Many of us want to start a business of our own. Whether it’s a barbershop, a real estate investing company, a Podcast, a media agency, or even a freelancing hustle, we all have aspirations of our own.

But, for most of us, these businesses never get off the ground.  We work on these projects day in and day out, investing our time, effort, and even money into these dreams with hopes that they would just take off already. But nope. For most of us, these dreams never come true. The business never actually becomes anything.

So why is it then, that so many of us struggle with this? Why is it so hard to launch a business?

The thing is, many of these ideas aren’t bad. Many people’s business ideas are okay and have some merit to them.

However, the real reason why we never succeed at getting these businesses off the ground is this: we’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

See, instead of focusing on what the would-be business could for or offer to others, we tend to focus on what the would-be business could do for ourselves. Our reasoning for starting the business is not to help humanity or provide value––it’s to fulfill a personal dream or goal.

When our motives are selfish and all for the sake of self-fulfillment, how could we possibly be in tune with what people really want and need? After all, the business only succeeds if it has customers, and customers only like and support the business if it offers something of real value.

So if you have a dream to open a business or start a side hustle or freelancing gig, your main focus should be solving for ‘X’, with ‘X’ representing a known and/or unsolved issue in today’s society.

Take Uber for example. Before rideshare economy was a thing, people either had to drive themselves, call a cab, or use public transportation. That was pretty much it. However, Uber saw these options for transportation as archaic in an ever-evolving world that is heavily dependant upon the internet and cell phones.

What did the founders of Uber do? They recognized a problem in today’s society and offered a viable solution. Because of this, Uber is now one of the most successful businesses in the world––and they barely even own any real estate.

If you can see a problem in today’s society that is big/important enough and come up with a working solution for it––solving for ‘X’, so to say––you will have a business idea that is worth its weight in gold. From there, it just takes proper business planning and strategizing, and you could have yourself a new and successful business.

Not only will this business provide value to society, but it can also literally change the trajectory of your life.  Solve for ‘X’, my friends, and success is closer than you think.