If I Were Starting a Business From Scratch in 2026, I’d Seriously Consider This

Starting a business is strangely difficult today.

Not because there aren't enough opportunities. The opposite is true.

There are too many opportunities.

AI agencies. E-commerce. Coaching. SaaS. Affiliate marketing. Content creation. Real estate. Freelancing. Consulting. Digital products.

A beginner can spend six months researching businesses without spending six days actually building one.

I was reminded of this during a call recently with a young man who was just dipping his toes into entrepreneurship. My advice to him was simple:

Pick one thing and give it at least one quarter of serious, concentrated effort.

Three months.

Don't start a video-editing business on Monday, decide dropshipping looks better two weeks later, experiment with an AI agency in month two, and then conclude entrepreneurship doesn't work by month three.

Give yourself enough time to actually become competent.

But that creates another question:

What business should a beginner actually start?

If someone came to me today and said:

"Leviticus, I want to start a business. I don't have much money. I'm relatively inexperienced. What could I sell?"

There are several answers I could give.

But one business I'd seriously consider is surprisingly simple:

Short-Form Video Content

Reels.

TikToks.

YouTube Shorts.

Turning long-form podcasts and YouTube videos into short-form clips.

It's not revolutionary. In fact, that's partially why I like it.

Businesses and creators already understand short-form video. They see it every day. They see competitors publishing it. Many know they should be producing more of it.

Their problem isn't necessarily convincing themselves that video matters.

Their problem is finding the time and systems to consistently produce it.

And that's where a new entrepreneur can become useful.

Why Short-Form Video Can Be a Good Beginner Business

Think about the average business owner. They're handling customers, employees, sales calls, operations, accounting, marketing, and a dozen unexpected problems. Even if they understand Instagram Reels, how excited do you think they are about spending Tuesday night turning a 45-minute interview into 14 short videos?

Probably not very.

The same problem exists for creators. Someone may love recording a podcast or YouTube video but hate reviewing footage, finding hooks, creating captions and repurposing everything across platforms. That's an opportunity! More importantly, the technological barrier has fallen dramatically.

Tools such as HeyGen, OpusClip and Captions can dramatically simplify portions of the creation and repurposing process. You don't necessarily need years of professional editing experience before you can provide someone with useful output.

But here's the important distinction:

Don't sell video editing. Sell the outcome.

Instead of:

"I'm a video editor."

I'd rather say something closer to:

"I help you consistently publish short-form videos from content you've already created, without you spending hours editing everything yourself."

Those are two very different offers.

One sells labor.

The other solves a problem.

And learning that distinction early can change your entire entrepreneurial career.

Step 1: Pick One Market Before You Pick Everyone

Once you've chosen the service, don't immediately market it to every person with a pulse.

Instead, pick a niche. Ideally, start with something you understand or enjoy.

If you're obsessed with fitness, approach gyms, fitness creators or personal trainers. If you're into real estate, consider agents, brokerages and real-estate educators.

There's an advantage to understanding the customer naturally. You already know their terminology, aspirations and problems. I'd generally prefer a business with enough revenue to comfortably pay for services. For example, a successful gym may have more financial capacity than a brand-new personal trainer.

But don't become paralyzed looking for the "perfect" niche. And don't assume geography needs to constrain you. If there aren't enough prospects around you, the internet gives you access to thousands more. For this example, however, let's use YouTube creators.

Why?

It's because they are abundant, already produce long-form video, generally understand the value of content and often are incentivized to grow. Even better, they already possess your raw material.

Step 2: Don't Ask for Money Yet. Ask for a Case Study.

This is where I'd approach starting differently from many beginners. A lot of beginners want money FAST. Your first objective isn't maximizing profit. It's acquiring proof. Suppose you find a creator whose content you genuinely think you can improve. Offer to create 10–15 short-form videos for free in exchange for the opportunity to use the results as a case study if they're happy with the work.

Notice that I'm not necessarily asking them to become a paying client. That reduces the risk on their side. If I'm the creator, I'm thinking:

"You're going to take content I've already made, turn it into additional content for me, and you're not asking me for $1,000?" Framing it that way can be a hard sell for you.

Keep Your Outreach Short

In my experience, concise outreach usually beats someone's autobiography disguised as a sales email. Creators and business owners receive enormous amounts of spam.

And much of it essentially says:

"Hi, stranger. Here's what I want from you." Except, it's 3 paragraphs long. I'll be honest, I usually ignore 99% of these types of emails–even if the offer is amazing".

Instead, do the opposite.

Don't offer a cat to someone looking for cheese. Offer them cheese.

For YouTubers, start with the About/contact information available through their channel or linked business pages. If they publicly provide a business email, use it. Otherwise, check their Instagram or other public social profiles. If email isn't available, send a concise DM.

Your message can essentially communicate:

I'm testing a short-form content service and looking for a few creators to use as case studies. I'd like to turn some of your existing content into 10–15 short videos at no cost. If you like them and they perform well, all I'd ask is permission to reference the results.

