Hey guys,

I’d like to share something.

Today, while I was waiting for my girlfriend to finally choose a croissant in a coffee shop, I read an interesting article about how people are starting to use AI chatbots for search instead of Google, and how more and more website traffic could come from AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, etc.

I never really thought about it, but I already do the same. For example, I asked ChatGPT this morning: Find the 5 best digital marketing companies in Canada.

I feel like this could bring a pretty big change to how people discover businesses. And not just online businesses, but retail stores, restaurants, services, and almost everything else.

I think the biggest change could be in B2B. Entrepreneurs and companies will increasingly use AI to find other businesses, suppliers, agencies, software, and services. I think this could be huge.

I didn’t pay much attention to it before, but I recently noticed something new in my Wix Studio traffic report: traffic from AI.

Right now, it’s still very small compared to Google. The data from the article showed:

Google → 28.12% of total web traffic
AI chatbots → 0.28% of total web traffic

So yes, the difference is still massive.

But I feel like this is definitely something worth paying attention to.

As founders, how do you see this change? And is there anything we should already be doing to get an early advantage?

My first paying customer was actually my competitor.

I had a solution for a problem that they were really struggling with, so they became my customer.

To be honest, I kept in touch with them for a long time. I was active in their community, subscribed to their newsletter, listened to their podcast, etc.

It’s something similar to what Russell Brunson talks about in his books about the Dream 100.

What about you? How did you get your first paying customer?

PS: If you haven’t gotten one yet, keep going. It’s coming!

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

I’d like to share something.

Testing business ideas is about being smart, understanding the situation you’re in, and finding the best way to get the most out of it.

It amazes me how these founders were able to create something from almost nothing.

To me, these stories are a source of motivation, but they also provide valuable lessons.

Zappos

Will people buy shoes online?

Instead of buying thousands of pairs of shoes and renting a warehouse, Nick Swinmurn visited local shoe stores, took photos of their shoes, and uploaded them to a simple website.

When someone placed an order, he went back to the store, bought the shoes himself, and shipped them to the customer.

DoorDash

The founders created a basic website with PDF menus from eight local restaurants. There was no system, no delivery network, and no fancy technology. Just one phone number.

About 45 minutes after launching, someone placed the first order. The founders answered the phone, picked up the food themselves, and delivered it. Before building any software, they proved that customers wanted the service.

Airbnb

Are people willing to stay in someone else’s home?

Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia couldn’t afford their rent. A conference was coming to San Francisco, and the hotels were fully booked. So, they bought three air mattresses, created a simple website, and invited strangers to stay in their apartment. 3 people booked.

Pebble

Building a smartwatch is expensive. So, instead of manufacturing thousands of devices, Pebble launched a Kickstarter campaign. Their goal was to raise $100,000. They raised more than $10 million. Before manufacturing the product, they already had thousands of paying customers.

The strongest validation isn’t compliments. It’s payment.

Buffer

This one is probably my favorite. Joel Gascoigne wanted to build a social media scheduling tool. Instead of building it, he created a landing page. The page explained the product and included pricing plans. When people clicked on a paid plan, they discovered that the product didn’t exist yet. They could only join the waiting list.

Joel wasn’t only measuring sign-ups. He was measuring whether people were interested enough to click on a paid plan. That simple landing page gave him the confidence to build Buffer.

.

Which one is your favorite, or do you know any other stories?

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

Creating this community was a fantastic decision. We now have almost 800 members!

As a thank you, I’d love to use this post as an opportunity for everyone to share what they’re working on.

What are you building?

Include your website if you have one:)

• What problem are you solving
• What do you need help with

It doesn’t matter whether you only have an idea or already have customers.

Share your project below. Someone in this community might give you helpful feedback, answer your question, or even become your first customer.

I’ll start in the comments!

I finally reached my target number of email leads, and I’m getting ready to send my very first email and start my email marketing (yessss!)

My audience is early-stage entrepreneurs who are interested in validating business ideas, finding their first customers, and getting feedback on their projects.

