What's already in your house

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What if the business you're looking for is already sitting in your house?

Not hidden. Not buried. Just unmonetized.

Most people spend months searching for the "perfect" business idea. They scroll through startup lists, watch YouTube videos about trending opportunities, and wait for lightning to strike.

Meanwhile, they're sitting on skills, assets, and opportunities they walk past every single day.

The problem with looking outward

Here's what happens: you think starting a business means finding something NEW. A revolutionary idea. A gap in the market. Something nobody's done before.

So you ignore what's already in your hands.

The skills you've been developing for years. The physical assets collecting dust. The expertise you take for granted because it comes easy to you.

And while you're searching for the next big thing, you're missing the small thing that could actually work.

How art became everything

My wife Tabitha has been painting since she was a teenager. She even started a mural business with her sister at 14.

But then life happened. She went to school, and that dream got put on hold for a bit. She still painted on the side, though. Small commission pieces. A painting for a family member. A dog portrait. A nursery design for a friend. She was staying active, but it was just for fun.

Then someone asked if they could buy a print of one of her pieces. So, she figured that out.

Then another person asked about calendars. So she made calendars. Sold a few.

One thing led to another, and a publisher reached out about turning her art into children's books.

Now? Nearly a million books sold. Licensing deals with American Greetings and Magnolia Market. Products in Target and Anthropologie. Phone cases, home decor, wholesale partnerships.

None of that was the plan.

It wasn't a 5-year strategy or a market analysis. It was one small thing that led to another. Art became prints. Prints became calendars. Calendars became books. Books became licensing. Licensing and royalties became a business that supports our family.

The key? She started with what was already there. And every step along the way, she was honing her skills, not just as an artist, but as a business builder.

It's not just creative work

This isn't just about art or "creative" businesses.

We have a 20-acre property in Texas. When we walk it, I see revenue streams everywhere.

Hourly photoshoot rentals. Farmstead tours. Hayrides. Farm stands. Cowboy breakfast experiences.

Some of this we've already done. Some we're building toward. But the point is: the land was already here. We're just asking, "What else could this become?"

The test: What's already here?

Most people don't have a "no ideas" problem. They have a "not seeing what's right in front of me" problem.

So here's the question that changes everything: What's already in your house, skills, knowledge, physical assets, that someone else would pay for?

Not "what could I invent?" Not "what's trending?"

What's. Already. Here.

Building the muscle, not just the business

Here's what a lot of people miss: starting small with what you already have isn't just about making money.

It's about building your entrepreneurial skills.

If you've never run a business before, you need reps. You need to learn how to price something. How to talk to a customer. How to handle a problem. How to manage your time when nobody's telling you what to do.

You can test all of this within your existing window, your current skills, your current assets, your current life, without blowing everything up.

Tabitha didn't quit her job to become an artist. She painted on the side. She took small commissions. She learned how to run a business while the stakes were still low.

By the time the bigger opportunities came, she'd already built the muscle.

That's what starting with what you have does. It gives you a low-risk way to figure out if you're actually good at this. And if you're not? You learn fast and adjust.

You don't need to go all-in on day one. You just need to start building the skill set.

How to actually see it

This week’s action item… sit down as a family and make two lists:

List 1: Skills & Knowledge

List 2: Physical Assets

Don't filter. Don't dismiss things because they seem "obvious" or "boring." Write it all down.

Then ask: Could someone pay for this?

You don't need all the answers today. You just need to see what's there.

One thing leads to another

Here's what I've learned building multiple businesses with my family:

You don't need a master plan. You need a first step.

Tabitha didn't set out to sell a million books. She made one painting. Then one print. Then one calendar. Then one book.

One thing led to another.

That's how it works. You start with what you have. You test it. You learn. You adjust. And slowly, what's already in your house becomes income, impact, and legacy.

The business you're looking for might already be there.

You just have to see it.

Take one action this week:

Sit down with your family. Make those two lists. Skills and assets. What's already here?

Then pick ONE thing and ask: "Could we monetize this?"

Don't overthink it. Don't wait for perfect. Just start with what you have.

Because the families that win aren't the ones with the best ideas.

They're the ones that actually start.

Jordan Schmitt

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