One idea to Build your Business, one idea to Scale your life. Every Wednesday.

Welcome to Winformation Weekly. My 13 years’ experience of growing a business from £0-£100m, and the life that goes with it. All wrapped up, in one winning weekly email.

Simon Says

Winformation This Week…

I am as average as they come. At school I got mainly C grades. When we launched our business, we didn't have a big groundbreaking million-dollar idea, but a simple improvement on an existing model. We had such limited resources that we set our business up in a garage with no heating. We had two mobile phones, two laptops and fingerless gloves so we could type, make calls but stay warm at the same time. 13 years in, I am here to tell you it IS possible to start a business that will one day generate many hundreds of millions in revenue with no skills, no money and no BIG idea. I walk you through that in today’s Business section.

The phrase “time flies” really gets me sometimes. As we know time moves at the same speed, but as we grow older, it seems to speed up. That’s often because when we look back, we struggle to distinguish one year from the next. Even if you are on a big quest, growing a big business, raising a family and trying to simply stay afloat each year can seem pretty similar to the next. If this sounds like you, then the Japanese Misogi Challenge could be something you think about over the festive period ready for 2025. It’s explained in this week’s Life section below.

Business

How To Start a Business with No Skills, Money or Big Idea!

If you think you need a big bank balance, a business degree or a groundbreaking idea to start a business, think again. The truth is most entrepreneurs start with nothing but grit, curiosity and a refusal to give up. The good news? You can do the same. Here’s how to get started with zero money, no skills and no "big idea".

1. You don't need money to start. But you will need to be resourceful. If you’re waiting for the perfect amount of cash to land in your lap, you’ll be waiting a long time. Money isn’t the starting point; creativity is. Start by asking, "What can I do with what I already have?" Maybe it’s offering a service instead of a product. Cleaning, consulting, tutoring, or freelance gigs all have low (or zero) startup costs. If you do need funds, think small. Sell old stuff, offer local services, or barter your skills in exchange for help. There’s always a way to get your first sale. When you make that first pound, reinvest it. Rinse and repeat. The goal isn’t to have a big pot of cash; it’s to create financial momentum. Your eventual big business can be funded by your hustling efforts now. The journey is long, you just need to take the first step.

2. Ideas are everywhere, you just need to look. Stop chasing "million-dollar ideas" and start solving everyday problems. The best businesses aren’t flashy; they’re useful. Instead of waiting for a lightbulb moment, pay attention to the world around you. Notice the things that irritate you, slow you down, or waste your time. Ask your friends or family what their biggest issues are. Could you create a business that solves one of those problems? Businesses are problem solving machines before they are money making ones. You don’t need a revolutionary idea; you just need to spot an opportunity and act on it.

3. Skills are earned, not required. It’s easy to think you need to "learn more" before you can start. But here’s the reality; skills aren’t learned in theory, they’re learned in practice. Want to know how to sell? Start selling. Need to learn social media? Run a page for a local business for free. Experience beats textbooks every time. The only "skill" you really need is the ability to learn as you go. Make mistakes, figure it out, and keep going. No one starts as an expert. Every successful entrepreneur you admire was once clueless too and to be honest still are when it comes to their next big move probably.

4. Stop waiting for the perfect time. If you’re telling yourself, "I’ll start when I have more time," that’s fear talking. You’ll always be busy. Life doesn’t slow down. Kids get sick, bills pile up, and before you know it, another year has passed. The trick isn’t to wait for the right time; it’s to make the time. Block out 30 minutes a day to work on your idea. That might mean waking up earlier, skipping a Netflix binge, or using your lunch break. Small, consistent action beats big, one-off efforts every time.

5. The bottom line. I know what you’re thinking, it’s easy for me to say. But the above steps, literally was my journey. I am a bit of a perfectionist, sometimes even a procrastinator. My business partner James, literally just quit one day months and months before we had planned to leave our corporate jobs. It was a sink or swim. Maybe if he hadn’t have done that, we could still be planning our perfect launch some 13 years later. Get going now and perfect on the way!

Life

Changing Your Year & Your Life with THIS Japanese Challenge

No doubt you are familiar with the value of breaking free from your comfort zone. Even if you don’t feel like it. This is the space where personal development happens. I’m not suggesting you go and sign up for the SAS or do an ultra-marathon before breakfast –unless that’s your thing. But perhaps it is a good idea to set yourself a challenge that can shape your year. In Japan, they refer to this as Misogi. It’s based on the concept of purification. There are two simple rules. One, there is some element of jeopardy of you succeeding in your quest. You have a fifty per cent chance of success at best, and two, it’s not something that can kill you. The sheer act of undertaking it, can define your year and make your other goals far more achievable. Number 6 below has some examples of what you could plan as your Misogi challenge...

Here is the basis of the Misogi Challenge and what it can teach us:

1. Embrace discomfort. This isn’t about self-sabotage, it’s about using discomfort as a catalyst for personal development and growth.

2. Let go. Any unhelpful habits you have today need not define you. You can leave them in the past and move on to bigger and better things.

3. Expand your mind. Unconsciously, we often tell ourselves what we cannot do. By daring to do something different we can uncover what we are capable of. In doing so, you can find new and exciting possibilities.

4. Reframe failure. As explained in the odds of Misogi, you may fail in your quest. But what does fail actually mean? Probably, that you will have a memorable and positive experience you can learn plenty from. Yet still so many of us are still terrified of failure.

5. Redefine who you are. It’s all too easy to get stuck in a rut in life. Misogi can be a powerful yearly ritual to enable us to redefine who we are and what we want to be. This act alone has the potential to change our lives.

6. Examples. These are all subjective. Remember you have to have a 50% chance of failure, and the activity has to be safe. Run or walk a distance you never have before. Study abroad. Pass an exam in a language you have never spoken before. Pass a basic level exam in a musical instrument you have never picked up. In 5 year's time, picture of all of these tough quests, some you pass, some you don't, compounding on top of each other. Your life and the confidence you have in your ability to do hard things will be very different.

Until next week! 

Let’s win, together!