Why I killed my "Perfect" business after just 6 weeks

Hey there, solopreneur!

The most expensive mistake in business isn't losing money - it's wasting time on an idea that was doomed from the start.

For the last eight weeks, I've been running an intense experiment that taught me this lesson all over again. Call it my own personal "battle of the business models."

I had two completely different additional media business ideas I wanted to test:

1. Longevity Dad - focused on premium health/wellness products for families

2. Built in Europe - showcasing the European tech and startup ecosystem

Here's the crazy part - I thought Longevity Dad was my future. I was convinced it would take off.

But I was completely wrong.

Today I'm pulling back the curtain on exactly how I tested both ideas, what data screamed the truth at me, and why I'm shutting down one business before it truly started.

(Quick disclaimer: this newsletter (my personal) will stay exactly the same. I'm talking about ANOTHER business I'm building.)

The raw lessons from this experiment might save you months of headache on your next venture...

I’d love for you to check out my new project “Built in Europe” 🇪🇺 

Being from Germany, I always felt European tech and startups were under-discussed on X, so I wanted to create an easy way for people can stay on the cutting-edge of what’s being built on my continent.

Every week, I share:

• The most exciting startups in Europe

• Emerging trends shaping our continental ecosystem

• Real stories from founders about what it's like building here

So if you’re curious to keep up with the coolest things happening in European tech, join Built in Europe here.

1. Collect data until something screams in your face

Growing Longevity Dad felt like pushing a boulder uphill. Every. Single. Day.

At first, I blamed algorithm changes. I compared my growth to other health creators - they seemed to be struggling too. Perfect excuse, right?

Then I launched Built in Europe as my second experiment.

Holy shit. Numbers went through the roof from DAY ONE.

The contrast was brutal:

• I created as many subscribers in 5 days with Built in Europe as I did in SIX WEEKS with Longevity Dad

• The WORST performing posts on Built in Europe outperformed the BEST posts on Longevity Dad

• Every content format I tried on Longevity Dad felt like screaming into the void

I went super hard for 6 weeks on Longevity Dad. That's enough time when you know what you're doing with content. The data wasn't just whispering - it was screaming in my face: people wanted the European startup content about 10X more than health advice.

For me, I always tell myself to collect enough data until the answer becomes painfully obvious. With Built in Europe, I knew after just one week that Longevity Dad was an uphill battle versus absolute easy mode.

2. Step into a role to find out if you really want it

Something strange happened once I started posting as "Longevity Dad" with my face attached.

A weird feeling crept in.

Every day I was posting about chemicals to avoid, toxins to fear, things that could harm your family. I started to sound like this anxious person constantly scared about everything in the environment.

Here's the truth bomb I discovered: fear is the #1 method to sell anything in health. And it hit me - I don't want to be seen as a risk-avoider. I want to be a RISK-TAKER.

There's a massive difference between thinking you want to be someone versus actually stepping into that role. Once I tried being "Longevity Dad" for real, I realized:

• I'm genuinely interested in health and longevity

• I HATE telling people what to do based on anxiety

• My identity is fundamentally about taking risks, not avoiding them

It didn’t feel aligned. Putting your name and face behind something is the ultimate test.

3. Go as hard as you can and iterate enough

My advantage? I know wtf I'm doing when it comes to social media.

I knew if I posted consistently for 4-5 weeks, I'd get a real understanding of traffic patterns. But I didn't just post - I went SUPER HARD on both accounts:

• 1-3 thread every single day on X, Threads, LinkedIn

• Weekly performance analysis

• Constant iterations and angle changes

It's crucial to understand you're not trying the same thing over and over. You need to slightly change angles to test if your general idea doesn't work OR if it's just a specific approach that's failing.

I evolved from "longevity maximalist" to "Longevity Dad." Within my content, I tested dozens of different angles and formats.

But all numbers pointed in the same direction - it just wasn't working like I wanted it to.

Most people quit too early or don't iterate enough. I did both and still the data was clear: one business had momentum, the other was fighting gravity.

4. Compare what people say vs. what they do

This one hit me hard.

For Longevity Dad, people kept telling me "great idea!" and "this is exactly what we need!" But when I looked at the actual data? It told a completely different story.

It became painfully obvious when I analyzed conversion metrics:

People followed Longevity Dad but rarely:

• Clicked links

• Subscribed to the newsletter

• Commented or shared

It didn't seem important enough for them to actually DO anything about it.

With Built in Europe? People were 3-4X more likely to subscribe when they liked a post.

They commented more. They shared more. The entire level of interaction was dramatically higher.

What's fascinating is how many people verbally encouraged the Longevity Dad idea. They'd DM me saying they loved it or thought it made perfect sense. But their behavior never matched their words.

This is a lesson I've learned over and over: Never trust what people SAY they want. Trust what they DO with their attention, time, and money.

5. Always use momentum in society/find the underserved niche

I already learned this lesson when growing The AI Solopreneur - you should always try to jump on a macro trend.

