Building a Business at 50+ Without Quitting My Day Job: My Week 1 Results (So Far)

So last week, I had this thought:

Instead of just telling you how to start a business using your existing knowledge, why not show you? Like, actually do it in real-time so you can follow along?

So, I'm starting a new business from scratch. Oh and to be clear, when I say "without quitting my day job," I mean my existing business (I haven't had a traditional "employee" job in years). I want to show you that you don't have to ditch your main income to build something new.

Think of this as looking over my shoulder while I build something new at 50+. No bro influencer hype fest, just a regular guy getting shit done - wins, failures, and everything in between.

These post are going to be part journal (so you can see what I’m doing) and part instruction manual (so you can play along).

So, let’s get into it.

Here’s a breakdown of what I did this past week to get the ball rolling.

What Business I’m Building

I'm launching a newsletter setup service for creators, coaches, and founders who want to grow their audience outside social media. Goal: Make $500 in 30 days.

Why newsletters? Few reasons:

• Every business needs one (from plumbers to TikTokers)

• Going back to my fantasy football blog days (circa 2008), I have a bunch of experience building newsletters for myself and a few clients over the years.

• Tons of influencers with great followings but no email list (huge missed opportunity - trust me, I learned this the hard way with my fantasy football website)

• It's evergreen (email isn't going anywhere)

• The market is massive (207 million creators worldwide, 27% planning to start newsletters in 2025)

What I Worked On Last Week

• Identified a problem I can solve

• Did some quick and dirty, back-of-the-napkin market research

• Created coaching service offering using Stan (more on that below)

• Set up AI assistant using the Claude and ChatGPT Projects features

• Started revamping my LinkedIn profile to focus on newsletter business

Quick side note on the research and idea validation:

I found a newsletter agency called Paperboy Studios. The application says growth plans range from $5,000 - $7,500 per month, so yes, there is money in it this niche. And they have a pretty big staff (i.e. a lot of mouths to feed) so they must be making money. And thats just one example - I found a bunch more.

Want to see what I'm building? Check out my service page here: My store Link

What I’m Working On This Coming Week

This week I’ll be working on the following:

• Creating my first lead magnet

• Building out me lead-generation process

• Tracking the number for you (sales, leads, everything)

• Battling imposter syndrome…

Just a quick note on imposter syndrome:

Whenever I start something new, I often feel like an imposter. This feeling used to hold me back, but now I've learned to keep going. It usually happens when I'm looking into what others are doing.

For this project, I see many people who are great at marketing similar services and it makes me second-guess my skills.

I just have to keep reminding myself that there's enough work for everyone and that I can offer my own unique perspective.

And now over to you…

How You Can Apply This (Even If You're Not Into Newsletters)

Here's my back of the napkin research process for validating a business idea at 50:

1. Identify Your Money-Making Problem:

• List out EVERY problem you've solved in your career

• Research if people are actively paying for solutions

• Look for recurring pain points in your industry

2. Do "Lazy but Smart" Market Research:

• Google search-related keywords

• Find competitors and study their pricing

• Join relevant Facebook or LinkedIn groups and read complaints

• Use AI tools to speed up research

3. Set Up Shop (The Easy Way):

• Choose a simple platform (like the “tool of the week” in the next section)

• Create one core offering

• Set up payment processing

• Build basic marketing materials

Try this framework with your business idea. See what you come up with using the following tools.

(New here? Think you're too old to start a business? Tap This link.)

Tool of the Week

Tool: Stan.store ($)

• Cost: $ (worth every penny)

• Setup Time: Under 2 hours

• Key Features:

  • Digital product/service sales

  • Built-in affiliate program

  • Payment processing

  • Landing pages

• Why I Use It: Makes setting up a digital service business super simple. It removes a bunch of technical barriers. You don’t need a website to get started, it will help you collect emails, book appointments, and I could go on. I wish this was around 10 years ago when I started my business. Oh and it handles affiliate programs easily (so your customers can help sell your stuff).

• Try It Here: Try Stan for Free ($)

Have you tried Stan or similar platforms? Reply and share your experience!

AI Lesson of the Week

I'm using AI to streamline everything:

• Claude for formatting and editing my writing (seems better at capturing my voice)

• ChatGPT for ideation and offer creation

• Perplexity for research

And if you want to kick the streamlining up a notch, create AI helpers specifically for your business tasks. Saves a crap ton of time.

This Week's Challenge For You

Take ONE step toward your business idea this week. Could be:

• Research competitors in your space

• Write down your unique experience

• Set up a simple website

Want specific details on anything I covered? Hit reply - I read every email.

Or follow me on LinkedIn, where you can watch me operate and see what else I'm sharing about this experiment.

Until next time,

Corey

P.S. How about a little music to get your toe tappin’ today. Here’s a great song that I never would’ve admitted I liked back in the day (my metalhead buddies would’ve never let me let me hear the end of it). I love this song almost as much as the ladies love the man himself, Rick Springfield…

(Oh, and can his mouth be any farther away from that microphone? We know he’s lip-syncing, but damn, at least try).