Originally sent as "before you start your business, read this" to the From operator to owner newsletter.
I usually don't write about this here. But one decision, one shift in how I approached business, completely changed how I think about income, freedom, and time.
Why scalable income comes first
In 2022, while I was still working full-time in tech, my sister and I started Favorite People, an overalls brand for kids and women. At first it was a family project. My sister handled operations; I supported as an advisor and investor. No crazy ambitions. No pressure.
But when you build something people love, it takes on a life of its own. Profitable within six months. 230% year-over-year growth. 45% repeat customers. When we launched a new collection last Friday, 500 people were online within two minutes, waiting to shop, from the US, Europe and Australia.
I love this brand. But Favorite People is not passive income. It's profitable and rewarding, and it still requires time, decisions, and effort.
That's when I realised something: before building something like Favorite People, it's smarter to build income that doesn't require you on a constant basis. That way, there's no pressure to make the second thing profitable right away, and no feeling trapped in something you started.
Madgrowth was built for freedom
This is why I left my full-time tech career to start Madgrowth: to help others do what I wish I had done first. Build scalable income first, so there's freedom to explore new ideas. Create income streams that don't demand constant time. Have more flexibility and time with family. Make money without feeling tied to another job in disguise.
You don't need a VC-backed startup or a complex tech product. You need a simple, scalable system that takes what you already know and turns it into an asset that earns for you.
Start with the right foundation
You're probably sitting on an idea right now. It might not be overalls, but maybe it's a skill you've mastered, a framework you use daily, or a problem you know how to solve better than most.
What if you built a scalable income stream around it first? What if that gave you the freedom to spend your time where you want? If you don't know which kind of business fits you, the Builder Diagnostic will tell you in three minutes.
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From operator to owner goes out every Thursday: a 3-minute read on building a business after a tech career, with the experiments, the numbers and the mistakes.