isn’t so much about what one loves to do. The fastlaner isn’t building something around his selfish need. It’s not about him.At first, I found the injunction “Don’t do what you love” quite queer. Back in 2011, I read Marsha Sinetar’s “Do what you love, the money will follow” and it triggered an entrepreneurial thought process in me.What am I doing with my life? I could be doing what I love and I could be making some money.As much as I needed to believe that at the time, it hasn’t worked. After almost a year of penniless efforts doing what I love, I’ll admit de Marco has a point.The argument speaks for itself: the “do what you love” path is now so cluttered that the offer has swamped the supply side of the equation, reducing prices (magnitude) and commoditizing the whole field (denting the scale potential). I like that De Marco advocates designing a business focus on a need instead, not on one’s “selfish” interest – Why would anyone care enough to pay for your interests? One can approach it by paying attention to people’s complaints and seeking for problems to solve. The doing what you love part can come after you’ve cracked your code to wealth.Build a process to produce something valuableNot only does de Marco refer to his experience as a business creator, he also uses testimonies from the fastlane forum where thousands of fastlaners discuss and support each other on a daily basis. The support of a community is required to build a process. Instead of dwelling on the event of success, the author stresses you can build a process to help you thrive: have a routine, delay gratification, find a community for support, learn, learn, and learn.If you’re focused on events, you’ll be shifting projects constantly and running after every shiny object you’ll hear on the news or that someone’s told you about. In most cases, by the time the event has taken place, you’re already too late.So, process gets results. De Marco suggests the process requires trial and error and it’s by repeating, repeating and repeating the same routine every day that you’ll produce something valuable. There’s something close to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours of mastery in this .Just like the avant-gardist Aristotle said, “we are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit,” de Marco might argue that:“Excellence is not an event, but a process.”I’m still fine-tuning mine.What’s yours?

Well, I am on my 3rd reading of this book--and that surprises even me! WHY?--because there are so many fascinating and USEFUL distinctions which make the book a veritable goldmine of actionable PRINCIPLES for creating wealth.This book will expand your mental horizons about creating wealth and tremendously broaden your wealth perspective. As the author himself states early on--this is not a "HOW to get rich" book with "paint by the numbers" or "lead-me-by-the-hand-and show-me-exactly-what-to-do" book.Instead, it is about an overall Mindset for creating wealth and freedom while one still has the vitality and enthusiasm to ENJOY it, rather than the "Wealth in a Wheelchair" plan endorsed by most financial "authorities" and society at large---work 40-50 years, save 10% of your income, invest in the stock market, and by golly HOPE you will be a millionaire by the time you're 65 or 70.It is written in a "brash young man" style, wherein the author references his Lamborghinis, his palatial home, his money and his freedom on several occasions. This has offended many 1-Star reviewers. [Note: I find that one of the best places to discover a "loser's" mentality is some of the 1-Star reviews concerning wealth-creation books. So many of them want detailed how-to's instead of the wealth Mindset without which all the how-to's in the world won't work anyway. And they seem to resent rich authors. In my experience it is extremely difficult to create wealth for those who resent the wealthy. OK, OK--I'll get off my mini-soapbox now...]My own view would be--why not CELEBRATE the author's efforts, subsequent wealth, and his willingness to share his hard-won wisdom about creating affluence?A few tidbits from the book which are simple enough, but extremely valuable in application:1) Process vs. EventSociety seems to laud the Event--the sports figure who gets a multi-million dollar contract; The entrepreneur who hits a home run and makes billions; The movie star who gets $15 million for a picture, etc. What society seldom focuses on is the multi-year Process of practice, failure, perseverance, experimentation, which eventually results in the Event. Wealth is created by consistently applied Process, which culminates in the Event.2) The Three Paths:The Sidewalk: Living paycheck to paycheck with instant gratification as the main goal. Probably characterizes 50% of our society right now.The Slowlane: the "40-50" year plan of working hard, saving, and living frugally hoping for pie-in-the-sky in the future (when you are old). The author gives some neat, mathematical formlas to demonstrate why the Slowlane plan can NOT succeed--except for a few rare exceptions.The Fastlane: Using precise formulas and leverage (see below) to create wealth and freedom while young.3) ULL vs CUL The distinction between Uncontrollable Limited Leverage--trying to control the financial limitations of a job by working harder/longer or getting more education/training to raise your salary, and trying to use the uncontrollable stock market as your ticket to future wealth.Compared with Controllable Unlimited Leverage from having your own business which you can control and which creates assets you can leverage. CUL requires that you use the NECST formula...4) NECST formula: I wish I had known this one 30 plus years ago! I have been successful in several businesses, but by using NECST (Need, barriers to Entry, Control, Scalability, Time) my businesses would have generated so much more income and leverage potential. You can bet I am applying NECST now!Never start a business without first evaluating it according to the criteria of NECST. At some point, the Fastlane is culminated when your rapid-growth business can be converted into Equity.There are numerous "mathematical Formulas or Factors for wealth" which are simple but EXCELLENT. Their simplicity makes them easy to remember and actionable.Once you have gotten the Slowlane vs. Fastlane distinction, so much becomes crystal clear about businesses and their true potential for wealth creation. An example is the author's irreverent, amusing, and spot-on critique of Fastlane financial gurus and authors selling Slowlane books and products to their adoring fans. My summary of the critique: Fastlane author/guru --"I make my fortune and become rich NOW by selling you millions of books and pedaling advice about how you can work 40-50 years on the Slowlane and HOPE to retire rich `someday.' And by the way--cut out those $6 Lattes!"The author's explanation of converting your Fastlane business and cashflow into Equity is an excellent summary. This info is available from many other sources, but here it is clarified and simplified into APPLICABLE principles.I could go on, but I would simply recommend you read this book. I really do think you will enjoy it and profit from the information.

