How To Build The Perfect Business For YOU

I recently had a deeply honest conversation with my friend Sergej — a high-performing marketing leader…

… who started hating his current job.

The topic of our podcast, which you can listen to here, was:

 “How do you find clarity and find your perfect career?”

Obviously, we didn’t talk about salary, benefits, or titles. We talked things that can *actually* make you fulfilled.

What job makes you feel most yourself? What gives you energy? And what happens when your impressive CV no longer reflects who you truly are?

This article distills the most powerful ideas from our podcast into something useful — and a bit uncomfortable — to help you get closer to the answer that matters most:

What are you really here to do?

If you’re currently living a life that’s anything other than your IDEAL… you’ll love reading this.

And look – we’ve all worked jobs that made us unhappy. I don’t blame you if that’s you.

Not one bit.

But I do want to help you, because there are answers.

The Moment Sergej Realized He Had the Wrong Dream

Sergej spent over 15 years building a marketing career anyone would be proud of.

He led campaigns. Managed high-performing teams. Made people a SHIT TON of money.

But one day, after yet another attempt to “level up” into a leadership role, it hit him like a ton of bricks:

“My CV is screaming between the lines that I don’t even like marketing anymore…”

Honestly, we all say “money isn’t everything” and “I want to be fulfilled aside from money and status.”

But how many of us actually practice what we preach?

I’ll raise my hand and admit this flaw within myself first.

When I was younger, I worked at an advertising agency – and I also didn’t like it.

(This article is not to bash marketing btw… it’s honestly a coincidence.)

And Sergej understands this as well.

“I realized I never actually liked it,” he told me. “I mastered it, but I didn’t love it.”

This makes me think…

What pushes us to spend YEARS doing something we don’t love?

If you ask me, it’s probably external validation.

I’m writing this article to help you look within and change your circumstances… so you can have internal validation.

After all – the only person you need to make happy is yourself.

If you’re not doing that right now, you might want to consider doing what Sergej did…

… Hitting reset and building something new from scratch.

Even if that meant a loss in income. Even if it meant giving up years of career momentum.

I say fuck all of that, if it makes you feel trapped and unfulfilled.

Mr. Igor… What Do You Mean By ‘External Validation’?

Well, you might be doing the same thing Segej talked about here:

“I thought I needed to prove I was worthy – to my parents, to my friends, to whoever hurt me growing up. But that wasn’t my goal. That was someone else’s.”

He realized his whole career had been shaped by a need to impress.

A need to be accepted.

We all feel this when we only feel ‘enough’ when other people approve of us and like us.

This is more common than you think.

We build careers to be liked and appear successful.

But deep down, there’s often a voice that just won’t let us go to bed peacefully:

What if this isn’t what I’m meant to do?

And we usually don’t stop to listen until it’s too late.

Now we know what ISN’T a perfect job… but what IS?

The Real Definition of a “Perfect Job”

At one point in our talk, I asked Sergej what he thought made a job “perfect.”

Before I give you his answer, I’ll give you my opinion:

• You can do it for a long time without burning out.
• You’re relatively good at it (at least average or above average)
• It benefits or serves others, and not just yourself.

But well… I got humbled 😅.

Sergej said he did ALL of those things. He did marketing for 15 years (check ✅), is amazing at it (double check ✅✅), and served others by making others rich (TRIPLE check ✅✅✅)

So he had a MUCH deeper response. You have to give it to the man… he thought about this a lot:

“It’s not about how long you’ve done it, how much money you make, or how many people you help. Those things matter. But for you… it’s about how the work changes you.”

He explained that a truly aligned job will do the following:

• Make you feel more confident in yourself
• Deepens your self-understanding
• Bring more people you like into your life
• And most importantly… give you energy (lots of jobs drain our energy, but we put up with it.)

Even if you’re not the best at it yet — if it energizes you, it’s worth chasing.

That’s how you know you’re on the right track.

