Stop Building Your Business Backwards

How 1 hour of daily prospecting built my business.

When I look at my own business, it's easy to get caught up in all the activities that feel like building a business but don't actually move the needle.

For example... perfecting your website copy, tweaking your logo for the third time this month, organizing your files, or diving into another course that promises to unlock the next level.

Sure, these things matter.

But at the end of the day, there's really only one activity that puts money in your bank account is...

finding people who need what you offer and starting conversations with them.

Everything else is just... busy work.

The Frustration I'm Seeing

I'm seeing it more and more lately. People busy from morning to night, working on their "business," but with no idea where their next client is coming from.

They're frustrated. Anxious. Wondering what they're doing wrong.

The economy feels uncertain. People are getting laid off. Spending seems to have slowed down. And here they are, grinding away at building the perfect business machine while the bank account stays flat (or shrinking).

They'll tell you how busy they are - updating their website, creating content, taking courses on the latest tactics.

But no proposals sent. No conversations around working with a client. No intentional prospecting. Zero.

How I Started

For the first two years of building my business, I had no website.

Just a LinkedIn profile and a Google Document with some samples and my rates.

That's it.

While others spent months perfecting their brand identity and building elaborate sales funnels, I took a simpler approach: reaching out to people who might need help with their content and marketing.

One hour a day. Sometimes just 30 minutes.

That's all I could manage with my day job. I didn't have the funds to build fancy websites or hire designers. So I started with what I had, where I was.

Looking back, those constraints were actually incredibly useful. They forced me to focus on the only thing that actually mattered - connecting with people.

Connecting with 5-10 people daily. Sending simple messages. Following up with warm contacts.

That "primitive" approach eventually became the Simple Email Business program, which is now in its 12th cohort with 120+ graduates.

Some have left their day jobs entirely. Others built profitable side hustles. Some hit $10k+ per month. Others added $23k, $50k, even $100k+ to their pipeline after implementing what we teach.

All because they focused on what actually matters.

What You Can Control (Even When Everything Feels Uncertain)

Yes, the economy is uncertain. Yes, people are being more careful with their spending. Yes, it's scarier to start a business right now.

But here's what hasn't changed: people still have problems that need solving.

Businesses still need help with their marketing. Executives still need content. Companies still need to communicate with their customers.

The question isn't whether opportunities exist. The question is...are you actively looking for them?

While you can't control the economy or whether people are spending, you can control how many people you reach out to today.

You can control whether you have conversations with potential clients.

You can control whether you follow up with warm leads.

That's your lifeline when everything else feels uncertain.

The Hamster Wheel of Hustle

I watch people make the same mistake over and over again.

They'll spend three months building the perfect website before they've had a single client conversation.

They'll invest in expensive branding packages before they know if anyone wants what they're selling.

They'll create elaborate systems and automations before they have anything to automate.

They're building their business backwards.

And meanwhile, they're burning through their savings, getting more anxious each day, wondering why all this "business building" isn't actually building a business.

The Daily Fundamental

Here's what effective entrepreneurs do differently: they prospect every single day.

At least one hour. Or at minimum, they connect with 5 people.

No exceptions. No "I'll start tomorrow when my website is ready."

My Simple Email Business students who get results fastest all have this in common - they make prospecting a daily non-negotiable.

Those who spend time perfecting their systems first? They struggle longer and worry more about where their next client is coming from.

It's that simple.

But This Seems Too Simple

And you're right - it is simple. But simple doesn't mean easy.

Simple means you can't hide behind complexity. You can't procrastinate by building elaborate systems. You have to do the uncomfortable work of reaching out to people.

Most people avoid this because they're afraid of rejection. They're worried about seeming pushy or salesy. They think there must be a better, more sophisticated way.

But here's a different way to think about it: What if someone out there actually needs what you offer?

What if your service could solve a real problem they're facing right now?

What if by NOT reaching out, you're actually doing them a disservice?

When you frame it that way, prospecting becomes less about you and your fears, and more about serving others.

What Actually Counts as Prospecting

Let me be specific about what this looks like:

• Sending connection requests on LinkedIn (with or without personalized message)
• Following up with people who've shown interest but haven't committed
• Reaching out to past clients to ask for referrals
• Engaging meaningfully on social posts from potential clients
• Sending simple emails to warm contacts
• Having conversations at networking events (online or offline)

It's not complicated. It's just consistent connection with people who might benefit from what you do.

And it's the one thing that can give you clarity about where your next payment is coming from.

The Pattern I See in Effective Students

After 12 cohorts and 120+ graduates, the pattern is clear.

Students who prospect daily see results within weeks. They start getting responses, booking calls, and landing clients quickly. More importantly, they sleep better at night because they know where their next client conversation is coming from.

Students who focus on building perfect systems first take months to see any traction. And they spend those months anxious, frustrated, and wondering what they're doing wrong.

The market doesn't care about your perfect funnel. It cares about whether you can solve problems. And the only way to prove you can solve problems is to find people with those problems and start conversations.

Your Challenge

Here's what you can do right now:

Pick 5 people who might benefit from what you offer. Before you read another email or check another social media app.

Send them a simple message. Not a sales pitch. Just start a conversation.

Ask how their business is going. Mention something specific you noticed about their work. Offer a quick insight or resource.

Then make this your daily practice. One hour of prospecting. Or at minimum, 5 people contacted.

Make it non-negotiable.

Start with what you have, where you are.

This won't solve all your business problems. But it will solve the biggest one: not knowing where your next client is coming from.

Start Where You Are

You might not have the perfect setup yet. Maybe you don't have a website. Maybe your LinkedIn profile could use work. Maybe you're still figuring out exactly what you want to offer.

None of that matters as much as you think it does.

I built a business that's helped over 120 people with just a LinkedIn profile and a Google Doc. You can too.

The businesses that survive and thrive aren't the ones with the best systems or the prettiest websites. They're the ones that consistently connect with people who need what they offer.

Everything else can wait.

-Rusydi Rozalli

P.S. This applies to me too. Even with 120+ students and a proven system, I still prospect daily. Because the fundamentals never change - people buy from people they know and trust. And the only way to build that trust is to start conversations.