The man wants you to come up with an idea for a business or use customer's complaints. Need more info. Fiction stories don't work for me. What does he feel about starting small like Amazon, Walmart, or are there mentors out there--a little nerve racking to go out there alone w/out a safety net. Needs a follow up book.

NO GATEKEEPING WHAT SO EVER. This book is life changing, and undeniably relatable to anyone that is coming from the bottom/from nothing or vice versa! It HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD to everything you've been wondering on how to truly aquire wealth, and the quickest way.I am so honored Mj had taken 3 years out of his life to put this into words and change lives, not to mention the time leading up to writing this book and pondering on it for us. You can tell he truly wants to help people, and give insight to everyone that this is possible. It can be done. He figured it out, didnt gatekeep, went through so much life and decides to bless everyone in the world with such profound knowledge. Might I say again SO RELATABLE. When reading his story and when he dives back into his past I guess you would say "rough times" he brings you to such a relatable place.. and in your heart you feel "i can do this too." The information in this book is timeless, priceless, and undoubtedly change your life. It has all the answers. Thank you again Mj! Much love papa! 😂👍-Brandon

MJ explains in great details where you have the biggest chance of getting rich fast (fast=5-15years); in setting up your own business. But he also goes into great details on why having a job is a slowlane.The book is heavily skewed towards Internet businesses. It's how he made his money, but anyone can profit from it, not only Internet guys (but they'll profit disproportionally from reading it).For his young age, MJ understand the mechanics of business, the human psychology and the money vs. happiness extremely well.For such a wide topic, he presents the reader with the best how-to-get-rich blueprint possible. He's got his own "formula" which he is a great guide for any entrepreneurial business decision (formula: NECST).NOBEL PRICE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP:For 99% of the entrepreneurs, the topic love vs. passion is worth a fortune. In fact, I'd vote MJ for the NOBEL PRICE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Love and passion is such a big topic in getting started in a business. To 99% of us, this is a complete paradigm shift. Business will never be the same again. Decisions are much easier to make. I bet that love vs. passion can make your life richer in all aspects.Some bullet points:(+) How the rich use the markets for income and wealth preservation - not to create it.(+) MJ warns you with great examples (such as Rich Dad Poor Dead) against gurus who teach you how to get rich while they got rich in another way.(+) Great lessons on having money (having $1m ain't rich today, sorry) and spending money (financial discipline/literacy).(+) How to create leverage in time and money.(+) How money can grow on "trees."(+) Why real estate investments is Wealth 1.0.(-) While I agree with MJ that the barrier to entry for a real Internet business is high, I wish he had also mentioned that we humans created the most competitive marketplace every known.(+) "Pay yourself first" is fundamentally impossible and why you need a company.(+) How choices lead to riches or poverty.(+) How wealth and health must be approached: long term vs. short term.(+) Start a business with a "need in the market." Nobody cares what you love to do.(+) To attract money you need to forget about money.(+) The first rule of the fastlane: live below your means, but increase your means.(+) 95% of your time, forget about the competition(+) Ideas are worth nothing and business plans not much more.I loved the following: NET PROFIT = units sold (scale) x unit profit (magnitude). Scale creates millionaires. Magnitude creates millionaires. Scale and magnitude creates billionaires.Anyone still skeptic why business is the fastlane? Check out the following formula: Wealth = net profit + asset value. Imagine you can increase net profits by $100,000. Imagine also that your company's value is 4x profits. In this scenario, you increased your net profits by $100,000 and increased your company value by $400,000 (4 x $100,000). It's impossible to create such wealth in a systematic manner in any other field.My only problem with MJ:MJ states that a fastlaner can make $100,000 - $1,000,000 a month. He tells us also with his formula how to achieve those incredible numbers. He admits that big income needs human resource systems (i.e. employees), but he himself avoids any business that involves overheads. My only answer to this conundrum is that MJ either makes less money or the kind of business he's in is not replicable anymore (I guess the later).Throw away all books on "getting rich," MJ wrote the bible on getting rich in the 21st century.

