How to Get Out of the Research Hell And Start Building Your Business

The Proven 5-Step System That Helped Me (And Others Like You) Finally Escape the 9-to-5

Hey, wise adventurer,

I wasted years trying to find “a perfect” business model.

I downloaded numerous lead magnets, read hundreds of articles, watched YouTube videos, and purchased many eBooks and online courses, yet I never finished most of them.

Maybe I would still be researching, but fortunately, I hated my last 9-5 so much that I was determined to do literally anything to get out of this hell.

Instead of researching for hours per day, I started writing every day. And that worked - I quit my 9-to-5 job.

So, if you're still stuck in research mode instead of taking action, I'll save you precious time and help you move forward.

Image by the author using Canva

You are avoiding, not researching.

You are in the research mode because you avoid the real actions.

The truth is you are avoiding:

• Risk

• Failure

• Choosing a specific business model and doing it

I know because I’ve been there.

Deep down, you think if you pick the wrong business model, you’ll waste your time. Or if you will fail, and everyone will know that you suck.

So you stall, and you cover it up by calling it research.

Why you are addicted to a research mode

Research mode feels productive.

You are busy, so it feels like you’re doing something right. You are learning something something new. You are getting ready and preparing.

But in reality, you are not preparing. You are procrastinating.

That is why people are obsessed with things like a perfect website or logo.

When you start, you don’t need any of the above.

All you need is an offer and paying clients.

Reality check

How many business models have you checked during the last 12 months?

How many times have you thought - that it could work but never done anything to make it a reality?

How many lead magnets and freebies have you downloaded but never even opened?

It is exhausting and unproductive, yet it feels the opposite.

What you really do is not look for a business model but a guarantee.

You want a guarantee that the business model will be successful. It is almost like plug-and-play profit.

And I get it because the Internet is full of gurus who make you believe that if you follow specific steps, you can make a fortune by working just an hour or less per day.

It doesn’t work like that, especially when you start and don’t have automated systems in place.

So stop wasting your precious time on business models that don’t exist in reality.

Where do you want to be in 12 months?

Let's assume you stay in research mode for another year.

You will still work on a perfect logo or a website for a business that doesn’t exist.

If you don’t stop researching, you will normalize it and develop a perfectionist's tendency towards shiny object syndrome. Jumping from one business model to another without making any significant impact or money.

That is not a strategy. It’s a self-sabotage and the best way to join those who say that online business doesn't work.

You will master quitting and convince yourself that it’s not even worth starting anything because you know it will be a waste of your time.

Action plan

Here is a simple plan that will help you escape the research prison.

1. Pick something that you see yourself doing without feeling trapped, like in a 9-5 job.

Since you’ll be doing it for a long time, it must be something that combines your interests and commerciality. It can be literally anything as long as people are willing to pay you for that. I can help you to get clarity.

2. Commit to doing it every day and be able to suck at first.

Anything you do for the first time won’t wow people or make millions. That is just reality. Your first newsletter or offer won’t be the best. Accept it.

Take baby steps before scaling up anything. You have to create the first version of your business, even if it's not perfect. That is how everyone starts. Without this step, you’ll never get anywhere.

3. You are already qualified to do business.

You have decades of real-life experience. This is something that any twenty or thirty-something online guru doesn’t have.

What is normal to you is a life-changing knowledge for someone else. You solve many problems for your employers and yourself.

That makes you more qualified than 90 % of experts online.

4. Build your email list.

There are many business models, but regardless of what you choose, you need an email list for sustainability. About 80-100% of the income comes from newsletters.

Kit's 2024 State of the Creator Economy report revealed that newsletters and emails are the most popular content types. This is a top channel for communicating with your audience and converting them into clients.

While social media presence can help you in an online presence, you don't have any control over your followers and engagement. And only about 1-3 % of your followers see your posts, while average email opening rates are 20-40 %. That is a no-brainer. Here is how to effectively grow your subscriber list on Substack.

5. Stick to it no matter how uncomfortable and distracted you get.

If you are uncomfortable, it means you are growing and learning new things. Nothing valuable grows in a comfort zone.

You will experience everything from fear and imposter syndrome to douts, feeling miserable, and questioning your actions. That is entirely normal and part of the process.

Keep showing up, no matter what. That is the real sauce, which is not a secret at all.

Showing up when you don’t feel ready.

The Bottom Line: Your Experience Is Your Advantage

The only way to succeed in business is to stop researching and start doing. But here's what most 50+ professionals don't realize: you're not starting from zero.

While 25-year-olds are trying to figure out basic business principles, you already understand:

• How to manage difficult clients (you've dealt with demanding bosses)

• What real deadlines look like (you've navigated corporate pressure)

• How to solve complex problems (you've been doing it for decades)

• What customers actually want (you've been one for 30+ years)

Every day you spend in research mode is another day you're letting younger, less experienced entrepreneurs gain ground with inferior knowledge but superior action-taking ability.

Most people will retire without ever discovering what they could have built. They'll spend their final working years wondering "what if" instead of living their answer.

The difference between those who wonder and those who know? The latter stopped researching and started building.

You have something most online gurus lack: real-world credibility. Use it.

The research phase of your entrepreneurial journey ends today.

Your building phase starts now.

Become the next success story.

P.S.

There are three ways I can help you.

1. Grab 1K Subscribers in 5 Months Without Wasting Hours on Content Creation: The Complete Substack Growth System.

2. The Simple Skills-to-Profit System, How to Start an Online Business Using Skills You Already Have

3. Book a 1:1 Call with me - Your next chapter blueprint.

P.P.S.

Please comment because your personal experience and opinion matter.