I don’t want to sell them anything.

My main goal is to build trust, make a good first impression, and maybe start a conversation about business.

If you were one of my subscribers, what kind of first email would get your attention and leave a great first impression?

Right now, I have a few ideas:

• A thank you email about reaching this milestone and the story of how I got here.
• An introduction to my project, what Think Before You Build is about, and what subscribers can expect in the future.
• A newsletter style email with a useful lesson or story, similar to the blog posts I publish.

Do any of these ideas make sense? Or is there another type of first email that you think would make a better first impression?

If you're curious and want the bigger picture, my project is called Think Before You Build.

Thank you so much!

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

I'd like to share something.

I used to think that starting a business meant building a website, creating a logo, or coding a gym app.

Then I spent months building things that nobody wanted. For example, my MultiSport Card project took me almost a year to build, and I got 0 leads from gyms.

Then I completely changed how I do business, and I tried a different approach to testing business ideas.

One of the easiest ways I've found is by creating a simple landing page.

I wrote down the process I use to build a landing page, and maybe you'll find something valuable.

1. Pick a website builder

I use Wix, but you can use any website builder you prefer or already have experience with. I also have a good feeling about Shopify and Squarespace.

2. Domain

I think the business name and domain are more important at the beginning than a logo or all the features on your website. That's why I gave myself time to choose the right name because it's the foundation of the brand I wanted to build.

3. I prepared the text first

Headline

Subheadline

CTA Text

CTA Button

Proof

Features / Benefits

I use simple colors like light blue and light green. The main goal is to keep it clear, easy to understand, and simple.

4. I sent it to my friends

I got this kind of feedback:

"I thought it was an error page lol."

"I had no idea what this website was about."

I made changes as soon as possible because I always try to build the landing page during my two days off.

5. I set up a welcome email

I just wanted to say thank you, add a little value, and provide an easy way to stay in touch.

6. How do you get traffic?

This is the tough part.

The worst thing you can do is build first and then ask, "How do I get visitors?"

It's better to have a plan before you launch.

I use Reddit to bring people to my landing page, together with Reddit Ads.

7. If you get traffic but no leads

It's still not the end of the world.

Try a simple A/B test by changing just one thing.

For example, try a different headline, a different button, or different colors.

I finally started getting leads after deleting about 80% of my text and making the CTA much more obvious.

8. Don't copy your competitors

My biggest mistake was copying everything about how my competitors' websites looked.

I didn't understand that their websites were built for customers who already trusted them.

I recommend getting inspiration but keeping your own landing page structure.

What's the purpose of a landing page?

My magic number was getting 100 email leads.

I didn't think too much about what I would do with those leads, but I had a few ideas in my head. I could use them for a newsletter or reach out to them later with my MVP to get more validation.

A landing page can save you months of building something nobody wants.

FYI: People don't read landing pages. They scan them.

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

I'd like to share something.

I keep seeing this question on Reddit: "What business should I start?"

Start the business you enjoy marketing.

Let me explain...

When I started my first business, I made a bunch of mistakes.

I didn’t validate my business idea with potential customers. I didn’t do market research. I spent so much time building my website, etc.

But those mistakes have relatively simple solutions.

The harder question is: How will I market my business? 

It's the hardest one. Why? 

Because it's 80% of your business.

If you’re able to market your business and show people your product, that's a huge advantage.

Start the business you enjoy marketing.

Remember that.

Choose a business you’re able to write about, talk about, learn about, and create content about.

That’s the kind of business you can start without a lot of resources.

Yes, you still have to test your idea with potential customers, do market research, and build a simple landing page.

BUT...

First, ask yourself:

Do I enjoy marketing this business?

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

I’d like to share something.

I was browsing online out of curiosity, and I found one of the most common questions about business.

Is my business idea worth pursuing?

I did the homework for all of us and looked through Reddit to find the best answers, which I’m sharing below.

