I get this question in my inbox almost every week:
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"Derek, I want to start an email list, but I don’t have a topic or idea. How do I find one?"
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Or some variation like:
- "I don’t know what to sell."
- "I can’t figure out what my email-based business should be about."
- "I don’t feel like I’m an expert in anything worth teaching."
If you’re struggling with any of this too, I can relate HARD.
I spent YEARS in exactly the same position – desperately searching for the "perfect" business idea while watching other friends go on to do huge things (One of my good friends when I was "coming up" went on to sell his business for $60 million dollars).
I tried all the strategies you’ve heard:
- Researching "hot niches" that were supposedly profitable
- Following trends I thought I could capitalize on
- Analyzing markets to find "gaps" I could fill
- Even buying one of those embarrassing "1,000 Business Ideas" books (yes, really)
None of it worked.
Every idea I came up with felt forced.
I didn’t feel qualified (expert enough).
I didn’t feel passionate.
And nothing felt like it had a clear path to money.
Meanwhile, I was watching other people – people who weren’t always smarter or more talented than me – launch successful businesses that seemed to take off effortlessly.
Some of them were making high five or six figures monthly from ideas that seemed too… simple or obvious.
It was beyond frustrating.
But here’s what’s interesting…
The breakthrough that finally led to my first successful business (and every business I’ve built since) wasn’t some brilliant and innovative idea or clever market analysis process invented by a marketer.
It was something so obvious I’d been completely overlooking it.
Something you’re probably overlooking right now too.
Because I’ve since realized that most people who are "stuck" trying to come up with business ideas are making the exact same mistake I was.
They’re looking everywhere except the one place that contains their most valuable business idea – the idea that people will happily pay you for, often repeatedly and at premium prices.
And the craziest part? Once I figured this out, I went from having ZERO business ideas to having TOO MANY viable ideas – practically overnight.
- Within weeks of this realization, I had paying customers.
- Within months, I had a sustainable business.
- And within a couple of years, I had a seven-figures in sales.
I know this might sound hard to believe, but I promise you it’s the truth.
These ideas are hiding right in front of you in plain sight.
This different approach is why I was able to build CopyHour into a multi-million dollar product.
And it’s why I’ve been able to launch (and/or help launch) multiple successful businesses since then.
The good news? This approach doesn’t require any special skills, connections, or advantages.
It doesn’t require you to be the world’s foremost expert.
It doesn’t require you to create something revolutionary.
It just requires a completely different way of thinking about where good business ideas come from.
This week, I’m going to walk you through exactly what I discovered and how you can use it to find your own profitable business idea – even if you currently think you have nothing worth selling.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you the unexpected source of good business ideas and why it’s the most reliable foundation for building a successful online business – especially the kind that can thrive through a simple email list.
Stay tuned!
— Derek
P.S. You will get a lot out of this free series even if you’ve already started a business – I’ll be talking about "ideas".
You can use what I’ll show you to more easily launch your next product or course or lead magnet, etc.
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