How to Start a Business (Even If You're Scared Sh*tless)

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Starting a small business from scratch? Learn how to launch with no money, no connections, no fluff.

Ever feel like most business advice is just recycled guru nonsense or comes from people born wealthy? This episode is for the real ones—those starting small businesses without money, privilege, or fancy degrees.

This episode kicks off our new series: Small Business Training from the Trenches. It’s not just theory—it’s raw experience from someone who started with $4,000, no running water, and no roadmap.

Inside this episode:

• How I went from smashing concrete at 13 to building multi-million dollar businesses
• The prework you need before you even launch
• Why “follow your passion” is bad advice—and what to do instead
• Real talk about accounting, operations, and sweat marketing that actually converts
• How solving your biggest hate can lead to your biggest win
• The business philosophy that drives purpose-driven profit

You won’t find Lambos or gimmicks here—just battle-tested knowledge that works. Whether you’re working two jobs or just dreaming of more, this is the channel for kind-hearted badasses ready to build something real.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly small business strategy, startup advice, and content that cuts through the noise.

These "training" videos are excerpts from Tylers YouTube channel

Tyler Uriah - YouTube

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Underdogs, bootstrappers, game Changers.
These episodes are a little bitdifferent than our normal
scheduled interviews.
These are training videos,since part of the mission of
Underdogs is to help more of youget to success and build more
kind-hearted badasses.
These special sections in thepodcast are more directed
towards a success roadmap.

(00:21):
Quite often you'll notice thatthe training videos coincide
with an interview, so don't bealarmed that this is a little
bit different and if you'relooking for an interview, go
ahead and skip to the nextchapter.
But it is my hope that some ofthis helps the roadmap that is
your success.
Oh boy, let's try something alittle bit different.
I have not sold a $400 millioncompany.

(00:42):
I don't drive a Ferrari.
You'll never catch me wearing aRolex watch but
entrepreneurship business is mylife.
I wasn't one of thoseentrepreneurs that I always knew
wanted to be one, like much ofthe big names of the day,
starting out selling candy barsat 12 years old.
I had my first job at 13, livedin low income housing and

(01:02):
worked with the landlord there.
Remember smashing concrete witha sledgehammer and loading it
into a backhoe.
It's funny now because I've hadthe city ask me to bring on
kids for employment and jobexperience and I'll feel bad to
bring on a kid and have him takeout the garbage at 15 years old
.
There are a lot of you out therethat would benefit immensely

(01:24):
from being brave enough to jumpinto business.
Most of you are the hardworkers.
Most of you come from nothingand you just haven't dared to
dream large enough.
Sure, you have the Zuckerbergsof this world and the other big
wigs that have opened billiondollar companies.
They started with a mindset anda lot of advantages to do so.
The channel is a little bitdifferent.

(01:45):
I'm going to teach you business.
I'm going to teach you businessfrom the point of view of
somebody that started withnothing truly nothing like
living in a dirt lot with noelectricity, no running water,
$4,000 to start it and made ithappen.
I wish I had these videos.
I wish I had me as a confidantand help to tell you the truth
about what business is.

(02:05):
I got my ass kicked, but Ilearned Most people would be
really happy with the result,but I wasn't.
I've learned over time that Ibenefit immensely from finding
businesses that align with me.
In fact, when I see most ofthose online that get all the
attention and they're drivingthe fancy car at 40 years old,
especially so they can talk toyou Younger audience, makes me

(02:28):
think it's either a gimmick orthey really haven't learned what
life's about.
Have the fancy stuff, you'veworked hard for it, no problem
there but life is about purpose,and you can find a tremendous
amount of purpose throughbusiness.
I'm fond of saying the termthat I coined don't do something
you love in this world.
Do something you hate.
Open a business that solvesthat thing that you hate.

(02:49):
I've now learned ways that mybusinesses, yes, make money, but
they also align to some greatergood that I'm working on.
It can be both and I'm nottalking about charities Nothing
against you, folks but I don'tfind them efficient.
I find actual earning income,businesses that have collateral
impacts of good to be the mosteffective way to not only live a

(03:11):
life of fulfillment not an easyone but one of purpose and
value.
So that's why I've created thisnew channel.
I want to start from the start.
For all you bootstrappers outthere, it's a different kind of
channel.
I'm not going to come at youand tell you how easy it is, but
I'm going to teach youpractical information that most
people won't.
We're going to dive deep in thedirt.

