My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“the number one choke point of any business is the psychology of the owner”
What It Means
Most business problems stem from owner's mental blocks, fears, and psychological limitations rather than external factors
Why It Matters
Focusing on tactics while ignoring owner psychology leads to recurring problems and limited growth
When It's True
In businesses where owner makes key decisions about hiring, spending, strategy, and risk-taking
When It's Risky
In businesses with strong systems and processes that operate independently of owner psychology
How to Apply
When diagnosing business problems, trace root causes back to owner decisions
Address psychological blocks before implementing tactical solutions
Invest in personal development and mindset work as business strategy
Example Scenario
“Company struggles with growth because owner is too cheap to hire experienced talent due to past financial trauma”
Related Knowledge
Pivot vs Persevere Decision Framework
A structured approach to deciding whether to continue with current strategy or change direction using time-boxed milesto
All Content is Marketing Framework
Strategy where content creation and marketing become indistinguishable - every piece of content serves both audience val
Discover and validate business ideas through direct customer research
Identified pain point with paying customers willing to pay premium for better solution
Capture early value from new platform launches
First-mover advantage on new platform with significant user adoption before competition increases
Owner Psychology as Business Root Cause
All business problems ultimately trace back to the psychology, fears, and mental blocks of the business owner
Experience Over Belief Trading
People's stated preferences (what they say they want) often differ from revealed preferences (what they actually do), so