I've been thinking about how successful people find their thing, and I'm seeing two completely different patterns.
Some people just throw shit at the wall relentlessly. They're not waiting for the perfect idea, they're trying things, iterating, failing, trying again. They find niches and make something work through pure volume and persistence.
But then there's another set of successful people who aren't trying at all. They're just living their life, doing something they're genuinely interested in, and somehow an idea finds them. They see an opportunity, they jump on it, and it works.
Here's where I'm stuck: I’ve had 3 business now that didn’t work out for many different reasons. The biggest issue is that they were a losing game from the start (I obviously didn’t know). I decided I need to switch paths and find a new niche. I’ve spent the last 6 months trying all sorts of things and brain storming new ideas, so far nothing has really hit it off. I feel like I should stop searching for the perfect idea and just focus on a new hobby. But that feels like I'm wasting time.
My full time engineering job is a dead end (and no I can’t just go and find a more interesting job. The job market here in Canada is terrible and I’m lucky to have a job at all).
All I want is to start a business and escape this situation. But I'm paralyzed because I can see both paths working yet neither has worked for me. Some people grind their way out by never stopping. Others just live their life and opportunity finds them. And to me, doing nothing feels like a waste of time that won't get me out. At the same time, doing as much as possible has gotten me no where.
What really pisses me off is that a lot of advice online when looking to start a business is that people are un motivated and lazy. A lot of the videos just talk about getting people to take the chance and go for it. I am the complete opposite. I am more hungry than ever but yet I am being starved of opportunity. No matter how hard I try I can’t find something to go after. Constant dead ends or failure.
I'm really conflicted and could use some perspective on this.
Having a had time starting over
byu/FlimsyPresentation36 inEntrepreneur
Posted by FlimsyPresentation36
1 Comment
3 businesses that failed taught you more than your engineering degree ever will about what actually makes money. you’re not starting from zero you’re starting from experience which is way more valuable
the pattern you’re missing between the two types of successful people is the same. both of them are having conversations with people who have problems. the grinders are doing it intentionally through outreach. the “lucky” ones are doing it accidentally through their network. either way the business starts when someone says “i have this problem” and you say “i can fix that”
the reason 6 months of brainstorming hasn’t worked is because ideas don’t validate themselves in your head. they validate through conversations with people who would pay. the 3 businesses that failed probably would have failed faster if you’d talked to 50 potential buyers before building anything
here’s what i’d do with your engineering background and hunger. stop looking for ideas. start looking for businesses that have problems you can spot from the outside. pick one type of company, reach out to 50 of them this month through cold email, and ask one question about the biggest pain in their workflow. the responses will hand you your next business on a plate because real people will tell you what they’ll pay for. no brainstorming needed
cold email specifically because you’re an engineer and the infrastructure side will make sense to you instantly. separate domains, proper warmup, intent-based targeting. the whole system is logical and repeatable which fits how your brain already works. and it gets you 50 real conversations in a month instead of 50 more journal entries about what business to start
what kind of companies did your 3 previous businesses serve?