Pod Insights The $100 MBA Show MBA2672 Q&A Wednesday: I Don't Have a Business Idea or Any Unique Skills or Knowledge. How Do I Get Started? About this episode Ever feel like you’re stuck at square one—no big idea, no standout skills, and no clue where to begin? You’re not the only one wondering how people actually get started when they don’t feel all that special. This episode is for anyone who’s ready to build something… but isn’t sure what that “something” is yet. This week’s question comes from Bruce, who asked: “What if I don’t have a business idea or any unique skills—how do I even begin?” In this Q&A Wednesday episode, Omar tackles one of the most relatable questions out there and breaks down how real entrepreneurs get going without genius-level ideas or rare talents. You’ll learn how to spot everyday problems worth solving, shift your mindset, and uncover skills you didn’t even realize you had. It’s a practical, encouraging guide to starting right where you are—with curiosity, not credentials. Ready to take the first step? Hit the play button at the top of the page and dive into a lesson that’ll help you move from “I’m not ready” to “I’m already on my way."To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q. Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://lm.fm/GgRPPHiSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcript 0:00 Speaker 00 Small business owners, listen up. You started your business, but you can't do it alone. And that means you have to hire people to help. That's where Justworks comes in. Justworks is the payroll, benefits, and global hiring platform to unburden your brain from all the complicated small business stuff. They handle the things you can't afford to get wrong, so you don't have to worry. So you can focus on the parts of running a business that you enjoy, knowing everything else is running smoothly. You don't have to worry when it just works. Ever invest in something that seemed incredible at first, but didn't live up to the hype? For example, I really wanted to love the show Mad Men. I really tried to watch it and love it, but it just didn't do anything for me. As a marketer and business person, the show was a little bit of a disappointment.
0:45 Speaker 00 Marketers know that feeling. They optimize for the numbers that look great, like impressions. But then we don't see revenue. LinkedIn has a word for that: bullspend. Instead, you can get the highest ROAS of major ad networks with LinkedIn Ads. Cut the bullspend, advertise on LinkedIn. Spend $250 and get a $250 credit. Go to LinkedIn.com/MBAShow. Terms apply. Today's Q&A Wednesday's question comes from a very honest and relatable place, from a listener of the show, Bruce. And Bruce asks, "I don't have a business idea. I don't have any unique skills, or I don't have any unique knowledge. How do I get started?" Bruce, first off, thank you for the courage to ask this question, because you're not
1:30 Speaker 00 alone. So many people feel this way at the beginning. And let me tell you right now, you don't need a breakthrough idea or some rare skill to start a business. That's a huge myth that we're going to bust today. I'm going to walk you through exactly how to get going with your business with real examples, with practical steps, and a mindset that could change everything for you. Let's do it.
2:00 Speaker 00 Welcome back to the $100 MBA Show. I'm your host, Omar Zenhome, where I deliver practical business lessons three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, to help you start, grow, and scale your business.
2:14 Speaker 00 Before we get started, I just want to take a quick second to say thank you for being here. You're a learner. You're a doer. You're my kind of person. And if you want to join people just like you in our growing community of entrepreneurs, hit follow right here in your podcast app. You grow, we grow, we all win. Thanks. Bruce, the foundation of entrepreneurship is not brilliance. It's usefulness. Hear me out. Great entrepreneurs, great business people, they see a problem and they say, "I'll take a crack at solving that." They're problem solvers at heart. That's it. Let me break this down. First of all, forget about finding the perfect idea. There's no such thing, okay?
2:57 Speaker 00 The real question is, what problem can I help someone solve? And that's how every great business starts, by solving something annoying or inefficient, painful maybe, or even just inefficient. Uber didn't invent transportation, okay? They just made it easier to get a ride, right? Airbnb didn't invent lodging, okay? They just made it easier to book unique, cheaper places to stay sometimes. As a problem solver, as a business builder, your job is to look for pain points around you. What do your friends complain about? What's frustrating you in your daily life? What's confusing or broken in the world around you and the things you interact with?
3:40 Speaker 00 Here's a little exercise I give students inside of the $100 MBA program. And you can just grab a notebook and do this exercise yourself. Spend a week writing down any problem you notice or you hear about from somebody else. Then, I want you to ask the question, "Which of these problems I would enjoy solving?" So you're gonna literally walk around for a week with your notebook handy, and you're gonna jot things down. You could do it even in a note-taking app on your phone. But the point here is that you're looking out for problems, which shouldn't be a problem because there's problems everywhere. The world is very inefficient. I mean, how many times do you hear yourself or others complaining about something? It's because there's a problem.
4:22 Speaker 00 And you want to take a look at which of these problems would you be excited to solve? And listen, even if your idea is small, that's a good thing. That's okay. Solving a small problem for a small group of people is the best way to start. In fact, I prefer it. I don't actually recommend you going to try to solve the banking industry, right? That is just too big of a leap for your first business venture. I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm not trying to discourage you, but I'm saying that you can really get a good business going, solving a lot less significant problem. You also said in your question, you don't have any special skills or knowledge. Let me stop you right there. Most successful entrepreneurs don't start as experts. I know many, many successful entrepreneurs and they're not whizzes at anything.
5:06 Speaker 00 They're not particularly smart or gifted or knowledgeable about any particular thing. In fact, if they are quite knowledgeable in something, they became experts through the process of building their business. I'll give you an example. When I started Webinar Ninja, my software company, I didn't know a thing about building software, but I knew the problem. I couldn't find a tool to run webinars efficiently, easily, in a way that I wanted. So I learned what I needed as I went. I learned what it took or what are the ingredients of a successful software company. And trust me, business is the best school you'll ever attend. And if you're willing to learn, you're ready to start.
