My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“people want junk food people want Cheetos and they want the Cheeto dust on their fingers”
What It Means
Consumers often prefer immediately gratifying, less optimal solutions over 'better for them' alternatives
Why It Matters
Challenges assumption that rational, optimized solutions will win in marketplace
When It's True
When convenience, entertainment, or immediate gratification outweigh long-term benefits in customer decision-making
When It's Risky
When targeting highly educated, health-conscious consumers who do prioritize optimization over convenience
How to Apply
Design for what customers actually want, not what they should theoretically want
Add entertainment or convenience elements to 'healthy' solutions
Test actual customer behavior vs stated preferences
Focus on immediate benefits rather than long-term optimization
Example Scenario
“Instead of building serious news consumption app, create health content that feels entertaining and immediately rewarding while still being beneficial”
Related Knowledge
Seasonal Sprint Business Model
A business model where 90%+ of annual revenue is generated in a concentrated time period of 30-90 days, requiring 9-11 m
Territorial Market Control Framework
A market domination strategy where competitors divide geographic territories into exclusive zones, each controlled by a
10x Better Positioning Framework
A positioning strategy that takes an existing, accepted solution and creates a dramatically superior version rather than
Launch a profitable seasonal business that generates 6-figure revenue in 30-90 day sprint
Making $100k-$1M+ revenue in 1-3 month period with 40-60% margins, covering full year expenses in seasonal sprint
Build massive waitlist and early traction for health/wellness startup
100k+ person waitlist, 3M+ website visits, $10M+ potential pipeline value within first few months of announcement
Wife Rejection as Entrepreneurial Validation
If your spouse/partner thinks your business idea sucks, it may actually be a positive signal for entrepreneurial success