In this Ask Evan episode, Evan Carmichael answers a viewer’s question about launching a second business after a prior failure. He emphasizes that entrepreneurs should prioritize passion over chasing fleeting trends, suggesting that genuine excitement and the ability to add value are essential for long‑term success. Carmichael advises the viewer to engage directly with potential customers—especially small‑business owners—to discover real needs, provide immediate value, and build a business around paying clients rather than speculative ideas. He stresses that initial concepts will evolve through this customer feedback loop. Finally, he encourages persistence: regardless of past setbacks or part‑time beginnings, the entrepreneur should keep moving forward, avoid quitting, and adapt the business model as insights are gathered. The video concludes with a call to action for likes and comments.
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Hi, I'm Evan Carmichael. Welcome to another edition of Ask Evan. In today's episode, I'm going to answer a question from one of my YouTube viewers who is starting his second business. He started his first business when he was 22. He's now 30. That first business failed, and he's now trying to start this new business. He wants to follow a trend that he thinks is going to be hot and wanted my advice on what to do. He's thinking about creating webinars and web commercials for small business owners and wanted my advice on what trend to follow. So my advice, the most important thing for any startup, for any entrepreneur, is you have to follow what you're passionate about. So it can be great to follow a trend and, you know, ride that into the ground, but it's got to be something that you're really excited about, something where you can add value, where you're really passionate, where you think you can really help people out. Don't just get into a trend because you think it's hot, you think you can make a lot of money. Those are pretty short-lived. You don't end up building a successful company. And I want to see you build the type of company that you can be proud of, that you can ride run for the rest of your life if you want to, something that can make you really happy. And it's not going to come from just riding short-term trends. So if you're thinking about making web videos for entrepreneurs, it could be a great model. Your best bet, start talking to customers. If your market is business owners, go talk to business owners. See what they need, see how you can help them, give them some ideas. It may be making these web commercials that you're thinking about, or it could be something completely different. Start talking to your ideal market, see what they need, and try to help them solve that need. The best way to build a business is around paying customers. So go in, start talking to them, don't pitch them on ideas, go in and ask them for their help, ask them what they're doing, see if there's a way that you can provide assistance to them, provide them value, and the more value you can bring them, the more money you're going to be able to make. So that's my quick advice. I know this is your second business, so what I would advise as well here is don't quit. Now I don't know why you shut down the first business, it could be timing, money issues, whatever it was. For this one, don't quit. Okay? Keep going at it. Even if you're starting part-time, even if you have to continue part-time, keep going at it. Find ways to make it work. You know, your initial idea almost never works. It always changes after you start talking to customers who are willing to pay you. Build around that. Keep the momentum going and don't give up with your new business. Good luck. If you guys liked the video, please give it a thumbs up. I always appreciate seeing those come in. And if you have a question or if you have anything else to add to this video, please leave a comment under the video. I love seeing those as well. So thank you, and we'll see you on the next episode.
