American Gan

Did you know that the illegal drug market is a 2.5 trillion dollar industry? That's right, it's not, billion, but trillion. I know what you are thinking, "Drug dealing is illegal". Although you are correct, it doesn't mean you can't learn a few things from it. It didn't get this big of an industry out of sheer luck. Here are 7 things you can learn from me, a drug dealer.  1. Drug Dealers Don't Look Like Drug Dealers.  Most of us have figured out that the stereotypical drug dealers from those heavy-handed PSA's that your kids watch during a school assembly aren't a particularly accurate depiction of anyone, but we still carry around a specific image in our heads. They're underachievers who never cared about school, or they're too perpetually stoned on whatever drug they're supplying to keep a job. Or maybe they're just mean, heavily tattooed, black dudes from the shadows of a rough neighborhood pushing their chemical of choice on whoever happens to stumble by. Or, maybe you buy your drugs from a fine, upstanding citizen who just happens to have a stable job and a healthy home life... I mean if Jay-Z can turn a crack rock into a chain of 40/40 clubs. I'm sure your local Housewife could too. 2. Don't take your product for granted. You think drug dealers only get into wars over location? You're a bit more naïve then I thought. They also get into fights over the product because they all want the best stuff. You're only as good as your product and if you have a great product, you won't have to work too hard to sell it. Try to create the best product in the market because people will get addicted to it. If you create a shitty product, they may use it for a bit, but sooner or later they'll dump it once they find something better. 3. Word of mouth is the best form of marketing. Have you ever seen a drug dealer advertise his or her product through billboards, magazines or television? Of course not! And it's not just because drug dealers don't want to get caught selling. It's because they know that the best form of marketing is word of mouth. If you have a great product that people love, they'll talk about it and share it with others. Drug dealers know that having your customers tell other people about your product is the best form of marketing out there. As a business owner, you'll want to spend money on advertising. And by all means, you should do so. But don't forget how your product can help market itself. Nothing, and I mean nothing beats word-of-mouth.  4. Freemium models can be very lucrative. Don't think computer geeks were the first to invent freemium business models? Drug dealers have been using the freemium approach way before the Internet was even born. They love giving people a small taste for free because once you try the product, they know that you'll want more. They may even give you a bit more for free after that, but once you're addicted, they'll start to charge you and make a ton of money off of you. If you're looking to get more customers, consider the freemium approach. Give away a bit for free, and once people want more, charge them for it. They won't turn it down.  5. It's better to be the brain of the company than the face. Would you rather be doing grunt work or would you rather manage people? Smart drug dealers aren't the ones you see on the streets. They are the brains of the operation. They figure out how to get drugs, to whom to supply them for distribution and how to keep a low-key operation while counting the cash. They know that if they're the ones on the street dealing, there's a higher chance that they'll get caught and go to jail. So, instead, they keep their distance from the dealers and just watch the money roll in. If you want to be wealthy you don't have time to do the grunt work. Instead, you have to delegate and focus on strategy and execution. There will always be people you can hire to do the grunt work, It's much harder to train someone to come up with your overall strategy than it is to train someone to do the dirty work. 6. Control supply to increase prices. If there are more drugs on the market than buyers, what happens? The price must come down, right? One of the best ways to keep the price of your product up is to control the supply. Drug dealers do this all the time because controlling the supply allows them to force the junkies to pay whatever the dealer wants, just to get a quick fix. For example, when sss first came out on the market, they didn't open it up to everyone. They controlled the supply of their free service so much that people were selling invites on eBay for up to $50. That's not too bad for a product that's supposed to be free. 7. It's easier to keep your customers happy than it is to get new ones. No matter what industry you are in, it's always tough to get customers. Even drug dealers struggle, which is why they do whatever it takes to keep their current customers happy. From hooking them up with free drugs every once in a while to hooking them up with free equipment that lets them use the drugs they just bought.  You shouldn't just focus on getting new customers. You should also focus on keeping your existing ones happy. If you're losing customers and have a high churn rate, make sure you fix that before you waste too much money Now. You're only as smart as your customers and well, those pasty pale, thin haired white men you see yelling up at tv screens as the stock market rises up and down, the ones you see flying in and out of Washington DC. Senators, Governors, Head of States. The ones you see pushing papers down Wall Street. It ain't just coffee in those Starbucks cups, those suitcases just aren't holding reports that were due days ago. They're holding something heavier, something pure, something that will have you thinking you could cheat death. Yup, I got them all sniffing out the palm of my hand.  I guess you could say I'm getting that 40 acres and a mule that my great grandparents were supposed to be getting. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying your regular neighborhood dope fiend isn't any less than these men, but it is easier to get caught with them, your business never lasts long with them. Now with a politician, now we're talking. You see if they tell on me, they tell on themselves, and well... That's a whole different story in itself.  To them, I'm a Gangster and I guess I'll take that title, but I mean do I really look like one? I attend all those high-class fancy Galas, charity events and dinners, Balls, I've built up my childhood neighborhood, Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as a few neighborhoods in New Jersey and New York. Stood in the White House and shook the hand of the first and probably last black President. I stand next to these corrupt yuppie politicians in a better-tailored suit every day. I like to think I've polished myself up from that wild obnoxious kid running the streets of Southside Chicago. But am I really a drug dealer a "Gangsta" or a victim, a product of my environment!? Ok, I admit I chuckled a bit on that last part, I'd never play the victim. "A man I worked for had one of the biggest companies in New York City. He didn't own his own company. White man owned it, so they owned him. Nobody owns me though."  A quote I will always live by. Young, Black, and Intelligent. I am America and The White Man's worse nightmare. Yet I own all of them. The amount of power I hold in my hands is illegal... As it should be.