I studied 4,418 $1M+ side projects

This might change your life ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ I studied 4,418 $1M+ side projects This is everything I learned. It might change your life (9 min read) When I first created Starter Story in 2017, all I wanted to know was this: Can a side project become a million dollar business? Without raising VC. Without a hefty trust fund. And... without quitting your day job. I started going down the rabbit hole - and boy did I find some crazy sh*t! Since then I've found, studied, and published case studies on 4,418 side projects and online businesses. Many that turned ordinary people into millionaires. I really want you to read all 4,000+ of them. But... I realize ain't nobody got time for that. So here it is... Everything I know in a 9 minute email: Read this if you want to learn: - 10 things all founders must have - How to uncover $1M+ side project ideas - Why the majority of side projects fail - And... why the very few succeed Today I bring you: 44 lessons from 4,418 side projects. Read these carefully. They might change your life. The most successful founders: 1. Have a BFA (Big Fat A$$) That's a joke... it actually stands for: Bias For Action. Successful founders don’t sit around, waiting for the perfect idea to fall into their lap. They don’t wait for the perfect time to get started. They start right now. 2. Build things that solve problems Products looking for a problem are dead on arrival. In Noah Kagan’s new book Million Dollar Weekend, he says, “it is deadly to build a business without first verifying that there are paying customers.” 3. Run head-first into the scary abyss Revenue goes down. Websites get hacked. A once-in-a-century pandemic hits. Sh*t happens. The best founders don’t run away from these challenges. [They pivot and adapt](. 4. Test and iterate (and test again) It’s rare that V1 of a business is what you see today. V1 will probably suck. And that’s OK. [Content Creator]( started with 1 course filmed with a crappy camera. Now they do $6M/year. 5. Own their audience If Instagram shut down tomorrow, lots of creators would be screwed. Great founders are directly in their customers’ inbox (usually through an email list or course). 6. Embrace imperfection “If You're Not Embarrassed When You Ship Your First Version, You Waited Too Long.” Founders ship–even if it’s incomplete. Feedback out in the wild is better than tweaking the code 100 more times in your bedroom. 7. Don’t chase shiny objects “What tool is best for X?” or “Should I switch to Y tool? I heard it has good reviews.” These are terrible questions. There are a million tools for nearly every aspect of a business. Pick one and just get started. 8. Work ON the business, not IN the business Once a business starts to accelerate, great founders hire and delegate. Don’t respond to every customer complaint. Don’t fix every single bug. Hire A-players to work in the business. So you can focus on what will take you to the next level. 9. Don’t go at it alone 6 of our top 10 highest revenue case studies have 2+ founders. And nearly all of them have 50+ employees. Some of the best founders are actually co-founders. It [doesn’t mean you can’t be successful alone]( but don’t be afraid to ask for help. 10. Talk to their customers Great founders focus on the customer. They listen to their feedback. Stay close to their experience. It’s the only way to change what sucks or double-down on what’s working. Tired of hearing about $1M side projects? Ready to build one? --------------------------------------------------------------- It might be time to check out Starter Story: We'll help you build the side project that changes your life. Without quitting your day job. [Click HERE to see what I'm talking about]( Ok... let's talk about ideas. How to find $1M ideas: 11. Look in unexpected places Obscure subreddits. Niche gaming communities. Weird hobbies. These are all unexpected places to find great business ideas. This founder started a [not-so-orthodox service]( to help models monetize on the requests they received for money. 12. Solve Your Own Problem The average person experiences a problem four times a day. Great founders see these problems as opportunities. We pulled together a report of [99 unique problems]( and founders solving them. 13. Find A Niche Audience Riches are in the niches. Find the sub-niche to your sub-niche. For example: – Niche: Creative moms – Sub-niche: Creative moms who work from home – Sub-sub-niche: Creative moms who work from home and have 2+ kids There’s a successful business there. Don't believe me? [This brand]( proves it. 14. Piggyback off a large market Other times, you need to find an extremely large market. A product or service everybody, everywhere needs. [This company]( made $600K in 8 months with something everybody needs. 