How I Built a $1M Business From a Starbucks

Introduction

Discover the incredible journey of building a million-dollar business from a Starbucks, overcoming self-doubt and procrastination. Learn the inspiring story of Pat Walls and his path to success.

Pat Walls’ Business Journey

• Six years ago, Pat Walls started a business which now makes over a million dollars a year, built inside of a Starbucks while working a full-time job.

• Despite having only two hours a day to work on his business, due to his nine-to-five job, Pat was plagued by self-doubt and didn’t believe he could succeed.

• In the summer of 2017, at 26 years old, Pat was earning six figures in New York City but felt that something wasn’t right, as he was doing the same routine every day at work.

• He found something that changed his life forever, and today he shares his journey as Pat Walls in his starter story.

Feeling Lost in My Work

• Every day, I feel empty and unfulfilled in my work, which I know is not my true calling.

• I spend my free time dreaming about quitting my job and starting my own business, but I don’t know where to start.

• I struggle with finding a good business idea, determining its profitability, and taking the first step.

• Unable to find answers online, I had an epiphany to turn my questions into a product by researching successful businesses and sharing my findings on a blog.

• Initially, I didn’t expect it to become significant, but the idea kept lingering in my mind for months.

Struggling with Procrastination

• The author struggles with procrastination and has a hard time starting on a new idea.

• Every day, the author passes by a Starbucks on the way home, intending to stop in, order a drink, and work on the idea.

• However, the author consistently fails to go inside, opting instead to go home, watch Netflix for hours, and then go to bed.

• The Starbucks symbolizes the fear of the unknown and the reluctance to confront it.

• After reading ‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport, the author realizes the need for deep focus to accomplish challenging tasks.

• This realization prompts the author to put together a plan to address the lack of focus.

Building a Routine for Deep Work

• The author commits to a routine of deep work at a Starbucks every day, setting a timer for two hours to focus on their work.

• They find themselves in a flow state, completely absorbed in their work and making progress effortlessly.

• After a month of this routine, they come up with the concept for Starter Story and secure the domain starterstory.com.

The Journey of Building an Online Business

• The journey of building an online business starts with launching a website and creating initial content.

• After a few months, the focus shifts to building an audience through strategies like starting a newsletter and working on marketing.

• The turning point comes when a story goes viral, leading to a significant increase in website traffic and newsletter subscribers.

• As the audience grows, the focus turns towards monetization through strategies like sponsorships and affiliate revenue.

• The journey reinforces the understanding of how online businesses work and brings a sense of confidence and enjoyment in the process.

• Despite the unexpected traction, the new challenge becomes figuring out sustainable monetization amidst the dominance of VC-backed tech giants.

Understanding Business Growth and Monetization

• To understand how to grow a business from $0 to $5,000 or $10,000 a month, it’s important to read case studies of successful online businesses.

• Starter Story provides over 4,000 case studies and business breakdowns of successful online businesses, showing their revenue and how they started.

• The platform offers insights into building a business to different revenue levels, from $5,000 to even a million dollars a month, through real success stories.

• Many successful businesses make money through sponsorships, as highlighted in the case studies, providing valuable insights for monetization strategies.

• The CEO of Klaviyo, a successful company, reached out to Starter Story, acknowledging the platform’s value and progress sharing, indicating the impact of such resources.

Email Sponsorship Joy and Doubt

• Receiving an email about potential sponsorship from Klaviyo was exciting, especially when they offered $12,000.

• Receiving such a large sum when living paycheck to paycheck felt surreal and overwhelming.

• The money was a result of hard work and dedication, leading to a sense of accomplishment and feeling like a millionaire.

• Excitement turned to doubt and fear, questioning if it was a mistake or just luck.

Making a Life-Changing Decision

• The decision to invest $12,000 represented a pivotal moment in the speaker’s life.

• It signified a choice between playing it safe with a full-time job or taking a risk and pursuing their own venture.

• After months of deliberation, the speaker realized that they wanted to build something for themselves, rather than contributing to someone else’s dream.

• This realization led to the decision to resign from their job and go all-in on their own venture, Starter Story.

• This marked the beginning of a five-year journey that ultimately resulted in building Starter Story into a million-dollar business.

• Since then, the speaker has never looked back and has found success in pursuing their own path.

Building a Million Dollar Business

• The speaker faced failure before achieving success, emphasizing the importance of consistent action and perseverance.

• Regularly working at Starbucks allowed the speaker to give themselves a chance to get lucky, leading to a significant financial breakthrough.

• The email confirming a $12,000 deal marked a turning point, motivating the speaker to fully commit to their business.

• The speaker humorously mentions Starbucks sponsoring the video before clarifying their actual sources of income, including affiliate marketing.

• The segment concludes with a lighthearted comment as the speaker abruptly ends the recording.

Conclusion

Embark on the journey of overcoming self-doubt and procrastination to build a million-dollar business from a Starbucks. Find inspiration and motivation for your own entrepreneurial aspirations through Pat Walls’ incredible story.

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