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MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
A 21-year-old follower just DMed me asking how to start his first business.

Here's the foolproof, step-by-step blueprint I've used for all my companies:

(that makes me $806,730 per month)
MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Before we start...

There are 3 huge trends shaping entrepreneurship right now:

• Brands are becoming founder-led
• Niche communities are dominating all platforms
• Every modern brand is morphing into a media company

Once you understand this, everything becomes easier.
MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Now, picture the finish line: what does business success ACTUALLY look like?

Do you want to start the next SpaceX? Or do you want the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want?

For me it's the latter.

And here's how I'd do it:
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MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Define Your Must-Haves

Over the years, I've come up with personal criteria that every potential business I start must fulfill.

Things like: it feels like play (not work), a clear path to $5M/year revenue, loving the problem/customers, etc...

Introspect and find yours.
MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Score New Ideas

Next, run each idea through a filtering system.

I score the opportunity from 1-10 against all 11 of my criteria on a document I call the Next Move Matrix (see below).

Numbers never lie: harness them to imprint rationality on otherwise emotional decisions.
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MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Easy Mode Business Models

Then, choose a model that doesn't require much capital/effort to get going.

These easy-mode models include digital info products, subscription services with recurring revenue, and platform businesses.

Build scale and leverage: not another job.
MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Personal Brand

Attention is the new oil. Your personal brand is the pipeline.

Share your REAL journey including both wins and failures. Build authority and trust with content people want to consume.

People trust people over faceless companies.
MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Your Founder Flywheel

Nathan Barry, founder of ConvertKit, defines three flywheel laws:

1. Activities in flywheels flow from one into the next
2. Each rotation of the flywheel is easier than the last
3. Each rotation produces more than the previous rotation

The point?
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MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Once you focus on flywheels, the impact of your work 10x's.

As founders, we want every action to multiply. We want there to be a compounding effect on everything we do.

Here's what it looks like at Founder OS - each part of our biz augments another:
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MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Architect Systems

Bulletproof systems unlock exponential growth in any business.

Your sales process, marketing campaigns, and daily operations - anything you do more than once - should be systematized.

Automate, eliminate, delegate: routine repetition builds the castle.
MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Surround Yourself With Weapons

A-Players hire A-Plus-Players. B-Players hire C-players.

In other words: hire people smarter than you, set them up for success, then leave them the f*ck alone.

Who you do something with > what you do.
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MATT GRAY
@matt_gray_
Your Purpose

Every so often, reflect on your 'why'.

Your deeper purpose and the change you want to see in the world push you through adversity.

Outsized success lies in unearthing your Ikigai.
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