What They Don’t Tell You About Building a Business

When people picture an entrepreneur, they imagine the wins: the company recognition, the growth, the freedom. What they don’t see are the couch years.

For me, those were the years when Jared’s Leads was just me, my laptop, and a couch. I was trying to build a business, but the business wasn’t yet paying the bills. So I did what most people don’t want to admit: I hustled. I pieced together side gigs that barely paid, just to buy myself one more month to chase the dream.

The side gigs

One weekend, I was promoting wine around Los Angeles, zipping through traffic on a Vespa that I had to get a learner’s permit for just to take the job. They dressed me in a full white bodysuit—tight enough to outline every inch of my body—and sent me into liquor stores to hand out samples. I was humiliated and entertained all at once.

Another gig had me running a team for Mr. Pink, an energy drink brand. We were at Dodger Stadium, handing out thousands of cans before first pitch, trying to fire up fans as if we owned the stadium. I was leading the crew, making sure samples moved, energy stayed high, and the brand left a mark.

And then there was Street King—50 Cent’s energy shot brand. That one was surreal. I ran a team in Los Angeles, driving a van with his face plastered on the side, wearing black polos with gold SK chains. We’d hit the Hollywood clubs at 2 a.m., passing out samples to partygoers. I grew up listening to 50 Cent. Now I was part of his promo team. It was absurd, exhausting, and somehow unforgettable.

The gigs didn’t stop there. Google brought me to Las Vegas, where our job was to help executives move from the lobby of the Aria Hotel to their suites for private meetings. I found myself shaking hands with Fortune 500 leaders on marble floors, pointing them toward elevators and watching them disappear into boardrooms where the fate of entire industries might have been discussed.

From bodysuits to gold chains to marble floors—that was my life. A patchwork of odd jobs funding a fragile dream.

And through it all, every spare moment went back into Jared’s Leads. Building trust with clients. Delivering on promises. Finding ways to compete against companies that had far more resources.

Those years taught me a lesson I’ll never forget: Entrepreneurship isn’t glamorous. It’s not meant to be. It’s messy. It’s humbling. It’s a grind. But if you stick to it—if you stay on the path and lead with transparency, trust, and loyalty—you’ll build something that lasts.

The takeaway