The Startup Ideas Podcast
The best businesses are built at the intersection of emerging technology, community, and real human needs.
Rigged Slot Machine Framework
A business model where you know with high confidence that investing $1 will return $1.30+ consistently, allowing you to scale predictably by increasing ad spend
How It Works
Focus entirely on unit economics optimization rather than brand building. Test until you find profitable customer acquisition cost vs lifetime value ratio, then scale that exact formula
Components
Find offer that solves real problem
Build minimum viable product/landing page
Test ads at small budget to find profitable unit economics
Once profitable, increase ad spend while maintaining ratios
When math breaks, launch new product instead of fixing
When to Use
When testing new products, markets, or offers where you need fast validation and scalable growth without complex operations
When Not to Use
When building long-term brand equity, complex products requiring customer education, or businesses needing operational scale
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Samuel spends $20 on Facebook ads to sell a $27 book that costs $7 to fulfill, netting breakeven. Once he optimizes to $1.30 return per $1 spent, he scales to $100/day ad spend”
Related Knowledge
Digital-to-IRL Conversion Framework
A systematic approach to taking successful digital products, services, or communities and recreating them as premium in-person experiences.
Leveraged Agency Progression Framework
A three-phase approach to building AI startups by starting with manual service work, then systematically replacing human labor with AI agents while maintaining service pricing and margins.
I'm trying to create like a rigged slot machine where I put a dollar in and get $1.30 out
Focus on predictable profitability rather than uncertain growth - find formula that works and scale it
vitamin or painkiller vitamin don't want to be painkiller really need
Products solving urgent, desperate problems (painkillers) succeed better than nice-to-have improvements (vitamins)
This isn't your 101. You're going to be running a business by yourself with AI employees.
AI agents represent a fundamental shift from simple automation to full business operation assistance
usage-based business model MicroSaaS going get more more common
Usage-based pricing will become increasingly common for MicroSaaS products instead of flat monthly subscriptions