Great question Neville. I personally would have bought real estate in hot locations at a much younger age. Though I'm not sure if back then I could've even afforded it.

I own two houses now that have been doing ok, but had I bought them when I was 21 they would be worth 3x the amount now!

Buy Bitcoin?

I am 21 right now, so I am soaking up this information. Im working on starting a marketing agency with my friend and business partner right now, moving out of my parent's house this summer, and learning new things everyday. Thanks for the great content Nev, Ive been reading it since I was a teenager and found the "water bottle selling" posts!

I'll tell myself stop procrastinating.

Monitor my income & expenses.

If I were to be 21 again, I would've started networking more and do more research within marketing.

I had no clue what I wanted to do but I knew that I loved to write. However, I hated the idea of journalism. I didn't want to do the work and being in creative writing classes didn't spark as much.

Though being in extracurriculars helped, I wish I did more that actually benefitted my major in Media Studies. I've lived in NYC my entire life and I could've had a head start in anything at a young age.

I would quit school cause I think I wasted those years going to boring classes. I would definitely start building something, a blog, a website. Something related to the internet. I saw that the internet is something for future but I realized later that it's actually the future, and the earlier you get on it, the better. Would have worked for a millionaire for free, I would still do this. Would slap myself for being average and now seeing further than the trends and money.

I would not change a thing. I am only 27 and don't really feel that I am ready to have a biz. Being born in an ex communist country means that you have to make up a lot for the lack of personal management and personal responsibility knowledge. So I am stil timferrissing and feeling my way into owning a biz.

I would do a few things differently knowing what I know now...

1. I would drop out of college earlier

2. Start a business earlier

3. Master Copywriting and direct response

4. Start a big following with a blog and social media following

5. Work for free for anyone that was a millionaire/billionaire

6. Tested MORE ideas

7. Invested in more productive relationships and cut out the ones that felt like shit.

8. Read more books

9. Start to invest in myself with time/money/effort

10. Learn how to buy traffic

11. More personal development

12. Attend more events

13. I would MODEL successful people

I'd buy a whole lot more income-producing rental properties.

I'd worry much less about how I could get rich and worry much more about how I'd feel about the various manners through which I could [try to] become rich.

This exercise implies that making money is similar to (or the same as) being successful. It's great for reflecting on how you perceive and take advantage of opportunities, and I understand that this is a business-focused community... but I think we're all doing this for a particular reason, which should be included at the highest priority level in our plans - not seen as a "side quest" or "bonus" that justifies the means.

Few of us are in touch with the reason we do what we do. "Money" is never it - we're told this by gurus all the time, but few actually follow it. They are busy learning a proven business model and adopting it as their passion rather than adopting their REAL passion to a proven business model.

It's dreamy... but this is 2017. The concept was a whole lot dreamier when I was 21, which is why I didn't pursue my passion as hungrily as I should have - even with a good amount of support. (What a lame use of a time machine, though... "Hey 21-year-old me! I have some groundbreaking advice for you! Uh... how do I say this... oh, that's it: Follow your dreams!")

I'd tell 21-year-old me to find a community that supports his naive, embarrassing forays into creative writing while delivering intense, informed feedback that is digestible and encouraging, not dismissive. I'd help 21-year-old me find a few shortcuts, sure, but a lot of life is lived in the mistakes you make. The only real regret from a business perspective is that I thought I needed to have both a business perspective and a "dream life" perspective, and that their success was independent rather than inter-connected.

This advice would probably be terrible 50 years ago. It's a cool world we live in. With some luck and hard work, you can be happy and passionate and also support yourself while making relatively few sacrifices.

In any case, I've noticed the happiest people are the ones who put their passion first, even if it's not a source of income. The lucky and hardest working folks - I think you're included, Neville, cause you really seem to enjoy your stuff - end up with a nice tidy package.

FULL DISCLAIMER: I am a Neville Groupie!

If I was 21 again, I'd start my marketing business ten years earlier, with an average revenue of £250k per annum this would have given me an extra £2.5m top line.

I'd seek out Neville and persuade him to teach me copywriting then if I could increase my current site conversion of 1.5% to 3% then the number of closed clients would double to an average of 88 per year which would then double my topline revenue to £500k per annum

I also wouldnt get £70k into personal debt as its taken me ten years of hard graft to kill it.

that would have been last year. So the only thing I can say...

==> Sign up for your excellent newsletter earlier.

Hi Nev,

I'm 33, and at 21 I didn't have any money. But i would have asked for a Loan from family and banks, and:

1. put all that money in Apple and Google stocks, and play the long game (as per Warren Buffet's advice).

2. I would have still worked as i did (as an expat), but would have jumped at all the chances i got to travel to new places whilst the company was paying for tickets.

