I have been thinking a lot about offering services online or having my own blog. A couple of attempts like a Facebook personal page, sharing some infographics on social media, or just filming videos and uploading them on YouTube seemed like a good plan.

And it is still a good idea. The problem is that I never had enough time, or that’s what I (and I think I’m not alone in this matter) thought. Having a personal business is nowadays possible, and it is not as difficult as we thought. It is just a question of discipline, blocking your time, and working on your side hustle when you are actually supposed to. If you commit to nothing, you will be distracted by everything!

Then, I found Noah Kagan‘s book, Million Dollar Weekend. It is a book that has been popping up on my social media feeds since I follow a couple of YouTubers who focus on entrepreneur stuff and give tips about how to have a side hustle. So I said, ‘If I want to have a blog, write about how I grow my channel, and share my portfolio online, why not begin with this popular book?‘

Let’s learn how to finally start your dream business

NOW, NOT HOW

You have to act first and figure out later how is your business going to be. Make sure if you can get people to buy your idea. Designs, names, logo, advertising, social media, are for when you are established in the market.

If I had to describe this book in just one phrase, ‘A Leap of Faith’ would be my guess — hope Noah is also a Spider-Man fan!

Anyways, as an overthinker myself, this was very relatable because like I told you in the beginning, posting my work or just my thoughts online is something I always wanted to do. Still, I never committed to that goal as I should. Timing had to be right, my website had to look the most professional and the prettiest, and I took my time to decide whether my content would be in English or Spanish… that was very entertaining at the moment, but now that I look back, it feels like I wasted a lot of time.

Many good potential businesses never see the light because of that. This book identifies it and encourages entrepreneurs to experiment with their ideas freely, without worrying about the result. Thinking is alright, and the best thing to do, but once you already made sure that you are not wasting your most valuable resource: time.

It is about starting small and fast, making doable and concrete goals. There is an exercise I think everyone should do, that is defining your Freedom Number, which is just a very specific number that determines at which point you can consider this new side hustle can become your main job, and main expenses like monthly rent, food, and clothes are covered.

This book itself is specific in every part, with questions that sometimes feel obvious or boring to give time to analyse in the beginning because people tend to think that they already have the answer. But it is essential to sit down and think about who you are selling to, what problem you’re solving, and where they are. Personally, I will keep in mind the difference that Noah brings up: is my product or service nice to have or a must-have?

Always have someone who backs you up

On the other hand, nobody grows a business alone. You need clients, but where can you find them? The answer is clear: even if you are the CEO, CFO, COO and everything that begins with C in your company, you are not actually on your own: those friends who already know you, are already there, and who better to motivate you and help you define what makes you stand out from the competition?

I will conclude this article with the Golden Rule, something I think not everyone is willing to apply to their business since it shows if it is a good or bad idea. It is a punch to the ego because if it is bad, it is hard to acknowledge that you failed. And if it has been showing a good value, you may stop caring about what can be done to provide a better product.

It is about doubling what is working, and killing what is not, as this affects how the customers feel about your product. When you have happy clients, they will refer your business to other people, and they will also reinvest in you!