I remember when this book had only a few reviews--not so anymore. This book has taken off like a rocket because it's information is so powerful and REAL. It is the type of secrets that only true young millionaires know, that renegade knowledge that contradicts conventional financial instructionMJ Has done a wonderful job of describing his own trip into a life of wealth and what it takes to get there. I have read many books on the topic, and a lot of them ring hollow and didn't quite provide the answers I was looking for--until I found this book.Perhaps the blatant reality-check slaps in the face are my favorite aspect of this book. Namely:-Rich rap artists don't brag about getting rich by maxing out their 401k's-Compound interest will make you rich...when you're dead. When you get old enough to enjoy the benefits of compound interest, it is too late to have the kind of fun that you were imagining you'd have with a life of wealth.-Working toward wealth is not as glamorous as everyone thinks, and that is why they fail. They are not ready to make the sacrifices and spend hours learning new things and having to save money by eating cheap ramen noodles to work at home building their idea or business. Most people are not willing to give up their current standard of living in order to create a better one.-Your past does NOT create your future. You decide your future and you should stop making excuses and reminiscing on the past.Compound interest is the junk that every average financial coach teaches for average people to have a little bit of savings to live on when they reach retirement age. I have even heard that to be able to be able to live comfortably you must have ten times your yearly salary saved. This means that one million or half a million dollars in nothing in todays terms, because it will be used so quickly.MJ gives vivid anecdotes about his own transformation and how he started out as a cab driver who hated his life to someone who makes money with systems developed to provide cab service to more people because the system was scale-able. In order to change we have to get to a point where we are so sick of our current condition that we are truly willing to do anything and learn anything to start creating the results that we want. Those low points in our lives motivate us to push through the obstacles and just make great things happen.The author constantly and effectively makes references to life as a highway: there are people who are taking the slow lane and those that prefer to use the fast lane. I consider this to be highly motivating and another kick to the butt to get anyone with a pulse pumped to start doing things to get to the fast lane.Most people in life will be content with taking the slow lane and will not take the steps necessary to accelerate their situations. I am extremely grateful for this book and to MJ Demarco for writing a true modern masterpiece. This book is NOT for people who want to be boring millionaires or rich only when they turn elderly. It is for people who want to have the life that they want, now, and don't want to settle for less.-Ken FlemmingAuthor, "How to Get a Job in Video Games"

