How I’d Start a Business (If I Had to Start From Scratch)

Most people start a business because they want out of the 9 to 5. They want the laptop lifestyle. The freedom. The title. But if that’s your only reason—you’re already set up to fail.

I used to think the same way. I thought building a business was a milestone, like graduating or buying your first house. Something that would elevate my status, give me more control, and finally let me “live life on my terms.” I didn’t realize that business isn’t about you. It’s about other people.

Let me explain.

People only pay your business for one reason: they received something they found valuable. That’s it. You can build the most beautiful website, spend months developing the perfect product, and work 18-hour days trying to “make it”—but if people don’t see value, you don’t get paid.

Value is the only reason money moves. So the real question becomes: what do people find valuable?

It depends. Because value is subjective. It’s not what you think is valuable—it’s what they think is valuable. And that’s the trap. Most people start by thinking about what they want to do, what they think the world needs, and what business will feel good to build. They forget that customers don’t care about any of that.

A customer doesn’t pay you because you worked hard. They pay you because you solved something they care about.

Here’s an example. A company might spend thousands of dollars designing a service they think is amazing. They might pour weeks of work into it, pay contractors, and build a whole onboarding process. But if the customer tries it and thinks, “This isn’t what I needed,” that money and time are gone. It wasn’t valuable to them.

That’s when I realized: every business should start with one thing—the people you want to serve. Not your goals, not your status, not your desires. The market.

And not just any market. A specific group of people with a specific need that you want to solve. That’s your target market. That’s the only reason to start a business.

If your business is about you, your goals, your desire for freedom—it’ll stay a side project. If your business is about others, about serving a market better than anyone else—it becomes a real business.

Now, let’s go a layer deeper. Why do most people miss this?

Because they see business as a personal chapter in their life. They’re trying to “become” something: a founder, a boss, a digital nomad. And while there’s nothing wrong with that desire, it needs to come after value is created. That lifestyle is the reward for solving problems at scale—not the reason to start.

Real businesses are built with empathy. And you can’t empathize with people you don’t genuinely want to help.

You want to know why so many businesses fail or feel misaligned? Because they’re built around markets the founder doesn’t care about. They’re chasing trends, not people.

To build a business that lasts 30 years—or even 100—it has to be market-first. Customer-first. People-first.

And when the market shifts, great businesses shift with it. They don’t stick to their ego. They ask, “What does my market need now?” And they pivot, adapt, and innovate to meet that.

That’s what Apple did. People think they innovate to look cool or lead tech trends. But that’s not true. Apple innovates because they want to serve their customers better. They change the status quo only when it leads to better products for their people.

If they built features just for the sake of being different, no one would care. But because they’ve built trust with their market—because they’ve deeply understood their customers’ needs—they can create things people didn’t even know they needed yet.

That’s real empathy.

So, back to you.

If you're thinking of starting a business, the first thing you need to ask isn’t “What business should I build?” It’s “Who do I want to serve?”

Because once you’ve chosen who to serve, the rest becomes clearer.

• You find out what they need.

• You discover the problems they’re stuck on.

• You get close enough to them that you can feel what they’re feeling.

• And when you’re that close, you’ll know exactly how to help them.

That’s what builds great marketing. Great products. Great offers.

But here’s the caveat—you have to actually want to help them.

If you don’t like the people in your target market, you’ll subconsciously avoid empathizing with them. You won’t care about their dreams. You won’t take the time to feel their frustrations. And that will reflect in everything you do—from product design to content to customer service.

That’s why it’s so important to choose a target market you want to serve.

And that’s the part no one talks about. Most people just say “find a niche.” But the truth is, you don’t choose a niche—you choose people.

People you want to go deep with. People you want to spend years serving.

Because business isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about solving problems for people you care about.

So here’s what I want you to do:

If you’re just starting out—don’t build the business yet. First, decide who you want to serve.

Then ask:

• Do they have a problem?

• Do I have a skill or insight that can solve that problem?

• Can I create something valuable enough that they’ll happily pay for it?

• And can I make enough profit doing it to keep going?

If the answer is yes—you’ve found your business.

If you’re already running a business, ask yourself this: Am I still serving the people I set out to serve?

If not, maybe it’s time to pivot. Because you don’t want to wake up five years in, building something for people you don’t care about. That leads to burnout, resentment, and a business that feels heavy to run.

Build something around people you want to win with. People you’re excited to help.

Business is just a tool to serve others at scale.

Do that right, and the lifestyle you wanted at the start?
It becomes inevitable.