{"id":1378,"date":"2025-04-11T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/?p=1378"},"modified":"2025-05-30T06:56:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T06:56:59","slug":"hustle-memo-002-the-second-step-the-most-treasured-30-of-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/hustle-memo-002-the-second-step-the-most-treasured-30-of-my-life\/","title":{"rendered":"#002 Hustle Memo – The Second Step \u2013 The Most Treasured $30 of My Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last time, we talked about taking the first step. Now, let’s dive into the second step\u2014the one that truly tested my grit and resourcefulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After deciding to leap into entrepreneurship, I faced a daunting question: Where do I start as a solopreneur?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had no product, no website, no fancy brochures\u2014just a head full of technical knowledge, a heart brimming with confidence, and a business plan that outlined my vision. The plan was simple: secure annual IT maintenance contracts for small businesses. These contracts would be my bread and butter, enabling me to eventually hire a team and scale. But until I landed that first big deal, I was left in the cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the part no business plan prepares you for\u2014the messy, unpredictable reality of starting from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The First Lap in the Ocean<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Picture this: you’re standing at the edge of an ocean with no lifeboat in sight. That\u2019s how I felt. To calm my nerves, I convinced myself that this wasn\u2019t an ocean but a swimming pool\u2014calmer waters with railings to hold onto if needed. But let\u2019s face it: in real life, there are no railings when you\u2019re bootstrapping. All you have is your initial cash runway, and mine was painfully short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question that haunted me was this: Who would trust me\u2014a one-man show\u2014with their IT systems?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I needed to find my ideal customer. After much thought, I realized it had to be small business owners without in-house IT teams\u2014people who relied on external expertise for their tech problems. They were out there; I just had to figure out how to reach them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Classified Ad Gamble<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2003, the go-to method for reaching small businesses was through classified ads in newspapers. If the yellow pages didn\u2019t help them find someone, they\u2019d turn to these ads. So, I decided to place one myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first, I faced another challenge: What do I call myself?<\/strong> My real name, Prabjeet, might be difficult for Chinese Singaporeans to pronounce or remember in the few seconds they\u2019d glance at my ad. This wasn\u2019t just about branding\u2014it was about survival. After much deliberation, I chose a simple and approachable name: Andy Anand<\/strong>. It felt like naming a newborn because, in many ways, it marked the birth of my entrepreneurial journey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Next came the cost: $10 per line in the classifieds section. My ad content fit into three lines\u2014$30 total. That $30 was a big deal for me because it represented more than money; it symbolized hope and risk rolled into one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test Day \u2013 When the Phone Rang<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The day my ad went live was nerve-wracking. Would anyone call? Could I handle their questions? What if I failed? My emotions were all over the place\u2014excited and terrified at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then it happened\u2014a call came in! A small business owner needed help fixing his computer. Before I could even respond, he asked bluntly: \u201cWhat if you can\u2019t fix it? Do I still have to pay?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I froze for half a second but quickly mustered up an answer: \u201cNo, you don\u2019t have to pay if I can\u2019t fix it. But yes, I can fix it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gave me his office address in Ubi, and off I went\u2014taking a cab because I had no idea how to navigate public transport to his location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the Table \u2013 My First Job<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When I arrived at his office, he showed me his computer issue. Without hesitation, I got straight to work. All my previous corporate experience as a network engineer faded into the background as I found myself crouched under his desk untangling cables. My principle has always been this: If you have a day to cut down a tree, spend the first few hours sharpening your axe.<\/em> So before diving into complex solutions, I checked the basics\u2014connections and cables. Sure enough, the problem was something simple but overlooked. Within 45 minutes, the issue was resolved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Most Treasured $30<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The business owner handed me three crisp $10 bills for my service. As I held them in my hand, emotions overwhelmed me\u2014a mix of pride and relief. A tiny tear threatened to escape my eye as I realized what this moment meant: I had earned my first dollar as an entrepreneur!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking out of his office that day felt surreal. My pocket was heavier\u2014not just with money but with proof that this crazy dream of mine could work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons from That Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Start Small:<\/strong>\u00a0You don\u2019t need everything figured out\u2014just take action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adapt Quickly:<\/strong>\u00a0Challenges like naming yourself or answering tough questions on the spot will come up unexpectedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrate Small Wins:<\/strong> That $30 wasn\u2019t just money; it was validation that my journey had begun. That first job taught me more than any book or course ever could: success doesn\u2019t come from waiting for perfect conditions\u2014it comes from showing up and doing the work. So here\u2019s to taking that second step\u2014and every step after that!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last time, we talked about taking the first step. Now, let’s dive into the second step\u2014the one that truly tested my grit and resourcefulness. After deciding to leap into entrepreneurship, I faced a daunting question: Where do I start as a solopreneur? I had no product, no website, no fancy brochures\u2014just a head full of technical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-hustle-memo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1378"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1832,"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378\/revisions\/1832"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prabjeetsinghanand.com\/thehustlememo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}