If You Want to Build an Online Business, Start Here

Hey, it’s Wisdom.

I’m writing this with my phone brightness on full blast because there’s no light where I am — and funny enough, that’s the perfect metaphor for today’s lesson.

Sometimes the environment is loud, inconsistent, chaotic. Sometimes you have only one working tool. Sometimes you have NEPA. But you still show up.

And showing up is an advantage many people underestimate.

Let me explain.

1. The Hidden Advantage of Building Under Pressure

People who build under tough conditions build three things at once:

• Discipline • Resourcefulness • Emotional resilience

Meanwhile, people with perfect environments build only the product.

When you’re forced to solve problems every day — power, data, time, noise — it trains your brain to operate in “solution mode” automatically.

This is why people who build businesses in difficult environments end up outworking and outlasting people who started with more comfort.

Pressure isn’t a punishment. It’s invisible training.

You get stronger by default.

Last Time the Market Was This Expensive, Investors Waited 14 Years to Break Even

In 1999, the S&P 500 peaked. Then it took 14 years to gradually recover by 2013.

Today? Goldman Sachs sounds crazy forecasting 3% returns for 2024 to 2034.

But we’re currently seeing the highest price for the S&P 500 compared to earnings since the dot-com boom.

So, maybe that’s why they’re not alone; Vanguard projects about 5%.

In fact, now just about everything seems priced near all time highs. Equities, gold, crypto, etc.

But billionaires have long diversified a slice of their portfolios with one asset class that is poised to rebound.

It’s post war and contemporary art.

Sounds crazy, but over 70,000 investors have followed suit since 2019—with Masterworks.

You can invest in shares of artworks featuring Banksy, Basquiat, Picasso, and more.

24 exits later, results speak for themselves: net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.*

My subscribers can skip the waitlist.

Skip waitlist

_{*Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd.}

2. The Millionaire Fastlane & Why It Shifted My Mindset

Years ago, The Millionaire Fastlane opened my eyes to something simple but profound:

Your life changes when you stop trading time for money and start building assets that work even when you’re not.

Not motivational quotes. Not theory. Actual principles:

• Control — own the vehicle, don’t rent it. • Scale — your income shouldn’t be limited by your time. • Need — solve real, painful problems. • Entry — don’t build businesses anyone can copy in a weekend. • Time — build assets that grow, not jobs disguised as businesses.

This is the lens I use to evaluate everything I build.

And here’s how you can apply it today, no matter where you are:

Fastlane Application Exercise (Do this today)

Grab a sheet of paper and list:

1. What skill or interest do you already have?

2. What problem does it solve?

3. Who feels that problem the most?

4. How can you deliver the solution in a scalable way (content, media, digital product, tool, system)?

This simple exercise can reveal 2–3 real business opportunities hiding in your everyday life.

So what’s this newsletter really about?

Simple:

I want to test out real, practical ways people are building actual online businesses — not vibes, not motivational speeches, not “make $10K in 6 minutes” nonsense.

Real businesses.

Real experiments.

Real documentation.

Real results.

Because there’s already too much “talking” online. I want to do.

That’s why I’m launching a local media brand this December.

Yes — this December.

Not in theory. Not in a Google Doc. In real life.

And I’ll document everything inside this letter.

The lessons.

The mistakes.

The unexpected wins.

The strategy.

The systems.

The failures that will annoy me.

The breakthroughs that will shock me.

You’ll see it all.

4. The Real Skill That Pays the Bills While You Build

Here’s something practical — the thing that has supported me while building businesses:

Podcasting.

Not for “becoming a celebrity.” Not for “monetizing instantly.”

But because podcasting gives you:

• A reason for people to talk to you • A skill that compounds: communication • $50–$100/month to support yourself • Clarity about what topics you genuinely enjoy • A network of people around the world • Content for multiple platforms

You’re not just talking into a mic. You’re building:

income + identity + relationships.

I’m creating a free resource that shows you exactly how to do this with minimal equipment and zero confusion. But here’s value you can use now:

Mini Exercise: Your Podcasting Advantage

Ask yourself:

1. What topic do I talk about naturally that never feels forced?

2. What groups of people would gladly listen to that?

3. What questions do people always ask me about that topic? (This becomes your first 10 episodes)

Boom — that’s a starter show.

5. What You’ll Get From Wisdom Letter (Starting Now)

Not hope. Not vague motivation. Not “the future will be bright.”

From today, every issue will deliver:

• A business principle you can apply instantly • A breakdown of something I’m building (and what you can learn from it) • A system, strategy, or tool you can copy • An insight from a builder making real money online • One experiment you can try in your own business

This isn’t theory. This is documentation + strategy + execution.

In the dark or in the light, I’ll show up — and I want you to show up too.

Final Thought

If you take nothing else from this email:

Start where you are, with what you have, even if it’s in the dark. Consistency beats perfect conditions. Always.

— Wisdom