Starter Story - It was like a drug..

Read this in 2 min, 30 sec

Ever gotten advice from someone who's been in the game for a few years?

They'll probably say something like this:

First time founders focus on product.

Second time founders focus on distribution.

You learned this already though... right?

Well... imagine not learning this for 5 YEARS!

Yep, that was me.

And today, I want to tell you the story about when it all changed.

And when I found the secret to actually making money - and turned it into millions.

––

Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017:

It's 2 months after my "soft launch" of Starter Story.

I thought I'd have 1000s of subscribers by this point.

But... I have 25.

The only thing I know now... nobody gives a sh*t about my thing.

The only person giving me any props: my mom.

“Looks like a nice little website, honey.”

Jeez. Humiliating.

But... I wasn’t ready to give up.

I knew I had to keep going.

Then I remembered that saying ^^^

…focus on distribution.

So I got an idea…

––

Instead of hoping people would randomly find my thing…

I should go out and find them.

Seems obvious, right?

Well, it is.

BUT I was so worried about my idea being perfect, that I forgot nobody even knew I existed in the first place!

See, here's the thing with first time founders.

You get so excited about the idea, how to build it, what tools to use, etc...

You build it all up in your head!

Then you just assume once built, the thing will go to the moon.

But that’s NEVER how it works.

So… instead of waiting for my customers to find me.

I went out and found them.

I became a VERY shameless person.

I started posting about Starter Story everywhere and ANYWHERE.

Quora. Instagram. Facebook. Reddit.

I’d get a few visitors here and there.

I'd open up Google analytics and see "1 user active now" and... that was enough to keep going!

I did this every day, and over time I started to tweak stuff:

I improved my content.

I improved my titles.

I added images.

I made things easier to understand.

I added features when people asked.

Then, I decided to try this Reddit thing again.

So I posted on Reddit, not thinking much of it, and went to bed… ready to grind it out again tomorrow.

Will this ever work?

––

I wake up the next day to hundreds – literally hundreds – of people signed up to my email list.

Tons of comments! Actual conversations happening around my product!

THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT STARTER STORY!!

I was shaking. I couldn’t believe it.

I headed to work (my 9-to-5) and I couldn’t stop checking my phone.

Every minute, a new comment, a new email subscriber, another upvote!!

It was the most addicting dopamine rush I’d ever experienced.

And I finally understood: THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.

Other founders had been telling me:

“Just wait until you get that first big break… you’ll see.”

I didn’t believe them, TBH.

I had been working for months with NOTHING to show for it.

And then I got that first hit.

It was like a drug. The best feeling ever.

^^ this was the post that changed everything

––

I tell this story because it was such a defining moment of my life.

It took me 5 years to learn this lesson:

Stop waiting for the perfect idea.

It doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t exist.

There are only two things that matter:

(1) Getting started

Instead of thinking – start doing.

Write the story
Ship the MVP
Send the email

Nothing will happen by thinking.

Something can happen by doing.

(2) Getting the word out

This is the part everyone gets stuck on.

I’ve seen it thousands of times.

You build the product and cross your fingers that someone will come.

It never, ever, ever works that way.

You HAVE to talk to people.

Tell your friends
Tell your coworkers
Tell your mom
Tell the internet

TELL SOMEONE.

Nobody else will do this for you.

If you don't do this now, somebody else will...

––

Here’s the truth: the original idea for Starter Story wasn’t very special.

There were already dozens businesses out there just like it.

But I got started. And then I found the secret sauce: distribution.

First, I got millions of users from Reddit
Then, I got millions of users through SEO
Now YouTube is crushing it.

It's all about the distribution, baby!

If you're serious about learning how $1M businesses get in front of millions of people, then you'll probably want to check out Starter Story.

We break down the distribution strategies (that actually work) and the ones you should avoid like the plague - so you can replicate them in your own business.

The future of building an online business is all about finding distribution.

And it’s time to find yours.

Click HERE if you're ready to find yours

(^^ don't click that link if you're still waiting for the perfect idea)

– Pat

Starter Story - Advertise with us - Share your story - About us

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here for our newsletter.

Starter Story - 4920 W Cypress St Ste 104 - #5143 - Tampa, FL 33607

Click here if you want to stop receiving emails from us.

Starter Story - It was like a drug..

Older messages

This won't change... even when I have a private jet

He makes $500K/year editing PDFs

"You hired your wife?"

Your first million

I hate this time of year.

You Might Also Like

🚀 Globalstar to the Nasdaq

Theory Two

🗞 What's New: AI creators may be coming to TikTok

behind the scenes of the 2024 digital health 50

How to get set up on Bluesky

10words: Top picks from this week

Issue #131: Building $1K-$10K MRR Micro SaaS Products around AI Search Optimisation, Fine-Tuning Image Models, AI-…

(Free) Trial & Error— The Bootstrapped Founder 357

💎 Specially for you - will never be repeated again!

Northvolt files for bankruptcy