How to start a business with no industry experience
Starting a business without prior knowledge of accounting, supply chains, pricing, or management leaves founders overwhelmed about where to begin. Without knowing standard industry shortcuts or how to source suppliers, early clients and operations become stressful administrative headaches.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 26.4× more often in r/msp than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Try popups and online before committing to a brick and mortarDid this help you?
- 2Get a job at existing bookstore to learn the skills you lackDid this help you?
- 3Start small with a coffee cart or online storefront like Shopify before scaling upDid this help you?
- 4getting a short internship or part-time job firstDid this help you?
- 5starting small gigs during college while having more free timeDid this help you?
- 6gaining years of experience in various industries before freelancingDid this help you?
- 7Buying an established MSP instead of building oneDid this help you?
- 8Partnering with an existing MSP owner who retains an equity stakeDid this help you?
- 9Acquiring a plumbing or traditional CPA business insteadDid this help you?
- 10Working for another company to learn the operational side of the business before launchingDid this help you?
- 11Finding another sales job to make enough money while gaining experienceDid this help you?
- 12Waiting to take intermediate accounting classes and tax courses before doing any workDid this help you?
- 13Pursuing an Enrolled Agent (EA) license in college to land an internship insteadDid this help you?
- 14Developing a unique set of niche skills to market added valueDid this help you?
- 15starting off small and making a few pairs to see if they would sellDid this help you?
- 16Reading business books and following a structured reading listDid this help you?
- 17Planning to talk to potential customers months before launchDid this help you?
- 18Relying on an agency to handle marketing and salesDid this help you?
- 19Asking questions in community forums and subredditsDid this help you?
- 20trying to do small cash jobs under a DBADid this help you?
- 21taking chainsaw and urban forestry classes with the IAADid this help you?
- 22asking for suggestions on reddit about door knocking, facebook posts, pricing, and invoicing softwareDid this help you?
- 23Starting small by purchasing a less expensive business to learn operations firstDid this help you?
- 24Investing money in index funds like VOO while learning how a business runsDid this help you?
- 25Working with an operator, advisor, or leveraging a network for hands-on management experience and financial accessDid this help you?
- 26Gaining management experience in a GM-level role or pursuing an MBA to signal capability to lendersDid this help you?
- 27Interviewing consultants and shipping features based on limited insightsDid this help you?
- 28Working the register of an existing family business for a month before signing anythingDid this help you?
- 29Starting out within the family's existing business operationsDid this help you?
- 30Shadowing long-term staff members who have been with the business for years.Did this help you?
- 31Cold emailing adjacent companiesDid this help you?
- 32Attending industry eventsDid this help you?
- 33working a part-time job or salary to fund ideasDid this help you?
- 34starting small and testing if people are willing to payDid this help you?
- 35keeping a day job while testing things outDid this help you?
- 36planning to call some small businesses to get feedback firstDid this help you?
- 37embracing the possibility of failure as a way to learnDid this help you?
- 38Doing cold outreachDid this help you?
- 39Asking online communities for business ideasDid this help you?
- 40Considering quitting current employment despite bill obligationsDid this help you?
- 41Planning to open a restaurant with zero professional experienceDid this help you?
- 42Asking online communities for advice on how to startDid this help you?
- 43Waiting until having a perfect idea, perfect experience, or enough moneyDid this help you?
- 44Researching business listings and financialsDid this help you?
- 45Asking online communities for advice on acquisitionsDid this help you?
- 46spending the next few years learning, working, saving money, and slowly building something on the sideDid this help you?
- 47Working as a freelancer training AI frontier models in accounting and finance fieldsDid this help you?
- 48Working sales for a regional distributor or manufacturer first to build industry experience and contactsDid this help you?
- 49Focusing on a single, narrow product line and local niche customer base (e.g., small independent clinics or dental offices) rather than big hospitalsDid this help you?
- 50Acting as a sales representative or reseller for an existing distributor to avoid holding inventory and obtaining upfront licensesDid this help you?
- 51Consulting official regulatory bodies and accreditation organizations (e.g., ACHC, Joint Commission, CMS) directly instead of buying online coursesDid this help you?
- 52Taking entry-level jobs or internships to learn the fundamentalsDid this help you?
- 53Obtaining free or low-cost industry software certificationsDid this help you?
- 54Seeking out an experienced mentor to review work and provide guidanceDid this help you?
- 55Building custom database analysis tools to generate lead listsDid this help you?