With all the Europe-bashing that's been happening on X for the last couple of years, I felt like it was time for a change. Especially now with the U.S. taking a more hostile stance toward Europe, there's an even greater need for European media featuring our businesses on our continent.

I can feel that European entrepreneurs would love to feel more proud about their businesses. This audience is massively underserved.

And an underserved niche is the BEST place to build your business.

When you find that perfect intersection of:

• Rising cultural momentum

• Underserved audience

• Personal passion

...that's when you can create something with an unfair advantage from day one.

6. People are more likely to sub/pay for money than health

Something unexpected happened during my testing phase.

While exploring the longevity niche, I talked to dozens of creators in the space. And something became very apparent:

It's just much harder to grow and monetize in health compared to business.

I kind of already knew this intellectually, but trying it out made it painfully real. There are just some fields where it's:

• Easier to grow an audience

• Easier to monetize that audience

• Less resistance to paying for solutions

There are simply some markets where it's easier to make money. It's your decision whether you want to fight an easy battle or a hard one - but make that choice consciously.

7. Competition in B2B media is way less

Because my new media business focuses on European startups - targeting founders, investors, high-level professionals, and CEOs - I naturally moved more into the B2B space.

What I found out kind of shocked me.

The general level of their media and content is still absolutely HORRIBLE. So bland and corporate. Yuck.

Most of these companies don't think "media first," so with my experience, I'm actually able to compete at a very high level right out of the gate.

This creates a double advantage:

• It's easier for me to grow an audience

• There's more opportunity to monetize at a higher level with a professional crowd

I've also realized that health is so consumer-oriented that it's way more competitive. Everyone and their mother has a health podcast or newsletter now.

When you're selling to businesses rather than consumers, the competition thins out dramatically while the monetization potential actually increases.

8. You never know until you try

I have this core belief that it doesn't matter what your plan is - you don't know shit before you actually try it.

For me, it's never a waste of time to spend a month or two or three on something if you then know with certainty that it's not what you should be doing.

I also don't care if people call me a flip-flopper because I know I'm just iterating to find what works best and what resonates with my identity on the deepest level.

The key distinction here: I'm not jumping from thing to thing expecting immediate success. That's not what I'm doing at all.

I understand it takes time to build something great, but I'm also experienced enough to recognize when I have real signal versus when I'm just forcing it.

The most effective strategy isn't sticking with your first idea no matter what - it's moving quickly through ideas until you find the one with undeniable momentum.

Think of it like a series of small bets. Bet small, test signal, then double down on the most effective one.

9. Be okay with being wrong

I am completely okay with being wrong and even telling tens or hundreds or thousands of people about it.

Because I know that success comes from trying and iterating, not from getting it right every single time.

I've already gotten it right a couple of times in my life. And I know that as long as I keep trying and looking at the data, I'll find the next big thing again.

You should be PROUD of being wrong as long as you learn from it.

The entrepreneurs who succeed aren't the ones who never make mistakes. They're the ones who make mistakes faster, learn from them quicker, and adjust more effectively than everyone else.

Being wrong isn't failure - it's feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions.

The truth is, I'm pretty good at capturing attention - and attention and distribution are worth a lot, especially now in the AI era.

But when it turns out building the distribution is actually as hard or even harder than building a business, the equation doesn't work anymore. That's exactly what happened with Longevity Dad.

I decided I need to find something where building distribution is EASY. Something that gives me enough time to actually build the business that will use that distribution.

Because first and foremost, I see myself as an entrepreneur, not just a content creator.

I'm still really happy I tried both paths. It was eye-opening to discover I don't want to be this anxiety-driven health guy. I want to be a risk-taker and an entrepreneur - that's what I want to be seen as and what actually feels right.

It turned out my idea that product curations for health are needed was just plain wrong. And that's okay.

If I could give you some advice: Never feel scared to try and never feel scared to fail. What matters most is finding the thing that resonates with YOU.

So, fuck everyone judging you. You shouldn't care about them. It's all about finding what makes you happy and what aligns with who you are. Every choice that doesn't work out still gets you closer to your goal.

So yeah, I shut down Longevity Dad. It's ending before it really started, but between my two experiments, Built in Europe clearly won the race.

Just to be super clear, because some people got confused last time: this newsletter you're reading right now will stay the same. I'll keep sharing how I build these businesses, what I learn, and all the behind-the-scenes content and attention strategies I’m using that actually work.

Onwards!

Ole's Bookmarks

Absolute must read about being an AI-first company by the Shopify founder.

Joe Hudson is one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to living your truth and in touch with your emotions and gut feelings.

Vibe marketing is coming and i'm in the trenches.

Last night a thunderstorm destroyed most of my outdoor electrical appliances, so today I’m in fix-my-shit mode LOL

See you next week 🫡 

Ole

P.S. I read all the replies, pls always keep em coming!!