We all want to be financially free.

Whether we like to admit it or not money is the one true source of freedom in life.

Not having to worry about our next paycheck, or wondering if the salary at the end of the month will be enough to cover the costs for the time and the near future, or to have that extra bit of cash to spend on things you really want to…

Money gives us the power to do things we have always wanted. And to be free from considerations that we like to be rid of. But too often most of us don’t have that kind of cash lying around, or saved up in some trust fund, to able to just sit back and relax and wait for the good times to roll by.

Well not exactly sit back and relax: After all as men, work defines who we are. To be a man is to work!

But critically it is to work for a purpose. To do a job that gives you, not only the satisfaction of having done something worthwhile and productive. But something that is financially significant for your future.

An income, a wage, or capital gains; whatever the source of remuneration, the money you make needs to be enough. And more!

IS IT?

This is a serious question. One that you cannot simply dismiss or argue away:

Are YOU, person ‘x’ making the kind of money that you’ve always wanted to?! Or are you getting any close to doing so, in the foreseeable future?

And by money, we are not talking about millions and billions! Of course, having that kind of money will surely help. But the more serious question is: Are you, given your current state in life, working towards a future where such income levels are actually attainable?

Think seriously about this for a moment.

What are We Talking About 

Whilst the idea of making millions of dollars over years, or even a lifetime may seem crazy, and even unattainable for some, as a man of aspiration, as a man who wants to make something of his time here on Earth, this urge is something that exists naturally within us.

Well not for everyone. Clearly!

But provided that you feel that urge to gain more control over your life, a reality that only money can make possible, and with it the power to do the things you’ve always wanted, the question is: How do you go about making this possible?

The answer is that the prospect of building your own business is pretty much the best way to go.

It is not the only way for sure. But for many of us, who are thrashing it out in the workplace: men with skill, potential, and beliefs, then the business route is the smartest way forward.

In this post, we will outline the basics when it comes to starting a business venture of your own. On why it must be done, and what are the key factors you need to consider to get to your destination.

Note this is not going to be a sure-fire business plan for you to follow that will guarantee success. Rather it is an informative outline that will lay out the key principles that you will need to follow in order to succeed in the business arena.

Focus on a Problem Not a Product 

OK. This is going to sound counterintuitive. How can starting a business, let alone a profitable one, be NOT about a product?

Well, you are right. A successful business IS about a product or service.

It is about building a successful product or service that can solve a specific problem. Meet a specific demand. And in time even come to fill a certain niche.

However, the pathway to such a business: one where you are working on and in time selling a product with significant demand is not, and in fact need not be, a straightforward one.

Of course, there are going to be exceptions.

If you have just developed a breakthrough in biotechnology, with the resulting discovery that has the potential to be patented and then marketed and sold to the highest bidder, then, ‘the problem’ that needs to be solved, so speak is already out there.

At this point, your job would then be just to commodify the idea (or to get someone with the expertise to do it) and bring it to market.

Or in certain fields like fine jewelry, where the market already exists. So your job is to find ways of breaking in and distinguishing yourself from the competition.

But these are highly technical fields. And/or come with a high resource or capital investment, in addition to industry-specific knowledge that can take years to master.

The kind of time that most of us guys who are looking for, not exactly ‘a quick’ but a timely solution, don’t really have.

So what is to be done?

The principle of focusing on a problem, a business problem, and not the product; is built on the idea of a serviceable market.

The old adage that you may have the best and most sought-after product in the world. But without a way to market it, it will be of no use.

Building on that principle, the approach we recommend for young, upstart, money-oriented men who want to make it in life, is to look to establish or capture a market for your ‘potential product’.

Potential what!?

Well, that is what we are going to explain next.

Selling a Solution as a Product 

The world today is a different place than what it was a decade or so ago.

Not only has technology changed the way we work (increasingly online and often away from home) but it has also changed the way customers consume, and businesses make and market and eventually sell their products.

For the would-be entrepreneurs who are looking to make it in the world of business, the key principle to keep in mind is that markets are fluid, ever-changing and growing. They never remain the same. And nor should you.

And what do we mean by ‘a market’?

A market, as business 101 would teach you is the place where buyers and sellers meet and interact: a place where they interact with a purpose.

The purpose of the customer, or potential customer (as many, if not most are in the market research or shopping-around stage) is to find a seller (outlet) who is able to cater to a specific need.

That need could be physical or mental at the most fundamental level. But more broadly it would translate into a certain requirement at the social, personal, economic, and even spiritual levels.

Your job as a budding entrepreneur is to capture a segment of that developing or potential market by making a product or service that is able to cater to them. And to do so extremely well, if not better than any competition that is out there.

The trick is in finding or establishing that market for what you have to, or can offer.

For example, the success of the iPhone was built on the existing demand for a versatile mobile device that was also able to cater to people’s demand for on-demand music + a connected device with a touch interface + a durable phone with a solid connection.

The iPhone was an all-in-one solution, and hence a money maker for sure!

Steve Jobs, when he set out to produce the iPhone already had a market to tap into. The only thing (not a simple one by any means) that he had to do was provide a product that gave customers what they wanted better than others in a more desirable form factor.

Of course, the heights of the kind of success achieved by the iPhone lay within the purview of major organizations. However, the deeper principle remains the same.

Recognize what customers or potential customers are looking for (as not everyone knows what they exactly want until a solution presents itself) and then build a product or service to cater to it. And then do it well. And consistently.

Right with that information in mind, the next and most logical question would be: what do I do next?

Good question.

However, before we get onto the path of building a successful business, one that would not only bring you that financial freedom that you desperately (or not so desperately) seek, but also-thanks to your enterprise-come to have some sort of mark on this world, you need to fix something first.

