I Want to Start a Business But Don’t Know What to Sell — Read This.
But I get it. The moment you decide you want to “start a business,” your brain suddenly becomes as blank as a freshly wiped whiteboard. No ideas. No direction. Just vibes and anxiety.
Funny enough, I used to be the same. Years ago, I loudly declared to a friend, “I’m going to run my own business!” And she asked, “Cool....what kind?”
I blinked. Twice.
I had absolutely no clue.
Let’s break down what you should actually do when you want to start a business but have no idea what to sell yet.
The Real Answer: Build Skills+Build an Audience
In today’s internet era, the smartest thing you can do before you have a business idea is simple, you just have to:
→ Build marketable skills
→ Build an audience you can sell to later
Just think of it like preparing the soil before you plant the seed.
People obsess over ideas, but the real bottleneck isn’t ideas it’s execution.
And to execute well, you need skills, visibility, and a basic understanding of how business works.
Let me make it understandable.
1. Build an Audience (This Alone Can Change Your Life)
Having an audience is basically like having a giant group chat of people who are already interested in what you say. And when you eventually have something to sell? Boom — you’re not yelling into the void. You’re talking to people who trust you.
Why an audience matters?
It becomes your source of leads
Selling becomes 10x easier
New business ideas become obvious because your audience literally tells you what they need
People buy from people they already know
You don’t need millions of followers. Sometimes 500–1000 true followers can build you a real business.
Where to start?
Pick whichever platforms don’t drain your soul:
X (Twitter)
Or even a simple blog
Share what you’re learning. Share what you’re building. Share your progress.
You can build an entire business just by showing up consistently (case in point: thousands of creators who turned their accounts into digital product empires).
2. Learn Copywriting (your #1 Money Skill)
Copywriting is the skill no one takes seriously… until they realize their “life-changing product” isn’t selling and they start blaming the economy.
But this is the real truth:
If you can’t sell, your business won’t survive.
Copywriting is:
Sales pages
Ad scripts
Emails
Product descriptions
Social media captions
Basically… every word that makes money online
A great sales page can literally multiply your revenue without changing your product. I once changed 40% of a sales page and the conversions jumped so much I thought the analytics tool was broken. Nope the page just finally made sense to people.
How to learn copywriting:
Study proven sales pages (HubSpot, Shopify blogs have great examples)
Read books like Influence by Robert Cialdini
Follow professional copywriters on X/LinkedIn
Practice writing daily
Do small projects for friends or join affiliate programs to test your skills
Copywriting makes you dangerous — in a good way.
3. Learn Basic Business+Tax Laws (Trust me, it saves money)
You don’t need to become a lawyer. But if you want to be an entrepreneur, you must understand the basics.
Because not knowing the basics can cost you a lot.
Even Mark Zuckerberg once messed up a vesting agreement early on and later said it cost him “billions.” BILLIONS. Just because he didn’t fully understand a contract.
What you should learn (basic level)
Tax deductions for small businesses
The difference between a freelancer, sole proprietor, LLP, and company
What a contract actually requires
Intellectual property basics
Basic compliance rules
Startup registration perks (many countries offer tax holidays and grants)
Good resources:
Your country’s official tax authority website
Coursera or Udemy entrepreneurship courses
Blogs from accounting firms
If these topics sound boring, remember:
Boring knowledge saves you from expensive mistakes.
4. Develop Technical Skills (You Don’t Need to Be a Programmer)
You don’t need to become a Silicon Valley coder who types aggressively in dark rooms. But if you want to build modern businesses, technical literacy is a superpower.
Learn the basics on:
How to build and edit a simple WordPress site
How to use a VPS
How to check server logs
How to edit simple videos or graphics
How to use AI tools efficiently
Why? Because speed matters.
If you can fix a problem yourself in 10 minutes instead of paying someone $100 and waiting 3 days… that’s a competitive advantage.
Example:
I once needed to scrape some Google results. Hiring someone would have taken 1–2 days. Because I knew basic Python, I did it myself in 15 minutes while eating noodles.
You don’t need to master everything — just enough to not be helpless.
5. Stop Waiting for the Perfect Idea (Ideas Come From Skill +Audience)
Here’s the twist:
Most great business ideas don’t magically appear while you take a shower. They show up when:
You’re working on something
You’re building skills
You’re talking to your audience
You’re solving real problems
You don’t get business ideas by sitting around.
You get business ideas by doing things.
That’s why building an audience and skills NOW makes your life dramatically easier later.
Because when the idea finally hits, you’ll already have:
People to sell to
Skills to execute
Confidence to launch quickly
In conclusion: You’re Not "stuck" you're just in the Preparation Stage
Not having a business idea isn’t a problem.
Staying unskilled and invisible while waiting for inspiration is.
If you want to start a business but don’t know what to sell yet, here’s your real roadmap:
✔ Build an audience
✔ Build money-making skills
✔ Learn basic business laws
✔ Learn simple tech skills
✔ Stay curious and take action daily
When the idea comes and it will — you’ll be ready to execute faster than 99% of people.
There’s no time to waste. But there’s also no need to panic.
You’re planting the seeds right now.
Your Action
If you want more posts like this or want help building skills, content, or your first online business drop a comment below or sign up for more tips.
Let’s build your future business the smart way.
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