It’s sippin’ time, baby!
2 new episodes for you this week.
New episode 1: John Rush gives away his best startup ideas around directories
New episode 2: I'm giving away my favorite startup idea this week
More episode insights below.
But before we dive in, I wanted to let you know I'm doing exclusive live streams and releasing extra videos on YouTube every week.
Click here to subscribe so you don't miss a single startup idea.
Enjoy the insights.
John Rush is a true idea machine.
With 24 businesses, $2 million in ARR, and over 10 million users, he's cracked the code on turning ideas into thriving ventures.
In this episode, John spotlights the creative entrepreneur movement quietly exploding under our noses. He shares his million-dollar ideas around micro-SaaS tools, marketing with micro-influencers, and why directories are an overlooked opportunity in the startup world today.
He has one idea that could save you months (or even years) of trial and error and put you on the fast track to building something people actually want.
If you’re a solopreneur, indie hacker, or just a startup enthusiast, this episode is full of important insights and actionable ideas for you.
Full episode here: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts
If you're short on time, skim through these 3 big insights from my conversation with John:
1. The rise of solopreneurs and indie hackers
A creative movement is exploding right now, and most people don’t realize it.
According to John, the number of solopreneurs and indie hackers launching their own ventures has been doubling year over year, with no signs of slowing down.
More and more people are building startups on the side while working full-time jobs. Easy access to no-code tools means you no longer need a co-founder, a team, or capital to get started. All you need is a computer and an idea.
That being said, 99% of solopreneurs struggle with the same problem: Getting customers.
And that's where I see the opportunity.
You can build tools to help this massive new audience of makers solve their #1 problem and grow their reach.
If you want to take advantage of the gold rush, sell shovels to the new wave of indie founders competing for gold with each other.
Develop a tool that generates customers, and you’ll have your shovels.
2. Startup validation as a service
I love John’s concept of startup validation as a service.
Imagine browsing a marketplace of fully vetted and validated business ideas. You could essentially "rent" whatever idea you like the best and hit the ground running. It de-risks the scariest part of starting a business.
Here's how it would work:
- You use AI to generate promising business ideas, test and validate them in the market, and then package the best ones as ready-to-launch startups.
- You figure out the pricing, the target audience, the go-to-market strategy—all the heavy lifting.
- You could even start a waitlist to sell the ideas with customers built-in.
This might sound too good to be true, but John is already working on a prototype of this model.
And he's not alone—I know a few founders starting to explore this concept of "idea arbitrage".
I'd happily pay a premium for ready-made ideas with real customers, and I bet a ton of other entrepreneurs would too.
3. Framework for finding and validating directory ideas
Directories might seem old-school, but they’re still very relevant in today’s world of information overload.
Think about it like this: More people than ever are creating content, building products, and launching services. But that means there's more noise and competition in every space.
Enter directories.
Whether it’s CRM tools or coffee shops in your city, directories filter out the duds and reduce decision fatigue.
Here’s how you could do it:
- Identify a market opportunity by looking for a niche audience with a problem you can solve with a directory.
- Validate the idea through Google keyword research and user interviews to gauge demand and understand pain points.
- Create a simple landing page and start marketing it to your target audience to generate early traction.
What I appreciate about this approach is how accessible it is. You don't need to be a technical expert or have tons of startup experience to apply these principles.
And the best part?
You can charge both sides of the marketplace. Customers pay you to access the directory, and companies pay you to be included in it.
Curation is going to become a massive business model in the next decade. We’re just seeing the earliest signs of it now.
Don’t sleep on directories.
Watch the full episode on YouTube to hear more from John on the underrated opportunities in directories.
Or jump straight to the juicy parts:
01:32 First business: Micro-SaaS growth/marketing tools
05:25 Second business: Startup validation as a service
13:36 The influencer marketing landscape
23:36 Why directories are underrated
30:09 Third business: Localized directories
35:22 Framework for finding/validating directory ideas
For this week's second episode, it's just you and me, diving headfirst into the world of startup ideas.
We're exploring everything from scientific journals to carnivore snacks, highlighting opportunities where you don’t expect them.
Plus, I give some feedback on other people's startup ideas from a recent livestream.
Full episode here: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts
I want to highlight two ideas that show incredible promise and one you should probably avoid:
Two profitable ideas worth pursuing
1. Newsletter focused on summarizing scientific journals
Scientific journals are packed with mind-blowing insights, but they're written for academics.
You could extract the juiciest bits and serve them up in a way that's easy to digest and fun to read.
The beauty is in the simplicity:
Use AI to distill complex papers into tweet-sized bits of information, create a brand around it with SEO in mind, and watch the numbers take off with organic reach over 6-12 months.
You could start monetizing through affiliate deals, partnering with companies that sell products related to the insights you’re curating.
Readers get valuable knowledge, and you get paid for spreading the word.
I think this is easily a $100k a month business once the SEO starts kicking in.
Plus, no one else is doing it yet. Go make it before someone else does.
2. Loyalty program rewarding gamers
Gamers are some of the most engaged customers on the planet.
They're always looking for ways to level up their experience.
What if gamers were rewarded for every aspect of the gaming experience?
Picture this: a loyalty program that rewards gamers for every aspect of their experience.
We're talking hours logged, achievements unlocked, bosses beaten—you name it, we'll reward it.
You could create a third-party loyalty system for platforms like Steam, giving passionate players the extra wins they crave.
Gamers could earn points for every headshot, every level cleared, and every rare item collected. Then, cash in those points for exclusive in-game content, discounts on gaming gear, or even real-world experiences.
The key is to keep it simple and focus on delivering value that appeals to gamers. There are huge partnership opportunities with game developers and brands.
Just give gamers more of what they want, and they'll be your biggest advocates.
Trust me, this is a billion-dollar market ready to be disrupted.
One idea to avoid (and what you can learn from it):
Fantasy League for real-life physical activities
I really wanted to like this idea.
Combining fitness with fantasy leagues and cash prizes sounds pretty cool on paper. But when you start to dig into the logistics, it gets a little messy.
First off, you've got the entry fees and the gambling aspect. That's already a tough sell for most people.
Who wants to pay to play and then stress about losing money on top of everything else?
Then, there's the tech side of things. Integrating with all those different fitness trackers and wearables? Managing the payouts and the prize pools? It's too much to handle.
I just don't see people running to pay entry fees and jump through hoops to participate.
But, I still think there's something to the core concept of rewarding people for staying active and engaged.
My advice?
If you’re creating a fitness app, strip it down to the essentials. Make it easy for people to track their progress, compete with friends, and earn rewards along the way.
Always ask yourself: Am I creating more value than hassle?
Because at the end of the day, it's about creating a product that people actually want to use. If you can nail that, you're golden.
A good rule of 3 to remember: Keep it fun, keep it social, and keep it simple.
And there we have it—two startup ideas ripe for the picking and one cautionary idea to keep you focused on the right things.
Watch the 24 minute episode on YouTube to see the other three ideas I sipped on.
Or jump straight to the juicy parts here:
01:13 Business 1: Newsletter focused on summarizing scientific journals
08:25 Business 2: Loyalty program for gamers
11:36 Business 3: Carnivore snacks DTC brand
15:17 Business 4: Content website for plugs and adaptors
17:44 Business 5: Newsletter focused on QSBS and 83b startups
19:28 Business 6: Fantasy League for real-life physical activities
I hope these conversations get your creative juices flowing like they did for me.
Forward this email to a friend or share on social media to get others thinking.
And if you haven’t already, click here to subscribe on YouTube to catch my livestreams and more startup ideas every week.