The Mindset for Building a Successful Business 

We at Bulldog Mindset always start with the question:

  • Are you willing to do the work?

If the answer is ‘Yes’. We follow it up with another question:

  • Are you going to be in it for the long run?

For which the answer also needs to be an unequivocal ‘Yes’.

Look, everyone wants to live the ‘high life'. Whether they admit it or not, wealth, the opportunities it brings, and the success that usually follows, if you know how to manage it, is what (almost) everyone is searching for!

The trouble not many are willing to do:

  1. The hard work, and along with it the many sacrifices in terms of leisure and indulgence that comes with it.

  2. Are willing to stick it out when times get tough. And believe me, it will!

Going further, a major issue when it comes to building and succeeding in the business arena, is the need to change. For to succeed in the business world, you need to be prepared to grow and change. Otherwise, you will be compelled to! For more on this read our post on personal development.

Change is a big word. And is often used to imply its inevitability. However, what is often missed is the difficulty people have when it comes to actually changing!

To succeed in the business world, that is to manage your own enterprise, you need to be willing to change, or better, evolve.

Never forget this principle.

In case you are a guy (or gal) who is looking to get started in this space: someone who is motivated by the idea of building a successful business and reaching your goals for financial security, just follow this link for a free call: and we will have a game plan worked out just for you.

The Business Itself 

In case you have with yourself a top-of-the-line product or a good or service that you think is groundbreaking in its character, and/or has the potential to be one, with the aid of some outreach, then you are pretty much set.

Your task now is to secure the funding (if you don’t have any), and the kind of human networks that can give you access to channels through which you can market, distribute and eventually sell your product or service.

Needless to say, if you are at this stage of the business, you will require little input from us.

As for the rest of you: The guys who are just looking for a way to start a business, but don’t have a clue where to begin, well here are a few actionable steps that you can take to get started on your business-building journey.

Before we get down to it, remember the two Mindset principles when it comes to succeeding in a business: Hard work and Perseverance.

Find a Niche

This is easier said than done.

However, it need not be so complex and arduous an undertaking. The first step in finding a niche is to understand what you are good at, then combine that with a passion.

Now there is some debate concerning which is the best way to go: The path of Passion or Skill?

Our approach, based on the study of the literature, is that it requires a bit of both.

Without skill (i.e. something you are good at, and generally better than most) it is difficult to get off the ground. Since business is about specialization in a certain area, this is a requisite.

However, when it comes to succeeding in a business, notably in the long run, passion is key. Especially when times get tough.

So as a start, figure out something you are good at, and then see if it has some marketable potential. Next, start working on it.

And by work, your first and arguably the most significant step for the foreseeable future (1.5 – 2 years, which is the time it takes to get the business to a stage of some kind of profitability) is to build an audience.

Build an Audience – Create Content 

Do you know why rock stars and actors have little trouble making money!?

Because they’re famous!? Well, true. But what matters in this equation, is what that fame implies: Having a sizeable audience, to whom you can sell your products to.

Famous people have little trouble selling anything because they have built a brand around themselves, which they could use to sell just about anything!

Ultimately it is not the product that matters, but the person behind the product.

Marketing and media companies know this very well. This is why they doll out tens of millions of dollars in contracts for top performers, sportsmen, and celebrities.

Of course, fame isn’t everything. And when it comes to selling a legitimate product, its viability as a device, instrument, or information that can solve a problem or provide a solution remains key.

For those who are starting out their business journey, and are not sure what kind of product or service to build, and then sell, building an audience must be the first point of order.

So how do you do it?

The first thing to keep in mind is the combination of skill + passion.

You would need both.

Once you figure out what those things are-and believe me, everyone is good at something and equally if not more passionate about something else. Ideally, they are both, so now is the time to get started.

Find a Platform – Start Producing 

The digital age is all about platforms.

Even those who succeed in ‘the real’ economy recognize the tremendous value, the potential and future impact that digital platforms have.

The great Elon Musk, arguably the most dynamic entrepreneur and business leader of our time recognized the importance of controlling one of these key online platforms: For the sake of fostering open dialogue in the social sphere, yes, but also, admittedly to exploit its value potential.

As a rising businessman, you too must recognize the potential of content creation. Since the product or service that you intend to sell is still far down, the first step is to recognize what kind of product or service you can produce. Which would be determined by the market you create.

That is right, by producing content: quality content, consistently you would come to learn what kind of buyers your future product will likely attract. And then you start serving them.

As the market is an evolving one. New product niches are forming all the time. So it is time that you established or developed your own.

When it comes to content creation there are a few key principles that you need to follow. Whilst this post is not meant to give an in-depth look into this broad subject area, we will outline a few key ones for you to get started.

The first one obviously is to find a platform that works for you.

Be that YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok (the latter is not a safe bet inside the United States), or simply starting your own personal blog.

Whatever the platform, the key point is to get started. And once you do, you don’t stop. Just f**kin don’t!

  • Focus on one or a few key subjects.

  • Make your message practically useful and emotive.

  • Don’t be afraid of controversy.

  • Be polarizing.. To an extent.

  • Always finish your post or message with a solution or something close to it.

Right with this framework in place, you are set to go. What’s to be done NOW is to keep churning that content out, and to never stop learning in the process.

In Conclusion

Not everyone is a businessman. Some, possibly many of us are simply content to live out our lives working for someone and/or under someone’s authority. A lot of other people are content to live within their means and are not motivated by the idea of financial security and the freedom that comes with it.

And that’s fine.

The question that you need to ask yourself is Are You One of Them? If the answer is NO, then you know what you need to do next.