$GME, $AMC, Silver, Bitcoin… with so many asset prices going vertical, where is the best place to invest right now?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.”
Mark Twain
The funny thing is, Twain never said this. But that doesn’t detract from its wisdom.
But knowing when, where, and how to make your first investment is much more than “throwing off your bowlines.” It’s a calculated risk, not a blind gamble. Whether you’ve got a stimulus payment, anticipate a tax refund, or just saw Ryan’s video about passive income streams, you want to be sure your investment pays off.
Forget taking investment advice from Reddit. Do this, and you could easily see an ROI high enough to make any Robinhood Raider envious.
The Non-Disclaimer Disclaimer
Normally this is where we tell you not to listen to us because we’re not investment advisors; this is for entertainment purposes only, and you should do your due diligence before investing. But we’re not touching the stock market or traditional investments with a ten-foot pole in this article.
Instead, we’re giving you three ways an entrepreneur can invest $1,000 (or whatever funds you’ve got) that can yield a return traders can only wish for… an infinite return.
If you do these pretty simple things, the results will blow you away. They’ll work beautifully for you whether you have a service-based business or sell physical products. They’ll even work if you’re an employee!
Investment #1: Get Your Brand Looking Good
Investing in your own brand is the first step to achieving infinite ROI. Here are three easy steps to get this done.
Get professional photos.
Spend a bit of money to get professional photos done. You’ll look and feel like a million bucks. And when you see the results, you’ll know you made a great choice.
Hire someone to write your bio professionally.
Your story is how you introduce yourself to others and let them know why you do what you do. There’s no more intimate way of allowing your audience, potential business partners, or future clients to know who you are.
Hire a web designer to build a great website.
This doesn’t have to be a complicated site. Take those professionally taken photos and your professionally written bio, and create a new website for yourself and your business. You’ll get far better results doing this than by rewriting your resume.
Investment #2: Expand Your Sphere of Influence
Buy gifts for people on your “Dream 100” list. These are people you’d love to work or partner with sometime, people whose radar you’d like to show up on. You don’t have to be outrageous. Ever hear of cameo.com? Send a video message via your favorite washed-up celebrity to your friend’s phone.
Even Hallmark does ecards now. If your budget is tight, that’s fine. The thought really does count.
One time, an acquaintance of Ryan’s sent him a baseball bat from his favorite Cleveland Indian, Carlos Santana (not to be confused with the great guitarist). Guess who Ryan’s new best friend was? Just joking, but this is a great way to get into your acquaintance’s world.
But remember, you don’t have to break the bank to do it.
Investment #3: Buy Yourself Some Woo-Woo
Acquire some space, quiet, and creative bandwidth. Before you roll your eyes, far too many people underestimate the power of creative space. Remember, if you’re constantly doing, executing, or achieving, you’re not thinking. It’s impossible to do both at the same time. But some of your biggest needle-moving ideas will come while you’re away from the noise.
Many people feel bored when they aren’t doing something. But that’s not the best way to look at it. One of Ryan’s mentors uttered this gem that changed Ryan’s thinking completely:
“Boredom is necessary in order to create room for the next great idea to show up.”
So here are some ideas for things you can buy within your budget that’ll help you clear out your head and let those fabulous ideas enter:
A Great Chair
Sherlock Holmes used to think about his “three-pipe problems” in his favorite chair at Baker Street. Your dad and granddad have their recliners. Your grandmother has her rocking chair. Let’s face it, everyone who’s great has “their chair.” It’s less a piece of furniture than an indispensable tool for mulling over life’s great choices. Or just to while away the time until the universe sends you that big idea via beta wave radio.
Running or Hiking Shoes
The number one reason adults stop doing physical activities is that they are hurt. Don’t make that mistake with your feet. They’re just too important. Buy a great pair of running shoes so getting the fresh air, mountain walks, and, well, perspective, is as comfortable as possible.
A Great Bottle of Wine
A bottle of white,
A bottle of red,
Perhaps a bottle of rosé, instead?
Billy Joel, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
Whether it’s a steely Sancerre, a full-bodied Chianti, or a Beaujolais nouveau, go to the store and buy your favorite. Then enjoy some quiet time in your favorite chair, drinking your wine and making plans that excite you.
Buy Some “Ommmmmm”
Love Sam Harris or hate him, he’s come up with an excellent meditation app. Here are just a few of the reasons you may want to download it, too.
