Starter Story - I studied 4,418 $1M+ side projects

11. Look in unexpected places

Obscure subreddits. Niche gaming communities. Weird hobbies. These are all unexpected places to find great business ideas. 

– Sub-sub-niche: Creative moms who work from home and have 2+ kids

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.

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.

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.