No 14-paragraph pitch.

No fake urgency.

No pretending you're the world's greatest agency when you started last Thursday.

Provide value first.

Step 3: Want to Stand Out? Do Some of the Work Before They Say Yes

Instead of merely promising 10 clips, make several—or potentially all of them—ahead of time.

Take one of the creator's long-form videos and process it using your editing workflow. Depending on the content, tools and computer, much of the initial clipping process can be relatively quick. Personally, if you choose to go down this route, I'd set aside at least an hour/day to hyperfocus on generating these clips. Don't do this haphazardly. It's easy to procrastinate or lose faith if you don't do large blocks of time at once. I do not recommend doing this when you feel like it. Be intentional and set aside concrete time to do this.

If you'd like to learn the exact steps and systems that I recommend to my executive and entrepreneurial clients, I recommend trying the Elite Life Planner, which contains a planner and several guides/videos to help you with his.

Then, organize the clips neatly in Google Drive and create a simple PDF explaining what you've made.

But I'd go even further. Study their business.

Do they have a newsletter?

A lead magnet?

A paid product?

If they're generating considerable attention but have no obvious mechanism for turning viewers into an owned audience, point it out.

Perhaps you suggest a simple PDF lead magnet related to their most popular topic. Maybe there's an obvious low-ticket product opportunity. Your offer could also be how your shorts content can directly lead to a specific lead magnet or program.

Now you aren't merely the person who cuts videos. You're thinking about how content contributes to their business. That's infinitely more valuable.

A Lesson From My First Marketing Agency (Use This Trick Ethically!)

Years ago, I ran a marketing agency called Affinity. This was before today's AI tools made personalized outreach dramatically easier, so doing speculative work for every prospect could become incredibly time-consuming. We developed an unconventional workaround.

We'd take a screenshot of a prospect's website (since we primarily sold Facebook ad marketing, content creation, and website optimization) and place a play button over it. The email explained that we'd made a video showing problems we noticed with their brand and how we'd address them.

This is an example of a screenshot we'd use. We would dim the background a little and put a large play button. However, since it was just an image and not a real video, when clicked nothing would happen. Usually, if someone responded to inquire about the video we could consider that a sign of interest and treat them as a lead. I recommend Canva. But this can be done with nearly any basic image editor.

There wasn't actually a finished video yet. If someone clicked and replied saying the link wasn't working, we knew something valuable:

They were interested enough to try watching it.

Then we'd make and send the actual personalized video. I'm not suggesting pretending completed work exists when it doesn't; transparency matters. But the underlying lesson remains useful: find inexpensive ways to test interest before investing substantial fulfillment time.

Today you could adapt the concept more transparently with a mockup showing potential Reel thumbnails and clearly label it as a preview of what you could produce.

The goal is the same:

Make your offer tangible.

Step 4: Deliver, Measure and Follow Up

Once the creator agrees, deliver what you promised. Then follow up.

And follow up again. One lesson beginners frequently learn the hard way is that silence doesn't automatically mean rejection.

People have crowded email inboxes. DMs disappear. Messages land in spam. People open something during lunch, intend to reply later and completely forget about it. There are plenty of times when someone would pitch something, I'd be interested, and suddenly an urgent text or phone call comes in that distracts me. Then, I'd forget about the pitch. Some people never followed up again. Others did. Often, I'd thank the people who'd follow up because I was genuinely interested in hearing them out but just lost track of their DM, email, or forgot.

I would follow up at least three times before assuming there's no interest. However, many sales coaches like Jordan Belfort would suggest following up 7-10 times. I think the amount of times depends on your outreach volume and if you can efficiently track your follow ups. If you have a great system, follow up more. If your system isn't developed yet, follow up less and look for those that express interest faster. Then, once you get a client, investigate performance.

Public tools and platform data can at least give you directional information such as views and engagement, although you often won't have access to private conversion metrics unless the creator shares them.

Ask the creator what happened.

• Which clips worked?

• Did one generate substantially more engagement?

• Did subscribers increase?

• Did people click their CTA?

• What did they think of the process?

This is where you're beginning to move from "person who knows how to use editing software" to someone who understands results.

If they're happy, ask for the case study. Now something important has happened:

You're no longer completely unproven.

Step 5: Turn the Case Study Into Your First Client

After you've delivered the work and collected feedback, ask a logical question:

Would they like you to continue doing this consistently? Again, frame the offer around their problem. Maybe they don't have enough time to repurpose content. Maybe they want to publish more frequently. Maybe they want to build revenue sources that don't depend entirely on YouTube's algorithm. Whatever it is, connect your service to the outcome they already care about. If they decline? Fine. Keep the relationship positive and follow up three or four months later. (Bonus points if you then ask for a referral instead).

You still gained experience, examples of your work and potentially a case study. If they say yes, I'd consider keeping the initial price relatively accessible. Price at a point that allows you to breakeven or ideally profit just a little over breakeven. Suppose your software costs approximately $30 per month. Charging your first client $50–$100 isn't going to make you rich. That's not the objective yet. But it keeps your business sustainable and keeps you motivated. A business only fails when it's not sustainable. And that's usually only when the business runs out of money.

