In March 2023, Louis was experimenting with AI APIs and built four tiny products in a week. One of them, AudioPen, quickly resonated with users on Twitter, now generating $15,000 per month.

Louis, the founder of AudioPen, crafted the initial version of the product in a remarkably short span, leveraging the No Code tool Bubble.io, which costs around $30 per month. Starting with designs sketched out in Figma, he built the MVP of AudioPen in just about 12 hours during a Half Day Build event he organized, which pushed participants to go from idea to revenue rapidly. Despite not being a designer or developer by profession, Louis effectively utilized these tools to create a scrappy but functional initial version. The process involved trial and error, and while the MVP was swiftly constructed, he spent months refining the product thereafter. The journey presented its challenges, but the constraints of the event helped streamline the product’s features to what's essential, proving more demanding than initially anticipated due to the need for focus and iteration.

Word of Mouth

AudioPen's growth heavily relies on word of mouth. As a one-person team, the founder, Louis, focuses on keeping things straightforward and prioritizes product quality to naturally encourage customers to spread the word.

Why it worked: Word of mouth is powerful because potential customers trust recommendations from friends and family more than traditional advertising. As AudioPen provided a valuable and reliable service, satisfied users became advocates for the product, sharing their positive experiences with others. This organic growth channel is cost-effective and builds a community around the product.

Affiliate Program

To boost word-of-mouth growth, AudioPen introduced an affiliate program. This approach incentivizes existing users to refer the product to new users by offering them rewards or commissions.

Why it worked: An affiliate program combines the trust of word-of-mouth marketing with a tangible incentive, encouraging users to actively promote the product within their network. This strategy effectively boosts customer acquisition without significant upfront marketing expenses.

Email Updates

AudioPen uses regular email updates to maintain engagement with existing users. These updates are personalized and keep users informed about new features and product changes.

Why it worked: Email updates foster a sense of community and loyalty among users by making them feel like they are part of the product's journey. This communication channel educates users about new offerings and features, ensuring they remain engaged and satisfied with the product, which can lead to higher retention and potential referrals.

Natalia's business idea for Sustainably Chic stemmed from her passion for sustainable fashion, which she developed after becoming fatigued with the industry’s wastefulness and unethical practices.

At the time, sustainable fashion was not a popular topic and she felt like no one talked about it.

Motivated by a desire to create an impactful platform and realizing the lack of resources in sustainable fashion, she started her online community to showcase ethical brands, which quickly gained a significant following.

Natalia purchased a domain name and selected Squarespace as her blogging platform, incurring a monthly cost of around $30.

She emphasized the importance of securing her brand by trademarking "Sustainably Chic" and acquiring a business license through legalzoom.com, which together cost about $1,200.

Recognizing the need for high-quality visuals, Natalia invested in a DSLR camera, several lenses, and a tripod, spending under $2,000 on photography equipment.

She leveraged her proficiency in Adobe for content creation. Her focus shifted to branding and achieving a consistent posting schedule, aiming to make sustainable fashion appealing and accessible.

The initial customer acquisition channel was Instagram. Natalia's posts on Instagram attracted tens of thousands of interactions in the first year.

In addition, she focused on organic reach by constantly posting listicle content on her website to improve ranking through SEO. As a result of this effort, Google drove hundreds of people to her lists daily.

Some top keywords her articles rank for include:

• Capsule wardrobe
  
• Worst fast fashion brands
• Production tights which materials

Danny Miró-Chinea noticed an untapped market for promoting Latino-owned businesses and combating their underrepresentation in the media. Fueled by data showing U.S. Latinos have a $3.2 trillion economic output, he launched Comprende, a media and consulting agency, growing it to $8.6K MRR and aiming for $10K by year's end.

Danny Miró-Chinea started Comprende by creating a simple Minimum Viable Product (MVP): a newsletter focused on the US Latino community. He used Carrd for the landing page (Pro Plan, $19/year), Photopea (a free Photoshop alternative) for designing the logo, Beehiiv’s free plan to run the newsletter, and Notion for organizing research and workflows. The initial prototype was built over a single weekend, leveraging prior experience with landing pages and email tools. The main challenge was developing the newsletter’s structure and research process, rather than any technical hurdle. Danny committed to producing 10 weekly newsletters to create a habit and gain initial user feedback.

Instagram and LinkedIn Danny prioritized repurposing newsletter content into short-form videos and posts for Instagram and LinkedIn, using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to draft scripts and captions. These platforms became the most effective source of new subscribers and agency clients. Why it worked: Consistent, tailored social content showcased expertise and reached an audience already interested in Latino entrepreneurship, generating inbound leads and recognition.