To embark on this journey, you might have to leave your comfortable situation.

Not an easy thing, I know.

But damn, is it worth it.

If you’re doing something that leaves you feeling empty or invisible… what exactly are you holding onto?

How To Define YOUR Perfect Job With These 5 Important Questions

Let’s get a little less philosophical and way more practical, okay?

Most people struggle to find the “perfect job” because they’ve never defined what that even means — for them. They rely on generic criteria: salary, status, security.

And then wonder why they still feel stuck.

But you have to create your own definition. I’ll give you some questions that helped Sergej and I… but you also have to think for yourself.

Start by asking yourself these 5 questions:

1. What kind of work gives me energy, even when it’s hard?
   Think of moments where you forgot to check the clock. This is actually an amazing question because getting in ‘flow’ is INCREDIBLY important for work satisfaction.
2. What problems do I love solving — even when they’re messy?
   No business or career is stress-free. It’s always about solving a problem and identifying the next problem. Your whole life revolves around solving problems. At least find problems you like solving.
3. Who do I feel most alive around?
   Your ideal job probably involves a certain kind of team, customer, or audience. Who are they? Don’t put any limits to your imagination.
4. What skills do I want to get better at — even if I’m not there yet?
   You don’t have to be great today. But the perfect job is one that pulls you to grow.
5. If money weren’t a factor for one year, what would I do with my time?
   Don’t worry about how to monetize it yet. Just look at what your desire points toward.

What’s next?

Go back through your answers. Highlight the common threads — not the job titles, but the feelings, tasks, and environments that show up again and again.

That’s your raw material.

NOW you can go look for roles.

Or if you’re an Eightception fan… now you can build your business.

If you want help with that, take my 8D Framework To Launch Your Business ebook. It’s very easy to read, and it will show you everything you need to know to go from zero to having a fully launched business.

I’ve built and sold several business, trust me, you’ll learn a lot.

Reverse Engineer Your Ideal Life

I want you to close your eyes…

Actually, no, then you can’t read the blog. Keep them open.

Here’s an exercise that changed how Sergej thought about career planning:

Imagine your life 10 or 20 years from now.

Where do you live? What does your day look like? Who are you with? What work fills your calendar?

Then ask yourself:

What had to happen to get here?

What step came just before this? And the one before that? Aaaaaand the one that’s right in front of me?

This reverse planning gives your vision structure. Having vague dreams is a great start, but if you want to pay rent, you’ll have to come up with something tangible.

This exercise helps with that.

“When you start from that emotional future,” Sergej told me, “you don’t just have a goal. You have intention. That’s when things start aligning.”

Why This Matters More Than Ever

My friend, the world isn’t waiting for you to feel ready.

The longer you stay stuck in something misaligned, the harder it becomes to pivot later.

Not because the opportunity disappears — but because you start forgetting what being fulfilled even feels like.

I’m not saying you need to burn everything down tomorrow.

But you do need to stop tolerating work that makes you shrink.

There is a version of you that builds things that matter.

But that version doesn’t show up by accident. You have to choose it. And act on it.

If you want to act on it NOW… you can get my Make It CLEAR Course. 

It’s THE course I’d recommend my younger self to get when he was starting a business. I go into the clarity side of things WAY more inside… and not just on a “ask yourself this and that” way.

You’ll also see more “business specific” things you need clarity on. Oh, and if you’re considering starting a business with your co-founder, the course might literally save your life.

You can see why here:

Takeaways

Let’s be clear: If you’re unhappy in your current job — you don’t have to stay there.

You’re allowed to start again. You’re allowed to build something that feels right.

Here’s what to remember:

• Mastery without meaning is just a high-paid trap.
• If you’re performing for approval, you’re not living your dream — you’re living someone else’s.
• The perfect job isn’t what makes you look good. It’s what makes you feel more you.
• Ask better questions. Your energy and your answers will guide you.
• You don’t need the full plan. Just a next step in the right direction.