We often seem to confuse simple with easy, using the words interchangeably, when in fact they are two completely different things. I’ll explain.
If you want to start your own business, many things are often simple to go after but are far from easy. Landscaper, YouTuber, dog walker, shop owner, podcaster, etc… Regardless of if your pursuit is in the real world or the virtual one, is costly or cost-effective, many things are often simple to start.
However, I want to focus on the virtual world. The internet with all its glory has brought us an abundance of opportunities to create massive wealth in a relatively short time frame. No longer do we need to adhere to the outdated model of an office and a 9-5; the world is our oyster - and watch out Bali, here I come.
If you look at social media, it seems like people are profiting from the most random things and doing so with relative ease. From dog influencers to podcasters, silly YouTubers to indie solopreneurs starting and selling startups like girl scout cookies on 4/20.
Pull the curtain, and behind the scenes, you find a bit of a different story.
As Nick Huber succinctly writes in the tweet above, nothing is easy, life is hard, and making money is even harder. The problem is optics- here is where simple not easy comes into play.
You keep hearing the stories of the “winners”. This individual is making $800k a year taking pics of their cat on Instagram, that person launched a SAAS business 18 months ago and just sold it for 8 figures, this Youtuber hikes and makes low 7 figures, etc…
Unfortunately, these are outliers, not the mainstream, and while it’s simple to start most online endeavors since there are zero barriers to entry, the execution is far from easy, and here lies the rub.
The same people (at least the honest ones) that are profitable and successful in their niche will tell you that while their premise might be simple, the work, execution, editing, marketing, distribution, creative process, prepping, setting up the workflow, and all the other work that goes into it is anything but!
Since we no longer need someone else to hire us or validate that we are good for this position or that one, we can become masters of our destiny, captains of our ship, and sail into the unknown with the same sense of direction Columbus had. But just like those early explorers, we are often going into the unknown, and the exploration process (while exhilarating) can be scary and oftentimes overwhelming.
Recently, I had a conversation with a teenager who wanted to be a Youtuber, he was so adamant that stardom was within his reach. While I applaud his gumption and motivation, and I hope he does achieve his goal, being the next Logan Paul or Mr. Beast might look easy, but it’s not easy, it’s just simple.
There are 114 million YouTube channels, but less than 10% reach 1k+ subscribers – the benchmark that unlocks monetization.
None of this is meant to deter you from launching your own creative endeavor; if anything I urge you to start a social media account and start talking about whatever it is you are building or just feel passionate about.
I just want to insert a bit of realism into a virtual world of handles that I often see tell newbies how easy it is and that they too can build a 6 figure business in 3-6 months (disclaimer: you can’t)
If anything this post should incentivize you to learn, prep, do your due diligence and then pursue your endeavor instead of blindly going in because “it’s so easy - look at Joe Rogan - how hard can it be?”
Second disclaimer: Like really, really hard!