How to Build Wealth: The Sweaty Truth About Getting Rich Leveling Up

Everyone's waiting for permission to start their business. Waiting for the perfect idea. The right moment. More capital. Better timing.

Meanwhile, the guy who started cleaning windows last Tuesday just booked his tenth client.

"If you're sitting back waiting for somebody to tell you you're allowed to launch your business and you're qualified enough to make it work, it isn't going to happen. You have to give yourself permission."

The 99.999% Failure Rate Nobody Talks About

Business media, television and movies, and top college courses all tell entrepreneurs the same thing: To succeed in business, you need to have a revolutionary idea. To them, success is about changing the world through constant innovation. But the truth is, 99.999 percent of businesses that pursue this strategy will fail.

Read that again. 99.999% fail.

You know what doesn't fail? The woman who owns the parking lot downtown. The guy with the cleaning company. The couple running the laundromat.

They're not changing the world. They're getting rich doing boring things.

The Four Truths That Actually Matter

Huber lays out four simple truths about success — you can't do it alone, you can't force anyone to act, people are naturally self-interested, and success isn't just about you.

Let those sink in:

1. You can't do it alone - Stop trying to be Superman. Build a team.
2. You can't force anyone to act - People do what they want. Work with human nature, not against it.
3. People are naturally self-interested - Your employees care about their paycheck more than your vision. That's okay.
4. Success isn't just about you - It's about systems, people, and luck too.

These truths frame success not as solo grinding, but as smart collaboration and clear thinking.

The "Doing Common Things Uncommonly Well" Formula

Nick Huber, founder of The Sweaty Startup and several million-dollar businesses, challenges the prevailing Silicon Valley wisdom by demonstrating that success as a small business owner is based on the essential principle of doing common things uncommonly well.

What does "uncommonly well" mean?

Simple: Be the company that actually answers the phone.

I'm serious. That's it. That's the bar in most service industries.

Pick Your Competitive Edge (But Only Two)

Whether he's talking about picking your competitive edge (price, speed, quality — choose two!) or the power of creating scarcity, Huber offers insights that feel fresh and practical.

You get two. Not three. Two:

• Price + Speed = Budget option that delivers fast
• Speed + Quality = Premium service with quick turnaround
• Quality + Price = Great value that takes time

Try to do all three? You'll fail at all three.

Forget Your Passion, Master These Three Things

Forget about mastering your craft, Huber advises. Focus on mastering sales, hiring, and delegation instead.

Your craft? Doesn't matter after year one.

What matters:

1. Sales - Can you get customers?
2. Hiring - Can you find people better than you?
3. Delegation - Can you let go of control?

Master these three, and you'll build wealth. Master your craft, and you'll build a job.

The Path of Least Resistance Is the Path to Wealth

It's not about doing what you love or pursuing your passion. It's about following the path of least resistance and executing on a proven idea in a proven market to win.

Proven idea + Proven market = Money in the bank.

Novel idea + Unproven market = Bankruptcy court.

Which game do you want to play?

Your Company Isn't a Family (And That's Good)

His idea that a company isn't a family but a sports team really stuck with me — it's a reminder to delegate, make decisions, and keep moving instead of waiting for permission.

Families keep Uncle Jerry around even though he's useless.

Sports teams cut players who can't perform.

Which model builds winning organizations?

The Hot Dog Eating Contest Warning

Huber also breaks down the typical entrepreneurial grind, comparing it to a "hot dog eating contest" — a race where people burn out or spin their wheels if they're not careful.

Most entrepreneurs treat business like a hot dog eating contest - whoever suffers most wins.

Wrong game.

The right game? Build systems. Hire smart. Let the business run itself.

Real Numbers from a Real Business

Nick cofounded and operates his primary business, Bolt Storage, a commercial real estate firm, which owns 1.9 million square feet of self-storage facilities across 62 locations in 11 states.

From zero to 1.9 million square feet. 62 locations. 11 states.

How? Not by inventing storage. By doing storage better than lazy competitors.

The Simple Path Nobody Takes

In The Sweaty Startup, Nick Huber shows us that you don't need a ton of money, a brilliant new idea, complex technology, or extreme scale to succeed. There is another way to do business and find success by keeping things simple.

No venture capital. No complex tech. No "disruption."

Just:

• Find a boring problem
• Solve it reliably
• Charge fair prices
• Answer your phone
• Scale systematically

Good Odds, Low Risk, Life-Changing Rewards

Nick encourages readers to pursue opportunities with good odds, low risk, and moderate rewards that will set you up for a successful life, not just a successful business.

Notice he said "moderate rewards." Not moonshot returns.

But here's the thing: Moderate rewards that actually happen beat moonshot dreams that don't.

$2 million from a cleaning company beats $0 from your failed app.

Why This Actually Works

Look around your city. Every successful local business follows this model:

The millionaire plumber? Answered his phone for 20 years.

The rich landscaper? Shows up when promised.

The wealthy storage guy? Clean facilities, fair prices.

They're not geniuses. They just do common things uncommonly well.

Your Blueprint to Wealth (Starting This Week)

Week 1: Pick Your Boring Goldmine

Choose services people already pay for:

• Cleaning (home/office)
• Maintenance (property/equipment)
• Storage (junk/belongings)
• Waste (removal/management)
• Parking (lots/valet)

Month 1: Prove The Concept

• Get 3 paying customers
• Deliver exceptional service
• Ask for referrals
• Document everything

Year 1: Build The Machine

• Systemize every process
• Hire your first employee
• Focus on sales, not perfection
• Reinvest every dollar

Year 2-3: Scale The System

• Multiple employees
• Multiple services
• You manage, not do
• Cash flow compounds

Year 5+: Own The Asset

• Business runs without you
• Multiple revenue streams
• Sellable enterprise
• Real wealth achieved

The Uncomfortable Truth About Wealth

Instead of striving to come up with the next big idea, entrepreneurs would be better off "doing common things uncommonly well," according to this sensible debut guide.

Wealth isn't built in boardrooms or coding bootcamps.

It's built by people willing to:

• Answer phones on Sunday
• Clean toilets reliably
• Show up during snowstorms
• Solve boring problems
• Do it for decades

Stop Reading. Start Doing.

Bringing together the stories of dozens of successful businesses, including his own, Huber reveals an accessible but often-overlooked path to wealth and a life well-lived.

This path is accessible. It's proven. It works.

But it requires you to stop reading about business and start doing business.

This week. Not next month. This week.

Pick something boring. Do it better than everyone else. Get paid.

That's how you build wealth.

Not through brilliance. Through boredom that pays.

The Sweaty Startup is a refreshing and straightforward road map outlining his philosophy for a new generation of entrepreneurs. The question is: Will you follow the map, or keep searching for a "better" way that doesn't exist?