Unsure What Business to Start? Here’s Your Clarity

📸 On a call with a client… I’m very grateful to be able to do something I love

Ever felt stuck, wanting to start your own thing but clueless about exactly what to start? That was me, for years.

I was reading or watching YouTube videos, and I was often hearing things like “do what you love” or “do what you’re passionate about.”

Ok, I get the idea, but I never found this advice super practical or easy to implement.

There are things that I like; I have passions… but “making something out of it” isn’t always straightforward.

So today, I’m going to share with you what worked for me, and what I think can be a good way to implement this, so you can get started too.

---

In an ideal world, you want to be at the intersection of four things:

• what you love ❤️

• what you’re good at 💪🏼

• what people need 🌍

• what people are willing to pay for 💰

The magical intersection of these four elements is what the Japanese call your Ikigai, which translates roughly to your ‘reason for being’.

🖼️ Illustration of the Ikigai concept

If you manage to “be in this space,” it’s ideal:

• You get to work on something you’re passionate about.

• You get to work on something you’re good at, which makes the experience more enjoyable and should satisfy your clients.

• You get to actually serve a need, hence help people.

• And, cherry on top, people will give you money in exchange for what you do for them!

Awesome, right? 🎯

However, let’s be real—this is far from the reality for the majority of the population. I don’t know many people who get to be in this magical space.

I don’t see myself fully there just yet, though I’m probably closer than I’ve ever been. I’d have to reflect on that to identify what’s missing and how I can get there (but that’s a story for another post 😉).

Let’s explore these four circles now, and figure out how we can get you as close as possible to the center. For a twist, I’ll actually go in reverse order.

---

What people need

People probably won’t give you money if they don’t need what you offer (apart maybe from your mom or your BFF 😉).

You need to provide a service or product people need. You could always offer something they want (but don’t necessarily need), but that will be a harder sell, and your offer would have to be extremely good to convince them to pay.

There are ways to do this—we all buy plenty of things we want but don’t really need if we’re honest.

But when you sell something people truly need, the “convincing” is much easier, and your clients—assuming they have a good experience with you and your offer—are more likely to purchase again or recommend you.

Personal example: I think my current web design service is a great illustration of this. I work with non-techy people who want a website. But they don’t want to deal hosting, updates, maintenance, plugins, etc. Just the thought of all this gives them headaches. That’s why, instead of just charging a flat rate to build their website, I offer a subscription service where I take care of everything for my clients! When I “pitch” it to the right people, the answer is usually “Yes, this is exactly what I need”.

Journaling Prompts ✍️

Here are prompts to help you identify problems worth solving:

• What problems in the world frustrate or move you most?

• Where do you feel you could genuinely make a difference?

• What positive change would you love to contribute to?

---

What people are willing to pay for

I want to start with this one for a simple reason. If your plan is to make a living out of your project—and run a business—then you need to generate profits. For that, there aren’t many ways around it: you need people paying for what you offer.

Personal example: When my wife and I lived in Miami, we did dog boarding in our apartment. At the same time, my wife had a studio photography business at home. One day, her studio was up and we were looking after the dog, she took some super cute pictures of the dog, just for fun. We showed them to the owner, and he wanted to pay us. We were sort of confused. We did it again and got the same reaction. We started a business and created ‘Portraits of Poochies’!

🖼️ What we want potential clients to shout 😂

Journaling Prompts ✍️

Here are some prompts to help validate there’s a market:

• What services or products have you paid for that you could provide?

• What do you see people constantly asking for help or advice with online?

• Where do your skills or interests overlap with what others value financially?

---

These two points (willingness to pay and need) are fairly intertwined, so I want to add a couple of things to focus your thought process:

• There’s a saying in business: “Create a painkiller, not a vitamin.” It means it’s much easier to sell something that actually solves a pain point or problem, rather than just providing a little extra bonus. Both are possible and exist, but the painkiller is an easier and more sustainable approach (easier to “pitch,” with higher chances to survive economic turmoil).

• Usually, people are willing to pay for something they genuinely need. 🤷‍♂️

---

What you’re good at

Let’s be honest—it would be very hard and make little sense to start a business in something you suck at! 😅

Not that you can’t learn and get better… but the start would be pretty tough if you have no clue how to deliver your offer properly. It takes a lot of time to get a business up and running and make it sustainable—longer than people think. If you’re not good at what you’re planning to do, I hope you have a super high dose of patience!

