Before You Start: A Reality Check

What People Really Want to Know Before They Start a Business (and What They Actually Need to Hear)

Everyone wants to start a business.
No one wants to start a business.

They want freedom, but they want certainty. They want success, but they don’t want the part where you fail five times and sleep next to your overdraft.

So let’s save everyone a bit of pain, shall we? Here’s what people think they want to know before starting a business — and what they actually need to hear instead.

💰 “Can starting a business make me rich?”

Yes, technically. But so can robbing a bank — the odds aren’t much better.

The problem is that everyone starts for the outcome and not the engine. You see someone on Instagram with a watch, a laptop, and a latte and think: “I’ll have some of that.”

You don’t see the systems that hold that person’s life together. The spreadsheets, the sleepless nights, the tax bill the size of a small car.

Money doesn’t make you free. Systems do.
If you don’t know what you’re building or how you’ll run it when it works, you’re not starting a business — you’re starting a breakdown.

🧾 “Can it help with taxes?”

Sort of. You’ll find out very quickly that “tax deductible” doesn’t mean “free.”

Running a business is like dating HMRC: complicated, expensive, and full of regret. Yes, you can offset some things. No, you can’t buy a Ferrari and call it “marketing.”

Get an accountant early. A good one will save you. A bad one will end up in your nightmares, whispering “self-assessment” every January.

🧍‍♂️ “Should I start with a partner?”

Only if you’d also share a toothbrush with them.

Partnerships fail more than they flourish — not because people are bad, but because founders rarely define boundaries.
If you can’t talk about equity, roles, or pay before launch, you’ll definitely fight about it after.

Test your partnership like an MVP. Do one project. Share one client. See how it feels when it goes wrong — because it will.
A good partner complements your chaos. A bad one amplifies it.

🚀 “What do I need to get started?”

Not a logo. Not a website. Not a course.

You need proof. Proof that what you’re offering matters to someone enough that they’d give you money.

That’s your MVP — Minimum Viable Proof.
Start small, start ugly, start with something that looks like it was built in a garage (because it probably was).

Business isn’t about perfection; it’s about movement. The first version should be embarrassing. The second one should fix that. The third one should make you money.

🧠 “When do I pay myself?”

When you can.
When you’ve earned it.
When it doesn’t kill your runway.

In the beginning, founders live off fumes and hope. Paying yourself too early is like eating your seed funding before planting anything.

But — and this is important — if you never pay yourself, you’re building a charity, not a business.
Structure it, plan it, schedule it. Be your own bloody employee.

🪫 “Why is starting a business so hard?”

Because it’s meant to be.

You’re unlearning every comfort you were taught in employment. You don’t get told when to start, when to stop, or when to go home.
If you’re not careful, you’ll turn your new “freedom” into a 100-hour week with yourself as the world’s worst boss.

The hardest part isn’t the risk — it’s the discipline.
Building a business is an emotional marathon. You’ll question your purpose, your sanity, and your Wi-Fi connection in equal measure.

But if you build systems early — routines, rules, habits — they’ll save you before your motivation runs out.
And it will run out.

💬 “Who should I talk to before starting?”

Everyone. But listen to almost no one.

Everyone has advice. Very few have experience.
Talk to founders who’ve failed — not the ones who only post the glossy bits.

Find mentors who ask better questions than they give answers.
Find community — people who remind you you’re not crazy for wanting more.
And find people who’ll call you out when you start believing your own bullshit.

☕ “Will starting a business make me happy?”

No. Not in the way you think.

It’ll break you before it builds you.
It’ll strip you down to your worst traits and make you rebuild them into something stronger.

The joy doesn’t come from money or titles — it comes from knowing you built something real. That your work means something.
And if you’re lucky, it gives you time.
Time to sit by the sea. Time to be with your kids. Time to breathe.

That’s the real win. That’s what all this madness is for.

🧩 The truth no one tells you

Most people don’t fail because they had a bad idea.
They fail because they didn’t build a system around it.

Every idea can work. Even the stupid ones — pet rocks, glitter bombs, rent-a-chicken.
It’s the structure, the planning, and the follow-through that turn “maybe” into money.

If you want to start a business, start by building the system that will hold it together. The rest is just noise.

Unfounded Truth:
Starting a business won’t save you. But it will show you.
Who you are, how you think, what you’re made of.

And that’s where the real work begins.

📖 If this hit home, “Unfounded” goes deeper. It’s the book for anyone brave (or mad) enough to build something real.