Hey guys, just joined the forum after reading 'Unscripted ' and wanted to intro myself...
First up, Unscripted was recommended by an X Account called 'Beauty of SaaS' which also has a substack, which I subscribe to. I was going on holiday and wanted a book to get stuck into, and this piqued by interest. And I'm so glad it did - think I'll look back on being able to fully commit to a book like this as a Godsend. So if you lurk here Beauty of SaaS - thank you!
The highlight for me was the value skew. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. And that framing has made everything in business and life make more sense to me. Thank you MJ!
A bit about me - I'm a 33 year old guy from London, UK. Already have one failed business under my belt, which was in 2021 - a restaurant, which I'm now glad didn't work out in a way. Since then I've been licking my wounds at a tech startup as a founding AE, which was, in hindsight, a smart move. Going into my 4th year at the company and working directly under the founders, who live by MJ's rules. Earnings are good + stable, I have equity, freedom and actually quite enjoy my job.
However, last year I got my biggest pay checks ever, and I realised it was never going to make me genuinely wealthy (especially in the UK right now) and I had to start taking more risks and planning to go it alone. I've had a niche I want to attack for a while now with a product that has a little competition but solves a problem, which is meaningful female gifting. That demographic spend the most, finding a meaningful gift is a need (they spend on average 1hr 30mins searching) and the marketing is clear. I'll position myself in the affordable premium or "Masstige" (Mass market + prestige) category, which is where the value skew will come in.
Going to run this as a side hustle with my GF who'll be the product / brand expert.
Which brings me onto a question... We're probably going to try for a baby this year, and I'm in two minds.
1) I have an inkling that being responsible for a child will give me a bigger purpose for having my own business, and motivate me more.
2) or will the added responsibility mean I have less time / energy and lifestyle creep will set in, and it'll be way harder for me to break free.
I guess there's no one answer, but I'd be interested to hear anyone's stories around how kids and a family affected their entrepreneurial goals!
Thanks!
First up, Unscripted was recommended by an X Account called 'Beauty of SaaS' which also has a substack, which I subscribe to. I was going on holiday and wanted a book to get stuck into, and this piqued by interest. And I'm so glad it did - think I'll look back on being able to fully commit to a book like this as a Godsend. So if you lurk here Beauty of SaaS - thank you!
The highlight for me was the value skew. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. And that framing has made everything in business and life make more sense to me. Thank you MJ!
A bit about me - I'm a 33 year old guy from London, UK. Already have one failed business under my belt, which was in 2021 - a restaurant, which I'm now glad didn't work out in a way. Since then I've been licking my wounds at a tech startup as a founding AE, which was, in hindsight, a smart move. Going into my 4th year at the company and working directly under the founders, who live by MJ's rules. Earnings are good + stable, I have equity, freedom and actually quite enjoy my job.
However, last year I got my biggest pay checks ever, and I realised it was never going to make me genuinely wealthy (especially in the UK right now) and I had to start taking more risks and planning to go it alone. I've had a niche I want to attack for a while now with a product that has a little competition but solves a problem, which is meaningful female gifting. That demographic spend the most, finding a meaningful gift is a need (they spend on average 1hr 30mins searching) and the marketing is clear. I'll position myself in the affordable premium or "Masstige" (Mass market + prestige) category, which is where the value skew will come in.
Going to run this as a side hustle with my GF who'll be the product / brand expert.
Which brings me onto a question... We're probably going to try for a baby this year, and I'm in two minds.
1) I have an inkling that being responsible for a child will give me a bigger purpose for having my own business, and motivate me more.
2) or will the added responsibility mean I have less time / energy and lifestyle creep will set in, and it'll be way harder for me to break free.
I guess there's no one answer, but I'd be interested to hear anyone's stories around how kids and a family affected their entrepreneurial goals!
Thanks!
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