Last year, I posted a thread that blew up (#23 highest post on r/entrepreneur of all time) that focused on why this sub sucks ass.

Top 7 reasons this sub is hot garbage

Since then, some things have changed and some have not. This sub is still a mess (the mods do their best, but there are too many shitposters), but the entrepreneurial landscape has significantly changed in the past 12 months. As the founder of a SaaS company, I'm here to offer more unfiltered advice on what you should be thinking about as you navigate your entrepreneurial journey.

Tip 1) This sub is (still) 90% trash.

It's primarily an echo chamber for people who all have the same problem as you -- they want to find a side hustle but aren't sure where to go. People who are successful aren't hanging out here and even if they are, they won't be giving up profitable ideas or strategies -- they are here to market to you.

Tip 2) If there was a segment of business that wasn't saturated in 2020, it sure as fuck will be in 2021.

There will be millions of people who will be looking to create businesses in 2021 as a result of lack of jobs and the American government's ineptitude. Use this to your advantage. What does this mean? Start taking B2B (business to business) opportunities more seriously. I'm talking lead generation, reputation management, marketing, etc. Any industry that will support the wave of new businesses that will be created in 2021 is something that you should give your attention to.

Tip 3) Lack of knowledge

So many of you want to dive into business with little to no background on business, economics, finance, marketing, product development, etc. To these people, I say "Fuck yes!" You'll learn as you go. Just make sure that you're not breaking copyright, patent, or trademark law as you venture boldly into uncharted waters.

Tip 4) Find a mentor

There are a ton of people online who are willing to offer you advice. If you want to move quickly while not making decisions that are going to devastate your odds of success, you need an entrepreneur who you can meet with a couple times a month to talk to over the phone/web. I'm talking an hour long meaningful conversation about what you've done and where you want to go. Random questions here and there on random message boards about isolated issues/questions are not going to steer you in the right direction.

Tip 5) The sooner you gain an appreciation for the importance of marketing and promotion, the better.

Sourcing customers is going to be 90% of your problem as a small business owner. Fuck products. Fuck innovation. Fuck your brand. You need to develop a strategy to drive traffic to your website and a strategy for pushing them through the purchasing process regardless of what you're selling. There are people on the internet selling literal excrement and doing well because they have a solid marketing plan in place (and no, i'm not affiliated with that business -- in fact, i think it's illegal to this biohazard through the mail).

Instead of worrying about what you're going to sell, worry about how you're going to sell.

Tip 6) Desperation is the spark. Hope is the fuel. Action is the oxygen.

Entrepreneurship is hard. In many ways, those who are desperate have a serious advantage over those who aren't. Those who are desperate are the people who are going to get out of their comfort zone because, in may cases, it is the path of least resistance (cold calling prospect, while uncomfortable, is less comfortable than losing your car or house). If you live a life of comfort, you're likely to take the path of least resistance, including searching for a fantasy business that will make money while not requiring you to bust your ass or get out of your comfort zone (hint: you won't find it and you'll go back to filling your time with sitcoms and Sunday night football)

Tip 7) No excuses

If you're desperate for money, whether it be for startup capital or to pay your bills, start fucking direct selling. Find a business in your town that provides a great service and ask them if they'll hire you on a commission only basis. eg. you get 20% of the revenue you bring in. You can do the same for software companies. Understand the product, phone prospective clients, and start fucking selling. Can it be uncomfortable at first? Absolutely. If you're hungry enough, you'll find that this is actually a path of least resistance. You'll build up sales skills that you can build a career or a business on and will fucking own life.

Tip 8) Pass it on (not only when you have success, but when you experience failure).

You'll have failures along the way. If you can share these lessons with others, you'll convert these failures into something that society benefits from.

Be public about your failures. Do this often enough and in the right places, and you'll find people reaching out to help you get out of the hole you've dug for yourself.

Tip 9) Most ideas suck ass. Tell us your idea so that we can confirm that it sucks ass so that you don't spend a dime on it.

I fell into this trap this past year. I thought I had a world changing idea. Without talking to any potential customers, I spent 3 90-hour weeks developing an MVP only to find out that essentially no one wanted the product.

We're not going to steal your idea. Not only because we don't have the time/money/motivation to execute it in light of the challenges that we face in our own lives and current plans, but, mostly likely, because its a bad idea.

A good business model may not lead to success, but a bad one will always lead to failure.

FUCKING VALIDATE YOUR IDEA BEFORE WRITING A SINGLE LINE OF CODE OR PUTTING 1 PENNY INTO MAKING IT A REALITY.

Bonus) Life isn't fair, but, eventually, most of us get what we deserve

If you are able-bodied and of sound mind, you're likely to eventually get what you deserve in terms of monetary attainment. You can see this as a hard pill to swallow or a source of motivation. Like everything in life, your perspective is everything.

Summary

Get out there and kick 2021's ass (and find a god damned mentor so that you don't burn your time, money, or sanity with a business idea/plan that will never work).

Good luck people of r/entrepreneur and remember, don't waste your time with dropshipping. It's saturated, low effort, low margin, and destine to fail even if every 10,000th redditor has (or claims to have) success.

Peace.

PS. If you want a mentor and you're serious, contact me. I'm a CPA, software developer and owner of a SaaS business. You're going to need to prove to me that you're serious. If you can, I'd happy to help you.

PS2. If you want a mentor, mention it in here. Maybe someone here can help you.

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Edit: If you guys have any tips for 2021, feel free to post them in the comments below.