Dale Callahan
Creator of Company of One | Helping Professionals Build Income & Control Through Entrepreneurial Thinking | Engineer & Educator | Host, Company of One Podcast
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July 7, 2025
70% of professionals say they want to start a business. Only 6% actually do.
Let’s be honest — it’s not because they’re lazy or lacking ideas.
It’s because they don’t know where to start.
Most people try to skip to step 7. They think they need a business plan, a website, an LLC, a
logo, and a brand strategy.
That’s not how real businesses are born.
Every single business I’ve helped launch started the same way:
– One person
– One skill
– One real problem
– One paying customer
That’s it.
If you feel stuck or overwhelmed by all the things you “should” do, try this instead:
1. Find your unfair advantage.
What do people come to you for help with? What feels easy to you but hard to others?
2. Run the Reverse Interview. Talk to 3 people who are already doing something like what you want to do. Ask them how they started. Most will say: “By accident.”
3. Test a tiny offer.
What could you help someone with this week — for $50, $100, or even for free — just to get proof someone needs it?
You don’t need a full-time business. You need a single win.
You don’t need a grand vision. You need a problem you can solve.
You don’t need permission. You need momentum.
Most of the professionals I work with start a side business while still working full-time.
They use the income and energy from that tiny win to build something bigger.
The only difference between the 70% who say they want a business and the 6% who actually start one?
One took a step. The other kept thinking.
Don’t wait to feel ready. Clarity comes from action.
July 7, 2025
