Last week, I was on my sister’s reclining sectional, surrounded by dogs, laughter, and whatever reality TV marathon was on offer. The Wi-Fi? Strong. The vibes? Even stronger.
And yet, when I got home, I fell face-first into a pit of frustration and fog I couldn’t name.
It’s not burnout. It’s not even despair.
It’s more like… static. A low-grade hum of not enough-ness.
I think it started when I made the decision—really made it—to stop job searching and build a business instead.
That balloon I’d been carrying? The one full of hope and gumption and sparkly new ideas? It deflated a little.
Because here I am, running a completely free 4-week cohort to see if my idea actually helps the people I want to serve… and I’m already spinning up a second one for UK/EU folx because it’s not landing the way I’d hoped in the U.S.
Twice the sessions.
Twice the prep.
Twice the logistics.
Still $0 in revenue.
And listen… this isn’t a pity party. (Although if it were, I’d have some excellent snacks.)
This is me saying: I’m doing the thing.
I’m showing up. Giving generously.
Making a space that feels human and weird and safe.
And I’m still waking up with that nagging whisper:
“Is this even working?”
Maybe the urgency isn’t there.
Maybe I missed something in the messaging.
Maybe American audiences need something different.
Maybe it’s too playful. Or not playful enough.
Or maybe (let’s be honest) it just takes time and I’m in that part of the process where nothing looks like it’s working yet.
But something small (and wild) did happen this week.
A woman I’d never met messaged me on LinkedIn.
No sales pitch. No funnel. No cold outreach.
She said:
“Hey Deb, I have a small team of 3 and I’m wondering if you could do an intro to AI for us? I’ll pay you directly just to avoid my Procurement team.”
That’s it. That was the whole approach.
And suddenly, I had my first paying client.
It might’ve been a $300 gig.
But it was worth a million in validation.
Because I didn’t trick her.
Didn’t outmaneuver her in a sales call.
Didn’t catch her in a moment of vulnerability and slide in with a limited-time offer.
She saw what I was doing and wanted it.
And that? That’s the business I want to build.
Not some high-pressure, conversion-optimized funnel where I have to pretend I’m a guru.
But something clear. Generous. Playful. Valuable.
Something where the right people feel safe enough to say yes, and bold enough to ask for more.
I know I’m in the messy middle.
I know every business builder has one.
But damn, this part is disorienting.
The part where you’re giving everything you’ve got… and it still feels like you’re screaming into the void.
The part where you start wondering if you should’ve picked a smaller dream.
But no - this is the dream.
It’s rough-edged and weirdly timed and definitely not optimized for conversions…
But it’s mine.
So I’m gonna keep swinging.
And if you’re here reading this?
Tell me - how did you know what you were building was working?
And if you don’t know yet, maybe we can figure it out together.
—
Hi, I’m Deb, and I’m somewhere between ‘WTF am I doing?’ and ‘Hell yes, let’s go.’ Come along?
