Nobody’s Coming to Save You: The Unsexy Truth About Starting a Business

I wish someone had told me this when I started out:

Nobody is coming.

Not the perfect investor.

Not a mentor with a golden key.

Not some overnight success hack.

Not even the algorithm.

You’ve got ideas. Maybe even talent. Great.

But if you’re sitting around waiting for a “sign” or some magical moment when the stars align and you suddenly become ready, you’re going to be waiting forever.

That’s not how this works.

This is business. Not a fairy tale.

No One Hands You a Map

There’s a moment in every founder’s journey where you look around and realize… you’re alone. Not emotionally, I mean operationally. No one’s going to give you the checklist, the roadmap, or the perfect funnel. Even worst, there is going to be a lot of vultures trying to make coin offering unnecessary perks.

I still remember my first real product launch. I had the branding done, packaging, the assets ready, a shiny pitch deck, even a website I was proud of. But the night before launch, I sat there staring at my screen thinking:

“Wait. How the hell do I actually get people to see this?”

There was no marketing team. No agency. No budget. Just me, and the realization that every big decision from that point on had to come from my brain, my hands, and my ability to figure things out fast.

That’s the moment most people freeze.

But that’s also the moment where the real entrepreneurs keep going.

You Don’t Need Permission

So many brilliant ideas never see the light of day because someone’s waiting for permission. A sign. Validation. A green light from a friend, mentor, or imaginary panel of startup judges.

Here’s a hard truth: No one’s going to give you permission.

If anything, they’re more likely to project their fear onto you.

I once shared an early startup idea with a “business guy” at a dinner party, he scoffed and said, “Yeah, but that already exists. You’d be competing with giants.” Cool. So does coffee. And yet Starbucks and your favorite local café somehow co-exist.

What he really meant was: “I wouldn’t dare do that.”

And that’s fine. But don’t let other people’s comfort zones dictate your future.

You have to give yourself permission to start. Even if it’s messy, small, and half-baked. That’s how every good business begins.

The Tools Don’t Build the House

Let me put it this way: Canva won’t save you. Webflow won’t save you. ChatGPT, Notion, Framer, Slack, Airtable, ClickUp… none of them will save you.

Tools are just that. Tools. They don’t replace the part where you have to make a decision, put something out into the world, and ask someone to care.

I know it feels safe to sit behind your laptop and optimize things to death. It gives you the illusion of progress. But trust me: I’ve seen people build pixel-perfect brands with zero revenue for years. And I’ve seen scrappy founders launch ugly landing pages and close deals by Monday.

Here’s what actually builds the house:

• The email you send when you’re scared.

• The cold pitch that gets ignored.

• The uncomfortable ask.

• The experiment that flops, and the one that doesn’t.

That’s the game. And tools are only as useful as your willingness to use them to take action.

Show Up. Even When It’s Ugly.

The first version of your product won’t be beautiful. Your first pitch will be awkward. Your early pricing will probably suck. That’s the price of admission. Did you really think that you were going to nail it the first try? This is why I love being a musician. The tenacity and years of practice to be a better player is something everyone should have at the time of building a business.

I launched one of my first digital products with a design that looked like it was built in 2009 (because it kind of was). I cringe when I look at the screenshots now, but guess what? It sold. People paid. I learned. I made it better.

Too many people hide behind perfection. They want the brand to be polished, the messaging to be on point, the audience to be “ready.”

But that’s backwards.

Progress creates clarity—not the other way around.

So publish the post. Share the idea. Ship the thing. Even if it’s embarrassing. Especially if it’s embarrassing. Because if you can keep showing up when it’s not perfect, you’ll have zero competition in the long run.

Final Thought: Bet On Yourself

If you take one thing from this article, let it be this:

Start before you’re ready. And then don’t stop.

That’s it. That’s the secret.

Entrepreneurship is about placing a bet on your ability to figure things out, to learn fast, to recover faster. To solve problems without knowing all the answers. To say “yes” before you have a blueprint.

That’s what The Art of Being a Jack of All Trades is all about.

It’s not about being the best at everything. It’s about being good enough at enough things to make progress.

It’s about being dangerous across disciplines.

And it’s about building a business without waiting for someone to save you.

If you want more of this kind of no-fluff, real world business advice, go check out the book. It was written for people like you. The ones who know no one’s coming, and build anyway.

📘 Ready to launch your tech startup the smart way?

Grab your copy of Game Plan: Tech Startup Success on Amazon and take your first step toward building a profitable business that lasts.