After handling loads of stress as an SVP of sales, Justin decided to step down from his job and start a consulting business. He started creating digital content from there on, and have been moving forward ever since, releasing courses, building a massive following, and double down on his solopreneurship efforts.

Justin Welsh developed his first flagship course, The LinkedIn Operating System, by focusing on three main hypotheses: pricing, course length, and production value. He set the price at $150, aiming for it to be an impulse buy, and kept the course under two hours to ensure higher completion rates, significantly surpassing the average course completion rate with his at above 45%. Welsh opted for a straightforward, low-production method, recording his content in a single take using Google Slides and Zoom, which allowed him to focus on delivering value rather than aesthetics. This approach reflected a bias toward action and simplicity, making the content accessible and engaging without unnecessary embellishments.

Justin posts 600 times a year on Linkedin, over 500 days in a row on Twitter, and recently shifted to a multi-page website to attract search engine traffic. He takes help of a friend to improve the site's SEO.

Insulated drinkware for adult beverage enthusiasts.

• Dylan Jacob, founder of BruMate, came up with the idea for his unique insulated drinkware brand after a frustrating search for a koozie that worked with his can of choice.
• He launched his first product line in November 2016 and has since experienced impressive growth (with over $1.1 million in monthly sales)
• Jacob's ability to pivot and adapt his business strategy has been key to his success.

Dylan identified a gap in the market and created an innovative insulated drinkware products:

• He started by designing rough prototypes and gathering customer feedback through targeted ads and partnerships with local breweries.
• Jacob used his knowledge of sourcing and manufacturing to find reliable partners and ensure product quality.
• He also emphasized the importance of being adaptable and willing to pivot based on customer needs and market feedback.

BruMate's most successful growth channels include:

1. Targeted Facebook ads: By running targeted ads for pre-orders and email capture, they were able to gather sales leads and create a list of around 7,000 people to launch their products to.
2. Email marketing: They also utilized email marketing to bring existing customers back and increase sales.
3. Partnerships with retailers: partnerships with over 1,000 retailers nationwide helped increase their reach and sales.

"Focus on creating a product people actually want, be willing to pivot and make changes based on feedback, and invest time in finding good manufacturers to ensure quality and scalability."

Subscription-based graphic design and frontend code services.

Junaid Ansari and Amin Memon co-founded Draftss.com, a productized graphic design and frontend code service. They started by providing graphic design services and later added frontend coding to their list of offerings based on customer requests. In 2019, they made $66,000 in annual recurring revenue (ARR), and as of July 2020, they hit $9.6k in monthly recurring revenue (MRR). Their focus is on automation and improving their service to retain customers and scale their business.

Draftss was built by leveraging existing design agency resources to quickly create a minimal viable product (MVP). They prototyped a landing page and tested different payment processors, settling initially on 2Checkout due to regional constraints before eventually transitioning to Stripe after joining its beta program. The first setup included low-cost tools and services like a domain ($10), hosting ($15), and G-suite email ($10), ensuring minimal initial expenditure while utilizing free resources like Tawkto for communication. The development phase involved handling technical challenges like ditching the initial dashboard to recreate it multiple times, striving for a product that aligns perfectly with customer needs. This iterative process has been demanding due to the complexity of tailoring productized design and code services to varied customer demands, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining a streamlined yet versatile offering.

SEO

Draftss experienced significant growth by optimizing their website for search engines. They focused on ranking for niche keywords related to their services, such as graphic design and front-end development. Over time, they achieved high rankings in search results, which drove organic traffic to their site. This was accomplished by consistently improving their landing page based on visitor engagement and analytics insights.

Why it worked: SEO allowed Draftss to tap into an audience actively searching for design services. By appearing on the first page of Google for targeted keywords, they attracted potential customers who were already interested in what they offered. The organic nature of this traffic helped secure a steady stream of inquiries and conversions.

