Business Lessons from a Dollar Store Aisle.
When I walked into a dollar store the other day, I had a very specific mission: find coin rolls. My daughters had decided it was time to empty their piggy banks, and I was tasked with finding a way to organize the small mountain of coins.
Now, if you’ve ever been in a dollar store, you know they’re a maze of aisles filled with an eclectic mix of items...everything from party balloons to cleaning supplies, to dog food. I had two choices:
- Manually search each aisle, scanning shelves until I stumbled upon what I was looking for.
- Ask someone who works there and save myself the time and frustration.
I chose the second option. Instead of walking the isles one by one to find this, I instead looked for the first employee I could find.
Within a minute of asking a store employee, I was directed to aisle 9. A few minutes later, I was checking out with coin rolls in hand. What could have been a frustrating and time-consuming process turned into a simple and quick task because I asked for guidance.
I take this same approach whether I am going to the hardware store, or a grocery store. My time is valuable, and if I can get from point A to point B in an ultra-efficient manner, I am going to do so.
This small experience reminded me of a Chinese proverb (and one I have written on in the past):
"To know the road ahead, ask those coming back."
And it’s a lesson that translates perfectly into the journey of building an online business.
The Parallel to Your Online Business.
Starting an online business can feel like walking into a giant store with endless aisles.
There are so many directions you could go and countless tools, strategies, and platforms to choose from. Without guidance, you might spend days, weeks, or even months wandering aimlessly...just as I could have wandered the aisles of that store looking for coin rolls.
But what if you had someone to point you to the right aisle?
That’s where Wealthy Affiliate comes in. Within the platform and community here, you’re surrounded by people who’ve already walked the path you’re starting on. They’ve faced the same challenges, made the same mistakes, and learned the same lessons. Instead of trial and error, you can lean on their expertise and mentorship to fast-track your education and your success.
Education and Mentorship...Your "Aisle 9".
The truth is, success in an online business isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about knowing where to find the answers when you need them.
At Wealthy Affiliate, you’ll find:
- Expert classes and tutorials that break down complex topics into actionable steps.
- A supportive community where you can ask questions and get real-world, and real-time advice.
- Tools, tech and resources designed to simplify the process and keep you moving forward.
Think of it this way. Instead of wandering the “aisles” of the internet, you have a personal guide...a community of experts and peers to show you the most direct path to overcoming hurdles in front of you and achieving your goals.
The Real KEY to PROGRESS.
So often, people hesitate to ask for help because they think it’s a sign of weakness. But in reality, seeking guidance is one of the strongest moves you can make. Whether it’s finding coin rolls in a dollar store or building a thriving online business, the most efficient way to success is to ask someone who’s already been there.
Take a moment to reflect here: Are you trying to figure out everything on your own, or are you leveraging the knowledge and support of those around you?
If you’re ready to stop wandering and start moving forward, the community is here to guide you. Just like that store employee directed me to aisle 9, we can help you find the tools, strategies, and the confidence you need to achieve your online business goals.
Remember, the road ahead is always clearer when you’re willing to ask those who have already walked it and the only "dumb" question you can have, is the one that isn't asked.
Recent Comments
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I loved this post, makes a lot of sense. Who's time are you helping, the shop for staying in longer as they want for you to perhaps buy more, or getting what you need and getting out and making more time for yourself. Time is money which a lot of people in business keep forgetting about. At the moment I work so much, trying to get home to work on my website business is so hard. But looking at the quickest ways of doing things make so much sense. I will be adopting this approach from now on. Cheers.
Yeah, that is exactly it. We want to free up more time in your day, give you the tools where you can be more efficient than ever, and be in a position to solve bigger problems faster than ever.
We are going to have a lot of AI training that will extend into "personal life hacks" where you are likely going to be able to carve out a lot more time in your day to day life, not to mention the AI tech and training that we have that is very much applicable to your online business.
That is outside of the training and the mentorship that you have here that will help you speed up the path to your goals and success.
Glad you enjoyed this post Shaun!
Another Boooom Shakala posts and one that resonate with me. I don't ask a lot of question but I read and watch the videos. I've learned to ask and I am going to Vegas next year.
Speaking about asking those who coming back......Kyle you just came from Vegas. Here's my question, check your inbox. I sent you a message. LOL.
On a real talk, I did sent you a message. And for all those who are considering a booming 2025 lets take Kyle's message and lesson to heart and do it.
Thanks Kyle. I have been a member for about a month. I was really blown away in the beginning at what WA had to offer. It is all good, but the most useful has been asking questions and getting help from the community. To me this really sets WA apart from anything else I have seen. Going though the training is good, but sometimes I needed to go back to find out the answer to my question, but I couldn't remember which lesson it was in. Then I started asking questions and that got my answer much faster than trying to find it. Often I got several answers that were helpful.
Glad to hear that community has been there to help you when you had questions, and better yet, glad that you are asking questions when you need help.
We are going to continue to build on the idea of "community" in the year ahead and you are going to see some really exciting updates that are going to further advance the training/education here across every topic, and also lead to much quicker and more expert support for anyone with questions.
Hi Kyle:
This real life experience is a great analogy in reference to being pointed in the right direction here at Wealthy Affiliate.
It certainly does take time to get to where we need to be, and there's expertise we can draw from. I appreciate that so much rather than feeling around in the dark without direction.
Thank you for making that a reality!
Veron
Yeah, to become great at anything it does take time. But often times we can ask those that know the way, to speed up the process and speed up the path to greatness.
The thing about "reading" and getting "educated" is that often times seasoned experts will share their knowledge of this path, and that is what you find here within the community through the classes and education. Taking part in it, will simply speed up the process.
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Thanks Kyle, for this article. It resonates very well with me. The challenge I seem to battle with constantly is tech stuff. I'm not tech savvy. So I struggle a lot in that area. Sometimes I wish I had someone to handle that for me while I concentrate on the other areas of my business. But I guess I just have to tread the path and find my way through with the help of others of course.
The thing is, you don't need to be tech savvy these days to thrive online. There is very little tech you need to know actually.
When I look back to when I started out (back in the dark ages lol), building a website was a very technical process and it required coding, using Photoshop, Dreamweaver, understanding FTP, etc. Now the very same thing can be done with a click of a button, something that took me 30 days to figure out when I started out.
And the technology gaps will continue to get filled. The thing is, you can learn any of this stuff and if you are ever stuck on the technical side, just ask for help. Once you learn the process of doing something once, it will become second nature thereafter.
Whenever I have a knowledge gap, I go to Perplexity.AI and ask for a complete lesson plan to learn what I do not know.
I wanted a complete step-by-step guide.
I was able to implement OptiMonk and get a popup to collect emails.
We all have personal tutors.
MrDon
Thanks a lot for the suggestion. Will definitely check that out later.