Four Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started

A new QuickBooks study says one in three Americans want to start a business this year. If you're one of them, come sit down with Uncle Pat for a minute. I've watched a lot of people launch. I've watched a lot of people fail.

Here are four things I wish someone had told me before I started.

You're in the sales business. Whatever you think your business is about, you're wrong. You're in the asking for money business. Your success will be directly proportional to the amount of effort you put into asking other people for money. If you're not willing to go out and sell, stay employed by someone who is.

Start lean. You want to open a coffee shop? Don't start with the coffee shop. Start with a farmer's market table. See if anyone cares. Validate before you sign the lease and your expenses explode.

Don't start with a partner. Every choice becomes a negotiation. You lose all your decision making autonomy. As a small business owner you’re making 1,000 calls each day and I cannot even conceive of running all by someone else - especially at startup. If you've got a partner, you've got someone you need to ask permission from.

Don't do it broke. I'm not saying you have to be wealthy. I'm saying be on stable footing. Because when expenses start popping up in the business, you don't want to come home to a pile of bills and a stressed out partner.

Ultimately, becoming an entrepreneur is about building a better LIFE - not building a better business. If you’re going into debt, hiding from sales, and building shaky financial footing at home, you’re not going to enjoy the experience.

Tweet of the week

Get a helmet, Alex Hormozi is coming in HOT!

BONUS Tweet of the week

This is just too funny not to share…

Deep Thought: Who are you NOT for?

There’s a bar in Tokyo called Tori Yaro and it put up a sign: "Under 40 only." Their reasoning? Older customers complain too much about the noise.

They know exactly who they serve - young people who want 55-yen drinks and a loud atmosphere. And they decided the customers who don't fit that profile aren't worth the headache.

Predictably, the internet lost its mind…and the bar is packed every night with exactly the customers they wanted.

I decided a while ago that the Small Business Owners Community would only admit Owners of businesses. I have a ton of respect for sales people, managers, and their employees. I want them all to do well. But, inside the SBOC, I want our members to be surrounded by others that uniquely understand their choices, lifestyle, and stress.

What about you? Who are you NOT for? And, if you stopped working with those people, how much better, lighter, and clearer would your business be?

I’d love to hear it if you’d share. If you don’t know yet, take a minute this week to figure it out.

Help: I’m Addicted to Using AI Agents

This week Claude Cowork optimized my Google My Business page. It researched best practices, logged into my account, analyzed what I had, told me what was wrong, and then fixed it. My GMB page had been a nagging task since 2023. Done in 30 minutes.

It also reorganized my entire YouTube channel. Unlisted hundreds of old videos that didn't make sense anymore, created playlists, updated the description and keywords. I just sat there with my popcorn and watched.

Since I’ve been babbling about AI (since March ‘23) I’ve been waiting for the moment where the AI would DO STUFF on it’s own. It’s finally here and Main Street America needs it. The tech circles are wringing their hands asking who's gonna teach small business owners how to use it all.

I will.

I'm taking on select clients one-on-one to speed run your AI expertise and install AI agents in their business. This isn’t a course or a webinar. This is one on one worok to get you exactly what you need from a “Crawl, Walk, Run,” perspective. We work together and you take a HUGE leap forward in automation to hasten your Fridays Off.

If you're curious, reply to this email and I can loop you in.

Businessing with Pat Miller is now DAILY at 11am CT!

We had a huge week last week, and we’re back hosting the new daily habit for small business owners.

The angle: This show isn’t about business. It’s a show about people who run a business and how we can lead a better small business lifestyle. I’ll keep you up to date on the news, tuned in to the latest strategies and tech, and you need get some interaction with your peers even though you’re crazy busy. Put it on in the background and get some stuff done. Pick a morning this week and join the fun.

Watch or listen:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@patmillerfridaysoff

• Apple Podcasts: "Businessing with Pat Miller"

• Spotify: "Businessing with Pat Miller"

See you at 11.

Now, GO SELL SOMETHING!

Pat