Starter Story - $500K/year 3D printing casts?

Dear starters,

Pat Walls here, creator of Starter Story. 

As you know, every Thursday I send you an email highlighting the best case studies that we've published on our platform. This is a bite-sized summary of the most interesting experiences that starters have shared with us.

I hope you enjoy it!

And remember that as a newsletter subscriber, you are eligible for a very special deal to enjoy unlimited access to our Ideas database. Join us now and get Starter Story Premium for $79/year, a 45% discount from our regular price. That’s just $1.71 per week, an absolute no brainer investment in your business.

From VC rejection to $12MM in ARR

This couple couldn’t raise money from VCs. Investors turned their backs because they were non-technical founders, and some even said no because they were married.

So they took the bootstrapping way and developed a niche app in the promotional products industry. They’re currently powering sales for over $1BN of gross merchandise volume.

The promotional product industry has an estimated value of $23.3 billion and consists of 40,000+ companies. So, it totally makes sense to address a niche like this.

Read their full story here.

Want to go niche? Here are some amazing businesses built on top of a tiny niche:

• Case study: $7M per year shaving men's hairy backs
• Case study: $1M/year e-shopping cart business
• Case study: $24M/year subscription-based mystery game
• Case study: $6M/year innovative folding cart
• Case study: $2M/year selling bento boxes

This nightlife app [$1M/year] was sued by a “men’s rights activist”

These three college friends are making $1M/year with a nightlife app (even after COVID destroyed the industry).

Do you wanna know why they got sued? Check out the full interview.

The entertainment industry is huge, has many branches and hasn’t evolved much over the years, and that equals opportunities. See some examples of people successfully disrupting it:

• Case study: $40K/month creating Kanye West listening parties
• Case study: $75K/month licensing music business
• Case study: $144K/year mobile karaoke experience

Bonus: 53 profitable business opportunities in the music industry.

45 unique business ideas that will make you money

Developing software and organizing events sound too mainstream to you? Don’t worry - there are plenty of unusual niches where you can run a profitable business.

Axe throwing, becoming a professional mermaid or renting cows are some of the unique business ideas that we’ve collected for you. With examples of successful businesses and all the info you need to get started.

Read the full list here!

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$500K/year 3D printing casts business

Ever had to wear a cast? Then you know that it’s pretty much impossible to keep it dry and clean. Diana noticed that too while working with kids and that’s why she started making 3D printed waterproof casts and splints.

She knew there had to be a better way and using CAD designed a prototype and printed her first cast. After getting the OK from a doctor, she started making more and more for the kids. Now sells products to many countries and has reached a revenue of $500K; so now she’s also printing money.

A great story of bringing new technology into an old-school market. Some other uses of 3D printing in the medical field are: creating tissues and organoids, surgical tools and custom-made prosthetics. The space is expected to grow 500% in the next years.

3D printers are awesome both to create new products or develop prototypes. These are some of the starters who took advantage of this new technology:

• Building a $100MM silicone ring business
• $50K/mo phone case business
• The $500K/year gadget to track your time

This WordPress side project turned into a $180K income

All Maarten wanted to do was learn how to code - now he makes well over $15,000 per month.

It didn’t happen overnight - it took him around 5 years to go full time. And you can tell he’s been on it for a while because in the interview he drops absolute gems on SEO for the WordPress marketplace and how to price your plugins. Do not miss it.

WordPress powers more than 40% of the internet (yes, you read that correctly) so developing for its platform automatically gives you the opportunity to access a huge market. Check out how others have profited from developing a solution for a successful platform:

• Case study: Gmail extension ($300K/mo)
• Case study: Google Sheets add-on for Amazon Seller Central ($23K/mo)
• Case study: WhatsApp plugin for Shopify ($29K/mo)

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Looking for a job, or some work on the side?

Get your feet wet before you take the plunge into founder life.

Many of the companies we interview are hiring in operations, design, marketing, engineering, and more...

Check out our jobs portal for all new opportunities - new jobs are added every day!

Thanks for reading!

Pat

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