Let’s talk about what really builds a business.

Okay. Let’s cut the fluff.

If you’re a creator, coach, or personal brand trying to build a business, not just a following, there’s one brutal question you have to answer:

What’s the fastest way to get someone to pay you?

Most creators get it backward

They start by building a brand. Post content, chase likes, tweak colors, buy a new mic.

That’s fun. It feels like you’re doing something. But most of it is playing entrepreneur, not actually building a business.

Because business starts with revenue. And revenue starts with solving a painful problem that people will pay to fix.

The harsh truth about your “strategy”

A lot of creators think they’re being strategic because they post consistently or have a polished site.

But strategy is not your aesthetic. It’s not your vibe. It’s not your content calendar. A real strategy is how you turn all that effort into income.

And like Hormozi says, the most important part isn’t your offer. It’s making sure there’s a market that actually wants your stuff.

So, how do you build a real strategy?

My simple advice is to start simple. 

Here’s the quick breakdown that’s built more businesses (mine included) than any vision board ever did:

1. What problem do you solve? Is it urgent enough that people will pay to fix it now, not someday?
2. Who exactly has this problem? Not ‘everyone who wants to be happier.’ Be painfully specific. Who feels this pain most acutely?
3. How do you solve it better or differently than anyone else? That’s your unique approach. Your method. Your reason people choose you.
4. How do you get in front of them? Which platform do they already hang out on? Where have your best clients come from before?
5. What offer do you make them? Is it a simple call? A workshop? A low-barrier starter product that builds trust?

Why most creators fail here

Because it’s easier to keep creating free stuff than it is to risk hearing ‘no’ on a paid offer.

It’s easier to look busy than to actually test if your business idea works. So don’t overcomplicate this. Don’t write a 20-page doc that never gets executed.

Put a simple hypothesis in place:

I think [this audience] will pay me to solve [this problem] using [this offer].

Then test it. If it flops, adjust. If it hits, double down.

Here’s how I learned it the hard way

When I decided to scale my YouTube business, I poured six intense months into creating my first online course. Recorded hundreds of videos. Designed every slide. I was ecstatic to finally launch it.

But the result… Crickets. No sales. Just me, staring at the screen, wondering what went wrong. I had no idea how to actually sell it.

It wasn’t until I got painfully clear on a few things:

Who exactly I was helping– people building online courses and webinars, just like I was.

The painful problem they had-  they weren’t getting enough leads, their launches were flopping, and they didn’t know how to fix it.

And the simplest way they could pay me to solve it- through webinars that did the selling for them.

That’s when everything changed.

My first rough, awkward webinars still pulled in sales. $5K months turned into six-figure launches.

Not because I was more talented. Just because I finally had a real, testable strategy — and was willing to execute it.

So here’s your gut check

• Do you know exactly what problem you’re solving and for whom?
• Is your strategy written down simply, like a napkin sketch that lays out exactly how your business turns interest into income?
•  Have you tested it enough to see if it’s valid, or are you still guessing?

If you can’t answer those clearly, you’re not running a business yet. You’re playing at it.

Let’s get off the content hamster wheel and build a real business that supports your life.

If this hit home for you, and you want more of the real stuff no one tells you…Hit subscribe on my YouTube channel. I break down exactly how I went from nearly losing my house to building a business that runs and pays me whether I’m working or not.