My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“Belief comes before ability.”
What It Means
Successful people develop confidence in their abilities before they have evidence of those abilities.
Why It Matters
Explains why successful entrepreneurs can persist through early failures and why confidence is a prerequisite for achievement.
When It's True
When pursuing ambitious goals that require sustained effort despite early setbacks and criticism.
When It's Risky
When belief becomes delusion and prevents you from adapting to feedback or changing market conditions.
How to Apply
Build confidence through small wins and skill development
Maintain belief in core vision while staying flexible on tactics
Use belief as fuel for sustained effort during difficult periods
Example Scenario
“College student believing they can build a Fortune 500 company before having any business experience, then spending decades building the skills to match that belief.”
Related Knowledge
Successful entrepreneurs develop extreme confidence and belief in their abilities long before they h
Belief creates the psychological foundation necessary to persist through inevitable failures and rejection.
Anti-Business Billionaire Framework
A framework identifying five core traits of entrepreneurs who build massive companies by being contrarian to typical business advice: high disagreeableness, extreme self-confidence, product obsession, total control retention, and refusal to sell at any price.
Edisonian Principle of Design
A product development approach focused on rapid experimentation, immediate feedback, and constant iteration rather than master planning.
Maintain freedom to work on what you love while building a successful business
Ability to work exclusively on projects you're passionate about, declining lucrative distractions, and having money follow from doing what you love rather than chasing money directly.
Family Heirloom Business Model
Viewing your business as a family heirloom to be passed down through generations rather than an asset to be optimized for sale.
Go Slow Now to Go Fast Later
Deliberately limiting initial growth to deeply learn fundamentals, enabling exponentially faster growth later when you apply accumulated knowledge.