Factors Affecting Earnings

If we're talking purely about making money, any job that requires you to curry favor with others, seek their approval just to get a license, and then take baby steps before you can even begin, is fundamentally at odds with making money.

You might give 100% effort, but 99 points of that go toward pandering to the authorities in the存量 world—your boss, the established standards, whoever holds the keys. Only 1 point gets converted into actual money.

But if you step out of that存量 game, the conversion rate jumps to 100%. You don't need to ask for permission morning and night before you earn. The money you make goes straight into your own account. Put in 100 points of effort, and you get 100 points of return. You don't owe anyone a cut.