My hands were shaking as I clicked “delete” on my third failed website. Three years of trying, $15,000 gone, and nothing to show for it. That night, I ate microwave ramen and wondered if I should just give up and get a regular job. Spoiler alert: I didn’t. And what finally worked wasn’t what all those fancy business gurus talk about.
Remember Beanie Babies? That’s how old my first business idea was. I spent six months creating fancy digital planners. They had stickers, cool fonts, and everything! I thought people would throw money at me. Reality check: I sold exactly two. One to my mom and one to my cousin Sarah (thanks, guys).
What went wrong? I never asked if anyone actually wanted digital planners. I spent way too much time making them “perfect”. My marketing plan was basically “post on Facebook and pray”.
This time I followed some business guru’s exact blueprint for success. You know the type — they’re always on yachts talking about their “foolproof system.” I built an online course about photography (even though I’m only okay with it). The guru said “Everyone’s buying courses!” Spent $5,000 on ads. Made $147 back. Ouch. “Just look at what’s working and copy it!” Bad advice I followed.
I tried selling workout plans online because fitness influencers were making banks. Plot twist: Nobody wants fitness advice from someone whose idea of exercise is running to catch the ice cream truck.
One day, while fixing my neighbor’s computer, it hit me. I’m good at explaining tech stuff to people who hate technology. And lots of older folks struggle with their computers. I started making simple videos showing people over 50 how to:
Not sexy. Not trendy. But guess what? It worked.
Why This Business Actually Succeeded: I solved a real problem I understood. I helped people who actually needed help. I wasn’t trying to get rich quick. I stopped copying others and did my own thing.
I have also noticed huge success on Medium lately — my views grew surprisingly fast using a specific posting strategy. I made a Medium Growth Checklist of what worked for me if you want to try the platform.
But here’s what matters more — I get messages like “Thanks to your video, I can FaceTime with my grandkids now!” The weird truth? Success feels boring. No champagne popping. No yacht parties. Just me, making videos in my spare room, helping people not get frustrated with their computers.
Some real talk: Most days I work in my pajamas. Sometimes I still worry it’ll all disappear. My friends still don’t really understand what I do. I still eat microwave ramen (but now because I like it).
Stop trying to build a “successful business.” Instead: And yeah don’t forget to check the Medium Growth Checklist. It’s the exact blueprint I wish I had when I started — no fluff, just pure, actionable strategies that have helped me gain over 4500 followers in the last 40 days.
My failed businesses were me trying to be someone else. My successful business is just me being helpful. That’s it. Not fancy. Not revolutionary. But it works. And those three failures? They taught me more than success ever could. Though I still wish they hadn’t cost so much money. (Sorry, savings account!)
Now when people ask about my “entrepreneurship journey,” I tell them the truth: Sometimes the best business isn’t the one you dream up — it’s the one that’s right in front of you, helping real people with real problems. Even if that problem is just showing someone how to make their computer stop making that weird noise.