Your primary objectives are to:

1. Avoid operating at a loss.

2. Prove someone will pay you.

3. Learn how fulfillment works with a real client.

4. Build momentum.

One of my favorite principles for beginning entrepreneurs is:

It's extraordinarily difficult to go out of business if you don't allow yourself to consistently lose money.

Get client one.

Then repeat the exact process.

But perhaps client two pays $100.

Client three pays more.

Why?

Because you are becoming more valuable.

Step 6: Raise Your Prices as Your Proof Improves

By client four, I'd start thinking differently about pricing.

Maybe your packages look something like this:

Monthly Deliverable	Example Starting Price
10–15 clips	$100+
16–25 clips	$175+
26–50 clips	$400+

These aren't universal market rates or promises of what clients will pay. They're simply an illustration of how a beginner might structure increasingly valuable packages while learning their economics.

Eventually, perhaps you decide packages aren't worth the complexity. If you've developed strong proof and tangible results, 10–15 clips might become a flat $300+ monthly service.

The principle matters more than the exact number:

As your ability, proof and delivered value increase, your price should have room to increase too.

This is also where I'd begin calculating something we discuss extensively at Productivity Accelerator:

What is your time actually worth?

If you're earning $500 but spending 40 hours fulfilling the work, you haven't necessarily created a great business. You may have created a low-paying job.

• Measure your fulfillment time.

• Measure acquisition time.

• Measure software expenses.

Then ask whether the business you're building actually supports the life you're trying to create.

If you want help doing that calculation and designing the business around your desired lifestyle, you can book a 1-on-1 Productivity Accelerator session with me here.

Book a free 1 on 1 Session

Step 7: Move Up the Value Ladder

Here's where this gets interesting. Short-form video doesn't have to be the final business.

It can be the entry point.

You start with:

"I'll turn your videos into clips."

Then perhaps you add as a secondary package:

"I'll manage your short-form publishing."

Then you can add:

"I'll develop your content strategy."

Eventually:

"I'll help turn the attention we're generating into leads and customers with a full boutique of services."

Now we're talking about landing pages, email sequences, digital products, funnels and conversion strategy.

Imagine working with a creator who has 100,000 subscribers but nothing to sell. Maybe they've created dozens of videos teaching people how to make friends after moving to a new city. You notice that the audience repeatedly asks the same questions.

Perhaps there's an opportunity for a $27 guide. (If this example seems specific, it's because I just saw someone go through exactly this a few weeks ago).

You help the creator package their expertise. Then you build a landing page. Then an email sequence. Suddenly, you didn't just make a Reel. You helped create a revenue-producing asset. That's the value ladder. And each step potentially makes you more difficult to replace.

Step 8: Eventually, Stop Doing Everything Yourself

This is where ambitious entrepreneurs often sabotage themselves. The business works, so they take on more clients. Then more. Then more. Eventually, they have money but absolutely no time. They've accidentally built the exact job they were trying to escape.

Don't forget the purpose of entrepreneurship. Leverage matters. Suppose you've calculated that an hour of your time is effectively worth $50. You discover someone on Upwork or Fiverr who can perform part of your fulfillment exceptionally well for $25 an hour.

Beginners sometimes think:

"Why would I give away half my hourly revenue?"

Wrong question.

Ask:

"What can I do with the hour I just bought back?"

If outsourcing $25 worth of production frees you to spend that hour closing a $500 client, developing a higher-value offer or building a system that produces another $2,000 per month, the economics become completely different. You can hire freelancers, contractors, friends, family or eventually employees. The mechanism matters less than the principle:

As the value of your time rises, increasingly protect it from lower-value work.

That's how a freelancer can eventually become an agency owner. And it's how an agency owner can eventually become an actual entrepreneur instead of an overworked employee with a cooler job title.

If I Were Starting Again, I'd Optimize for Proof Before Prestige

Short-form video isn't the only business I'd consider. And five years from now, another service may offer an even better opportunity.

The deeper lesson isn't:

"Everyone should start a clipping agency."

It's this:

If you're inexperienced and don't have much capital, find something businesses already want, learn to deliver it inexpensively, acquire proof, and gradually increase the value you provide.

Don't spend six months designing your logo.

Don't obsess over your LLC before you've proven anyone wants what you're selling.

Don't build seven offers simultaneously.

Pick something. Just one thing.

Commit to it for a quarter.

Find a customer.

Solve a real problem.

Measure what happened.

Improve.

Charge more.

Then create leverage by outsourcing or using tools that do the work for you.

Entrepreneurship becomes much less mysterious when you stop trying to construct the final version of your empire on Day 1.

Your first business doesn't need to make you a millionaire.

It needs to teach you how to create value for another human being—and convince them to pay you for it.

Once you've learned that, you've acquired something far more valuable than your first $100.

You've acquired proof that you can do it again.