A Founder's Lens Kickoff
Setting Expectations While Debunking Guru Myths and Methodologies
Hello, and welcome to A Founder’s Lens! This is a series I’ve launched about starting a business, all grounded in my own experience founding my own consulting practice, SarNDipity Solutions. I can’t wait to kick things off!
Expectation Setting and Disclaimers
I’ll start by setting a few expectations. First, the information I will share best applies to business types you can launch with minimal requirements, namely, your time, existing expertise and basic technology. Examples include consulting and professional services, knowledge-based products (i.e., ebooks and online courses), and affiliate marketing and sales partnerships. We’ll explore these offerings further later in this series. What I won’t cover are topics like leasing or purchasing a physical space, managing large inventory like kitchen or manufacturing equipment, or hiring employees. (If you are interested in these topics, I’m happy to direct you toward resources to explore independently.)
The content of this series is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a licensed financial or legal professional, and my recommendations are intended to serve as a mere starting point in your exploration. Before making significant career or financial shifts, I strongly encourage you to consult with qualified professionals, your loved ones and own intuition to ensure the path aligns with your specific situation.
The guidelines I’ll provide can be applied toward a business that supplements a full or part-time job (often referred to as a side hustle), serves as an interim or bridge to another opportunity, or is pursued as your primary focus. There’s no right or wrong choice, and each has its own challenges along with countless upsides. Only you can decide what is right for you and your personal circumstances.
The Guru Messaging You Won’t Find Here
Now that we’ve reviewed program guidelines, I want to address any skepticism you may have based on other sources of business “advice” you may have seen. Specifically, I’m referring to the self-described “gurus” promising financial independence and opportunities to retire to Thailand or Costa Rica – if you sign up for their ten step guide or program in the next ten minutes. While these resources may offer some value, I take issue with the way most are packaged and presented. I could write extensively about my frustrations over this style of messaging, but doing so would just fuel the emotions that drive sales of this type of content. Instead, I’ll express my primary criticisms and shift toward presenting my alternative approach.
First, many sellers promising eight-figure sales outcomes or similar results are establishing benchmarks that can seem overwhelming and beyond the reach of a first-time entrepreneur. Promises like these can thus spark feelings of anxiety and imposter syndrome, themes I’ll address extensively throughout this series. As a result, many would-be entrepreneurs feel discouraged from taking any steps to bring their ideas to fruition, leading down an endless spiral of self-doubt and further inaction.
I know this from my own experience. I felt trapped in this holding pattern for years, and often still do – most recently while writing this post! It was only once I began creating blueprints for Publio that I realized, I could do this for myself, too. So if the feelings I describe resonate, know you aren’t alone here. Keep reading for strategies you can adopt moving forward, because the only way we can soften overhyped scare tactics is to offer a different perspective.
This point leads to my second critique of these approaches – they assume that every person’s dream involves speaking to sold out audiences and being managed by a network of agents and personal assistants. Personally, that picture reads more like a nightmare, not reflective of my intrinsic motivations or strengths. I don’t say this to disparage anyone aspiring toward status, recognition and/or wealth – these are all perfectly valid motivators, and have led to many of the breakthroughs we appreciate today. They’re just not everyone’s primary drivers, so programs built around these promises alone won’t be effective for all audiences. As a result, we should think about how we can best cultivate talent and ideas within a population comprising a diverse spectrum of personality traits and abilities.
I’ve developed this series to service that space. In our next post, we’ll explore today’s evolving economic landscape and opportunities available. Ready? Make sure to follow and subscribe so we can unpack these trends together. Looking forward to seeing where this path takes us!