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I can't believe it, but Parsity's AI Engineering curriculum is being evaluated by California State University, Sacramento! Our program is now being partially funded by a U.S. Department of Labor grant. More on this in the near future.
You've heard someone say it. Probably as a joke.
"Pfft, I'll just start an OnlyFans." As if it's the easiest money on the planet, and if you simply had the gift of being good looking, the cash would just rain down.
Let me kill that fantasy.
I have a family member who works in an adjacent world. She dances. In a club. I'm not going to spell it out, but you get it.
Here's the thing about me: I genuinely do not judge people for their jobs. I think that's ridiculous. So when we talk, I look at what she does completely objectively. And of course my business brain kicked in, because I wanted to know how someone makes real money in that world.
You know what I learned? It's not (just) the looks.
The women actually making money have way better marketing skills than you. They know how to make interesting... content. They know how to build an audience and funnel people to get them to pull out a credit card.
The same exact problems that would sink your business, will sink the person trying to "just start an OnlyFans." Marketing. Distribution. Sales. Being on camera. Getting your name out there.
It just looks deceptively easy from the outside. People watch TV or scroll YouTube and think all you do is say something funny, do something stupid, and the fans roll in.
No. Absolutely not how it works.
And even if the fans do roll in, you still need something to sell. Because here's the part nobody internalizes:
Views do not equal money. Likes do not equal money.
I've met influencers with ten times my followers and ten times my engagement who make next to nothing. That's no shade on them. It's just a fact. Likes don't equal cash.
Which brings me to the genius in my comments
I posted something on LinkedIn recently dunking on a CEO who fired a bunch of people. Standard stuff. A lukewarm take in my opinion: don't be evil.
Then a guy showed up to inform me that developers, and people in general, shouldn't rely on a nine to five. We should all just go start businesses.
That's certainly a thought.
And the guy wasn't some kid with a Notion template calling himself a founder. I looked him up and he has decades of experience. Genuinely accomplished programmer.
Which is exactly the problem. Developers think being great at one thing means they're great at everything. It's rarely true. Most of us are excellent at software and freaking terrible at marketing, design, product, and sales.
I know, because I'm one of them.
Here's why a job still wins
Whether a business works often has almost nothing to do with the product. It's why developers build something beautiful that has two users. The thing works. Nobody knows it exists.
Success isn't just unlikely. You need a completely different skill set.
Sales is one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I still don't like it. I had to outsource it at Parsity because I couldn't do it well on my own. It's learnable (read some stuff from Alex Hormozi), but there's no substitute for actually sliding into a DM and saying "here's what I offer." That's the part everyone avoids forever.
The math is also brutal.
Your nine to five is worth more than the number on your offer letter. Health insurance, 401k, a bunch of stuff handled on your behalf with money you never see leave. Own a business in the US and that's gone, plus you can expect around 40% to get taken. (I'm in California. Fun.)
In 2023 Parsity did a little over $200,000. After paying the mentors, paying down debt, and the tax bill, I took home around $25,000. Right now I'm in an active fight with the IRS over a clerical error where they want $100,000.
That does not happen at a nine to five.
I've made multiple six figures running this business. I've also made considerably more from a regular job. Software roles are abundant and salaries are trending back up.
Every week I share roles to students in Parsity's AI program that range from 180K - 325K. This is a humble brag that is also true.
Leveling up and getting a better job will out-earn most people's businesses for years.
Do you boo
Running a business is one of the most fun (and stressful) things I've ever done. I'm already planning my next one to help business deploy AI systems that make them more money. My first client was an auto repair shop in Scranton, PA.
But "just start a business" is as dumb as "just start an OnlyFans." It's a different sport, with different muscles, a worse safety net, and a tax bill that'll make your eyes water.
So when a guy with decades of experience tells you in a comment section not to rely on a job?
Smile, keep your benefits, and cash the paycheck.
P.S. I like talking about business stuff. I've made so many mistakes over the years and have a few wins under my belt. If you're interested in learning more about starting your own business then reply to this email and let me know.
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