My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Credit Card Points Travel Concierge
For: High-spending individuals with accumulated credit card points but no time to optimize redemptions
The Problem
People accumulate millions of credit card points but find it too time-consuming and complex to optimize redemptions for maximum value
The Solution
Concierge service that manages all aspects of points redemption, finding optimal flights, hotels, and experiences based on customer preferences
Why Now?
Credit card rewards have exploded, creating massive point accumulations. Existing tools are clunky and time-consuming for busy professionals.
Build MVP in 7 Days
Create intake form for points inventory and travel preferences
Manually research and book one optimized trip for test customer
Document savings vs cash booking
Create simple dashboard showing point values
Establish basic compliance procedures
How to Validate
Revenue Model
Monthly retainer ($200-500/month) plus percentage of savings generated vs cash equivalent bookings
Competitive Moat
Expertise in complex redemption rules, relationships with travel providers, automation tools
Risks to Consider
Related Knowledge
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Consumer behavior shifting from waiting for health problems to proactively optimizing health and appearance before issue
Word of Mouth: Amish Farm Model - Create exclusivity and scarcity around alternative products
Exclusivity and slight illegality create strong word-of-mouth and community bonding around shared 'secret' knowledge
Wealth Management A/B Test Framework
Split significant capital between professional wealth management and self-directed investing to empirically compare perf
Tax Alpha Over Investment Alpha Framework
Focus optimization efforts on tax reduction strategies rather than trying to beat market returns through security select
Build $30M+ tax-free retirement account through legal Roth IRA contribution loopholes
Accumulate $30M+ in tax-free Roth IRA by retirement age, paying zero taxes on withdrawals
Percentage-Based Fee Invisibility Model
People underestimate the long-term cost of percentage-based fees because they don't feel the pain of the payment, unlike