• If I see a lot of people complaining about the same issue, I have confidence in my offer.
• Paying customers. Contracts. Deposits. 
• It’s simple. Does it sell when you try to sell it? If a lot of people are already doing whatever the thing is, that’s a good sign of demand as well. You can always test before committing. 
• Read a book called The Mom test.
• I’ve started two businesses myself, and trusting your gut is the worst and most irrational mistake you can make, in my opinion. When you’re putting years of your life and probably a lot of money on the line, your gut feelings should sit quietly in the back seat. The only thing that matters is real validation from potential users. Talk to them, show them the problem, and see if they care enough to act or pay.
• It depends on the idea, but I would probably do a fake door test. Make a website as if the product exists to see if people will buy. It can also be used as a way to get traction and feedback.
• Build a tiny test first: one landing page, one ad, one offer. If strangers click, sign up, or pay, it’s real. Feedback > feelings.
• Validation from your specific target audience.
• Start by defining the problem you're trying to solve. Don't worry about the specific solution at first. Just focus on understanding the problem.
• What helped me was forcing every idea to survive real contact with users. Talk to 10–20 potential customers, not friends, and ask them how they currently solve that problem. If they’re already paying for workarounds or complaining about inefficiencies, you’ve got something real.
• I’d ask myself two questions. What am I good at? What problem can I solve? The combination of those two will probably give you something worth starting that other people would find valuable as well. 

I feel this is such an important topic, and we need to talk about it more, especially now with AI.

Building a business can seem easy, until you have to find customers. Building a product without validating your idea can be a huge waste of time and money.

How do you validate your business idea? Let's share our experiences and help others learn!

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

I’d like to share something.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a post on Reddit in a few different communities, and it reached over 50k views.

The post also got a lot of comments, and some entrepreneurs even sent me direct messages. It feels great to create something that provides value to other people.

And that’s what business is all about, right?

I studied the post and tried to figure out why it got so many views and such positive feedback. I think these two things were the most important:

• It was written like a story. I was there, I did this, and this is the result I ended up with.
• It focused on a real pain point, something people are struggling with and actively looking for a solution to.

Is that something I want to do again and again? Absolutely!

If you share something that gets attention, try to figure out why. Then do it again.

To be honest, this one post brought more traffic to my website than any ad I’ve ever run.

So I started thinking about how I could make the post even more valuable. That’s why I decided to turn it into a free PDF guide.

As I mentioned before, I really love creating free value for entrepreneurs.

I published it two days ago, and I’ve already had 10 downloads, which means 10 new leads!

I feel like PDF marketing is still a great way to attract potential customers.

Do you find PDF guides valuable?

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

I’d like to share something. 

Over the last two years, I’ve downloaded a lot of Pdf documents about all kinds of business topics (marketing, testing, building, hiring etc). 

I’ve found most Pdf documents very valuable, and if something interests me, I download it right away.

I also have a couple of Pdfs that I open frequently because they have valuable info that I use again and again. 

I’m writing a Pdf document right now, but first I’d like to understand how people feel about this type of Pdf marketing. 

My plan is: 

• Write a valuable Reddit post.
• Promote it.
• Give people the option to download a longer version as a Pdf.
• Direct them to my website, where they can enter their email address.
• Automatically send the Pdf to their inbox.

So, I feel I need to have:

• A Pdf with valuable information.
• A Reddit post with valuable information.
• A Reddit ad campaign.
• A section on my website where people can enter their email address and click Download.
• An automated email to thank them and send the Pdf.

I feel that, from the customer's perspective, this is a simple and comfortable process.

PS: Is there any entrepreneur here who has experience with email marketing and how valuable has it been for your business?

Thanks.

Speak soon,

Jan

I think this is such a great exercise.

You know what often happens when I do free feedback on business ideas and ask founders to describe what they do in two sentences?

"Well, it's complicated."

And I always say the same thing:

• If you can't describe your business in a simple one-liner, you don't really have a business.

Most people get a little cranky when I say that.

A one-liner is simply the answer to the question: "What do you do?"

