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Jacek Iciek
6 min read

What Finally Got Me Moving—After Years of Overthinking

And how I started building my Personal Equity Business in my 40s—while working full-time, with no clear idea and zero funding.

What Finally Got Me Moving—After Years of Overthinking
Photo by Brett Jordan / Unsplash

Is that you?

You’re in your 40s.
You're still working full-time.
Still showing up.

But deep down?

There’s been this voice in your head for years.

Telling you to start something.

To build something of your own:

You crave more freedom.
More purpose.
More leverage.

You want do something meaningful that fits into your life—without turning everything upside down.

But still…

You haven’t started.

Or you did, but then—for some reason—you stopped.

And now you’re beginning to wonder:

I know that voice.

Because for years—it was mine.

Where I Got It Wrong

You see… I always wanted to build something meaningful.

Something awesome.

Something meaningful.

Something aligned with my true values and beliefs.

Something that made me proud to work on.

And yes: something that could actually help me build real wealth one day.

I knew it had to be online.

Digital.

Or at least tech-related in some way.

Because ever since I saw my first computer around age 12, I’ve been obsessed with internet and tech.

But the truth?

I never really started.
At least not properly.
Not all the way through.

Why?

Because I had it all backwards:

I thought I had to be qualified.

Passionate.

Original.

But in my eyes I wasn’t an expert.

I wasn’t niche enough.

I was just… me.

A jack of all trades.

Always curious.

Very good at picking up new things.

But not specialised in anything.

So… I waited:

Researched.
Watched videos.
Read books.
Took courses.
Took notes.

And I told myself I was making progress—by learning.

But I wasn’t building anything. Or applying the damn knowledge.

I was just thinking… in circles.

Until I got overwhelmed.

Stuck in complexities.

And when that happened?

I’d take a break.

Which became a bigger break.

Which turned into full-blown procrastination—what we used to call “doing useless shit” before Netflix gave it a brand.

Then Life Stepped In

Work.
Bills.
Errands.
A pint that turned into five.

And just like that—the spark was gone.

The idea that once felt big…

Now felt distant.

Heavy.

So... I quit.

Then a few weeks later, a new idea would show up.

And the vicious cycle would start all over again.

The Cycle

For years, I played with ideas like this.

Unfinished projects I was “just about to go big” on.

But I never did.

Because I never felt ready.

Because, like I said—I had it all wrong from the very beginning.

Now, looking back?

I think it was batshit crazy.

When It Finally Clicked

It was during the pandemic.

I was 34 years, 4 months, and 2 days old.

My son, Alex, had just been born.

And suddenly—everything changed.

Something clicked.

I finally connected the dots.

All those years of tinkering, reading, half-building, and failing?

They weren’t wasted completely.

Because now, I’ve finally started my own thing:

And what’s even better?

This Isn’t Just a One-Person Business

This is what I now call a Personal Equity Business.

It’s not a startup.

Not a hustle.

Not some niche machine.

It’s a second path—one I found later, in my 40s:

A Personal Equity Business is a one-person, online business built around your lived experience—designed to create value, build leverage, and compound over time.

A business like that is permissionless, and very beginner-friendly because it requires:

Just you—showing up, using what you have—and walking forward.

What Changed

Now?

I’m finally applying.

Not just planning.

Not tweaking logos.

Not waiting to feel ready.

I’m taking ideas and putting them out into the world:

Each thing I publish gives me feedback.

If it works—I can double down.

If it doesn’t—I can tweak, iterate, try again.

And every time I repeat that loop?

I get sharper.

I see more.

I get a better perspective.

I grow.

I’m stacking skills.

Learning in motion.

Building as I go.

I’m not just theorising anymore.

I’m building like a founder and testing like a scientist.

And in the long run—there are no failures.

Just iterations (course corrections).

And each iteration is a step towards my long-term goal

Why I’m Betting on This

I don’t see a Personal Equity Business as just a way to make money in the near future.

I see it as a way to build leverage—for every single person out there.

Sure, not everyone will write.

Some might speak.

Some might do video.

Some might build tools or teach or document.

But here’s the thing...

Even video needs a script. And a good script is just writing.

And good writing?

That’s just clear thinking.

See what I mean?

Whatever medium you choose, it all starts from the same place:

I believe that in the near future, everyone will have their own corner of the internet:

Something that grows with you—and pays you back later.

And it’s also a hedge.

Against the system that’s quietly falling apart.

The retirement plan?
Dead.

The cost of living?
Insane.

And AI?
It’s moving faster than anyone expected.

Even the “safe” jobs aren’t safe anymore. And no one’s coming to future-proof your career for you.

But here’s the thing…

Building something of your own teaches you the kind of skills no one can take away:

  1. Thinking clearly – through writing, iteration, and real-world feedback
  2. Solving real problems – not hypotheticals, but messy, human ones (starting with your own ones)
  3. Packaging your experience – turning what you’ve lived through into something others can use
  4. Building digital leverage – using tools, platforms, and content to multiply your impact over time

These aren’t plug-and-play skills.

They’re creative.

Iterative.

They take time to develop and you only get them by doing the work.

That’s what makes them so powerful.

Because AI can help with parts of the process but it can’t replace the whole thing.

It can’t generate purpose.

It can’t replace you.

And here’s the upside:

When you get good at these things...

...you don’t just build for yourself.

You’ll also be able to lend your experience to others:

And at that point?

You’re not being paid for tasks.

You’re being paid for insight.

For perspective.

For your brain.

And with enough leverage?

You won’t be charging £20 an hour for output.

You could be charging hundreds—or even thousands—just to be in the room.

Because the right input, from the right person, at the right moment—changes everything.

That’s what makes this model so powerful.

And why I’m betting on it—loudly and in public.

Now it’s your turn

Because if you don’t change your approach now?

You’ll stay in the same loop of your daily life.

You’ll keep burying your ideas.

You’ll slide back into routine.

And before you know it?

You’ll be 65.

Or 68.

And your best game will never have started:

I don’t know about you... but that kind of a future scares the hell out of me. Especially now that I have a 5-year-old son watching everything I do.

“Start Walking.”

“If you’re in the woods and you don’t know where to go—start walking.
You gotta start walking, ’cause the perspective’s not gonna change.
You have to start moving forward.

Worst case scenario?
You figure out you’ve walked the wrong direction.
OK, now you can walk the other direction—and that’s gonna be fine too.

But standing there lost, and not doing anything, is just waiting to die—waiting to starve to death.

Don’t let that happen.”
—Jocko Willink (US Navy Seals)

You don’t need clarity to begin.

You need movement.

Clarity comes after motion.

Next week, I’ll show you what I found when I took my first step.

Until then—just keep walking.

—Jacek

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