5:50 Speaker 00 And listen, I know this is hard because you're going to have to stretch yourself a little bit, get out of your comfort zone and be something you're not today. And that's okay. But that's the cost of business, right? You can't just expect to be successful and start a successful business if you don't pay any admission. And the admission for you is to push yourself and to learn and to grow. Next, let's tackle this belief that you need some sort of unique knowledge to start a business. You don't, and I'll prove it. Go to Amazon, go to the book section, search any popular category like fitness, personal finance, cooking. You'll find dozens, even
6:29 Speaker 00 hundreds of books on the same exact topic. Why? Because how the knowledge is delivered matters more than what the knowledge is. It's not about uniqueness, it's about resonance. It's about connecting with people in a way that makes sense to them. That's why you have great YouTube channels called Dad, How Do I? And it teaches young men simple things like how to shave or how to tie a tie. There's nothing revolutionary about this information. There's nothing unique. It's not some sort of special knowledge that this person has, right? It's simple stuff like shaving and how to tie a tie. But millions of viewers, millions of subscribers, because there's an audience that needs it, and can relate
7:14 Speaker 00 to the person delivering it. These days, you can get an answer from the internet, an influencer, or AI in seconds. But when it comes to legal matters for your business or your family, a quick answer is not the same as the right answer. With 25 years of experience, LegalZoom knows how to start you off right. When you need a legal hand, visit LegalZoom. Go to LegalZoom.com to get started. LegalZoom provides access to independent attorneys and its law firm, LZ Legal Services. LegalZoom is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
7:46 Speaker 00 Today's episode is sponsored by Whatnot. You've probably heard about live selling, and it's taking off on Whatnot. Sellers on Whatnot don't need a storefront or paid social media ads to reach customers. This is what I love about it, because with live video, you interact and engage with your customers. You just need your phone, and buyers can ask questions, they can make purchases in real time. On Whatnot, you can see people selling from living rooms and warehouses, selling sneakers, electronics, vintage, even a guy on a boat selling lobsters he just caught. Thousands of items are sold every minute because customers get to know sellers and see the products live. For many sellers, it's From side hustle to full-time job since they're selling 10 times here than on other marketplaces.
8:29 Speaker 00 I've personally shopped on whatnot and found the whole experience actually pretty fun. I got the bid on a product that I was looking at, which was a little tripod for my phone. And when I won the bid, the seller gave me a shout out and gave me a little demo of how the tripod works. In a couple of days, the tripod was at my front door. It couldn't be easier. Search whatnot, W H A T N O T, in the App Store, download and start selling right away.
8:55 Speaker 00 You might be sitting on a scale that you think is pretty common, but it's not common to someone else. Teaching people how to use a spreadsheet, or how to make a budget, or how to meal prep. These are real businesses with real customers, right? There are lots of people that don't know how to do these things. Let me give you a random example. Forget about all my business experiences and all my leadership experience and public speaking. Forget all that, right? Let's just pretend I'm starting from scratch. If I was starting from scratch and I was going to start, let's say, a YouTube channel, I would start a YouTube channel on how to buy a used car. Why? Because I have a lot of experience. When I was a young kid, I used to work in a car dealership. I used to wash cars at the wash bay. My dad was to sell cars. I used to go to work with him.
9:39 Speaker 00 And I used to observe all the salespeople. I used to know what makes a good used car. Cause people would trade in their used cars and I would wash them, right? I would know what to look for. I know what makes are reliable, which makes are not so reliable. And what to check for when you're buying one. Now, I'm not a mechanic. I'm not an expert, but I know cars more than the average person. I know what to look for when you're buying a used car. So my information would be useful to somebody who is looking to buy a used car. And therefore I would get viewership on my YouTube channel. Now, let's get practical again. I want you to try this today. Ask five people you trust, family, friends, coworkers, one question. What do you think I'm especially good at?
10:24 Speaker 00 Give me three to five things. Don't overthink it. Just ask. I know this might feel a little bit awkward and weird, but like I said, you gotta get yourself out of your comfort zone. If you want to see change in your life. And you might be surprised, you're gonna probably hear things you're totally taking for granted right now. You might hear things like, "Oh, you're great at organizing stuff." Or, "You're the person I go to when I need help planning a trip." Or, "You're great with words. You always know what to say at the right time." Now, these things might seem like nothing, but they could be the beginning of a business idea. One of my students found out that they were great at writing ad scripts, and then that turned into an ad-writing service, and then that turned into a course, and that turned into a full-on business helping people get more customers with their ads.
11:09 Speaker 00 We often undervalue our skills because they come natural to us, or we're just used to them. Don't make that mistake. Bruce, and anyone else listening who feels stuck, you don't need a brilliant idea, you don't need a pile of certifications, you don't need a long resume. You need two things: a willingness to solve problems, and a commitment to learn as you go. Listen, you'll get uncomfortable in the process, you'll make mistakes, but every successful entrepreneur started there. What separates the successful ones is this: they keep going, regardless of how weird it feels, how uncomfortable it feels,
11:52 Speaker 00 how, you know, even demotivating it feels to be a beginner again. The ones that make it, they don't wait for the perfect idea. They just pick a problem, they get curious about it, and they start helping. And that's exactly what I want you to do. If you found today's episode helpful and you want more practical business lessons to help you start, grow, and scale your business, the best thing you could do is subscribe to this podcast. Hit subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast app, the one that you're using right now, whether it's Apple or Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. By hitting subscribe, you get our next episode automatically, and it's the best way to support the show. It's absolutely free, and it's a way for you to commit to growing your business. And now that you've subscribed, I'll check you in the next episode.
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