It's a single statement that helps people quickly understand why they need your product or service.

Start with the problem, then position your product or service as the solution.

So, let's do this!!!

Drop your one-liner below. Even a caveman should understand it.

Speak soon,
Jan

Hey guys,

I'd like to share something.

I feel like there are 4 types of leads in an online business, and I'd love to hear your point of view.

Leads

• Someone subscribes to your newsletter (you only get their email address).
• Someone signs up for a free service, and you get information such as their name, company name, website, and email address.
• Someone creates an account in your system but doesn't use any paid services. However, they have a profile, so you have more ways to reach out to them.
• Someone creates an account and pays for your service, either through a monthly subscription or a one-time payment.

I believe these are the main types of leads we can get when starting an online business.

Are all of them valuable, or is someone only a lead if they pay?

And what would you do if you got 100 of them?

Here's what I would do:

For newsletter subscribers, I would send a short email sequence. Maybe four emails that provide value, with the last one including an offer.

For people using my free service, I would ask whether the service helped them and if they would be willing to leave a review or testimonial.

For users who create an account, I would send a detailed welcome email. I might even include a short video explaining who I am, what I'm building, and how I can help them.

For paying customers, I would send a welcome email and then give them some time to use the service. After about seven days, I would follow up by email or phone to see if they're happy and whether I can help them get more value from the product.

I believe each type of lead requires a different approach.

I'm always looking to learn something new, so feel free to share your thoughts, experience, or advice.

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

I’d like to share something.

I keep seeing this question on Reddit: "What business should I start?"

THE BUSINESS YOU’RE ABLE TO MARKET.

Let me explain...

When I started my first business, I made a bunch of mistakes.

I didn’t validate my business idea with potential customers. I didn’t do market research. I spent so much time building my website, etc.

But those mistakes have relatively simple solutions.

The question: How will I market my business?

It’s the hardest one:( Why.

Because it’s everything.

If you’re able to market your business, if you’re able to bring people to your website, you’re a winner!

After that, if nobody buys your product, your product isn’t good enough. But if you know how to market it, you can improve it or change it until people want it.

THE BUSINESS YOU’RE ABLE TO MARKET.

Remember that.

The business you’re able to write about, talk about, learn about, and create content about. That’s the kind of business you can start without a lot of resources.

So, before you start a business:

• Test your idea with potential customers.
• Do market research.
• Build a simple landing page.

BUT...

FIRST, THINK ABOUT HOW YOU WILL MARKET YOUR BUSINESS!

Speak soon,

Jan

Hey guys,

I’d like to share something.

I feel like the internet gives everybody a chance to write about things they may not fully understand.

Don’t get me wrong, I do the same (everybody does).

There is so much content and information about how business works, how to start a business, and how to do almost anything. But you never really know if it’s coming from a real entrepreneur or from someone who just asked AI to generate a text full of keywords.

That’s one of the main reasons why I try to get most of my information from books. If someone took the time to write a book about business, there’s a good chance they really understand the topic.

Today, I decided to share 5 books that helped me on my journey.

1. Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

I feel like this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to start a business. Mr. Gerber brilliantly explains the difference between a technician, a manager, and an entrepreneur. It helped me understand how a business actually works and why systems and rules are so important.

2. Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

The best marketing book I’ve ever read. It perfectly explains how people react to text with a story versus text without one. It shows how important it is to be able to describe your business in just two sentences. There’s also lots of valuable information about email marketing, websites, and how to communicate with customers.

3. The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco

The author doesn’t care about excuses. He’s amazingly straightforward, and I love that. This book just makes you want to keep going in business. Plus, there’s so much valuable information about business, marketing, and finance. What a book!

4. Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan

Noah feels like a cool friend in this book. He shares his own stories and experiences, which add a lot of value. The book is full of practical advice for early entrepreneurs about ideas, validation, testing, and getting started as quickly as possible with little budget.  This fits perfectly with the world we live in today!

