How Getting Laid Off Led Me Back to Work That Actually Matters

Every week, I see a new AI startup launch on Product Hunt.

They’ve all got slick landing pages, pastel color palettes, and some clever variation of “powered by GPT-4.”
But scroll through enough of them and you start to feel it: sameness.

Same stack. Same pitch. Same empty promises.

At some point, people will get tired of startups that only solve imaginary problems for other tech people.

So here’s a wild idea:
Start something boring.

A laundromat.
A car wash.
A logistics company.
A travel business.
Anything that solves real, grounded, everyday needs.

It’s not sexy.
But you know what is? Profit.
Stability.
Helping people.
Building something that lasts longer than the hype cycle.

Right now, I’m unemployed.

I’m pivoting into SEO consulting—not because it’s trending on Twitter, but because it’s what I’ve done for years.
I’m good at it. It’s real. It helps real businesses grow.

That matters more to me now than ever before.

I’ve spent too long chasing "scale."
Too long inside shiny offices that made it hard to see the truth.

The truth is this: small businesses are the backbone of every economy.
And a lot of them need help. The kind of help I know how to give.

These days, I walk around my neighborhood differently.

I see the dry cleaner. The pizza shop. The florist.
I wonder: Are they okay? Are they surviving? Thriving? Barely hanging on?

I used to look at them like background noise.
Now I see them as people—owners, families, employees—doing their best to stay afloat in a messy world.

My dream now? Start one of those businesses myself.
Something small. Simple. Human.
Not to get rich.
But to build a life. A community. A reason to get up in the morning.

I once told my wife: “You love your job because you help people.”

I never felt that way in corporate life.
But I’m starting to feel it now.

If I can help a local business grow through SEO—
If I can sit across from a founder and show them how their traffic went up, how their phone’s ringing more—
If I can play even a small part in their success…

That’s a feeling worth chasing.

So no, I’m not reinventing the wheel.

But I am letting the wheel reinvent me.

You don’t need to build the next unicorn.
You just need to build something that matters.

If you’re tired of building things that don’t feel real—start by getting clear.

I made a free PDF kit to help you do just that. Inside, you’ll get:

Whether you’re running a laundromat or launching a consulting offer, clarity is how you connect.
And connection is how you grow—quietly, consistently, and in a way that lasts.