Yes, it is.
Gardening gave me this epiphany.
I’m starting a garden from scratch, so I started planning a few weeks back at the end of winter.
The more I planned, the more I realized how much work it would be to set up a proper garden starting from nothing. Now, with taking care of a kid and working, I felt like I wouldn’t have much time to do any gardening. So I thought, “I might have to postpone it to next year.”
But then I remembered an important fact.
When you plant a fruit tree, it takes at least 2-3 years to produce fruits.
With that in mind, I decided to scale back, and if I planted only one thing, it would be the fruit trees and bushes. It wouldn’t take that much and certainly no prolonged effort throughout the summer when I return to work. I want to give myself some grace while I figure out taking care of a child and manage my daily todo.
You see, if I plant now, I’d get fruits in 2026-2027, but if I waited a year, it would be 2027-2028. And I’d like my plums and pears as early as possible.
Anyway, you get the gist of it.
The efforts I put in a year ago working as a freelance are now compounding a year later. I got to practice all those little situations and scripts, I would never have dealt with if I didn’t start.
I failed a few times, but most importantly, I secured a few small wins in the info products I launched ($500 on Gumroad so far), among other things. It’s all stuff I can build on to get better results next time.
You don’t have to build a website tomorrow, but even registering a domain name can be a first step. Or writing the title and subtitle for the page—something small that you can do now that will reduce friction next time you come work on this project. You’re getting the ball rolling, and that’s what matters most, not how glamorous or grandiose the task is.
So, yeah, start now and start small. Get those small wins and build on them.
You got this.
What’s one small task you can do right now to move forward on your projects? It doesn’t have to be right now but in the next 24-48 hours. Leave a comment below to let me know, or reply to this email!
3 juicy links of the week
What should a first-time founder do
Very good rant + advice from
. What I find fascinating about business is the more I learn about it the more I discover so many different ways to make money. It was very confusing at first when I didn’t have a stronger opinion about what I liked doing. But eventually, it’s something to figure out and John nails this point. You have to get into the mud, wrestle with the market and your skills and somehow figure it out.
Google Is Killing Retro Dodo & Other Independent Sites
What an interesting read! This business owner and his team invested heavily in Google SEO, and now the algorithm has taken a turn and obliterated their traffic. A bunch of websites have been going through the same thing. But it’s sad and fascinating how they invested a tremendous amount in high-quality editorial content and are now penalized for it. It’s a good reminder that a plan B is necessary and that doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily yield the results you want.
How a First-Time Buyer Lost $47,500 On a Website Acquisition
Buying a business speeds up the product-building process because the asset already generates revenue and has clients. But that doesn’t mean that there is no risk at all. Most acquisitions fail just as most bootstrapped businesses fail. It’s a harsh world out there and there is a lot to be learned to build or maintain a business successfully.
If you want more, here’s what I got for you
A 1-hour course to help you kickstart your independent life. It’ll show you how to get from 0 to $1000 on Upwork. Upwork is one of the easiest ways to get your first wins and earn your first $1000 online.