Justin Welsh is someone thousands of professionals follow online for career advice and business insights. He teaches people how to build one-person businesses that actually work.
But his career wasn’t always focused on helping others. For years, he worked in demanding corporate roles that slowly wore him down. The path he’s on now came from realizing that success isn’t worth much if it costs you everything else.
Life Before Success
Welsh spent over a decade climbing the corporate ladder in healthcare technology companies. He worked in high-pressure sales environments where most people didn’t last long.
At one company, groups of thirty new hires would start together. Within weeks, only a handful remained. He was always one of the ones who stayed.
Justin Welsh moved into leadership roles and helped grow companies past billion-dollar valuations. On the surface, everything looked impressive. But behind the scenes, his life was falling apart.
Early Career and Work Life
His daily reality was nothing like the success story people saw from outside. He managed teams of 150 people and oversaw departments bringing in tens of millions in revenue.
The pressure never stopped. Problems multiplied faster than he could solve them. He gained 40 pounds from stress eating and stopped exercising.
Sleep became difficult. He relied on alcohol to cope. His relationships suffered because work consumed everything. The pattern continued for years because he didn’t know any other way.
When the Career Direction Started Changing
December 16, 2018, changed everything. He experienced a severe panic attack at home that lasted two hours.
His wife called 911. EMTs confirmed he wasn’t dying, but his body was sending a clear message. Something had to change.
The next morning brought unusual clarity. He realized he couldn’t keep living this way and expect different results. The path he was on wasn’t sustainable.
That Monday, he talked to his CEO about stepping down. It wasn’t an angry decision or an impulsive move. It was simply necessary.
Taking a Step Back and Rethinking the Path
The months after leaving became a period of rebuilding. He started walking ten miles every day and fixed his sleep schedule.
He changed his diet completely and stopped drinking. These weren’t just health improvements. They were part of learning how to live differently.
Initially, he planned to take six months off before returning to corporate work. But during this break, something shifted. He started thinking about what he actually wanted his career to look like.
He didn’t have all the answers yet. But he knew he needed to design work around his life, not the other way around.
First Steps in the New Direction
In early 2019, Welsh started writing on LinkedIn about his experience building sales teams at SaaS companies. He shared practical knowledge about growing healthcare technology businesses.
His approach was simple and direct. No fluff, no inspiration posts. Just useful information for a specific audience who needed it.
He posted consistently without expecting much. Within six months, his following grew from zero to over 20,000 people. More importantly, people started reaching out with questions.
His inbox filled with professionals asking for advice. Some wanted help with SaaS sales. Others wanted to know how he’d built an audience so quickly.
Building Momentum Over Time
In August 2019, he officially left his executive position and started offering consulting. He charged $100 for one-hour calls where he helped people solve specific business problems.
The work felt different. Instead of managing large teams and navigating office politics, he directly helped individuals. The feedback was immediate and the impact was visible.
As he noticed patterns in what people asked, he started creating systems around his knowledge. He realized he didn’t need to keep trading hours for dollars forever.
When he doubled his consulting rates, he chose to work half as much for the same income. That decision showed how his thinking had changed.
He created his first digital course teaching others how to grow on LinkedIn. He priced it at $150 and kept it focused. The response exceeded expectations—he made $75,000 from that first course.
From there, he kept building. He launched a newsletter called The Saturday Solopreneur and developed more courses around content creation and business systems.
Each product solved real problems his audience faced. Nothing was complicated or overhyped. Everything came from actual conversations with people struggling with similar challenges.
Where the Career Stands Today
Welsh now runs several one-person businesses that generate millions in revenue while keeping profit margins above 85%. He works roughly three hours per day.
His audience has grown to hundreds of thousands across LinkedIn, Twitter, and his newsletter. He’s known in the solopreneur space for showing what’s possible when you build intentionally.
His courses have taught tens of thousands of people. His weekly writing reaches hundreds of thousands of readers. His influence comes from consistency and genuine value, not viral moments.
The business operates with minimal overhead. No full-time employees, no expensive infrastructure, no outside funding. It’s profitable, sustainable, and aligned with how he wants to live.
Why This Rise Story Feels Different
What makes his journey stand out is what he chose not to chase. He didn’t pursue rapid scaling or maximum revenue extraction.
When he had opportunities to grow bigger and faster, he consistently chose smaller and more sustainable instead. He avoided recreating the same burnout patterns in a new context.
Many people leave corporate jobs only to build businesses that demand even more from them. Welsh deliberately structured his work to prevent that outcome.
His success came from patience and clarity rather than aggressive tactics. He spent time understanding problems before creating solutions. He tested ideas small before investing heavily.
The sustainability came from asking different questions. Instead of “How can I make more money?” he asked “What kind of life do I want, and how can my business support that?”
FAQs
Who is Justin Welsh?
He is an entrepreneur who built a multi-million dollar one-person business after burning out from a corporate sales executive career. He now teaches professionals how to build sustainable online businesses through courses and his newsletter.
How did their career direction change?
After a severe panic attack in 2018, he stepped back from his executive role and began sharing knowledge on LinkedIn. He built an audience organically, started consulting, then created digital courses. He focused on systems and sustainability instead of traditional corporate growth.
Why do people connect with this journey?
His story resonates because it’s honest about the costs of traditional success and shows a realistic path to building differently. He didn’t chase overnight success or follow typical advice. He rebuilt based on what actually mattered to him.
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