🍟 From Millionaire to McDonalds Worker

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Today, you’ll learn about the importance of stepping out of your bubble, thanks to My First Million.

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I’m sorry, I teased you. This isn’t a hero to zero story where we grab the popcorn and watch a rich man’s fall from grace.

But, I didn’t lie to you. This is about a man who went from millionaire to McDonalds worker. The twist is he chose to.

Yes, you read that right.

Scott Heiferman chose to go home every day with oily skin, smelling of McGrease.

It’s not something most of us would do willingly, so buckle up as we discover why.

Step out of your bubble

Scott made $15 million selling his agency. 

He spent a lot of time with bankers, lawyers, and corporate wonks.

But as a good marketing guy, that's a bad thing. He felt like he needed to get a real job and interact with real people.

So, he got a job at McDonalds to get back in touch with the real world. 

He wanted to experience a profitable, well-oiled, multi-billion-dollar machine.

Shaan Puri

What happened next? Scott founded meetup.com, which he sold to WeWork for $156 million. Was this all thanks to his stint at McDonald’s? Probably not. Now that would be a story. But, businesses can be made by stepping out of your bubble. Take Shaan Puri as an example.

Milk Road founding story

I was inspired by the idea of stepping out of your bubble. So I did this in a different way.

One year, I decided not to go to a tech conference or investing conference. Instead, I went to a farming conference.

It exposed me to a bunch of different people with different thoughts and philosophies and different views about the world. And I knew I would get new ideas.

And sure enough, a business came out of that. We ended up launching a newsletter business called Milk Road out of that.

Shaan Puri

Why it matters

Staying in your industry bubble is like living in an echo chamber - it breeds stale ideas and stagnation.

Some of the best inspiration happens when you apply lessons from unlikely sources to your own field.

This is where biomimicry comes in - observing and adapting strategies from other industries or even nature itself.

Don’t just innovate within your lane. Cross-pollinate and create unique solutions that set your business apart.

Next steps

Break the cycle and bring fresh thinking into your business:

1. Adopt biomimicry. Study how other industries or nature solve problems. Discover how startups beyond your niche differentiate themselves and ask “How could this work for us?”

2. Get your hands dirty. Work in frontline customer service roles. This exposure challenges your assumptions and reveals overlooked details in your product, sales, and marketing.

3. Note cross-pollination ideas. Capture insights from these experiences and explore how you can use them to solve your business challenges.

Your thoughts

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