I remember the day very clearly.

I was sitting in front of my computer, about to click the buy button on an order page for a very expensive purchase – $5,000 for an online business coaching program.

$5,000 was 20% of my life savings at that point — this was no simple decision to make!

Before this it’s safe to say I was pretty tight with my money. Not quite a Scrooge McDuck, but I almost always made the choice to do something on my own rather than spend money on help.

Instead of hiring help to build my first websites, I learned HTML and became a fairly average website builder (tech was not my strong point, and still isn’t today).

I also did all the customer service myself spending hours responding to emails that often were from people who had no intention of buying from me.

I did all the marketing myself, setup every script and software tool myself, attempted to do graphic design myself and at one point even did my own tax returns! (Let’s just say I would not have made my accounting teacher at school proud.)

Slowly I began to realize the advantage in seeking help…

The first breakthrough was when I hired a person to handle my email for me.

Suddenly I gained hours in my day and didn’t have to go through the at times emotionally draining experience of dealing with people via email.

The next break through came when I hired my first tech person to redesign my website.

Later I hired people to help with graphics, found a bookkeeper and accountant, and a marketing agency to rewrite all the copy on my business website.

However, up to this point, I had never hired a coach or joined any kind of paid community of fellow entrepreneurs.

I was still flying solo and had never followed anyone’s advice beyond what I read in books.

This $5,000 investment was to be my first time hiring a coach, working through an online course about business, and joining a community of peers.

I almost didn’t do it.

I closed my browser and told myself I didn’t need it. I could figure everything out on my own…

…Then It Hit Me Like A Ton Of Bricks

A few days later the final email came through that the coaching program was about to close so they could begin working with all the new clients.

I was about to let this opportunity pass me then I realized something.

It was ten years.

TEN YEARS since I had first gone online.

TEN YEARS of working to make some kind of online business succeed.

That’s a long time to spend trying to figure things out yourself.

In fact, it was a long time BECAUSE I tried to figure things out by myself.

The reason why this $5,000 coaching program appealed to me so much was because the coach had figured me out. (His name was Rich Schefren – I was considering joining his first ever online coaching program he launched back in the mid 2000s).

I’d never even met the guy in person, but I had read his free report and boy did it nail down exactly the kind of entrepreneur I was.

He explained that most entrepreneurs failed online because they were like clowns running around trying to keep all the plates spinning on sticks at once, trying to do everything themselves.

People like me were trying to perform every role in their business, which created an incredible amount of stress, reduced quality, slowed business growth to a halt — and is about as far away from a ‘laptop lifestyle’ as you can imagine.

Who wants to spend 12 hours a day trying to do everything in your business, yet getting nowhere fast?!

And yes, that was basically how I spent the last 10 years of my online life.

This realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

It was then that I fully committed to never working on my business alone again.

I would seek out help from the right mentors and leaders, hire the right people, get a coach and surround myself with a positive, like-minded community of people like me.

I took out my credit card, punched in the numbers into the checkout, and clicked the purchase button.

My business — and my life — changed forever that day.

The Power Of Intention With A Price Attached

Over the years I’ve read a lot of books and watched a lot of documentaries that talk about intentions.

Whether it’s about some kind of universal law, or about connecting with your higher purpose or simply related to setting goals, I never found myself needing any kind of push like that to get things done.

I’ve always been self-motivated and capable of working without someone else telling me what to do. What I didn’t realize was how much more depth there is to this when you actually spend money to solidify your intention.

Something happens to you when you not only say to yourself that you’re committing to a process and a project, but you also put some of your own funds behind that idea to get coaching and join a group of people who share your intention.

The investment of your hard earned cash, like the $5,000 I spent on a coaching program, tells the universe and your own psyche that you’re all-in — you want this bad enough and intend to follow through that you will pay money to support that goal.

I was listening to a Tony Robbins interview recently and he talked about his first exposure to his mentor, Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker.

Tony was invited to come to a Jim Rohn workshop when he was a teenager. He thought he was getting a free ticket from his boss, but his boss turned around and said no, it’s $25 (a lot of money back then for Tony) and you have to pay for it because then you will follow through and give much more value to what you learn.

The idea of giving value to something by spending money on it when it comes to education and coaching, is a powerful force for follow through.

That $5,000 coaching program is one of the only courses I ever went through from start to finish, and also attended every coaching call (or listened to the recordings). I even asked questions, something I rarely do, and checked in daily to participate in the community.

If you’re like most people online, who download a lot of free reports, attend free webinars, read blog posts, listen to podcasts and watch videos, but you find it difficult to follow through (or even pay attention until the end!), what you might be missing is the ‘cost’ behind your commitment.

Sometimes you have to put your money in to force yourself to go all in.

An Opportunity To Invest In Your Intention To Live The Laptop Lifestyle

I just opened up the Laptop Lifestyle Academy to the public for the first time.

It’s far less than the $5,000 I spent all those years ago, but it will require you put in some of your own money to become a member.

It’s one part community, one part coaching with me, and one part education resource for people who want to launch and grow a Laptop Lifestyle business.

I’d love to see you set your intentions and super charge your ability to follow through by joining us today.

• See What Is Inside The Laptop Lifestyle Academy And Become A Member Here

I’ve been working with the charter group in the new platform and we’d love to see you become a member and help you grow your business.

I’ll see you inside the Academy,

Yaro Starak
Following Through