In this transcript from Episode 042, Mark shares 11 practical tips for getting out of a business funk, drawn from his own experience of stalling on his internet marketing business for several months. He also addresses a listener question about building an online business when English is not your native language.<\/p>\n
Mark defines a business funk as the state where you do not feel like working on your business, you are procrastinating, watching TV instead of building, and not making progress. He looks back on his own funk period over the preceding months and identifies what helped him break out of it.<\/p>\n
1. Name it.<\/strong> You cannot fix a problem you do not recognize. If you are consistently avoiding your business, watching TV, and not completing tasks, acknowledge that you are in a funk. Having goals with benchmarks and scorecards helps you detect when you have gone off track.<\/p>\n 2. Own it.<\/strong> Your funk is your responsibility. Quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself.” This is the opposite of the victim mindset. You have the power to change your situation.<\/p>\n 3. Reconnect with your vision.<\/strong> Why are you building this business? What does success look like? What fulfillment does it enable? If you do not have a clear vision, create one. Losing sight of your vision drains motivation faster than almost anything else.<\/p>\n 4. Eliminate bad habits.<\/strong> Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck. If you are watching too much TV, commit to turning it off for two weeks and working on your business instead. If you are not sleeping enough, fix that. Call out the specific habits and stop them.<\/p>\n 5. Start good behaviors.<\/strong> Exercise is almost always the highest-impact positive behavior you can add. Mark references Tony Robbins: “Emotion is created by motion.” Being sedentary creates one emotional state; being active creates a better one. Mark also mentions using a FitBit to track steps and compete with friends including Pat Flynn. A sub-tip: declutter your workspace to reduce the feeling of overwhelm.<\/p>\n 6. Celebrate your successes.<\/strong> Mark found that his list of unaccomplished goals was depressing, but when he actually reviewed what he had done, the picture was much better. Take time to acknowledge wins, even small ones. Tie celebrations to goal milestones as motivation carrots.<\/p>\n 7. Study the success of others.<\/strong> Listen to success story interviews on podcasts like Internet Business Mastery and Smart Passive Income. Hearing how others achieved what you are working toward can reignite your motivation. Visualize yourself in a similar successful position.<\/p>\n 8. Connect with your support network.<\/strong> Seek out people who encourage you and believe in what you are building. Avoid the people who say “I told you that internet stuff would never work.” For Mark, his wife is his primary support system.<\/p>\n 9. Manage your stress.<\/strong> Stress impacts weight, health, and motivation. Whether through exercise, meditation, or other techniques, actively managing stress can prevent and break funks. Mark notes that specific stressful situations in his personal life contributed to his funk period.<\/p>\n 10. Focus outward, not inward.<\/strong> Help other people instead of dwelling on your own problems. Mark quotes Zig Ziglar: “You can get everything in life that you want by helping other people get what they want.” Helping others with their challenges re-energizes your own motivation.<\/p>\n 11. Lean on your mastermind group.<\/strong> If you are not in a mastermind group, find one. These are people who know your goals, hold you accountable, and can help with all of the preceding tips. Paid, free, or informal — the format matters less than having that network of accountability partners.<\/p>\n Mark addresses a message from listener Shadi Mahmoud who wants to build an online business but is concerned that his English language skills are a barrier. Mark points to a Problogger article called “7 Golden Rules of Blogging in English for Non-Native Speakers” as a practical resource.<\/p>\n More importantly, Mark cautions against approaching internet business purely as a way to make money. If money is your only motivation, the inevitable difficulties of building a business with a language barrier will likely defeat you. Much better to start with a clear vision of what you want to build, who you want to help, and what you want to achieve. Let the money follow from that purpose.<\/p>\n Mark recorded this in January 2013. The business motivation and mindset advice is timeless.<\/p>\n Mental health awareness in entrepreneurship has grown dramatically.<\/strong> What Mark describes as a “business funk” is now openly discussed as entrepreneurial burnout. Resources, communities, and professional support for entrepreneur mental health are widely available in 2026. The stigma around admitting you are struggling has decreased significantly.<\/p>\n AI tools have transformed the language barrier issue.<\/strong> Non-native English speakers now have access to AI writing assistants and translation tools that make creating English content far more accessible. The advice to outsource content writing remains relevant, but the cost and friction have dropped dramatically.<\/p>\n FitBit was acquired by Google in 2021<\/strong> and has been folded into the Pixel product line. Wearable fitness trackers have become mainstream, and the gamification of exercise that Mark described has expanded through Apple Watch, Garmin, and numerous other platforms.<\/p>\nBuilding an Online Business as a Non-Native English Speaker<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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What's Changed Since This Episode<\/h2>\n
Resources Mentioned<\/h2>\n