Running a business is hard because it requires tons of various skills on top of “your craft.”

If you’re good at other stuff but not the craft you’re focusing on, one idea can be to partner with someone who complements your skills. That way, you have more areas covered.

But please, do yourself a favor and don’t take onboard the first person you find on Reddit. Having a business partner is as close as it gets to having a spouse, especially in the early days—so pick carefully. 😉

All this to say, if you’re good at what you want to do, you’re doing yourself a huge favor!

For that, look at two things:

• What you’ve been learning and doing, and feel comfortable with.

• What people come to you for—because you might not see yourself as good at something, but others might.

Personal example: for this one, I’ll take the example of my business consulting. It wasn’t something that was obvious to me. However, every time my wife Rosie needed help with something that falls into her “boring stuff” bucket, she comes to me for help… and I usually figure it out in 5 minutes. And since I started paying attention, I noticed a lot of people come to me for help like this. Finding the right tool to do something, organizing or optimizing processes, knowing the current relevant strategies, or simply solving any sort of problems. She told me many times, “You should charge for this, as you’re obviously good at it.” For me, it’s just part of who I am - part of being curious and nerdy - but as she pointed out, it’s also a valuable skillset which I can help others with.

Journaling Prompts ✍️

Here are prompts to help uncover your skills and strengths:

• What skills or talents come easily to you or others often compliment?

• What problems do people regularly ask you for help with?

• What have you improved at over the years without being forced?

---

What you love

This is the real cherry on top. 🍒 I say that because many people meet the first three criteria, but ultimately they hate what they do (or at least the organization or environment they’re in).

The magic behind Ikigai, that I think more people should focus on, is finding something they genuinely love.

I know everything isn’t unicorns and rainbows. We can’t love something all the time, but if you can at least find pleasure and joy in the mission you pursue… you’re in a good place.

I think this is the hardest piece of the puzzle, though.

Why?

Because people often struggle to identify what they truly love or are passionate about. It’s easy to pick “superficial” or mundane things we enjoy, but that doesn’t mean those things are suitable for business.

For this, you’re going to have to dig deep because no one else can tell you. You know yourself better than anyone else, believe it or not.😉

I think the best way to find your passion is to try as many things as possible. We often limit ourselves to what we already know and do. But what if your real passion is yet unknown?

We aren’t born with passions; we discover them throughout our lives by being exposed to new experiences. This usually happens in our younger years as we try many things as kids and teens to understand who we are. But often, somewhere in our adult life, we lose this sense of exploration and settle for what we already know.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

I believe in being a lifelong learner. Every time you feel an itch to explore something, go for it! Experiment. If you don’t feel the itch, challenge yourself to try something new at least two or three times per year.

You could be one trial away from finding your lifelong passion! 🚀

Personal example: I’m lucky to do something that I love at the moment. I get to use my skills to help people get unstuck in their business or their personal life. I find that fun. I would do it for free all day long. This is a no-brainer. Unfortunately I cannot do it for free because life isn’t free, so I need to charge. But if money wasn’t necessary, I would. It fills my cup, it challenges me, it excites me… it lights up a fire in me. What I do now fits perfectly with my personality and natural interests.

Journaling Prompts ✍️

Here are some prompts that can help you find what lights you up and brings you joy:

• What activities make you feel most alive and fulfilled?

• If money and time weren’t an issue, how would you spend your days?

• What topics or hobbies do you naturally gravitate toward?

---

To wrap it up, I want to emphasize that this process is far from trivial. 🚧

It takes time. You probably won’t get it right the first time.

Even if you find something that checks all the boxes, it might not work out the way you expect, because many other factors come into play (how you execute the idea, how you build your offer, how you communicate about it, etc.).

But all those things can be learned and improved as you go.

This “guide” gives you a framework to build solid foundations and gain clarity on what you could work on. It should also give you confidence that what you’ve picked is based on thoughtful reflection, supporting your endeavor—ultimately helping with motivation, establishing your mission, your WHY, and more.

After all that, whether you decide to take the leap or not is up to you. A lot of mindset work comes into play to make that happen! 🌟

👉 Now grab your notebook, dive into these prompts, and let yourself dream and plan. Your Ikigai might be closer than you think!