Short-Form Video Content Starting in January 2024, he produced regular short-form videos highlighting Latino founders and businesses. A specific video led directly to the first paying client within a month, who found him via Instagram. Why it worked: Video content increased visibility and credibility, leading to inbound inquiries from potential clients looking for consulting and media support.

Newsletter Distribution The newsletter served as the foundation for all other content. Early focus was on content quality and consistency rather than aggressive promotion, but sharing through personal networks and social posts helped establish initial traction. Why it worked: The newsletter built domain authority and provided a base for later growth through broader channels.

Sean Audet pivoted from a decade in hospitality to launching his own commercial photography studio in 2018. Initially a small experiment, his studio now earns around $11,000 monthly, fueled by his passion for food styling and quick learning through YouTube tutorials.

The first product for Sean Audet Photography was developed with minimal resources. Sean began by borrowing a nearly decade-old camera from a friend, buying budget LED lights from Amazon, and sourcing affordable props from IKEA. The technical workflow relied heavily on the Adobe Creative Suite for post-production, while early learning and troubleshooting were done through YouTube tutorials. Initial shoots were created by experimenting at home and iterating based on client feedback through online freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. Building a strong portfolio with basic equipment, and leaning on his experience in food styling, helped overcome the lack of formal photography training and kept startup costs essentially zero. Pricing the services proved to be the biggest challenge, leading to several iterations before finding a sustainable rate.

Freelance Marketplaces The business initially grew almost entirely through online freelancing agencies like Shutterstock Custom, Upwork, and Fiverr, where Sean created service listings and bid on projects. Why it worked: These platforms provided immediate exposure to clients, allowing for rapid portfolio building and consistent early revenue without upfront marketing expenses.

Word of Mouth & Referrals As the portfolio grew, an increasing portion of business came through referrals and professional or local connections. Clients recommended Sean's work after positive experiences, especially in the local market. Why it worked: High-quality results and good client relationships fostered trust, making referrals a natural source of repeat and new business.

Social Media & Portfolio Website Over time, prospective clients also found Sean through his website (built on Squarespace) and social media, where he showcased his best work. Why it worked: Sharing visually compelling content attracted brands seeking similar results, effectively turning the online presence into an inbound discovery channel.

Medical malpractice attorneys fighting corporate negligence.

James Wood, a Double Board Certified Trial Lawyer, launched James Wood Law nearly 30 years ago after working in personal injury law and wanting to establish his own practice. Now a leading firm in New Mexico, they secured a $23.8 million verdict in a recent medical malpractice lawsuit.

Multiplatform reselling business blending fashion, furniture, and coaching.

Shelby realized her knack for reselling when she sold a bridesmaid dress on Poshmark and saw its potential. Now, with $4,000/month in revenue, she and her husband manage multi-platform sales and coach others, proving that persistence pays off.

The initial product for Rooted Drawers was selected, prepared, and listed by hand, beginning with items already available at home—such as a bridesmaid dress. Shelby inspected each product in person to ensure suitability for online resale, applying personal standards for quality. As experience grew, sourcing expanded to thrift stores and yard sales to supplement inventory, with some attempts at wholesale that were eventually deprioritized in favor of curated individual selection or bulk purchases through local cleanouts. Tools for the backend included basic digital organization via Google Workspace and Slack, with shipping handled through integrated platform features and tools like Pirate Ship for cost-effective shipment options. The first working version took shape almost immediately, as platforms like Poshmark allowed fast onboarding—listing the first item took only minutes, but growing inventory and refining packaging was a process of continuous iteration. Early challenges included learning the backend business organization, managing physical storage space, and keeping upfront expenses low by reusing packing materials.

Marketplace Cross-Listing
Rooted Drawers leveraged popular platforms like eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari as main sales channels, and regularly cross-listed items to Depop, Etsy, and Kidizen to maximize visibility and tap into different buyer audiences.
Why it worked: Using multiple established marketplaces allowed them to reach large, active pools of buyers without heavy upfront investment in their own website traffic.

Content Marketing (Blogging & SEO)
They created and maintained a blog that shares reselling tips, business advice, and authentic personal stories, helping to organically boost store and site visibility and attract interest from the reselling community.
Why it worked: Valuable, targeted content drew organic traffic from Google and built trust among potential customers seeking genuine guidance and stories.

