If you’ve ever tried to start an online business and then stopped, stalled, or second-guessed yourself....this post will help you understand why. Most people don’t fail because they’re lazy, unmotivated, or incapable. They get stuck because they run into the same predictable problems that almost no one talks about clearly. Below are the 10 most common problems people face when trying to start an online business, especially if you’re mid-career, experienced, and have already tried a few things before. If several of these hit close to home, that’s normal. It's also fixable. 𝟏. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 This is the #1 problem. And why this community exists. Too many ideas. Too many opinions. Too many “proven” models online. So instead of choosing one, people stay stuck choosing none. The clarity you're searching for comes from filtering down to what actually fits you. Not by adding more options. 2. 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 Research feels productive… but it often becomes a hiding place. And if you're not careful, you might never escape. People get stuck comparing tools, platforms, niches, and business models instead of making progress. Overthinking creates the illusion of safety. It's killing your business dreams. 3. 𝑳𝒐𝒘 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒔 Many people aren’t starting from zero. They’re starting from disappointment. Previous side hustles that didn’t work leave scars: “Maybe I’m just not good at this.” “I should be further along by now.” That baggage slows everything down. 4. 𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 Time hits differently once you’re in your 40s or 50s. Every new idea feels like a gamble. People worry they don’t have the runway to “figure it out” anymore. This fear often leads to total paralysis. 5. 𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 (𝑨𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏) We've all bought them... Courses Software Coaching Tools Many people have already spent money trying to get something off the ground and didn’t get results. So now every investment feels risky, even when the real issue wasn’t the tool, but the lack of clarity and execution.

If you’re trying to decide what online business to start in 2026, this post is meant to help you make that decision today - not “someday in January.” Most people don’t fail because they lack motivation. They fail because they start the year without making a decision. “I want to start an online business” isn’t a decision. “I’ll figure it out as I go” isn’t a strategy. So let’s simplify this and actually do something about it. DECIDE Right now, pick one of the options below. No overthinking. No explaining. A) I’m building a business around skills I already have B) I’m turning a problem I’ve solved into a paid offer C) I’m choosing ONE idea to explore seriously for the next 30 days D) I’m staying stuck because I refuse to choose (Yes… D is still a decision.) COMMIT For the next 30 days, you agree to: - stop chasing new ideas - stop consuming random business content - stop restarting from zero You stay in the lane you chose. FOCUS Your only focus is this question: - Who do I help, and what problem do I help them solve? That’s it. No branding. No tech stack. This is how people actually break the cycle. If 2026 is going to be different, it won’t be because of motivation. It’ll be because you finally made, and honored, a decision. Comment A, B, C, or D below. No explanations. Just choose.

Over the last couple of weeks I asked a simple question in here: Would you be interested in learning how to use a Skool community to validate an idea and turn it into a paid offer? A lot of you said yes. So I’m building it. This is NOT a course you watch and forget. This is a 90-day execution environment where we actually do this together. I don’t have every detail finalized yet but I do know this: This will be focused on one thing… helping you go from idea → audience → validated offer, without overthinking it. This will not be available publicly. The only way to get access is through this community. For now, I’m opening a waitlist. No payment. No commitment. Just a raised hand. If you want to be considered, you must do one thing: 👇 Vote YES on the poll below. That’s it. As I build this, all updates will go to the people on that list first. More coming soon.

@Scott Gray asked a really good question inside the community: When you’re promoting a lead magnet do you promote the lead magnet on its own or ask people to join the community and give them the lead magnet inside? Short answer: I’ve done both. There’s no right or wrong. I recorded a short video to illustrate this. When you’re starting from zero... no audience/funnel... the community itself is the lead magnet. Not the PDF. Not the checklist. Not the Google Doc. The space is the value. Later, when you actually understand what people are struggling with, that’s when it makes sense to put a lead magnet inside the community. That’s exactly how I’m running this group now: - The community is the front door - The lead magnet lives in the classroom - Everyone still gives an email (this part matters) If building funnels and pages feels overwhelming right now…don’t overcomplicate it. Open a free Skool community. Promote it. Collect emails. Learn what people actually want. Then build from there. I break this down in the short video below and explain why this is the simplest way to get unstuck. Huge thanks to Scott for asking the question, this is exactly how this group is meant to work. If you’ve got follow-ups on lead magnets, funnels, or communities… drop them below.

Hi everybody, I have a question: for promoting a lead magnet are you promoting the lead magnet on its own or are you asking people to join your community then maybe they get the lead magnet inside the community?