My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
The Ryan Studio Model
A systematic approach to creating multiple companies by combining deep industry research, patient capital, and specialist CEO recruitment rather than trying to be CEO of everything yourself.
How It Works
Start each company with $1-1.5M, spend 2.5 months interviewing 50+ industry experts, create 50-page research documents, then recruit specialist CEOs and act as chairman across 12+ companies simultaneously.
Components
Deep dive industry research (2.5 months, 50+ interviews)
Create comprehensive research documents (50 pages)
Identify big obvious problems in underserved industries
Recruit specialist CEO who knows the industry better than you
Provide initial funding ($1-1.5M) and chairman oversight
Help with difficult decisions, financing, and strategic guidance
When to Use
When you have significant capital, industry pattern recognition skills, and want to scale impact across multiple sectors rather than focusing on one company.
When Not to Use
When starting your first company, when you lack capital for patient investment, or when you want hands-on operational control.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Researching maritime industry for 2.5 months, discovering $100B+ industry with terrible technology, starting container marketplace (BoxHub) and procurement platform for ship repairs in remote ports.”
Related Knowledge
Systematically understand a new industry well enough to identify billion-dollar opportunities
A 50-page document identifying 3-5 major pain points, key players, industry structure, and specific product opportunitie
Scale across multiple companies by being an effective chairman rather than trying to be CEO of everything
CEOs who proactively reach out for guidance, successful financing rounds, strategic decisions made efficiently, and comp
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The Dollar-Into-Two-Dollar Machine Framework
A mental model for evaluating whether to raise capital and invest in growth by determining if you can reliably convert investment into higher returns.
The 10-Year Trend Betting Framework
A strategic approach to business building that focuses exclusively on trends and opportunities that will play out over 10+ years rather than immediate market gaps.