Customer Experience & Retention
Shelby focused on delivering standout packaging—thank you cards, ribbons, and stickers—and highly responsive customer service to create a memorable buying experience. This effort is reflected in over 99% 5-star ratings and significant repeat business.
Why it worked: Personal touches and consistent communication fostered loyalty, making buyers more likely to return and recommend the store.

Social Media (TikTok & Pinterest)
After initially operating without social media to focus on internal growth, Rooted Drawers began posting regularly on TikTok and Pinterest, sharing behind-the-scenes insights, product features, and tips for fellow resellers.
Why it worked: These visual platforms grow awareness, drive qualified traffic, and allow connection with a broader, engaged audience.

Weekly AI tools newsletter for staying informed effortlessly.

where I send out the newsletter from. For aitools.fyi, I use React, Next.js, and Tailwind CSS for the tech stack. I also use Stripe for payments and Google Analytics for tracking website analytics. Additionally, I rely on social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn for marketing and promotion.

The first version of World of AI was set up using Beehiiv, a newsletter platform, which handled both the publishing and subscriber management. The founder created an account on Beehiiv just two days before sending out the initial newsletter, showing a rapid setup process with virtually no custom coding or complex integrations. Content was prepared and managed with the help of ChatGPT, which assisted in drafting and curating newsletters. The MVP approach prioritized speed—setup and first delivery took less than a week, with the founder focusing on getting a working product out quickly rather than building custom features or waiting for a perfect version. A notable challenge was missing early opportunities for email collection, as this wasn’t implemented until months after the initial launch of the parent site (aitools.fyi), resulting in a delayed start for audience building.

Product Hunt Launch (for aitools.fyi) Aitools.fyi, the parent site, was launched on Product Hunt and achieved "Product of the Day" with over 600 upvotes, driving a large spike in awareness and initial traffic. Why it worked: Product Hunt’s highly engaged tech audience generated buzz, helped secure features in newsletters and podcasts, and sent sustained organic traffic for several months.

Organic Website Cross-Promotion World of AI acquired over 99% of its newsletter subscribers directly from aitools.fyi, leveraging the site's 150K monthly pageviews to funnel users into the newsletter without external marketing. Why it worked: Using a captive audience from a high-traffic parent product ensured a consistent stream of engaged, relevant subscribers with minimal marketing cost.

SEO & Programmatic SEO After initial launch, aitools.fyi grew further by publishing searchable content and automating the creation of landing pages based on AI tool categories, boosting organic reach and long-tail traffic. Why it worked: Targeting high-intent queries and automating content generation allowed for compounding organic growth and visibility in a competitive space.

Paid Influencer & Sponsorship Growth was supplemented with targeted sponsorships (one newsletter, one YouTube influencer), aimed at new, relevant audiences in the AI and tech space. Why it worked: Paid channels effectively reached untapped segments and refreshed growth momentum when organic methods began to slow down.

Full-service digital agency for branding and web design.

The founder of The Web Factory came up with the idea after seeing numerous businesses fail due to a lack of knowledge and operational capabilities. They saw a gap in the market for a digital services company that could provide logo creation, web design, brand design, creative writing, and digital marketing, and set out to fulfill those needs. With a focus on client satisfaction and a team of specialized individuals, The Web Factory has become a leading digital firm with impressive monthly online sales of $5,000 and a large portfolio of clientele.

Media platform and community for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Shubham Kumar, the founder of StartupTalky, came up with the idea for his business after realizing there was a lack of community and resources for entrepreneurs in India. He started a Facebook group and began posting valuable content for aspiring startup founders, which quickly gained traction and grew to over 100K members. To monetize the community, he started a blog featuring stories and challenges faced by founders, which eventually led to a profitable media platform making $10K/month.

The founders created the first version of StartupTalky by setting up a WordPress blog for $100 with help from a friend. They selected a theme from Themeforest, made minor modifications, and launched the site. Later, the platform was migrated to Ghost, which they found easier to manage and technically more reliable. The initial content production relied on hiring college students as interns at low cost, with standard operating procedures (SoPs) drafted to maintain content quality. Choosing topics was challenging at first, but they used manual research and user-generated content before integrating Google Search Console for systematic keyword insights; reaching the first working version took a short period, as the technical setup was simple and mostly off-the-shelf.

SEO StartupTalky focused on producing high-quality, evergreen content that targets founder challenges and startup topics, consistently optimizing articles based on keyword data from Google Search Console and Ahrefs. Organic search became their primary acquisition channel, driving over 1 million monthly page views within four years, without spending on paid traffic. Why it worked: SEO and content compounding captured ongoing demand for startup-related information, enabling sustained growth with minimal ongoing marketing spend.

