I’m 24, and I’ve been building businesses since high school.
I started with Minecraft servers and graphic design, then moved into reselling sneakers, trading sports cards, making merch, running large social media brands, and launching my first e-commerce store. Eventually, I built a business that led to a low seven-figure exit at 20.
Since then, I’ve worked in corporate, worked for a startup, and gone back to working for myself. Almost everything I’ve done has revolved around online business. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the idea of entrepreneurship, MJs books, the lifestyle, earning more ETC..
I’ve been fortunate. I’ve travelled the world and had opportunities I’m grateful for but I'm exhausted. I think about online businesses constantly, im always on my phone coming up with new ideas, cant be present with family... there is no F*cking end to it. It's like chasing a ball down a hill. The honest truth. Your health will struggle - physical, mental etc especially if you're someone that likes the balance of life. The guys that I see win some of my friends, they're either so deeply passionate that they'd make love to the idea if they could- or they almost so focused it resembles autism not to mention they're okay with no family life, no girlfriend, not much friends, chronically online & great at video games. Now this doesn't seem important, but it is! These are your competitors.... If you can't hang figure out where you can...
Part of that is personal. Part of it is that I think the version of online entrepreneurship I fell in love with is changing. The golden age is over IMO. AI has killed it.
Right now, parts of online business feel like a race to the bottom: who can find an opening, move fastest, and extract the most money before everyone else catches up- fundamentally business has always been about extraction but now it just feels more deliberate.
From a marketing perspective, I keep coming back to convenience. People tend to take the easiest route to what they want. Why search through a book when you can find the answer online? Why sift through Google results when you can ask AI? Why make a decision if someone can make it for you? Im sure some of you will ask "well well there will be products for consumers because they dont want to make their own" TRUE. BUT GUESS WHAT. NOW THERES 30 PRODUCTS, marketing becomes the moat, margins thin similar to ecom. its inevitable id put all my $$$ on it. Personally I think worse.
I still think there will be opportunities. Some could be enormous, perhaps comparable to those created by the early internet. But I think it will take time to understand what sustainable businesses look like through this transition.
All of this has forced me to ask a more personal question: how much of my life am I willing to keep giving to this?
I’ve spent years building businesses and getting lost in the chase. From that experience, I think you have to be honest with yourself about your abilities, your circumstances, and what you’re willing to sacrifice. There is always a guy- that either has nothing to lose or is willing to sacrifice everything, and if you aren't.... you should really think about who your competition is. I DONT SAY THIS LIGHTLY.
I’m trying to work out where my own limit is. I know I can keep chasing the next opportunity. To me, there’s real strength in experiencing success, knowing you could pursue more, and still recognizing when it’s time to put it down. Ambition can take you far, but it can also wear you down be very deliberate about how you want to spend the next 10 years of your life.
PS, you feel nothing when the money hits your account 9/10 times lol... the 60k months feel the same as the 3k
I started with Minecraft servers and graphic design, then moved into reselling sneakers, trading sports cards, making merch, running large social media brands, and launching my first e-commerce store. Eventually, I built a business that led to a low seven-figure exit at 20.
Since then, I’ve worked in corporate, worked for a startup, and gone back to working for myself. Almost everything I’ve done has revolved around online business. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the idea of entrepreneurship, MJs books, the lifestyle, earning more ETC..
I’ve been fortunate. I’ve travelled the world and had opportunities I’m grateful for but I'm exhausted. I think about online businesses constantly, im always on my phone coming up with new ideas, cant be present with family... there is no F*cking end to it. It's like chasing a ball down a hill. The honest truth. Your health will struggle - physical, mental etc especially if you're someone that likes the balance of life. The guys that I see win some of my friends, they're either so deeply passionate that they'd make love to the idea if they could- or they almost so focused it resembles autism not to mention they're okay with no family life, no girlfriend, not much friends, chronically online & great at video games. Now this doesn't seem important, but it is! These are your competitors.... If you can't hang figure out where you can...
Part of that is personal. Part of it is that I think the version of online entrepreneurship I fell in love with is changing. The golden age is over IMO. AI has killed it.
Right now, parts of online business feel like a race to the bottom: who can find an opening, move fastest, and extract the most money before everyone else catches up- fundamentally business has always been about extraction but now it just feels more deliberate.
From a marketing perspective, I keep coming back to convenience. People tend to take the easiest route to what they want. Why search through a book when you can find the answer online? Why sift through Google results when you can ask AI? Why make a decision if someone can make it for you? Im sure some of you will ask "well well there will be products for consumers because they dont want to make their own" TRUE. BUT GUESS WHAT. NOW THERES 30 PRODUCTS, marketing becomes the moat, margins thin similar to ecom. its inevitable id put all my $$$ on it. Personally I think worse.
I still think there will be opportunities. Some could be enormous, perhaps comparable to those created by the early internet. But I think it will take time to understand what sustainable businesses look like through this transition.
All of this has forced me to ask a more personal question: how much of my life am I willing to keep giving to this?
I’ve spent years building businesses and getting lost in the chase. From that experience, I think you have to be honest with yourself about your abilities, your circumstances, and what you’re willing to sacrifice. There is always a guy- that either has nothing to lose or is willing to sacrifice everything, and if you aren't.... you should really think about who your competition is. I DONT SAY THIS LIGHTLY.
I’m trying to work out where my own limit is. I know I can keep chasing the next opportunity. To me, there’s real strength in experiencing success, knowing you could pursue more, and still recognizing when it’s time to put it down. Ambition can take you far, but it can also wear you down be very deliberate about how you want to spend the next 10 years of your life.
PS, you feel nothing when the money hits your account 9/10 times lol... the 60k months feel the same as the 3k
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