3. I would start a blog with my travel memoirs.

4. I would improve my programming skills and try to ride the first wave of app development companies.

5. Read more!

I think all of that would compound into a rich's lifestyle and bank account :)

Cheers!

David S

There are quite a few things that I would have done differently knowing what I know now. In 1999-2000 I was 21 and in aircraft school learning to fix airplanes.

1. I would have stopped persing that objective. Never got a job fixing airplanes after 9/11 to much competition from people that were way more experienced than me.

2. I should have never pursued my bachelor's degree in liberal arts either, I spent 5 years and countless dollars only to ended up dropping out before I finished that degree. So more wasted time and money there.

3. I would have been smarter with my money. Invested and saved more and spent way less on stuff that didn't matter using credit to do it. Credit abused=debt.

2. I would have learned how to code. It's where the world has been going for nearly 20 years now if not longer.

4. Networked more. It's not what you know but who.

5. Created a viable passive income stream. Something I could fall back on if I needed to for a while. That's were many people get into trouble they have no safety net when things start to slip.

6. I would have never dated the girl I dated in high school. She was toxic. Toxic relationships are not good for anyone. They are a drain on time, money and your soul. Time is one the one thing we can never get back once it's gone.

Those are just a few of the things I would liked to have done differently, but by no means an exhaustive list.

That's simply! First I thought about real estate, but I had not enough money at 21. I registered my first business at age 22. I would buy Apple stock, focus my business on offering SEO and lead generation services AND would travel a lot more. :)

Becoming 21 again, will put me right in the period where the internet started to bloom. The time when BBS's were the ultimate rulers (you need to be at least 40, to know what i'm talking about).

Going back to that time i would:

1. Invest in anything that is internet related in that time.

2. Open a blog/site that provides value about site development and email promotions.

3. invent a search engine that will be better than google.

I would ignore my family pressuring me to not pursue writing as a career ("you just can't make money that way, sweetheart") and I would have written until my fingers bled, studied reactions to my writing, and learned much earlier to sell my writing and to use my writing to sell stuff.

I'm now a pretty successful writer, having been published many, many times, never rejected, own a publishing business, and I've made good money from my writing. I just wish I had started sooner. And I wish I'd found Nev sooner too!!

Oh my gosh! If I were 21 again, I would be striving to create value in everything that I do. I would pick out what is most original and produce content to engage and build my audience early on. Also, I would take online classes and learn a ton of stuff with all of the spare time a 21 year old has!

But MOST of ALL, I wouldn't be afraid of embarrassment or failure—meaning I would try a ton of stuff over and over.

Great question Nev!

Marc

You've never been rejected?! That's odd. How have you learned where you need to improve? Do you feel like you've been playing it safe? Honest question!

Hey Neville,

Great blog post and idea! Literally going to print out yours, Noah's, and Sam's responses.

Thank you,

Shri

If I were 21 again... I would tell myself to stop being so damn insecure. I would slap my own wrist every time I tried to live up to the standards of others and forget about myself. I would start writing immediately and stop believing the people who say you cannot make a living out of it.

Oh, and I would tell that stupid boyfriend to take a hike.

:-)

Not give a damn about "following the path to success". Little did I know that the model of a college education as the vehicle to success was about to be obliterated.

I should have had more belief in myself and not given so much stock in what the grown ups said...

Oh if only. To be 21 again. Im sure there is so much I could change.

When I turned 21 I was hanging out with my first every roomates. Who would less than a month later stab me in the back. So I would jump the gun before them, and move.

The woman I love most in the world was also starting to grow distant with me, entertaining the possibility of being with another man. Leaving our son and I soon after, to be with him. So i would jump the gun, and pull my trump cards fast, before it was too late, and she was gone.

When I turned 21 I was entertaining starting my business. Not knowing that if I didnt get going on it, these devastating blows would stop me from starting.

Oh shit.

I turned 21 in november...

If we're only thinking money then I would have stayed in the corporate world as a CPA for at least another 10 years and invested everything I possibly could into blue chip shares and property. Or I would have focused on a business that suited my skills and not tried everything I could think of, I tried too many things.

But if we're talking real life I wouldn't change a thing. I'm fit, healthy and couldn't be happier in my relationship, who knows what could have happened if I changed anything.

I'm 23 now, but here's what I would've done 2 years ago:

1. Dive in 110% learning a) direct response marketing, and b) copywriting.

2. Find a brand with a great USP, subscriber base, and traffic and offer to help them monetize for royalty on all revenue streams I generate for them – do this in a niche / market I'm interested in.

3. Focus HEAVILY on improving my social skills.

4. Travel to conferences in the industry and network with all the people in my industry.

5. Gain connections, insight, and direct sales experience within this market.

6. Offer the same partnerships to the "bigger" dogs with more potential.

7. Once I discover a hot pain point in the market, start my own business serving those customers – by this point, I'd know this market like my favorite pop song.

This is what I'm doing now.