15. 10x A Current Business Model You’ve probably experienced really bad service in your lifetime. It left you thinking, “Well damn, even I could do that way better!” Sometimes great businesses just take an existing model, make it 10% better, and win. [This company]( made a million bucks doing something that exists in every city. 16. Build on top of your lifelong passion I don’t necessarily believe “doing what you love” is the best advice, but hell, I’ve been proven wrong. If you’re interested in what you’re building, you’ll stay interested long enough to see it succeed, esp when you have to eat dirt for months. This guy loved one thing so much he built a [$6M business around it.]( 17. Sometimes… it's just random There are rare occasions where an idea falls into your lap. During a walk or shower or dream. Execution and action still matter, but the business idea is seemingly random. [This business idea was thought up]( on New Year’s Eve. A year later, he made $300K. 18. Look For A Gap In The Market Find problems with no solutions (takes a ton of research). In almost every market exists a niche that is not being served. [Growth Mentor]( found a gap in the Marketing Mentorship industry and makes $10K/month. 19. Do It For Fun Man sometimes a business just has to be FUN. [Wrumer Sound]( makes a car sounds app ($35K/month). [Swoveralls]( makes sweatpant overalls ($1.2M/Year). There’s a reason you’re sick of your 9-5. If it ain’t a little fun, what’s it worth? 20. Tackle A Taboo Topic Politics. Money. Religion. These are all topics that are hard to talk about. But they are topics with major upsides if done right. [Betty’s Toy Box]( makes $1.5M/year selling... I can't say it on here - you'll have to click. Looking for your idea? --------------------------------------------------------------- It might be time to check out Starter Story: Discover $10B+ worth of strategies and knowledge behind $1M side projects. [Click HERE to see what I'm talking about]( Ok... let's talk about failure. Why most businesses fail: 21. They Go Out With A Whimper, Not A Bang I see people build amazing stuff, and then in the final hour, give up. – "My landing page got only 100 visitors" – "I didn't go viral on PH" Those are not signs of failure. Those are signs to keep going. But instead… they go out quietly. Poof. 22. Lack of Distribution A great product with zero distribution will fail. I’ve changed Starter Story’s distribution 3 different times: – Went viral on Reddit – Pivoted to SEO – Now we’re focused on growing through YouTube Learn more about [How I Built Starter Story]( 23. If You Build It, They Won’t Come Before you build that SaaS or make that product, be very clear how you are going to market it. Grow a following on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter before launching a relevant product. [Don’t just build it. They won’t come.]( 24. Lack of Market Need The internet is littered with solutions that don’t have a problem. Don’t build something people don’t need. 25. Carbon Copying Copying exactly what another business does never works. I’ve seen a thousand versions of Starter Story, but none had the vision or the longevity. Instead: Find a problem you’re obsessed with. Put your own unique twist on it (serve a different audience, solve it in a better way). 26. Build In A Dying Industry Imagine creating a local newspaper, or starting a retail store. Yes, of course, you could still be successful, but it will be a lot harder. “A rising tide lifts all boats” - the fastest growing companies build in places that are growing. 27. Founders Who Focus On Tools Too many founders start an LLC, create a company email, or raise money BEFORE EVEN TALKING TO CUSTOMERS. I’ll die on this hill: you don’t need an LLC to validate your business. [Bounce Luggage Storage]( validated their idea with $5 bucks before even starting! 28. Selling A Cheap Product To A Cheap Customer It’s just as hard to sell a $25 product as it is to sell a $2500 product. [I built Pigeon CRM]( and worked my ass off for… $1,000 MRR. Today I work my ass off for… a lot more than that. Cheap products are a race to the bottom. 29. Failure To Pivot Great businesses evolve over time. If you don’t pivot, you die. [Tweet Hunter]( started from the founder’s failed tweet experiment. 