My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Pre-sell real estate development using owned media
Media companies with enthusiast audiences interested in lifestyle real estate
6-12 months for pre-sales validation, 3-7 years for developmentWhat Success Looks Like
$15-30M in pre-sales reservations with deposits, providing proof of concept for development financing
Steps to Execute
Identify land that can be arbitraged through audience-specific amenities
Purchase land with development potential in target geography
Create vision document focused on lifestyle experience not just real estate
Test market demand through owned media channels
Collect refundable deposits ($20-40K per lot)
Use pre-sales to secure development financing
Hire experienced development team
Execute master-planned community development
Checklist
Inputs Needed
- Land acquisition capital ($2-5M)
- Owned media channel to target audience
- Development planning expertise
- Legal structure for deposits
Outputs
- Pre-sales validation and deposits
- Development financing capability
- Master-planned community
- Recurring revenue from lot sales
Example
“1,500-acre aviation community: Purchased land for $3.6M, advertised to Flying Magazine audience focusing on lifestyle experience, generated 300+ inquiries and $28M in reservations within months”
Related Knowledge
Magazine Portfolio Acquisition Framework
A systematic approach to acquiring undervalued magazines with loyal audiences and converting them into commerce platform
Asymmetric Risk Portfolio Theory
An investment approach that takes multiple small bets where maximum loss is capped but upside is potentially unlimited
FL001
FL002
Transform underperforming magazine into profitable commerce platform
Magazine becomes break-even on media operations while generating 80%+ profits from commerce businesses built on the audi
First Nut Then Noble Mission
A two-phase approach to entrepreneurship where you first focus entirely on financial freedom (making your 'first nut' of a few million dollars) through any viable means, then pivot to working on meaningful, impactful projects once financially secure.