Business By Hormozi #161: The Simple Business Formula

The Struggle of Starting

Maria was frustrated.

She had spent months brainstorming the perfect business idea. She’d made lists, drawn out diagrams, and even come up with a few “passion projects” that felt like they could change the world. But when it came down to it, none of her ideas had made much of an impact. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

Her friends and mentors had given her all sorts of advice about finding her true passion—the thing that would light her up and keep her motivated for years. She thought that passion was the secret sauce to a successful business.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized something:

She had no idea what people actually wanted to buy.

The Lightbulb Moment

One afternoon, she sat down with a cup of coffee and took a deep breath. She decided to throw out all the “perfect” ideas she had been holding onto. Instead, she started to think about what people were already spending money on.

She began scrolling through popular e-commerce platforms, local markets, and social media ads. As she did, a lightbulb went off.

People were already buying things she never even considered. From home decor to niche gadgets to fitness products, there was no shortage of demand.

Maria decided to focus on something simple: Find what people are already buying, and sell it to them.

The Power of Simplicity

She didn’t worry about “passion” or “purpose.” She didn’t stress about starting with the perfect business model. Instead, she researched a high-demand product that was easy to source and started selling it.

Within a few months, her sales began to pick up. Maria had learned a valuable lesson: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to succeed in business.

It wasn’t about finding something she loved right away; it was about getting started and making a profit first.

The Realization

As her sales grew, Maria discovered something surprising: she did become passionate about the process. She was hooked on the thrill of building her business, tweaking her marketing strategies, and optimizing her operations.

In fact, she was more excited about making a profit than she had been about any of her initial passion projects.

The Takeaway

The truth is, passion follows success. In the beginning, just find shit people already buy and sell it. Once you’ve built a foundation and learned the ropes, you can dive into purpose, innovation, and creativity.

But before you get too caught up in what’s “meaningful” to you, remember: There’s a big market out there, and people are buying with The Simple Business Formula.

Maria’s story wasn’t about waiting for passion to strike—it was about learning the business fundamentals and making money first. Once she was profitable, she had the freedom to refine her purpose.