The Man Who Sold a Broken Laptop for $10,000

Kwesi was a failure. Not a small failure, not an "oops, let me try again" kind of failure—no, his entire existence was an economic disaster.

The man had tried every business possible. Dropshipping? Flopped. Forex trading? Burned all his money. Selling motivational courses? Even broke people didn’t want them.

And now, he was left with a useless, broken laptop—a battered 2010 MacBook that looked like it had survived war. The screen was cracked, the battery was dead, and if you turned it on, it would show you the Apple logo and die immediately.

But Kwesi was tired of suffering. He refused to go out like a fool. If the world wouldn’t give him success, he would take it by force.

So, he came up with a crazy plan.

The Setup

Kwesi went to a high-end art gallery, the kind where rich people buy stupid things for ridiculous amounts of money. He found a glass display case, borrowed it (don’t ask how), and placed the dead laptop inside like it was the Mona Lisa.

Then, he printed out a small sign and placed it in front of the laptop. It said:

“The Laptop That Started It All. The Original Machine Where the First Billion-Dollar Idea Was Born.” That’s it. No explanation. No details. Just mystery.

The gallery owner squinted at him. "What is this?"

Kwesi sighed, looking at the laptop with deep nostalgia. Then, in the most dramatic voice possible, he whispered:

"This... is history."

The gallery owner, too confused to argue, just let him be.

And now, the trap was set.

The Billionaire Arrives

A week passed. People walked by the display, confused but curious. Some took pictures. Some whispered to each other, trying to figure out the secret. Because, as you know, rich people hate not knowing things.

Then, he arrived.

A billionaire. Old, powerful, and obsessed with exclusivity. The kind of man who once paid $500,000 for a pair of socks just because only three people in the world had them.

He saw the laptop and froze. He stared at the sign.

"The Laptop That Started It All..."

His billionaire brain could not handle the mystery. He leaned in, studying it. He called his assistant.

"Look at this. Do you know what this is?"

The assistant, now equally confused, shook his head.

"Exactly," the billionaire said. "Which means it’s important."

Then, he turned and saw Kwesi—who, of course, was waiting.

The Sale

"Young man," the billionaire said, "what is this?"

Kwesi sighed, shaking his head as if debating whether the old man was even worthy of knowing the truth. Then, he leaned in and whispered:

"This is the machine where it all began."

The billionaire blinked. "Where what began?"

Kwesi exhaled sharply, as if deeply disappointed. "You don’t recognize it? Ah. You must not be in the right circles."

Boom. Game over.

Rich people hate being told they are out of the loop. The billionaire’s ego started fighting for its life. He straightened his suit.

"No, no, of course, I know what it is... but remind me again?"

Kwesi just smiled. "The right people know."

The billionaire’s eyes widened. He had to have it.

“How much?” he asked.

Kwesi shrugged. "Ah, I wasn’t planning to sell it. It’s too valuable."

The billionaire’s soul left his body.

Because now, he needed it more than air.

“How much?” he repeated, panicking now.

Kwesi sighed like he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life. "Fine. For you? $10,000. But please, don’t tell anyone I sold it this cheap."

And just like that, a broken, useless laptop was sold for $10,000.

The Lesson

Selling is not about the product.

Selling is about desire.

People don’t buy what you’re selling. They buy how it makes them feel. They buy because they don’t want to be left out. They buy because their ego is at stake.

If Kwesi had tried to sell that laptop the normal way, it would have ended up in a landfill. But by using mystery, exclusivity, and human psychology, he made someone beg to buy it.

So, next time you struggle to sell something, ask yourself:

Are you offering a product? Or are you offering a story people can’t resist?

Because if you do it right, they will throw money at you.