My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Start your first business to learn entrepreneurship fundamentals
18-25 year olds who want to be successful but lack capital, network, or clear vision yet
6-18 months to profitabilityWhat Success Looks Like
Making $200K+ annually, learning real business skills, building confidence and network for bigger ventures later
Steps to Execute
Pick a service business that requires more boldness than skill
Target something other people find embarrassing or tedious to do themselves
Start with free work to build portfolio and credibility
Scale by hiring freelancers to replicate your process
Productize the service into repeatable packages
Use profits to fund next bigger business
Checklist
Inputs Needed
- Willingness to be rejected
- Basic video/content skills
- Time to hustle daily
- Small initial budget for equipment
Outputs
- Monthly recurring revenue
- Business operation skills
- Client testimonials
- Freelancer network
- Confidence for bigger ventures
Example
“Josh drops out of college to do street interviews for chocolate brands. Starts by DMing founders on Twitter, doing free work to build credibility. Scales to 46 freelancers across NYC, LA, Miami doing park interviews. Makes $300K/month revenue by productizing what founders are too embarrassed to do themselves.”
Related Knowledge
Plant Your Flag Strategy
Committing deeply to one core thesis or vision rather than constantly iterating and pivoting based on market feedback
The Art of Noticing Framework
Developing heightened sensitivity to details, inconsistencies, and opportunities that others ignore or take for granted
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Beginner's Mind in Expertise
Outsiders often make breakthrough discoveries in fields where experts are too close to notice what's changed or what's p
Taking simple ideas very seriously is the key to exceptional success
The constraint isn't finding the 'right' idea, it's developing the muscle to take any simple idea seriously enough to be
may I meet you
A formal, polite way to introduce yourself to strangers, particularly for romantic interest