Copy-and-Improve Business Starting
Don't invent; copy what already works and beat it on a specific pain point
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 78%
Hormozi advises against hunting for a novel idea and instead copying an already-working business and doing it a little better. Proven demand removes the biggest risk; your edge comes from attacking specific, well-known pain points customers already complain about. In lawn care that might be leaving trimmings around the edges or poor communication; in dry cleaning it might be turnaround time. He favors service businesses as the starting vehicle because the main input is your time rather than capital, making them the lowest-risk way to begin. The founder's job is to identify a specific problem, often one they know firsthand from past experience, and solve it noticeably better, even if other providers also solve it. You then start selling your time and learning the game rather than waiting for a perfect, original concept.
Origin
Extracted from Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal, where Hormozi laid out how to pick a first business without any novel idea.
Core principles
- 01The best way to start is to copy what everyone is doing and do it a bit better
- 02Novelty is not required and usually adds risk
- 03Specific, well-known pain points are your differentiation openings
- 04Service businesses are the lowest-risk start because you're only investing time
How to run it
- 1
Pick a proven model
Choose a business others already run successfully so demand is not in question.
Pro tip Service businesses like cleaning or lawn care are ideal low-risk starting points.
- 2
List the hated things
Write down what customers reliably complain about in how that business is currently delivered.
- 3
Target a specific improvement
Pick one or two concrete pain points you can beat, ideally ones you know from experience.
Pro tip Your past experience tells you exactly what sucks and where you have an advantage.
- 4
Start selling your time
Launch as a service so your main investment is time, and begin trading it for money to learn the game.
Watch out Don't wait for a novel idea; a slightly better version of a known service is enough.
In the wild
Hormozi's illustration: lawn-care customers hate that crews leave trimmings around the edges, do shoddy work, or communicate poorly. A new operator who simply fixes those specific, well-known complaints has an immediate advantage without inventing anything, and can start with only their time.
→ A better version of an ordinary service becomes a viable, low-risk business.
Common mistakes
Insisting on a novel idea
Chasing originality delays starting and adds risk when copying-and-improving a proven model is faster.
Starting capital-heavy
Choosing a capital-intensive model raises risk; a service business lets you start with mostly time.
Is it for you?
Best for
First-time founders with little capital who want a low-risk, proven starting point.
Not ideal for
Founders specifically pursuing defensible, venture-scale innovation.
From the transcript
“the best way to start a business is just look at what everyone else is doing and just try and do it better”
“I like service businesses to start because they are... the lowest risk to start because you're just... your time”
From the episode
Alex Hormozi: How He Built A $150 Million Empire And His Best Business Advice
Alex Hormozi