This Is How You Start a Small Business: One Invoice at a Time

I sent my first invoice last week.
Not for a company.
For myself.

It was a simple PDF with my name on top. No fancy branding. No company letterhead. Just me, charging for work I used to do behind someone else’s logo.

It felt surreal.

After over a decade working in-house and at agencies, this was the first time I’d done it on my terms. And here’s the kicker: I got into this industry by building a fitness blog from scratch. That blog became my resume. It landed me my first marketing job. It was a small business—I just didn’t realize it at the time.

The Job Market Can Numb You

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak. You kind of have to when you build something from zero and try to make it useful for strangers on the internet.

But over time, traditional jobs wore that out of me. The 9-5 grind. The meetings that could’ve been emails. The invisible ceiling on creativity.

It happens slowly. You don’t even notice it until one day you stop dreaming.

For the last three years, I felt like I was living in a cocoon—working hard, but not free. Trapped in the comfort of a steady paycheck, even as it quietly chipped away at my desire to build something of my own.

My wife didn’t always understand that feeling. How could she? From the outside, everything looked fine.

But inside, I was restless.

Then Came the Layoff

In November, the bubble popped.
Laid off. Just like that.

I won’t pretend it didn’t sting. But it also gave me the one thing I couldn’t give myself: permission to try.

Permission to rebuild—not as a job seeker, but as a small business owner.

Right now, I can’t even cover my mortgage. I’ve got backup—my wife, my dad, my friends, my church. But I’m stubborn. I want to figure this out on my own.

I don’t want comfort. I want control.

When Your Back’s Against the Wall, You Build Differently

There’s a quote I keep coming back to:

“Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.” — Sun Tzu

That’s where I’m at. Desperate straits.

But honestly? I’ve never felt more alive.

This is what a small business looks like at the start:
Uncertain. Scrappy. Emotional.
And completely yours.

I’m not just freelancing. I’m building something that can grow. Something I can pass down. Something that helps other small businesses thrive too.

Because here’s the truth, most people don’t say out loud:

Small businesses aren’t just a category.
They’re a rebellion.
A middle finger to the machine.

Every time a solopreneur sends an invoice…
Every time a local bakery sets up its Google Business Profile…
Every time someone turns a blog, a podcast, or an email list into income…

That’s the economy fighting back.

You Don’t Need a Big Plan. You Just Need a Start.

If you’re reading this and you’ve been sitting on the fence—maybe you’ve got a skill, a service, a side hustle that could be something more—this is your sign.

Don’t wait for permission.
You won’t get it.

Just start. Send that invoice. Put your name on it.

That PDF?
It wasn’t just a bill.
It was the first brick in something I finally own.

And I’m just getting started.

If you’re tired of building someone else’s dream, start by building your own dream

I put together a free PDF kit to help you get there faster: