I feel like the moonshot or bust VC startup mindset is the problem here. The startup fantasy is that you're going to take investment to build a multi-billion dollar company. But most people don't need anything close to a billion dollars to do everything they want in life, so it's unfortunate that many peoples' idea of entrepreneurship is tangled up in this unicorn playbook. This version of entrepreneurship is just a status game for young white men, and the rest of us should probably consider other options.
Most middle class people would be radically more secure and happy with only a few million dollars over our current level of wealth. It sounds like a tall order, but it's a pretty low bar in the world of business. There's a huge range of financial outcomes that would be amazing success for individuals that would be miserable failures for a VC-funded company. Those are the sweet spot, because they change your life without attracting VC-backed competition.
So I see the question as: What is the easiest and most predictable way to reach my wealth target in the next 3-4 years instead of the next 30-40 years? Trading time for money won't get me there. The best answer I've come across is to create a simple idea for subscription physical product or micro-SaaS, validate the customer need, presell, then build/manufacture, and sell the shit out of it. Emphasis on selling not building.
People like to look down on the "lifestyle" business, but this seems like the best option for most people because it can be a vehicle to accumulate a life-changing amount of wealth (millions not billions) without the expectation from VC gatekeepers that you will be sacrificing every other part of your life at the alter of the business. As long as you're not yolked to the expectations of investors, you can scale your effort on the business up or down as your life and ambition dictate.
The blog is about female founders specifically. What's wrong with that? If you're implying they shouldn't be founders, then what you're saying is patronizing, and if you're not, then it's off topic.
Most middle class people would be radically more secure and happy with only a few million dollars over our current level of wealth. It sounds like a tall order, but it's a pretty low bar in the world of business. There's a huge range of financial outcomes that would be amazing success for individuals that would be miserable failures for a VC-funded company. Those are the sweet spot, because they change your life without attracting VC-backed competition.
So I see the question as: What is the easiest and most predictable way to reach my wealth target in the next 3-4 years instead of the next 30-40 years? Trading time for money won't get me there. The best answer I've come across is to create a simple idea for subscription physical product or micro-SaaS, validate the customer need, presell, then build/manufacture, and sell the shit out of it. Emphasis on selling not building.
People like to look down on the "lifestyle" business, but this seems like the best option for most people because it can be a vehicle to accumulate a life-changing amount of wealth (millions not billions) without the expectation from VC gatekeepers that you will be sacrificing every other part of your life at the alter of the business. As long as you're not yolked to the expectations of investors, you can scale your effort on the business up or down as your life and ambition dictate.