My honest framework for going from zero to one—without the overwhelm

People ask me all the time how I’ve built so many things: a SaaS company that hit $1M ARR, a nonprofit, coaching offers, a platform in the wellness space, a full content strategy, and now three AI tools.

And the answer is—I don’t wing it.

I use a repeatable framework that I’ve refined over the last decade.

One that helps me move quickly without burning out, test ideas without being precious, and launch offers that are actually useful to real people.

Whether I’m building something scrappy, like a service-based business, or more complex, like a tech platform—this is the system I come back to.

No fluff. No fake launch formulas. Just how I go from zero to one.

Step 1: Brainstorming with a Purpose

Most people get stuck in idea overwhelm.

Not because they have too few ideas—but because they don’t know which ones are worth pursuing.

Here’s how I filter:

1. The Market: I look at broken user journeys—job search pain points, hiring problems, fractional trends, AI workflows that don’t make sense.
2. My Skills + Story: What am I uniquely positioned to build based on my background in tech, wellness, coaching, product, and storytelling?
3. My Mission: I only pursue ideas I actually care about. I know what it feels like to scale something that’s profitable but soul-draining. I don’t want to do that again.

I map all of this in a Prioritization Matrix and jot down user journeys.

It gets the chaos out of my head and into a system.

Step 2: Turn Each Idea Into a Hypothesis

This is where I stop romanticizing and start thinking like a product person.

Every idea becomes a simple statement I can test or disprove.

“I believe I can help people stuck in career transitions land roles through a new AI-based coaching tool.”

Then I built a product brief:

• What’s the core pain point?
• What’s the MVP solution?
• Who are the users? What’s their journey?
• What’s the value exchange?
• Where are the risks?

I write this out—even if I don’t build the thing—because it clarifies if it’s worth building at all.

This is exactly how I started my SaaS company: one hypothesis, one user journey, one gap I knew too well.

Step 3: Validate Before You Build

The hardest part of building something isn’t the tech.

It’s figuring out if people actually want it.

I reach out to 20–50 people across different buyer or user personas:

• Friends
• LinkedIn leads
• Slack groups
• People in my network who’ve been through the pain I’m solving

On calls, I never pitch. I listen.

I ask questions like:

“What’s the hardest part about finding your next job right now?”

“How do you solve [insert problem] today?”

“Would this kind of product or service be useful? Which version resonates most?”

Then I test intent.

➡️ Will they join a waitlist?

➡️ Will they sign up for a prototype call?

➡️ Will they give feedback without being incentivized?

I’ve learned:

If they don’t care before it’s built, they won’t care when it is.

Step 4: Build Waitlist Demand Before You Build the Product

Once I find a signal, I go all in on early demand.

I aim for 1,000 waitlist sign-ups.

Here’s how:

• Cold outreach (manual + with VA help)
• Community posts in Slack/Discord
• Connector outreach—people with newsletters, podcasts, courses
• A few targeted ads
• Free resources like lead magnets or guides
• Personal messages to people who trust me

I track what works, then double down on that channel.

Usually, it’s warm referrals and highly specific messages.

This is how I built waitlists and user bases for both my SaaS tool and nonprofit programs—with zero spend at the start.

Step 5: Run a Beta

When the demand is clear, I test the real thing—manually.

For courses or programs:

• I launched to a small group
• Offer live sessions, 1:1s, or a rough version of the full experience
• Build the backend (templates, structure, automations) after testing the value

For products:

• I built a tight MVP
• Launch to the first 100 users
• Watch everything—drop-off points, conversion moments, support messages
• Adjust based on feedback
• Continue testing 1:1 until it feels repeatable

I’ve done this by myself and with teams.

The point is: you don’t need to be perfect to start. You need momentum.

Step 6: Go to Market with Focus

When you’re ready to grow—pick one channel and commit.

Every platform has its own playbook. I’ve used:

• LinkedIn for B2B
• TikTok and Instagram for wellness and coaching
• Newsletters for the community and early trust
• Podcasts and partnerships to build credibility
• Sales outreach for higher ticket programs and B2B SaaS

Don’t try to do everything.

Start with one. Learn it. Scale it.

I’ve seen the best traction when the channel matched the real habits of the audience—not just where I wanted to show up.

Step 7: Automate & Scale

Once the offer is proven and delivering results, I start to step back.

Here’s how I free up time:

• Automations for sales, outreach, and content
• AI and VAs for marketing, support, lead gen
• Documented SOPs for internal systems
• Hiring talent for tasks I don’t need to own anymore

This part only works if you’ve done the hard listening upfront.

Otherwise, you’re scaling chaos.

Final Notes (If You’re Still in the Idea Stage)

I didn’t build one thing and blow up overnight.

I built a lot of things slowly—refining this system as I went.

This framework helped me:

• Go from idea to $1M ARR with a SaaS tool
• Launch a nonprofit with no brand and no team
• Build healing, tech, and education offerings in the same ecosystem
• Say no to shiny things that didn’t align
• Say yes to ones that actually fit my story, skillset, and values

You don’t need 10 ideas.

You need one problem you understand, one hypothesis worth testing, and a process to make decisions without losing your energy or your mind.

This is mine.

Steal it, shape it, run your own experiments.

You don’t need to build a unicorn.

You just need to build something real.