This is an honest to goodness "Get Rich Quick" book. But you must understand two things. First quick is 5 to 10 years. Second quick does not mean easy. Most "Get Rich Quick" books or programs really scam people into believing there is a method to "Get Rich Easy". MJ DeMarco, the author, does an extremely good job of telling the truth about what it takes to really achieve wealth.The book starts off by describing three different economic paths and most people follow one of these paths. The first path is the sidewalk where people are basically living from paycheck to paycheck. The second is what MJ calls the slow lane - work hard for forty to fifty years, dutifully save 10% or more in your 401K and retire with a modest sum. However there are many dangers with the slow lane method. It depends on everything going right for those 40 - 50 years - not a good bet.Then there is the fast lane. Here you are in control of your destiny, you work extremely hard for 5 to 10 years in a business which has the chance to make big money and once you build the business to size, you have a liquidation event, generally a sale.There is a lot of wisdom in what he says. Most people who start their own businesses violate the rules that MJ gives. Your business must fill a need. It cannot be what you love or what you are good at. The product/service must be of value in the market place. And you must be able to scale the business - either by providing massive value to a few people or providing good value to a large number of people.You cannot scale a local sandwich shop. Any business that cannot be scaled is simply a job.MJ takes good aim at MLM opportunities and any other "business" that you can enter by buying a $199 distributor kit. You will save yourself tons of money and energy by reading and absorbing the lessons in this book.In addition to the business and investing lessons, there are some extremely great life lessons in the book. MJ shares a lot of the lessons he learned the hard way - lessons such as your life is a composite of all the choices you have made. "Your choices are made in a moment, but their consequences will transcend a lifetime."He also gives some great lessons about time - how it is our most valuable/precious asset.The book is extremely easy to read. However it will probably challenge a lot of your long held beliefs. If you are seeking some magic formula for getting wealthy without a lot of effort, look elsewhere. If you want a serious how to manual, with some raw truth told by someone who might appear to be your "Dutch Uncle" then study this book and follow his advice.MJ does not soft pedal the facts of life about getting wealthy. He speaks from experience and gives you some great insights into what it really takes to get wealthy.Highly recommended but only for those willing to do what it takes.

I recommend that everyone read this book. There is no life secret in the book, but it might open your eyes to many false beliefs. And then it starts something itching in your head.

"The Millionaire Fastlane" de MJ DeMarco est un livre puissant et transformateur, méritant pleinement 5 étoiles. DeMarco offre une perspective rafraîchissante et audacieuse sur la création de richesse, défiant les conseils financiers traditionnels.Dès les premières pages, DeMarco capte l'attention avec son approche directe et sans détour. Il critique les voies conventionnelles vers la richesse, comme l'épargne lente et les investissements prudents, et propose une alternative radicale : la "Fastlane". Cette voie rapide vers la richesse repose sur l'entrepreneuriat, l'innovation et la prise de risques calculés.L'auteur utilise des anecdotes personnelles et des exemples concrets pour illustrer ses concepts, rendant le livre à la fois inspirant et accessible. Il démystifie les idées reçues sur l'argent et la richesse, offrant des stratégies pratiques et des conseils actionnables pour ceux qui cherchent à changer leur vie financièrement.Un des points forts du livre est la manière dont DeMarco décompose les éléments clés de la "Fastlane". Il explique comment identifier et créer de la valeur, comprendre les besoins du marché, et développer une mentalité de croissance. Ces concepts sont présentés de manière claire et concise, avec des exercices et des réflexions pour aider les lecteurs à appliquer les principes dans leur propre vie.Le style d'écriture de DeMarco est énergique et motivant, ce qui rend la lecture engageante du début à la fin. Il ne se contente pas de fournir des conseils théoriques, mais pousse les lecteurs à agir et à prendre des mesures concrètes pour atteindre leurs objectifs financiers."The Millionaire Fastlane" est bien plus qu'un simple livre de finances personnelles ; c'est un appel à l'action pour ceux qui refusent de se contenter de la moyenne et aspirent à une vie de liberté financière et d'abondance. DeMarco offre une feuille de route claire pour ceux qui sont prêts à sortir des sentiers battus et à embrasser une nouvelle vision de la réussite.En conclusion, "The Millionaire Fastlane" est un guide indispensable pour quiconque souhaite percer le code de la richesse et vivre riche pour une vie entière. Avec ses conseils pratiques, son approche innovante et son message inspirant, ce livre est une lecture incontournable pour les futurs millionnaires.

The #1 book for entrepreneurs!Thank you, MJ DeMarco!Thank you, Amazon.🇧🇷🇺🇲👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

No words can explain the journey of this book. This book is a must read, for every person who want to get better at life and live their dreams.

This is a great book to change your perspective on the possibility of becoming rich. It gives you good arguments on why it is possible but also explains why most people isn't actually rich despite desiring it. However, De Marco also gives you tools to overcome the obstacles towards achieving true wealth not from pure theory, but through real experience.