- 56Planning to cold call companies from the generated lead listDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am looking into medical supplier and really need help in getting my foot in. How do I and where do I get started? Any pointers to websites links or courses? Any current or former employee willing to mentor?”source ↗
“I’ve owned my MSP since 2019 and built it from scratch. It’s now profitable and comfortably covers its expenses, but getting to that point was not easy.”source ↗
“Customer acquisition has by far been the biggest challenge.”source ↗
“Same it takes several years to make money and if my spouse wasn’t making money I could have never survived.”source ↗
“As others have said, buy, unless you’re lucky, if you start from scratch you’ll be throwing money at it and having to onboard all you’re tools from scratch.”source ↗
“I would never build a new msp from scratch ever again. You couldn't pay me enough, there's nothing you could offer in any reasonable way to get me to start again.”source ↗
“The problem is that I have zero business background. I don’t know much about marketing, accounting, sourcing, manufacturing, branding, e-commerce, taxes, etc.”source ↗
“Thinking of buying an auto repair shop for 395k with SDE of 150k. I’ve worked on my car before changed oil and a few other parts but that’s the extent on my knowledge.”source ↗
“I have no knowledge of how auto shops run, other than the basics. Am I making a mistake going into a business when I’m unfamiliar with the technical aspects of running a repair shop.”source ↗
“I am very confuse bcz I have zero knowledge regarding business I just know I want to do business but how, when I don't know I even don't know B of business I am very confuse I start or not is it I am capable or not....”source ↗
“I’ve never done anything like this and would love some advice on what I need to do.”source ↗
“Would I need to get liability insurance to start?”source ↗
“Also when you I need to declare to HMRC?”source ↗
“the biggest thing is I have no proper experience in running a business so putting all that hard-earned money over the years into just one business can be daunting.”source ↗
“I want to start a business but have no idea where to begin since I've been an employee my whole life and I'm kind of afraid of failure”source ↗
“I feel that starting a business may be my best alternative, but I'm afraid because I have no experience running one.”source ↗
“starting a full business is on another level... so.. I really have no idea what to do.”source ↗
“Despite having rich experience in the field, I'm bit hesitant because I don't have the certification like CPA etc.”source ↗
“My main problem is I don't how to build a distribution, sales system and network related to what we do.”source ↗
“But I'm 20 years old and don't have previous experience running and growing a business. I know I need to learn on-the-go.”source ↗
“If experienced people gave me advice on how to acquire customers efficiently and tell mistakes that I shouldn't make before I do that would be great.”source ↗
“I’m starting my startup next year. This will be my second launch. My first launch failed because I lacked business and marketing knowledge and didn’t have enough capital.”source ↗
“I have plenty of time to learn now, so I want to understand how to run a business and how startups actually work.”source ↗
“I really need help. I’m starting from zero and don’t have much support.”source ↗
“My main problem is that I don't know what I'm doing or where to start. I don't know much about accounting, ordering supplies (or where to buy from), setting prices, or management.”source ↗
“Problem is has been I've never run a service before and don't know how to go about it.”source ↗
“I just want to understand how to build the experience without a network.”source ↗
“A lot of people in the comments said to get experience in the field itself but I don’t know how exactly I can do that.”source ↗
“Everyone I know is in corporate and the three people I do know won’t exactly be willing to show me the ropes because I’m not close with them.”source ↗
“If I do find a field I’m interested in, it’s not like any owner’s going to show me how they run their business.”source ↗
“I have no direct experience in running a business. Are there any recommendations one has for my situation where I can learn and grow my wisdom to support myself as I go into the business world?”source ↗
“since late teenage I tried to get into the business but I was never entertained or made me show how things works etc but now due to my mom health and age she really want me to get started so when time comes for her to go I should know what she had taught me and how to run.”source ↗
“It is too much to take it, I mean knowing my mom is old and still very much involved and for me, where to start and how to.”source ↗
“Question is : where to start and how to? Who should I shadow around, my mom has reduced her responsibility a lot due to her and declinng health, she has staff who had been with her for a decade. How do I know if this is for me?”source ↗
“Now I need to find partners, referral sources, and complementary service providers and I have no idea where to start.”source ↗
“Attended two industry events and felt completely out of place because everyone already knew each other.”source ↗
“Just want to make 100$ a month, but have no experience whatsoever. Did my own out reaching but didn't get much success. Any ideas?”source ↗
“How do I get experience in the restaurant field where I do management work around the store to learn real skill sets?”source ↗
“I make good money at my job that's not a restaurant job and has good pay and a set schedule.”source ↗
“When I used to go into fast food/diner jobs the hours aren't set and unpredictable where I could be making less and I still have bills to pay and I don't have time to just get a second job.”source ↗
“Now I am thinking how hard would it be to start my own company? I have my own LLC, ladder, couger paws. But up until getting the ACV check, I have no idea what to do. I do not know how to supplement, I don't quite understand how much subcontractors bring to the table, I don't know what I don't know.”source ↗
“Should I just find another sales job? Or can I learn everything else and leverage my door knocking skills to run my own company?”source ↗
“Can I start selling jobs today if I am not officially a licensed contractor yet?”source ↗
“I’m currently confused about where and how to begin building my portfolio, especially since I don’t have any professional experience yet.”source ↗
“I started doing small gigs for local shops in my final year and first few clients were a headache because I didn't know the common shortcuts people use.”source ↗
“My biggest obstacle is that I don't have professional accounting or bookkeeping experience.”source ↗
“I'm willing to put in the work to learn the industry properly. I'm just trying to avoid spending years going down the wrong career path if there's a more efficient way to develop the necessary skills.”source ↗
“One question I have is whether you'd recommend prioritizing a position at a small CPA/bookkeeping firm over an internal accounting clerk position. I've been finding more entry-level opportunities for the latter, but I'm unsure which would better prepare me to eventually run my own firm.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5How to turn a business idea into reality with no money
- 5How to get production experience when pivoting to a new software field
- 2Can I start selling before my LLC is officially approved?
- 77How to get an entry level job with no experience
- 8How to get business funding with no history
- 11How to quit a corporate job to start your own business