(03:37):
Luckily, I help many of you ona daily basis, and so I get
great questions that I thinkwould help the world more.
I've developed a way to teachyou accounting in three hours
and make it fun, although we gotto lay some groundwork before
it.
Those of you that have been inbusiness a while and you still
haven't embraced your books thiswill be a moment when you're
like how did I breathe withoutair?
I'm right where you wereStarted with nothing, tried to

(03:58):
hire it out, didn't think Ineeded it, and the second I
embraced it.
My business is made to turn forthe better, and now I'm the
biggest nerd for accounting.
We'll talk marketing, but we'renot going to talk about how you
can spend a bunch of money thatyou don't have.
I'll tell you how I learned toorganically market and got some
of the biggest companies on theplanet to buy from me, and it's
going to be way simpler than youthought it would be.

(04:19):
There's a guru around town thatis currently being brought down
, and probably many of you knowhim, and what people say over
and over is when you actuallyget into one of his really
expensive seminars, it's allback of the hand knowledge, and
that's what most of this stuffis, but it's approaching the
hard work instead of looking forthe fancy trick.
The other thing I'm hoping onthis channel is I have two

(04:41):
degrees.
I have one for my hobbies and Ihave one for my work life.
My biochemistry degree allowsme to understand fitness on a
level that most people don't innutrition.
I get asked consistently frompro athletes doctors about
fitness advice.
I do believe life is greater,fulfilled by having an amazing

(05:04):
fitness routine, and you'regoing to need it for your
business stress so daily.
I want to drop some of thatknowledge in here and please
feel free to ask questions,especially if you're new to
starting.
If you're here in Phoenix,arizona, I'll even pick out a
workout with you.
Secondly, I got an MBA, so youdon't have to.
I will be one of the few peopleout there that was basically a

(05:25):
high school dropout that wentback, turned a page and values
education.
But just like I talk about mymixed martial arts gym, you
can't just show up and say Ipaid my fee.
Make me the best in the world.
I feel school is the same wayyou got to put in too.
My college career has been anamazing moment for me and one of
fear that I broke down.
I started my first businesswhile put in too.
My college career has been anamazing moment for me and one of

(05:45):
fear that I broke down.
I started my first businesswhile still in college and
refused to drop out because Iknew it was quitting.
I will always value myeducation, but it doesn't mean
it's for everyone.
There's a ton of value in beingself-taught, which I still do,
but there's tremendousprinciples that I've learned
both through my biochemistryprogram and my MBA program that

(06:07):
I will weave through my YouTubechannel.
Some of you that might befamiliar, or maybe five of you
know that I'm heavily involvedwith things of passion.
My mixed martial arts partnerand I have a podcast for bullied
kids.
100% of it goes to charity.
I have a podcast for underdogbusiness people very similar
goes to charity.
I have a podcast for underdogbusiness people Very similar to

(06:28):
the content that I'm going tobring into here.
We've started a philanthropyfor connecting resources to age
out, foster youth.
We have a docu-series where wetravel the world and try to
redefine a different type ofhero.
I daily try to work in systemsthat we're not paying attention
to the collateral impacts ofhero.
I daily try to work in systemsthat were not paying attention
to the collateral impacts ofsomething, trying to hit them at
the base level before they getto the pot boil over port.

(06:50):
Sometimes this is volunteering,sometimes this is businesses,
but I think once you get to 42years old, you start to think
how you can leave a footprint onthe things that you care about,
and a little bit less on if Ican turn the key on my Ferrari
today.
So, with that all being said,welcome to my new channel.
I hope you get value out of it.
It scares the hell out of me,but I will attempt to go live

(07:11):
somewhat often to work onanything you want to work.
On that day I built myself intothe person I am today and I'm
still working on it.
As a kid I was lost, mademistakes and I wish I had a
little bit more guidance alongthe way.
Made mistakes and I wish I hada little bit more guidance along
the way.
I was never given a fair shotin my youth because my dad was
in prison.
A lot of people don't think theapple falls far from the tree,

(07:32):
but I promise you you can beanything you want to be, you can
do anything you want to do, andthe second you turn that gun
drop around in your head andrealize that that's when the
magic will happen.
I'll do my best to guide youalong the way with everything
I've learned through formaleducation getting my butt kicked
and making mistakes.

(07:52):
Welcome to a channel I like tocall.
The World Needs MoreKind-Hearted Badasses.