For Entrepreneurs | Matt Karlsven - Curiosity Expert & Author

Entrepreneurship doesn't always feel bold and visionary. Sometimes it feels like:

"I should be further by now."

"I don't even know if this is a good idea anymore."

"I'm embarrassed that things aren't working."

"I don't know what to do next."

But most entrepreneurs who eventually succeed don't succeed because they knew the right answer early. They succeed because they stayed curious long enough to find the right version.

The turning point doesn't come from working harder or longer hours. It comes from asking the right questions. Curiosity unlocks insight. Insight unlocks direction. Direction unlocks motivation.

When Reality Gives You a Signal

Story: The Day an Entrepreneur Realized His Best Product Wasn't His Main Product

A man named Preston launched a business helping restaurants install QR menus. He spent 4 months designing templates, meeting restaurant owners, configuring systems. Most said: "We already figured something out." He felt defeated.

But he noticed something odd: Almost every restaurant owner asked: "Could you fix our website? Can you redo our Google listing? Can you get more customers?"

One day he asked a curiosity-based question instead of shutting down emotionally: "Why are restaurant owners asking me this more than menus?"

He realized: Menus were a surface problem. Visibility was the real problem.

He pivoted into 'Restaurant Visibility Packages': ✔ new menu pages ✔ reputation management ✔ Google optimization ✔ social content templates

Now instead of $197 for QR menus, he sold $1,500–$3,500 packages with monthly retainers.

Nothing changed except what question he asked. Instead of "What did I fail at?" he asked "What signal did reality give me?" Curiosity turns failure into redirection.

The Entrepreneur Clarity Formula

💡 Answer These Questions

What problem am I actually solving?

Not what you're building—but what you fix.

Who suffers when that problem isn't solved?

Name a specific person—not "people," not "businesses."

What emotionally painful outcome do they avoid or escape?

Money loss? Embarrassment? Time multiplied? Industry perception?

Where have I already delivered a result accidentally?

A coworker, a friend, a former client, a family member

What version of this business requires the fewest steps to start?

Not ideal version—the next version.

Success comes from simple versions repeated—then scaled.

Finding What Your Failure Was Pointing Toward

Story: The Woman Who Turned a Weak Launch Into a Six-Figure Consulting Business

Sabrina wanted to start a skincare subscription box. She launched. Sales trickled. Supply chain broke. Shipping costs soared. She wanted to quit.

Then she asked: "What actually worked with my failed launch?"

She listed: dozens of women asked her about skincare ingredients, she knew formulations, she sourced ethically, she wrote educational content, she connected deeply with health-conscious mothers.

Her failed box was not the product. Her knowledge was.

She pivoted to: ✔ ingredient consulting for indie brands ✔ product formulation advising ✔ labeling compliance ✔ regulatory review ✔ packaging sourcing

Her first consulting package sold for $4,800. Within 6 months: She no longer needed a subscription box. She built a scalable consulting business.

Curiosity uncovers what failure was pointing toward.

The Entrepreneur Pivot Journal

Fill this when stuck:

🧭 When You Need to Pivot

What was I expecting to work?

What actually happened?

What did people show me they want more of?

What part of this idea was too big, too early?

What version of this is simpler and more buyable?

What would happen if I cut the business in half and only built the strongest part?

Entrepreneurs don't pivot because they're wrong. They pivot because they refine.

The Power of the Tiny Version

Story: The Founder Whose "Tiny Version" Became a Movement

A dad named Eric wanted to create an app that helped kids practice math through real rewards. Coding was expensive. Gamification system failed. No users stuck. He was about to give up.

Then he asked: "What would the smallest possible version of this be?"

Answer: A PDF scoreboard chart where kids earned points and traded them for real rewards.

Parents asked for it. He made different versions: themed charts, weekly goal charts, reward sheets, printable tokens.

People paid $8–$12 per set. He sold 30 the first week. Then 100. Then a subscription. Later—schools asked for licensing. Then—child psychologists asked for research-based variations.

The platform that once needed a coder now funded itself from printables. The tiny version IS the real version—until it leads to the bigger version.

What People Already Ask You For

💬 List These Requests

Requests from coworkers:

Requests from family/friends:

Requests from strangers online:

Story: How One Entrepreneur Turned Helping Friends Into a National Business

Alex helped family members find travel deals. He didn't charge. He didn't consider it a business. Then he noticed: People saved more than $600 per trip.

He turned that into: Vacation Planning + Deal Sourcing. He held a curiosity experiment: He asked people who benefited: "If I charged $150 to plan your trip and book savings, would that be fair?" 5 said yes.

Then he added: "If savings > $600, you pay $249 total." He had 8 customers within 2 weeks.

Within 6 months: ⭐ families hired him ⭐ weddings hired him ⭐ corporate retreats hired him ⭐ influencers hired him

He didn't invent a business. He recognized one that had already formed around him. Curiosity allows what exists inform what should exist.

When Overwhelmed—Think Closer, Not Bigger

These Questions Reduce Pressure

💡 "What can I sell by Friday?"

💡 "What small version of this helps someone immediately?"

💡 "What could someone pay me for without building or coding anything?"

💡 "What would my customer most likely say YES to right now?"

Examples:

paid audit coaching call downloadable template prototype small done-for-you version subscription trial

Entrepreneurship accelerates through speed-based validation. Not perfection.

Your Value Is What You Shorten for Someone Else

People Will Pay You To:

Shorten their timeline

Reduce confusion

Reduce mistakes

Reduce learning curve

Reduce emotional risk

What you sell vs. what you really sell:

You don't sell meal prep → "No thinking, no shopping, healthy options handled."

You don't sell bookkeeping → "Sleep at night knowing your finances are clean."

You don't sell web design → "Legitimacy when customers look you up."

Entrepreneurs who speak to the emotional outcome sell faster.

The "Outcome Language Template"

🎯 Fill This In

"I help _______ achieve ________ without _________."

"I help freelancers reach $10k months without working weekends."

"I help new real estate agents get listings without cold-calling."

"I help parents reduce screen time without fighting or rules battles."

That sentence is an offer. Not a bio.

Discovering the Real Product

Story: The Entrepreneur Who Survived the Three-Year Valley

Miguel ran leadership retreats. Year one—energy was high. Year two—revenue dipped. Year three—panic. He wanted to shut everything down.

Then one guest told him: "You helped me actually believe I could leave my corporate job."

He noticed: Clients didn't return for "leadership." They returned for identity transformation.

He took this seriously and: changed pricing, changed branding, changed length, changed session style.

Instead of selling "leadership retreat" he sold: "A reset that makes high performers believe in the future again."

He doubled prices. Reduced group size. Focused on a single transformation.

He didn't change what he delivered—he changed how he understood it. Curiosity revealed the real product.

The Curious Path Through Discouragement, Clarity, and Breakthrough