Community Building (Facebook Group) They built and managed a large Facebook group for entrepreneurs, growing it to over 100,000 members by consistently sharing valuable and relevant startup content. This group seeded early traction, provided topic ideas, and steered engaged users toward their main site. Why it worked: Direct community engagement created a built-in audience for the blog and PR offerings, establishing trust and an organic feedback loop.

Content Partnerships & Features Monetization and further acquisition were boosted by offering paid features and brand partnerships targeting community members and startups seeking exposure. This tactic capitalized on the growing visibility and credibility of the platform within India's startup ecosystem. Why it worked: Providing a channel for brands and founders to reach a targeted, entrepreneurial audience created new revenue streams and reinforced StartupTalky’s relevance as a go-to resource.

Started as a personal project for Yosef's personal photography improvement, he eventually started a Facebook page for other enthusiasts to join as well, and ran it that way as a passion project for over a decade, with people participating in weekly photography contests. It was only until 2021 when Yosef launched a premium site membership that generated him enough revenue to quit his freelancing career in video production.

The initial build of 52Frames was a testament to resourcefulness and community engagement. It started as a shared photo album on a Facebook Page, where around 50 photo entries were uploaded weekly. As the volume increased, reaching over 100 entries, a friend developed a script to automate uploading and captioning. This was essential since Facebook's system could occasionally break without warning. As the community grew beyond Facebook's photo album limits, the solution was to split uploads into multiple albums. For a more user-friendly experience, a simple WordPress site was created, using Wufoo forms to collect submissions, although photos were still displayed on Facebook. This setup required users to navigate back and forth between platforms, a testament to how the community persevered through digital duct tape and inefficiency due to the passion and engagement of its members.

"Since the community started free and remained so for over a decade, the facebook page memberships shifted to the website, the traffic of which had been growing organically each week with new contests and submissions.

After introducing the memberships, Yosef started sharing the community site on other platforms (like Starter Story), getting more users onboard. A volunteer team runs his instagram handle that now has over 18k followers.

While the community is strong, Yosef relies on organic word-of-mouth for new traffic. He runs no ads, no campaigns, and no SEO marketing. "

Troy Ericson, founder of Copywriting.org and EmailDeliverability.com, came up with the idea for his business when one of his clients wanted to fire him. He discovered that their emails were going to spam, which was preventing them from monetizing their leads. Troy offered to solve the problem for free and ended up increasing their email revenue from $13k/month to $51k/month. This led him to realize the potential of managing email lists, and he has since grown his business to generate around $230K/mo and train freelancers in email marketing.

The initial product was a service reviving stagnant or unengaged client email lists to maximize their deliverability and revenue. Troy began by directly handling client accounts himself, identifying technical and content-based reasons emails landed in spam or the Gmail Promotions tab, then creating tailored strategies to improve inbox placement and engagement. He used tools such as ActiveCampaign for email automation and deliverability, and Loom to create personalized screen-share videos explaining problems and solutions to clients. The first prototype was essentially Troy applying his expertise manually to a client's email campaign, resulting in an increase of their email revenue from $13k/month to $51k/month over a summer (approximately a three-month period). A key challenge was convincing the first client to let him try an unconventional approach, but rapid performance improvements validated the process and formed the basis for scaling the service.

Referrals
Results-driven service and strong client relationships led to a substantial flow of new business via word-of-mouth. Why it worked: High-impact outcomes (like guaranteed improvement in open rates and sales) created strong client loyalty and organic recommendations.

Facebook & Loom Outreach
Troy identified prospects with email deliverability issues in Facebook Groups and sent them brief, personalized Loom video audits. This direct approach replaced a traditional website early on. Why it worked: Custom outreach addressed actual user pain points and demonstrated expertise, often generating immediate responses and calls with clients ready to buy.

Organic Social Content (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram)
He published both educational email marketing content and personal stories across multiple platforms, including a TikTok video with over 1.3 million views, which helped drive interest in the business and certification program. Why it worked: Putting a face to the brand and sharing authentic personal insights built trust and engagement, attracting both business owners and freelancers.

Mastermind Groups and Paid Programs
Actively attending industry mastermind events and joining paid groups accelerated networking and customer acquisition. Why it worked: These environments provided direct access to motivated business owners willing to invest in solving their email marketing challenges.