Community Engagement on Platforms

Draftss leveraged community platforms like IndieHackers and Reddit to gain initial traction. The exposure on IndieHackers, followed by a successful launch on ProductHunt, played a crucial role in validating their service. These platforms helped them get noticed by individuals who were interested in their productized service of graphic design and development.

Why it worked: Engaging in these communities provided an opportunity to reach a targeted audience of founders and entrepreneurs who could benefit from Draftss’ services. The genuine conversations and interactions helped in understanding customer needs and refining their offerings accordingly.

Referrals and Word of Mouth

While not explicitly outlined in the document, Draftss benefited indirectly from word-of-mouth referrals due to the positive experience of their clients. Many customers came back to leverage their services again after experiencing initial benefits. This recurring clientele indicates a high level of satisfaction and advocacy among users.

Why it worked: Word of mouth is a powerful form of referral because it comes with a built-in level of trust. When existing customers had a positive experience, they were likely to recommend the service to others in their professional network, leading to new client acquisitions without additional marketing expense.

Blogging courses teaching financial freedom through online content.

Attracted a lot of subscribers, but it also helped us build trust and establish ourselves as experts in the blogging industry. We also focused on providing valuable and actionable content on our blog and social media platforms, which helped us attract and retain customers who were looking for guidance and support in starting their own successful blogs.

Personal finance blog for earning, saving, and living smarter.

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner came up with the idea for Making Sense of Cents as a way to document her personal finance journey.

She started the blog as a hobby, but after readers suggested she monetize it, she leaped and quit her stable job as an analyst.

Making Sense of Cents now earns over $100,000 a month and has made over $5 million in total.

Michelle created a self-hosted WordPress website and bought a domain name. She then created social media accounts for her blogs on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest and started building an email list.

She focused on creating content on topics she enjoys in a friendly style and would post around one to three times a week.

Her content topics come from her life experiences, reader questions, and deep research. Michelle also created courses that taught people about affiliate marketing and sponsored posts.

Michelle shares her knowledge and insights through captivating and interesting articles. She spends considerable time researching and crafting engaging content to keep her readers hooked and fully engaged, and attract sharing.

Apart from her blog posts, Michelle also maintains an email list to keep her loyal readers informed and interested in her work. She sends out regular updates about her latest articles, promotions, and any other noteworthy developments on her website.

Additionally, Michelle leverages different social media platforms to attract more traffic to her site. She cleverly uses social media to connect with her audience and build a strong online following.

Her creative and strategic approach to social media marketing has helped her grow her website and reach a wider audience.

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"Transform recorded content into compelling written narratives."

Jaclyn Schiff, the founder of PodReacher, came up with the idea for her business after noticing podcast creators asking to turn episodes into articles. She saw an opportunity to repurpose recorded content into valuable marketing materials, and after pitching the service to potential customers and receiving positive feedback, she knew she had a viable business on her hands. Since launching in 2018, PodReacher has worked with over 250 customers and generates $30,000 to $40,000 in revenue per month.

Matt Paulson, the founder of MarketBeat, came up with the idea for his business while working as a freelance writer in college. He discovered that stock investors were eager for real-time information and news about their investments, leading him to create a newsletter that provided convenient and timely updates. Over time, MarketBeat evolved into a financial media company, generating $8 million in revenue in 2019 and boasting 1.3 million email subscribers.

'Investment newsletter spotlighting early stock trends.'

Luc and his business partner Sam started Ticker Nerd after realizing the need for a more effective way to keep up with stock information. They decided to apply the model of another tool, Exploding Topics, to stocks by finding trending stocks through social mentions and conducting sentiment analysis. With a landing page, they were able to generate over $1,000 in sales within a week, validating the idea. They pivoted their approach, built relationships with Product Hunt members, and had a successful Product Hunt launch that resulted in around $5,800 in monthly recurring revenue. They continue to grow organically, implement an affiliate program, and have plans to offer new products and education components.

