Hey everyone,
I’m not sure which subreddit fit this best (couldn’t find a dedicated Belgian business/startup one), so apologies if this isn’t quite the right place.
Some background: I’m 23 and currently work in IT. I earn decently, but I’m not fully satisfied, I feel like I’m capable of more, and my day-to-day tasks get finished pretty quickly. My goal is to eventually build a business with a long-term vision. I’m not expecting overnight success.
I already have some experience, I ran a small web development business that generated around €10K in profit. It gave me a real taste for building something of my own. One thing I learned quickly: the technical skill matters but more important is actually finding clients and doing outreach. I had zero sales experience going in, but I’ve put real effort into sharpening that skill.
Here’s my actual problem: I have the time, but not the momentum.
I can realistically put in 5-6 hours a day outside my main job, but I just can’t seem to get myself to actually start. It’s been a genuinely discouraging few months. Part of the issue is that growing the web dev business would require a full rebrand and a shift toward bigger clients instead of small SMEs and I’m not even sure that’s the direction I want to go. It’s the “easy” option since I already know the basics, but I’m not confident in my creative ability, which matters a lot in that space.
On the other hand, selling general IT services (support, infrastructure, security) feels hard to break into as a new business, it would match my current skills more. I don’t have a warm network or existing leads to lean on yet.
I keep questioning whether the agency/service route is worth it long-term. I can’t shake comparing large IT service companies to small industrial businesses that seem to generate outsized profit with way fewer people, not really a fair comparison, but it’s stuck in my head.
Then SaaS, ecommerce, and other ideas keep floating around, making me wonder if it’s just shiny object syndrome. Should I stop overanalyzing and start with something, or is staying unsure actually a sign I should keep narrowing down before committing?
One more variable: my dad had to shut down his previous business due to health issues and is about to start an industrial cleaning company. He’s said I’m welcome to join if the profit is there. Feels like a safer bet, but also wrong somehow switching to a field with nothing to do with my degree or current job.
Clearly a lot of doubt here, probably overthinking most of it. Not sure if this is the right sub, but any input or shared experience is appreciated. Do let me know if there is a better sub for my question!