AJ Osborne Podcast

32. How to Start Your Own Business (and Replace Your Salary)

Sep 25, 2025
George Mortimer, COO of Self Storage Income and former web designer, shares his journey from employee to entrepreneur. He reveals how to start a business using your current skills, emphasizing that you don't need to invent anything new. The conversation covers valuable strategies for testing market fit and highlights the importance of maintaining your job while building. They discuss the stages of business growth—service, business, and enterprise—while detailing how to create a unique value proposition that stands out in today's competitive landscape.
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ADVICE

Validate With Service Before Scaling

  • Start as a service provider and validate the market before scaling systems or seeking investors.
  • Use early revenue to reinvest in hiring and processes that remove you from daily ops.
ADVICE

Spend Time, Not Money, Early On

  • Trade time for skill and growth early: work nights, learn, take gigs to build capability and credibility.
  • Reinvest every early dollar into growth instead of personal spending to compound your progress.
ANECDOTE

First Client Paid $24 On Thanksgiving

  • George took his first web gigs on Upwork and earned $24 while working late on Thanksgiving.
  • That small early win showed him he could make money independently and fueled continued effort.
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