30. Lack Of Time Management You don’t have to work 24/7, but you will have to grind it out at first. If you’re serious about building a great business, you have to put in the work. Intensity is the strategy. This founder built [SEOTesting]( amidst tragic family news. Don’t tell me you don’t have time. 31. Building on Someone Else’s Platform Building your business on the algorithm (FB, Insta, Twitter) is a dangerous game. Zuck can tweak the algo and kill your reach. [Country Outfitter]( went from 5 million fans to 50,000, effectively killing the business in less than 18 months. Avoid wasting years working on the wrong things... --------------------------------------------------------------- What if you could feel confident that you knew exactly what you needed to do? Get access to the most intimate details behind 4,418+ successful side projects. [Click HERE to see what I'm talking about]( Ok... let's talk about success! Why businesses succeed: 31. It's a Marathon, Not A Sprint We underestimate what can be built by dedicating yourself to something year after year. It’s unsexy, but the truth is that great businesses are built over 5, 10, 15+ years. [This founder]( built a $30M/year business…over 30 years. 32. 10x Everything Do something 10x better than anyone else. Do more research. Spend 1 more hour. Get up earlier. Example: some of the best newsletters [10x’d their content]( to muscle their way to 1,000 subscribers. 33. Dominate Your Niche Find a niche, research the hell out of it, and own it. That’s how [80+ Niche Sites make 6-figures per year.]( 34. Stay Lean The real reason businesses die is because they run out of money. By keeping costs low, you extend your runway. Allowing you to keep the business alive just a little longer. Some [solopreneurs]( make millions per year – by themselves! 35. Double Down On What’s Working Most businesses start as something completely different than where they land. They find the 20% of things that bring in 80% of success. [Queue]( started building a video tool for e-sports. Now they run an agency for SaaS productized services. Apples and oranges. 36. Be Known For One Thing: Become associated with one word: – ​​Nick Huber: Sweaty startups – Codie Sanchez: Boring businesses – Ryan Holiday: Stoicism – Matt McGarry: The Newsletter Guy This guy built a multi-million dollar business off one word: [Notion]( 37. Build Once, Sell Forever There’s nothing better than making money in your sleep. Templates. Courses. Videos. All examples of [Digital Products]( created once and sold forever. 38. Ride A Trend With new trends come new opportunities. The App Store brought an onslaught of apps. Google Chrome created thousands of chrome extensions. AI is the current wave and [Repurpose Pie]( is riding it. 39. Keep It Simple There’s nothing more beautiful than a dead-simple idea. Don’t overcomplicate business. If you think you need a fancy SaaS to crush it, [MySignature]( proves otherwise 40. 1% Better Every Day A great business is built slowly: brick-by-brick, one day at a time. The unsexy truth is that success is made up of a million boring, little tasks. If you made it all the way here... thank you. (they are the most important): 41. Product-Market Fit PMF is when you get traction. It's a sweet spot between [easy growth, high retention, and reaching critical mass](. Solve a genuinely unsolved problem, and you have a chance at Product Market Fit. 42. Founder-Market Fit Figure out what makes you uniquely suited to build your business. What topics can you not stop thinking about? What unique problems have you experienced? And most importantly: why are YOU the person to build this? 43. Take A Risk Starting a business is inherently risky. You don’t know if it’s going to work or if anyone is going to care. But it’s better than waiting, wondering, and wasting your professional life building someone else’s dream. 44. No Overnight Success Here’s the truth: I’ve shipped more things that have failed. [Only 8% of my projects have succeeded](. Behind every success story are years and years of building, pivoting, failing, worrying, and long, sleepless nights. There is no such thing as an overnight success. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. Hope you enjoyed these. Now let's get to work :) Pat Walls Founder, StarterStory.com P.S. Ready to take action? Ready to build the side project that might change your life? Click [here]( if you're ready. 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