- Guided meditation for beginners, intermediate and advanced meditators
- Introductory Course on the basic principles of mindfulness meditation, along with more advanced practices
- Daily meditations: After completing the Introductory Course, you can practice with our growing catalog of daily meditations
- Lessons: Listen to short talks on science, philosophy, and the nature of the mind
- Conversations: Long-form conversations with a wide range of teachers and scholars
- Guided meditations and talks by other talented teachers
- Meditation timer and tracking to monitor progress
Those are just a few ways to immediately up your game.
Ryan Gave Her $500 as an Experiment
The One Percent is our community for entrepreneurs who are building seven-figure businesses they can sell. A few months ago, we had this very discussion in the community. Ryan issued a challenge, offering up $500 from his pocket to go to a member who demonstrated action-taking on this training.
Mayra Luz Colon of Nutrition Dork was the winner. She’s on a mission “to banish bland and provide tasty alternatives for everyday people who want to eat well. Bringing tasty Puerto Rican recipes and seasonings to homes everywhere.”
Mayra dove into action and recently reported back to the community about her results, 90-days into the investment. Here’s what she says:
About Investing in Her Brand (Investment #1)
“This gave me a sense of confidence in myself. One I never had (invested in my brand) before because I was always worried about “what people think of me”. I always thought people would think, “Oh, look at her; she thinks she’s _____ (fill in the blank) an entrepreneur, a writer, a coach… etc.” By going within myself in my new thinking chair and doing deep work, I realized NO ONE is saying those things but me. I’m finally owning who I really am.
About Investing in Her Circle (Investment #2)
“This one was hard because I didn’t have many influencers in my network that were within my niche. So I started reaching out to influencers on Instagram that make Latin cooking videos. I wasn’t getting much of a response at first. I finally aligned with one that has used my products in her videos. I SOLD OUT in one day! A great thing… but I realized I was playing small by keeping a low stock. So I’m going all in. I finally have found a partnership with a local seasonings brand that will co-pack for me and help me get into more local stores. Cheers to building relationships!
About Investing in Her Mental Space (Investment #3)
“Ahh, much needed quiet time. Taking time for myself has become a priority in my life. Taking time to clear, meditate, journal, and relax. Wellbeing activities are the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do at night. And many times in between. This time has given me the clarity to make decisions, be more creative, and even delegate tasks, which has always been hard for me. I’ve also come up with new prototypes and ideas to be the first Healthy Latin Food brand that actually tastes good!”
Mayra’s Return on Her Investment
We’ll just let her say it herself:
“Thank you so much for this, Ryan… I’ve gained so much confidence in this journey. I went from thinking my product wouldn’t sell and that I didn’t have what it takes to feeling empowered and selling out! All while staying grounded and moving with ease and flow. Can’t wait to see how the rest unfolds!
“I joined The One Percent in January 2020 to try it out. Didn’t think I’d last more than a couple of months, yet here we are. Because of this group, I’ve started my business, and everyone in it inspires me every day. I just want to say thank you all for being amazing! I can’t wait to continue seeing so many grow their businesses and continue to add your products and services into my life!”
So, Yeah, You Could Risk Your Money on Highly Speculative Investments…
Ryan recently published a video about Bitcoin (when it was over $40K).
The moral of the story is this:
Whether it’s your first investment or your thousandth, investing from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is always a bad move. Chasing something you missed, especially when it’s the same price as a down payment on a nice house, is a worse move than missing it in the first place. Bitcoin has gone up 4X (not 4%, 4X) in the last year.
But so has TSLA, SQ, NIO, and a host of other stocks. BTC is getting loads of press, for sure, but it’s not the only thing that’s exploded in the last year.
Don’t buy on speculation.
It’s a far smarter move to figure out where you have an edge and create life-changing income that way first. Speculation can be rewarded, but it’s not a high probability play. And if you didn’t know what a cryptocurrency, short squeeze, or gamma squeeze was before this month, it’s probably not the best time to get involved.
Speculate Wisely! Bet on YOU.
You have something great inside you. That’s why you’re here: to get what’s inside of you outside of you so you can make the world better. That’s the way forward.
Once you’ve built your business, then you can choose to speculate wisely. You’ll be far better suited to assess and handle risk. You won’t feel the kind of pressure people feel when that stock “just has to go up.” So, making detached, calculated decisions that may increase your net worth substantially will be a lot easier.
In the end, the best first investment you can make is in yourself. If you’ve been thinking about starting a business of your own, we’d love to help. That’s why we produced this fast-moving, absolutely free mini-training series just for you.