After securing initial validation through Reddit and Facebook by generating over $1,000 in sales, Ticker Nerd faced the challenge of building their actual product despite not having a technical background. Initially, the founders considered hiring a developer but realized it would be costly and require giving up equity. Instead, they discovered free online tools within stock forums that could perform the data analysis they needed. These tools provided the necessary data but were not user-friendly, prompting them to add value by curating and analyzing the data into a more accessible format for users. This approach allowed them to iterate quickly without the upfront costs of custom development. They initially built their website using Carrd for its ease of use in testing ideas but moved to Webflow for better integration capabilities, utilizing Memberstack for membership management, integrated with Stripe and Mailerlite for seamless user experience and communication, and rewarded affiliates using Rewardful. The process highlighted the importance of leveraging existing tools to circumvent the need for costly development while iterating based on customer feedback.

Reddit

Ticker Nerd's early growth was significantly fueled by strategic postings in relevant subreddits. They posted about their service, generating initial traction and quickly securing $1,000 in sales by charging $49 for lifetime access. This approach provided immediate validation for their concept and attracted paying customers from communities interested in investing.

Why it worked: Reddit is a platform where niche communities thrive. By directly engaging with subreddits focused on stocks and investing, Ticker Nerd connected with a targeted audience that had a strong interest in their offering. The credibility and community-driven nature of Reddit allowed them to gain visibility and trust without any initial advertising spend.

Product Hunt

A successful Product Hunt launch was a pivotal moment for Ticker Nerd. They prepared for this launch by engaging with the Product Hunt community and having their product "hunted" by someone reputable. This strategy required having an established presence and connections within the Product Hunt ecosystem.

Why it worked: Product Hunt is ideal for tech-forward audiences eager to try new products. By timing their launch well and engaging with influential community members, Ticker Nerd managed to gain significant exposure. The Product Hunt launch resulted in 200 signups, translating to $5,800 in monthly recurring revenue, which provided a powerful boost to early customer acquisition.

Partnerships and Networking

Ticker Nerd actively engaged with founders, indie hackers, entrepreneurs, and larger publications, offering free memberships to gain exposure and credibility. By network building, particularly on platforms like Twitter, they leveraged their connections to create a support network ready to promote their Product Hunt launch.

Why it worked: Networking allowed Ticker Nerd to tap into existing audiences who could resonate with their product. Collaborations and free memberships helped to build authority and visibility in the highly competitive investing space, laying a foundation for long-lasting customer relationships and organic word-of-mouth marketing.

Affiliate Program

To boost organic growth further, Ticker Nerd implemented an affiliate program, offering members a 50% commission on new sign-ups. This approach incentivized existing users to promote the service to their networks, expanding their customer base without relying on paid advertising.

Why it worked: Affiliate programs motivate customers to share products they love in exchange for rewards. This method harnessed the power of personal recommendations, fully utilizing the reach and credibility of existing users to bring in high-quality leads and potential customers.

Braxton Manley and his dorm-mate Grant Andrews started Braxley Bands as a class project at Texas Tech. With only a $20 investment and no prior business experience, they created an elastic Apple Watch band and scaled the business to $100K a month on Shopify within three years.

"Online test prep for construction inspector certifications."

Gabriel Kramer, a former construction inspector, came up with the idea for SI Certs while studying for certification exams himself. Frustrated with the limited and expensive options for test prep courses, he saw an opportunity to create affordable online courses that would be accessible to aspiring inspectors across the country. With hard work and patience, SI Certs has grown to generate over $60,000 per month in revenue.

E-commerce site selling music production software tools.

A former music producer himself, Mordern Producers is Adrian's way of giving back to the music production community and leveling the playing field between up-and-coming, independent producers and the big league industry players. Helping other artists achieve success is the driving motivation for Adrian.

Adrain frequently launches giveaways and special offers and hosts various contests to build goodwill among the music producer community. Other channels include Facebook messenger broadcasts, where Adrian gets 80-90% open rates and a 10-20% click rate.