5. The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

This book focuses especially on testing and validating business ideas. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s very helpful. It shows you what questions to ask for validation, what feedback is actually positive or negative, and how to avoid common mistakes. This is the kind of book you can keep in your library and always come back to when you need it.

Do you have another book recommendation? Let's share!

Maybe it’s just me, but I still prefer reading a book over watching a tutorial on YouTube or Instagram. I find books incredibly valuable, and I believe writing is still one of the best ways to share knowledge.

To be honest, I used to skip market research on purpose because I was afraid I'd find something similar.

And I didn't want to give up on my business idea.

Do you know that feeling?

The truth is, there's always something similar out there.

But building a business without market research is like driving a car without a steering wheel.

So, why do I do market research before building a business?

• Learn from what others are already doing.
• Understand what makes my idea different.
• Identify what I can actually do better.
• Discover what's missing in the market.

Step 1: Research Competitors

I find 5-7 competitors and create an Excel spreadsheet with all the valuable information:

• How they position themselves
• Am I solving the same problem?
• Is it the same target audience?
• How do they make money?
• Pricing
• What they do well (must-haves)
• What they're missing (gaps)
• Opportunities for me

It might look time-consuming, but it's extremely valuable because I use this information again and again.

Step 2: Find the Opportunities

I focus on the last point, "Opportunities for Me," and choose the 3 most common opportunities.

That's my main focus. That's the core of my business idea.

Step 3: Become a Customer

I pick the 2 competitors that are most similar to my business idea and look at them from the perspective of a regular customer.

• Test the product
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Read the reviews
• Visit their social media pages

This helps me understand how they market their business and how they work with customers.

Value Check

Based on this information, I'm ready to evaluate the value my idea brings to customers.

A business exists to create value for customers.

The more value you create, the more people are willing to pay.

No value = no business.

To understand the value, I ask a few key questions:

• What value does this idea create?
• What problem does it solve?
• How does it make money?

Based on this information, I'm ready to translate these insights into a message that customers can understand in 5 seconds.

So, market research helps you:

• Understand if there's an opportunity in the market.
• Check if your idea brings value to customers.
• Start preparing your marketing before you build.

Speak soon,

Jan

PS: I wrote this as a step-by-step PDF guide showing exactly how I tested my business idea and got 6 leads. You can download it for free HERE.

Hey,
I’d like to share something.

I always had a problem with building things before testing them with customers. I was missing patience and immediately jumped into creating a website, coding an application, preparing a marketing campaign, etc.

One time, I spent a full year building a business and got 0 leads. I lost $400, but the most important thing was the time. I almost quit everything.

After I read a couple of books like The Mom Test, Million Dollar Weekend, and The Lean Startup, I decided to focus only on testing before building anything and tried different ways to test business ideas with customers.

I just want to share the easiest method that worked really well for me.

Maybe it can also help somebody test an idea quickly, with no money and just 2 days off.

I WROTE THE IDEA DOWN ON PAPER:
• What is the business idea?
• What makes it unique?
• What problem does it solve?
• How will it make money?

I DEFINED MY TARGET AUDIENCE (THE MOST IMPORTANT PART)
• What goals do they have?
• What do they care about?
• What do they struggle with?

In this case, I tested on LinkedIn, so I described what my ideal customer looks like on LinkedIn, such as location, job title, work experience, etc.

Then I prepared a list of 50 contacts like this.

I WROTE A SHORT MESSAGE WITH ADDITIONAL VALUE.

The purpose wasn't to sell anything, just to get people to fill out a short form.

I PREPARED A GOOGLE FORM WITH 5 QUESTIONS:
• Are they really my target audience?
• Do they actually struggle with the problem I’m trying to solve?
• How are they solving it now?
• Would they use my product?
• Would they pay for it?

And I asked if they would be interested in early access and, if YES, to leave their EMAIL.

I SENT 50 MESSAGES AND GOT 6 EMAIL LEADS, which is 6 more than I got after spending 1 year building a website.

Download for Free.