My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Build a profitable newsletter business from scratch using subject matter expertise
Subject matter experts in specialized industries with trading/business experience
2-5 years to reach significant scaleWhat Success Looks Like
Newsletter generating $10M+ annually with 30k+ subscribers paying $600+ per year, growing organically without paid advertising
Steps to Execute
Start by journaling your daily insights in your area of expertise
Share notes with friends and colleagues to test interest
Launch at low price point ($40/month) to validate demand
Write consistently every day without missing publication
Gradually increase pricing as value becomes clear ($600/year)
Add complementary content (memes, stories) to increase engagement
Build community around the newsletter (conferences, events)
Never advertise - rely purely on organic word-of-mouth growth
Checklist
Inputs Needed
- Deep subject matter expertise
- Daily writing discipline
- Initial network to seed distribution
- Patience for slow organic growth
Outputs
- Recurring subscription revenue
- Authority and influence in your industry
- Network of engaged, high-value subscribers
- Platform for other business opportunities
Example
“Kevin starts journaling his trading thoughts in 2007, shares with friends, begins at $40/month, grows to 40k subscribers at $600/year purely through word-of-mouth in agricultural/trading community”
Related Knowledge
Value vs Uniqueness Business Matrix
A 2x2 matrix plotting business opportunities on axes of total value (y-axis) and uniqueness (x-axis) to determine strate
Light User vs Heavy User Funnel Strategy
Strategic positioning framework where businesses deliberately avoid heavy users who demand low margins and instead focus
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pbr_bull_investment_loss
Launch and scale a newsletter to 7-figure revenue
100K+ engaged subscribers generating $18+ annual revenue per subscriber through advertising and products
Systematically expose yourself to different worldviews to avoid becoming cynical and maintain fresh perspectives
Regularly discovering new business ideas, maintaining curiosity, avoiding the 'old bear' mentality, and finding unexpect