How I Made $1500 with 15 Years Old

Hello everyone, my only intention with the following article is to inspire other people, especially young entrepreneurs that are afraid to chase their goals.

So, how I made $1500 when I was 15?

Shall we start?

So, how I made +$1500 when I was 15 years old. The process is quite simple, and you can luckily apply this to everything in life (in my opinion always). I simply followed a fixed pattern based on a clear objective.

The pattern

As in all my articles, we will focus the content on “the simplest possible pattern” and on the “simplest possible way”, that is to say, we will always try to look for the easiest way without the need to get too complicated.

Obviously, there will be more complex and complicated aspects than others, but we will always try to apply the “logic of the simple”, we will always go for complexity, based on something very simple initially.

The way is very simple and clear: Set a goal and analyse the path. Let’s base it on the following:

🌵 Very easy: Where do we spend more time? In the process, or in the moment of achieving the goal? In other words, by achieving the goal our day-to-day life will change a lot? Nah, right?

Well, we will focus on the process, which is where we will spend more time, it is necessary to enjoy the process, if not, it is not worth it. No?

The objective

1. We set an objective or goal: I am not a big fan of setting objectives or goals, I think it is overrated. However, I do think that setting a goal helps us to land our thoughts and have a clear idea of where to go, where we are heading. It is always better to walk towards something, rather than an unclear path.
2. We analyse and design the path/process: Once we are clear about what we are going to do, it is time to analyse the process we will follow. We have a clear objective and there are several paths open to us, which one do we choose? Well, it all depends on several things:

• Is that really beneficial? Will it bring you something more than just achieving the objective? Or do you think you can get an extra benefit from it? (For example, creating new relationships, new contacts, opportunities…). If not, probably doing that is not the best idea.
• Is it profitable for us to make an effort to achieve this goal? Is the path clear or do we have a big fog that does not let us see through?
• Choosing a path does not have to be a matter of life or death, take your time, ask questions and study the possibilities. There is always time to change the road. All roads lead to Rome.

In my case I had a clear objective: I wanted a camera worth $1500.

Once I was clear about my goal, I sat down and started to study and analyse the path I had to follow, what was the clearest and smartest thing to do at that moment.

Well, my skills were around graphic design and I was passionate about electronic sports or eSports. I started to do some research and realised that there was an opportunity in designing the apparel that eSports players would wear to competitions, and that’s where I started. I got some experience, designed my portfolio and started working.

Taking into account the experience I had and the little knowledge I had, my price was $15. That was as much as people were willing to pay (the price kept growing, but the starting point was $15).

Well, if you know maths, the operation is very simple: $1500 /÷ $15 = +100. If I wanted to reach my goal of $1500, with $15 per project, then I had to do +100 projects.

Did I have anything to lose? No. Was my father going to get it for me? No. Did he want the target? Yes. Was I going to stand by and do nothing and cry? No. So let’s go for it.

6 months later, my portfolio was growing, I had more and more clients and little by little my price was going up. Finally, I got the camera, we went to NYC on holiday and I started my journey as a photographer and audiovisual content creator.

The important thing here is that not only did I achieve my goal (even if I ended up very burnt out, and it cost me a lot), but I also achieved other benefits:

• I made a name in the industry.
• I got contacts from other professionals.
• I made relationships with other designers.
• I created an audience (which I was able to redirect to another sector).
• I worked with over +70 organizations.
• I got a lot of practice in Photoshop and Illustrator.
• I learned how to deliver a project to a client.
• I learned how to invoice a client.
• I learned that every client is different.
• I learned that there are all kinds of leaders.

Cheers, Jordi Espinosa.

You have reached the end of the article. Please, feel free to share this article if worked for you or you felt inspired.

📚 • If you are interested in learning typography or deepening your typography skills, I am currently developing my own typography book that will boost up your type skills in Design. (Join the waiting list now).

📚 • If you are interested in learning how to land, manage and transform your ideas into a real product, I am writing a practical book or workbook of just 50 pages where you can learn a methodology and practice it. (Join the waiting list now).

Links: https://linktr.ee/jordiespinosa

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